I’m contemplating leaving my husband, I have a good therapist , but I’m someone who’s quite close/vulnerable with my oldest closest friends. (2 of them) as well as my mom. If I said I was leaving tomorrow it would seem (mostly, I’m sure they’re not delusional) out of nowhere. They’d be supportive but there would be shock value.
In addition, I’d love to be able to just lean on them/my mom during this, even if I end up staying-to know where I can go right after etc. It just feels like such a strange thing to discuss so explicitly before an actual decision with him…I feel guilty, even though I know telling my mom will be the least of his concerns.
Yes, I’ve tried a lot & it’s been discussed with him and I’ve shared with him how I’m at a breaking point, but I’m also feeling done begging him to change. But it still feels like telling anyone before him is odd.
If you initiated, did you confide in any friends/family before about your plan to and/or when you weren’t sure?
Yes, I’m in therapy-it’s not so much about needing their input (I’d like a little from my mom) or wanting to discuss the relationship itself. It more just feels like I’m hiding something from them when talking about how I’m doing when I’m falling apart. I know I don’t owe them that, it’s just how I prefer to show up in those relationships. G Also I feel like I’d prefer to know I can lean on them and have their support vs feeling overwhelmed having to tell them right after.
But still feels weird!

Many years ago, Casio was world-renowned for making quality products at a low price, in the 80s casio watches was the bane of many a teacher( many you can still buy today ) teachers would take our Casio calculator watches off us in school.
It wasn't long before the idea of premium was released worldwide, although they featured premium materials, titanium, and such like, yet they were able to keep the pricing within a reasonable amount, the MTG line and the MRG line, still can be found today at a fraction of the cost of today's premium gshocks albeit with fewer features but with better or at least similar metals.
But at some point, Casio started to over-inflate the prices of these steel and titanium models, I shudder to think of the price of a Titanium Gshock in today's market. I'm well aware that many people don't mind paying an unproportionate price for doing so, myself included to some degree, and that's fine, I mean if it's what you want, go for it, as long as you're happy, that's what Gshocks are about, something that doesn't take itself too serious, something fun and cool to look at...yet it still has to be said, Casio inflated their premium features giving the customer less for their money proportionately speaking. Since the early 80s steel was in an economic slump, meaning more value for the customer, since 2008 this swung the other way and I doubt it's ever going to swing back, Casio knows people will spend as they will so I don't think they'll be dropping their prices for metals even if metals did drop in price, they know the free market is a boon for their product, people want them and will pay what they think something is worth.
Consider the dw5000c, a G at a great value and they're making a profit off them. Yet they can add some steel to it and the price goes roughly 1000 % more..
What I'm starting to wonder is that there is the same amount of fun to be had from the basic ground roots fun of a Casio, It was there in the beginning and what made Casios fun to wear..somewhere along the way I forgot this, and became a G watch snob, paying too much for something I could have enjoyed equally at much lower prices, I got caught up in the rabbit hole and lost what was also beautiful, the cheapest side of Casios art.
I applaud everyone for everything they own, every Casio, every Gshock, every Edifice, and everything in between, being happy is what this is all about, but for myself, I'm wondering now..is less more..the free market decides, I think that's why there will always be a $20 Casio and a $4000 Casio, just saying there used to be a time when an it was more of a proportionate cost for a premium edition..but that's just me talking, it's worth exactly what you or I decide to pay for it...seems a fair practice.
Casio got smart..welcome to the free market.
I don't mean to upset any owners, just wondering if there are others that would agree or disagree and why?

I have Pokemon Violet and can't hunt 0 Attack IV Sandy Shocks. I will Trade you 1 below Aprimon of your choice carrying 1 Apriball of choice as a held item. If you catch the 0 attack IV Sandy Shocks in a Heavy Ball I will trade 2 aprimons below and allow you to choose 2 apriballs of choice. Available Balls: All Pokeballs. Aprimons: Beast Ball: Tediursa, froaki, fire and water tauros, H-sneasel, mankey, klawf, oshawatt, cyndiqul, charcadet, Litten, G-slopoke, dreepy, Nacli, gligar, piplup, pawniard, charmander, minior (blue) Lure ball: finizen, regular & h-qwilfish, clawitzer, margicarp, febas, basculegion, dondozo, mareanie, totodile. Moon ball: h-zorua, Eevee, fidough, meril, A-vulpix, grimsnarl, fenekin, minior (pink) Friend ball: smolive, tadbulb, poltchageist, chespin, bellsprout, trapinch Heavy ball: larvitar, alolan geodude, goomy, frigibax, Jangmo-o, Girafarig, Duraladon. Fast Ball: Deino, h-growlith, voltorb, hatenna, rockruff, Level Ball: Indeedee, littenm morpeko, tatsugiri (orange) Love ball: rockruff, tinkatink, tandemaus, Safari ball: scyther, rowlet, stantler, Alolan Grimer, Bulbasaur, tepig, treecko, magicarp, tauros, dratini, snivy, doduo, inkay, applin, alolan and regular diglet Sport Ball: Sandile, Chikorita, shroodle, executor, minior (yellow), spinarak Dream Ball: Poplio, timbur, shellos (pink), toedsool, qwilfish, galar slowbro

Many years ago, Casio was world-renowned for making quality products at a low price, in the 80s casio watches was the bane of many a teacher( many you can still buy today ) teachers would take our Casio calculator watches off us in school.
It wasn't long before the idea of premium was released worldwide, although they featured premium materials, titanium, and such like, yet they were able to keep the pricing within a reasonable amount, the MTG line and the MRG line, still can be found today at a fraction of the cost of today's premium gshocks albeit with fewer features but with better or at least similar metals.
But at some point, Casio started to over-inflate the prices of these steel and titanium models, I shudder to think of the price of a Titanium Gshock in today's market. I'm well aware that many people don't mind paying an unproportionate price for doing so, myself included to some degree, and that's fine, I mean if it's what you want, go for it, as long as you're happy, that's what Gshocks are about, something that doesn't take itself too serious, something fun and cool to look at...yet it still has to be said, Casio inflated their premium features giving the customer less for their money while maintaining the premium price point
Consider the dw5000c, a G at a great value and they're making a profit off them. Yet they can add some steel to it and the price goes roughly 1000 % more, the price of steel since 2008 has skyrocketed, hence more money for the same thing from the more value for the customer during the economic slump of steel during the early 80s.
What I'm starting to realize on a personal note is that the real fun is to be had at the opposite end of the price scale, the basic ground roots fun of a Casio is where it's at. The original beauty, the teachers not looking fun side of Casio, the data banks fun., no solar, no multi-band, no Bluetooth, gimme a Casio.
I applaud everyone for everything they own, every Casio, every Gshock, every Edifice, and everything in between, being happy is what this is all about, but for myself, I'm wondering now..is less more..the free market decides, I think that's why there will always be a $20 Casio and a $4000 Casio, just saying there used to be a time when an it was more of a proportionate cost for a premium edition..but that's just me talking, it's worth exactly what you or I decide to pay for it...seems a fair practice.
Casio got smart..welcome to the free market.
I don't mean to upset any owners, just wondering if there are others that would agree or disagree and why?

WPA – A Completely Average Roadtrip
Disclaimer: Not canon, and I don’t use patreon so please don’t spoil me. Also, any opinion held by a character is that of the characters and not my own. Enjoy.
Town of Ljosalfington, local time 14:00, week 7
Emma Booker
“Again Illunor, I warned you before that this is a utility vehicle, not a party rated smart-limo. I am already compromising more than I should by allowing you to use the sample cooler as a minifridge, one which I can’t even use!” I said as I loaded the materials I had just purchased into the back of the high-G All terrain fusion-ethanol-electric hybrid 24th-century legacy pickup truck that I had printed out earlier this week, carefully avoiding the heavy ordinance hard point.
“That is hardly an excuse for that abysmally cramped leg space barely fit for cattle, never mind the bare minimum for standard decorum suitable for nobility. If this is what a car is like, then I don’t see why you care for your technology,” complained Illunor, who was sitting around idly with a malformed garish bowl of icecream that he had stashed away from lunch.
“If it bothers you so much, perhaps you could help next time with your ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ magic,” I retorted as I slid the last core sample into the back before covering it up with a tarp and strapping it down.
I had originally planned to visit Ljosalfington by myself to acquire much needed exo-materials to test various mana manipulator configurations as I worked to develop my first wand as not all of the materials I needed were procurable locally from Elaseer. I eventually yielded, much to my regret, to allowing Illunor to come with me as he insisted on wanting to deliver a letter personally in town after Thacea had pointed out the wisdom of not travelling alone.
We continued our back and forth for a bit yet as I finished securing my payload a voice called out to me from the direction of the town.
“Excuse me a moment, I couldn’t help but notice but are you from the academy?”
I turned to see an elf dressed in a plain brown buttoned up tunic matched by a slightly shabby pair of trousers with what appeared to be a lute upon his back and a plain and unenchanted longsword on his belt gesturing at our robes. Mine especially were new and unusual, tailored by the academy to go over my armour and allow access to the anchor points and allow me to exit my armour with minimal hassle. Illunor scoffed at what was evidently a commoner’s arrogance at approaching nobility and turned his head away in disgust. I glanced at Illunor and shook my head before turning to face the new man. I had time to spare, and any opportunity to engage in a hearts-and-minds dialogue with the locals outside the bounds of the managed environment of the academy was more than worth the time to chat. Especially as most of the other locals seemed to be content in ignoring me.
“Yes, we are currently studying at the Transgracian Academy. I am Cadet Emma Booker representing the United Nations of Earth and Luna from Earthream, and my aloof compatriot is Lord Illunor Rularia of the Vunerian courts. We were just about to head back but are in no rush. May I ask your name and what brings you by?” I asked with my hand outstretched in greeting.
“Ah yes, yes. My name is Edhel Redoehdelnif, a wandering bard by trade like my father and his father before him. My apologies, Cadet Emma Booker, I am unfamiliar with Earthrealm,” said Edhel as he grasped my hand with both of his and shook it tepidly yet vigorously. Or rather, tried to, as the motors on my suit resisted his efforts.
“News doesn’t seem to spread all that fast around here, so it makes sense you haven’t heard of us. We’re a new realm, and only just got here. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Edhel Redoehdelnif,” I replied.
“Absolutely fascinating! And a knight no less, or perhaps a squire? I’m sure you have many stories to tell of Earthrealm. Say, by chance are you about to head back to the academy? I have business in Elaseer and the usual coach has been absent as of late so I would rather not go it alone,” said Edhel.
I was hesitant to bring a stranger back in the car with me, even if Illunor was present. However, the opportunity that meeting a bard presented was too good to pass up from an intel perspective and to win the favour of the populace at large.
“That is a great idea. I think I have room for one more…” I paused before gesturing towards Illunor, “provided everyone is ok with it that is.”
Illunor gave a huff and turned his head away in silence.
“Very well, I will allow this. But he will not be joining me in your sorry excuse for a coach,” said Illunor dismissively.
Illunor approached the backseat expectantly and the door opened for him automatically, allowing the dlc kobold to gracefully enter and lounge across the length of the seats, once again ignoring the seatbelts. I sighed as I made my way to the driver’s seat, and Edhel entered from the passenger side as he marveled at the automatic doors and the interior.
“What a strange carriage this is! Although I must say, shouldn’t you be retrieving your horses? I didn’t see any harnesses or sense any artifices,” inquired Edhel as he attempted to make himself comfortable on the car seat, lute in front of him.
“Oh no, this thing doesn’t need horses or magic,” I said with a chuckle as EVI started the car. The elf raised his eyebrows at the sudden hum of the engine and made an expression of alarm when the car started driving itself without my input. “See, purrs like a kitten.”
“Earthrealm must have some large kittens if they purr like that,” noted Edhel, “but you must be concealing the enchantments somewhere. Such a thing as this with such strange yet precise craftsmanship is only possible in the crownlands.”
“Nope, no magic,” I said cheerfully.
“Then how?” Asked Edhel.
“It’s rather simple really. Are you familiar with the workings of a mill?” I asked, deciding to keep things surface level and elementary to avoid provoking the IDOV threshold.
“Somewhat, though I confess to not being familiar with their workings. Are you suggesting this is akin to a mill?” Asked Edhel perplexed.
“It’s the same principal. A mill works by taking a source of rotation such as a waterwheel or windmill, transferring that rotation along a series of rotating shafts and interlocking gears, and finally putting that energy to work by rotating a millstone,” I began as the car pulled out onto the smooth cobbled road in the direction of Elaseer. A notification popped up in the corner of my vision indicating my recon drone swarm had shifted from a holding formation to a convoy screening formation, and while the roads were clear I kept the speed at 60km/h to account for my passenger’s apparent distaste for seatbelts.
“Rotation…” muttered Edhel. He turned to face one of the wheels and EVI pinged an alert for a probable match for a detection spell, “fascinating.”
“Edhel, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, perhaps I should have asked first. Yes, I can see how it all fits together. But the source of this rotation? I see no mighty river or great wind to power this, so where does it come from?” Asked Edhel, not really apologizing. Elven arrogance, it seemed, was not limited by class.
The act reminded me of Sorecar when he inspected my gun, but where the armourer had been respectful with it, Edhel was more flippant. I considered the possibility that he was a spy sent by one of her peers or the crownlands, though this did not mesh with the methods I had seen so far. Edhel may have been just overly enthusiastic. In either case, I quickly decided to only reveal the antique design for the ethanol engine, and not that of the batteries or the emergency coupler to my suit’s fusion reactor.
“Right, well please ask first next time. As to your question, I won’t bore you with the details, but the rotation is generated by creating a periodic sequence of explosions inside of a machine – a manaless artifice – called a combustion engine, said Emma.
“So that’s what that sound is…” pondered Edhel, “are these artifices typical in Earthream?”
“You are awfully inquisitive for a commoner,” noted Illunor as he inspected his nails for dirt, “and rather accepting of something which should be impossible.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a bard if I wasn’t, my lord,” said Edhel shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “perhaps some music might set the mood better?”
“That would be preferable, bard. I have heard enough of the Earthrealmer’s Road Trip Playlist and would like to listen to some music of real culture,” said Illunor.
The bard agreed and proceeded to awkwardly play a ballad about an adventurer who slew a hydra in some frozen wasteland. Partway through, I politely interrupted the Edhel to point out the seat controls much to his fascination and Illunor’s grumbling at their common nature, and after some adjustment the bard went on playing and I half-heartedly listened while I paid attention to the road and my drone feed.
Particularly after EVI detected something unusual and alerted me to its presence.
”Attention Caded Booker. There is a disabled vehicle blocking the primary route to destination. Heat signatures in the woods are consistent with that of an ambush.”
“Damn it,” I muttered.
I glanced at the drone feed to see a broken cart strewn horizontally across a wooden bridge over a brook. On the surface it looked like a pair of civilians who required aid and assistance, but off in the woods were several heat signatures, several of which held weapons of varying levels of enchantments. Occasionally one of the pair on the bridge would talk with them, suggesting they were in cahoots rather than hostages. I recalled crossing that very bridge not a few hours earlier, so the blockade was very recent.
“EVI, did we pass that cart on the way here?” I asked.
”Negative,” replied EVI.
I grimaced. I had been trained to handle road-side ambushes, but it was only something that was a theoretical possibility. Something that should only occur in a warzone or a corrupt and unstable polity. I knew I had the capacity to handle such an encounter, even non-lethally, but that didn’t change the fact that these were civilians and as such were the responsibility of local law enforcement. Combined with the fact that I had passengers I was responsible for and engaging the ambush was a risky option.
“EVI, give me a list of alternative routes,” I commanded.
”Affirmative. Here is a list of routes in order of recommendation,” replied EVI.
I looked over the routes superimposed on a map of the region and quickly dismissed taking a shortcut through the forest and cutting through farmland. A detour caught my eye that extended the journey by roughly ten kilometers and I immediately sent a pair of drones to scout it out before committing to the detour.
“Are you alright, Cadet Emma Booker? You seem distracted,” asked Edhel, snapping me back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just focused on driving,” replied Emma.
“I suppose it must be quite taxing to command an artificed carriage of this complexity. Perhaps it might ease your mind if you were to regale me a tale of a hero of your realm?” Said Edhel, strumming a complex tune from his lute as he spoke as each and every pluck triggered a low-level spell.
“Well, that may be a problem. We don’t have any monsters to fight, and wars are a thing of the past,” I said while desperately tip-toeing the subject of aunt Ran, the subject of war, and our voyages through the cosmos, “though we are not without the adventurous spirit. We certainly have many stories of grand voyages. Some mythical and fictional such as The Odyssey as told by the Greek poet Homer and some historical such as the race to the south pole.”
“The south pole,” muttered the bard, “so you have explored all of Earthrealm then? I suppose that makes some sense, if you have artifices such as this then traversal of a globe would be quite manageable.”
“You are quite perceptive,” I said, not wishing to elaborate.
“A great performer knows his audience,” said Edhel with a charming, honest, almost human smile.
I felt a pang of homesickness as an intrusive thought reminded me that I could have gone to a real college surrounded by friendly faces my age, engaging in nightly holostreams and dreaming of adventures in the stars from the safety of a college dorm room. The sight of Illunor in the rear camera was the only thing that kept me grounded, as I almost felt like I was back at home on a road trip rather than returning to a fantasy feudal court, constantly evading death at every turn with the fate of humanity on the line. As such, and prompted by EVI, I barely had the wherewithal to take the planned detour.
A fact which did not pass by Edhel.
“I believe you may have taken a wrong turn, Emma,” he commented.
“Nah, I’m just taking the scenic route. I came from that direction on the way here, and you have inspired me to see the other road and I figure it should only add a few extra minutes to our travel time,” I said, gesturing at a paper map which I had referenced exactly once, “though on that subject, you seem to know these lands quite well. Do you have any recommendations on places to visit in the Nexus to scratch that itch?”
Illunor raised his eyebrow at the detour excuse, knowing full well this was not part of the plan. I worried that he might complain about the issue and but thankfully remained silent as he snacked on the contents of the misused sample storage unit. Edhel himself took on a more pensive posture.
“I’m happy to have been such an inspiration, Emma, though I am sure an explorer such as yourself has little need of such. I would normally suggest the skyward fountains of Verdellan or the cloud tides of Asturia, but that may be too casual for someone of your calibre. Perhaps the severed chasm or the fire marsh of Bhandahova may be more to your liking. Or perhaps…” Edhel leaned in, “I have heard rumours of a dragon in the glassy obsidian wastes of Vurcanar.”
I chuckled at that, knowing how I was fortunate enough to fish a dragon scale out of the nearby lake for the ECS. “The thought of going dragon hunting had certainly crossed my mind…” I mused aloud.
“Yet you sound hesitant. Perhaps it is too much for a newrealmer. Perhaps a slime or a dire rat might be more appropriate,” he said with a tease.
“No, it’s not like that! It’s” I stammered, before attempting to change course after realizing I had been goaded, “what I mean is, I was under the impression that dragons were an endangered species. Where I come from, hunting endangered animals is usually illegal, and big game hunting in general is frowned upon. We do make exceptions in the case of problem animals such as if a large predator starts hunting humans, but as a rule we prefer conservation and try to find ways of coexisting with wildlife such as the use of barrier fences and scaring away dangerous animals rather than being forced to cull their numbers. Having a species go extinct would prevent future generations from appreciating them and risks destabilizing the ecosystem they are a part of. Now if this dragon was actively razing villages and eating civilians and livestock, that would be one thing, but this does not look to be the case. I don’t imagine the Nexus has any settlements in this wasteland, and the dragon clearly wants to be left alone. Killing an innocent dragon would be murder.”
I grinned to myself after delivering a diatribe that would have made my tenth grade social and environmental studies teacher beam with pride, though by the expressions of my passengers my view did not appear to be shared. Edhel’s mouth was agape in shock and fascination, while the Venurian in the back seat merely huffed in disapproval.
“I assure you Newrealmer, there are no innocent dragons,” stated Illunor with a hint of terseness breaking through his otherwise regal demeanor.
“Illunor, I understand that Venurians have personal reasons for not liking dragons, but you can’t just extend that disdain to their descendants or those uninvolved just because they are the same species,” I said.
“If I may interject on your behalf, my lord, I believe I can address Cadet Emma Booker’s concerns,” said Edhel with a bow. Illunor nodded in approval.
“Very well, you may proceed,” he said.
“Thank you, my lord. My dear Emma, you must understand that dragons are not simple animals driven entirely off of instinct as it appears to be the case in Earthrealm. They are monsters. Intelligent, long-lived, violent, greedy, cruel, territorial, selfish flesh-eating monsters. They are evil by the very nature of their being, unable to change by their own accord, and unwilling to change when His Eternal Majesty offered them freedom from their nature. It isn’t that they want to be evil. As intelligent animals – intelligent monsters – dragons are capable of understanding morality, and many have tried to overcome their evil nature at great expense to themselves. A well intended and noble sentiment, yet a doomed one as like all animals, they all succumb to their nature in the end. Overcoming one’s nature is impossible,” said Edhel. His eyes took on a stoic, almost remorseful gaze as he spoke, and Illunor nodded with approval.
I was appalled by this claim, not by the contents so much as how blatantly false it was. As a representative of the human race, I was a living counterexample to his whole argument. We had remained physiologically unchanged as a species since the last Ice Age, and yet in spite of that, in spite of our many flaws, we had found peace and balance. If we could do it, anyone could do it.
“Will all due respect Edhel, that is nonsense. Monsters aren’t born, they are made. It is the mark of any intelligent species can adapt their behaviour to their environment for better or worse, and under the right care any so-called monster can grow to be a force for good,” I began, but while I searched for the right words Edhel shook his head.
“I appreciate your race is an empathetic one, Emma, your idealism is unfounded. As flesh eaters, a dragon must take the life of another animal or person to survive, or they will perish. As such, every dragon has taken a life. As long-lived creatures, they will have amassed a significant number of kills. As the land can only support so much animals, a dragon must be fiercely territorial and aggressive to remove competition, lest they starve. As such, even the most kind-hearted dragon alive must be violent and greedy, and their intelligence fuels this even more so if they know a bountiful land of morsels exists just outside their range.
Now perhaps a multitude of dragons may find a way to co-exist together in some settlement, but to support such a venture would require a large territory of prey, or a livestock animal. Perhaps they could support a large colony by farming grain for their livestock, but that would require effort on their behalf. As large animals, such efforts require a great deal of energy. Yet that size makes it easy for them to intimidate smaller races to do their labour for them, and to keep their client race in line dragons must be cruel. And even so, as their numbers grow so do their needs. As such, they must expand into the lands of their neighbours to survive until there is nothing left to devour, at which point they must turn against their own lest they starve. As such, it is the nature of dragons to conquer and devour. That is why there is no such thing as an innocent dragon,” finished Edhel.
I was speechless, not because I believed Edhel had a point, but because I was horrified at how easy he found it to rationalize the extermination of an entire sapient species. If this was how the elves thought, then it wasn’t the dragons who were the monsters. I suppressed that dark thought. Edhel’s thought process was a product of his culture, not a feature of his elven heritage. If there was any hope of peace between our people, I needed to show him there was another way of being. I needed to prove that co-existence was possible, no matter one’s nature.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before replying.
“That- that is a callous way of seeing things,” I began, though the shock was still there in my voice, “you speak as though there is no natural equilibrium with a dragon, that their only state of being must be to be cruel, to devour, to conquer. But I see things differently. In fact, I might wonder if a fledgling civilization might see the presence of a dragon as a boon rather than a curse. Being intelligent, the locals may be able to come to some agreement with the dragon. Perhaps they might leave some land as a hunting ground or offer up a share of their cattle or guard the dragon as it sleeps. In exchange, the dragon might allow them to build a town outside its mountain and protect them in times of danger. An equitable exchange. A civilization might even create artificial lairs to attract dragons for this very reason. True, some dragons may behave tyrannical towards their town, but a well armed populace of a large city would be more than capable of fighting such a threat, and a rational dragon might reason that threatening their own populace would put their reliable source of food and shelter at risk. You see, it’s all a matter of perspective.”
“You certainly are an imaginative one, Emma, to wonder up a quixotic world where the hare and the fox live together in harmony as equals. Even so, you seem to have ignored one key detail to such a society. What would happen should the dragon not be fed for months on end?” Asked Edhel with his eyebrow raised.
“The same thing as stranded a dozen starving, stranded Elves!” I spat back.
[Alert: Vehicle speed above recommended limit for conditions. Recommendation: slow down. ]
“I am driving slow!” I seethed, not realizing I had sped up with manual control enabled.
“I grow tired of this common prattle,” interjected Illunor just in time to prevent an awkward silence, “bard, play us another song.” “As my lord wishes,” said Edhel with a bow before turning to me with another smile, “perhaps a more soothing melody would be in order? A love song perhaps, to honour Cadet Booker’s compassionate nature?”
I said nothing as Edhel began to strum his lute again to the tune of a love story of a pair of doomed lovers named Ramian and Junette, hating his cheeky knowing grin that only served to get under my skin further as I focused on calming down and slowing the car back to a more reasonable pace before investigating a priority alert which I had been blinded to moments prior.
[Alert: hostile roadblock is absent, location unknown.]
Shit.
“Illunor, we may have a problem,” I said.
“Shush, Newrealmer, have you no class? We are almost at the best part! I’m sure it can wait,” replied the contextually clueless lizard.
I had never wanted to throttle Illunor as much as I did now.
“Illunor, shield, now,” I said with a raised voice.
“I don’t see-“ he started, pausing mid-sentence as his ears perked up.
[Alert: Multiple manafield and spell signatures detected!]
I took evasive maneuvers as Illunor tried to piece together a shield spell, fumbling it twice as panic appeared to set in and providing me with a reminder that Illunor was a civilian, not a soldier. A hail of arrows pelted the exterior of the truck, piercing but not penetrating the composite armour. I was tempted to do nothing but just drive away from the arrow fire, but a foreboding premonition of danger filled me as I recalled Sorecar’s hunter-seeker arrows.
Seeking to avoid that fate, I triggered the active defenses.
The smoke screens deployed around the vehicle, obscuring the sight of any who depended on visible light to see me. A barrage of decoy flares equipped with wooden cores shot upward at angles and diffusing to the side like a pair of giant wings which when combined with the MFD, short for mana-field dampener, inside the vehicle meant that the pelting hail of arrowfire softened to a whirr as the arrows whiffed over the top of the truck, retargeted away from the soft flesh of my passengers and even invoking friendly fire amongst the ambushers.
In the chaos, EVI and my drone swarm fed me complete tactical information on the ambush. Of the 26 individuals at the first blockade, 20 were accounted for, and 3 had died from friendly fire. Ahead at the bridge, 5 more of them were at the bridge where a barrier had been hastily erected to cage me in as the river valley was too deep to cross.
“Illunor, we need a bridge,” I said, taking stock of the wellbeing of my passengers.
The bard was huddled down low and suppressing his manafield, but otherwise rather composed. Illunor, on the other hand, was cowering in the gap between the seats with his hands covering his eyes and his tail tucked in.
“A bridge is no small request, Ne- Cadet Emma Booker,” replied Illunor, “and your ‘Emeffdee’ has blinded me to the outside of this moving death trap.”
“If I drop it, can you at least make a ramp?” I asked as I circled the battlefield. Or tried to, at least, as earthen ramparts emerged from the ground from a yet unseen source to cut off other avenues of escape.
“A ramp? Surely you don’t mean-“ he stammered.
“Yes or no,” I said.
Illunor paused, before taking an unsteady breath.
“Yes. But not with that Emeffdee,” he replied.
“Good. Steady your nerves and prepare to make a ramp ahead of us on my signal,” I said, “in the meantime, get your seatbelt on. This is going to be hairy.”
As I circled around to make my approach on the bridge, the final combatant made his appearance on a nearby tree, revealing himself as an elven mage. An alert focused on the air around him indicating he was preparing an unknown high-tier spell, and I locked the predator drone on him indicating the elf as a high-priority target if our escape plan failed, and I was forced to use lethal force.
If I was forced to kill.
It was one thing to know you may have to kill in the line of duty, but it was much harder to reconcile that with reality. No number of simulations could match the real thing, and a part of me wanted to simply offload the responsibility to EVI to keep my hands clean, but to do that would be betraying my duty as a human being. I breathed in deep and tried not to think about it, instead hoping to rely on the ace I held in my sleeve instead.
“EVI, ready the spell jammer,” I said unevenly.
“Acknowledged, the prototype Exo-Radiation Wave-Field Distruptor is primed. High risk target identified and locked, permission to engage?” EVI asked, forcing me to address the dreaded question.
“Negative,” I replied, “hold your fire. If the ramp fails, then you have permission to engage,” I said.
“Affirmative, on your mark,” replied EVI.
I lined up the truck with the bridge and bolted through the smoke, keeping a careful eye on the mage as I went. His spellform took on a more concerning shape as I accelerated, and I realized I could not afford to let him finish his spell. I triggered the spelljammer.
A terrible roar erupted from an array of speakers printed from mana-resistant materials that would have made Godzilla herself beam with pride. The sound was decidedly unnatural, gnarly, dubstep drop composed of an electric eel, a whale, a mountain lion, and a tyrannosaurus rex all being simultaneously assaulted by a swarm of angry cybernetic murder hornets as an equally chaotic wave of mana blasted outwards from the exterior of the truck, with the interior thankfully sheltered by audio and mana dampening.
The ambushing assailants cowered and panicked, and it was enough to cause the Elven mage’s spell to backfire in his face as his form exploded into ashes, meeting a horrific fate which I had tried so desperately to help him avoid. With all the combatants momentarily incapacitated or dead, I lowered the dampener and turned off the smoke.
“Ramp!” I shouted, snapping the lizard back to reality.
The Venerian nodded and hastily formed an earthwork ahead of us right before the blockade, and the truck leapt off the ramp with a not insignificant amount of air beneath our wheels. I braced for impact, regretting skimping on the shocks in the name of preserving materials, but the impact never came.
[Alert: Friendly spell designated ‘Feather Fall’]
Illunor thankfully had enough wherewithal to gently land the steel brick, and I sped off into the distance away from the trap that had unfolded behind us, leaving the interior of the truck in an awkward silence as we each processed our brush with death in our own way. “How many are dead?” I asked EVI.
“6 hostiles confirmed dead,” replied EVI.
I drove on in silence. Those were six deaths I had tried to avoid, and I became lost in thought as I wondered what I should have done differently to avoid the confrontation entirely.
Edhel broke the silence with a bout of laughter.
“Terrific! Absolutely terrific! Why, I can conjure up many a tale from this encounter alone! I live for this kind of inspiration!” Exclaimed Edhel a little too chipperly considering the circumstance.
“I would rather not hear stories about how I bravely ran away,” I moaned in deadpan sarcasm.
“You think too little of yourself, Cadet Emma Booker. It is plain to me that you are no ordinary rabbit. Make no mistake, I see it as a privilege to bear witness to the roar of a vorpal hare!” Said Edhel as he supressed his laughter, “though I am afraid with all the excitement that I must finish my song some other time.”
“How about I play some of our music?” I offered after the elf revealed his thrill-seeking side.
“Splendid, I would like that. Perhaps something of your ‘Roadtrip playlist’ you speak of? It sounds like a collection of your voyages,” said Edhel.
“That would be an improvement on the truth,” said Illunor dismissively as he eased from his state of shock, “it is little more than noise under the pretense of music.”
“Illunor…” I muttered to myself before turning the mic on, “no, no it’s not like that. I have terabytes of pre-recorded songs from various artists back home which can be played by… an artifice called a speaker. A playlist is a set of songs which are grouped together, usually to listen to in specific situations such as studying, partying, or travelling. The latter collection is what Illunor is referring to.”
I very deliberately chose not to reveal my ‘Unfortunate Daughters’ playlist.
“An artifice which plays music, and a magicless one at that. I must say, Emma, I fear for the bards in your realm,” said Edhel with a laugh.
“Your fear is misplaced, Edhel. Entertainers live like kings where I come from,” I retorted with a smirk of my own, “well, the ones with talent at least.”
“Well, well, I suppose I have to hear my competition!” Said Edhel with a laugh.
“Do as you must, though let it be known that I warned you,” said Illunor as he watched a play on his sightseer.
I had EVI compile a list of songs that left out content offensive to Nexian sensibilities or violating OpSec and as it compiled I mused over what type of sample spread I wanted to show off. Then it struck me. What better way to show off our culture than with some good old blue jumpers and nova rock! Sadly, jumpers were unavailable to show but I still had a whole list of modern artists to choose from.
Moments later, the car speakers sprung to life to the tune of ‘Innocent Youth of Mine. Edhel’s eyes lit up like a child visiting a zero-g gravity park for the first time, seemingly star-struck by the antique electric guitar and the synthesizer-drums in particular.
“What… what is this? I have never heard anything like this!” Proclaimed Edhel.
“Dreadful, isn’t it?” said Illunor, doing what he did best and pretending to hate it.
“Oh there is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own, “this one is called ‘Innocent Youth of Mine’ by ‘Cannons and Poppies’. It’s part of the Nova Rock genre.
“And those strange instruments?” Asked Edhel.
“Oh, you mean the electric guitar and the synthesizer. They are electronic instruments, taking advantage of channeled and modulated electricity to create near any sound we can imagine,” I replied.
“Channeled electricity… are you suggesting these sounds were made by some form of lightning?” Asked Edhel.
[Suggestion: Avoid topic of electricity due to OpSec risk]
I nodded at EVI’s warning, thankful that it caught me before I discussed the very thing that all of my equipment ran on.
“It’s not exactly lightning, but close enough,” I said.
“If I had not witnessed to your display of power earlier, I might have perhaps been more skeptical of such a claim, but I suppose a lady must keep her secrets.” said Edhel with a raised eyebrow and chuckle, “but I digress, this music is most interesting.”
“There is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own.
“If I ever have a prisoner in need of torture, I will turn to you first,” replied Illunor, “if you are willing to subject your peers to this madness then I cannot imagine what you would force upon your enemies before dunking them in ice.”
“In your dreams,” I retorted.
I played a few other songs including Astrodesee’s ‘Meteor Struck’, the Martian classic ‘Hotel Cydonia’ and even ‘Switching to Warp’ before Elaseer emerged from the distance, and I pulled up outside the gate to drop Edhel off.
“Here already?” Asked Edhel.
“Well, yeah. I was just running a quick errand, I didn’t want to go too far,” I replied casually.
“That was a distance worth at least five days of walking by foot, and you call that a ‘quick errand’?” Asked Edhel. I shrugged, and he laughed.
“Well in any case, thank you for allowing me passage in your car. I must apologize for my lack of gift or payment…” said Edhel. “Don’t worry about it, it was on the way,” I replied.
“I see, how generous. Perhaps we might one day meet again?” Asked Edhel.
“Maybe, but I’m not sure how likely that is. The academy takes up most of my time,” I replied, “though you never know. I still have a lot of quest hours to complete.”
“Is that so? In that case, I hope we meet again! Goodbye Cadet Emma Booker and farewell Lord Illunor Rularia,” he said. “And good travels to you, bard,” said Illunor.
I waved off Edhel and drove back to the academy, Illunor still sulking in the back seat.
“Perhaps next time, you should steer us away from danger?” Suggested Illunor.
“I tried, but we were tracked,” I replied.
I groaned inwardly at the additional work needed to fix the truck. EVI compiled a list of upgrades for future engagements, batting away my idea for a ‘turbo mode’ and a ‘jump boost’. Though at the end of the day, meeting the bard wasn’t a complete loss. It felt good to talk to someone almost normal for once, and I hoped I met him again.
Edhel Redoehdelnif
I watched as Cadet Emma Booker’s vehicle went off into the distance, getting one last look at the Earthrealmer’s strange artifice before turning towards the gate. The voyage was an exotic experience, not unlike that of a fever dream or a peak into a world completely alien to my own. Indeed, it was a struggle to contain my excitement and enthusiasm and process the experience rationally as I made my way through the southern gates of Elaseer and turned the corner of an alley before entering an impossible structure that did not exist.
“You are earlier than expected,” said the shadowy figure of my handler as I made my way to the meeting hall.
“The Earthrealmer’s means of transportation proved far more expedient than anticipated, my lord” I spoke as I knelt before him, “even with her unexpected departure from the anticipated road and the ambush we traveled for scantly more than an hour.”
“Yes, I will require a full report from you. Perhaps you can shed some light on the ‘smoke dragon’ my men claim intervened on the Earthrealmer’s behalf,” said my handler.
“Smoke Dragon, my lord?” I asked.
My handler responded by activating his sight-seer, revealing how the ambush had appeared from the outside. The Earthrealmer’s uncanny artifice traversed down the road, a pair of manafields displaying proudly from within until the archers began their assault. The artifice then transformed as smoke billowed out from its pores and wings sprung forth above until it was the form of a mighty wrym with a pair of glowing eyes springing forth from its ever extending head where it then gave forth a terrible unholy roar which sent waves of mana outward. The mage working to seal the area and trap their mark vapourized in an instant as his spell backfired. It was apparent to Edhel that his exceptional experience in the carriage was merely a muted rendition of the events unfolding around them.
It would seem the hare had the shadow of a dragon.
“I do have some insight, though I must confess the Earthrealmer did very little in the way of direct action. I suspect she has some unseen means of commanding and scrying through her artifices,” I said, “one which does not utilize magic as we know it.”
“Such a statement is heresy,” said my handler, “but such special circumstances are your reason for being. I will require you submit your memories for verification. What is your appraisal of the new realmer?”
“The girl is far more dangerous than a surface appraisal would suggest, though she prefers to conceal that power rather than utilize it out of a misplaced sense of compassion. Her people appear to have a boundless creative drive through which such artifices are birthed, though again it is misdirected towards more common applications. I believe that if properly tamed, this human animal may provide us with great works of art,” I said with a bow.
“I see. Does the girl know you work for us?” Asked my handler.
“She may harbour some suspicions, though did not voice them outright beyond concealing her knowledge,” I said, “though nothing significant. Provided our next meet is under believable circumstances such as a festival she should view me as cordial.”
“She has indeed proven clever,” conceded my handler, “very well, I will make arrangements for your paths to cross again. Perhaps I will arrange for her to be a contestant at the next inter-academy tournament. In the mean time, prepare your report and don’t wander far. This is a priority assignment.”
“As you wish, my lord,” I said with a bow and a smile.
Emma Booker had proved to be an interesting animal indeed, and I hoped our paths crossed again.

Hey all, Unfortunately I’ve been experiencing some weird symptoms for around three years that I passed off as normal, so it’s hard to speak to doctors about this.
Long story short, I’ve been seropositive for both EBV IgGs (EBNA-1 IgG >600 U/mL; EBV VCA IgG >600 U/mL; EBV VCA IgM <36 U/mL) for three years. Not just, one day three years ago I get blood drawn and those are the results and then I do it again yesterday, but each time it’s been tested for within the last three years, my levels have never dropped. My autolymphocyte # is slightly elevated as well, again, three years. Same with CMV IgG, levels of 4.40 U/mL, for three years.
Main symptoms are fatigue, brain fog, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tightness, momentary shocking/itching-like symptoms, clumsiness, issues with fine motor movements in the hands… and more, but I’ll leave it at that.
I know a lot of people would pass this off as, “oh, IgG means it’s a past infection,” but I’m not convinced. Now, I’m a research scientist (biochemistry and molecular biology) and immunology isn’t too far off from my research. So, I’ve done so, so, so much research and literature searching.
I am almost certain of one diagnosis and one alone (I need more data, I’d like to run a genetic screen for certain SNPs and monitor my vitamin D levels as I had a deficiency, but it’s only been screened for once so I cannot comment on whether or not it’s extended.) but I’m afraid to bring this up to a doctor. I don’t want to come off as rude, or condescending, and I certainly do not want “combative” or “hypochondriasis” written on my records.
I feel doctors and scientists can function quite differently. If doctors don’t care enough about my case, who will?
My question is, has anyone had similar lab results and/or symptoms? How is it turning out? And any suggestions as to how to proceed?

I have watched all survival shows that I can find ever since I got into kpop in 2019 including produce series and girls and boys planet as well as I-land 1. I liked to watched the shows because I like to see the participants perform covers of some kpop songs that I may like or just enjoy the show but I just have not been able to commit myself to watching I-land 2.
I think it has something to do with the fact that I don't think some of the participants that i like will make it and i'm just not liking the drama they are trying to portray (growing tired of the weird edits in the past few episodes. Also i don't think the final group will do that well - people will be pissed that their favs didn't get in during the first few months then people will move on and those that want to support them will support them while others will abandon the group. this already happened with Kep1er. they had a good international fanbase and then within their first year, people stopped being interested in them. to be honest i was one of those people (i really liked the group in the first few months of their debut but then as time went on, i stopped checking in on them every once in a while. i genuinely think its because of 2 things (1 is that they do not have a big company behind them so i always think they just wont succeed- but coming from a big company doesn't mean your going to 100% succeed- you need to be producing good songs that appeal to either the Korean public or international public - doing well on either spotify streams and YouTube views or Korean charts. but i don't think wakeone is good at giving them good songs (i think this is particularly the reason why most people left the fandom - i thought wa da da was ok but not anything special but an ok debut (i preferred MASK over their title (literally listened to the song so many times)- after early 2022, i don't think they released any other good songs - i liked up and another b-side but that's it (shocking for a group that debuted more 2 years ago -a temporary one at that)
i know that the black label will be producing their songs but it will either turn out to be a copy cat of Blackpink songs or he is using this group to experiment on different sounds and if it does well he will produce the same for Blackpink.
i genuinely think survival shows have not been that good since the produce series (it had good Korean viewership as well along with iconic participants). After the groups debuted, they had good songs as well which made them even more popular. A lot of viewers will only support them during the debut era and then drop them unless they produce good music.
Another thing that i think this season is lacking is someone who is worthy of being the centre for the final group. For example in produce season 1 there was somi who was extremely popular from being from JYP and previously on sixteen, there was season 2 kang daniel - honestly he confuses me because he started climbing the ranks later on but still no one can deny his popularity among the Korean general public at that time. For season 3 there was Wooyoung who again was iconic and had a lot of Korean fans - she was definitely centre material throughout the show despite being the youngest I think. Then for season 4 there was Yohan who i don't know much about but apparently he was really popular (All of them or most of them have one thing in common and that is they were either really young - Korean's like the younger participants or less skilled / lacked some skills at the beginning at least compared to other participants but loved by the public.
Anyways does anyone see them doing well and being able to rival 4th gen/ 5th gen girl groups - G(I-DLE), IVE, Le sserafim, Aespa, ITZY, New Jeans, Baby monster - all of which except IVE come from the big 4.

Ha! Of course! Jackpot!
Luck shines upon me, indeed! Oh yes!
For nothing beats Spring!!

UMA Spring is fourth of the seasons the Union faced, who spread his domain in Tokyo.

• Character profile

Core

• Made cherry trees bloom
  • It's possible these weren't originally cherry trees and he turned them into ones
• Lugs around a chest much bigger than it

Phase 2

Physicals

• When Billy uses Unbalance on Tokyo Tower, turning it into a rubber band that would have flung Andy and Fuuko halfway across Japan, Spring remained at the top of the tower without losing his grip
• Defeated Isshin Tesshu I in a fight while brainwashed
• Placed the boulder marking Isshin Tesshu's grave

Elemental Control

• Can turn people into cherry trees if they touch the petals from other trees
  • This is pretty much instant
• Alternatively, people also turn into cherry trees if they spend thirty minutes inside Spring's range
  • This starts even if Spring does not wish it so
• Once Fuuko reaches his vantage point, he takes all the energy from the cherry trees below and collects it into one giant megaflora
  • This blocks out the Union satellite's attacks
• After his death, all that became cherry trees are reverted to what they were before

Phase 2: Kabuki Form

Physicals

• Punches a crater in the ground for the beyblade Negate Tops arena
  • This hole refills once the game is completed
• Stomps hard enough that Isshin and Fuuko fly up from the force
• Would have killed Fuuko with a direct hit if not for an Unbreakable pauldron
• Struck by lightning
  • A second time and third time
• A tree topples onto him, a rock falls on his head, and his box of games blows into his face
• Rips open his chest to expose his core

Elemental Control

• A storm is summoned, with lightning bolts that instantly superheat and kill trees
• Directs wind at Fuuko to slam her into a trunk
• A "natural" lightning strike shocks Isshin and Andy

Other

• Any attacks attempting to interfere with his game are negated and the issuer of said attack is transformed into cherry wood
• Fights against the brainwashing God does on him

Phase 3

Physicals

• Jumps from the top of Tokyo Tower to Tokyo below, crushing the buildings he lands on with a new immense size
• Phase 3 is impervious to all attacks, though if you aren't explicitly trying to attack then it is possible for the attacks to land
• Rip's Blade Runner blade does no damage despite bypassing his imperviousness
• Shen's Nyoi-Kinko staff also fails to do anything
• Unbreakable Tachyoshot drives Rip's blade into Spring's chestplate, which was unable to pierce it by itself
• Cut down the middle when Andy's sword is made unchanging by Billy

Elemental Control

• Where he stomps, nature blooms, replacing what was there before
• Sends a wave of cherry petals to tree-ify a borough of Tokyo untouched so far
• Entering Phase 3 greatly expanded his area of influence
• Controls cherry tree limbs
• Tags Andy with cherry petal projectiles
• Snatches the Nyoi-Kinko and Nico's Psycho Pods with cherry limbs
• Shields himself with castle-sized cherry trees

Artefacts

General

• Has a list of everyone who he's destroyed in artefact games
  • A toll of 100,000 lives are summoned from around the globe to serve as Fuuko's ante
• Possesses a huge box filled with artefacts he's found in Japan
  • These possess enough memories within to cause great pain to Fuuko as she touches them
  • Here are a few of them

Enoh Jusshu #5

• Negate Tops uses Negators as tops to clash in a battle arena, though if they lose the game then they die
  • A top that traps Negators' souls in them with the option to force how they move or let the trapped Negator choose
  • Spring is able to suck Andy from inside an Unchange sphere when he chooses him as his top

The Second Game (No Artefact Name)

• Calls up 13 Negators' souls to act as cards in a game of karuta

Kofusai

• Owns a pair of dice that allows the user to steal away what the target cherishes the most, so long as the user correctly guesses if it rolls odd or even
  • Intercepts a nuke and renders it a dud
  • Artefact details
  • Kills Spring

Warmth and kindness have…
Helped to usher in a change…
In this set of rules…
That I shall cherish with pride.
For I am the spring itself.

So I’m very new to watch collecting but I’m really into it. I’ve learned my first big lesson do not buy watches on eBay. First I bought a fake g-Shock I didn’t even know people faked those. Then got a watch box that said two day shipping no tracking was uploaded and it’s been 3 weeks. Now today I get a package with only a piece of foam. So after $300 and a month of waiting I’m left with no new watch. Now I’ve gotta fight with eBay with 3 different claims trying to get my money back. So where do I buy watches from? New watches are easy to find but what about older ones and those really cool custom Casioaks ?