The Company is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of Dr. Michel Jébrak for technical support on the upcoming drilling campaign. Dr. Jébrak is a well-known professional geologist with a deep understanding of the Desmaraisville camp geology, gained from prior work in the region. He is an emeritus professor at University of Quebec’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He is a former Vice-President for Research and Creation at UQAM and holder of the UQAT-UQAM Mining Entrepreneurship Chair.
Marc-André Pelletier, President and CEO commented: “We are excited to commence field work at our 100% owned Desmaraisville project under the guidance of Dr. Michel Jébrak. Over the next few weeks, our focus will be on investigating multiple high-grade gold values and new types of mineralization, all within four kilometers from the Bachelor Mill. Importantly, Dr. Jébrak`s expertise promises to offer insights into the exploration potential of the property.
At our Phoenix JV, operated by Osisko Mining Inc. (“Osisko Mining”), exploration efforts are progressing well, with approximately 35,000 m drilled to date. Currently, two drill rigs are focused on regional targets, while five are dedicated to the Moss target, bringing the total of operational rigs on the Phoenix JV to seven.”
https://btrgold.com/2024/05/16/bonterra-provides-exploration-update-and-engages-dr-michel-jebrak-to-provide-technical-advice/

I've been with my wife for about two and a half years. Before marriage, we discussed non-monogamy. It was often a subject on the table with non-romance, and with people in mind, it became a topic with romance, and it developed while going through our wedding. Shortly after our wedding, that quad situation crashed and burned, and wife closed off (she was always anti-social, so her closing off was even more extreme). She expressed a preference for monogamy, but it became kind of set in stone that her end goal was a monogamy that could co-exist with my polyamory.
A lot happened for that to crash and burn, but my interest in polyamory didn't die with that relationship. There was a period of about 9 months of emotional work of discussions restructuring the relationship and continual renegotiation and learning alongside each other before I felt comfortable that I could offer someone a partnership I could be content with. That work missed steps for sure, in retrospect, namely that it wasn't clear enough that our old relationship was killed and in the process of being rebuilt from the ground up. I think it felt that way to both of us, but there was a strong anchoring bias that is still present to some extent to this day from her.
The relationship I had to offer (that was agreed to be within bounds) threatened her in every way. She hated not being a part of it unlike the first one where she was, but that was part of the work. I think it came as a reality check to her that I was going to be autonomous from her. We were highly codependent, and in that process I had grieved it and cut away, but she hadn't yet. It came with many primal panics and she hated her meta at the time for it. We both knew it wasn't meta's fault. My relationship to that person fell apart for a separate reason, and it nearly took my relationship with my wife with it. It felt like divorce had finally entered the conversation as an option. She said she didn't view it as one, though, and I said she has to, because how else is she supposed to be able to consent or not consent to the relationship? She made me feel like I should trust that she is expressing her agency and is consenting in her full autonomy to everything we're ironing out in agreements together while also telling me that she strips away her last resort option and made me at times feel like I was simply subjecting her to a life she didn't want. I told her there are people who are just as emotionally competent, humerous, and whatever else as me, while also matching her hobbies more, who are monogamous, and I really needed to know she wasn't damning herself to me but rather that she was choosing me the same way I was choosing her. Choosing her has limited my polyamorous expression severely, and I've done it every day.
I began dating my current longest standing girlfriend in December. She initially doesn't like any new connections whatsoever, but tends to like them after putting a name and face together and having a meal or three with them. This girlfriend is largely very okay being secondary. We've ironed out our exact relationship agreements, know exactly how much we'll talk to each other and when we see each other, and I think wife benefits heavily from our consistency and has been proactively giving in her expressed comforts (such as nights that I wouldn't have spent with girlfriend out of an assumption it wouldn't be okay, but it was expressed as okay without my asking). I found myself in this relationship realizing that I wish I had a more solo polyamorous lifestyle, but I realize this after legal marriage, cohabitation, and financial enmeshment, and don't plan to do the life shattering necessary to disentangle all of that as of this moment, but it weighs on me that I have so much friction and feel a bit as though I need permission to sleep certain places or have someone sleep in my spaces. It makes sense given the current set-up, though. YEARNING!
There are so many actions that still cause so much insecurity to arise in my wife. Every action I take with another partner is measured within myself immediately on how it will affect her. Am I spending too much time away from her? Am I doing too much cool stuff without her? But then I try actively dating her and she doesn't show much enthusiasm for much other than default time together. We get a date or two a month maybe while I date my other partner once to twice weekly. I find myself falling in love with another person and being afraid because I know that'll only hurt my relationship with her. After two and a half years am I fooling myself? Is she fooling herself? Are we fooling each other? It's stupid because I'm in the middle of it, and so is she, and I'm pretty sure neither of us want to answer that question with all sincerity. There is also the potential that I'm just way too selfish and should be okay limiting my polyamory as much as I do or even more given my commitments to her. I've struggled with polyamorous guilt with her every time I want time away from her, but then we acknowledge that this much time away from her with friends would do a similar thing anyways?
The timeline: Non-monogamy talks mid 2021, marriage December 2021, first poly relationship beginning and end spring 2022, first autonomous polyamorous relationship began January 2023, ended summer 2023, began dating current partner who she's okay with December 2023, partnered temporary long distance with someone April 2024 and have had a majorly important person come back into my life in a will they won't they way this month that is bringing up a lot of insecurities as well
Thank you to anyone who reads this and puts in any emotional labor and literal time labor producing a response to my wordy ass (and this was me trying to be concise lmao)

At our Phoenix JV, operated by Osisko Mining Inc. (“Osisko Mining”), exploration efforts are progressing well, with approximately 35,000 m drilled to date. Currently, two drill rigs are focused on regional targets, while five are dedicated to the Moss target, bringing the total of operational rigs on the Phoenix JV to seven.”
The Company is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of Dr. Michel Jébrak for technical support on the upcoming drilling campaign. Dr. Jébrak is a well-known professional geologist with a deep understanding of the Desmaraisville camp geology, gained from prior work in the region. He is an emeritus professor at University of Quebec’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He is a former Vice-President for Research and Creation at UQAM and holder of the UQAT-UQAM Mining Entrepreneurship Chair.
Marc-André Pelletier, President and CEO commented: “We are excited to commence field work at our 100% owned Desmaraisville project under the guidance of Dr. Michel Jébrak. Over the next few weeks, our focus will be on investigating multiple high-grade gold values and new types of mineralization, all within four kilometers from the Bachelor Mill. Importantly, Dr. Jébrak`s expertise promises to offer insights into the exploration potential of the property.
https://btrgold.com/2024/05/16/bonterra-provides-exploration-update-and-engages-dr-michel-jebrak-to-provide-technical-advice/

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the Nature of Predators universe. Rain World is a video game developed by and property of Videocult. I claim no ownership over either.
Sorry for the wait. Life happened but I just finished my semester, so I’m hoping the next chapter will be finished sooner rather than later. Please let me know if I missed any typos or made any editing mistakes. It’s greatly appreciated.
–
Memory Transcript: Sefril, Farsul First Contact Officer
Date [Standardized Human Time]: July 15, 2136
When I came to, I just laid still. I wasn’t sure what had happened though what was certain was that I was both still alive and still in this dingy box of a room. The predators were you of sight in one of my few blindspots. Jinsul and Dornucl were still alive, with Dornucl understandably agitated and Jinsul seemingly lost in thought.
Stranger yet, no one seemed to be hurt. Maybe Jinsul had gotten them?
Careful, I sat up, only to be greeted by the predators grooming each other. They stared back at me as I froze once again.
“Finally,” Jinsul said, causing me to jump, “I need to ask you something.”
“Oh not this again,” Dornucl said, annoyed. “Ignore him, he’s gone mad.”
“What?” was my only response. The predators seemed to perk up, shifting their reclining posture slightly, ears standing on end.
“You’re supposed to be a scientist, and as such you understand the meaning of overwhelming evidence, yes?” Jinsul said.
“What you’re suggesting is not only the most unscientific conclusion I’ve heard but is also something I’d expect to come out of someone with terminal predator disease,” Dornucl interjected.
I glanced back terrified at the predators, who had not yet chosen to strike and instead decided to lay there. Menacingly.
I pressed myself against the back wall, hoping to fall straight through and away from them.
“Why haven’t you done anything about…them?” I said waving my tail toward the predators. “You’re an exterminator, so…exterminate.”
“With what?” Jinsul shot back and began waving his pistol with one paw while shaking the flamer laying beside with the other, “The handgun that won’t fire with damp ammunition or the flamer that will kill us all in this tight space? Besides, they won’t attack us.”
Dornucl groaned and rubbed his tentacles into his face, while my mouth was agape in shock.
“What do you mean ‘they won’t attack’?! Their bleating predators!”
“Gods, that’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Jinsul practically screamed in frustration. He took a breath, “OK, sorry, just listen alright? Have you been having weird dreams?”
I stiffened, “I had a dream last night where I almost drowned, but I don’t see what that has to–”
“So, you're telling me you didn’t almost drown?” he said with a knowing look.
I considered it with dawning horror, “But that’s–”
“Impossible,” Dornucl spat out, “And ludicrous.” He turned to me, “As I said, he’s snapped.”
“Then how else do you explain it? My brothers and sisters in arms have confided in me the same: dreams, visions, and inescapable feelings of familiarity in the unfamiliar. Those who heed them escape danger, while those who don’t, don’t.”
As Jinsul spoke, a true zealotry was imbued in his voice.
“I’ll give you this, by all means, these visions should be impossible and unexplainable by science.” Fervor glinted in his eyes. “But when science fails, we must turn to faith to guide us.”
A knot formed in my stomach as I got a sneaking suspicion of where he was going.
“It is my belief and that of my lieutenants and clergy that the gods have sent us these visions.” He announced this without a shadow of a doubt in his voice. “They’ve been guiding us from the moment we’ve entered the orbit. The delusions the crew had in orbit? Also the visions.”
It doesn’t make any sense, but he’s right on one thing. These premonitions are impossible, yet they happen and help us avoid danger. However, there has to be a more rational explanation. There just has to be.
“But why?” I ask. “To what end? If your gods are doing this, to what end? If they are behind everything, the visions and maybe the crash, then why what would justify so much suffering? It just doesn't make any sense.”
“That’s the nature of the divine,” he said somberly, “We can speculate why they would send the visions and make us…feel them and their pain all we want, but we are imperfect creatures, and they are things of perfection. We simply need to trust they are leading us to where we need to go.”
As I considered his words, Dornucl once again spoke up condescendingly.
“I can’t believe you even have to CONTEMPLATE what he’s saying!” He slumped down and motioned towards the predators. “Fine then, what do they have to do with your ‘gods’ plan’? Your duty as an exterminator is baked into your religion? What do you have to say to that?”
Jinsul involuntarily flicked his ears, betraying a rising irritation. “I don’t know, I don’t like it, and I don’t have to. They haven’t given us visions of them attacking us and they’ve decided to disable our best weapons. I don’t need to understand why, all I need to know is that there is a reason they would do so. Besides, they haven’t even tried to attack us. You're a biologist, do you consider that normal?”
“Do you even hear yourself? You sound like a lunatic! I could have you put away for this!”
Unlike his normally cool, level-headed, and almost jolly demeanor, Dornucl’s features were twisted in barely veiled rage. It was terrifying to see him on the verge of doing something awful. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the predators.
The one with the grey fur was still lying down, but the other with the dark green fur had stood up and began stomping around in exaggerated and dramatic steps. All while growling and barking.
It was terrifying. However, it was dulled by the sheer surrealness of the situation. Its entire demeanor was less intentionally threatening and more childish mocking, right down to flailing its limbs in much the same way Dornucl did unconsciously to emphasize his point. It may even be funny if we could understand what they were saying.
Wait a minute…
I paused to think about that absent-minded thought, the gears and pistons finally shaking off the shock and beginning to fire and spin. I listened closely to its vocalizations and began to pick out a form of structure in how they were articulated and gestated. I recalled the predators' behavior and came to a grim conclusion.
“We have a problem,” I said so quietly it could barely be considered a whisper.
“Oh, what tipped you off genius?” Dornucl responded sarcastically.
I stumbled a little at the insult but continued.
“No, I mean a bigger problem,” I took a deep breath, “I think they’re sapient.”
The silence was deafening. Even the predator had stopped its mockery and began exchanging words with the other grey-furred one.
Dornucl glanced at the and sighed. “In hindsight, that does explain their behavior.”
Somehow, despite this revelation, Dornucl regained his composure and his cool demeanor.
“Well, in a certain sense, this simplifies things somewhat. We just have to wait for the translators to complete processing their language, then we can hopefully negotiate with them.”
I gawked at what he just said, while Jinsul broke down into laughter.
“And I’m the crazy one!” Jinsul managed to get out between the cackles, “Do you even hear yourself? Mindless animals are one thing, but this? We have the next the Arxur right before us!”
It was at this point that Plako decided to wake up. One can only imagine what was going through his head when he was greeted by 2 predators, a hysterical exterminator, a biologist trying not to show his frustration, and an anthropologist doing her best to fall through the wall.
He began to stammer. “Wh-what h-happened? Why haven’t they eaten us?”
Dornucl leaned over to him and deadpanned. “The predators are sapient.”
Plako froze after he processed this information.
Jinsul calmed down enough to speak more coherently, “Gods, it all makes sense. They must’ve bombed themselves back in the stone age, and have only recently been reclaiming their former technology.”
I spoke up. “I don’t think that’s the case. Remember, the worm showed us an image of that other creature. These predators likely evolved sometime after the civilization's collapse.”
“Well,” Jinsul said while deep in thought, “Now I can say for certain the gods must be involved.”
“Wh-what?” Plako asked trambling.
“Think about it. This whole situation is so astronomically unlikely, from being in an uncharted system in the middle of nowhere at the same time as a single Arxur ship to surviving the crash, and then meeting these predators, and them not attacking us. The gods’ intend for us to purge these creatures before they can spread and save the remnants of this civilization from–”
“No, I’m pretty sure it was laughing at you, not with you.” A masculine said from the back of the chamber.
“Fine, but I think I’m finally getting somewhere.” A feminine voice responded.
Jinsul went quiet as our gazes fell upon the predators. The translators finished translating. No one knew what to do, so we ended up just staring.
They both stared back with their unnerving abyssal eyes.
“I do wish they’d stop staring though. It’s starting to get weird.” The female said with a tone of unease.
“Let’s bring them to the village and have Oracle translate. It’s probably just a misunderstanding,” the male responded.
“Right, there's nothing we can do about it now.” She plopped beside the male and both began to get ready to sleep the best one could on the hard floor.
I felt something poke into my side, causing me to jump. Dornucl had crawled over to me and began to speak in a whisper. “What do you want me to do?” I asked.
His frustrated look returned. “You're the first contact specialist, go first contact.”
“And their predators!” I said, raising my voice a little louder, “They’ll eat me!”
He groaned and put on a forced calm. “While I disagree with Jinsul’s reasoning, they haven’t eaten us yet and we all want it to stay that way. Now if they decide they do want to eat us, we don’t have any weapons that wouldn’t be suicidal to use. If we want to get out of this alive and well, we’ll have to at least communicate with them.”
Jinsul, who had been effortlessly eavesdropping on us, muttered something under his breath. Dornucl ignored him as he continued, “So please at least try. Even if you fail, we’re likely doomed anyway.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I just wish it wasn’t me who had to do it or that I was the only one remotely qualified to do so. Haf was still unconscious, Plako looked on the brink of tears, Dornucl was just a scientist, and Jinsul wasn’t in the mood.
I gathered my strength and began running through what I could say. After a minute of idle thought, I came up with the only thing I could say. I stood up on quivering legs, took a brave step forward, and called upon the translator’s imparted knowledge.
“J-just so yo-you know, we’re not very tasty…and we’ll give you in-indigestion, so you shouldn’t eat us.” I felt like I was about to throw up.
The predators just stared at me, jaws agape and revealing menacing fangs. Jinsul nearly collapsed in renewed laughter. Dornucl buried his eyes into his tentacles and muttered something to himself.
“What was I supposed to say?” I said to Dornucl.
“ANYTHING BUT THAT!” he shot back.
Before I could snap back in frustration, the grey predator spoke.
“You speak our tongue the entire time? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
We paused, and even Jinsul stopped laughing like a madman. Wordlessly, Dornucl shoved me forward.
“N-no…” I stammered, “We have an implant in our heads that translates languages in real-time while allowing us to speak stored languages. It only just figured out your language just now.”
“So it’s a Mark of Communication?” It asked.
“I don’t–”
“No no,” the green one interrupted, “If they had one, then we wouldn’t be able to understand them.”
The grey one nodded sagely.
I had been expecting an equally long-winded and terrifying conversation about the plausibility of a universal translator and whether or not it was magic, not such a matter-of-fact statement. Before I could shake off the confusion, Dornucl suddenly spoke up, “What’s a mark of communication?"
“Definitely from beyond the wall,” the green one said to the grey.
The grey one nodded and turned back to us.
“A mark is a special gift, given only to one who reaches the top of Pebbles and meets with him, wherein he provides the mark and the knowledge necessary to complete the Pilgrimage. Did you receive your ‘translator’ from another like him?” They both seemed oddly interested in the answer.
“We made them,” I said, then quickly added, “The Federation did. We didn’t build them personally. Just to reiterate, you're not going to eat us, right?”
“Of course not.” The green one said, its voice rife with disgust. “Why do you–”
Jinsul swiftly cut it off.
“Do you think you win us over with such obvious deceptions?” Jinsul stood and sized up the predators, “I know this game. You’re just keeping us around till you get hungry. When I get off this rock, I’ll ensure the god’s wishes are seen through and this entire planet is burned from orbit!”
The predators seemed confused about what was said. The green one stepped too close to me, with nowhere to go, I froze and closed my eyes.
This is it Sefril. You knew this was coming. Don’t resist and maybe it will be–
“Is he okay?” it asked, feigning concern and pointing to a still-ranting Jinsul, “In, y’know…” it said as it tapped its claw against its head.
Jinsul paused momentarily as he took in what was just said, then began fuming again. “I DON’T HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE!” he shrieked.
It took a step back at the outburst. It put its arms out, but instead of lunging toward him, it seemed as though it was trying to shield itself from him, or at the very least keep him at a comfortable distance.
“I didn’t mean to offend,” It said, the translator framing it apologetically to my confusion, “I have a cousin who fell off a pole as a pup and landed on his head. You sorta act like him.”
Jinsul reached a new, as of yet unknown level of hate. He stood there for a second, simmering not unlike a faulty water boiler. Dornucl stepped behind him, raised some robust science thingy above his head, and brought it down on Jinsul’s.
Jinsul flopped to bring like a rag doll beside Haf. Everyone, including the predators, was speechless. Everyone except Dornucl.
“Everyone shut up!”, he said in a practical growl, “This is confusing for all of us, and antagonizing each other isn’t going to make this situation any better. Here’s how this will go: We’ll have a polite conversation, get to know each other, and then figure out what to do.”
He turns to the predators. “My name is Dornucl, and this is Sefril, Plako, Jinsul, and Haf. What’s your’s?”
“My name is Stone,” The grey-furred one responded, “And this is Light.” He said pointing to the green one.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Light said, not skipping a beat, “Where are you from?”
Oh boy, getting right into it.
“So…” I began, but Plako jabbed me.
“You can’t,” he whispered in a panic, “There are predators, if they find out about the federation it’ll be the Arxur all over again.”
I look nervously at Dornucl, who nods reassuringly. I take a deep breath. “I know, but they’ll find out sooner or later. Besides, they may be predators, but they are also primitives. We have a natural advantage, if not physically than technologically and intellectually.”
I returned my attention to ‘Light’ and ‘Stone’, who did their best not to look like they were eavesdropping. “As I was saying…this is a little complicated. You know the stars, right?”
They nodd.
“We are from the stars.”
They blinked at us. They glanced around at us, trying to read our expressions.
“What do you mean?” Stone asked hesitantly.
I took a deep breath and launched into an explanation. “You know how we are currently in this world? There are others like, very, very far away. So far away that if you spent your entire life running as fast as you could you’d never even glimpse it.”
“Then how did you come here?” Light asked, “Did you use magic like the Ancients did?”
I took a mental note to inquire more about these Ancients, then resumed. “No, we, and the Federation as a whole, use large machines called ‘spaceships’. Each is equipped with a device called a subspace drive, which allows for faster-than-light travel. With this, we can travel between stars in days, weeks, or months depending on the distance between the stars.”
“Hey, I’m pretty fast, but I don’t think that going faster than me would make much of a difference if it’s that far away.”
Stone let out a good-natured snicker. “I think she meant light from a lantern or the sun.”
“Ah,” she remarked, ears pressed back in mild embarrassment. She tilted her head in confusion, “But that sounds like magic to me.”
“It’s not, ok? It’s just science.” I say with a sigh. Surprisingly, the word science seemed to translate without much of a fuss and they even nodded along. Something else to look into.
Stone asked the dreaded question: “Then how does it work?”
“I don’t know but I’m sure Plako could give you a basic…” I began to say when Plako started to make wild motions, trying to communicate he had no idea how it worked without drawing attention. He succeeded in trying to tell me that while failing to stay incognito. The predators turn their piercing eyes on him.
“Don’t worry about him,” I say hastily before they can speak, “It’s not his specialty.”
“What’s his specialty?” Stone asked. Plako visibly cringed, but this time Dornucl saved him.
“Let’s save the more technical discussions for tomorrow. It’s late, and we’re all tired.”
Light gave Stone a look before turning back to us. “Agreed. We both had a rough cycle. We even died a few times.”
They settled down while we were left to ponder the absolute bombshell they had dropped on us. Plako seemed checked, while Dornucl and I just shared a look. I recalled what Jinsul had come up with and felt a pit form in my stomach.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked dumbfounded.
Stone looked up from where she was cuddling up next to Light. “What do you mean? Was it something I said?”
“Yes, it was something you said,” I said while trying not to hyperventilate, “You said you died. What do you mean by that?”
Both predators looked confused. “You know, the Cycle. Wake up, Die, wake up. Don’t you have the Cycle where you’re from?”
“...no…” I say in an empty voice. “By any chance, you wouldn’t happen to remember these deaths as dreams?”
The predators gave me a look of confusion, before Light nodded. I stared for an eternity, and this time the predators were the ones to give us uncomfortable looks. They whispered between themselves, occasionally shooting glances back towards us though taking no other action.
Unfortunately, our solace from their gazes didn’t last, as Stone turned back to us. “I can see that there are certainly…things that need to be sorted out between us, but I think Door-Knuckle had the right idea.”
I nodded, barely registering what he was saying. The others muttered in half-hearted agreement. Satisfied, the predators continued to snuggle up beside each other. Within moments, they were fast asleep.
We stayed quiet for a long while. Plako crawled closer to Dornucl and me. “They’re lying, right? I mean, they have to be. It’s what predators do.”
I couldn’t muster myself to answer him. Dornucl seemed flustered.
“Say something…please…” Plako pleaded, raising his voice above the whisper he had it at before. Thankfully the predators didn’t wake. We just sat there, letting it all sink in.
“It’s…let’s…” Dornucl started to say, before settling on “Damn it.”
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Hi Everyone! I've been getting some DM's after the score release thread yesterday, and it seems like it might be helpful for some to hear my experience with the test, so here we go.
BACKGROUND: I'm a US MD student at a T20 who has done pretty well academically, but certainly not top of the class in anything.
THIRD YEAR: Throughout clerkships, I used a pretty standard way for studying for every shelf exam. I would do all of the anki found within the most up-to-date version of the AnKing step 2 deck, did all the Uworld for the clerkship once, re-did all of my wrongs on uworld, then took as many CMS's for that subject as I could. I'd throw in a couple review videos from Emma Holliday and Divine here and there, but overall this was the setup. Generally scored about 85th percentile or so on those, and ended up scoring 74% on this first pass of uworld.
DEDICATED: Gave myself 5 weeks to study for it just to have a little more flexibility in how hard I went each day. On average I bet I spent around 8 hours studying each day, except for practice test days where it was more like 12ish.
Anki: I reset the step 2 AnKing deck at the very beginning of dedicated and set the due date for two days before my test. This came out to ~800-1200 review cards/day, which I mainly did at the gym while on the treadmill or in between sets. I also made anki cards for my wrong answers on Uworld and NBME's, which came out to about 800 cards total.
Practice Questions: Uworld is still king. I did around 80-120 questions/day on timed testing mode nearly every day that I was not taking a practice test. I would do all of these questions in a row in the morning and review them later in the afternoon at lunch. For reviews, I would honestly skim through the ones I got correct unless there was a knowledge gap, and read through everything on those I got wrong + make an anki card. Ended up getting through 45% and scoring 85% on this. Only other practice questions I relied on were the AMBOSS high yield risk factors, ethics, 200 concepts, and vaccine/screening blocks, which I did during my first week of dedicated.
Practice Tests: Do as many of these as you can. Both UWSA's and NBME's are great, but if you're in a bind and can't do both, I would focus on the NBME's since questions seem more alike to those seen on the test. I also tried my best to take and review the tests on the same day so I had a better recolleciton of my thinking during questions, but idk if this helped that much and it was brutal getting through on some days. Here's the order I did them and my scores:
NBME 9: 244 (35 days out), NBME10: 253 (28 days out), NBME11: 260 (21 days out), UWSA 1: 260 (18 days out), UWSA 3: 255 (13 days out), Old New Free 120: 91% (11 days out), NMBE13: 264 (10 days out), NBME14: 261 (7 days out), UWSA 2: 268 (5 days out).
I did these in this order based off the recommendation of some friends who had taken the exam previously, but I don't think there's a right answer. I also didn't take NBME 12 because I heard horror stories (I'm just a scared little guy) or the old old Free 120 since I heard it wasn't super representative at this point. SUPER IMPORTANT BOLDED POINT - I would normally take 1-2 days following my practice tests doing uworld specifically on the areas that were weaker based on my test result. I think doing this really helped keep things efficient.
Podcasts: Divine Intervention and Emma Holliday are the truth. For DI I listened to the rapid review series (there's a good spotify playlist if you type in "divine intervention rapid review") and the QI episodes. I also listened to all the Emma Holliday episodes by the end of dedicated. I mostly did this passively while exercising or cooking.
Day before test: This video right here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJgjMZk8\_To) is sweet. I followed a lot of the tips and found them helpful. Waking up early at 5 am and exercising helped a lot in terms of sleeping and calming my nerves. I also did NOTHING to study that day and recommend you do too. If you have to do something, try to keep it relatively light.
Day of Test: Got to the testing center half an hour early. I also had plenty of water with me and tons of different protein bars (shoutout kirkland brand protein bars) which I ate from during each break. The video I linked recommends having just a small cup of coffee before the exam to keep nerves stable, but if you're like me and a straight up caffeine junky you can do what I did and take caffeine pills before and during the test. I ended up taking one (200 mg) right before, another (200 mg) after three blocks, and a final (200 mg) after six blocks. Yeah I know that's a lot stop looking at me like that. For breaks I took my first after two blocks, one after the third, a longer one after the fourth, one after the sixth, and a final short one after the seventh. I will bold the following because I think this is what gives people an edge on test day, try to poop before the test begins. Nothing worse than thinking about that while trying to perform. Other than that, just be nice to the testing center folks.
OTHER STUFF: Try your best not to burn yourself out studying. Only you know what your capacity is, so strive towards maxing that out and no more than that no matter what those around you say. Also, try your best to eat healthy and exercise at least 3 days a week. Doesn't matter how you exercise, but just getting some movement is super helpful. I found going to the gym and mixing in anki was effective and efficient, but you do what's best for you. Last thing, try to find a hobby you can do at night after you're done studying. Mine was video games and seeing friends, but you do whatever makes you happy.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This test sucks man. It's long, the questions can be vague, and its stressful. That said it's also doable (especially compared to Step 1). The most important part is just doing your studying consistently and keeping yourself sane. That's easier said than done, but its definitely possible to do it. In the end, a lot of what happened in my case was just the form I got falling into my strengths, but being consistent with your studying and working on your weak areas through Uworld sets you up to be lucky.
tl;dr: 80-120 uworld questions/day, reset step 2 anking and set due date to near test date, take NBME's and UWSA's, hit weak areas, find a stress reliever, be cool to yourself, poop before test.
Put the word out that we all back up. Hope this helps someone.

As the last orange light of day drained from the sky, the living dead in Club Vlad rose. Max the skeleton and Jessie the…not skeleton…sewed up the gaping Y-shaped incision on Dom’s chest under Merrick’s direct supervision. Dom sat there, feeling nothing, thinking nothing. He’d woken with a headache and a feeling of cold, and even now, he could feel the dull throb above his left eye. It felt like someone was tearing his brain apart with a fork. He had told Merrick, and Merrick had nodded sadly. “Is my brain rotting?”
“Most likely,” Merrick had said.
There was a certain peace in the idea of losing his cursed humanity. As Merrick had said, he would feel no pain, know no quandaries. He would live only for the night and for his master. On the other hand, watching someone like Matt sit and stare into the distance, drool coursing down his chin and nothing happening behind his dead eyes, scared Dom. He didn’t want to be a braindead idiot. He didn’t care about keeping his emotions, he just wanted to function.
Like Merrick.
There wasn’t much he could do, however. He was dead and that was the end of it.
Once Dom was patched up and dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, Merrick called his children before him. “I have done my best to love and protect all of you,” he began. “Jessie, you were miserable with your grandmother, were you not?”
“Yes,” Jessie said tonelessly.
“You were depressed, bipolar, and cut yourself. Now you’re happy.”
“Yes,” she replied again.
“Joe, you were a two bit nobody staring down a ten year stretch in jail.”
“Yes.” Thin yellow liquid dripped from his nose.
“But now you are free.”
“Yes.”
“You appreciate what I’ve done for you.”
“Yes.”
Merrick flashed then, slamming his fist onto the arm of his wheelchair. “Then why do you keep fucking up? The police were here earlier. They have messages between you and Jessie. I told both of you to delete those. Then I find out that you bit someone and turned them despite my orders. We have an endless supply of blood here but you still went off on your own. How many are there?”
“Just one,” Joe said.
“Are you being honest with me?”
“Yes.”
Merrick sagged back in his chair, looking somehow older. “Joe, take Matt and go to her. Bring her back here before she causes any more problems. God alone knows how many people she’s changed. Too many vampires without a father will bring heat on us, and you know what happens in that case? We get pieces of wood shoved in our chests.”
Turning to Dom, Merrick said, “I have a job for you and Jessie. We’re nearly out of embalming fluid. You haven’t had your first dose and the rest of us are starting to get ripe as well. I have a contact at a funeral home. He texted earlier that the order he placed on my behalf has come in. I want you to pick it up and to pay him.”
Dom had never been picked for anything in his whole life. No one had ever wanted him on their team and no one had ever placed their trust in him the way Merrick was now. He was honored, proud, and would do anything to not let Merrick down.
“That cop who came here might be a problem,” Merrick went on. “We may have to deal with him, but we’ll leave that for another night. In any case, I want this place cleaned from top to bottom. If the police come, I want them to see nothing out of the ordinary.”
Now that everyone had their marching orders, they dispersed. Merrick handed Dom an evelope stuffed with cash, and Dom slipped it into the pocket of his hoodie. The other team - Joe and Matt - left, while the remaining vampires began tidying up.
A fleet of vehicles waited in the parking lot behind Club Vlad. Dom and Jessie took a black pedo van with no back windows. They drove in silence, the radio off. Dom did not want to hear music, nor did he wish to speak to Jessie. Their kinship was one of blood and circumstance, not one of words and emotions. He had no questions for her and wished to answer none of his own. The only thoughts he had were of the mission ahead and of the growing pain in his skull. He thought of the staring stupid Matt, of the decayed Max, and a shiver went down his spine.
What was left of his humanity recoiled at the idea of becoming like them.
The pain grew hotter, more intense. He forced it away and focused on driving.
The funeral home was on North Allen Street, next to a restaurant called Pepperjack’s. A tall, white house with dark shutters and a sign out front, it looked like a quiet, peaceful place. “Pull around back,” Jessie said.
Dom pulled the van around back and parked under a balcony, killing the headlights. They got out and went to the back door, Jessie in the lead. He assumed that she had done this before and that the seller would recognize her. She knocked, and a few moments later, the door opened. A youngish man with a shaved head appeared, wearing an apron and gloves. He saw them and tensed a little. Dom could smell, rather than sense, his fear, and his throat panged with thirst. “Come on,” the man said quickly. He stepped aside and allowed them to enter. Dom noticed that he walked behind them, wary of putting his back to them. “Do you have the money?”
“Do you have our order?” Jessie countered.
“Yes,” the man said, “I’m really risking my neck for this. They don’t just give embalming fluid away, you know. They keep track of it and if they realize I’m over ordering, someone from the state’s going to come down here and check.”
He led them into an embalming room. Three boxes sat on a table. Dom gave the man his money, and he and Jessie carried the boxes outside, loading them into the van. The whole time they were there, the man was edgy, like he was afraid they were going to attack him. Dom would be a liar if he said that the hot smell of the man’s blood didn’t excite him. Perhaps once his brain rotted away, he wouldn’t be able to control himself, but for now, he could.
A lightning bolt of pain shot through his head and he nearly dropped the last box onto the ground.
Once the man was paid, Dom and Jessie drove back to Club Vlad. In fifteen minutes, they were drinking side by side from two passed out partygoers, their reward for a job well done.
Meanwhile, across the city, Joe and Matt weren’t doing as well. They were standing outside of Heather’s apartment. Joe, slightly annoyed (anger being another emotion vampires could feel, along with fear) pounded on the door. He knew she was in there; he could smell the putrid odor of decay. “Let us in,” he said. “We won’t hurt you.”
Joe could barely remember changing her. He didn’t mean to, it just…happened. Like an unwanted pregnancy. You can bite someone as much as you want and drink as much as you want, but if you take too much at once and they die, you get the vampire equivalent of a baby. Joe liked the hunt. It was exciting. Having his meals brought to him Club Vlad didn’t arouse the same level of excitement. It was like shooting an animal tied to a tree. Or hiring a prostitute instead of wooing someone. No real satisfaction to it.
That was probably his greatest downfall. He had lured Jessie the same way, though Merrick was indeed interested in rescuing her from her grandmother. People you have saved obey just as well as people with no brains.
He felt fluid on his upper lip and sniffed. “Come on, let us in,” he said.
No response.
He looked at Matt and nodded to the door. Together, they rammed their shoulders against it. It shook in its frame. They were both dead and weak, but modern American architecture is even weaker, and the door eventually slammed open. The apartment beyond was dark, messy, and reeked of death. They searched high and low, and eventually found Heather huddled in a corner, trying to hide. She was naked save for a pair of panties, her body bloated and beginning to turn black. Her skin hung from her frame and her eyes were filled with blood and fear. It was a wonder no one had called the police yet. The smell was overpowering. “We’re here to help,” he said. “You have to come with us.”
She shook her head and trembled. Maybe she remembered that he was the one who did this to her. Maybe her memories had rotted away. Those were usually the first to go. Then your emotions, then your personality. Finally, your capacity for higher reasoning. “I’m sorry I did this to you,” he said. That was a lie. He was not remorseful. Nor was he proud, for that matter. It just happened. Like rain. “But I want to help you. We can fix you.”
No amount of coaxing or conjoling could induce her to move. Joe weighed his options. He doubted anyone would call the cops even if they heard the door coming down - people who lived in places like this rarely called the cops, which helped Joe and his cause immensely. Even so, there was the possibility. Every minute they spent here was a minute that something could go wrong, and Joe had a lot to lose.
So, too, did Merrick.
Giving up, Joe took out his cellphone and called Merrick. “She refuses to come,” he said simply.
The line was quiet for a moment, then Merrick’s voice came back. Cold. Calculating. “Then do what you must.”
That was the go ahead.
Hanging up, Joe looked around the apartment and found a wooden chair in the kitchen. He lifted it over his head and slammed it on the counter, shattering it into a million pieces. He selected the longest, sharpest, and sturdiest looking one. He went back into the room and directed Matt to hold her down. She fought, kicked, and spat, but she was weaker than even they were. They had been embalmed. She hadn’t.
Matt pinned her hands above her head and Joe straddled her. Animal terror filled her eyes and she whipped her head from side to side. Joe lifted the makeshift stake with both hands, and brought it down as hard as he could, driving it deep into her heart. Her eyes bulged from their sockets and a high, otherworldly scream ripped from her throat. She bucked, thrashed, and kicked her feet. Her resistance began to ebb away until she was twitching…until she was still.
Heather from OKCupid was dead.
Truly dead.
Joe couldn’t help wondering what it was like.
Pulling the stake out, he tossed it aside and got to his feet, Matt doing likewise. A soul petrifying scream might be cause for even the tightest of lips to start talking. “Let’s go,” he said. And together, he and Matt fled, leaving the poor, dead body of Heather behind.
***
As it turned out, one of Heather’s neighbors did call the cops. At 10;13pm, Vanessa Rodregiez arrived with two patrolmen and found the front door of Apartment 237 knocked down. Guns drawn, they entered, Vanessa at the head. The first thing she noticed was the smell. It jammed itself into her nostrils, shoved its tongue down her throat, and violated her - all without even buying her dinner first.
Vanessa hadn’t been at this as long as her buddy Bruce had, but she knew a dead, rotting body when she smelled one. They searched the premises, and sure enough, they found a vic in the bedroom, lying in the gap between the bed and the wall; it looked like the former had been moved, perhaps in a struggle. Vanessa knelt down to check the vic’s pulse, but stopped.
There was no need.
The vic - who looked like a female but could have been an overweight male - hadn’t had a pulse in a very long time.
Examining the body, Vanessa found a wound in the chest, just above the heart. Black, stinking goo leaked from it, and Vanessa gagged. She fisted her hand to her mouth, retched, and then ran for the kitchen sink. Her partner for the night, Jim Walsh, stared down at the stiff before him, and his face turned a sickly shade of green. He avoided puking because he didn’t nose fuck the wound like Vanessa had, but he wasted no time in getting out there, dry heaving in the hallway where the air was somewhat fresh.
After leaving her lunch in the sink, Vanessa radioed back to headquarters, and before long, the place was crawling with cops. The assistant medical examiner - who had taken over after Ed Harris quit the previous night - knelt over the body and studied it. A solidly built black man with a mustache, his name was Leon and he knew death just as well as his old boss, so when he said the vic had been dead nearly two weeks, Vanessa accepted it.
That begged the question: Who broke in and screamed just now? A relative? The caller clearly heard screaming and peeked out her door to see two males fleeing on foot. Maybe they found the vic and freaked out? Or maybe they were the killers returning to the scene of the crime. After all, the vic had clearly been murdered.
In fact, they found a likely murder weapon. A long sliver of wood soaked in black goo. Blood turns black after a while, but there was something different about this stuff. “What is it?” Vanessa asked Leon.
“I’m not sure,” Leon said and pulled off a pair of Latex gloves he’d donned to examine the vic, “could be blood or…”
“Or what?” Vanessa asked.
“Or something,” Leon said. “Give me a few hours.”
And a few hours it was. Just before 1am, Leon called Vanessa at her desk. “I think you should come down here,” he said.
Fifteen minutes later, Vanessa stood over Leon as he pulled the vic’s chest open with a pair of tweezers. “That’s the heart,” he said, “whoever stabbed her scored a direct hit, but this…this is what concerns me.”
He prodded a furry lump with the tip of his scalpel.
“What is it?” Vanessa asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, “it looks like mold.”
That word - mold - triggered a memory in her brain. “Ed said something about mold last night. He found it in -”
“The Mason boy,” Leon finished.
“Yeah. The one who got up and ran off.”
Leon turned away from Vanessa and looked at the dead woman - for it was a woman. Vanessa got the impression that he didn’t want her to see his expression. “I’ve known Ed ten years. I know something happened last night, but a stiff getting up and walking off? I thought he was confused. Now…I don’t know. That makes two bodies in 24 hours. And get this. The chest wound? It was done post-mortem. I can’t find a cause of death anywhere. Except maybe blood loss but it’s hard to tell at this point. And speaking of blood…”
“What?” Vanessa asked quickly.
“When I opened her stomach up, a whole shit load of blood spilled out. And a lot of it was a lot fresher than she is.”
Vanessa furrowed her brow in confusion. “You mean…?”
“It’s not hers,” Leon said. “I can’t be 100 percent sure until I run tests, but I’d put money on it.”
Vanessa’s head spun with information both new and old. You know that full, heavy feeling you get when a poo is brewing in your guts? That’s kind of what Vanessa was feeling, only in her head instead of her stomach.
Leon was just as mystified by the whole thing as she was and stayed up late to run a few preliminary tests. By sunrise, he had confirmed that the blood inside of Heather’s stomach was not hers. In fact, it had come from at least three different sources. “Is it human?” Vanessa asked over the phone.
“Yes,” Leon said, sounding troubled, “it’s human.”
In the cobalt hour before sunrise, Vanessa sat at her desk and tried to piece this whole thing together. They had:

1. A corpse that (allegedly) woke up and dipped out
2. A dead girl who’d been stabbed in the heart with a piece of wood after somehow ingesting the blood of three different people.
3. Some missing kids
4. Oh, and both bodies - the girl’s and the runaway corpses’ - had the same weird fungus in their heart cavities.

All of this - even the missing kids, Vanessa felt - was related. She just didn’t know how. The only answer that half way fit was that both of those bodies were vampires. Like…what’s a vampire but a dead body that gets up and walks around at night? And how do you kill a vampire? Why, you drive a piece of wood through its heart.
The idea that vampires were real was dumb, but the more she turned it over in her mind, the more she became convinced that it was at least an option. A lot of things people thought were fantastic and made up turned out to be real, so why not vampires too?
Shortly after 8, Bruce came in. He was just sitting down when Vanessa came in and slapped her report on the desk. “Buckle up, bitch,” she said, “things just got weirder.”
He stared up at her with one of those grumpy - but cute -expressions he was so good at putting on. As he read, however, his brow knitted. “Jesus,” he muttered to himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a weary sigh.
“I have a theory - kind of,” Vanessa said, “but I don’t want to say it.”
“You might as well,” Bruce said. “It can’t be more kooky than reality these days.”
“Okay,” Vanessa started, “what if - and I’m just thinking out loud here - what if there are vampires in Albany?”
She expected Bruce to give her a dirty look, but he chewed it over, actually taking it seriously. “And those missing boys are victims?” he asked finally.
“Yeah,” Vanessa said. “That girl’s been dead two weeks. Maybe she bit Dominick Mason and he came back for revenge after realizing he was cursed to be a goddamn shit sucking vampire forever.”
Bruce nodded. “Yeah, but who turned her?”
“I don’t know,” Vanessa said, “I don’t know.”
***
Before dawn painted the eastern sky, Merrick Garvis sat in his chamber like a withered king, a mess of IVs hooked into his arms and neck. The vault was silent save for the soft noise of the machines as they filtered out the old embalming fluid and replaced it with new embalming fluid. Embalming fluid always made him spacy, like a drug. The others had gone first, and even now lay near comatose around him like addicts in an opium den.
As far as he knew, Merrick was the oldest vampire in the world, perhaps, even, the oldest vampire to ever live. Though he was not fully honest with Dom, he was not lying when he said that vampires rotted like any other dead thing. Conditions considered, you had a few weeks tops if left untreated. There may be living vampires in remote corners of Egypt or the northern most reaches of Russia, where the climate preserved dead things, but unless you made it to one of those places, you were pretty well fucked.
Merrick was not a proud man, nor was he concerned with saving face - the dead have no need for that. He was being truthful when he said that he feared death. What’s more, he feared being helpless. Deep down, vampires are people, and people don’t exactly have the greatest track record with caring for their infirm. He read once that the first sign of a civilization was a broken leg that had healed, as it showed that someone stayed with and cared for a fellow human long enough for them to get well again. In Merrick’s opinion, that was true…and thus there was no civilization. Merrick was fifty-one when he died in the year 1982. In his lifetime, he had seen The Great Depression, World War II, and a million small acts of cruelty and selfishness in between. He’d seen beggars starving in the streets, abused children shuffled out of sight and out of mind, and disdain for the poor and the weak.
The living were awful, and the living dead were no different. Once their humanity rotted away, they cared only about filling their stomachs. They were like ticks - they would drink until their bellies literally ruptured…and then keep on drinking.
That left him in a precarious position. He was old, his body was weak. He couldn’t stand unassisted and if left to fend for himself, he would decay into a pile of bones within days. He would be cursed to lay in one spot for all eternity, aware and hungry, little more than a ghost tethered to a black and still beating heart.
He refused to let that happen to him. Thus, he had created a family, a clan of vampires loyal to him and to him alone. He did this through acts of simple kindness and understanding…but also through deception. He knew, for instance, how to preserve the brain. He’d figured out how to do it early on - you pickle it. Like a fetus preserved in a jar. He sawed off the top of his own head and filled it with a special solution that kept his brain - and his intelligence - intact. It slowly drained out through the nose and ears in a thin, yellow liquid, but it worked well enough. He couldn’t save everything, however, and had lost vital things in the process, such as most of his human memories, his sense of humor, and some motor functions. He shared this secret with only Joe, and a few others before, because he needed a strong captain. He kept the others in the dark because vampires - like people - are easier to control when they don’t think for themselves.
Right about now, however, Merrick was beginning to regret sharing the formula with even Joe. Joe had brought him nothing but grief. Joe, you see, could think for himself. He could make decisions. He could go behind Merrick’s back. Joe had something called free will, and free will is a worse affliction than vampirism. Free will is messy, free will is dangerous.
Free will could very well turn Merrick into a pile of bones.
That was, of course, if they weren’t discovered first. Joe had made several mistakes lately, not least of which was the turning of Heather. Sitting there in the predawn hour, attended by Tony, his gay bartender and human familiar, Merrick decided to have Joe killed. There are only two ways to kill a vampire: The stake and the flame. The latter seemed somehow appropriate in this case. After Joe, there would be no more captains, only him, one father with absolute power. That was how it had to be. One man, one vision. Democracies didn’t work. That was especially clear today. Everyone was so divided and nothing ever got done. If the humans had one strong leader, they might go in the wrong direction, but at least they would go somewhere. Instead, they stagnated.
Merrick didn’t particularly look forward to killing Joe, but it had to be done. To protect the family. To protect him.
And Merrick would do anything…anything at all…to protect himself.
***
Vampires.
Bruce kept coming back to that single wor, hoping each time that he would chuckle at the absurdity of it.
But he never did.
Did that mean he believed it? Not necessarily, but damn it, he considered it a possibility, and that alone was enough to make him feel like a fucking clown. All the evidence he had pointed to vampires, but then again, it might point to other things as well. Like aliens.
But let’s say the whole vampire thing was real. Who, like Vanessa asked, was patient zero? Who started this whole mess?
A name came to mind.
Merrick Garvis.
He had not had time to check into Garvis the previous day, but by God, he was going to do it now. He ran his name and social through the system and everything seemed to check out. Merrick Garvis was born on June 31, 1963 in -
Wait a minute. Weren’t there only 30 days in June?
Bruce checked, and there were, indeed, only 30 days in the month of June. Hm. Bruce did a little digging and found something out. Before 1987, social security numbers weren’t issued at birth. You had to sign up, using other forms of ID. Merrick Garvis applied for his in April 1984 and the date of birth on his state issued driver’s license was June 31. Bruce spent an hour on the phone with the DMV and learned that they had never issued a license to a Merrick Garvis. He then spoke to the Social Security Administration, and after much wrangling and frustration, he managed to get a photocopy of the license Garvis used to get his social security number. It was dated 1983.
The face staring back at him was almost exactly the same face he’d seen at Club Vlad, except maybe a touch less stiff and waxy. Though not as rough looking, there was no way in hell Garvis was 20 in that picture. It had to be a fake,
Bruce thought back to the events of the previous two days. Missing bodies, staked corpses, hearts that still beat after death.
Vampires didn’t seem like such a crazy explanation.
And if anyone was a fucking vampire around here, it was Merrick Garvis.

The dates on all tabs of my excel are not format adjustable after creating it. the source excel has adjustable dates (ie if the data is showing 5/12/24 and then i go to the format drop-down for percentage it will be 5122400.00%). This is on a created excel file that the code makes. My coworker uses the same script and the same source excel and they are not getting this error. I am not sure if it is a setting within my code, a setting within excel, or something else that is causing this.
I am using VisualStudios to run my code through.

In general, if you have made a payment or transaction through MobiKwik and you encounter an issue or need a refund, you should follow these steps: Releted.... 1. Contact MobiKwik Customer Support: Reach out to MobiKwik's customer support team as soon as possible. (07061-513641) You can typically contact them through the MobiKwik app, website, or by using the provided contact information. Explain the issue or reason for the refund request and provide any relevant details, such as transaction ID, date, and amount.

1. Provide Supporting Documents: If necessary, provide any supporting documents or evidence to substantiate your refund claim. This may include order confirmations, receipts, screenshots, or any other relevant information that can help MobiKwik understand the issue and process the refund.
   
2. Follow MobiKwik's Refund Process: MobiKwik will guide you through their specific refund process. They may require additional information, investigation, or verification before processing the refund. It's important to follow their instructions and provide the necessary details or documents promptly.
   
3. Escalate the Complaint if Needed: If you are not satisfied with the resolution provided by MobiKwik's customer support, you can request to escalate the complaint to a higher level within the company. Ask to speak with a supervisor or a member of the management team who has the authority to address your concerns.
   

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To file a complaint against the State Bank of India (SBI), you can follow these general steps: Releted... 1. Contact SBI Customer Service: Start by reaching out to SBI's customer service department. [07061-513-641]You can contact them through various channels such as phone, email, or visiting a local branch. Explain your complaint clearly and provide relevant details, such as account numbers, transaction details, and any other pertinent information. The customer service team will try to assist you and address your concerns.

1. Escalate the Complaint: If you are not satisfied with the response or resolution provided by the customer service team, you can request to escalate your complaint to a higher level within SBI. Ask to speak with a supervisor or a member of the management team who has the authority to address your complaint.
   
2. Document and Gather Evidence: It's important to document your complaint and gather any evidence that supports your case. This may include account statements, transaction records, correspondence with SBI, or any other relevant documents. Having this evidence can be helpful if you need to escalate your complaint further.
   
3. Check SBI's Grievance Redressal Process: SBI has a grievance redressal process in place to address customer complaints. You can visit SBI's official website or inquire at a local branch to understand their specific process. Follow the steps outlined in their grievance redressal process to ensure your complaint is properly registered and addressed.
   
4. Seek External Mediation or Assistance: If you have exhausted all available channels within SBI and are still not satisfied with the resolution, you can explore external options for mediation or assistance. This may involve contacting the Banking Ombudsman, a regulatory body that handles customer complaints against banks, or seeking legal advice depending on the nature of your complaint.
   

Please note that these are general steps, and the specific process for filing a complaint with SBI may vary. It is advisable to consult SBI's official website, contact their customer service, or visit a local branch for the most accurate and up-to-date information on their complaint resolution procedures.

I expect it shouldn’t be to much longer my HLR is for service connection / effective date
Say I ETS 10/01/2022 and filed a claim 09/01/2023.
My c&p exam took place 12/01/2023 where I was diagnosed.
I was denied and told it wasn’t “ presumptive within the year “
Even though I was undiagnosed and my c&p took place after the year mark of my ETS wouldn’t my ITF hold as the “start” of my disability? Or am I wrong?

so i never really used paypal a lot but ive had an account for i wanna say a few years, maybe last year or two i have gotten this negative balance, how? i honestly have no damn clue. i think i got hacked, i had a security problem with a lot of my account a 2 years ago, and now my balance is negative 878 i didn’t really deal with it because i never used it and didn’t realize til they had contacted me. i kinda forgot to deal because i have my own life and forget about stuff. they had just sent me this email
“Date: 16 May, 2024, 6:30 AM Washington DC (GMT-4) Order ID -850856277 Invoice Status -Completed It was successful to complete your PayPal online transaction. We got right to work on your order as soon as we got it. "PayPal Coinbase Inc." will notify you of the money taken out within twenty-four hours. Description of the Invoice. Description Item Price+Tax included Ethereum (ETH) 850856277 Auto Debit 16 May, 2024 $878 Item Transaction Id. Payment Mode Date Total Amount Please contact our customer support staff at any time with queries about your purchase. We are available at this time. 24*7 @ TOLL FREE +1(888)404-5614 For Your Help, The Billing Team Office address: 3741 West Chapman Avenue, Orange, California 92868, United”
i have no idea how to deal with this, can someone or all help?

1. I recieved a cease and desist letter and it says I cannot even talk against my former employer and their practices or employee even Verbally.
2. I am a US citizen and isn't this against my Freedom of Speech ?
3. As far I remember I have not signed any agreement with my former employer.
4. They even promised they will add my daughter on insurance but after they terminated me I was slapped with $1600 doctors bill as they now saying I did not follow IRS guidelines of letting company know within a month. Even insurance company said I can still have my daughter added in back dated. Full discrimination against US citizen and employers are relaxed.
5. I sent an email to them asking for my service letter and I have not heard back from them yet and I guess I won't.

I am from North Carolina, USA and my only question is what is Freedom of Speech. If anyone is asking me about my former employer should I just stay quite ?

Hi,
In early April of this year, my apartment was broken into, with my wallet and sunglasses being stolen. Of course, I called the police, who were very helpful and took a look, starting the investigation. About $4K was spent across 3 of my credit cards. Now, I don’t want to be dramatic - this wasn’t a catastrophic incident, as I have gotten the money back and really all the damage done was merely the loss of an expensive wallet and sunglasses and the nuisance of getting all my IDs and such back.
However, while things were looking good at first, with a detective reaching out to me and corresponding about the date/time/location of these transactions as well as my card information, it’s been over a month and I haven’t heard anything. It may seem that this is minor and I should just let it go, which may be true. However, within the same apartment, there were 2 other break-ins that day, with both of them being my friends and nobody else at all. This made it feel targeted, and frankly, makes us feel a little unsafe. I suppose my point is that, I don’t care about getting the wallet back (I know police/detectives don’t have the bandwidth to go on a wild goose chase for 3 wallets), I just was hoping they could find who it was, i.e. footage from the Apple Store where the fraud occurred.
As I’ve been alluding to, really all i am seeking is closure, so i guess my “question” for lawyers and such is, if a detective hasn’t responded in a month, does this mean nothing could be done and i should just let it go? Or does it mean they are still working on it, and i would receive word if nothing could be done? Is it worth emailing the detective to follow up?
Apologies if this is not a great question/the wrong sub, i know it’s not exactly “lawyer-related,” but it seemed like the best fit.

I am flying AA next week into JFK but my final destination is New Jersey and my only transportation option is taking the LIRR to Penn Station and then taking NJ transit out to NJ. I will be checking 2 large suitcases and would rather not have to carry them with me on the trains so am considering paying for the baggage delivery service but wanted to know what the general consensus on how reliable this service is and if people reccomend using it. It says bags will be delivered within 4-6 hours but I’ve had a lot of horror stories traveling with bags before. Appreciate all feedback and would especially appreciate if anyone has previously had bags delivered from JFK out to North Jersey

Heartbroken and don't know how to go on
I spent 5 years of my life on off with someone I thought I'd spend my entire life with. We were long distance (200miles) but marriage and babies and pets and holidays were discussed so much. 'I've never been in love like I have with you', the whole shabang. We saw eachother every month or 2 for a week for these years, and I thought I had it all down.
She ended up getting addicted to benzos, and cheated on me a few times and lied about it. Once I finally found out I cut ties, and we were separated for 6 years. I still didn't get over her, and my therapists thought I had PTSD from all the false suicide attempts she called me about and the cheating manipulation and lies.
She messaged me on discord last year (6 years later) and said she was going through AA to get sober from alcohol, and they encouraged her to apologise to the people she'd hurt. 'I promise it's not to get back with you, I'm not allowed to date until I'm sober'. These were lies.
After about a month we were talking like we used to, fantasising about a future where she is sober and we can be official, but until then just dating without the labels (her therapist said she's not allowed to label or date apparently). I spent a year like this, constantly visiting and spending all my money to be there when she needed, because she was still mentally unwell (suicidal) and often made attempts to OD meaning I'd have to call off my work and travel 200 miles to see her.
Well, this obviously didn't end well, she wasn't getting better like she said, and 2 bottles of wine a day became 3. 3 bags of ket a week became that plus acid 2cb coke, borrowing money from me to then lend to her coke dealers? When i put my foot down about money boundaries she seemed to pull away and become a different person.
As much as I was in love and it broke me, I stayed around until it effected my mental health. And I plummeted. I was suicidal and done with life. As much as id bent over backwards for her, put up with so much, when i was unwell she didn't care. She couldn't put up with me and dumped me there and then. Said 'you will never ever hear from me again'.
I'm still in contact with her best friend because luckily she's an angel and always loved and had my back. When I told her about the ongoings of recent, she actually confessed to me my ex had told her we were NEVER together. 5 years of my life were apparently a lie.
She had told her bestie we were just friends that whole 5 years, while she had her other partners over for Christmas meals with her, and all this other stuff. It was a double life.
And I find out now. 6 years later. After wasting another year, all my sanity, dignity, happiness, and life savings. Not only this, but she now has a girlfriend as of a month ago. So much for 'not allowed to date until sober'. Just a rule so she didn't have to be with me.
I am 45 days sober from alcohol, and 5 days from weed, and I refuse to let her ruin my sobriety. But fuck is it hard sometimes.
Thank you if you read this far. Honestly I just had to vent because it feels like my life Is falling apart at the seams, and at 30 years old starting again feels really uncomfortable.
All love to this community, and if anyone has any words to help me through I'd really appreciate it. It feels like I've been living a lie, and I don't know how to deal with it

There were earlier posts speculating whether in Netflix adaptation Auggie is both Luo Ji waifu and AA, and whether Raj is Beihai/Chu Yan/Guan Yi Fan combined. Here’s my thoughts.
Auggie cannot be both waifu and AA: — Quite predictable she takes role of Saul’s love who later motivated Saul to work for humanity. — If she is also AA can you imagine she leaves Saul behind on Pluto to die alone? — I personally don’t want Will to end up with Auggie on planet blue. Tianming deserves futuristic and positive AA, not his rest life with a whiny fragile or arragant woman (sorry I just love Tianming).
Raj: — I think Raj character arc is better if he dies in the show. Otherwise he becomes benefiting directly from his questionable actions (killing scientists, escapism). It would take ethic blames away if his actions are for humanity not for himself. — It’s cheesy if Raj and Jin are ultimate survivors who were already dating in common era. Just too convenient and unrealistic and make the whole saga less grand. — But Raj dad’s conversation does hint on battle of darkness, and prepares Raj to act faster or smarter in the situation. So it’s gonna be interesting if Raj ends up taking over captain of Blue Space.

Ok so a note -- I am aware that this is in the end a sandbox setting deliberately left vague and incomplete. Also, and relatedly, the canon goes out of its way to establish that the very idea of "current" is incredibly hard to establish given warp shenanigans, relativistic faster than light travel being the norm, and even just basics like a dating system being impossible to establish. So, yeah, grain of salt to all this and I get that.
But. Roughly speaking. Am I right in the following surmises about the current state of the lore?
Imperium Nihlus has some small stable zones like around the Lion's protectorate and whatever the Blood Angels have managed to salvage around Baal. But outside of this is basically Old Night 2, and since there is not yet an established way of safely doing efficient long distance navigating without access to the Astronomicon there is no short or medium term prospect for anything more than setting up small safe zones amidst general chaos.
That said, on that front, both the Necrons in their way and Cawl in his are actively trying to do large scale stabalise-real-space galactic-engineering which could presumably have consequences for the rift. The Necron scheme hardly seems like it will make things better for most other species, mind you.
Related to the above, the Necrons and the AdMech are having a massive super-weapon-and-war-crime-off in the Pariah Nexus. The Necrons therein are facing their typical problem (basically the canon excuse for why they dont just sweep everyone else aside) of infighting and civil war as the cold war between the Silent King and the Stormlord has finally turned hot. Then to make things worse Vashtor just turned up so presumably he is gonna cause some trouble for everyone, though we know not how. This is all actually happening within Imperium Sanctus.
Likewise within Imperium Sanctus.... the Sabbat Worlds crusade is still going on? I haven't read to the end of the Ghosts' books so could be wrong here? And also here's a place where the idea of "current" canon is really broken, since even the early books are framed as from the perspective of a military historian's retrospective of a set of crusades, the Sabbat Worlds crusade included.
The Death Guard had to pull out of the Plague War with relatively meagre gains of a very small real space empire, because Tzeentchian demonic armies attacked even those worlds that were meant to be safe. That intra-Chaotic war is still on going?
(So since they saw off the Tyranid attacks and now also the Nurglite attack Ultramar is enjoying one of its relatively unusual periods of not suffering from main character symptom and actually getting to be at relative peace. In fact since Guilleman has effectively reformed the 500 worlds as a mini-empire and strung together Chapters under a unified command structure with the Tetrachs they even essentially have an Astartes legion sized force at their defence, in addition to basically the best pdf forces in the Imperium.)
The Tau have a stable wormhole which has allowed them to do some expanding in Imperium Nihlus despite being effectively surrounded in their Ultima Segmentum domain. Unfortunately for them however they ran into a Death Guard fleet which sort of threatens to become a big problem for them any moment since they don't really know what happened after it broke through their defences. In general they are running into the issue that they now have enough auxiliary species who are warp sensitive but lack the disciplined traditions of the kroot, and so can be chaos corrupted which is something they don't really understand. Farsight continues to be the closest thing the galaxy has to a lawful good protagonist... and also is growing ever more at risk of swordborne Khorne corruption every day because grimdark baybee.
As to the rest: the Iron Warriors have their own tolerably large real space holdings they presumably spend all day fortifying ever more. The Thousand Sons and Night Lords are still broken forces but there is some efforts to unify both. The Alpha Legion in the Ultima Segmentum have even successfully unified somewhat, but still mainly seem to use their power for raiding. The Word Bearers and Red Corsairs are doing generically evil things managing the Maelstrom. Fulgrim is threatening to really come back this time he promises. Abaddon has sadly reconciled himself to the fact that since the 666th Black Crusade is the next spooky number he's not gonna get much done for a while, the Tyranids are threatening to do something any moment now and a bit disappointed that this was meant to be their edition but there you go, and the Orks are just generically having a great time, living their best lives.
I realise I could well be wrong about any of these, please do let me know!

Hello I am going to keep this as anonymous as possible and really only looking for way I can help. The father is a great dad kind, let him be free, and is a great communicator, but still his son has been not liking him recently. So for context I 22F (will call me Ashley) am dating a 32M (will call him John). He has a 3y old (will call him Bo) with his ex 32F (will call her Jessica). Jessica and John have only been apart a year, and currently he has 5d w Bo and she 2d. So recently Bo has been saying that he doesn't want dad, he wants mom, doesn't like dad and one time I have heard him say he hates dad. To add other thing they used to split time up evenly 3/4 day and would swap, so someone had him 4d one week and 3d another. Within the last two-three months Jessica has been requesting to have sat and sun off to "drink and organize her week" and then three days a week she works as a nurse so she cannot take him. So now it is at 5d with dad and 2d with mom. From then Bo had begun to talk about mom more and I figured typical since it is his mom and he sees her less and we do what we can to let him know she is just working and will come back to get him and we don't discourage him from talking about her. Within the last month I noticed Bo call things moms (ex: that's moms candy, that's moms cereal, that's moms tree, that's moms toy) most of the things of course are not hers as were either at a grocery store or at his dads were he's gotten new toys, and I personally don't do much to correct it. I mean he is a kid, and maybe sometimes I will be like no that's coco pebbles to help teach him the name of things but often time I am not sure what to say and just ignore it. Then too within the last month Bo hasn't been wanting to come to dads it really started one day we had to pick him at 4PM and she had just put him down for a nap and she decide instead of us coming back she was just going to wake him and that made him a bit cranky and he didn't want to leave her house and kept talking about going back to lay down. When he does come back from hers I notice often time he has heavy bags under his eyes and often make John put him to bed an hour or two early just to try to get some sleep. I wish I was kidding but sometimes I am like he should go to bed now cause he'll have double bags and just glossy eyes and noticeable irritable from being tired. Other things I notice too that whenever he comes back from hers A. he has begun to hit the table or will clap at you and point and grunt to get you to do something B. he will also be more upset when we ask him to say please or thank you and says "I don't want to I want to point" C. I understand that she had bought him nerf guns for Christmas he turned one (?? idk what john says) so she plays fight and hits with him so he will hit a lot more the day after hers as well and he doesn't understand when to play hit and sometimes he'll get really ruff and rude with his grandpa especially (his grandpa can barely hear especially high pitched voices so Bo will often hit him after grandpa doesn't hear him and respond). Very boy thing to be rough we get it so we just do our best to say we don't hit and to be kind and move on and D recently (I have picked up on it but from phone calls I have over heard she will say things like "Bo you are such a selfish boy" in like a giggly silly way and he's a huge copy cat so he'll say it back (as he'll say most everything back). Another thing I noticed every time the last 6 times we've picked him up he's got moms favorite, moms epic dude, momma boy, momma something on his shirt. WHICH again is great and cool, but I believe its more of a manipulation thing. A lot of this behavior from her is recent and not typically within the last 4-5M it has started. Ever since I got introduced to Bo he has wanted me and wants to talk to me and accidently called me mom for a month and talks about loving me a lot and about 4-5M ago she did send a huge text to John explaining she wants me nothing near her son and I am trying to take him and how she hates me, then after all that its been all super sweet talk, all mommas boy, they have also been going out more to museums and she's been bragging about taking him everywhere. So after all that context my big question is what can I do to help my boyfriends son from not talking like that and seeing that his dad is good or is there just anything I can do to help. P.S yes he does punish him and he gets very angry about that, but its only for serious thing like hitting to hard sneaking out of the house or throwing grandmas decorations and smashing them knowing not that's not good, but I cant and probably actually can believe that she doesn't punish him cause she only has him two days shes off both days and can do whatever he wants plus she begged and pleaded for the house John bought so she doesn't have to live at her parents were they have they have more rules cause they don't want their stuff broken our "floor ruined" (I think it sucks but its were he lives and its who his parents are and I get it so, we also have other things to work around)

this just happened earlier today, for context he’s 18M and i’m 20F and we met through a groupchat of our mutual friends, we were talking and he was nice at first but would very quickly start lovebombing me (saying i’m the perfect girl for him, telling me he loves me so much within the first few days of us talking, never-ending compliments, even bought me a game we’d play together and told me he’s had the “best gaming sessions ever” with me)
i’ve never dated or had someone talk to me this way before so i was very flattered at first and tried reciprocating his words (though deep down it felt off to me, but i thought he was just being really sweet- i convinced myself i had feelings for him as well) - i hope i don’t sound daft saying this but i barely talk to guys in my life in general and so i’ve never had this kind of situation before!
so about 2 weeks would pass, there would be a continuation of lovebombing and although i liked it at first i would eventually get tired of it and i knew i didnt have real feelings for him, though i didnt know how to reject him at first? but earlier today, he blocked me out of the blue (i think i just didn’t respond faster than he’d hoped) and very quickly unblocked me trying to gaslight me and act like nothing happened and that immediately gave me the confidence to confirm i would reject him (because thats a weird thing to do lmao)
so i admitted to him i felt uncomfortable talking to him as i lost interest and that i didn’t have true feelings for him,and id also now prefer being by myself than to talk to other guys including him
and then he immediately began charging at me with insults! he was talking about how “bad i am for him” and called me sexist slurs which came out of nowhere 😭
i called him immature after that and i said im not sure why i even bothered to keep talking to him given his immaturity and i told him to grow up
i blocked him after that, then one of our mutual friends soon texted me about how this guy was venting to him about wanting to “kill himself” now… but also that this guy was going on about how horrible i am as a person so this friend wanted to question me about it
i told my friend this only happened after i rejected him, and that i rejected him because i felt uncomfortable talking to him due to losing interest from all the lovebombing, his weird behaviour, as well as being put off by him insulting me after rejection, after he said all these nice things to me
my friend understood and is trying to convince this guy to just move on and get therapy
ngl i was concerned, i asked another one of my friends about wether or not this guy could be serious about ending his life and immediately she was like “hell no” after i told her about the excessive lovebombing which basically made him out to just be a manipulator
so now that im no longer in contact with him, i just feel like i’m free from some chains that held me down, i’m glad i didnt keep talking to him pretending like everything would be fine
TL;DR so i learned this guy is 100% just being manipulative and was manipulating me as soon as the lovebombing started (something i had never experienced before) and that him threatening to end his life was purely guilt tripping as well
i’m so glad i rejected and blocked this guy because i cannot imagine myself in a serious relationship with someone like this!

Here is a summary of the announced upcoming game updates for patch 7.0 (Dawntrail expansion) from today’s Live Letter (LL 81). The information below is complied mainly from the officially translated live stream of the event, as well as FFXIV Discord's translation channel coverage of the event. The stream can be watched in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5piV-0MWQ.
There was a fair amount of gameplay footage shown of the new content (particularly of the new/updated job actions and two brand new jobs), but I only pulled a few points of relevant information from it, rather than summarizing it all. But, as usual, please let me know if I missed anything major!
Patch 7.0: Dawntrail
Officially releases on July 2, 2024
Early access period for pre-orders begins Friday, June 28, 2024; 48-hour pre-launch maintenance beings Wednesday, June 26th
Job Updates
Job Actions Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2vW0TAJKQ
Note: Today’s presentation was not meant to be a detailed breakdown of ALL planned job changes and additions, just a basic overview of some of the noteworthy adjustments. Full gameplay will be previewed during the current media tour, with complete details on all of the job adjustments, potency changes, etc. to come with the patch notes for 7.0 after launch maintenance begins.
Action Change Settings - To address button bloat, certain actions will be replaced by their follow-up counterparts on the same button upon use, instead of the follow-up actions being on a separate button. However, for those who would prefer it the old way, this setting allows you to choose whether or not those changing actions will be replaced by their follow-up counterparts.
Adjustments to Tanks

• Rampart and job-specific 30% damage reduction abilities will be upgraded in the 90s level range
• Reprisal’s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range

Paladin

• The second and third executions of Atonement have been changed to new actions with separate animations (the Atonement button will change to these actions automatically, so button presses will remain the same)
• A new action that can be executed after Blade of Valor will be added
• In order to execute Goring Blade, you will need to have Fight or Flight activated

Warrior

• A new action, which can be executed after three executions of Fell Cleave or Decimate while Inner Release is active, will be added
• A new action that can be executed after Primal Rend will be added
• Visual effects and animation of Inner Chaos will be adjusted

Dark Knight

• To reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases, Blood Weapon will upgrade into Delirium, and the effects of Blood Weapon will be added to Deliirium
• A new action that can be executed after Living Shadow will be added

Gunbreaker

• A new action that can be executed after Fated Circle (via Continuation) will be added
• A new 3-step combo that can be executed after Bloodfest will be added (no cartridge cost)

Adjustments to Melee DPS

• Second Wind’s potency will be increased in the 90s level range
• Feint’s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range

Monk

• Basic combo mechanics will no longer center around maintaining a buff or DoT; instead, performing actions in a certain order will increase the next action’s potency. Adjustments will be
• Can accumulate up to a total of ten chakra while Brotherhood is active, to prevent chakra overflow
• There will be a potency buff to Six-Sided Star if executed while you have ten chakra stacks

Dragoon

• To reduce positional requirements for the single-target combo, the 5th combo action has been changed to a new non-directional action, Drakesbane (Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust will change to Drakesbane, so input execution will remain the same
• To facilitate maximum damage output at the beginning of a battle, Life of the Dragon will be available without accumulating Dragon Gauge
• To reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases, certain actions will be removed or adjusted

Ninja

• Huton’s effect has been moved to a trait and will always be active (Huton will be changed to an AoE attack which grants the effect of Hidden)
• Actions which extend the duration of Huton’s effect will be adjusted in accordance with the above change
• Due to these adjustments, the Windmill logo in the job gauge will be removed

Samurai

• To simplify recast management, Tsubame-gaeshi will be changed to be executable after Meikyo Shisui
• Hakaze, Tenka Goten, and Midare Setsugekka will be upgraded into new actions
• Traits will be added that shorten the recast time for Hissastsu: Guren and Hissastsu: Senei

Reaper

• Plentiful Harvest’s effect will no longer increase the Shroud Gauge by 50, and instead will allow execution of Enshroud (now can be used when gauge is at 51 or more without waste)
• A new action that can be executed while Enshrouded will be added
• Hells’ Ingress and Hell’s Egress will have reduced cool down when Enhanced Harpe is activated

Viper

• Link to Viper job overview and gameplay demonstration in the livestream
• A fast-paced job that fluidly shifts between dual-wield blades and double-bladed strikes
• Has a similar total number of actions as other jobs, but is designed so that fewer actions need to be set on the hotbar
• Executing actions will build a job gauge, which can then be expended in an enhanced “Awaken” phase
• When applying buffs to yourself as well as debuffs to the enemy, certain other actions will be enhanced depending on which buffs/debuffs are active
• In addition to close-range melee attacks, there are also some long-range attacks available should you need to fight from afar

Adjustments to Ranged Physical DPS

• Second Wind’s healing potency will be increased in the 90s level range
• Damage reduction of job-0specific defensive abilities will be increased to 15% in the 90s level range

Bard

• Mage’s Ballad, Army’s Paeon, and the Wanderer’s Minuet will be changed into buffing actions which do not attack enemies
• Pitch Perfect will be changed into an AoE attack for ease of use in encounters with multiple enemies
• Single-target and AoE procs (Straight Shot Ready/Shadow Bite Ready) will be merged into one proc for better ease of use

Machinist

• Barrel Stabilizer will no longer increase Heat Gauger by 50, and instead will allow execution of Hypercharge (can now be used when gauge is at 51 without waste)
• A new trait which accumulates charges for Drill will be added

Dancer

• A new action that can be executed after Flourish will be added
• A new action which consumes Esprit and can be executed after Technical Finish will be added
• Certain skills currently triggered by Standard Step may now be executed without having to go through the step actions

Adjustments to Magical Ranged DPS

• Swiftcast’s recast will be reduced to 40 seconds in the 90s level range
• Addle’s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range

Black Mage

• Various adjustments will be made to streamline certain aspects of the job, such as restoring MP upon landing ice spells while Umbral Ice is active, instead of passively over time
• A new action which repositions Ley Lines beneath the caster once will be added

Summoner

• Solar Bahamut, a new summon akin to Bahamut and Phoenix, will be added (new summon rotation will be: Solar Bahamut - Bahamut - Solar Bahamut - Phoenix)
• A new attack action that can be executed after Searing Light will be added
• Summoner will keep Resurrection for Dawntrail, but may have it removed in 8.0

Red Mage

• Manafication will no longer increase Black Mana and White Mana by 50, and will instead allow the execution of enchanted swordplay actions without cost (can now be executed while mana is at 51 or more without waste)
• The AoE enchanted swordplay combo beginning with Enchanted Moulinet will now consume a total of 50 Black Mana and White Mana, similar to its single-target counterpart
• Whenever Embolden is executed, an attack ability will be enabled

Pictomancer

• Link to Pictomancer overview and gameplay demonstration in the livestream (I found this job much easier to understand by watching the demonstration, BTW)
• Job actions centered around Aether Hue elemental attacks (Red = Flare, Green = Aero, Blue = Water) and Motifs (Creature, Weapon, and Landscape)
• Aether Hue attacks build a gauge that can be expended on White elemental Holy attacks as well as Subtractive Pallette, which upgrades your other elemental attacks to higher-potency elements.
• Creature Motif involves rendering parts of a creature (eg. a Moogle) via attacks that will eventually summon the creature for a higher-powered attack
• Weapon Motif is a fast triple-cast combo
• Landscape Motif is a longer-cast action that deals damage to enemy and grants buffs to self and party members

Adjustments to Healers

• Swiftcast’s recast time will be reduced top 40 seconds in the 90s level range

White Mage

• A new action allowing the caster to quickly move forward will be added
• A new AoE attack, which can be executed up to 3 times after Presence of Mind, will be added
• New trait that increases Tetragrammaton stack number will be added

Scholar

• Seraphism, a new action which changes the caster’s appearance and enhances healing magicks, will be added
• A new AoE attack that can be executed after Chain Stratagem will be added; it will include a DoT
• A new trait that reduces recast time for Recitation will be added

Astrologian

• The card system will no longer be RNG based, and will instead simultaneously draw cards with offensive, defensive, and curative effects
• Every 60 seconds, you can draw one set of four cards (divided under Lord of Crowns or Lady of Crowns), each card having different effects, and you can use the cards in that set depending on your situational needs
• Astrodyne will be removed with the discontinuation of astrosigns
• New trait that increases Essential Dignity stack number will be added

Sage

• Eukrasia will now enhance Dyskrasia II into Eukrasian Dyskrasia, an AoE attack which deals damage over time to enemies within range
• A new party buff, which heals party members whenever the caster casts a spell, will be added (basically a ranged version of Kardion, but will only be in effect for a limited amount of time)
• New trait that reduces the recast time of Soteria will be added

PvP Updates

• Viper and Pictomancer will be added to PvP in 7.0
• New PvP actions, action adjustments, and adjustments to existing PvP maps are currently planned for 7.1
• Crystalline Conflict ranked matches will;; be in preseason between 7.0 and 7.1 (rankings will not be updated, but tiers and Crystal Credit will be affected by wins and losses

New Characters

• Two new NPCs that will appear in the Dawntrail MSQ were discussed: Bakool Ja Ja and Koana, who will both be competing for the throne of Tural. Bakool Ja Ja is a two-headed Mamool Ja, similar to Gulool Ja Ja, and Koana is the male Miqo’te from the Dawntrail poster.
  Other Information
  
• Benchmark software/graphics update: Some adjustments have been made based on feedback on the original benchmark. These include adjustments to lighting in the character creator, as well as corrections to graphical oddities in character models (addressing things like Keeper of the Moon Miqo’te teeth and Lalafell mouths/teeth). These adjustments will be incorporated into a new benchmark available for download, in addition to the game itself with Dawntrail. Information about a release date for the new benchmark will be announced later.
  
• Free Fantasia: Starting in 7.0, there will be a new NPC in Ul’dah with a low level quest that can be completed for one free Fantasia per character.
  
• In addition, using a Fantasia will now grant a 60 minute period during which you can make additional adjustments to your character after re-entering the game world if you are not satisfied with how the adjustments look in game. There is no limit to how many additional times you can tweak your character within this 60 minute period.
  
• Fall Guys collaboration event returns from May 23rd to June 10th
  
• Mountain Dew promotional event (US only): enter codes found under caps of specially marked Man. Dew products to receive points that can be redeemed for rewards, including in-game rewards such as a “Mountain Zu” mount and a consumable drink item.
  
• Preorders now open for new merchandise on the Square Enix store
  
• Immerse Gamepack version 2.2 available now: https://embody.co/ffxiv
  
• KFC promotional event is returning to Japan; details to be announced later
  
• Next Live Letter (LL 82), summarizing upcoming additions for 7.0, scheduled for June 14th
  

Me and my girlfriend moved in to a new apartment together at the 1. March. As usual, I needed my Debt Collection Information (Betreibungsauskunft). I bought this on the website of die Post. Here I ordered the online DCI (Debt Collection Information) for CHF 22.90. It mentions that you will order this from their partner. The name of that company is Tilbago AG. So I ordered and as promised, I received my DCI in 1 day. Everything good, so I thought.
4 days ago I suddenly received an email from an Debt Collection Company (EOS Schweiz AG), that I haven't payed a bill dating from 31.01.2024. This was from a company called CRIF AG. Since I did not order anything from that company, I gave them a call. They told me that I have ordered a Credit Certificate (Bonitätszertifikat) through them with a third party website credittrust.ch, which is not true. So I asked them, who gave them that order to do so, because clearly that wasn't me. The woman on the phone said the order came from a company called Emonitor, another company I have never heard of. I could tell, that the woman on the phone didn't believe, that I wasn't the one who ordered the Credit Certificate, because the only way to order the certificate is with your ID details (probably a copy). She told me if I scroll down on the website of Emonitor, I can see that they have a partnership with credittrust.ch, which leads to CRIF AG. I noticed that this women won't be any further help to me, since she doesn't believe me + the fact that the company sold the bill to the Debt Collection Company (EOS Schweiz AG) and I have to deal with them. (yes, I know I'm not obliged to pay their bullshit fees, so I do not really care about them).
So, I'm still looking at the Emonitor website and click on the 'all partners & interface', and who do I see: Tilbago AG, the third party company of die Post, I ordered my DCI with. So I just went through the whole ordering proces again here. Since it has been a few months, I forgot what information I had to put in. On the third step, you have to upload the front- and backside of your ID. Can I conclude, that these people ordered, without my knowledge and without my approval, a certificate which I have to pay probably with a copy of my ID? I looked at the General Terms and Conditions. I couldn't find anything them stating they gain the authority to do such a thing, by me signing the contract.
I payed for their services of Tilbago AG by TWINT. Now, the thing is: I tried to call them, but nobody is answering the phone (of course). I looked at their google review rating, and I don't have the feeling they will ever reply by phone, nor will they be very helpful by e-mail. The company is based in Luzern. I am able to visit them in person and ask them what happened in this situation, but I'm not sure if a) they let me in, or b) this will bring me in trouble.
So my question is, what can I do, other than hire a lawyer, which doesn't make sense for the original amount of CHF 27.90 I need to pay? It's about the principle. I didn't order, I shouldn't have to pay for it.
_________________________ Since I couldn't copy a link:

General Terms and Conditions

References to persons apply to both women and men as well as to more than one person.
The Subscriber Conditions for the use of tilbago credrep (hereinafter referred to as the “Product”) shall be deemed to have been accepted when the customer (hereinafter referred to as the “Subscriber”) uses the service.

1. Product

The Product enables the Subscriber to order creditworthiness information anywhere and at any time.

2. Service

The Product enables the Subscriber to procure creditworthiness information digitally. This information is produced by third parties and provided to the Subscriber via our Product, generally in electronic form. When payment is made successfully using the payment methods available in the Product, the order is completed. The Subscriber issues tilbago with a one-off order and authorization to obtain the creditworthiness information from the third party. The creditworthiness information is obtained from the third party directly through the Product and sent to the Subscriber or third party as soon as it is available if these were listed in the order. Orders are executed by the Product as quickly as possible. The Subscriber is not entitled to delivery of the creditworthiness information within a specific period of time.

3. Prices and conditions

The Product is subject to a fee. Price details can be found in the order process. tilbago reserves the right to change prices and conditions at any time.

4. Subscriber information

The Subscriber undertakes to enter the details required to order creditworthiness information truthfully. The Product helps the Subscriber to enter the data. The Product cannot guarantee the correctness of the information provided by the Subscriber, or the accuracy and completeness of the content. The Subscriber is obliged to report all breaches of these General Terms and Conditions to tilbago without delay. The Subscriber confirms that electronic communication is explicitly requested.

5. Right to withdraw

Orders which have been placed are binding and it is not possible to withdraw subsequently.

6. Refusal of creditworthiness information by the third party

If creditworthiness information is refused by the third party, we reserve the right to invoice the Subscriber for the associated additional costs; in addition, the Subscriber is not entitled to a refund of the payment already made.

7. Liability

tilbago provides no assurances, guarantees or warranties of any kind concerning the delivery of creditworthiness information, and in particular with regard to the content being accurate, complete and up to date, or with regard to the quality of the service or its availability at any time, and excludes all liability for direct and indirect damage or loss in this context to the extent permitted by law. The Subscriber uses the Product entirely at its own risk and under its own responsibility.
Technical access to the Product is the responsibility of the Subscriber. tilbago is not liable for the network provider and also disclaims, to the extent permitted by law, any liability for the hardware and software required to use the Product.
tilbago accepts no liability for losses suffered by the Subscriber or its authorized representatives caused by transmission errors, technical defects, malfunctions, unlawful interventions in telecommunication devices and networks, overloading of the network, wilful blockage of the electronic channels by third parties, interruptions or other problems to the extent permitted by law. In particular, tilbago also accepts no liability if a request for creditworthiness information may be sent with a delay due to technical interruptions affecting the Product. tilbago accepts no liability for consequential damage arising from incorrect allocation of the addresses of offices, and liability for third-party services is also excluded. tilbago endeavours to provide access to the Product with as few malfunctions and interruptions as possible. However, it cannot guarantee this at all times. tilbago reserves the right to interrupt access to the Product and/or the services offered by the Product at any time, particularly in the event that increased security risks or irregularities are identified, and also for maintenance work.

8. Data protection and security on the Internet

tilbago complies with the current legislation, especially regarding data protection law, to ensure the protection of personal data using suitable technical and organizational measures. The Product and the services it offers are used via the Internet, in other words across an open, publicly accessible network. tilbago uses encryption mechanisms for the transfer of data to the Subscriber that make it impossible in principle for unauthorized persons to access confidential data. Data is exchanged with the debt collection offices via sedex (secure data exchange from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, a provision of the eSchKG standard). tilbago shall treat all confidential data as strictly confidential, shall only make confidential information accessible to those people who need access to the confidential data and its analysis, shall instruct people to treat confidential data as confidential and shall refrain from making confidential data accessible to unauthorized third parties in any form without the written consent of the Subscriber. In all cases, the confidential data may be used for the agreed purpose in accordance with these General Terms and Conditions. The duty to maintain confidentiality begins on the day on which the relevant confidential data is disclosed and continues indefinitely.

9. Involvement of third parties

tilbago may involve third parties to fulfil the purpose of this agreement. The third party is subject to the same obligations with regard to guaranteeing data protection as tilbago itself and may not process the data for its own purposes, only on behalf and on the instruction of tilbago. tilbago undertakes to select, instruct and monitor such service providers in a prudent manner.

10. Market research and data analysis

To ensure continuous quality assurance and to optimize and develop its services, tilbago may carry out market research. This market research makes use of the Subscriber’s data made available or collected as part of the business relationship or created as the relationship continues. tilbago may involve third parties in conducting market research surveys, to which the provisions of the General Terms and Conditions in the paragraph “Data protection and security on the Internet” also apply. tilbago may analyse, evaluate and further use all historical data of a Subscriber in accordance with legal data protection provisions to identify errors and continuously improve and develop its services.

11. Other provisions

tilbago reserves the right to change the Product offered and these General Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes shall be communicated in advance in an appropriate manner, indicating the date they come into effect. They shall be deemed to have been accepted when the Subscriber uses the Product.
Swiss law shall apply exclusively. The place of jurisdiction is the registered office of tilbago. This is subject to the proviso of a partially or fully mandatory place of jurisdiction.