Hi All, long time lurker, just wrote up a post but somehow it vanished while typing. I used the search and the sub knowledge base but didn't see my question. Looking for some guidance/advice or a success story.
I recently went to a Veterans Center to see if I was eligible for counseling. While there, I shared some traumatic experiences over my 30 year Army Reserve career. The Advisor encouraged me to file a claim for PTSD/Anxiety/Depression.
I retired from the Army Reserve in 2013. In 2008, I was promoted and, that summer, received orders for a 6 week qualification course for my new position. When I returned to my civilian job, my supervisor and manager retaliated in every way possible, making the workplace and life a living hell. My primary care doc knew what was going on and prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds just so I could get through the workday and not harm anyone or myself. In Jan 2010, my supervisor and manager did something that caused me to have a total stress breakdown. My doctor took me out of work and referred me to the outpatient psych clinic. I was in a really bad way and remained out of work and taking meds and getting treatment for almost 2 years. I won't bore you with all the details, but I was pissed that I burned all my vacation and sick accruals for something they could have prevented. I filed a worker's comp claim which my employer challenged and I won. The judge wrote in the decision, "There is disparate treatment... because she serves in the Army Reserves...She was singled out and harassed due to her military service... her supervisor retaliated against her because she took military leave in 2008... (she) was exposed to a pattern of harassment and retaliation due to her Army Reserves service and an increased level of stress..."
I have a load of civilian medical records related to this, and I believe the psychotherapist (PhD) that I saw for 3+ years would write a nexus letter for me but according to everything I've read, I'm not sure I have a "nexus" to connect PTSD to the military. I was IN the military, and what happened at my job was because I was fulfilling my military obligation, but can I actually make a "service connection" if the stressor occurred at the hands of my civilian employer and not actually the Army? How might that read?
I had stress in my military position-- I lost a deployment opportunity and my records landed in front of a retention board and they were going to chapter me out because of my psych profile, causing me to fear I'd lose my Army career and pension. I was stressed out all the time worrying that I'd be asked to do any additional or special duty outside of drill weekends (my position required a lot of travel) due to fear of how my civilian employer would react or retaliate if I presented orders. When confidentiality was broken and my psych profile/issues were revealed to Soldiers not in my reporting chain, that led to a lot of embarrassment probably other things I'm forgetting.
Is there any hope I might be able to make a nexus-worthy connection between my service and my PTSD/Anxiety/Depression diagnoses when the stressor(s) actually primarily occurred in the civilian workplace?
Thank you!

Sometimes I feel the answer on study hall is wrong. Why so? Like this question Please help analyse why SH hall answer is correct? Even ChatGPT picked my answer
Why is option C correct please ? I choose A.
Key Factors Considered by Visa Officers 1. Purpose of Visit: * Clearly state the purpose of the visit. If the purpose is to visit your friend and get married, provide details of the wedding plans and any arrangements made. 2. Proof of Ties to Home Country: * The fiancé must demonstrate strong ties to Nigeria that will compel him to return after his visit. This includes: * Employment: Provide a letter from his employer stating his position, salary, and approved leave. * Property: Evidence of property ownership or a lease agreement. * Family: Documentation showing family ties in Nigeria. * Financial Stability: Bank statements, savings, or investments that show financial stability. 3. Financial Support: * Show that he has sufficient funds to cover the cost of the trip, including travel, accommodation, and other expenses. This can be demonstrated through personal bank statements, a letter of financial support from your friend, or a combination of both. 4. Previous Travel History: * A history of travel to other countries and compliance with visa conditions can positively impact the application. 5. Invitation Letter: * A detailed invitation letter from your friend (the sponsor) in Canada, outlining the purpose of the visit, relationship details, and assurance that he will be accommodated and supported during his stay. A project team is working on backlog items within a four-week sprint. Suddenly, a critical team member announces that they will unexpectedly be absent for one week, leaving ongoing tasks incomplete. What would be the most appropriate action for the project manager to take in this situation? A. Support a knowledge transfer between the team member who will be away and the other project team members. B. Add a temporary resource to the team to help increase velocity and complete the items for this sprint. C. Remove a few items from the current sprint after getting the approval of the product owner. D. Increase the sprint duration so the team can complete all the planned items and present them to the product owner.
Answer from SH:Solution: C. Remove a few items from the current sprint after getting the approval of the product owner. Removing a few items from the current sprint, with the approval of the product owner, is the most appropriate action this situation. It allows the team to focus on completing the most critical and valuable tasks within the sprint's original time frame. The other options are incorrect because they are not as suitable for this scenario. Knowledge transfer takes time and may not be feasible given the sudden and unexpected nature of the team membe absence. Knowledge transfer is a good practice in general, butit may not be the most appropriate action for this spec situation. Adding a temporary resource to the team is not the most practical option and may not be efficient or cost-effective for such a short duration, and it could disrupt the team's workflow. ' Changing the sprint duration disrupts the sprint planning and review process and can lead to various issues, including reduced predictability and potential scope creep. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: The Agile Practice Guide (No Date) PMI/PMI/5.2.6 PLANNING FOR ITERATION-BASED AGILE/55 [Item]

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.

As stated in previous post, an investigator showed up at my house on Monday while we were not there.
Tuesday and Wednesday I went through and made sure my fire extinguishers were still charged and in date and made sure my smoke detector batteries were still good. Didn’t need to clean my house since it wasn’t dirty. Tidied up the kids’ rooms some since they’re pigs lol. Went to work Thursday (working Thursday-Sunday on day shift this week) worried sick my wife would have to deal with the investigator my herself. Never showed.
She ended up showing up yesterday afternoon around 2pm. My wife immediately called me cussing that the dhs lady was there. She put me on speaker and let her in. I heard her say our house looks nice and clean, but immediately began accusing my wife of being on drugs other than what she’s prescribed (meth and fentanyl were mentioned explicitly). Wife has some health issues we’re in the process of sorting out that’s causing her to lose weight, so she’s a little thinner than she needs to be for her stature.
She checked to make sure we had lights and running water in bedrooms and bathrooms and immediately said my wife needed to take a drug test right this second. Wife showed her letters from psychiatrist and therapist that stated there was no suspicion of medication abuse and she had never asked for early refills, and sometimes even skipped refills. She peed, cup showed zero drugs other than what’s prescribed. Lady’s tune changed real fast. She apologized profusely for making assumptions, because the report that was made said my wife laid around the house like a zombie and didn’t do anything for the kids when left alone with them. She also spoke to our kids together and separately. They answered well.
She went on to check the fridges and freezer and pantry to ensure we had food and then began asking for mine and the kids personal info (full name, dob, ssn, etc). Then she proceeded to ask about medical history, citing that another part of the complaint was medical neglect. That tipped us off to efectos who called, even though we already had a good idea.
They were told we were informed my daughter had severe hip dysplasia at birth and that we had refused corrective surgery. We provided documentation that showed we were informed and told that it was extremely minor and should clear up as she ages. Then we provided proof of when we discovered it had not gone away, x-rays, mri and surgical consult dates, and her tune changed again.
Then she asked about my son’s school attendance. We changed schools mid year, but the old school kept reporting him absent, even after providing all necessary documentation to the new school. She started saying she could take our kids because my son had missed 90+ consecutive days of school. We had to provide documentation of the move, start day, etc. she apologized again for being a little rude about it.
She wraps things up and says this seems like an open and shut case, pending further investigation into the medical stuff and talking to some references we gave her, and that we’d receive a letter within 45 days informing if the case was closed or if we’d receive a case worker if they find we medically neglected my daughter.
Apologies for formatting, I’m on mobile and my app is freezing typing out this long post.

LOOOONG first time trip report! 5/13-5/18, stayed at Beach Club, visited all four parks, bought Genie+ every day, had the standard DDP. Family of 4, two girls 5 and 9. I learned so much from this group over the past year and especially loved trip reports, so hopefully this post will be helpful to someone!
💲BUDGET💲
-- I booked the trip a year out so I could break it up into 12 manageable payments. I opened the no fee Disney VISA, which gives you several months of no interest on charges made towards Disney travel packages, rewards dollars to use at Disney, and a couple other perks like character meet and greets and discounts.
-- I signed up for Disney Movie Insiders. This is what you're supposed to do with all those little codes that come in Disney DVDs/Blurays. You enter the codes in exchange for points, and at 1000 points, you can redeem for a $10 Disney gift card. You also get points for being subscribed to Disney+, seeing Disney movies in the theater, their social media accounts, and a whole bunch of other things. I got $50 in gift cards from this alone.
-- If you want Disney-themed luggage, try thinking outside the box to save money! I got plain luggage in Mickey colors--red and black--and Mickey luggage tags to make them Disney themed.
-- I tried to budget for souvenirs via gift cards... but I failed, lol. Everything is so expensive, $100 is gone in a second. Plushes are like $40, coffee cups are $20, etc. Whatever you're planning to spend, double it! I get what people say about most shops having the same stuff, but it's definitely not all of them, most of the ones post-ride have unique stuff. And honestly it's kind of nice most of them have the same stuff, if you want to get whatever your kid was asking for earlier, you don't have to walk all the way back to the one shop you saw it at.
-- We paid for Memory Maker and I'm on the fence about it. On the one hand, it's really nice to get all the ride photos and meet and greet photos and magic shots. It's also really nice for the whole family to be in a lot of pictures and not have to swap with the other adult or find someone willing to take your picture. On the other, we definitely didn't utilize it as much as I wanted to because a lot of the photographers had pretty long lines and I just didn't want to spend time waiting for a picture I could take myself. If we came across someone with a shortish or no line, we made sure to get it, but for anyone with a long line, we just stood around the same spot and took our own.
🗓️PLANNING🗓️
-- If you have kids and live within easy driving distance of another amusement park, highly recommend making a visit BEFORE going to Disney to get an idea of how they handle that kind of day/environment, especially if they have never been. I quickly discovered we would absolutely need a stroller and I would need to be militant with the kids about staying hydrated. Also to avoid face paint, as heat + tears + paint + eyes = bad day! I felt so much better making these discoveries beforehand and being able to prepare accordingly, rather than making them at Disney.
-- USE AN AGENT! An agent is free to you, so why not have the help? Ours was amazing, she gave us quotes, booked the package, rebooked as needed later when a better deal came out, made all the payments, dining and extra reservations, and was just all-around awesome to work with. It was such a load off to know I wasn't on my own with all this stuff.
-- Watch everything Ear Scouts. No one explains Genie+ better, and Rob and Erick's videos are just so positive and beautiful and well done.
-- I also enjoyed reading Disney Tourist Blog--lovingly snarky but super informative!--and Disney Food Blog for fun tips and news.
-- I didn't find any park to be a half day park, we filled our whole day in every one and still didn't see everything!
-- My kids did really well, whenever they were on the verge of cranky, we had one ride in the stroller for a while, bought a snack (usually ice cream or popcorn), and used the bubble wand, and/or gave them some ibuprofen, and everyone felt better pretty quick. We never tried to do fireworks, we were all done by 8 so always left after dinner. The only park we closed down was EPCOT because we didn't get out of dinner until after close, and that was a really cool experience, the park was so quiet and empty and beautiful!
-- You don't NEED a Magic Band... but man, was it convenient. We just had 1.0 Magic Bands though, we didn't bother with the 2.0s.
-- I guess moving through security fast is important to people rope dropping... but as someone who didn't, it added like maybe 30 seconds to a minute to the experience the couple times my bag got flagged, it's really not a big deal.
-- I'm not saying anyone's lying about bad experiences or exaggerating or anything, but try to remember that far more people go on the Internet to complain than they do to praise. I got so stressed about all the things that could go wrong, and we had a pretty much perfect trip. The only attraction that broke down on us was Muppetvision, of all things. The only "bad behavior" we witnessed was the morning we were leaving, we could hear a dad across the hall yelling at his family, I think they overslept and were going to miss their flight or something? We just turned the TV on so we didn't have to hear him. A couple times we forgot to take our stuff with us when we parked our stroller or forgot some food in it, and neither people nor animals bothered it. The only dicey thing that happened to us was me dropping my phone into the Dumbo moat, the cast members fished it out and it still worked, I sent them a cast compliment for all their help! All the cast members were great, I'm not really sure what people expect but IMO they all do amazing for having to be peppy and helpful all day in absolutely blazing heat, walking a ride conveyer belt nonstop, repeating the same spiels over and over, meeting person after person, etc. I wouldn't last a 2 hour shift let alone 8. Cast members, you rock!!!
✈️TRAVEL✈️
-- We flew Delta, flight there was flawless, flight home was delayed by an hour waiting for crew and was a little bumpy (which is not great for a nervous flyer like me) but otherwise fine.
-- Get TSA PreCheck! Good for a few years, if the adults have it the kids have it too. It made the whole experience so much easier. That said, even PreCheck still moves kind of slow at MCO, so definitely get there at least 2 hours early for your flight. Use curbside check-in for bags, way faster than the long line inside!
-- On our agent's recommendation, we used Away We Go for ground transport in Orlando. They communicate really well, both ways were flawless, no complaints!
-- We used Minnie Vans to get to Animal Kingdom + Sanaa and Magic Kingdom, what a wonderful service! Definitely pricey, but they had cartoons on in the car, booster seats they set up for you, and the drivers were so nice and friendly and had fun trivia to share. I never had any problem requesting one when I needed it.
⛱️BEACH CLUB⛱️
-- We knew we wanted an onsite hotel where you could walk to at least one park. This pretty much limits you to a handful of Deluxe hotels or the Swan and Dolphin. Beach Club won for us because it's "in the Disney bubble" and you can walk to 2/4 parks. Note that while you can technically walk to Hollywood Studios, it is a LOOOONG walk. The boat is a nice not crowded alternative! We did not make use of Early Entry or Extended Hours, we're just not built for either. Beach Club was lovely, we booked a resort view but I think we ended up with a water view, we were right by the quiet pool and could see the water beyond from our room. Stormalong Bay was a little crazy for us but we loved the quiet pool. Best thing about Beach Club though is the location, EPCOT is literally steps away!
🌳ANIMAL KINGDOM🌳
-- We had read that there's really no bad day to do AK, so we started there. We rode: Navi River Journey, Flight of Passage, Kali River Rapids, Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Triceratops Spin, and Dinosaur--so pretty much everything! With Genie+ we walked onto all of them. We also met Moana, Pocahontas, and Russell! The only thing we didn't do here that we wanted to was the Gorilla Falls trail, but we just ran out of time before the park closed.
🌐EPCOT🌐
-- We had read to avoid EPCOT on Fridays and Saturdays, so we went on Wednesday. We rode: Grand Fiesta Tour, Living with the Land, Nemo, Spaceship Earth, Imagination with Figment, Frozen, Remy, Journey of Water, and Guardians--everything we wanted! Again, with Genie+, we walked right onto everything! Outside of our character meal (more on that in the dining section!), we also met Anna, Elsa, and Asha! Tried a couple of Flower and Garden snacks: chicken and waffles, fruit and cheese strudel, and potato pancakes, all were delicious! Everyone had a different favorite day, but EPCOT was personally my favorite day, it felt like we were firing on all cylinders and the day just went really smoothly!
🏰MAGIC KINGDOM🏰
-- We had read that Wednesdays were the quietest days at MK, so we were originally going to try to do it that day, but we could only get a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table on Thursday, so we switched it up. Definitely the most crowded of all the parks we visited, but I think that's just the norm for MK, everyone wants to go to the castle park with the most rides. We rode: Regal Carousel, Tomorrowland Speedway, Barnstormer, Magic Carpets, Mad Tea Party, People Mover, Dumbo, Small World, Little Mermaid, Pirates, Space Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, TRON, and Peter Pan. Again, with Genie+, we walked right onto everything! The only ride we missed at this park that we wanted to do was Pooh, I couldn't manage to get a return time that was earlier than we planned on leaving. Outside of our character meals (more on those in the dining section!) we also met Mirabel, Tiana, and Rapunzel! We had both the Rapunzel and Aurora ice creams, both so good and cute!
🎬HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS🎬
-- We had read that, like MK, it's better to do HS later in the week, so we went Friday. We rode: Slinky, Alien Saucers, Toy Story Mania, Rise, Smuggler's Run, Runaway Railway. Again, with Genie+, we walked right onto everything! The only ride we missed was Tower of Terror, again I couldn't manage to get a return time that was earlier than we planned on leaving. We also met Olaf, be aware Olaf doesn't sign stuff, they just give you a signature card. This park needs more shade IMO, especially Toy Story Land, I know it's supposed to be Andy's backyard, but I don't see why that means we can't have some shade from trees or something. 🤪 Blue milk from Galaxy's Edge was really good, the family was all fighting over it!
🍽️DINING🍽️
-- We almost certainly lost some money on the DDP, but I'm still glad we got it because it allowed us to do more table service meals and have less stress overall about expenses. We easily used up everything but child quick service credits, we had a few of those left over near the end.
Here's where we ate!
BOARDWALK DELI/PIZZA WINDOW: Pizza for the kids, sandwiches for the adults. Tasty and satisfying after our day of travel!
BEACHES AND CREAM: Got the kitchen sink for the experience, but honestly it's not great, all the ice cream and toppings melt together quick and you just end up with weird ice cream soup.
SAT'ULI CANTEEN: LOVED this place, everything was so yummy! Best quick service we had!
SANAA: Since Animal Kingdom closes so early, we thought we'd try to extend the experience by eating at Sanaa. What a great idea, we got seated right by a window and saw so many animals! The food was great too.
AKERSHUS: Our favorite princess meal! We met Aurora, Tiana, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle. They were all lovely, and the breakfast was really good too. Only 1 credit on the DDP!
GARDEN GRILL: Our kids really enjoyed getting to look down over Living with the Land and the fact that the restaurant spins. We met Farmer Mickey, Pluto, and Chip and Dale. They were fun and even came to our table more than once. Food was good!
SPACE 220: Not on the DDP, but wow, what a cool restaurant! Almost like a ride with the theming and the elevator up. Food was really good.
CINDERELLA'S ROYAL TABLE: You gotta eat in the castle! We paid for it OOP because we didn't want to use up 2 DDP credits here. You're really going for the location and the princesses, the food is kinda meh, not bad but not as good as other places. The restaurant is small and they have to turn tables quick, so it's very understandable to me that the princesses have to move fast. It's not that they rush you, they'll take all the pictures you ask for and sign whatever and answer your questions, but if you don't have much you need, they try to keep moving. Akershus is much bigger so they are able to be more relaxed there. The only small bummer is that we didn't see Merida (maybe she was on vacation too!) We did meet Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, and Aurora though!
CRYSTAL PALACE: We are not big on buffets but we enjoyed meeting Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger!
TOPOLINO'S: Maybe the best food of the trip, steak and eggs were so good! The character artist costumes are so cute too. It was fun to have an excuse to ride the Skyliner to get here from Beach Club too.
DOCKING BAY 7: The theming is great, but the food wasn't as good as Satuli Canteen IMO.
THE MARKET AT ALE & COMPASS: We had quick service credits we wanted to use up on the last day and we didn't want to leave the resort again, otherwise I would have gone somewhere else, food was meh.
✨EXTRAS✨
-- I originally wanted to book Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for my kids, but it's so expensive/competitive that I decided to didn't want the stress. Instead I booked Have Wand, Will Travel to come to our room and bought dresses from Presley Couture and Only Little Once. I chose Have Wand, Will Travel because they keep character throughout. Fairy Godmother Elyse was amazing and so much fun, my kids loved it and kept talking about it all day!
-- That same morning I ordered a Sammicakes breakfast box with beignets for us to eat. I also ordered a pretend letter from The DCP and Me on Etsy to make it seem like the breakfast came from Tiana. My kids also loved this and had fun telling Tiana about it both times we met her. Sammicakes was good but a LOT of food, sadly we didn't end up eating half of it. It can last you at least 3 days!
-- We had Birthdays and More decorate our door, it was a really fun surprise for the kids on our first day and made our room easy to find. The kids also loved reusing the decorations at home on their own doors!
-- Matching shirts and ear hats, all from Etsy! So many cool designs there, hardest part is choosing!
-- Got my kids a pin trading lanyard with some pins, they loooooved pin trading! It was like free souvenirs.
🧳PACKING🧳
-- Things the Internet Told Me to Pack That I Needed: Scissors, ziploc bags, ibuprofen (kids and adults), garbage bags, big carabiners to hook on the strolleuse to carry multiple bags at once.
-- Things the Internet Told Me to Pack that I Didn't Need: stainless steel straws (the paper straws are more like hard cardboard, they really don't break down unless your kid is gnawing on them or something), ponchos (it did rain some most days, but wearing a poncho was almost more miserable than not wearing one, it's so hot and humid to be walking around in a plastic bag! We did better taking shelter and using umbrellas.), wipes (obv you need them if your kid is younger, but mine were older and just never got messy enough to need them), glow sticks (we never stayed anywhere long enough to use them), bottled wateLiquid IV (the tap water tasted the same as home to us, but we live in a rural area so maybe we are just used to imperfect water?) Basically, the less you can get away carrying in the parks, the better. It's annoying to lug stuff around you don't end up needing or using!
🛞STROLLER🛞
-- I know it seems insane that your 5 year old and 9 year old will need a stroller, but mine definitely did. Once I accepted that I was going to have to get one, I tried to make the best of it, and actually got really into decorating it so we could always easily spot it in the sea (the decorations also later made nice wall decor for a gallery of our trip!) The Magic Spotter flag was the best investment, hardly anyone had them so it was easy to instantly spot our stroller anywhere we left it, even if it got moved. That said, I definitely didn't want to spend a lot on a stroller we were really only buying for this one trip, so I got a used Joovy Caboose on Facebook Marketplace for $50. It was very hard to handle with two older kids in it, and even with one it was hard to handle unless the kid was in the back seat. So we basically used it like a single stroller, glad I didn't spend a lot on it since it was so hard to drive!
☔WEATHER☔
-- We had mostly great weather, it rained some every day except Magic Kingdom day but it passed within an hour each time. We wore socks with Crocs so that if/when it rained, we could just take our wet socks off and walk in our Crocs, this worked great! Don't trust the weather reports though, two days it wasn't supposed to rain. One day it actually didn't, the other day it did and we had to walk in wet shoes because we didn't wear the Crocs that day. Just figure it might rain any day and be prepared! See above note RE: ponchos being not great and shelter + umbrellas being better. When it didn't rain, It. Was. Hot. 🥵 In the 90s but definitely felt hotter with the humidity making it so sticky. We felt there was plenty of shade at Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, but hardly any at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, which I would say slightly affected how much fun we had on those days comparatively.
Phew! That's about it, let me know if you have any questions!

I never thought I’d be participating in these kind of reddits myself. I’ve spent countless hours listening to this stories but I thought I was exempt from tragedies like these, thought I knew her. I’m gonna give the most important details, since it would be impossible to resume our whole story. She was a friend from college, we knew each other from clases and school trips. We lost contact for a few years but reunited in 2017 for the new year party. Since then we were inseparable, we started dating immediately and connected as hard as one can connect with another human being. We fell in love, laughed for hours on end. It was like playing ping pong, I said something silly and she hit me back with something even sillier. Besides she was beautiful and had a really nice body, everyone complemented me for being with her and I was so proud to have her in my life. It was beautiful. We were together for 3 years as BF/GF but I knew that she was the one, so we got engaged during the pandemic, on Christmas of 2020. My parents absolutely loved her, and her folks loved me. We were an amazing couple all along. We’re both medics and I got graduated on 2022 so I started making good money and started paying for everything around the house, our vacations, trips abroad, basic needs, healthcare… You know, everything. She got to plan the wedding of her dreams, and I just couldn’t say no to anything because I thought she deserved everything and more, since she was with me through thick and thin while I was a resident. We didn’t had a lot at the time and I wanted her to feel like a star. We got married a 4th of November 2023 at the most expensive venue in town, everything was beautiful, the most beautiful wedding you could imagine. Of course, I paid for 99% of the expenses, since I was making money and she didn’t. It costed me around 60 k US dollars. We went on the honey moon of my dreams that November. Spent 2 wonderful weeks on a euro trip through Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome and back. I. On lifelong dream of mine was to take the love of my life to Paris and kiss under the Eiffel Tower. We did. We came back from our trip. She still a resident, and so she has clinical rotations on a lot of hospital services. At this point she had already taken a rotation on October 2023 through a surgical hall, where she knew some dude for like a month. An oncology surgeon who she immediately befriended hard. She started acting weird around her phone, encoding messages, passwords in her WhatsApp, etc. For months I thought nothing of it, but thank god my curiosity got the best of me, and I finally decided to check her phone on mid may 2024. What I found was horrible. Her conversation on WhatsApp with him was erased, but she had phone calls to his number, called him often for 20 -30 mins, got together for drinks and food all the way back through December 2023. I started digging through the conversations with her best friends, and through that i discovered all that I’m gonna say next. She had been making a fool out of me for 5 of the 6 months we were married. This started not even 2 months after our wedding. The dude’s father died on January 2024, and at this point, they were going out on a date and she was there for him and she was really hurt that she couldn’t be there with him in his most difficult time. This is one of the most painful parts of the story cos on the texts I found she was clearly worried for him, she had developed feelings for another man 1 month after our wedding, after 6 years of being together. She knew him for 2 months and she started dating him exactly 45 days after walking through the aisle in a wedding dress and swearing to god and man to be only mine and with me for the rest of her life. I didn’t exploded immediately, I waited for a little while and gathered all the evidence i could. The last conversations through WhatsApp was erased 4 days before i checked her phone, so she was still in contact with him until i caught her. The last thing he sent was a little monkey emoji covering his eyes, and sadly, we all kind of know what they were talking about just for that. Went through her phone a couple more times to be met with the fact that she was aware i was checking her phone after 2 days of me doing it. She had deleted all the messages on her friend’s chats that involved him, from 5 months ago. She took the time and care to selectively erase messages that involved him, even tho thank god i’ve already read them. And her **** best friends were encouraging her to keep seeing each other. They treated my marriage like it was some stupid high school crush. I confronted her 3 days after checking her phone. Those were the worst. 3 days of my life,, i had to keep everything inside, all the pain, all the rage, all the doubts, all the sorrow…. We sat at the table right after she had minor surgery to remove a breast benign tumor (wich i paid for as a last consideration to the memory of the woman i married). At first she denied it and even got angry cos i went through her phone, but when confronted with all the evidence, dates, phone calls and screenshots she. Had nowhere to go. When i asked her if she had slept with him, the answer was “yes”. Those 3 letters absolutely shattered my whole world. In a n instant i’ve lost my wife, my home, my family project, my plans, i wanted to have children. With her next year, buy a home and spent the rest of my life with her. The money doesn’t hurt, it’s the time that burns my soul, six years thrown to the garbage for a dude that she knew for 2 months. My family was devastated, my mother in tears, my father was furious and i was. Absolutely destroyed. It’s been 2 weeks since and my mind is still confused and dazed. I’ve been wanting so hard to see her, to hug her, to go back to what we were, but then i. Remember the. Treason, and all the effort she went through. To hid it for months and. and its like I don’t know this person anymore, she can’t be the woman that i. Fell in love with… She can’t be the woman i married. Sorry for the long post, hope i can get some feedback. I really love her and could still forgive her,, but I don’t think this would be the same ever again. Why did. She marry. Me? This hurts so bad… Thank you all for your time.

Where do I begin. For the purpose of this post, I will use fictious names and locations as it is ongoing, and out of respect (even though she doesn't deserve any)
My name is Daniel. I am 35 years old, and i am dying. I have a disease called systemic sclerosis. I am currently on a supplemental disability plan, until I get approved for SSI (social Security). Until then, my income is about 4K a month. I own a home but after child support and bills, NOT INCLUDING gas, food, haircuts, medical appointments, and or emergencies like my fridge just broke. (which i never go out) I am left with $260 that has to last me a month. I also have three children who I have to take care of half the time per the 50/50 agreement.
Recently, I found out my oldest, (who is 13) is not biologically mine. I decided to look into it as I had concerns for a while since my divorce as her cheating was very rampant. I also had caught her in 2017 with a man in my house, which is what prompted the divorce. But FL being a no fault state, doesn't matter. I also had to pay child support since the beginning and WHILE LEGALLY Married since 2010 because she had applied for financial support like food stamps and government assistance then. I know what your thinking. Why didnt you stop it then? I tried. You cant take yourself off child support. I also never grew up with a father and wanted that two-parent household. I don't run from responsibilities, like he did. Its how I was raised. Anyways, I married her, tried to do the right thing, she lied numerous times. she never worked, and I worked 90 plus hours a week. To look into her cheating, was impossible at the time as I was never home. and to busy providing for my family.
fast forward to now. My disease started to become worse and over three years; it didn't reveal itself until last year fully to actually pinpoint what this was. for instance, I had in 2019 pain behind my eyes and horrible headaches to the point that I thought I had MS. following year, I had trouble swallowing for 3 months. next year itching in the skin for three months. But prior, I had visited various doctors to see what was going on, each time a flare up then would last 3 to four months, which again, when you don't understand what's going on, you need to take time off to go see doctors, run tests, but this illness was and still is very elusive. with that being said I had 5 jobs since its first flare up till last year to continue to support my family and to pay child support. as of last year. I'm having trouble moving on certain days, breathing and acid reflux and muscle atrophy. (disease progression) especially when this is going on, it worsens everything as this is flared up. I was working under the table to try and make ends meet as I was paying child support still. I should add that the child support with 50/50 custody was $1029 for three kids cause I was making six figures at the time of divorce in 2018. Last year however, I couldn't work anymore, and filed for disability.
In june of last year, I had asked Susan, to get the children school supplies, (which she never does) as I was still paying at the time $1029 in child support. She said she didnt have the money despite now making 70k and her new BF living with her and is working whom she cheated on me with. With me working under the table, I bought them clothes, haircuts, school supplies (ive done every year) but then, I noticed she went on vacation to puerto rico and got a giant leg tattoo. At the time, I had already known what I had, and I asked myself why the heck am I doing this? So i turned to an attorney to get it modified. Again, this is June 20th to be exact of last year. My lawyer, stated that this was only going to be a 90 day turn around for the temporary modification then we will go for the final.
Since then, I have gone for a DNA test. I had to know. I am dying. I wanted to know. And you may judge me for this. but i have filed for disablement for paternity, meaning I am removing myself from the birth certificate. However, in the state of Florida, a mother can deny this and so can the courts. before you judge me, I have many reasons none of which have to do with him other then his mental disability (Aspergers) This illness, as days go by takes more and more from me. As previously aforementioned, I am left with 250 a month. I cannot go get a drs appointment pay for groceries or start planning my funeral which I will start making payments on soon. He also eats three times the amount that we all collectively do (Not his fault) but I have paid enough both mentally and financially. He also has trouble communicating as my suspicions is, that he was born of incest (gross) which is why I was 'chosen' to be his father at the time. Before you ask how do you know? Lets just say she had an uncle 'leave' during that time.
anyways, in February, I had the temporary modification hearing for child support and needless to say it was a circus. My doctor was subpoenaed to be there by my attorneys request to better my argument, even though I felt we didn't need her, she advised me to have my doctor there. Well, he attorney attacked my doctor and me for an hour and 40 mins when the court case was only supposed to go for an hour. He said "you saw another dr Max so and so and they said it was all in your head" (again I had flare ups on a illness that hadnt revealed itself correctly since last year). So there argument was that I was doctor seeking to avoid child support. After I have paid for 13 years never missing a payment. Her lawyer also targeted people who are living with me. Now I'll admit that I said they were friends which is true but how else can I pay for my attorney? Cant work, cant sell drugs, cant rob a bank? So they want to take there income into consideration. BS. She also hired a private investigator to watch me exercise outside and stated that because I can exercise, I can work..... Ok. Where's the 23 hours of the rest of the day watching me in pain. or when do you have me on video of a flare up from this terminal illness? (that's what I wanted to say)
Although I was granted the temporary modification, of $209, I left the court thinking wow, this woman can cheat, commit paternity fraud, not give two craps about our children, live with her mom in a section 8 home, and here I am doing whatever I can and I've done nothing wrong but be lied to and this is how my government, my country treats me? No wonder men my age dont have children this is insane. The paternity issue wasn't even brought up they said that this isnt the place for this and that the disestablishment will be another trial for those wondering. My lawyer only spoke for 5 mins. Asking her about her income cause thats the only thing that has changed since 2018 since she didnt work at the time. Other than that, it was an attack on me and my disease arguing my ability to work.
after leaving that, I didnt eat for 96 hours. I have since been crying nonstop. Compilating suicide. I am already heart broken about my son not being mine. Sure does a terminal illness make me said, no question everyday. But a life wasted on another? Cause I decided to be a man and take up responsibility? thats soul crushing. And to say "well, there is a big chance the courts will deny your request' thats BS. If i go to prison because I was accused of a robbery for 13 years, and DNA evidence proves I wasnt there, I get out of jail and can sue. This is no different. If anything, DNA evidence needs to be more of a factor in family law than in almost every court of law if not as equally important. My bad for not investigating her infidelity not only in the beginning but also in the end. How about not being a POS. sorry rant over
gets better. Her mom and dad smoke in the section 8 house, kids reek of cigarette smoke and marijuana, all day. they dont take showers there, they were hand me down clothes, they live in the garage shared with there mother, that isn't air conditioned. and he makes only a few thousand less than I do a month. She stated in court that she pays her mom $500 in rent which is BS, she is only doing that now so that she makes herself look bad. I know she is doing pills, like oxy and what not. Id love to prove it.
after the temp hearing, in april, I had to go to court to contest my drivers license suspension as I hadn't paid child support since, august of last year. again, there is no way, I can pay my bills, feed my children, go to the doctor, pay my lawyer to end all of this BS and pay the current child support amount. and again, this final hearing is still not set yet. So they intercepted my tax return, even though the temporary modification was approved, the final is what gets it retro backed to the date of filing, so they took, a much needed 5500 tax return from me. I needed that cause one of the issues I failed to mention as well, hurricane Ian has destroyed my home and I'm still going through that process too. not to mention I am on payment plans with Mayo clinic and other various medical facilities. (no one cares) but the interest that accrues, makes it impossible to catch up. also, Florida department of rev is overstepping I feel, and asking for medical info to be sent to them as well as updated doctors letters to be sent saying that I am still on disability.
a few weeks ago, I got an email from my lawyer having a withdrawal notice from her lawyer. in the withdrawal, he stated that he cannot represent her, due to something she may have withheld or lied about (more or less wasn't worded like that but you can tell). In feb court appearance they never produced the PI report, or videos, they had medical info they shouldn't have had, and they had very outlandish comments about my lifestyle. So my lawyer filed immediately a motion to compel. meaning, we want to see everything you have on my client. this was filed almost immediately after court appearance on feb 20th. Susan has failed to provide any updated info requested by my attorney so on june 18th, we have that upcoming hearing.
in the mean time, I have sent my lawyer, a very heavily requested topics, such as "where did they get my medical records, if those were lies, what are the consequences if any"? What did exercising have to do with any of this despite various drs saying he has to or he will get worse.
I know wat you must be thinking, what about your oldest, how can you do that to him. Please listen. This woman has taken everything from me. And i mean everything but the roof over my head. I am seeing a therapist to help with the suicidal thoughts. it isnt enough. the reality of it is, I chose to be loyal and it bit me in the butt. This disease will rob me of everything, my teeth will fall out ( I had 5 cavities last time I went to the dentist) I haven't had a cavity since I was 30 and even then I was suspicious. And I am brushing 5 time s a day to save them. My skin is tightening, and my arms and muscles are wasting. I will literally be left with nothing. My organs will also start to harden, and I will have to start getting around the clock care.
I forgot to mention they (child support) recently, sent a letter to SSI (social security) saying that they would garnish my SSI before I even got it, totaling $1029. the incorrect amount. I sent this to my lawyer and she is looking into it. But it shows that child support will overstep and breaks every law or freedom you may think you have. I DO take care of my children. if they need a haircut i do it, school supplies clothes, anything I do it. And I do it, cause she wont. What I want to leave you with, is that woman can be dead beats too. Child support was designed to have woman off of government subsidized programs like section 8 food stamps and what not. Also to make the man pay for their children man or woman I should say, I know this. I am not running from my obligation. I just want Susan, to have to pay for what's she's done to me and the kids.
I would like to hear your thoughts on this, please comment and share, all names are fake, but everything else is unfortunately real. I know it was wordy, but I wanted to provide as much backstory as possible. And please. Respect my descions. When you are end of life, I hope someone would be kind enough to respect yours. You may not agree and that's ok, but I am asking you to respect them. Thank you for reading.

Hey all, 4th Wall here. The little storm that blew threw upended my, sort of, schedule. So, I'm just decided to write what came to mind first then alternate from there. Hope you guys enjoy the Episode.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon)
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Benjamin stared at the exhausted looking Farie in shock, “How much time do we have?”. Jukha simply stood, stepped over to the floorboards near the fireplace, and began ripping them up with his bare hands. After several planks yielded to his strength, Jukha pulled out a pair of packs, and handed one to Vilora. “Oh” Ben stated flatly, having been given the answer to his question. He turned to see the sisters already packing up their packs, and Ben began the same.

In moments, the four were ready to go, slipping out the back door and into the forest. Benjamin paused, “Hold on a moment.” He turned to look back at the house, reaching out with one hand before clenching it into a fist. He ripped the heat out of the roaring fire dispelling it into the air before kneeling down and placing both hands on the ground. Vilora gasped quietly at the power Benjamin began wielding a dangerous amount of Majik. He pulled from the depths of the world itself, summoning pure compounds from the ground and from various natural sources. He used the refuse in Jukha’s farmyard to provide him with the last of the required ingredients. It wouldn’t be much, but Benjamin relit the fireplace, forcing the flames to turn a few of the remaining logs into charcoal without burning them.
Extinguishing the flames once more, he combined the components he had acquired, before willing the concoction up into the flue and packing it around the circumference of the inside of the brick chimney. Vilora stepped up to him, touching his shoulder with a trembling hand, “What… what have you done. I felt it, but I don’t understand it.”
Benjamin took a long cleansing, and slightly shakey breath. The exertion left him feeling drained for a moment. He turned to her, expression was grim, but he patted her hand on his forearm, “Giving us some breathing room. They will search the house. I’ve just left them a little surprise.” He stood, looking towards the forest, “how do we get to your sisters.”

Vilora nodded and they followed her into the forest, it was not a long walk. And after about 20 minutes they came to a clearing with a strange tree in the middle. “Please, Ben. Whatever happens next, know that we are not Fay. Promise me.” Benjamin heard the fear in her voice wondering if it was from what he had just done, or something deeper. He nodded once absently, his musket already unslung and in his hands. He had loaded a buck and ball cartridge into it before they left the cabin, knowing that he was only going to get one shot in an ambush. Viola had his original flintlock pistol in her hand, and Valtrya was semi hiding behind her sister with Bens Stiletto dagger clutched tightly in her fingers. “Very well,” the Farie stated, and turned to face the tree. Her wings quickly began glowing a vibrant green, and they fluttered violently as she began to chant something in her native tongue.

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The Hunters arrived, led by the singular Orc from the capital guard. He was the same one that had been spared by Benjamin just over a week earlier. He brought with him a tracker. Ski’murika was one of the arachnid people known as Sil’skira. This one was a flat grey to Mi’ki’s own jet-black carapace, and she skittered lightly into the room. The Sil’Skira had no sense of smell, but their sense of taste bordered on the supernatural. She raised one leg to her mandibles, tasting the ground around them, before dipping it into a bowl and repeating the process, “four of them. An Orc, a Fay, two Aereesin females, and… a strange one. I’ve not sampled this one before, but he carries majik’s sour aftertaste.” The Soldier orc, and the three other Hunters managed to not cringe. The Sil’Skira were known for their wide… pallet… as far as what they considered food. Many a sentient being had been turned to a husk by a hungry Sil, and The Orc did not doubt that this one came by her… flavor recognition… honestly. The other three; a Hellirine named Jazeel, her twin brother named Jeraal, and a Mountain troll who’s name defied pronunciation gave the Sil a wide birth, stepping up to the fireplace. “Well, while we’re here. Lets warm our bones.” Jazeel casually began stacking wood and kindling atop the chared remains of an apparently freshly quenched fire. “How far do you think they could have gone?”

“Not far” the Sil’Skira stated absently, “Their food is but lukewarm. I can still taste the spittle on the strange one’s spoon.” She turned to pad over to the fireplace. The Soldier orc, named Gurrut leaned up against the table, “Should we really be stopping for a fire? If they are so close?” Jeraal only smirked, “It’s a long game boss. They may not have gotten far, but they will be frantic. Look at how they left. Something, or someone warned them. They will be ill prepared. No, better to keep our pace. We will wear them down easily in the mor..”

Jazeel lit a spark into her tinder box while her brother was talking. She placed it into the fireplace and the kindling lit quickly. A single twig flared up, sending an ember into the flu where Benjamin had packed his quickly made gunpowder. It ignited instantly, and the flu provided enough constriction to pressurize the reaction. The fireplace detonated in a weak, but effective improvised bomb. The brickwork shattered into shards of deadly fragmentation, Jareel simply ceased to exist, being turned to a cloud of yellow blood and internal organs trimmed in red skin and white bone fragments. Her brother’s head was caved in by a large brick chunk, sending skull bone spalling deep into his brain, rending it to ribbons. He died before he hit the floor. The Sil’Skira’s abdomen popped like a balloon in the over pressure wave, and she quickly curled into a quivering ball as her blood pressure dropped, no longer fighting against her leg muscles. Their employer, the soldier orc from the capital, lost his arm above the elbow. His armor saved his vital organs however, but one shard threaded the needle, taking his right eye. The Mountain troll was thrown to the far wall, but Her naturally resilient body survived both the shockwave and the fragmentation impacts. She picked herself off the floor, stumbling to the screaming capital guard. She bound his wounds quickly before taking a flaming shard of the sabotaged fire and searing the stump to stop the bleeding. She then left him there. There was no point in anything else. The hunt was over.

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Benjamin tried not to stare, but he was failing miserably. Jukha’s Farie wife’s body was glowing bright green now, and he almost had to shade his eyes if he tried to look directly at her. She was not the only one he was struggling not to stare at. Viola’s explanation and subsequent revelation had taken him by surprise. He realized that he had treated them like children, pupils at best. Benjamin had focused on training them to be free, turning a blind eye to the relationship forming between them and himself. *You are not forcing us to do anything but leave* He ran that statement over in his mind. The “leave you” was implicated heavily, and it ate at him. He did not want to force these girls to do anything. Yet, despite his best efforts, he was forcing something on them anyway. He silently both cursed his situation and cursed his own ignorance. He found that, if he was truthful with himself, he did not want them to leave either; and that more personal revelation brought its own paradox. He could not bear to own them as property, but the thought of leaving them tore at him with similar pain.

“It is almost time!” Benjamin looked back from where he was keeping watch, Vilora was panting heavily, her painfully bright glowing wings drooping slightly, “I won’t be able to keep the connection for long!” She called as the tree in front of them began to creak. Two of its great limbs began to move on their own accord, groaning under forces older than space and time. Benjamin’s eyes widened as the two branches slowly formed a sphere, then his head snapped around at the sound of a dull thud emanating from the direction they had come. He smiled grimly. His little IED must have been triggered, and with any luck, taken their pursuers with it.

“Ready yourselves!” Jukha called, and Ben turned back to a view he had not expected in his wildest dreams. ‘you’ve gatta be shitting me’ He thought as a rippling green mirror filled in the center of the circle created by the branches of the tree. Benjamin felt the sisters at his side. And he nodded to them, “you first. I’ll cover our six.” Vi raised an eyebrow at the odd expression but nodded. Taking her sister’s hand and stepping through the portal. They were closely followed by Jukha, who seemed absurdly calm about the whole thing. Benjamin held his ground, slowly backing toward the portal while he kept his eye on the tree line.

“Benjamin. Hurry, I can’t.. I can’t hold!” Vilora’s frantic tone moved Benjamin into action, He spun on his heels, slipping his musket to his left hand and scooping up Vilora as he passed her at a full sprint. He jumped as the portal sputtered, passing through it and into a familiar tunnel that he remembered from his first meeting with the Celestial, Sol. This one was a minute fraction of the distance, however, a single step in fact. His feet landed on soft moss and an earthy smell alerted him to his change of location. His eyes began to adjust to the much dimmer light as he set Vilora’s exhausted form on the ground gently. His eyes peeled away the darkness after a moment and Benjamin grunted, tucking the butt of the musket under his right arm as he thumbed the hammer and slapped the frizzen in place. He drew his sword/pistol hybrid and settled the sights on a second being, who just so happened to have the misfortune of being ordered to bind the sister’s wrists. The mechanical sounds of his weapons attracted the attention of everyone in attendance, but his voice froze them in place, “unbind them… now” he growled.
His musket, loaded with Buck and ball, was trained on a small group of Farie’s standing in close formation with thin lances rested base to the on the ground. The other Farie was currently holding the rope leash to the sisters. He glanced at the small squad of lancers, “you move, you die.” His tone bore icy promise on its wings, and even Jukha could not bring himself to act. “Benjamin. Peace, please. These are my sisters. They are Vin. Remember your promise” Vilora’s voice cut through the silence first, and Benjamin glanced at her, then back at the scene in front of him. He took a long deep breath, sheathing his sword/revolver, and lowering his Musket. He did not sling it, he returned it so a muzzle up ready position designed to keep his ammunition from falling out of the barrel should he still need it. “Then please explain to them that I have a pathological aversion these women being bound, and that It would be in their best interest to release them...mediately.” Vilora’s eyes widened as she turned to see the state of Vi and Val. She spoke quickly, and the Vin who held the girls looked back at Ben in shock before frantically unbinding both Vi and Val. The girls sprinted to Benjamin, slamming into him with shaking embraces before he gently, but protectively pushed them behind him.

One of the Lancers, a Farie with more ornate armor on than the rest stepped forward and Benjamin turned to face her, not so subtly settling his musket into a position to easily kill her if he needed. The Fairie paused, clearly considering something before Vilora stepped over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head at the other woman, it was an almost imperceptible thing, but the other farie’s eyes widened as she regarded Benjamin again. “Peace, Beenjaymin.” She said finally, handing off her lance to a subordinate and opening her hands to show them empty. “We do not mean you harm, but we must protect what little we have left. The Matriarch wishes to see you, but we cannot allow you to meet here bearing arms. Please, understand.”

Benjamin hesitated, and Viola leaned around him to look up. He gave her a smiling glance before looking back at the Farie. She nodded in understanding, “I swear to you. Your… girls… will be permitted to stay at your side for the trip. Our sister has explained that they are not mere slaves to you.” Benjamin eyed her skeptically, and if this realms concept of honesty were not already explained to him, he would have not believed her. He slowly reached for the hammer on his musket, lowering it gently to half-cock before handing it slowly to the Farie who originally bound the sisters, “Do not touch anything on it. This is not a weapon you have any concept of, and it can kill 4 people at once.” He held her gaze until she nodded, “lean it against something. This side up, and DON’T touch it.” He then unhooked the scabbard from his belt, handing the revolver sword and its sheath to her as one unit, “Same goes for this. I’ll know if you touch it. It is very loud.” He did the same with Vi’s flintlock pistol, surprised that it didn’t go off when it was dropped on the ground during their capture. The stiletto dagger was the last, a familiar weapon to this realm that needed no explanation.

“Very well.” Benjamin said finally, “I believe that is everything.” The head lancer nodded, waving an arm elegantly toward the biggest live oak that Benjamin had ever seen. Benjamin thought it might be a live oak, at least. It stood twice the height of a California Red Wood but had the proportions of a Live oak. Massive drooping main branches arched overhead before touching the ground and returning skyward. Some of the largest limbs were the lowest and seem to bounce along the ground. Each grounding seemed to sprout smaller trees, and Benjamin felt his mouth fall open as they drew closer. The texture of the limbs sharpened as they closed, and Benjamin began to make out lit windows, carved into the tree limbs themselves.

Carved into the base of the tree was an ornate entrance with lettering that Benjamin didn’t recognize carved into the arches. Benjamin felt Viola take one of his hands, and Valtrya take the other. He ran his thumbs over the soft tops of their hands, trying to comfort them as much as he could. He felt them press up against him as they entered a throne room of some kind. On the far end, atop a series of steps was a throne, carved into the wall itself. “The Matriarch” Vilora whispered from behind him.

Ben halted several paces behind the lancer squad, bowing as he watched Vilora and Jukha do so out of the corner of his eye. “Rise” came the command from the ornately yet unarmored Farie sitting on the throne, “So tell me,” She asked, looking directly at Benjamin, who was keeping the girls directly behind him, “Are you the reason that my orders to bind the Aereesins were not followed?” Benjamin instantly regretted giving up his weapons. “I am,” he stated meeting her gaze unflinchingly. “Oh? You believe yourself above my command?” Her cold tone registered, and Benjamin slowly closed his fist, finding what he was looking for. A single guard, one not present at their arrival began to march toward him, hand on her sword.

Benjamin speared the guard with an icy glare, while talking to the Farie ruler, “I expected Vin to be more hospitable.” He reached out with one hand and the guard froze as he gripped the metal of her armor with his mind, “Especially with women baring Vin names in solidarity.” He slowly began to close his outstretched fist, and the guard inside the armor began screaming as the metal buckled, compressing against her body. Benjamin finally turned his icy gaze to the monarch, “My girls” He hated to use that card, but it was the only one he had that wasn’t lethal, “Have spent over a century being bound, tortured, raped, and degraded. I killed their former master, a Romoregin no less, for it. I killed his puke son’s champion for it. I’ve killed two capital guards for it. I will kill without mercy to keep bindings from touching their skin. So, my lady what are you willing to do to bind them.” He gave the guards armor another small squeeze, using the shrieking metal to punctuate his resolve.

The queen slowly stepped off her Throne, walking stoically over to her guard as she eyed Benjamin contemplatively. “Stand down, Vailin.” She said to the now trembling guard, but her eyes were on Benjamin. Benjamin slowly released his grip on her armor and she fell to the floor, weeping. “You two, get her to a healer.” The monarch ordered before taking to her wings and hovering up to face Benjamin at eye level. “You care so much for your slaves, yet you do not free them. Why is that.”

“Benjamin doesn’t want to keep us slaves!” Viola blurted out before she caught herself meekly adding “Your majesty” as the Monarch leveled a surprised but firm expression at her. “Oh? And yet you are still his, dear.” she said, turning back to Benjamin. Benjamin took a deep breath, “The principality would have resold them anyway. My only choice was to own them, teach them, then smuggle them to a free nation, or murder them by returning them to the system. Had we made it to Maridia, they would be emancipated already.” He met the Monarchs gaze levelly, “Their lives are in my hands… but at least their blood isn’t on them.”

“Hmm, compassion and violence of action. No wonder Cosmos touched you.” The Queen mused. Benjamin chuckled at the expression drawing a raised eyebrow from the Vin Monarch, “Something funny, young one?” and Benjamin gave her an amused smile, “It’s just that I’ve heard something like that before, from Sol. I believe the Orcs call her Suelin.”

This time, the Vin Monarch’s face smoothed of all expression as she failed to find any falsehood in Benjamin, “Come with me, please.” She stated it as a question, but her urgency peaked Benjamin's curiosity. The four of them followed the queen up to the throne. She pulled on an armrest and the throne slid into the wall to one side, revealing a simply carved passage into the heart of the tree.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
f you made it this far, I very much appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the episode! If you believe I have earned it, I have a Patreon that is two episodes ahead of the free releases for this series. I hope you feel taking a look is worth it. Either way, come hang out in the comments. Everyone's welcome! I've discovered Im a bit of a "warts and all" poster, so even critical comments are welcome. Hell, You might even teach me something (it happens more than I'd like to admit).
I have heard people off and on reference Royal road, So I am going to give it another shot. I'll be adding the Royal Road link from now on. If you like reading over there, It is on the same schedule as here. I would greatly appreciate a like/review/comment if you feel so inclined. Thank you again for stopping by.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon) Royal Road

My lease goes until June 30th. I've had massive issues for over a year with neighbors (screaming fights outside my window at 4 am, multiple times, loud parties, etc). and because the manager hasn't dealt with it, decided not to renew my lease.
I have this all in writing: after my last complaint, and my apartment manager refusing to let me talk to their supervisor, I wrote this in an email, on April 19 (well before the deadline to give 60 day notice, but less than 60 days from June 5)

We have decided not to renew our lease. We would move out on June 5, at which point the unit would be available for you to list. We ask that you waive our June rent, in recognition of the discomfort, stress, and loss of sleep we have experienced for over a year. We would move out on June 5, at which point the unit would be available for you to list. I believe this is mutually beneficial.

Manager wrote back:

I’m sorry that you did not get the response you were looking for. I’m extremely happy to hear that there haven’t been any incidents in over a month. We will put your home on the market for the move out date of June 5^th. While I can’t waive any rental fees, I can waive the penalty for not providing 60 day notice to vacate.

I wrote:

I think that is an acceptable outcome for us. I will put in official notice through the website. So I'm clear, the June rent would then be pro-rated through June 5th?

Manager:

Yup! You’ll pay rent and utilities up until June 5^th. You won’t see your final utilities until closer to or even after June 5^th.

Yesterday, I got a letter stating our lease would end June 30th, which is not what the agreement was. I wrote back asking to confirm that we are pro-rated through June 5th, and assistant manager wrote back (typos not mine):

It looks like your current lease expires on June 30th, with that said you will be responsible for your lease and your utilities up until June 30^th. I attached your lease for review. I believe in the email that [manager] sent where you asked to move out June 5^th, she assumed that was the end of your lease, and just miss spoken about only being responsible until June 5^th. This was her mistake and she does apologize for the misunderstanding.

If you would like to break your lease early there is an option to early terminate your lease, which would be giving a 30 day written notice be responsible for your lease and your utilities for that 30 days, and you would also be responsible for a penalty fee that would be equal to two months rent. If you are not interested in the early termination option, you will be responsible until the end of your lease which is 6/30/2024.

again, I already officially gave notice that we are not renewing lease, so why the f&** would I pay the early termination fee. It seems to me like I have it in writing, and I made all my moving plans under that reliance, but I don't know what my legal options are here and I feel like they're going to try to screw me over this because they decided they don't want to give me a break after all. For what it's worth, they seem to have no problem renting units, so I don't think they would have a problem filling this apartment whether we move out June 5 or June 30.
help??

Associated Student Inc. Vice President Naman Pandadiya resigned from his position before the vote for his removal during the last Board of Directors.
Board members of ASI drafted a letter of justification for the removal of Naman. This letter was read out loud at the last board of directors meeting and including the following allegations brought forth by BOD members and ASI staff: Improper use of ASI funds, falsification of legal document sent to ASI Staff, excessive unexcused absences, withholding students' opinions and voices from the board, unprofessional and inappropriate behavior in interactions with CPP Students, and failure to perform the duties of his role.
\*Something important to mention is that ASI student government members obtain a Scholarship which come from student fees! Fees that YOU pay are going to this. Please be informed!!**\**

1. Improper use of ASI funds
   1. During the meeting the following example was shared regarding his unauthorized use of ASI funds which notably comes from student fees: In early March, Naman contacted Michelle Ellis Viorato from CPP’s Office of Government and External Affairs about attending CSU Hill Day in Washington D.C., but was informed that only the ASI President and Secretary of External Affairs were budgeted to attend. Naman then sought travel support from Associate Director James Rocker. On May 21, James learned from Government and External Affairs that Naman could only attend a tour and a reception, which did not justify ASI financial support, and this was communicated to Naman on March 22. On May 14, Teresa Gonzalez from ASI Corporate Finance flagged unauthorized charges on Naman’s ASI procurement card from March 20-21 related to Washington travel, along with additional unauthorized charges on March 27 in Sacramento.
   2. It is important to note that although this was the only example shared, we have no way of knowing if more improper use of ASI funds has occurred, and again, these come from our student fees.
2. Falsification of legal document sent to ASI Staff
   1. During the meeting the following example was shared regarding his falsification of legal documents: On May 9, ASI staff received a letter from Naman Pandadiya, supposedly from an international law firm, alleging that ASI Board members were linked to individuals who had threatened him, causing his absence from campus and Board meetings. The letter claimed the firm was hired to take legal action outside of campus jurisdiction. On May 10, ASI legal counsel discovered the named attorney was not registered with the California Bar Association and the law firm had no knowledge of the attorney or the issues mentioned in the letter.
   2. Not only is this fraud but it shows the lengths he will go through to cover his tracks.
3. 3. Excessive unexcused absences
   1. During the meeting the following examples were shared: He had miss a vast majority of committee meetings and BOD meetings, which again, are under his responsibilities as VP. He also failed to communicate with senators and failed to provide the necessary leadership.
   2. The Board also received no communication or explanation for the Vice President's absence from all ASI meetings and activities during the last month and a half of the term. Naman Pandadiya also provided false reasons for his absence to the Board members. ASI Student Government Staff reported having no valid excuse on his behalf, and the University has stated they cannot comment on the matter. Numerous students, staff, and Board members have observed Naman on campus over the past month, raising significant questions and concerns regarding his commitment and integrity.
      1. He had told members of the board that he was out of state and that he had "concerns for his safety." Meaning that his reasons and excuses were false.
   3. It is important to note that the University has mentioned that they cannot comment on the matter therefore, there could potentially be something bigger happening involving Naman.
4. 4. Withholding students' opinions and voices from the board, unprofessional and inappropriate behavior in interactions with CPP Students, and failure to perform the duties of his role
   1. During Board of Directors (BOD) meetings, Committee meetings, Open Forums, and private meetings, both students and Board members have reported instances of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior by the Vice President. He has made remarks such as "No one wants to be here, let’s end it," "I don’t want to be here," "Let’s get this over with," and "I know we all have better things to be doing." His rushed, impatient, and disengaged demeanor has created an unwelcoming environment, placing undue pressure on attendees. Numerous reports from campus organizations and students indicate his failure to communicate their concerns during BOD meetings. Additionally, as the liaison between the ASI BOD and the ASI Cabinet, the Vice President has consistently failed to share information between the groups, undermining collaboration and transparency. He has also refused to amend the BOD agenda to include discussion items from senators, hindering their ability to voice their concerns as campus leaders.

This letter, according to the Board of Directors, was sent to Naman on May 14 and he had the opportunity to address the board regarding these concerns at yesterday's BOD meeting. What did he do instead? He made a cowardly move and instead resigned right before the meeting. This speaks volumes as he was able to address these allegations and maybe explain himself. His silence and resignation speaks volumes. According to many, he has blocked a vast amount of people from CPP on his Instagram account and it has now been activated.
The president, Ilke Suzer, was also absent during this BOD meeting with no excuse or communication to the board according to the Board of Directors. Notably, in the previous BOD meeting it was accidentally revealed that she was frantically texting members of the board to not talk about Naman or his removal. Again, this raises more questions. Is she trying to protect him? Or is she also involved in his fraudulent activities?
Why is this important?
Our student fees pay the ASI scholarship provided to members of student government. If they do not do their required duties our money is going towards nothing and it is going to waste. Naman Pandadiya may have done more serious fraudulent acts that we may not publicly know of. According to his LinkedIn, he holds various leadership positions in many organizations and clubs on campus which enables him to do more fraudulent acts like the ones mentioned above.
Again, the university has said that they cannot comment on the matter which should raise questions as well if this could potentially be a cover-up for something bigger happening.

My husband and I recently got our approval and would love to share our experience on this sub as long time lurkers. We would not have been able to get through this terrifying process without so many shared experiences/stories on this thread. You guys are truly amazing.
Little bit about our case:

• my path as an I-485 applicant is F1 (undergrad) -> F1 (master degree) -> post-OPT -> I-485.
• We started dating in Oct 2021, got married in July 2023 and filed in Sept 2023. Did not have a big wedding. We went to city hall then went to the park to exchange vows. Ended the day with an intimate dinner with close friends and my husband’s family. No one from my family was able to attend because they are far away (we planned to do a big wedding later).
• I did submit my medical along with the application.
• No RFE, no interview upon approval.

We did not hire a lawyer and filed by ourselves. Few things we learned:

1. In our experience, the timeline tracker in portal is not reliable for I-130 & I-485 timeline. A week before we got approved it jumped to 19 months. On the day we got approved, it says 6 months. It did fluctuate A LOT since the moment we submitted till when we got approved. Every time we got close to 2 months left, it changes again. However, it was pretty accurate for our I-765 & I-131.
2. The reason we used to get approval for AP is that we want to be able to travel abroad to celebrate my in-law’s 30th wedding anniversary and have a honeymoon in Paris.
3. We went back and forth with the amount of evidence we should submit, and ended up with the mindset: the more, the better. We want to be as clear as possible about our relationship to avoid any additional RFE. Documents we submitted include:
   • Letters from my in-law and my parents testifying our relationship. My in-law wrote a really nice letter about the moment they realized that I’m the one for my husband.
   • A summary timeline of our relationship with what we consider important milestones. Then, we submit photos with captions in accordance with the milestones. The milestones and the evidence are:
     • Getting to know each other period - screenshots of text exchange my husband asking me out up to 5th date.
     • Officially dating - no photo evidence but is listed on the milestone list.
     • My 1st trip visiting my husband’s family - photos and flight receipts.
     • Birthday and anniversary celebrations and cards for each other throughout 2 years.
     • Scans of our love letters — we like writing love letters to each other and it became pretty handy.
     • Text exchange of us discussing moving in together. I could not be added to the lease at that time but we had proof of him discussing the matter with his roommates. Submitted Venmo screenshots of me sending him rent $.
     • More photos of us as we continue to date, attending friends’ weddings/parties/birthdays and family vacation together.
     • Shared Costco member card.
     • Ring receipt. No proposal photos, because my husband did it spontaneously in our bedroom lol.
     • Wedding photos at city hall and vow exchange at the park.
     • Copies of our vows.
     • Scans of wedding cards from close friends and family members. Dinner receipt we paid for that night.
     • Joint bank statements. We opened one right after we got married.

Below is our timeline:
Total days: 231 / Chicago Lockbox @ National Benefits Center
PD: 9/29/2023
IOE0922******
I-765 & I-131:
Receipt notice: 9/29/23
Changed to actively reviewed: 11/2/23
Card produced: 12/29/23
Card delivered: 1/2/24
I-130 (concurrent with I-485):
Receipt notice: 9/29/23
Changed to actively reviewed: 5/14/24
Case approved: 5/15/24
I-485:
Receipt notice: 9/29/23
Biometrics scheduled: 10/13/23
Changed to actively reviewed: 11/2/23
Case approved: 5/15/24

Helldivers 2 Ministry of Truth Official Handbook

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Code of Conduct
3. Deployment Protocols
4. Leave Policies
5. Standard Attire
6. Disciplinary Actions
7. Chain of Command
8. Rank Structure
9. Sample Gathering: The Art of Lootology

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Helldivers 2 Ministry of Truth Official Handbook. This document serves as your definitive guide to maintaining order, discipline, and efficiency while saving Super Earth from the merciless Terminids and Automatons. Adhere to these guidelines, and you’ll not only survive but thrive in the honor of our glorious mission. Fail, and... well, let's just say the Ministry doesn’t take kindly to failure.

2. Code of Conduct

2.1 Loyalty to Super Earth

• Every Helldiver must exhibit unwavering loyalty to Super Earth and the Ministry of Truth.

2.2 Respect for Comrades

• Treat all fellow Helldivers with respect. Insults, brawling, and any forms of insubordination will be punished severely.

2.3 Integrity in Action

• Engage in combat with honor. Cheating, dishonesty, and cowardice are beneath the dignity of a Helldiver.

2.4 Perpetual Readiness

• Maintain your equipment and stay combat-ready at all times. A Helldiver never knows when duty will call.

3. Deployment Protocols

3.1 Briefing Attendance

• Mandatory attendance at all mission briefings. Knowledge is power; ignorance is a court-martial.

3.2 Equipment Checks

• Perform comprehensive checks of all gear before deployment. A malfunction in the field is not a valid excuse—it's a death sentence.

3.3 Mission Execution

• Follow all mission parameters to the letter. Improvisation is for jazz musicians, not Helldivers.

4. Leave Policies

4.1 Requesting Leave

• Submit leave requests in triplicate to your commanding officer at least two weeks prior to the desired leave date.

4.2 Leave Approval

• Leave is granted based on mission schedules and operational needs. Remember, saving Super Earth takes precedence over vacation time.

4.3 Emergency Leave

• Emergency leave is granted for immediate family crises, like if your pet cyborg ferret is ill. Proof will be required.

5. Standard Attire

5.1 Helmet

• Must be worn at all times during deployment. Protects against enemy fire, harsh environments, and stray thoughts of desertion.

5.2 Cape

• Capes are not just encouraged; they are mandatory for that extra flair in battle. Remember, capes don't just look heroic; they are heroic.

5.3 Armor

• Full body armor is mandatory. It's not just for show; it's to keep your insides inside.

5.4 Primary Weapon

• Issued based on mission specifics. Handle with care and unleash with extreme prejudice.

5.5 Secondary Weapon

• Usually a sidearm. Think of it as your backup plan when things get personal.

5.6 Grenades

• Carry a standard issue of grenades. When in doubt, make it explode.

6. Disciplinary Actions

6.1 Desertion

• Punishable by barrage engagement. Desertion is not just cowardice; it’s an invitation to become target practice.

6.2 Abandoning Post

• Leaving your post without authorization results in immediate disciplinary action, ranging from reassignment to hazardous duty to public shaming via intergalactic broadcast.

6.3 Insubordination

• Orders from a higher rank must be followed. Failure to comply will lead to re-education sessions or worse, latrine duty.

7. Chain of Command

7.1 Higher Rank Orders

• Orders given by a higher rank (friend) are to be followed. Questioning authority is reserved for philosophers, not soldiers.

7.2 Reporting Structure

• Report all activities, suspicious behaviors, and mission updates through the proper channels. The Ministry of Truth is always watching.

7.3 Conflict Resolution

• Disputes between ranks are to be settled through the proper military channels. Duels are highly discouraged, but if it must come to that, make it quick and entertaining.

8. Rank Structure

8.1 Rank Progression

• Promotion is based on merit, bravery, and an unyielding desire to save Super Earth. The maximum rank is 150.

8.2 Recognition

• Exceptional service is recognized through medals, commendations, and occasionally, less hazardous duty assignments.

8.3 No Demotion

• There is no demotion. Every Helldiver is essential to the mission, and mistakes are opportunities for growth, not punishment.

9. Sample Gathering: The Art of Lootology

9.1 Importance of Samples

• Gathering samples is not just a chore; it's the backbone of our technological advancements. Remember, behind every great invention, there's probably a sample of something slimy or explosive.

9.2 Sample Collection Techniques

• Approach with caution and a sturdy sample collection kit. Remember, if it moves, grab it. If it doesn’t move, grab it anyway, just to be sure.

9.3 Sample Handling

• Treat samples with care; they might just hold the key to unlocking the next level of weaponized ridiculousness. Just don't mix up the explosive samples with your lunch.

9.4 Sample Reporting

• Report all samples collected through the proper channels. You never know, that weird glowing rock could be the missing piece to our anti-Terminid ray gun.

By following these guidelines, you ensure not only your survival but the continued safety and prosperity of Super Earth. Remember, the Ministry of Truth has high expectations and an even higher threshold for nonsense. Stay vigilant, stay loyal, and keep the galaxy safe!

Liber-tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of courage
• 2 teaspoons of determination
• A pinch of camaraderie
• 3 tablespoons of freedom

Instructions:

1. Fill your canteen with boiling water from the nearest lava stream (be careful not to melt the canteen).
2. Add courage and determination to the water and stir vigorously with the nearest available weapon.
3. Let the mixture steep for precisely 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Timing is crucial.
4. Sprinkle in a pinch of camaraderie for flavor and stir again, this time clockwise.
5. Finally, add the tablespoons of freedom one at a time while reciting the Super Earth pledge. Stir until fully dissolved.
6. Serve liber-tea hot for an extra morale boost, or chill over ice for a refreshing victory celebration.

Enjoy your Liber-tea and remember, with every sip, you're fighting for freedom, one delicious gulp at a time!

Who is Francis Sinclair? (quick recap):
Francis Sinclair was born in 1898/1906 to parents Tom and Mrs. Sinclair. His father died before he was born, so his mother had to take care of him. When he was younger, he lived in Hawks Eye Cabin outside of Strawberry with his mother. He moved to New York City and lived an affluent life before traveling to the Old West period in the 1920s/1930s.
Francis Sinclair is first met in a cabin outside of Strawberry and tells his story about hunting for rock carvings around the world. He says he will pay a good price for all ten of them, but doesn't say why.
After the player sends him letters pointing out the rock carving locations, Francis invites them back to his cabin, but will be mysteriously absent. In the end of the quest-line, a woman appears in the cabin with a ginger-haired baby named Francis. After the protagonist expresses their confusion about the situation, Francis' mother asks the player for their name, but after finding out that the baby is actually Francis, the astounded protagonist tells her that it's not important and leaves.
Francis Sinclair seems mysterious and talks quickly. He speaks in a strange dialect and uses slang the protagonist doesn't understand.
After finishing the Stranger quest "Geology for Beginners," his notes and drawings are revealed to the player. They suggest that he may be a time traveler. His documents show a figure who jumps between the past, present, and future. Francis was interested in rock carvings that depicted skyscrapers, a big city, an atom, and a nuclear explosion.
How Francis Sinclair is (and isn't) connected to Grand Theft Auto:
Francis Sinclair has a strong accent that was popular in American culture in the 1920s and 1930s. The fact that he was an infant in 1899–1907 suggests this. Sinclair's Business Card has a picture of an hourglass with wings on it that represents time and travel. He wears a belt and trousers with belt loops, supporting the idea that he traveled through time. Before the 1900s, people only used belts to carry things instead of keeping their pants on. Also, pants with belt loops didn't exist until 1922.
Francis is similar to another time traveler, Ernest Keigel, a character who stars in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories radio program called The Time Ranger. - Both of them speak with a Transatlantic accent. - Both have a decent understanding of science. - Both are fast talkers. - Both use 1920s and 1930s slang and are thought to have lived within the time period.
This is where Rockstar Games mostlikefully got the inspiration for Francis Sinclair, a person from the 1930s time traveling through various time periods.
Francis Sinclair resembles Kraff, one of three false deities worshiped by the Epsilon Program in Grand Theft Auto V. However, the character's portrayal and background contradict every aspect of Epsilonism (red birthmark, prohibited red hair, time travel science (general relativity), contradictory years with Epsilonism's creation and their Young Earth theory, setting in an unrelated universe, etc.), making the possibility of being a reference unlikely and simply a coincidence. Nevertheless, his unique birthmark is never employed for any religious reason; rather, it is designed to serve as a plot device for a more significant revelation during his last on-screen encounter, allowing the player to easily identify him in his "second form."
The mural doesn't solve a bigger mystery. It shows different time periods, and there's no hidden message to find. Some things are not puzzles. Francis Sinclair is a geologist who is looking for rock carvings that have already been found. The history book he always has with him demonstrates that he only wants to put them together so he can find the answer faster. Geology is the study of pressure and time, but he clearly is obsessed with this puzzle he doesn't have an answer for because it has to be put together first. Francis is not doing this to help a religious group. He is doing it for himself because that's how science works in the Red Dead Redemption Universe.

PC
Reddit Account: u/T_Towers
Discord Tag: Talltower
Name and House: Edwell Celtigar
Age: 42
Cultural Group: Valyrian (Westerosi)
Appearance: A sturdy, somewhat stocky man, Edwell Celtigar of Claw Isle has a powerful presence to himself, bringing an authenticity to his words and mannerisms. Edwell has a long face with a broad forehead and prominent, expressive features. His hair is a striking blonde with a silver flare, which is considered to be a symbol of great luck for house Celtigar. His eyes are dark brown, alluding to his family's Andal genetics. Despite his active history and assuming appearance, over time, his belly has become round and his hairline receded slightly, giving way to more forehead.
Trait: Marketer
Skill(s): Axes, Merchantman, Broker, Admiral, Scrutinous
Talent(s): Woodcarving, Chanteys, Sailing
Negative Trait(s): N/A
Starting Title(s): Lord of Claw Isle
Starting Location: Event
Alternate Characters: n/a
Timeline
20 BC - Edwell is born to Lord Alton Celtigar.
12 BC - Edwell has his first experience at sea, sailing with his father, bonding over their shared love of seafaring.
7 BC - At age 13, Edwell travels with his father to Gulltown, ostensibly to learn about merchant matters but primarily to secure a betrothal with the Graftons.
6 BC - After a year in Gulltown, Edwell is warded by the Velaryons on Driftmark, where he becomes fascinated by Valyrian history and fits in well with the Velaryon youth.
1 BC - Edwell returns to Claw Isle to attend his uncle Corley's wedding to Lehna Hardy.
3 BC - The Celtigars meet with Aegon on Dragonstone to plan the Conquest. Edwell is sent to Gulltown to be married to his betrothed Juline Grafton, and hopefully convince her lord father to join Aegon. Edwell marries Juline Grafton in Gulltown, successfully charming her and her father but opting not to press Gulltown to join Aegon.
2 BC - Edwell returns to Claw Isle with Juline. He is given a fleet to secure transport routes between Dragonstone, Claw Isle, and Aegonfort, where his father helps in its construction and defense.
1 BC - Edwell and his uncle plan a landing on Crackclaw point to occupy keeps that had failed to swear fealty to Aegon. A storm postpones the landing, but Edwell manages to guide his fleet to a landing on Brownhollow, promptly besieging House Brune’s keep. The Celtigar’s host engages with skirmishes from outriders. Edwell stops receiving letters from his wife upon news of a Velaryon fleet’s assault on Gulltown.
1-2 AC - Through negotiations via Corley's connections with House Hardy, siege of House Brune ends peacefully. Later, house Brune would directly swear fealty to the Targareans, Aegon ignoring (most likely forgetting) the Celtigar’s claims on the region. Lord Celtigar and his brother go down to the Aegonfort hoping to argue for their family’s claim. Edwell goes back to Claw Isle, hoping to mend his marriage. Their first son, Dylan Celtigar, Edwell’s first son, is born.
3 AC - Edwell's daughter, Liliyana, is born.
5 AC - Edwell's youngest son, Monterys, is born with dark purple eyes but dies later that year. Edwell and Juline plan a trip to Essos to escape their grief.
6-10 AC - Edwell’s family vacations and engages in diplomacy across Essos. Edwell participates in tourneys and duels with mixed success. Edwell sires a daughter, Prudence.
11 AC - Edwell befriends Innero Ostios of Braavos and invests in a successful trade ventures.
15 AC - Edwell returns to Claw Isle upon hearing his father was taken hostage. He and his uncle secure Alton’s release. Shaken, Alton forbids Edwell from leaving, preparing him for lordship.
17-19 AC - Lord Alton dies, making Edwell the new lord of Claw Isle. Edwell frequently visits Driftmark to attend Lord Varr Velaryon’s tourneys, which help him cope with his grief. The tourneys and drinking help him remember his time in Essos.
20 AC - Lord Edwell travels to King's Landing and Essos as part of a group of lords convincing the crown to send a mission East (Eastern Wooing). He happily travels back to Essos, meeting with his old friend Innero.
22 AC - Lord Edwell returns from Essos to Claw Isle.

As the title says, and no other website has this problem on my PC. And I have adblock disabled for YT.
It's slow when scrolling through shorts, it's slow when I'm typing a comment (letters appear in a few seconds after I press the key on the keyboard), it takes long time to open a video and sometimes to load it, and all user avatars are absent, so I only see their nicknames.
What's happening? For example, another "heavy" website like Twitch works perfectly, and other video-centered websites. May the problem be in just having the adblock installed at all?

About 7 months ago, I (37M) married my partner (27F, former coworker) of 4 years. We had a spectacular wedding (no expense spared, I paid for most of it), ~500 attendees including political elite, it couldn't have been more perfect.
As an expat of ~10 years in her home country, I had reservations committing to any local partner due to uncertainty surrounding the cultural, religious, and socio-economic gap. That uncertainty disappeared when, 6 months into our relationship, she casually mentioned her family's elite political heritage (something I would have name dropped on the first date 😅); so I was convinced I had found someone who checked all the boxes... her family is lovely!
~1.5 months after our marriage, she started working late a lot, staying with friends more than usual, and the sex life started deteriorating. Around then, she started planning our honeymoon, but her year-end vacation is much longer than mine so she also planned a follow up trip with a female friend to an exotic'ish country nearby.. fine by me, have fun! During her trip, I asked her to send selfies/wefies with her friend and got nothing... She came back from the trip and told me she thought our relationship wasn't going to work out. 🤯 Lots of gaslighting, silly reasons that could be easily worked through. I put in lots of effort to connect, strengthen the relationship, and was met with more avoidance, work trips, and nights with friends.
3.5 months in, she messaged me that I needed to get checked for STDs because she was positive for gonorrhea; I tested negative, but having had sex with her two days prior, I was tested positive within 7 days. Initially, she lied about where it came from, but eventually she confessed that it came from a one night stand with "Guy S" on her "work trip" two weeks prior, exactly 90 days after our marriage. I was mad, probably shouted a bit, insisted "First time, Last time" and she couldn't agree to that: "I'm afraid it will happen again." I read If you're in my office it's already too late, started The Gottman Method, booked marriage counseling sessions, and honestly forgave her... I had cheated on a girlfriend when I was her age (didn't give that GF an STD! 😒) so I could relate and repair / rebuild.
4.7 months after our marriage, while the work trips, nights with friends, withdrawal continued... I went through her purse and found photos of her kissing "Guy J", love letters from him, and used emergency contraceptives. Immediately, I went to talk to her at her parent's house, she was staying there for a family event. She refused to speak to me 1o1 so the conversation happened in front of her parents. Everything came out. The STDs from "Guy S", the photos with "Guy J", and the countless "work" trips that were lies. She countered with all my shortcomings... gaslighting: my poor sexual performance, how I don't appreciate her cooking enough, etc. I let her get it out, left, she stayed with her parents for a week, and they berated her for her actions.
In the meantime, I started going through bank statements, text messages, talked with her friends (connected with the post-honeymoon trip friend, she friend maintained the lie) and I discovered that her post-honeymoon trip with was actually with "Guy J"... because she bought the tickets & hotel with our money and he repaid some of it with bank transfer "Thanks"... only 1.5 months after our marriage. 😖 When she came back, still in shock / in the fog, I gave her two options: A) Divorce B) Truth & Reconciliation + Postnup. She chose option B, but continued to lie: "he reimbursed me for the trip because he couldn't go". 🤦
I took a month off to return to my home country and broke the news to my mother in person. I didn't tell my mom about the STDs, only the affair, but she didn't need convincing => Option A is the only way forward and she never wants to see / speak to my wife again. During the month away, my wife said she was sorry and she wanted to make everything right... she said Truth & Reconciliation would start when I got back.
I returned this past Monday and I didn't want to break the news to her as soon as I walked through the door, so we've had a week of business as usual. She's been on her best behavior, which is nice'ish, but I can't see past her ability to deceive and I can't ignore everyone's advice that Option A is the only way forward... so I plan to break the news to her tomorrow. 😖 😬
Why am I posting this? Idk; maybe to vent, maybe to seek validation that I'm not being an asshole for ending things while she is finally coming around... mostly to get feedback on how to support her while standing up for myself. I'm not a psychologist so it's unfair for me to diagnose her, but she sociopathically(?) maintained a deeply emotional affair for ~4 months while playing wife... maybe I can do the same, supporting her, while we setup a future without each other? *OR* Break the news, help her pack up, and book a rental for her. *OR* I'm an idiot, this week of normality is a sign that she's turned a new leaf and we'll live happily ever after.
Anxious for tomorrow, thank you for reading, sorry for the long post... most trying 6 months of my life thus far. 🥲 🤗

Back in 2020, my parents bought a dilapidated, empty house in Queens and completely renovated it into a beautiful, personal home to move into. However, just recently, they were notified via a letter on their door that a DOB inspector came by in an attempt to inspect the basement but was unable to obtain access.
I found through the DOB building search that there was a Partial Vacate Order issued in 2011 to the previous owners of the house after someone filed a complaint that there were illegal occupants in the basement. This seems to be a continuation of that unresolved violation which is confusing to me because my parents pulled permits and had all the proper DOB inspections done during and after the renovation. The passed inspections should have cleared the violation.
Although, the simple solution would be to just schedule the DOB inspector to come, my parents did have the basement modified post-renovation to add a bedroom and a bathroom to accommodate my grandparents who come visit from out of the country every other year. They don't rent out the basement or anything like that but the current layout does differ from what's on the official floorplans.
My parents would very much like to avoid demolishing the bedroom and bathroom to pass the inspection. Are there any recourses for a situation like this? Would the DOB hear us out if we explain the situation?

"In the Mood for Love" holds a special place in my heart. It was my gateway to international cinema, a film that left a profound impact on my teenage self amidst a sea of mediocre romances. Revisiting it recently was a revelation. This is just an appreciation post I wrote after trying to dive deeper into this work of Wong Kar-wai, a visual story genius.
Whispers Behind Closed Doors: Drawing Us into the Narrative
The film delves into adultery, but with a twist. It captures the essence of gossip, that irresistible urge to peek into the lives of others. We, the audience, become voyeurs, positioned through camerawork that suggests we're peering through windows. Director Wong Kar-wai masterfully employs "frame within a frame" techniques, further emphasizing this outsider perspective.
The Burden of Appearances: A Love Under Surveillance
Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are acutely aware of the social repercussions of their affair. They tread carefully, avoiding public displays of affection. Yet, they remain constantly visible to us, the unseen observers. This dynamic shifts with a pivotal scene. When Mr. Chow receives a letter from his wife, he shuts the door for the first time, blocking our intrusive gaze. This act signifies a turning point. He no longer seeks answers, the letter seemingly absolving him of blame. He stops trying to embody the man his wife desires.
Shadows of the Past: A Constant Reminder
Unlike conventional love stories, "In the Mood for Love" acknowledges the complex web of relationships. Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan's bond is defined by the presence of their spouses. The film masterfully utilizes shadows to represent this ever-present reality. As their connection deepens, shadows seem to follow them, a constant reminder of the weight they carry. This is poignantly illustrated when Mr. Chow leaves Mrs. Chan. As he withdraws his hand, his shadow stretches out, mirroring the absent husband she loses alongside him.
The Power of Subtlety: A Performance that Speaks Volumes
For me, understated acting holds immense power. The cast delivers nuanced performances that hint at unspoken emotions, urging the audience to decipher them. Maggie Cheung's portrayal of loneliness, with subtle eye movements and facial expressions, is a masterclass in emotional depth. Similarly, Tony Leung Chiu-wai's portrayal of loss while simply sitting at a noodle stall speaks volumes about his character's internal turmoil.
"In the Mood for Love" is a film that transcends time. It's a tapestry woven with masterful direction, exceptional performances, and a timeless exploration of love, loss, and the weight of unspoken desires. It's a film that grows with you, offering new revelations with each viewing.

I know the tittle is a bit weird, but this was the best way I found to translate what was said. Obligatory apologies for bad grammar and/or spelling. English is not my first language.
I'm M44, my husband is M40 (been married for 20 years, together for 22) and our adoptive son is M24. He's black and we're not. I'm only mentioning this because it's relevant to the story later. This does not take place in the US.
Let me give a little bit of background to the situation. About 19 years ago, me and my husband had been driving on a highway, back from a small vacation, when along a particularly long stretch of road (absolutely no buildings around, only a ton of grass and hills as far as the eye could see), we spotted a little boy just sitting by the side of the road.
Like I mentioned, there was nothing around for miles, and no cars close to where the boy was, so we decided to stop and see if everything was ok. When we got closer to the boy, let's call him Jason (fake name), it was very easy to see he was dirty and malnourished since the only thing he had on were some diapers. He was so small it didn't look like he could be older than 3 (later found out he was actually 5).
We asked him why he was alone, and he told us that "Mommy and daddy put him here and told him to wait." There was no cell signal in the area, so we did the sensible thing and brought him back to town to the nearest police station.
To make a long story short, CPS was called, we discovered his parents were some druggies that were on the run from a felony. The only other relative Jason had was his grandmother, who was very mentally ill and couldn't take care of him, and we felt bad. He went into foster care soon after, but we felt bad for the kid and kept in touch with his case worker.
I had (still do) an extremely well paying job at the time, and could easily afford a decent lifestyle for a small family, so after a few months of discussions between ourselves, the case worker, and some bureaucracy, we formally adopted Jason.
Now onto the situation. About 3 years ago, Jason's parents were released from prison on parole. They contacted him not long after in hopes of reconnecting. Prior to that they'd sent him a few odd letter here or there, but nothing really substantial.
At first he was hesitant to talk to them, but ended up caving and meeting them for lunch one day. I'll admit that a part of me was a bit jealous and apprehensive of what could happen. But I could see that it really was something that my son wanted to do, so for his sake I swallowed those and supported him through it.
It wasn't very long, about 3 months I think, that he started to pull away from us. At first I chalked it up to him being excited to actually talk to his bio-parents after so long. Talk about what had been going on in his life, spend some time with them, etc... It started to bother me when he'd cancel plans with us last minute because "mom had an emergency" or "dad really needs me to help him with something today" or whatever other excuse he could come up with. He used to come over to our house at least once a week, call every day or so, but now we were lucky if he even came by that month. Again, I thought that was just temporary, that he was just excited and soon enough he'd start spending some time with us again.
We were overjoyed when he invited us over to diner one night. It was supposed to be a family gathering, us and his bio-parents and his wife (girlfriend at the time). I wasn't exactly keen on meeting the people that had left my son for the dead on the side of the road, but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe they'd atoned and changed. Besides, he's our son and we love him. We had to at least try.
To say the diner was a disaster is an understatement. His bio-mom was extremely rude to my and my husband the entire night, making passive aggressive homophobic and racist remarks every chance she got. His father was much the same. It all came to head when she straight up called us the f-word and threw a glass at my husband. A screaming match followed and we left soon after.
The next day Jason apologized profusely the next day and promised they'd never do something like that again. I told him neither me and my husband wanted to have anything to do with them, and would appreciate if he understood that. He seemed to, but continued to pull away the next few months.
And that leads to what happened last week. Jason proposed to his girlfriend about 9 months back, and has been preparing for the wedding since. Of course we were overjoyed for him. But a few months went by and no invitation came. Every time we asked Jason would say they hadn't been sent out yet and changed the subject. Well, last week my husband saw a twitter post from one of Jason's friends, his groomsman, that went a few weeks back, with the invitation in hands. We confronted Jason about it the next time he came over, only for him to drop the bomb on us that we hadn't been invited.
We asked why, and he said "his parents" didn't want us there and wouldn't come if we did. I was fucking furious. I asked him how could he choose those pieces of trash over us? Why they were so important? What did we do to deserve this kind of treatment?
His answer? "They understand me better. They're my people."
At this point my husband was crying, asking how could he do this? I've only ever been truly angry a few times in life, and this moment managed to top all of them. I threw him out right then and there and told him to never come back. That he wasn't our son anymore. I spent the rest of the day hugging my husband and trying to calm him down.
The next day I canceled everything we'd paid for the wedding, which was basically everything important, even the ones we couldn't get a refund on. Of course Jason had the gall to call and scream at me, asking how I could do that to him, where would he find replacements for a wedding that was supposed to happen only a few months from now? I told him I didn't give a shit and said "Maybe you should ask those two leeches you call parents for some help."
19 years. 19 FUCKING YEARS of my goddamn life spent raising and loving a kid that I considered my own son, only to be treated like garbage. Giving blood, sweat and tears, so he would have a good life, all the love we could possibly give, and that's what we get as a reward.
As for why I'm asking if I'm the AH, some people have been calling and messaging us (mostly Jason's friends and a few of our family members) calling us heartless and monsters for doing what we did to him. And that's honestly got me questioning if I went a bit too far in anger. After all, parents are supposed to love unconditionally, right? But if so, how do we ever get over something like this? How can we deal with this feeling of betrayal? Are we justified in feeling like that? So, AITA?
Edit: I've added a comment for further clarification of a few points I've seen asked in the comments and my PM's. Please refer to that if you have any questions.
Edit 2: I'm seeing quite a few racist comments in this post, and to the people that are making them, I have this to say: fuck you. Fuck off with that rethoric. I do not appreciate it, and would rather if you guys left.