I just had a surgical abortion done 2 days ago, and wanted to document my experience in great detail for anyone who may be anticipating their own and looking for a thorough firsthand account. I was extremely nervous to get my abortion and was scouring the internet reading people’s experiences in order to calm my nerves and have some idea of what to expect, so hopefully this is helpful for someone else. My procedure took place at a Kaiser in the SF Bay Area of California.
I had originally wanted to go the medical abortion route but went in for an ultrasound and found out I was already past 10 weeks, and so was told I could only do the in clinic procedure, which they scheduled me for 3 days later. I asked if I could be asleep for the procedure and they said that no, I would be awake but given pain relief to make me more comfortable, and would need to have someone drive me home. I asked what kind of pain management I would be getting, and they said I would be given some pills and an injection before the procedure, injections to numb my cervix during the actual procedure, and likely some prescription pain meds to take home with me.
I went to the medical office at 2pm with my boyfriend. The nurse asked him to stay in the waiting room at first and brought me back alone. Asked me the usual questions, including if I felt safe at home, and then brought me my stuff for pain. I expressed that I was really anxious about the pain during the procedure because I have a high tolerance for pain medicine, and I was worried it wouldn’t be enough to make me comfortable. She said that I could express my concern to the doctor once I went into the procedure room and she could potentially give me more. She gave me 2 Norco pills (hydrocodone/acetaminophen) and 4 antiobiotic pills to prevent infection. Then she gave me a Toradol shot (basically like extra strength Tylenol) in my left butt cheek, which actually burned quite a bit. The nurse gave me a cold pack to put on my butt afterwards haha.
The nurse told me there’d be a bit of a waiting period while those pain meds kicked in, and that my boyfriend could come back and wait with me, which he did. Then at 3pm they took me to the procedure room and told my boyfriend to go back into the waiting room.
Once I got in the procedure room i undressed from the waist down (I kept my socks on) and sat on the chair with a paper sheet to cover my lap. The doctor came in and asked how the medicine was kicking in. I told her how anxious I was about the pain and that it didn’t feel like enough medicine, and she basically said she understood how I felt but that they don’t like to overmedicate as there are increased risks involved. She said she would put in a prescription for extra strength ibuprofen and a small amount of Norco to take home with me. She said the cervix injections would help numb things and that what I would mostly feel was bad cramping, and that the best thing I could do was focus on my breathing. I laid back in the chair and put my feet in the stirrups, and the nurse gave me a hot pack to hold on my lower belly.
The doctor inserted the speculum into my vagina and then gave me 3 injections into my cervix to numb it. I felt a slight pinch on the first one and flinched a bit, but did not feel the next 2. After a minute I started to feel numbness in my lips and asked if that was normal, and she said yes that was a good sign that the medicine was moving well through my body. Then she started to dilate my cervix in order to make it large enough to fit the suction tube through. This involved inserting increasingly larger rods to slowly stretch open my cervix. This step is when the cramping started. I kept my eyes closed and just focused on slow deep breathing, in through nose, out through mouth. This part of the procedure took about 5 minutes, and the cramping was about a 5/10
Once my cervix was dilated enough she inserted the suction tube and turned on the vacuum, and began suctioning the tissue out of my uterus. The cramping immediately intensified and got up to about an 8/10. Again, I just focused on my breathing and held the heat pack firmly to my belly. I could feel her moving the tube around the walls of my uterus and lots of pressure, and I did get some tears in my eyes at this point from the pain. The doctor just kept telling me I was doing a great job with my breathing, and that it wouldn’t be much longer. She had to stop for about a minute to adjust the speculum, which gave me a little bit of a break. Then she went back in to finish the suctioning. This part took about 5 minutes total and felt the most intense. I found it helpful to just keep reminding myself that it would be over very very soon.
As soon as she finished with the vacuum she inserted an ultrasound wand to make sure there was no tissue left behind. She let me know my uterus looked “nice and empty” and that it was all over. Then she removed the wand and speculum. The abortion procedure itself took about 12-15 minutes from start to finish.
I felt very lightheaded once the procedure was over, and the doctor told me I looked very pale and to just keep breathing nice and slow. I stayed laying back in the chair with my feet elevated. I kept the hot pack on my belly as I was still feeling cramps (about a 4/10), and the nurse gave me one cold pack to hold on my chest to calm my heart rate, and placed another cold pack on my forehead, which made me feel a lot more comfortable. Another nurse gave me a box of orange juice to sip on. The doctor stood next to me for a couple minutes comforting me and letting me know I had done a great job. I cried a little bit and thanked her for being so encouraging. She said that I was already getting my color back after just a couple minutes. She reminded me that if I got a fever or was bleeding so heavily I was having to change my pad every 1 or 2 hours that I needed to come in to the ER, and told me to just take it easy the next couple of days and get lots of rest. Then she left and it was just me and one nurse in the room. I stayed laying down for another 5 minutes or so.
The nurse asked me how I was feeling and if I wanted help getting dressed. I told her I was ready to stand up and that I felt I could dress myself. She gave me some moist towelettes to wipe myself and a maxi pad to put in my underwear. I was bleeding similar to a heavy period, but my cramps were almost gone. The nurse walked me back out to the waiting room once I was ready. Physically I felt a little shaky and weak but was able to walk fine on my own.
We stopped at the pharmacy on site and picked up my prescriptions, and then stopped at Walgreens on the way home for maxi pads and snacks (gushers and pringles ftw).
I had gotten to the hospital at 2pm and was home by 4pm. I spent the rest of the day resting in bed in my pajamas and watching movies. Around 8pm I started to feel crampy, so I used my heating pad and took 2 Norco pills and was able to sleep pretty well.
Since my procedure I’ve only had mild cramping, and have been bleeding like a regular period. Recovery has been less intense than I anticipated, which I am grateful for. I definitely bought way too many pads haha. Ibuprofen has been enough to manage the cramps. Emotionally I mostly just feel relief that the experience is over, and proud of myself for getting through it. I’ve had moments where I get teary eyed remembering how vulnerable and intense the procedure was, but those moments pass relatively quickly. Of course, everyone’s experience will be different, and it’s totally normal to feel a range of emotions or even not feel emotional at all.
Overall, it was more intense and painful than I expected. I thought I would be more heavily sedated for the procedure and not as aware of everything that was going on. But ultimately I’m sort of glad that the surgical abortion ended up being my only option. After reading a lot of negative MA experiences, I’m grateful I was able to have my abortion dealt with quickly and handled completely by professionals. 2 days later I am feeling almost completely back to normal.
To anyone needing an abortion who is dreading the experience, just know that you can do it. Your body can handle whatever pain may come, and you are strong enough to get through it. Soon enough it will just be a memory. Be gentle with yourself, and allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel through this experience. You will be okay.
Feel free to comment or DM me with any questions you may have, and I will do my best to answer them thoroughly. 💜💜

Hello everyone,
I am looking for a wired laser printer with a scanner that prints in both B/W and color. i don't print too often but when i do it's usually B/W and for important personal documents that i prefer not to print using public spaces like libraries or commercial stores. i would also like to use it for some personal home projects.
I'm looking for something that is sub $200 preferred, but i can stretch out to $300. I hear Brother is good but i have never used them personally. and no HP, fuck HP.
here's my list of requirements:

• Country: USA
  
• Budget: $200
  
• Color and black/white
  
• Scanner and printer
  
• Wired to home PC with possible wireless printing from phone (Wireless not a necessity)
  
• Printing on standard 8.5x11 sheets
  

thank you for your time. :]

My normal posts are 2-5 paragraphs. This is long because it's a starter.
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The sloping ground around the Kiaurk family mesa had been sculpted into shelves or terraces, and it was on one of those upper terraces that Kiaurk Nshurr now lounged beneath a pergola anchored to the striated stone face behind her. The mesa rose at her back: an enormous, looming, almost sheer outcrop that her family's dwellings had been carved into the face of. Wide, shallow steps cut into the artificial (but entirely convincing) sandstone wound their way up between landings and porticos leading inward, between tiny balconies shaded by bright solid-colored canopies, between rooms with flat walls and rounded corners that came jutting out to shadow the steps below. Rriigkhans rarely used glass as window barriers; smooth-edged holes had been cut through the rock in varying shapes and sizes. It could be difficult to tell which apertures were windows and which were entryways. A physical barrier that kept out the elements was obsolete in all but the crudest dwellings, though some of these larger holes were curtained with braided string or strips of cloth that served a purely decorative purpose.
From her high vantage point Nshurr could see the shelves stretching out below her as the base of the mesa leveled out to flattish terrain that was a wonderland of vegetation in muted rainbow colors: mustard yellows, clay reds, earthy browns and the occasional dash of sage or dusty blue. This scrubland lay like a blanket around everything below that was not part of the village between the mesas. Down there, adobe compounds never taller than two or three storeys seemed so squat compared to the mesas that Nshurr could see towering in the distance, many of those family mesas only a few hours walk from her own if she traveled by foot. The village sprawled, with tile parkways winding in serpentine fashion between the various buildings, courtyards, parks, and ponds. There were no property lines, no clear division of the land into neat little plots owned by the individuals who lived and worked in these places. It all seemed to be part of a whole, with a single unifying aesthetic. The village housed those rriigkhans of the lower castes, the kharratah and chelhautah, and the humans which were a caste all their own, haukagh-ar, except for a small number who lived with their masters in the caverns of the mesas or up on the plateau.
This planet, Sgarrl, terraformed over three hundred years ago, was home to more human servants than any other Ssaarian world – aside from Earth, of course, discovered eighty years ago. The fact that humans shared so much in common with rriigkhans made them the perfect species to incorporate into the rriigkhan caste structure as servants. They breathed the same mix of gases and required similar gravities, and their nimble little fingers were very useful for all sorts of work.
The rriigkhan language was not necessarily too complex for humans, but it was wholly unfamiliar – too many phonemes that did not fit comfortably in human mouths, from grunts to huffs, to rolling trills that might by voiced or not, sometimes rumbling out like a purr. To a human, Nshurr's name was a sigh and a trill, and yet she was accustomed to humans vocalizing her name in their heavy, slurring way: Na-Shuurr! Nasher! Sometimes simply: ɽ͡r! which she recognized more easily as her name, or at least part of it, and not some random sounds.
Still, despite the weird pidgin humans had made of her language and their English, she liked the little creatures. She had come to live with her Grandmother on Sgarrl only days ago, and had never encountered them before. The males only stood as tall as her collar. The females were shorter still, much like the males of her own species.
To human eyes Nshurr was felinoid, with a muscular swimmer's body and the broad muzzle of a big cat, with watchful, forward-facing predator's eyes that seemed unexpectedly expressive, because rriikghans had almost as many muscles around their eyes as humans did around their mouths to convey the nuances of emotion. Despite being larger than even many Earth men, she was considered sleek by rriigkhan standards. She made up for that with her broader crest.
The rriigkhan crest was something like the crest of Utahceratops – a keratinized plate growing up out of the skull, except divided into three lobes instead of two, with scalloped edges along the outer rim. Unlike depictions of Utahceratops, the rriigkhan crest was not covered by skin. At least, not on the top. Thick ropy veins squiggled under velvet fur on the underside, closer to the neck. (A thick, arching neck muscular enough to support the weight of that crest meant that Rriigkhans walked with a stoop that made them seem hunchbacked, to humans.) The surface of the plate on top was often rough, even bumpy or corrugated like deer antlers in some areas, smooth in others. Every female crest had four tines jutting from the front – a pair several inches above the eyes, and another pair further up. Directly above the lowest set of tines were twin holes, the howrf channels, just big enough for a human to insert a finger. These holes were very much like nostrils – much deeper, but damp inside, and lined with short, fine hairs to protect the sensitive mucous membrane from debris. The organs housed within these channels were the heart of rriigkhan culture, the foundation of all relationships, of sex.
Male rriigkhans, of course, had only their neotonous crests: diminutive, mostly smooth with rounded edges, without tines or howrf channels. Cute.
Nshurr's crest was wider than average, her upper tines spaced further apart, and combined with a compact face this made her look top-heavy. (A human might say that she was more snow leopard than lion.) Most female crests did not interfere with the movement of the ears – highly mobile, highly expressive paddle shaped things – but the edges of Nshurr's crest did jut out enough to almost shield them.
That her crest was weighty, that it was inconvenient, that she was often aware of it – this was Nshurr's pride. Her long tail curled in pleasure when she caught males looking at it. Humans seemed to be intimidated by it sometimes, as if she might decide to gore them with her “horns.” She considered herself a confident person; not a braggart, but self-assured, and to carry her jhekaah so visibly pleased her to no end.
Her fur was an almost peachy off-white, but a mask of pale peach shaded each seafoam green eye. The mask blended into the white further up her forehead until fur gave way to bone-tan crest, and was split between her eyes by the white of her nose. Oblong spots in that same peachy color, each blending from dark to light, streaked down her sides.
These weren't the natural colors of her distant ancestors. It was unheard of to see a rriigkhan who was not gene-modified in some way, even if those modded genes had been part of rriigkhan life for so long that no one thought of them as mods any longer. She also thought nothing of the subtitles her augmented reality implant displayed whenever a human spoke, AI translated to help her decipher the pidgin. AR was simply a part of her, had been since she was a kit.
Reclining as she was on a padded lounger in front of an iron brazier, full of cold ashes from last night's fire, Nshurr was dressed in a pale coral shift only a few shades darker than the peach of her fur. Medallions trailing fringes of cloth had been sewn onto the front bottom half of the knee-length garment. A row of those ornate medallions defined a plunging neckline that bared much of her chest, muscular and broad, possibly even masculine to a human. Her breasts were lower on her body and similar in appearance to a mare's udders: long nipples on a pudge of fat nestled close together on the pelvis, just above the place where her thighs joined her body. They were only small lumps beneath the shift when Nshurr stretched out her legs so that the thin fabric fell across them. It was the roundness of her hips and buttocks that marked her female to the human eye. (As if her crest didn't make that obvious!)
She was listening to the sound of two younger female cousins wrestling on a nearby terrace, and although from her vantage point Nshurr could not see them, she could imagine the scene from what she heard: Fherou and Lahk growling while they grappled with their arms, the crack of crest hitting crest and then the scrape of tine sliding against tine. Each was fighting to control the other's head, each trying to bite the other. It wasn't easy when each had a shaggy ruff to protect her neck, and any attempt to bite the other's face would be thwarted by an interposing crest. Rriigkhan hands were less dexterous than human hands, more pawlike with stubby fingers, but capable of delivering hard blows, and once or twice Nshurr heard a cousin snarl in response to a strike against her body.
The competitive pheromones her cousins exuded from their unextended howrfs, quite unconsciously, were beginning to make Nshurr's own heart beat faster. The end of her long tail, where it hung down from the reclining chair, lashed in agitation. She was beginning to imagine sinking her teeth into someone's skin herself, and if her cousins had not been so much younger and smaller than herself she might have gone down to their terrace to show them a thing or two. It was putting her off the human flute music she'd been listening to, fed directly into her own brain through her implant for her private enjoyment. (Certain aspects of human culture were very popular here on Sgarrl; she'd been curious about it.)
She did not feel like going inside to escape the pheromones; Nshurr craved the warmth of the sun on her fur, not the cool stone and artificial light of those warrens. Most of her male cousins had gone into the village for boating today. Well, perhaps she would go down and join them after all.
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OOC Information:
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For this prompt I imagine you'd play a human servant, probably a new arrival to Sgarrl but maybe someone who was born there. Even though I've set up a situation where my character would have a lot of power and yours very little, I want to clarify that I'm not interested in abusing your character I am looking for a slow burn interspecies romance that develops naturally. This story may deal with power imbalances and even speciesism, but I'd like to explore those topics realistically.
I want to explore all aspects of loving relationship... Flirting, cuddling, kissing, lots of romantic scenes and character growth. My “type” that I'm most attracted to are men with average bodies in the 40-60 age range, with realistic personality flaws. I am more than willing to tailor my character's personality and physical attributes to suit your tastes, within reason. I appreciate partners willing to do the same.
I prefer to reply more than once a day. 2-3 replies per day would be ideal, but I understand life gets in the way. I usually write 2-5 paragraphs, or 150-450 words per post. This starter is much longer than my typical post length, but my lengths vary according to need. If I'm introducing a new character or setting a scene, my post might go up to 1,000 words.
Please send a writing sample if you have none in your post history. No need to custom write anything for me, old samples are fine. Click here to PM me!

Many different types of stone flooring can bring natural beauty to the inside and outside of your home.
If you've been thinking about new floors, you've probably considered hardwood and ceramic tile because of their widespread positive reputations.
However, stone tiles are a practical yet luxurious flooring option that will add value and beauty to your home for those willing to spend a little more than average.
Natural Stone tiles are sourced directly from the soil, making each unique and subject to natural variations.
Because of its durability and richness, stone tile is an excellent choice for flooring. They offer a high-end aesthetic at a low cost and are simple to maintain.
In addition, they're simple to clean, and most variations merely require resealing regularly. Their strength and beauty make them excellent for high-traffic areas.

1. Marble Flooring

Marble flooring is known for its luxurious aesthetic, dramatic veining, smooth texture, and high-gloss sheen. It is available in various colors, with white Marble being the most common.
Marble tiles are also available in various sizes, ranging from large format to little mosaic tile. Square, rectangular, round, triangular, hexagonal, and nearly all other shapes are also available.
Furthermore, Marble is the most popular natural stone flooring choice for bathrooms to achieve a spa-like atmosphere.
Given the variety of floor tile options, Marble is an excellent choice for flooring and countertops in many homes. However, it would be best to think twice about using Marble in your kitchen.
Advantages of Marble flooring;

• It has fantastic designs, stunning hues, and individuality because no two tiles are alike.
• Marble is a high-end material in terms of price and appearance; thus, it's the finest choice for showcasing in the living room.
• Marble stone tiles are environmentally friendly suitable for environmentally conscious homes.

Disadvantages of Marble Flooring;

• Before using Marble, it is necessary to apply a protective sealer.
• Because Marble is not stain-resistant, spills must be cleaned up as soon as possible to avoid permanent staining.
• Acid-based items, such as tomato, fruit juices, coffee, etc., cause rapid wear.

2. Granite Flooring

Granite is one of the most different types of stone flooring since it can be used on both floors and worktops.
It occurs in various natural colors, with black, white, red-brown, and beige being the most popular. As a result, it's a stone that may be used in various styles.
Granite is one of the most challenging natural stones on the planet in terms of durability, and as a result, it is exceptionally resistant to scratches and heat damage.
Last but not least, Granite is a non-porous rock that resists acidic stains almost wholly. In addition, Granite comes in a variety of colors, including black, green, pearl, and galaxy.
Advantages of granite flooring;

• You can use granite on heavily laden floors because of its firm texture.
• Granite floors can tolerate normal wear and tear.
• The property's worth is increased by its exceptional properties and endurance.

Disadvantages of granite flooring;

• Granite flooring necessitates adequate support. Granite tiles can quickly shatter if there are any small lanes or bumps on the subflooring.

3. Slate Flooring

Slate is a lovely porous stone with a lot of character. These types of slate flooring are easier to cut and mold into flat flooring sheets.
Slate is available in three colors: black, gray, and gold. In addition, Its surface is stain-resistant or impermeable, making it ideal for use in kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, corridors, and living spaces.
Slate is a versatile material that may be used in both humid and dry regions of the home. In addition, Slate can also be used to make a lovely mosaic pattern on the walls of a bedroom.
Also, It is an excellent or appropriate substance to employ in the home to create a warm atmosphere.
Advantages of slate flooring;

• Slate is more stain-resistant, highly durable, and water-resistant than other types of stone flooring materials.
• Slate flooring is slip-resistant and has a contemporary or rustic look and feel.
• Bathrooms and water closets with dark brown Slate have a tidy and earthy appearance.

Disadvantages of slate flooring;

• Because of the quality of tile laying, slate tiles may be inconsistent.
• Slate can be broken if the subfloor is uneven, and essential things falling on the tiles can also produce tiny fissures on the surface.

4. Travertine Stone flooring

Travertine is formed when hot spring water bubbles through Limestone. It is a desired flooring option due to its distinct personality and appearance.
Travertine tile flooring is ideal for bathrooms, shower stalls, corridors, living areas, and laundry rooms. Keep in mind.
However, that travertine is related to Marble and Limestone. All three have the exact performance characteristics and maintenance requirements virtually.
All three stones have in common that they can all be scraped and carved (damage to the finish from acids and harsh cleaners).
It is critical to completely clean and care for your furniture.
Advantages;

• They provide a warm, inviting atmosphere and go with any decor.
• Earthy, deep tones are provided by travertine.
• Because of the gentler natural development, it has a softer feel.

Disadvantages;

• It is more easily scratched and stained if not treated.
• Travertine stone is porous and contains many holes, allowing it to absorb water and show indications of wear and tear over time.
• Before grouting and after installation, a protective sealer is required.
• Travertine is susceptible to stains caused by a variety of acidic foods.

5. Limestone Flooring

This is one of the different types of stone flooring that is naturally soft and porous.
These stone flooring options are suitable for a wide range of decorating styles, from traditional to contemporary. It's simple to keep clean and maintain.
The earthy appeal of the limestone floor adds to the house's charm. Furthermore, unlike Marble, pottery, and other materials, Limestone is not glassy or slippery, making it a safe choice for families with children or dogs.
In addition, Limestone is available in a wide range of colors, from milk to charcoal.
Advantages;

• Durability: It can withstand a lot of foot traffic.
• Creates a natural, beautiful aesthetic that other materials can't match.
• It's pretty simple to clean.

Disadvantages;

• To avoid damage during the monsoon season, several types of stone must be regularly in seal.
• Some stones are more fragile and susceptible to chipping.

6. Quartzite

Quartzite is well-known as a material for decorative tiles and wall veneers, but it has recently gained popularity as a countertop material.
It can resemble Marble in appearance yet has the durability, performance, and low-maintenance characteristics of Granite.
Quartzite is used by people who find the busy patterns of Granite and the upkeep of Marble a little too much.
Furthermore, A quartzite floor can greatly benefit areas of the house or structure that experience a lot of foot traffic. The stone also holds up well outdoors.

7. Sandstone

Sandstone is a warm, earthy stone with a sandy ridged texture, and rich red, tan, and brown colors conjure the beach and desert. However, these are the most popular colors—pink, gray, gold, black, and white.
Sandstone has a simple design and is frequently a single color. However, it can show variegated tints and striations of different colors.
Furthermore, Cemented silicates, quartz, feldspar, clays, and silt make up the majority of this sedimentary rock.
Because sandstone tile is soft and porous, it is easy to scratch and stain, weighing the benefits and drawbacks. It is not as long-lasting as Granite, but it is durable enough.
The appearance will alter slightly when put outdoors due to weather.

There are different types of drywall based on the activity and installation location.
One significant benefit of drywall is the tapered edges on the long ends of drywall sheets.
When connected, these edges make a shallow recess for drywall tape and joint compound, resulting in an imperceptible finished connection.
Drywall is a type of construction material used to cover the framing on walls and ceilings.
It's a form of gypsum, a common and abundant natural substance (making it an eco-friendly choice).
The gypsum is combined with other components to create a slurry that is sandwiched between two layers of paper and dried.
The paper type and thickness and the chemicals in the slurry determine the different types of drywall.
When you look at your walls and ceiling, you're staring at drywall covering hardwood studs. Of course, the walls and ceilings have been polished, textured, and painted or wallpapered, but they are drywall.
Furthermore, drywall provides fire resistance and soundproofing for walls and ceilings inside residential and commercial structures.
It's fastened to the framing structure and then taped to disguise the gaps between the drywall panels. Finally, mud is applied to smooth the transition and patch the screw holes.
After the mud has dried, the wall is sanded to a fine finish and textured or painted, depending on the desired look.
In addition, the difference between all the types of drywall is the color of the paper surrounding it.
Different kinds of paper and chemicals in the slurry cause variances.

1. Regular Drywall

The most popular drywall used in homes and commercial applications is regular drywall, also known as a whiteboard. Regular drywall is plain drywall that hasn't been enhanced in any way.
However, regular drywall is not inferior to other varieties; it outperforms them and does not include any extras.
In addition, regular drywall, for example, is naturally fire retardant (the water molecules in the gypsum impede the spread of flames), but it isn't increased with fire-resistant drywall.

2. Moisture-resistant Drywall

Water damage is unavoidable and an almost inevitable feature of property ownership. Moisture-resistant drywall has a specific surface coating that reduces the damage caused by moisture.
It's ideal for usage in bathrooms, kitchens, and any other humidor water-piped environment.
However, cement board, such as National Gypsum's PermaBase cement board, is recommended instead of moisture-resistant drywall in high-water areas like tubs and showers.
Greenboard is another name for this type of drywall, which you can also call indoor tile backer board or cement board.
When looking for moisture-resistant drywall, you may also come across the term blue board because it is a different product type, which is worth mentioning.

3. Mould-resistant Drywall

The mold-resistant drywall is wax-coated for additional moisture protection and thicker paper backing than regular drywalls.
It also includes a non-organic fiberglass mesh that keeps mold at bay by removing the food source (paperless drywall).
Mold-resistant drywall is commonly seen in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and tile supports. Mold-resistant mud is also available, and it's crucial to distinguish between mold-resistant and moisture-resistant drywall.

4. Fire-resistant Drywall

In locations such as garages, bedrooms, apartment buildings, other multi-family housing units, and many commercial buildings, fire-resistant (Type X, fireboard, or X board) is required by building codes.
Type X drywall outperforms other types of drywall in terms of fire resistance. However, type C is more resistant than Type X, lasting up to four hours than one hour for Type X.
Furthermore, Non-combustible fibers are used in fire-resistant drywall, and it's also thicker than the majority of other drywall varieties.
These elements work together to limit the spread of fire, giving people more time to flee and reducing the amount of damage.

5. Soundproof Drywall

While all drywall has some soundproofing capabilities, soundproof drywall contains more wood fiber, gypsum, and polymers than standard drywall to increase the sound transmission class (STC).
Like the Richter scale, STC measures how much noise a material can stop. Soundproof drywall is used when additional soundproofing is required, such as between living quarters and shared walls.
Because it's denser than traditional drywall, it's more challenging to work with.

6. Paperless Drywall

Paperless drywall has taken the place of traditional drywall. This form of drywall is wrapped in fiberglass rather than paper, which protects the gypsum board from rot and provides even more mold and mildew resistance.
Although the board's quality is slightly higher than conventional drywall, some building professionals find it easier to cut.
Because paperless drywall includes some subtle textures, a joint compound will be needed to obtain a smooth, clean finish drywall level.

Eco-friendly Drywall

Environmentally friendly drywall alternatives have been created and are still being developed.
These products are not only ecologically sustainable in terms of materials and manufacture, but they are also high-quality drywall solutions for your home.
Furthermore, Eco Rock is one of the products available. It's made up of over 20 distinct industrial wastes repurposed.
These byproducts are combined with fillers and water to make a mold- and termite-resistant drywall.
In addition, environmentally friendly ingredients are used to create EnviroBoard compressed fiber panels.
The walls and ceilings of homes and structures are made from solid concrete-like panels made from waste fibers from agriculture, the newspaper industry, and other sources.

8. VOC-absorbing Drywall

VOC-absorbing drywall is a new product that gathers chemicals and other volatile organic compounds and keeps them contained within the drywall, rendering them safe.
These compounds can be found in many building materials and cleaning goods that we use every day. After being painted or covered with light wallcovering, drywall can last up to 75 years.

9. Purple Drywall

Purple drywall has the same benefits as conventional drywall, but it is more moisture and mold-resistant.
It's suitable for all wall and ceiling applications, and it's especially well-suited to areas where moisture and mold resistance are sought. This is the one to use if it comes into touch with water.

Well here we are, FG, our first decades tournament, the 2010’s. Thank you to everyone who nominated movies, and let’s get right into it!
Results of Round 1

• Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018) (9) beat 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) (8) and Sorry to Bother You (2018) (6)
• Snowpiercer (2013) (11) beat 12 Years a Slave (2013) (7), and Spotlight (2015) (6)
• Skyfall (2012) (9) beat 127 Hours (2010) (8) and Spring Breakers (2012) (7)
• First Reformed (2017) (10) beat Skate Kitchen (2018) (3), and Steve Jobs (2015) (3)
• 1917 (2019) (9) beat Sing Street (2016) (6), and Stoker (2013) (6)
• Silence (2016) (14) beat 20th Century Women (2016) (4) and Stray Dogs (2013) (3)
• Sicario (2015) (17) beat Sunset (2017) (3) and 50/50 (2011) (3)
• Shutter Island (2010) (11) beat A Field in England (2013) (5), and Tabu (2012) (2)
• A Ghost Story (2017) (13) beat Short Term 12 (2013) (6), and Tehran Taboo (2017) (1)
• A Separation (2011) (7) tied with Shoplifters (2018) (7), and beat The Act of Killing (2012) (3)
• The American (2010) (8) beat A Silent Voice (2016) (2), and Shin Godzilla (2016) (2)
• The Assassin (2015) (11) beat Shame (2011) (7), and A Star is Born (2018) (5)
• Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) (11) beat Ad Astra (2019) (6), and The Avengers (2012) (4)
• The Babadook (2014) (10) beat All is Lost (2013) (7) and Rubber (2010) (4)
• Annihilation (2018) (15) beat Room (2015) (5), and The Babysitter (2017) (2)
• Roma (2018) (12) beat April and the Extraordinary World (2015) (4), and The Conjuring (2013) (3)
• The Big Short (2015) (7) beat Aquarius (2016) (5), and Right Now, Wrong Then (2015) (0)
• Arrival (2016) (16) beat Raw (2016) (3), and The Big Sick (2017) (1)
• Atomic Blonde (2017) (6) beat Rango (2011) (5) and The Captain (2017) (3)
  
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) (8) beat Post Tenebras Lux (2012) (3), and Bait (2019) (1)
  
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) (10) beat Barbara (2012) (1), and The Counselor (2013) (1)
  
• The Death of Stalin (2017) (8) beat Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) (6), and Beasts of No Nation (2015) (3)
  
• Birdman (2014) (7) tied Phoenix (2014) (7) and beat The Double (2013) (2)
  
• Black Swan (2010) (11) beat Phantom Thread (2017) (8), and The Drop (2014) (3)
  
• Blade Runner 2049 (2017) (11) beat The Florida Project (2017) (9), and The House That Jack Built (2018) (2)
  
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (15) beat Blindspotting (2018) (2), and Paddington 2 (2017) (1)
  
• Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) (7) beat Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) (6), and The Great Beauty (2013) (2)
  
• The Handmaiden (2016) (11) beat Bone Tomahawk (2015) (7), and Only God Forgives (2013) (4)
  
• Once Upon a Time....In Hollywood (2019) (15) beat The Hateful Eight (2015) (8), and Bridge of Spies (2015) (4)
  
• Boyhood (2014) (7) beat Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) (5), and The Hollars (2016) (2)
  
• O.J. Made in America (2016) (10) beat Parasite (2019) (9), and Brooklyn (2015) (5)
  
• Nightcrawler (2014) (12) beat Burning (2018) (7), and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) (1)
  
• Nebraska (2013) (7) beat The Hunt (2012) (4), and Byzantium (2012) (4)
  
• Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) (4) beat Carlos (2010) (3), and The Imposter (2012) (2)
  
• Carol (2015) (12) beat The Irishman (2019) (6), and mother! (2017) (3)
  
• The Lighthouse (2019) (9) beat Moonrise Kingdom (2012) (8), and Cemetery of Splendour (2015) (4)
  
• Moonlight (2016) (9) beat The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) (5), and Chappie (2015) (3)
  
• Molly’s Game (2017) (8) beat Coherence (2013) (7), and Cloud Atlas (2012) (4)
  
• The Master (2012) (11) beat Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) (6), and The Martian (2015) (5)
  
• Cold War (2018) (5) ties Meek's Cutoff (2010) (5), and beats The Missing Picture (2013) (2)
  
• The Nice Guys (2016) (14) beat Contagion (2011) (5), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (2)
  
• Margaret (2011) (9) beat The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) (6), and Creed (2015) (2)
  
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) (8) tied with The Raid 2 (2014) (8), and beat Maps to the Stars (2014) (3)
  
• Drive (2011) (17) beat The Revenant (2015) (6), and Mandy (2018) (4)
  
• Django Unchained (2012) (11) beat The Salesman (2016) (3) and Made in Dagenham (2010) (2)
  
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (9) beat Train to Busan (2016) (5), and Diamantino (2018) (1)
  
• Eighth Grade (2018) (5) beat Elle (2016) (4), and Long Way North (2015) (2)
  
• The Turin Horse (2011) (10) beat Logan (2017) (9), and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) (0)
  
• The Way Back (2010) (8) beat Locke (2013) (5), and The Tree of Life (2011) (4)
  
• Embrace of the Serpent (2015) (10) beat Little Women (2019) (6), and The Whispering Star (2015) (2)
  
• Enemy (2013) (6) tied with The Wind Rises (2013) (6) and beat Like Someone in Love (2012) (3)
  
• Life of Pi (2012) (9) beat The Witch (2015) (8), and Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) (1)
  
• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (7) beat Leave No Trace (2018) (6) and Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) (3)
  
• Ex Machina (2014) (9) beat Thoroughbreds (2017) (4), and Le Havre (2011) (3)
  
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) (13) beat Ladybird (2017) (9), and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
  
• La La Land (2016) (13) beat 13 Assassins (2010) (4), and White Boy Rick (2018) (1)
  
• The Social Network (2010) (11) Four Lions (2010) (5), and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) (2)
  
• Get Out (2017) (7) beat Two Days, One Night (2014) (5), and Konosuba Legend of Crimson (2019) (1)
  
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) (7) beat Girlhood (2014) (4), and Klaus (2019) (1)
  
• Under the Skin (2013) (13) beat Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) (3), and God Bless America (2011) (2)
  
• Upstream Color (2013) (8) beat Killer Joe (2011) (7), and I Saw The Devil (2010) (4)
  
• Good Time (2017) (11) beat Joker (2019) (6), and Us (2019) (2)
  
• Gravity (2013) (15) beat Jackie (2016) (6), and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) (1)
  
• Green Book (2018) (6) beat Jauja (2014) (4), and Victoria (2015) (4)
  
• Hell or High Water (2016) (15) beat It Must Be Heaven (2019) (1), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) (1)
  
• Interstellar (2014) (11) beat Her (2013) (8), and Warrior (2011) (5)
  
• Whiplash (2014) (12) beat Inside Out (2015) (4), and I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018) (0)
  
• Toy Story 3 (2010) (7) beat Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) (5), and Holy Motors (2012) (3)
  
• Inception (2010) (10) beat Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) (9), and Who Killed Captain Alex? (2010) (1)
  
• Incendies (2010) (8) beat How to Train your Dragon (2010) (5), and Wild (2014) (4)
  
• Gone Girl (2014) (11) beat Winter Sleep (2014) (4), and In Fabric (2018) (1)
  
• Zero Dark Thirty (2012) (9) beat Hereditary (2018) (7), and I, Tonya (2017) (7)
  

Results of Round 2

• Snowpiercer (2013) (12) beat Skyfall (2012) (6), and Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018) (4)
  
• First Reformed (2017) (7) tied with Silence (2016) (7), and beat 1917 (2019) (6)
  
• Sicario (2015) (12) beat A Ghost Story (2017) (7), and Shutter Island (2010) (4)
  
• The American (2010) (6) beat Shoplifters (2018) (5), The Assassin (2015) (3), and A Separation (2011) (2)
  
• Annihilation (2018) (10) beat Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) (7), and The Babadook (2014) (1)
  
• Arrival (2016) (13) beat Roma (2018) (3) and The Big Short (2015) (3)
  
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) (10) beat The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) (9), and Atomic Blonde (2017) (2)
  
• Black Swan (2010) (6) Birdman (2014) (5), Phoenix (2014) (5), and The Death of Stalin (2017) (3)
  
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (11) beat Blade Runner 2049 (2017) (6), and Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) (2)
  

View Poll

Went to my sister’s wedding last weekend. Lovely ceremony, great reception, plenty of food and drink with reasonable prices from the cash buffet and bar. I contributed the necessary funds to the Bride’s wedding fund, flew to their desired exotic destination in My Country^tm without my baby born the day prior, wore the required outfit from the invitation instruction sheet, cut and dyed my hair the preferred length and color, had my tattoos removed, brought the indicated puppet option from the approved list, and clapped on cue when the sign lit up. So far so good, right?
Well let me tell you, friends, when I say it was a complete accident that I noticed someone other than the Bride. I swear I didn’t mean to! I was talking to Bridesmaid #5 (identical quintuplets so they matched perfectly, which I get as why I wasn’t invited to participate) as we walked to my table assignment (in the side room with the uggos, which is fair as the Bride told me I’m a 3 and her cutoff for being seated in the reception is a 4, and it’s not her fault her sister didn’t have a glow-up, and she said I could be in the family pictures as long as I stood directly behind my taller brother-in-law, which again, totally fair.)
Anyway, someone nearby slightly stumbled and I turned for a second to ask if they were ok. Bridesmaid #5 got super offended I didn’t ask if the Bride was ok, although she wasn’t nearby and didn’t trip.
Bridesmaid #5 immediately paged her on the intercom and ratted me out for noticing another person existed on the Bride’s mostest specialist day. The Bride, her mother (also mine even though she won’t admit it because as mentioned I’m a 3), the MOH, Bridesmaids #1-4, and eighty-seven flying monkeys came screaming at me in a fury, as they consoled the Bride and assured her she’s actually the only human worthy of acknowledgment.
I’ve since had three phones literally blow up from the heat of millions of text messages and voicemails from every person in My Country^tm.
So AITA?

I am currently in the process of creating my 2D game, my biggest issue is the creation of my assets.
I am not good at drawing, nor talented enough for simple pixel art, but am decent in 3D art and animation, so I have to create a 3D Model of each asset (does not need to be perfect as I am using Keyframes for 2D purpose) and then color it and set up the lighting and cameras and then do a PNG render of each camera view without background for the animations, then turn them into a Sprite sheet.
So much work just for one asset as it can take hours or days to make one 3D asset to turn into a 2d asset.
But at least I can create my own assets this way.
I think this may be why many turn to 3D though as you can easily use "Mirror" to make a basic design then switch it off and then do the customizing, all the while able to see the proportions and sizes from all angles, while 2D art requires a more understanding to depth perception as you cannot just rotate your drawing to see all angles and so being able to understand how to give the illusion of close objects to far objects and make it look natural is an important trait that not everyone can do, this includes shadowing and lighting, so in order to get the right look and proper shadows and lighting, 3D models to 2D art is the best I can do.
How do you create your assets?

Platform: Coolmath Games, other similar flash sites.
Genre: 2d platformer
Art style: The game took place in a metal facility. The walls were all made of bolted sheet metal, possibly taking place in a laboratory of some kind. The characters all had one eye, and were colored with flat colors
Notable characters: Green blob, yellow blob, metal blob
Gameplay mechanics: You control 3 blobs that you get to switch out between at will. I believe the green blob was sticky, and it could climb walls. The metal blob was heavy, and was the only one that could go underwater because the other two blobs float. I can’t remember what the yellow blob’s ability was, but it was most likely slippery and could fit through tight spaces.
Other details: I remember playing this game all the time when I was younger, and I always had trouble finding it because the title was so short. I think it was two letters, and “IO” comes to mind, but after many google searches, nothing comes up
Attached is a recreation of what I remember the game looking like. It shows all 3 characters, but in the game only one could be selected at a time

Edit: I just woke up so I'm sifting through applications now. I will keep applications open and update how many seats are available as today goes on. I will also keep applications open for today for SURE and tomorrow possibly so don't worry about being too late.
Hello Hopeful Storytellers and Fellow Adventurers!
I am looking for 4-6 new to experienced Dungeons and Dragons players to join me in a long form campaign in a fully homebrewed world. Preference will definitely be given to brand new players and people stuck in the forever GM seat. This game is friendly to women, people of color, and of course members of the LGBT+ community.
There's really nothing I can say here that isn't already better expressed in the New Player Guide that I've written up, so click that for a better feel of what to expect in terms of table style, campaign concept, and general vibes. The rest of this post is really just a rehashing of that.

Quick Overview 

• System: D&D 5e
• Platforms: Played on Discord (Avrae, voice chat), D&D Beyond, and FoundryVTT for Battlemaps (occasionally).
• Schedule: Saturday, 8pm to 11pm, weekly or biweekly (based on availability), Timezone is US/Mountain Time (GMT-07).
• Focus: Roleplay-heavy, with heavy emphasis on character and world development. Combat and Exploration will also be included in most sessions.

​

The Campaign 

• Name: The Wilds of Novamira
• Genre: Fantasy (focus on exploration/frontier-forging)
• Inspiration: I had this idea in the shower about what it would be like if fantasy Elon Musk took his workers to a new planet to escape the apocalypse and then died on arrival anyways. Fast forward ~300 years with the frontiers still largely unexplored and thats the idea.
• Overview: Our story will open in the city of Riftwatch, a haven forged from the ruins of a fallen world. Here, six factions vie for power amidst the remnants of the Tower of Cregrolin. Beyond its walls, untamed wilderness harbors ancient mysteries and lurking dangers waiting to be uncovered by brave adventurers.
• Want to know more? As above, check out our New Player Guide for a very quick-and-dirty overview of what to expect.
• Spots filled: 0/6

​

What I bring to the table 

• Here's what I can offer you...!
  • A blend of serious + goofs and gaffs. My games can be a bit dark at times but I always try to keep things fun. I don't like murder hobos or rules lawyers. My priority is to tell meaningful and rich stories which make us all feel something.
  • Sourcebooks from D&D Beyond, to give you free reign on your character creation desires. (Most? All? It's hard to keep track these days...)
  • A safe space for all players and an inclusive and welcoming table. This table is one that will seek to be a haven for people regardless of their identity. To be explicit, that means that if you have problems with LGBT+ people, people of color, neurodivergent people, or really anyone different from you then this game is NOT for you.
  • Commitment and dedication — I have run three campaigns from 1-20. And I expect to be just as serious about this game. I am in it for the long haul, as should any player who applies. No flaking at these tables!
  • Fairness -- I love Rule of Cool (within reason) and I always consider myself to be the PC's biggest fan. I love throwing hard encounters at players and seeing them crush it. There will be no Players v. DM at my table.
  • A game which will give brand new players the chance to explore the setting which I have poured my heart into building with the guidance of a DM with over a decade of DM experience and two decades of experience with Dungeons and Dragons.\
  • Safety tools such as a lengthy session 0, player consent sheets, lines and veils, stars and wishes, and after session check ins.
  • ˜”*°•.˜”*°• fwendship •°*”˜.•°*”˜

​

Who should Apply? 

• Here's the types of players I'm looking for...!
  • 18+, sorry kids.
  • Players who are excited and open to roleplaying their characters! You should also have an appreciation for tactical combat and adventuring. This doesn’t mean you have to know all the rules.
  • Players who WANT to explore the setting and who say things like "My character (or I) would like to dig through this stack of moldy books to see if I can scavenge anything useful" rather than "I roll to Investigate these books".
  • Creative, passionate, and excited players. We want to learn all about your character.
  • Players willing to really flex those creative muscles who can commit to writing a well thought out backstory (with likely more than a single draft) and collaborating with me as the DM on fitting the character of your dreams into the setting.
  • Ideally I would love a group that is diverse in life experience and identity. This tends to create the best stories which dig the deepest into who we are as we confront differences together in a healthy space.

​

How to Apply 

Now that you've read all that (or skimmed it, I don't blame you!), the next step is to fill out the google form, located here.
I understand the reluctance to fill out a sheet of this length (it's ~12 questions after the basics are filled in), but I am in this for the long haul and want to find players that will fit together as well as possible. I've had fantastic finds using detailed forms on this subreddit in the past, and believe strongly that running a game is a commitment, time- and energy-consuming, and this is a way of offsetting the burden from my shoulders in order to find players who are just as committed and excited to play as I am.
This form will remain open until I get a decent pool of applicants (whether that be 5 or 50), at which point I will reach out to the top 10 players via Discord for either a voice or text convo to basically do a vibe check, hopefully by next weekend. Ideally I would like to have our Session 0 as soon as Saturday, June 22nd, and we can get to know each other better then.
If you've got any questions, my DMs are open.

Just as the title says. Four years ago I had a hyper realistic dream I died of Cancer. I was diagnosed in my dream and I spent it with my mother my last days. I remember eventually I was in my death bed, the hospital bed. I remember the room, the colors the feeling of the sheets. I remember feeling weak and sick and crying. Crying mom I'm not ready to die, I'm not ready to go. I'm scared please I'm scared I'm not ready. She cried and covered her mouth as a figure hugged her. I'm not sure who the person with her was as I began to panick and hyperventilate and then I remembered my heart racing as I cried IM NOT READY PLEASE IM SCARED MOM IM SCARED and I closed my eyes and saw black. Nothing else. Black. And just as I saw black I opened my eyes and I was awake. Tears down my eyes. Heart racing just the same. The same position I was in bed I was in real life. And my tears were real. I remember I began to cry in real life. Sobbing and crying. I couldn't believe I died. It felt so. I can't describe it but it felt terrifying. I grabbed my phone called my ex and she calmed me down.
But it never left my mind. I remember the dream exactly. Every detail. It haunts. I know it's a dream but I can't help but feel as if it was a memory. And I've been mourning myself dying for four years now.
Has anyone had anything similar happen? How was your death dream?

Hey everyone ,
TL:DR - I want to know how much in the wrong vs where the organizational process is to take blame?
I messed up by mistakenly re-imaging severs that were live in a production-1 environment, which disrupted about 700 VMs , and back to stability took 6 hours. I overlooked by not running a ping/sanity check. This made a huge noise and service unavailability upstream
Will I be fired ?
FULL STORY! My company runs Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure at scale , and I'm an Infrastructure engineer here. We run some decently big infrastructure,
What happened ? - in our Demo (production-1) enviornment, there was a cluster of 21 hypervisors running , and serving about 700 VMs , let's call it cluster A

• This was 1 / 3 such clusters running. Where application VMs were supposed to distribute themselves enough to keep their availability in case one cluster goes down.
  
• I was asked to build a new cluster for some other reason where 9/21 hypervisors from Cluster A had to be reused upon confirmation that they will be removed and racked in the new site.
  
• We use a spreadsheet to track all the DC layout, and I misinterpreted a message from my DC team. Where they filled the new rack information with the 9 nodes populated. But because we are now repeating the node serial # , DC team color coded it. Indicating it will be populated soon (but they hadn't yet, only marked in the sheet)
  
• Starting here, I overlooked and didn't realise the colour coding. Thought that they were racked , and I can reimage then to form a new cluster.
  
• We use a tool to do this provided by Nutanix themselves, if you provide the newly allocated Hypervisor , Controller, and IPMI IPs , it gets to work and re images them completely
  
• i kicked it off, and immediately along with a senior got to know it had gone terribly wrong!! We got on a call and aborted it BEFORE the new media was mounted.
  
• HOWEVER - the tool had already sent the remote commands to 9 servers to enter boot mode. Which meant, the live cluster where these nodes were actually sitting - WENT DOWN. Now nutanix cluster can tolerate a node loss 1 at a time, and continue to do so until we hit a physical capacity unavailable situation.
  
• which means if I re imaged only one node and it sent down , probably nothing major would have happened except those VMs residing on that hypervisor would restart on another one.
  

BUT IN MY CASE - 9 WENT DOWN! - SHUT DOWN ALL VMS that couldn't power on due to lack of resources.
What followed next ? - we immediately engaged enterprise support with P1 - started recovery attempt praying that disks would still be intact - THANKFULLY IT WAS - It took 6 hours to safely recover all supervisors and power on all VMs impacted
Things I will admit to - - All I had to do , was fricking ping those hosts, and see if they responded - I did not do this - should've been more attentive to color coding in a sheet of 100s of server tags - maybe yes.
MY QUESTION TO THE COMMUNITY - - How could I have done this better , you don't have to know Nutanix , but it in general? - How much would you blame me for it vs the processes that let me do it in the first place ? - Can I be fired over such an incident and act of negligence? I'm scared.
Please help.

I slept quite well I think so that’s good. I’ve been waking up during the night less and less lately! So that’s definitely good. I mean when I do it’s fine because nine times out of ten I fall back asleep within minutes, it’s just something I didn’t have to deal with before but I’m getting older and that happens so I guess it’s just that.
This period can go f itself if you ask me. First it arrives ever so tardily and now it’s playing games on me. Yesterday aka day one it was suspiciously light but this morning? HA. I had to do the roll out of bed and make a mad dash for the shower before gravity became my nemesis. Being a girl is so fun isn’t it. But also gravity also has my back because my sheets are spotless (touch wood). Anyway and now my cramps are also back. BOOOOO. But at least I get to have morning and evening showers this time of the month which will always feel like a little special treat. I just love showers a lot, and I love feeling extra fresh and clean.
This morning I’ve done nothing. I had a shower, got changed into fresh PJs and got back into bed. My cramps hurt too much to do much else and I feel exhausted. I should make sure to take some iron supplements, I can be so bad with them and for someone who has had issues with anaemia and things it’s not very good of me. But it’s just my iron levels at last tested we’re finally showing in the normal range, admittedly the very low end, but normal nonetheless and that was when I was focusing on diet only! So all the legumes, tofu, spinach and leafy greens and nuts and stuff paid off. I mean that’s kind of my diet - aside from also sugar and diet coke and caffeine and bread and pasta etc because I’m just a human - but anyway I mean to say when I focus on nutrition it seems I can get by without the iron supplements, it’s just I have to actively be mindful of it otherwise I slip back down. I don’t know why I’m so bad at taking vitamins, like I take medication twice a day for my head so it’s not like I don’t have a pill time - except I’m getting worse with my medication and keep forgetting so I take it at slightly different times each morning and night but my GP said it’s fine as long as there’s the eight hours gap between - but anyway. Oh fuck me these cramps hurt. Anyway. But iron, b vitamins and the omegas I should take daily. And probably magnesium to be a good girl. And maybe zinc. And a probiotic. I don’t think I need a prebiotic given the foods I eat though.
Today I felt so old and like my life is over and I’ve wasted it being sad and anxy and I won’t ever have a life that I want so what’s even the point but then I remembered that Carrie was 32 in SEASON ONE and she had a whole life so that made me feel better.
I think reading has messed me up because I’m reading this book and it’s describing Tom R and here I am thinking well maybe I can fix him a little bit and Jesus f’ing christ. He’s not even morally grey he’s BAD… but so handsome. And evil characters are always so much more interesting let’s be real. And infinitely hotter. I really need to step away from fantasy romance STAT. (Nevermind he now has red eyes and I can fancy fictional men with wings or fangs but they always have lovely eyes to compensate sooooo…)
Sometimes I realise my self worth is so low in little ways, I mean I know it is but sometimes it just hits me as a small reminder. For example in the book Lupin was clearly worried and mildly agitated that Tonks hadn’t yet arrived back and my thought was well at least I’m not worth worrying about so at least if Andy and I lived in this world he wouldn’t worry so that would make me the perfect person to do dangerous or risky things etc. I don’t even believe someone would worry about me in a dangerous situation. I mean I know my parents love me, but I still feel like it’s out of obligation a lot of the time. And if I died, no one would really care that much. My parents would for a bit but again, obligation. I’m torn at how they would be though. My brother and his family… I don’t think it would affect them much at all. Andy? Well I think in some regard it would be quite freeing for him more than anything. He says he doesn’t want to let this go, that he won’t be satisfied til we give this a proper go? Well if I’m dead then there’s no option, and he can happily and freely move on. Friends? No one that would care, maybe feel a bit sad FOR me upon hearing the news but it wouldn’t affect them in any real way. Work? Ha. Puppy? Probably wouldn’t even notice. I can’t decide how I feel about all of that. On the one hand it drives me to make stronger relationships and all of that, on the other it’s kind of freeing in its own way. So many people don’t end things because they know it would be too hard on their family or whoever else, that’s not really an issue for me is it? I’m of course not doing anything like that, even if I do sometimes daydream about it, but still. Anyway shush.
I still feel so ashamed of myself. I feel like I have absolutely nothing to show for my life. It’s basically evidence that I’m a waste of space, no?
I still have cramps, nowhere near as bad as yesterday though. I hate this time of the month, I feel perpetually YUCK.
Well I tried to avoid a conversation and in doing so forced one sooo… 10 points for me. Idiot. Why can I not make good decisions? If I take time to think about it I usually can but other times I make rash decisions that are NOT GOOD. I don’t have time to write everything out, I wrote notes about the call though because I didn’t want to forget it but so I’ll write about it tomorrow. I feel riddled with guilt though. He does not deserve this, he deserves so much better. And because I refuse to let him go I have to BE and DO better so GET A GODDAMN GRIP YOU STUBBORN COW.
I still have cramps, still still still.
Did I say I finished the book? Idk. I did. I cried my little heart out.
Okay time to go bye

My name is Rory Fars, and my little sister, Lily Fars, is the last family I had left.
A heavy sense of dread settled over me like a suffocating blanket as I sat in the worn leather seat of Lily's old jeep. The car, a relic of our happier days, seemed to groan under our shared sorrow. Beside me, Lily, my best friend, and confidante, absentmindedly twirled a strand of her long, dark hair, which swayed gently in rhythm with the haunting melodies from the oldies station on the radio. This car had seen us through countless joyful journeys when our family was whole. Almost three years had passed since that fateful Christmas trip in Texas when our parents were tragically killed in a horrific multi-car pileup. The memory of their loss was a constant ache, a wound that never fully healed.
My dad was from Amarillo, Texas, so my parents often took trips down there, visiting the places that held so many memories for him. During one of these trips, just before Christmas, a sudden blizzard struck while they were on the freeway. The snow fell in blinding sheets, making the world outside a disorienting white blur. As they tried to slowly pull to the side, their vision obscured by the relentless storm, they never saw the car barreling toward them at least forty miles an hour. The impact was devastating, an abrupt and brutal end to their journey and, in many ways, to our lives as we had known them.
My parents were always sticklers for safety, insisting on seatbelts every time we got in the car. So, of course, they had theirs on during that fateful trip. The initial impact wasn't what killed them, the coroner explained to me. Not even the first hit from behind, which was going at least fifty miles an hour, was fatal. I had to practically shake the information out of him—they were so resistant to tell me anything at first. By the time the third car hit, with an unknown speed, their survival was already in jeopardy. The coroner said that by the fifth car, they were likely dead. But it didn't end there. Another twenty-three vehicles slammed into the back of the pile, each collision further crushing their bodies, reducing them to a horrific, unrecognizable state. Each jarring impact pushed my parents deeper into a gruesome amalgamation of twisted metal and shattered lives.
I don't know why I felt compelled to demand those details at the time, but I deeply regret it now. I wish I had never asked. Almost every night, unless I drink myself into oblivion, I am haunted by nightmares of what they endured. I dream of driving up to save them, only to be caught in the same deadly barrage of cars, ending in a twisted metal tomb for all of us.
Lily is never in those dreams. Even in my most horrific imaginings, I can't envision her being hurt. Lily is my little sister, younger by eight years and three months. Whenever I mention our age difference, I see the judgment in people's eyes, but what can I say? Our parents never stopped loving each other. They had Lily late in life; she became our shared joy, our living reminder of the love that had bound our family together.
Lily wasn't my twin in the literal sense, but ever since she was born, it felt like we shared the inexplicable connection that twins often describe. As she grew up, our bond only deepened—we acted, sounded, and even looked remarkably alike. She became my rock, especially after our parents' tragic deaths. We leaned on each other, cried into each other's shoulders, and somehow found the strength to move forward. We eventually moved in together, finding solace in a two-bedroom apartment that became our sanctuary.
Lily seemed to handle our parents' deaths better than I did, or maybe she was just better at distracting herself with technology. Even before their passing, Lily was addicted to any kind of digital screen she could manipulate. Her ability to navigate the digital world was unmatched; she was the most intelligent person I had ever met. Her intelligence was a beacon of light in the darkness that had enveloped us, a testament to her resilience and brilliance.
After my parents' death, I embarked on a quest to find my spirituality by delving into paranormal investigations. I hoped these pursuits would bring me closer to my parents in the afterlife, spiritual realm, or whatever you want to call it. Instead, it created a chasm between me and any sense of spiritual existence. Each investigation seemed to push me further from the answers I sought, leaving me feeling more isolated and disconnected than ever.
I had hoped that by exploring these paranormal claims, I would discover a way to reach out to my parents and feel their presence again. Yet, as the years have passed, this endeavor has only deepened my loneliness and sense of loss. Despite knowing how detrimental it is to my mental health, I can't bring myself to stop. The hope that the subsequent investigation will be the one that proves the existence of an afterlife and that I'll find a way to contact my parents keeps me going. It's a desperate, unrelenting pursuit for a connection that remains heartbreakingly out of reach.
I should have accepted their death and moved on like any sane person would. Instead, I let my grief fester and dragged my sister and a stranger, Mark, through my obsessive quest for answers. My relentless pursuit of the paranormal didn't just alienate me; it consumed us all, leading to their untimely deaths. My name is Rory Fars, and I am here to confess my side of the story about the missing case of Lily Fars and Mark Lawrence.
This is the truth about how my desperate search for a connection with the afterlife led to a nightmare from which none of us could escape.
To start off, no, Lily was not a student of Mark's who fell in love with him and then got jealous of me hitting on him, leading her to kill him and herself. I know that sounds ridiculous, but given some wild theories circulating online, I need to address this one specifically since it seems to be the most popular.
First and foremost, Mark Lawrence was not, nor has he ever been, a professor at a university. Lily and I met Mark at the Local Museum in Redlin, a town nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. He was the curator of an exhibit showcasing the history of Raven's Nest, a forgotten mining town that neither Lily nor I had ever heard of. This is where our story begins, in a place steeped in history and mystery, far removed from the convoluted theories that now cloud the truth.
We were constantly searching for new ideas for our podcast about paranormal claims. Each of our twenty-five episodes so far had concluded with a rational explanation, so when Mark told us about the curse of Harper, I was immediately intrigued.
Mark was an older man, likely in his mid-sixties, with a full head of silver hair and a beard that stubbornly clung to its youthful color, only lightly dusted with grey. He had a presence that commanded attention, and his stories about the curse were delivered with an intensity that drew me in.
On the other hand, Lily was always more interested in the technical aspects of the paranormal. She had her own theories and was determined to debunk every claim we investigated. She wasn't easily swayed by Mark's tales about the curse of Harper, but she was willing to listen and give him a chance to prove himself. Her skeptical mind constantly checked my enthusiasm, and together, we hoped to uncover the truth behind yet another paranormal mystery.
"Hello ladies, care to hear about the mysterious town of Raven's Nest?" Mark asked with theatrical enthusiasm.
Lily and I exchanged a knowing glance, trying to stifle our amusement. Despite our attempts to remain composed, a smirk played at the corners of our lips.
"We're all ears," I replied, my tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.
He sighed, almost as if he was disappointed that we said yes. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to steel himself for the task ahead. "Well, you see," he began, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "in the early twentieth century, a man named Harper Franstein exploited many men and children in the coal mines. By the mid-1920s, he had established his own settlement in a secluded valley, which he dubbed 'The Raven's Nest.' It was never officially recognized as a town, but that's the only name we have to go off of."
I could see the beads of sweat forming on Mark's brow as he struggled to recall every detail. Despite his initial enthusiasm, he now appeared flustered, his confidence waning. Eventually, he resorted to consulting his damp and crumpled notes, a sign of his growing unease.
"Um, anyway, yeah, um," he stuttered, audibly gulping as his nerves got the better of him. Lily couldn't contain her laughter, emitting a snicker that earned us a glare from Mark.
"Hey, just relax," I interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. "We're not here to judge or intimidate you." With a gentle touch on his forearm and a chuckle, I attempted to reassure him, hoping to ease his obvious discomfort.
He paused, sharing a chuckle with me, while Lily struggled to suppress her laughter and eventually excused herself, leaving just Mark and me. Evidently, he felt more at ease with fewer listeners, so he pressed on with his narrative.
"Anyway," he resumed, "Harper held complete control over the town and the mine, and he made sure everyone was acutely aware of that fact. When the disappearances began, he tried to sweep them under the rug, attributing them to anything but his own negligence in mining practices."
"What do you mean by 'negligence in mining practices'?" I interjected, eager to delve deeper into his intriguing tale.
He looked up, clearly pleased by my question. "Yes, exactly," he affirmed. "Harper adhered to a mining technique outlined by Dwight Brunst in the mid to late nineteenth century. This method mandated only one entry and exit point into the mine."
"Wait, so they were forbidden from creating additional exits?" I pressed for clarification.
"Not explicitly," he explained. "The practice advocated for just one entry and exit as it was believed to minimize the risk of cave-ins, at least in theory. However, there were instances where miners, feeling uneasy about this restriction, took matters into their own hands and carved out what they called 'Emergency Exits' for themselves. After about half of the town started going missing, Harper couldn't take criticism about how he responded, but most people say he was losing money quickly and didn't want to live in a world where he was poor. He walked into the mine, never to be seen again, much like the cave's past victims. Visitors report seeing and hearing Harper, trying to get them to leave."
As I stood there, listening to Mark's enthralling narrative, I found myself captivated by the mysterious allure of Raven's Nest. Unable to contain my curiosity, I decided to pose a question.
"So, what does the town look like now?" I inquired, eager to learn more about the present state of this enigmatic place.
Mark's demeanor shifted slightly as he rifled through his notes, a subtle indication that he didn't have a straightforward answer to my query.
"You've never been there?" I asked, my tone softening with genuine curiosity.
He flinched as though my question had struck a nerve. "Shhhhhh... shut up," he demanded, his voice tinged with unease.
Suppressing a chuckle, I leaned in closer and whispered, "Okay, hear me out. My sister Lily and I are investigating paranormal phenomena. Your story about Raven's Nest sounds like the perfect addition to our podcast. What do you say we compensate you for your guidance? Let's say, three hundred bucks?"
He straightened up, contemplating my proposition for a few moments. Without uttering a word, he extended his hand, and I met it halfway with my own, sealing our agreement with a firm handshake.
Our journey to Raven's Nest was no easy feat. Situated a good twenty miles from town and nestled deep within a dense valley. After all of the tight turns, narrow dirt roads, and steep inclines, it took us a grueling two and a half hours to go twenty-something miles, but we finally reached the outskirts of the infamous settlement. As we stood at the edge of the "Nest," anticipation mingled with trepidation, setting the stage for the eerie exploration that lay ahead.
I glanced at my phone; the time read 11:56 pm, signaling the late hour. Sensing the exhaustion weighing heavily, I suggested we catch a few hours of rest in Lily's jeep. Mark, though visibly unsettled, remained silent from the back seat, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he slumped against the window like a sulking child.
Drifting asleep in the passenger seat, I soon found myself ensnared in a nightmare. In my dream, Mark was being dragged away into the darkness, his desperate attempts to claw his way back to safety only resulting in broken fingertips. Despite his struggles, he was powerless against the unseen force pulling him inexorably into the abyss. Suddenly, I was alone, engulfed in utter darkness, my heart pounding with fear as I ran blindly from an unseen terror that seemed to pursue me relentlessly, its malevolent presence palpable but unseen.
I jolted awake, gasping for breath, my heart racing as the remnants of dread lingered in the pit of my stomach. It was morning, and I was struggling to adjust my vision. Lily's frantic but comforting voice broke through the haze of my terror, grounding me in reality. With her comforting embrace, I gradually calmed my racing thoughts, drawing deep, steadying breaths.
As we sat there, enveloped in each other's embrace, Mark approached the driver's side window with an unexpected question, "Alright, what's for breakfast?" His nonchalant tone and casual demeanor were a stark contrast to the harrowing nightmare that had just consumed my thoughts, momentarily dispelling the lingering specter of fear that had haunted my dreams.
Lily and I both look up at him and back at each other as we burst out into laughter.
Amidst our shared laughter, Lily and I exchanged amused glances before turning our attention back to Mark.
"Ha...ha, yeah. No, but seriously, what's for breakfast? Eggs, bacon, toast, at least?" Mark pressed, hoping for a more substantial response.
His earnest inquiry fueled our laughter further, our giggles echoing through the quiet night air. Eventually, we regained our composure and stepped out of the jeep, stretching our limbs after the cramped confines of the vehicle.
Mark awkwardly moves to the side, still waiting for an honest answer. Lily tossed him a granola bar, eliciting a bemused chuckle from him. With a shared understanding, we set off on foot, embarking on the hike into the town.
The path ahead was clear: a single dirt road that wound its way from the abandoned coal mine into the heart of the small settlement. The road, now overgrown and muddy from years of disuse, bore the marks of neglect and isolation. Wary of the treacherous conditions, Lily opted to forgo the risk of getting stuck, steering clear of the decrepit road that likely hadn't seen a traveler in at least half a century.
We parked Lily's jeep at the entrance to both the mine and the town of Raven's Nest, opting to proceed on foot from there. Standing at the mountain's peak, gazing down at the desolate town below, I couldn't help but ponder the history beneath the dilapidated structures. I imagined how this valley must have once been a pristine landscape cherished by the indigenous people who roamed its lush terrain.
"Jesus, this place is more like a shit nest," Mark muttered in disgust, his disdain evident in his tone.
Lily shot me a knowing glance, silently communicating her skepticism toward Mark's assessment of the town.
Deciding to put Mark's knowledge to the test, I casually inquired, "So, what year was this area founded?"
Mark's reaction was almost defensive as if my question had caught him off guard. He hesitated momentarily before fumbling for his note cards in his pocket, a telltale sign that he wasn't as knowledgeable as he let on.
Before he could respond, I interjected with another question, "Mark, how long have you worked at the museum?"
As Mark froze, his gaze locking onto mine like a deer caught in headlights, I watched him closely, waiting for any sign of hesitation or discomfort. My narrowed eyes bore into his, silently urging him to be honest.
Finally, breaking the tense silence, Mark confessed, "Look, this is only my first week. I... I haven't had the greatest time lately, and I really need the extra money. I'm sorry I lied, but I'll help however I can."
I met his gaze unwaveringly, sensing the sincerity in his words. Clearly, he was a man in need of redemption, grappling with his own personal struggles.
"Alright, alright, don't cry too much," I teased lightly, trying to ease the tension. Gesturing towards Lily, who was busy preparing her wireless motion cameras in her backpack, I continued, "Lily and I already figured that was the case. Honestly, we're surprised you agreed to come along."
Mark remained frozen, but the tension seemed to melt away from his expression, replaced by a tentative smile. It was a moment of shared understanding, a silent acknowledgment that he was still welcomed into our expedition despite his initial deception.
"Alright, I have the cams and portable batteries to make sure the cameras and anything we have with power can last," Lily said, her voice brimming with determination.
We began our descent into the town, our hiking boots struggling against the thick, clinging mud produced by the constant light rain and years of disuse. Each step was a battle, the mud threatening to swallow our boots with every move.
After an eternity of trudging through the muck, we finally reached the town's only paved road—the main road. It had taken us only about fifteen minutes to hike down, but navigating the muddy slope had sapped our energy. We paused for a break, taking a few minutes to clean off our boots and catch our breath.
As we rested, I noticed Lily rummaging through her bag with a focused intensity. Curious, I asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I brought five motion-detecting cameras that I want to set up strategically throughout the town," she replied, pulling out one of the cameras. She walked over to the nearest building, a structure that served as a post office, police station, and fire station. She positioned the camera outside the building so it was pointed at the only road leading in and out of the town.
"We need to cover all potential points of interest," she explained, securing the camera in place. "This one will monitor any activity on the main road. We should place the other cameras around key locations like the mine entrance, the town square, and some more intact buildings."
I nodded, appreciating her thoroughness. "Good idea. We need to make sure we capture anything unusual."
Mark, having finally caught his breath, joined us. "Alright, let's get these cameras set up and see what we can find," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Look," Lily said, turning her tablet screen toward us. She waved her hand in front of the camera she had just placed. The tablet displayed five squares on the interface, each meant to show a feed from one of the cameras. Since Lily had only set up one camera so far, only the bottom right square showed any footage pointed at the road leading out of town. She stopped waving her hand, and the feed went to a blue screen.
"What happened? Did we lose connection?" Mark asked frantically, his eyes wide with concern.
Lily cackled, struggling to contain her amusement. Composing herself, she waved her hand in front of the camera again, and the bottom right square showed her hand waving once more. "It's motion-activated. It's the best way to save on battery life," she explained.
Mark seemed to relax, though he was still catching his breath after the brief panic.
I glanced at my watch, noting the time. "It's 8:30. We're behind schedule. If you want to place the rest of your cameras, we better move now," I said, walking down the street.
Lily immediately got up and followed me, with Mark struggling to keep pace behind us. We reached the market building, and Lily positioned her second camera on the side of the road, pointing up at the market.
It's not much longer before we make it to the Town Hall. I suggest Lily place a camera nearby. She nods and heads into a building across from the Town Hall labeled, "Slaughterhouse: LOCAL ANIMALS ONLY."
As Lily explores the building to find an adequate spot for the camera, I wait for Mark to catch up. While I wait, I can't help but imagine this town in its prime, picturing the streets filled with families who loved each other.
My thoughts are abruptly cut off by a sound echoing in the distance—a roar unlike any I've ever heard. It was a mix of a human screaming in pain, the roar of a lion, and, near the end, the howl of a wolf. The chilling sound sent shivers down my spine.
I jump to my feet and immediately call out, "Lily, you okay?"
There's no response from Lily, but I'm interrupted by Mark finally catching up, panting heavily.
"Holy... shit... did you... hear that?" Mark said frantically between breaths.
"Yeah, we have to find Lily," I say, bolting into the slaughterhouse. I glance back to see Mark bracing himself on the steps of the Town Hall, struggling to keep up.
As I enter the building, the stench of rotting flesh hits me like a wave, causing me to gag. The smell is too fresh to be decades old.
"Lily? Lily, where are you?" I yell, using my shirt to shield my nose from the overwhelming odor.
"Rory, I'm in here!" I hear Lily yell from a room two doors down. I pass the first door, peeking in to ensure I hadn't misheard, but I wish I hadn't looked.
Inside the first room, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a pile of animal carcasses, their decayed bodies arranged in a grotesque display. The sight is horrifying, the flesh still disturbingly fresh. The bile rises in my throat, but I force myself to focus on finding Lily.
I rush to the room where her voice came from, pushing the door open. Lily is there, setting up the camera, seemingly oblivious to the horror in the adjacent room. Relief floods through me as I see she's safe.
"Lily, did you hear that roar?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Yeah, I heard it," she replies, her eyes wide with concern. "I was just finishing up here. Let's get back to Mark and figure out what that was." She had placed the camera in a window, pointing directly at the Town Hall.
We hurry back outside, where Mark still catches his breath as we meet between the buildings. "We need to stay together from now on," I say firmly, looking at both of them. "Whatever that noise was, it's not something we want to face alone."
"Let's check out the Town Hall!" Mark says excitedly as he slowly clambers through a broken window.
"Did he not just hear what I said?" I mutter under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief.
Lily gives me a shrug, her eyes reflecting a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Guess we're heading into the Town Hall then," she says, adjusting her backpack and walking towards the broken window.
I sigh and follow suit, hoisting myself up and carefully maneuvering through the jagged glass. Inside, the air is musty, filled with the scent of old paper and decaying wood. Dust motes float lazily in the beams of sunlight streaming through the cracked windows.
The main hall is vast and eerily silent, with rows of empty chairs facing a stage draped in tattered curtains. The walls are lined with faded portraits and yellowed maps of the town, remnants of a time when this place was alive and bustling.
Mark is already at the front, examining a large, decrepit desk. "Look at this," he says, his voice echoing in the empty space. "It's like stepping back in time."
I walk over, glancing at the old papers scattered across the desk. Most are mundane—meeting minutes, maintenance logs—but one catches my eye. It's a letter dated June 1925, addressed to Harper Franstein.
"Harper, the disappearances are becoming more frequent. The townsfolk are getting restless, and I fear they may take matters into their own hands if we don't act soon. We need to find out what's causing this before it's too late."
I read the letter aloud, and the room fell silent. "Sounds like things were getting pretty tense," Lily remarks, her voice subdued.
As I'm distracted by the time capsule in front of us, Mark sneaks off.
I'm not sure how long it was before she noticed, but I saw Lily looking around before saying, "Where the hell did Mark go?" breaking me out of my trance.
I look around, turning my head in all directions, and shrug at Lily. I hear shuffling in the second room down the hall, so I slowly walk toward it.
"Mark?" I call out.
Just then, a loud crash reverberates through the building, making it sound like the whole place was about to come down.
We run in and see Mark struggling to keep himself from falling into a giant hole that must've broken under his weight. Trying not to laugh, I glance at Lily. We help him up as he dramatically falls onto his back, wheezing as he catches his breath.
Lily and I can't contain our laughter anymore as we bust out laughing hard. Startled by our sudden outburst, Mark jumps in fear. He looks around, confused for a few seconds, before realizing that we are laughing at him.
"Jesus, thanks, I guess," he says, clearly thankful but annoyed by our reaction.
After we contained ourselves, we headed back outside, exiting through the window Mark entered through. He struggles to climb out, but after Lily gives him a hand, he is safely out of the Town Hall.
"Alright, Ror, where should we put the next camera?" Lily asks me.
I stop to think momentarily, trying to picture the town's layout. "I think the only place left is the neighborhood," I respond confidently. I always talk like that with Lily. Over the years, I've realized she is the only person I can have that much confidence around. With anyone else, I'm worried about saying something stupid or wrong or how they'll view me, but with my sister, everything is easy.
As I look at the replica map of the town in its heyday from the museum, I determine that the neighborhood is to the East. "Okay, looks like we head East past the Library. Let's go." I say, walking away.
It only takes about eight minutes to get to the long strip of road that housed the town's workers. According to the map, there were fifteen houses along this strip of road.
The houses stand eerily silent, their wooden frames weathered and decayed by time. We walk down the road, our footsteps crunching on the gravel and echoing in the stillness. The air feels heavier here like the past is watching us, waiting to reveal its secrets.
"Let's put the last cameras on that house at the end of the road," I suggest, pointing to a house that looks slightly less dilapidated than the others, "another one at the last house on the other side, and the last we can save for a spot you choose."
Lily nods and heads toward the first house, pulling another camera from her backpack. She sets it up on the porch, positioning it to capture the entire street, and does the same in the opposite house. As I stand with Mark breathing hard, still unable to catch his breath since we first got here, I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched. I glance around nervously but see nothing out of the ordinary.
"All set," Lily says, breaking my reverie, "Still no ideas for the last cam?" Lily asks me.
"Like I said, wherever you think it would be best. I feel like we have enough good spots and angles, so go wild with that one," I told her.
She smirked and kept walking next to me. Mark was still struggling behind, but after the town hall mishap, he was trying his best to keep up. I looked at my watch, and it read '12:30 pm'.
"Holy shit, it's already 12:30," I said in amazement, but no one else seemed fazed. It felt like we'd only been here thirty minutes, not almost four hours.
We walked back down the street. Lily and I had been discussing on the walk that she should put the last camera at the town's only stoplight in front of the Library.
As we made our way to it, I could have sworn I was seeing something moving fast past my vision in the corner of my eye. Every time I turned to look, it was gone. I chalked it up to being my imagination until Lily and Mark both experienced the same thing.
"What the fuck was that?" Mark asked as he ducked, bracing for something terrible to happen. Lily and I looked back at him and then at each other as we shrugged. It was after that that I started seeing things, too.
I confided in Lily about the unsettling visions and sounds, and she admitted she had experienced the same phenomena but had kept quiet, fearing Mark would dismiss her as paranoid.
"Well, it's probably just a cat or something," I said, attempting to downplay the situation, but neither seemed convinced.
We continued our trek, and I noticed that the more we walked, the more frequently I caught fleeting glimpses of movement in my peripheral vision. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.
Finally, we reached the light in front of the Library. As Lily mounted the camera, I felt a sense of satisfaction. We were making good progress, and it seemed like a suitable moment to start exploring the town more freely. We decided to split up and cover different sections of the town.
"Wait, we have to go alone? Why can't we stay together like you said?" Mark asked frantically, but Lily and I ignored him as we headed in separate directions. He continued to protest, but we paid him no mind. Eventually, I was either far enough away to not hear him anymore, or he had given up. Either way, I was happy to enjoy the eerie silence of the town.
As I wandered, the stillness of Raven's Nest enveloped me. With its decrepit buildings and overgrown streets, the town exuded an unsettling charm. It was as if I had stepped into a forgotten world, a place frozen in time with secrets waiting to be unearthed. The ambiance reminded me of an amusement park's haunted town section—artificially eerie yet irresistibly intriguing. Despite the creepiness, the mysterious vibe of the town kept me engaged and eager to explore its hidden corners.
I glanced at my watch again, only to find the time glaring back at me: 3:19 pm. It couldn't be right. There was no way it had been that long since I last checked. Panic seized me, and I called out for Lily, my voice tinged with urgency. She appeared beside me in a matter of minutes, her expression mirroring my concern.
"What's up, Ror? You okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
"How long would you say it's been since you put the last camera down?" I inquired, my heart pounding in my chest.
Lily's brow furrowed as she struggled to come up with an answer. "Uh, I don't know, thirty minutes?" she hazarded a guess.
I held up my watch, displaying the time: 3:20 pm. Lily fell silent, her eyes widening in disbelief. She was never great with time, but missing almost three hours of our memory was unprecedented.
"There's no way. Your watch must be—" Lily began, her voice trailing off as she checked her own watch, only to freeze in shock when she found it displayed the same time as mine.
"Lil, something is going on," I stated, my voice tight and apprehensive. I glanced up at the sky, my stomach churning as I noticed the clouds darkening and rolling in from all sides of the valley.
The sky closed rapidly, ominous clouds obscuring the sun as thunder rumbled ominously against the mountains.
"Mark? Mark, where are—" I began to call out, but before I could finish, Mark emerged from behind a wall, appearing as if he'd been too frightened to venture far on his own.
"We have to get inside!" Mark exclaimed urgently, his voice tinged with fear.

I had a few weird segments of dreams today. In my first dream, I was in a room with people, a few classmates showed up before I left. A german guy took notice of me, enamored. I thought about how I must ethnically look to him, wondering why he found me attractive. He let me go, giving me permission to leave the building. I saw a spanish girl who was one of my old classmates, about to give her a makeover. She asked me to give her one. I was already eyeing the orchid lipstick next to her, wanting to try it. I wanted to use it on her, wondering about what color nail polish was here. After talking with the man, I gave him a embrace, feeling his bald head against my arm. He also had a black leather coat/jacket. I asked if he liked david cross, to which he responded eagerly, amused.
I then found myself in a room with pedophiles, with other young people there. I was unsure if I'd get to escape or not. I made friends with a blonde girl that was there. She didn't seem to like me that much. I was able to convince a fat guy who was one of the pedos, to leave. I grasped his attention, somehow being too attractive or not for him. I don't remember if he liked me or not. He let me go. I found out while talking to the girl that Ben Savage had raped her in the ass back in the '90s. He tweeted about it, owning up/admitting to it. It was surprising for an actor to do that. I took off, finding the corridor in the mall that I always see in my dreams. It leads to a hall that I take, where all the '90s stores are. In the lobby, I took my favorite hall, running through it. I tried to get as far away from the nightmarish environment I came from, yearning to be safe in this safe place. I've done this before in past dreams. The mall is usually where I go if I need somewhere safe to hide.
I couldn't believe that I was dreaming, it felt so real. I thought about how I spend too much time at the mall, like a millennial/xennial. How often I can go to the mall. I don't do this in real life, the mall is one of the only good things where I live. I ran some more, nearly lucid. I don't remember how I transitioned to the next segment.
Back home, I was leaning against the wall. There was a pipe at my side. I was probably pressed up against the metal armrest on my bed. I vaguely remember a bowl of water next to me in the dream, worried about my collection of food getting stolen. I had a couple boxes of little debbie cakes. The newest one was a vintage looking box of valentine cakes or cupcakes. I recognized it from online, seeing it on google before. Late '90s - y2k era. It had pink iced on the cakes. The sprinkles were red, white, and purple. Maybe pink too. My mom gave it to me. 'Those are rare. That's the one from the late '90s..' I told her. She nodded, agreeing with what I was saying. She knew that the boxes she saw and wanted to buy were harder to find, like the brownies and cordials. This has happened in real life, except the cakes weren't a vintage formula. My brother tried to take some, after I even covered the boxes with a sheet. The icing on some of the cakes were wrinkled imperfectly. Just then, a volleyball style net took over the room. I leaned against the piping, dodging what felt like a spider on my hand. Tarantula. The room was now just me and my brother. A group of guys included, that I did not know. I ended up killing it, smacking the spider to the ground. Before I even knew what creature it was. I felt it's thorax slightly, picturing it's bottom as white with red square specks on it. I aggressively beat it away like a volley ball, killing the spider. I was shamed for it. It turns out, it was an ancient spider. A young version of my man approached me, sympathetically. I wrapped my arms around him, gently. He mentioned a list of animes to me that he liked. I saw blue popup bubbles form in the air. I don't remember what all happened. We sat and talked, until he got up and ran back towards his friends. Almost immediately, a guy that looked like a fushion of my partner and ex/my abuser, came up to me. He had very light blonde hair and glasses, like a typical nerd in a '80s movie or sitcom. He was domineering, making this the most uncomfortable segment of the day. I saw one of my old classmates again that was in one of my last dreams, who loves michael jackson. '90s makeup was placed around, lipsticks. Vintage. I grabbed at one that was in a clear tube, reading the number on the bottom. It was probably silver. So a maybelline tube. Frosted and brown colored.
I looked into a vanity that was infront of me, a full and wooden one. I think it was wood. I was looking for some liquid lipstick, hearing the guy who seemed like my partner say the words 'liquid lipstick' to someone behind me. I picked up a green lipgloss, liquid and in a small thin tube. I already had a blue-green lip stain on, satin finish. I applied the green to my lips, ruining the lipstick that was on before. And it was barely covering my full lips. It was subtle. The green streaked over my natural lip line, looking liquidy. One of of the two pictures ontop of the wooden dresser, a few feet away, was a photo of madonna. It had the words, 'natural beauty' on it. Her red lipstick was also liquid and overdrawn, clownish. Both ads had women with the same forehead length. Martian looking. There was a miniature figurine on the floor, along with wrapping papers and plastic underneath it. I was wearing a futurism outfit, with footy boots. Barberella vibes, I was getting. I heard the guy explain that he was a feminist, trying to virtual signal to the other women in the room. He mentioned creating something to spread awareness on endometriosis. Which I actually have. I took notice of the tiny figurine, unaware that he was approaching me. I immediately flipped onto my back, seeing my boots change. From futuristic and footed, to clear and translucent boots. With laces on them. He tied my boots for me, which embarrassed me. We made eye contact as he tied my boots. I laid on my back, looking at the miniature figurine, unable to get any look at it at all because it got wrapped up. Right as I turned my head to look. Across from me was another girl. I was not able to react, placed in a plastic seal. I got zipped up inside it, looking at the girl in front of me. In her own plastic sealed case. A bed inside it. Brown and 1960s era. It was like we were dolls, ready to be shipped and packaged for the toy store. I woke up after this.

It's difficult to find someone who doesn't have strong opinions about which of the different types of cake flavors is the best. Each of us has a favorite type and flavor.
It may be a mile-high, rich and sweet layer cake with lots of frosting for some. Others prefer a lighter cake with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries, such as angel food cake.
Some people will only eat homemade cakes when it comes to birthday cakes, but a few of us enjoy a good old-fashioned grocery store cake or even a cookie cake with a letter scribbled in tube icing.
Whatever your preferences, knowing the facts about different types of cake flavors is beneficial. Cakes are ideal for sweets, gatherings, celebrations, and pretty much everything else.
There are many distinct cake flavors, and You can combine them in many ways, such as red velvet and vanilla cakes.
Nowadays, you can make cakes in almost any flavor and shape. There is a great cake flavor out there for whatever occasion or craving.
However, not all flavors complement one other. Some flavor combinations are simply superior to others. Cakes are a delectable and traditional part of any celebration, and it is your responsibility as a baker and host to provide the best options available.
Without much ado, let's discuss some of th different types of cake flavors available.

1. Yellow Butter Cake

A sheet cake variation of this delicacy, covered with billows of chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, is served at many kids' birthday parties.
Also, c the butter and sugar together (with an electric mixer in modern times) is a standard method for making yellow butter cakes, then adding dry and wet ingredients.
There are also "dump" variations, in which all of the ingredients are simply combined in a bowl.

2. Red Velvet Cake

A chemical reaction between cocoa powder and acidic buttermilk turns red velvet cake scarlet, but a drop of red food coloring makes the bright cake shine.
The delectable cream cheese frosting is an absolute must. This is a true Southern classic and a great favorite. The color of red velvet cake derives from the reaction of buttermilk and cocoa powder when made with either butter or oil.
Also, modern variations often use red food coloring, or in the instance of the raspberry velvet cake shown here, pink food coloring.

3. Pound Cake

This cake doesn't rise much when baking and has a dense texture. It's named after the fact that it's made using a pound of each of the key ingredients (flour, butter, and sugar).
Matcha and cocoa powder is used in our version, although vanilla essence is used in traditional recipes. Bake one of these in a loaf pan or a Bundt pan. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

4. Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a shorter cake leavened with baking soda and baking powder and utilizes oil instead of butter as its primary fat.
Also, The inclusion of grated carrots adds moisture to the cake. Warm spices flavor the carrot cake, topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Walnuts or pecans are optional!.
Furthermore, Carrot cake recipes vary in the quantity and amount of spices used and the addition of nuts and fruit.
Still, tender chunks of sweet carrot, an ideal dosage of cinnamon, and a fantastic frosting are what make a perfect carrot cake. Try our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.

5. Sponge Cake

This foam-style cake has no artificial leaveners (baking powder or baking soda). It is entirely made up of whipped eggs, either whole or just whites.
This cake can be soaked in flavored syrups (try lemon syrup with a dab of lemon curd) or stacked with whipped cream and smashed berries.
Sponge cake can be rolled with fillings when baked thin in a sheet pan, like Buche de Noel's Christmas classic.

6. Genoise Cake

In Italy and France, a sponge cake is known as Genoise. Egg yolks, egg whites, and sugar are mixed together until mousse-like in this dessert. The flour, oil, or butter is then folded in. This cake is moister and more delicate than its sponge cake counterpart.

7. Chiffon Cake

A chiffon cake is a sponge cake and an oil cake hybrid. It has the richness of a shorter cake thanks to the addition of oil, and it's light and airy thanks to whipped egg whites and baking powder.

8. Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is the lightest of the light, created with only beaten egg whites for leavening and no extra fat. It's traditionally made in an angel food cake pan and then cooled upside down in the pan to keep the light texture. Its high sugar content in an angel food cake gives it a chewy, sponge-like feel.

9. Funfetti Cake

Funfetti is a joyful and fun dessert that has received a lot of love from its fans, earning it the eighth slot on this list. Also, Funfetti is a delightful birthday cake with colorful sprinkles both inside and out. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

10. Vanilla Cake

Vanilla is, believe it or not, the third most popular and well-liked cake flavor. It's flexible and goes well with various flavors, including chocolate, lemon, and strawberry.

11. Coffee Cake

They're tasty and come in various coffee flavors, including Irish and Mocha. Also, this cake is ideal for coffee enthusiasts as a treat.

12. Banana Cake

The banana cake is the cake flavor that makes you go bananas. It has a juicy texture and an overpowering flavor. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

13. Pineapple Cake

The pineapple, like the cake, is a beautiful element for desserts. The cake has a refreshing flavor and a stunning appearance.