Letter of appreciation for grant recipient

Hello Reddit,
I’m reaching out to share my recent experience with the Schengen visa application process, and to seek advice and support from this community. My wife and I recently applied for a Schengen visa through the Swedish Embassy for a trip to celebrate our 15th year together (not our marriage anniversary). Despite meticulous preparation, our application was denied, leaving us frustrated and disheartened. Here are the details:
Our Background:

• We are both working professionals.
• The trip was purely for tourism and to celebrate our anniversary.
• My wife earns a bare minimum salary but works for a reputable company, while I earn more than a decent about for my age, for this trip and for the country I am living in!
• I showed ample financial means through a combination of savings, government bonds, and deposit scheme investments, with a 1:1:1 ratio. My liquid bank savings alone were sufficient to cover the trip for two weeks.

Documents We Submitted:

1. Completed and signed visa application form.
2. Proof of identity and marital status (photocopy of passport, national identity, marriage certificate).
3. Round-trip flight confirmation.
4. Hotel reservations
5. Financial stability and proof of income (payslips, salary certificate, bank account statement, solvency certificate, TIN certificate, income tax certificates, and saving certificates).
6. Health and travel insurance policy covering the entire stay.
7. Detailed itinerary.

Reason for Denial: The refusal letter cited two reasons:

1. "The information communicated to justify the purpose and conditions of the planned stay are not reliable."
2. "There are reasonable doubts as to your intention to leave the territory of the member states before the expiry of the visa."

Our Feelings: Despite presenting a strong case with genuine and meticulously prepared documents, we were denied. This feels like a severe injustice, especially considering our stable backgrounds, education, and financial ability to support the trip, only for the people like us. It’s hard not to feel that this scrutiny is disproportionately harsh. I understand there are a lot of political neusance going on, but with strong background and education, and ability to spare, I guess this is just us!
Seeking Advice: Has anyone else faced a similar situation? How did you handle it, and were you successful on a subsequent application? Any advice on how we can strengthen our application further or address the reasons for denial would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading and for any help you can provide.
TL;DR: Applied for a Schengen visa through the Swedish Embassy with my wife to celebrate our 15th year together. Despite a thorough and genuine application, we were denied for reasons that seem unfounded. Seeking advice and support from those who have been in a similar situation.

Hi guys Im looking for some advice. Plz help.
Essentially - I am a UMBC student who applied to UMD Cs and got accepted as L&S. My advisor has informed that since I matriculated to a USM school prior to Fall 2024 the old guidelines will apply to me. However, I am confused on whether the fact that they are decreasing the amount of students accepted from letters and sciences to CS will change for everyone including students who fall under the old guidelines. Any help will be appreciated.

Need 4 Eldricite and 2 spider venom sac to finish enhancing my gear before end game. Even with 2 foragers I can’t find any Eldricite on my map and the spider venom sac is currently behind a locked gate that I can’t get skeletons to aggro and bust open for me. If anyone has some extras be greatly appreciative. It’s literally the last 2 things I need to get the last of the wyrmsfire upgrades on my pawn, I wanted to upgrade all his gear before I proceed and I’m just waiting to do this before I proceed to end game. Been at it for hours. Can anyone lend a hand please? 🙏🏻 I’m on Xbox Pawn ID: GL5BZL074XMU (That’s a zero after the second letter L, it’s not the letter O) Pawns name is Cassian
My Gamertag is xKitsuneOMG - If you request me I’ll add back so it can be sent for free

Hi everyone,
I'm a 22-year-old male who recently went through a breakup with my girlfriend of 3 years. She’s a year younger than me, and we graduated together. We broke up two months ago, and I’m feeling really conflicted about it.
Our relationship had become toxic, with frequent fights and both of us struggling with our own issues. I felt that we needed to address our personal problems separately. We were planning to study abroad and live together, with dreams of getting married and starting a family abroad. However, I worried that if we didn’t break up then, we’d end up trapped in an unhealthy relationship.
For the past two months, I’ve been seeing a psychologist weekly, and it’s been incredibly helpful. I’ve realized that I might have contributed to many of the issues in our relationship. It’s hard to separate what was my fault and what she needs to work on herself.
She was a wonderful person—gentle, empathetic, and truly loving. However, I was bothered by her lack of ambition, which I didn’t find attractive. My psychologist helped me see that I probably imposed my worldview on her. I expected her to follow a similar path to mine (good grades, internships, etc.), which I now realize was wrong. My well-intentioned advice likely made her feel constantly judged, affecting her self-confidence, which later became another issue in our relationship.
Reflecting on the relationship, I’ve come to understand that I took many things for granted. I could have been a better boyfriend by showing more interest in her passions and being more romantic. I can’t stop thinking that if I hadn’t imposed my ideas of success on her and had been more supportive, she might have had more self-confidence and become more ambitious by herself.
However, she did have self-confidence issues before we met, due to a toxic family environment. When we broke up, I tried to do it respectfully, explaining my reasons and ending on good terms. I asked for no contact, which she mostly respected (except for one message wishing me good luck with something important I had to do). She asked if we could set a date to possibly try again, but I said I didn’t want to make any promises because of the uncertainty and potential for more hurt.
I’ve been wanting to reach out to her to see how she’s been, but I don’t want to hurt her again. I’m still learning a lot about myself and trying to change my utilitarian view of the world, shaped by my life experiences.
We’ll both be starting the same studies abroad in a few months, so we’ll see each other again.
I don't know if this is relevant at all, but for some context, I believe in having a deep connection before any physical relationship, so I’m not interested in dating anyone else right now.
I’m conflicted because I now see her in a new light and realize I wasn’t the best boyfriend. But I’m also unsure if this newfound perspective is genuine personal growth facilitated by my sessions with the psychologist, or if it’s just regret and idealization. Additionally, I’m afraid that if we were to try again, she may not have addressed her personal issues yet.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? How do I balance these feelings, especially considering she has her own issues to work through?
Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any advice you can offer.

I enjoyed part 1 of season 3 more than I thought I would but there are a few things that bug me. The titles and the heirs.. A peerage (title) is created by the monarch through a “letters patent”. The letters patent declare a person (man) a peer, grants him a title and sets the rules for inheritance. Almost all titles are granted to a male and inherited according to agnatic primogeniture - the title is inherited from father to the eldest son and then to his oldest son and so on. If there isn’t a son, the title goes to the title holder’s younger brother and then to his oldest son. Almost all title holders are men. If a Duke marries his wife does not become a title holder. She is granted the courtesy title Duchess through marriage. It’s is not hers. The rules can not be changed by anyone other than the monarch. Not even by the title holder.
In season 2 Lady Featherington forges a letter than says that when one of her daughters has a son the title and estate will be inherited by him. This is not possible because even if Lord Featherington (Jack) would’ve written it he can’t change the rules of inheritance written in the letters patent.
In season 3 Mrs. Mondrichs great aunt, the Baroness of Kent, dies and “leaves everything” to her son Nicholas. This isn’t possible either, first of all the title isn’t hers to leave to anyone. It is her husbands. Second, the title and the estate would not be inherited by anyone when she dies, the title and estate would be inherited by the new Baron of Kent the same moment the current Baron of Kent died. Third, the title can not be inherited through Mrs. Mondrich since she is a woman.
There are a few examples of women becoming Peeresses in their own right. Queen Victorias granddaughter (via her eldest son who became King Edward VII upon her death) Princess Louise married the Earl of Fife in 1889. Queen Victoria wrote a letters patent elevating the Earl of Fife to the Duke of Fife. The letters patent contained the standard remainder to “male heirs of his body” meaning only legitimate sons could inherit the title. The Duke and Duchess of Fife went on to have two daughters; Lady Alexandra and Lady Maud. No son. So in 1900 Queen Victoria issued another letters patent with the special remainder that allowed the title Duke of Fife (and his subsidiary title Earl Macduff) to be passed on to his daughters by Princess Louise in default of a son. When the 1 st Duke of Fife died in 1912 the title was inherited by his eldest daughter Lady (now granted the title The Highness Princess) Alexandra. She became the 2nd Duchess of Fife in her own right.
I understand why they make room for some imagination. I do. But I don’t understand why they even bother with doing a show set in the 1800’s if they are going to change everything anyway. If they want to set their own rules make it like Games of Thrones or something instead.

Hello, so for context I’m currently a sophomore in undergrad, and summer is quickly approaching so I reached out to a previous PI at a medical school I interned at last summer. He originally said that he’d have me back every summer of my undergrad, and even when I asked “If he was sure” that I could come back this upcoming summer he said, “Of course!”. Anyway, I left on great terms, and then when I reached out a few months ago to confirm he said he had accepted another intern overseas and took on multiple Ph.D. students, and could no longer fund me working in his lab. I had already created an hour-by-hour itinerary of what I had planned to do during the internship to maximize my time, and come out with an interesting presentation, and was super bummed. In the same email he had also sent me a link to two grants I could apply to that would fully fund me, both of which were nearly a month EXPIRED 😭(only found out after pouring my heart and soul into an application saying why I need the funds to work in his lab). How would y'all feel about this? I mentioned while replying that they had already expired and were no longer a viable option for me along with most grants closing for funding in early March, and I've felt ghosted ever since. *Fast forward a month I ended up getting an internship at the same medical school but not in research, I’d be on campus and definitely run into my old lab mates eventually since everyone eats lunch at the same place. Should I go visit my old lab and check in on him still? Or would it be weird? I want to maintain a good relationship since he did say he would write me a letter of rec but he hasn't emailed me back since and I don't know what he's thinking or if it would be too awkward. Any advice on my stupid little dilemma would be appreciated! Thank you! :)

I have close to 35 pages left and did anyone strongly abhor the ending/last stretch of the book? It’s vastly different from the rest of the novel and feels extremely out of place. I know expecting a conventional ending would have been deluding myself but I expected at least some sort of resolution or catalytic event to make the rest of the novel “click.”
This has been such a wonderful reading experience and this would have been my favorite book of all time, but these last 100 pages or so are leaving a rancid taste in my mouth. I understand that they are the two main characters, but why zero in on Hal and gately only; I’ve grown to care so much about other characters such as Joelle v.D. and Mario, this choice feels very reclusive?
Not only that, and please don’t kill me for this, it all feels monotonously banal and aggravating to get through? I felt like a majority of the book was working towards something, which I did enjoy, but I find it incredibly tedious and grating to give a fuck about this gately and fackelmann thing neatly 900 pages in.
As for Hal, it’s interesting seeing the deterioration of his mental and physical wellbeing but everything is incredibly hazy in terms of if he took the DMZ/was laced or just going through marijuana withdrawals.
I liked when we had moments of exploring J.O.I.’s filmography but the Accomplice! segment felt so pointless and reactionary to me? I don’t think I got it…? (Granted, the ethos of most of JOI’s films so over my head and I still to this day can’t tell whether I think he was a “good” filmmaker or not).
I doubt there’s going to be any sort of apotheosis or scene at the WhataBurger with 30 pages left, which honestly makes me upset. I’m predicting an abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying ending. Did anyone else not enjoy the last segment of the book? Any explanation on it?
If I ever reread it, maybe I’ll appreciate it more. Someone on here responded to me and said his friend seemed the end of the book ruined the majority of it for him so I feel somewhat validated

So about 2 weeks ago my best friend (22F) from middle school got engaged to her college boyfriend. Which is very exciting and I’m (23F) very happy for her since we’ve known for a while she’d be engaged this spring. I was the first person she called to announce her engagement and we cried / screamed on the phone about it.
Growing up, despite her moving states away, we always stayed in contact / had FaceTime calls. We cried, laughed, and shared everything together. Since about 3 years ago, our phone topics changed to talk more about marriage / engagement. She’s an only child, so she told me for a while (let’s say at least 2 years) that I would be her maid of honor as her best friend of 10+ years. Naturally, as a type A person, I started mentally preparing for the role under this assumption. I only took it seriously when she got engaged where, during finals, I was drafting budget sheets, brand deals, bachelorette party details, etc to make her day perfect because I thought the role was mine.
As you can probably tell, a week later, the day before i graduated which she knew, on a phone call she asked me to be a bridesmaid. Not her maid of honor. She said she picked someone else because they are physically closer to her and they have been more part of her relationship. She also said I was a second choice. She also asked me to help with budgeting because I’m great with spreadsheets. In that time I said yes to being a bridesmaid bc I was in shock but still want to be part of her big day. But I told her no to helping with the budgeting because, from my understanding and research, that is the job of the MOH and I’m not going to do part of the job of a MOH without the title. This was all in one 7 min phone call btw where there wasn’t really any time to process. More happened during the call but that was the meat of it. She just seemed rushed and a bit dismissive of my feelings.
Now, I live in Pittsburgh and she’s in Nashville. This is also our very first experiences with weddings / bridesmaid situations. Logically, her reasonings are somewhat fair in my opinion. I also jumped the gun under the assumption that I would be her MOH and everyone I told said I’m very likely going to be her MOH. So she doesn’t “owe me” anything there bc I did work she didn’t ask for.
Overall, I’m feeling everything under the sun. I feel gutted and I feel like crying every time I think about it. Mostly because I feel betrayed. I feel like I was groomed into a role or that she threw 10 years of friendship down the toilet because I’m not physically there and being told I’m 2nd hurts like hell. I don’t feel like someone who’s 2nd would be the first person she told her engagement to, but here we are. I feel like she rushed the situation (she plans on getting married in the fall of 2025), bc long distance MOH can work, we have FaceTimes, texting, and digital documents. Now that I’m a grad I’ll have more money to visit and spend on her wedding as well. At the very least I feel like she could have had 2 MOH to split the work instead of a false binary as she isnt necessarily the most traditional person. There are ways to make a long distance MOH work. Or that it’s more than just planning, which we both know I’m excellent at, but I can handle her family well since I’ve known them for forever. Which is important bc she has struggled, at times, with her relationship with her mom. Granted ik I can still do that as a bridesmaid. This is a lot of word vomit and idk the point but I’m upset, angry, and confused. Overall just going through the stages of grief. I haven’t talked to her since besides when she congratulated me on graduating, she hasn’t reached out (not that she has too). I don’t want to reach out atm because I don’t want to say anything I will regret if I’m this emotional.
But more or less, with my clouded thinking, I don’t know if I want to be a bridesmaid or attend the wedding. This is dramatic, I know, but I’m really hurt and not thinking straight. Or if I still take on the role of a bridesmaid can I not take the box she wants to send? Bc I feel like I would feel upset and uncomfortable with the box and knowing that I don’t feel as important or important at all as just a bridesmaid. Or being reminded of the rocky state of our friendship (from my pov) and how she sees me as 2nd. The only thing I can think of to do is to have a honest conversation with her of what I’m feeling, but even then what will come out of that? Besides maintaining good communication between us. She can’t go back on her 1st choice MOH, not that I want her too bc if she did I would still feel bad because it isn’t genuine. I’m just sad and at a total loss. I still value our friendship and I still want to be part of her wedding. I just feel like I’ll be resentful of the MOH. Any advice on how to move forward, should I accept the box and deal with it, or anything would be greatly appreciated. I haven’t dealt with something like this before and I feel awful on many aspects. :/
TL;DR- My best friend from 7th grade picked someone else to be their maid of honor because they’re closer physically to her / more involved in the relationship and I’m upset.

Hey guys, I (25M) wanted to post this here and get some advice of what to do next? I have been considering legal action, but I wonder if I have much of a case here. Some key things to note:

• I live in Nevada, USA, which is a right-to-work state and I was about to complete my 6-month probationary period before I was let go.
• I never signed off on a termination letter or any written statement about what happened
• The company I work for is a private company

I have been talking to my company's HR department about what happened and am still waiting to see what they say at the time of writing this. I'll just copy and paste what happened from the written statement I gave them:
"On 5/9/24 I was originally scheduled to work at 2 PM, and was heading into our office on the second floor when Chris, my director, was waiting for me at the elevator doors. At that moment, I did not know he requested to speak with me as I had not checked my messages yet prior to arriving to work. I followed him to a meeting room behind the bar on the casino floor and sat down with him and Kevin, a new Operations Manager that had just been promoted, as a witness. Chris informed me that I was being let go, to my shock. I asked why. He gave me a rather vague answer about how many factors have led to this decision, but he does not believe that I will mesh well with the team long-term and unfortunately it has come to this. When I had first started in my position, Chris and I had only two conversations about my progress and his concerns:
One was with my former superior Paul and Chris about how some of my behavior was a bit distracting to others and while it is good to be enjoying your work, please focus on my work and try to conversate with my coworkers about things relating to the job. I understood that, and took it in stride. I reigned it in and focused more on my tasks at hand and never heard another such complaint.
The second was when I had incorrectly scored an NHL game one night and the mistake was not found out until the next day, causing an all-around headache. I had similar, more minor mistakes in the past, so Chris told me to do better and that while mistakes are bound to happen, to have a better attention to detail. I understood and had improved in the months since that conversation and I hadn't made a mistake like that since.
With these in mind, I said to Chris that he couldn't deny that I hadn't improved since starting my position and my former issues had already been rectified, to which he agreed. So I asked him to give me a more tangible reason behind his decision. He cited my interactions with my coworker Logan made her feel uncomfortable in the office.
Logan is a girl the same age as me and her desk is on the other side of the room. My interactions with her were limited simply because of this fact and the most I ever spoke to her was greeting her when I arrived in the office, as I greeted everyone else, and benign small talk. May 9th is also her birthday, as I had heard from some of her other coworkers, so I even got her a birthday card and a singular cupcake that day.
For the record: I never singled her out in this treatment; in fact many times I had offered snacks or food to fellow coworkers. I even brought in staple snacks in Chinese culture for Chinese New Year this year a few months ago for the whole office to try. I offered them to everyone including Logan, as it is a big day in my culture and unfortunately I had to celebrate while at work. In my opinion, things like reminders of your birthday while at work is a very inclusive gesture and I was actively trying to make our company a better place to work at by promoting a more positive culture by setting an example. I even asked a coworker for his birthday so I could remember when it came around, as I realized I didn't know anyone's birthday yet. I did not mean anything by my actions, if they truly were making Logan feel uncomfortable, and I think some sort of warning beforehand would have been more than fair. If Logan herself was too uncomfortable with saying it to me personally, I could've also have heard it from any of my superiors first.
I made this point in my conversation with Chris; his only reply to me was that some people aren't comfortable enough doing that without hurting anyone's feelings. I feel that there is something more than what Chris told me and Logan's perception of me may not be the only reason I was terminated. And if Logan's perception of me was a deciding factor in my termination, I do not appreciate that treatment or assumptions being made of me simply because I am a man and she is a woman and therefore all my actions are perceived as malicious and/or having ulterior motives."

I'm currently writing a Naruto fanfic and working on creating custom jutsu for the main character. My brother suggested an ability, and after some thought, I expanded on his idea. Now, I'm seeking feedback on whether this ability is viable and believable within the Naruto universe. Additionally, I’m uncertain about which Dojutsu this ability should be tied to. I'm considering creating a custom Dojutsu and clan or finding a way to combine two existing Dojutsu, like the Mangekyou Sharingan (MS) and the Byakugan. Below is a rough draft of the ability. Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Jutsu Name: Flames of Judgment

• Classification: Kekkei Genkai + Doujutsu-based Ninjutsu
• Requirements: Both eyes must possess the unique dojutsu that harnesses the Spirit/Yin-Yang fire ability.
• Description: The Flames of Judgment jutsu is a powerful and rare technique that leverages the dual nature of Yin and Yang flames. This jutsu requires the user to have both eyes capable of controlling these mystical flames. The ability to wield these flames grants the user unparalleled powers of healing and destruction, based on the spiritual and moral nature of the target.

Components:

• Yin Flames (Healing Flames)
  • Effect: When used, these flames envelop the target and provide intense healing properties. They can cure physical injuries, boost the target’s energy, and even heal deep-seated mental traumas or afflictions.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are a soothing, pale blue color that radiates a calm and serene aura.
  • Usage: Primarily used for healing allies or purifying individuals with mental and spiritual afflictions.
• Yang Flames (Destructive Flames)
  • Effect: These flames cause severe harm to anyone they touch, inducing physical injuries and sapping the target’s energy. Additionally, they can create harmful mental hallucinations, breaking the target’s spirit and resolve.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are an intense, dark red color with a fierce and aggressive aura.
  • Usage: Used offensively to incapacitate or damage enemies, both physically and mentally.
• Flames of Judgment (Combined Yin-Yang Flames)
  • Effect: When both Yin and Yang flames are used simultaneously, they wrap around the target, stunning them in place. The flames then judge the target’s spiritual and moral alignment.
    • Judgment Process:
• Activation and Limitations:
  • Activation: The user must focus and channel their chakra through both eyes to activate the Yin and Yang flames. Maintaining the combined state for the Flames of Judgment requires immense concentration and chakra control.
  • Limitations:
    • Chakra Intensive: The jutsu consumes a significant amount of chakra, especially when using the Flames of Judgment.
    • Stamina Drain: Prolonged use can drain the user’s stamina, requiring periods of rest and recovery.
    • Moral Ambiguity: The judgment process is based on the target's spiritual and moral nature, which can sometimes be ambiguous or subjective, leading to unpredictable outcomes.
    • Eye Strain: Continuous use can strain the user’s eyes, potentially causing temporary blindness or long-term damage if overused.

I'm currently writing a Naruto fanfic and working on creating custom jutsu for the main character. My brother suggested an ability, and after some thought, I expanded on his idea. Now, I'm seeking feedback on whether this ability is viable and believable within the Naruto universe. Additionally, I’m uncertain about which Dojutsu this ability should be tied to. I'm considering creating a custom Dojutsu and clan or finding a way to combine two existing Dojutsu, like the Mangekyou Sharingan (MS) and the Byakugan. Below is a rough draft of the ability. Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Jutsu Name: Flames of Judgment

• Classification: Kekkei Genkai + Doujutsu-based Ninjutsu
• Requirements: Both eyes must possess the unique dojutsu that harnesses the Spirit/Yin-Yang fire ability.
• Description: The Flames of Judgment jutsu is a powerful and rare technique that leverages the dual nature of Yin and Yang flames. This jutsu requires the user to have both eyes capable of controlling these mystical flames. The ability to wield these flames grants the user unparalleled powers of healing and destruction, based on the spiritual and moral nature of the target.

Components:

• Yin Flames (Healing Flames)
  • Effect: When used, these flames envelop the target and provide intense healing properties. They can cure physical injuries, boost the target’s energy, and even heal deep-seated mental traumas or afflictions.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are a soothing, pale blue color that radiates a calm and serene aura.
  • Usage: Primarily used for healing allies or purifying individuals with mental and spiritual afflictions.
• Yang Flames (Destructive Flames)
  • Effect: These flames cause severe harm to anyone they touch, inducing physical injuries and sapping the target’s energy. Additionally, they can create harmful mental hallucinations, breaking the target’s spirit and resolve.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are an intense, dark red color with a fierce and aggressive aura.
  • Usage: Used offensively to incapacitate or damage enemies, both physically and mentally.
• Flames of Judgment (Combined Yin-Yang Flames)
  • Effect: When both Yin and Yang flames are used simultaneously, they wrap around the target, stunning them in place. The flames then judge the target’s spiritual and moral alignment.
    • Judgment Process:
• Activation and Limitations:
  • Activation: The user must focus and channel their chakra through both eyes to activate the Yin and Yang flames. Maintaining the combined state for the Flames of Judgment requires immense concentration and chakra control.
  • Limitations:
    • Chakra Intensive: The jutsu consumes a significant amount of chakra, especially when using the Flames of Judgment.
    • Stamina Drain: Prolonged use can drain the user’s stamina, requiring periods of rest and recovery.
    • Moral Ambiguity: The judgment process is based on the target's spiritual and moral nature, which can sometimes be ambiguous or subjective, leading to unpredictable outcomes.
    • Eye Strain: Continuous use can strain the user’s eyes, potentially causing temporary blindness or long-term damage if overused.

I'm currently writing a Naruto fanfic and working on creating custom jutsu for the main character. My brother suggested an ability, and after some thought, I expanded on his idea. Now, I'm seeking feedback on whether this ability is viable and believable within the Naruto universe. Additionally, I’m uncertain about which Dojutsu this ability should be tied to. I'm considering creating a custom Dojutsu and clan or finding a way to combine two existing Dojutsu, like the Mangekyou Sharingan (MS) and the Byakugan. Below is a rough draft of the ability. Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Jutsu Name: Flames of Judgment

• Classification: Kekkei Genkai + Doujutsu-based Ninjutsu
• Requirements: Both eyes must possess the unique dojutsu that harnesses the Spirit/Yin-Yang fire ability.
• Description: The Flames of Judgment jutsu is a powerful and rare technique that leverages the dual nature of Yin and Yang flames. This jutsu requires the user to have both eyes capable of controlling these mystical flames. The ability to wield these flames grants the user unparalleled powers of healing and destruction, based on the spiritual and moral nature of the target.

Components:

• Yin Flames (Healing Flames)
  • Effect: When used, these flames envelop the target and provide intense healing properties. They can cure physical injuries, boost the target’s energy, and even heal deep-seated mental traumas or afflictions.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are a soothing, pale blue color that radiates a calm and serene aura.
  • Usage: Primarily used for healing allies or purifying individuals with mental and spiritual afflictions.
• Yang Flames (Destructive Flames)
  • Effect: These flames cause severe harm to anyone they touch, inducing physical injuries and sapping the target’s energy. Additionally, they can create harmful mental hallucinations, breaking the target’s spirit and resolve.
  • Visual Cue: The flames are an intense, dark red color with a fierce and aggressive aura.
  • Usage: Used offensively to incapacitate or damage enemies, both physically and mentally.
• Flames of Judgment (Combined Yin-Yang Flames)
  • Effect: When both Yin and Yang flames are used simultaneously, they wrap around the target, stunning them in place. The flames then judge the target’s spiritual and moral alignment.
    • Judgment Process:
• Activation and Limitations:
  • Activation: The user must focus and channel their chakra through both eyes to activate the Yin and Yang flames. Maintaining the combined state for the Flames of Judgment requires immense concentration and chakra control.
  • Limitations:
    • Chakra Intensive: The jutsu consumes a significant amount of chakra, especially when using the Flames of Judgment.
    • Stamina Drain: Prolonged use can drain the user’s stamina, requiring periods of rest and recovery.
    • Moral Ambiguity: The judgment process is based on the target's spiritual and moral nature, which can sometimes be ambiguous or subjective, leading to unpredictable outcomes.
    • Eye Strain: Continuous use can strain the user’s eyes, potentially causing temporary blindness or long-term damage if overused.

Hi all, making a quick little post to ask some questions I've been wondering. I'm looking at possible careers, and BC Public Service looks interesting. If I could get some insights from people in the know, I would be very grateful.
About me:
Recent graduate of a Bachelor's of Social Work Degree, and before that a college diploma in Social Service Work, but not registered yet with the BCCSW. I don't have much experience in the field, post-graduation, but I have done field placements during both college and university. I was hired under the Canada Summer Jobs program by a non-profit, where I did fundraising. Before that, I had worked with them during my university practicum writing grants. I also have about ten years of retail experience, for what it's worth. I've done almost every position in a well-known pharmacy chain, up to and including assistant manager.
After spending some time looking at Social Work jobs in BC, it seems like the only options are in family / child services, and I don't know if I'm cut out for that sort of thing. So, my questions are:
With my background, which sectors do you think I might have the best chance of getting into?
Is a social work degree even something the BCPS might want?
What does career advancement tend to look like, in terms of time spent in one position before moving on to the next?
What is the hiring market like right now?
On the webpage for external applicants, I see around 50 listings for my hometown, but there are also other towns listed as the location. Does that mean all those towns are hiring for those jobs, or is there only one opening for that job across the entire province?
Thank you in advance, I appreciate any and all answers.

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 4 years. We started dating when I left NYC during Covid and returned to my hometown on the west coast for the year. We became serious during Covid and eventually made things official. However, I wasn’t living in my hometown permanently; it was just temporary, and I had to go back to my apartment in NYC eventually.
When we got together, he seemed great. He had his life together - a good job, his own nice apartment, his own car, and he took me out on nice dates. He was more of a "provider". Fast forward to 2021, he decided to move to NYC to live with me and start a new life. However, I should have been more cautious because he left his good-paying job without any plan or job lined up, relying only on his $100k in savings. He convinced me to move out of my apartment in the Bronx that was ridiculously cheap to live, I only paid $850 in rent! he thought it was a dump and wouldn't feel comfortable living there. I didn’t agree with that, I thought my apartment was beautiful and spacious but he wasn’t use to NYC living. Anyways, my roommates and I were kinda over living there so it gave us an excuse to move into a different apartment. We found a place in Brooklyn that was more expensive but with the idea that everybody would be contributing it would be fine.
Fast forward to 2022, during Covid, he was very good at investing and trading, so he wanted to find a job in finance. However, his money eventually ran out. From 2022 until now, he worked horrible finance jobs that paid him nothing, and I ended up having to fully support both of us financially. I paid rent for a $2500 apartment with no help from him. On top of it, it started getting really annoying how everything started falling on me like he has bad credit so everything had to be under my name, or how he never renewed his drivers license bc he felt like he didn’t need it any more so I would have to do all the driving or rent cars or even worse, getting pulled over while he was driving and switching seats so that I was on the driver side bc he thought he would go to jail driving without a license. It’s just like, get your shit together bro. I felt like I was his sponsor while he struggled, switching between three different firms, working for free, and studying every day to get licenses. NYC is a very expensive city so to take care of 2 ppl is hard.
There were many times I had to pay for his phone bill, haircuts, groceries, the car that he got towed for parking irresponsibly, his tests, plane tickets and more. He kept telling me that "this will eventually pay off". he eventually decided he didn't like finance bc it was a waste of time and tried becoming a personal trainer, which also didn't work out. At this point he’s gone through like 5 jobs. I even had to start dancing to help both of us financially.
I feel stupid and unappreciated because I wouldn’t have minded any of this had he made me feel appreciated and made effort. He rarely expressed gratitude or guilt or had any urgency to just get a job on the side while he studied, he wasn’t putting any effort on special occasions like birthdays or holidays,bc he had no money and he wasn’t doing enough chores around the house either while being a messy person. Only when I brought it up, does he claim that it bothers him that he wasn’t able to take care of me on special occasions but then would act so nonchalant about it on a daily basis? I literally paid for everything at one point, yet we STILL split chores equally, despite him not contributing financially or putting in any additional effort to still make me feel special. When I confronted him about how I shouldn’t be going 50/50 on chores he'd dismissed my concerns by saying things like "when women make more money than men, this is how they act". Or he went on to tell me how I only work 3 days a week so I’m not as busy as him. He would also make excuses as to why he couldn’t think of doing anything thoughtful or special for me without having the funds to do so, as if he couldn’t figure out something to do free like IDK writing me a love note, planning surprise picnic dates or a surprise at home movies date. I will say that he’s a great cook and loves to cook, so he would cook for me all the time and he would consider that effort.
It feels like hes taken me for granted. I constantly had to ask him to do things around the house. He would do things like sleep In excessively I found my self constantly being his alarm clock telling him it’s time to get out of bed, it was super unmotivating to be around , he would leave pee on the toilet seat, have his shaved beard hair around the sink, cook and leave a mess with the dishes, not wiping down the counter , clothes piles and more. When I would voice my frustration, it would turn into a screaming match, him trying to make me feel like I’m over reacting or him getting pissed at my lack of patience and warranted bad attitude that I have constantly towards him. He claims he love, cares, or that he his very appreciative but his actions say otherwise.
Fast forward these past few months, we’ve gone to couples therapy, he’s got a really good normal salary paying job and he’s definitely been getting a lot better in many ways but looking back I get so angry bc I felt taken advantage of and unappreciated, and now I resent him so much for it and I regret letting him put me in such a bad financial position while being so ungrateful. He still has yet make things up to me. I feel like I’ve gone all this time and done so much for him that I need him to owe it back to me. Idk if that’s wrong of me.

I've been a nurse for 2 years. I did IMU adults for 2 years, and then started Peds ED roughly 7 weeks ago. I definitely feel like a New Grad all over again, with the exception of having skills and other things under my belt.
My preceptor said I take too long. The other one said that there are some things that should already be second nature now that I've been in the ER this long. I don't know what those things are (granted this conversation took place after report so she probably wanted to go home). My educator said that we'll make little goals here and there so that I can be ready for night shift. Cause they don't quite think I'm there yet. I appreciate they consider my needs. I just wish I wasn't so slow. One of my preceptors said I still have "floor mentality" and that I got to start thinking more like an ER nurse.
I see my more "tough" preceptor tomorrow. I'm kind of dreading it. I want to make sure I do well and show him I'm better. But I also just want to be better. I made stupid mistakes, like wanting to set the pump vs. using epic to send the details. I'm new to epic, but then again it's been this long. Then the ultimate dumb mistake... trusting mom that her delayed kid will sit for an IV. 😅 Yeah... didn't happen. Then the protocols here are so different that it's like learning a new language. I don't know. And I don't know what I don't know.
Aside from that, how can I start thinking more like an ER nurse?

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.

Hi everyone,
I'm a 21-year-old Biotechnology student from Mexico, and I've recently developed a deep interest in literature and literary criticism. I want to embark on a self-study journey with the book "Theory of Literature" by Wellek and Warren, which was recommended to me by a professor in the field. I got the book from my university's central library, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed about how to approach it effectively to maximize my learning and make the best use of my time.
Here are some specific questions I have:

• What is the best pace for reading this book? Should I read it quickly for a general understanding, or take my time with each chapter for a deeper grasp?
  
• How many times should I read each chapter? Is it beneficial to reread them, and if so, how often?
  
• When should I take notes, and what should they include? Should I take notes during my first read, or is it better to do it on a second pass? What key points should I focus on in my notes?
  
• How should I organize my study sessions? What strategies can I use to retain and understand the material better?
  

My curiosity for literature started a few months ago when I discovered that it is a form of art that allows us to experience the human condition across different contexts and historical periods. I've been fascinated by reading letters, chronicles, and accounts from ancient civilizations, as well as enjoying various novels with intriguing narratives. I've also been listening to literary critiques by Jesús G. Maestro on YouTube, which I find very insightful.
My goal is to study literary theory as a foundation and then delve deeper into literary criticism. Eventually, I'd like to explore different schools of thought within literary criticism or discover new branches of literature that captivate me.
Any advice specifically on how to tackle this book would be incredibly helpful. Additionally, any general tips or guidance on studying literary theory or exploring literature would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

A few stream of consciousness balance changes relating to hypercharges. Feedback is appreciated!
Mico (rework) - "Sound Check" -> "In The Spotlight": Enemies in the super targeting circle are slowed/take 20% more damage (either one is fine)
Sandy (nerf) - silence removed, nerfed hcr from 1.5->2.33 supers
Sprout (rework) - thorns now surround walls for 3 tiles instead of 1 -> now thorns don't stack (consistent 500 dps), also thorns are removed when replanting gadget is used
Gene (rework) - "Hyper Hands" -> "Hyper Hand": Gene's super stuns enemies based on distance traveled (like Buzz super, max stun is 1.0 sec and happens at the end of the pull)
Tick (rework) - mines spawned from head dmg 4000 -> 2400, buffed hcr from 4.0->2.33 supers
Jessie (nerf) - nerfed hcr from 1.66->2.0 supers
Pearl (rework) - burning area removed, super now recovers 0.5 ammo and 25% heat for each enemy hit, dmg 25% -> 15%, shield 5% -> 15%
Brock (buff) - 500->700 per rocket
And just for fun, a few new ones:
Sam ("Ensnared") 2.66 supers (picking them up doesn't count) - 15% damage, 15% shield, 24% speed - When thrown, the Knuckle Busters carry opponents to their furthest point
Stu ("Close Call") 15 supers - 15% damage, 5% shield, 35% speed - Evading an attack with Stu's super gives back 0.5 ammo and recharges his super
Penny ("Hold Down the Fort") 2.0 supers - 25% damage, 5% shield, 25% speed - Old Lobber now has 30% more health and provides a 25% shield to allies within a 3.33 radius
Bea ("Wasp's Nest") 2.0 supers - 25% damage, 5% shield, 25% speed - Each enemy hit by Bea's super grants her a temporary ammo bar (up to 3, ammo bars return to 1 after hc ends)

Throwaway account. Genuinely, this is my sibling's situation, not mine. Much of the 'story' of this is what the sibling related to me. Sibling has had financial issues in the past. This may belong in FinancialAdvice, but I sense things may beyond money fixing...
Sibling is in Alabama, I am in Georgia.
Sibling is self employed in a profession that involves taking many direct payments, and uses Square to accept those payments. Sibling purchased a home in August of last year. They claim that they [attempted] to use Square to make the mortgage payments, however apparently the mortgage company never actually accepted them. Sibling and their spouse apparently ignored many letters before realizing the situation and were months past due. Between them and the mortgage company, it was finally realized the failure to make/accept via Square, so Sibling began the process of getting the money back from Square and succeeded.
Sibling apparently also banks with a non-mainstream online-only bank, so then getting the funds from Square to that bank was a process. The mortgage company apparently told Sibling that they HAD to overnight a cashiers at the time she was finally in possession of the funds. They get online bank to increase withdrawal/ATM limits, and over the course of several days they get the cash in hand... at this point I'm just going to round the amount to 15 thousand dollars.
Sibling takes cash to local, mainstream brick-and-mortar bank they have a car note with and get a cashiers check, takes that to FedEx, and send check and paperwork as instructed.
It takes two weeks for the mortgage company to come back and say "Got your FedEx envelop - and the paperwork - but no check." Commence cashiers check cancellation process... money is locked up for 90 days according to brick-and-mortar bank.
1-2 weeks later, the foreclosure notice is in the newspaper and they're getting notice of foreclosure. (Don't ask me what notices they've gotten or ignored, I'm aware these things don't happen overnight.) I would have thought all this is was a scam if I didn't find the notice in the newspaper myself.
Courthouse steps sale is in 10 days.
I am liquid enough to help my sibling - I've known about the situation for 48 hours at this point. After the initial story from my sibling, my spouse and I slept on the situation and decided that if there was something we could do, we should do it...
I asked sibling "If a wire or ACH could happen today, would it solve this problem." They waited until the end of the day to call/text me back (they were working, maybe I didn't imply strongly enough that I was willing to make a payment). That was Friday. Little/no contact since then from sibling.
So, I have two areas of questions:

1. What do you think the options for my siblings actually are at this point? The mortgage company has referred the whole thing to Brock and Scott for the foreclosure, and with them involved, it's not clear to me whether a payment is possible at this point, who it would be to, a deadline, etc... (Not that I'm trying to get directly involved). Apparently bankruptcy is an option to stop foreclosure? If the story is true, perhaps they could even exit bankruptcy before it's complete?
   
2. If I do help my sibling, are there logical safeguards I should put in place? Some form of written agreement? Do you have recommendations on how to go about this? I want to verify the status of the cashiers check cancellation and that that money IS coming back, and if possible or logical draw up an actual contract with my sibling about this (if that's a logical thing to do?)
   

I greatly appreciate any input you may have. (including if it is just a statement of direct advice to my sibling of 'Go get an attorney.')
I have redacted some known details or minutiae for the sake of length of this post. Happy to fill in any gaps I have knowledge of.

Become a star citizen.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-DP7P-GD4P
use code STAR-DP7P-GD4P
If you don't already have a Roberts Space Industries (RSI) account, you'll want to take advantage of the Star Citizen referral code program. Doing so benefits the code provider and grants only you a bonus 5,000 United Earth Credits (UEC), the in-game currency for Star Citizen!
Thanks!!!
Improved New Player Experience : Play the tutorial
Star Citizen features a beautiful sprawling universe full of wonder, adventure, and action. However, it’s easy for new citizens to feel overwhelmed as they take their first steps into life in the 30th century.So, from Alpha 3.19, a whole-new guided mission will welcome new players to the ‘verse, including showing them how to get around, use the mobiGlas, and fly a ship in atmosphere and in space.
Invictus end free fly Celebration May 17-29 Invictus Launch Week 2954 - Roberts Space Industries Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42
Letter from the chairman https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19848-Letter-From-The-Chairman
Alpha 3.22 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19565-Star-Citizen-Alpha-322-Wrecks-To-Riches
Alpha 3.21 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19477-Star-Citizen-Alpha-321-Mission-Ready
CitizenCon October 21st and 22nd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKWa4WoTkV4&list=PLVct2QDhDrB15f0diWl9YaDmL4Je1BkX3
Welcome Back, Pilot! https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18359-Welcome-Back-Pilot
STAR CITIZEN & SQUADRON 42 EXPLAINED
There are two components to Cloud Imperium Games' (CIG) project. Star Citizen is the MMO component, a first-person experience in a simulated 30th-century universe. Squadron 42 is the single-player component, a story-driven campaign where you enlist as a UEE Navy combat pilot. Our current understanding is you will be given the option of having your Squadron 42 character, who musters out of the Navy at the conclusion of the campaign, carry over into the Star Citizen persistent universe, taking with them the reputation and relationships they've built with NPC entities.
[Customers interested the Squadron 42 standalone only] If you only want the single-player campaign, after creating your account (next section) you can buy the Squadron 42 standalone here. You need only wait for the game to be released and become available for download. But take note that when you buy Squadron 42 you also get immediate access to Arena Commander, the online dogfighting module, and Star Marine, the online first-person shooter.
Squadron 42: I Held The Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtjzLzs7V8
UNDERSTANDING THE PLEDGE STORE
There are a couple of points I want to make about recognizing what comes with a package. First, game packages may include only Star Citizen, only Squadron 42, or both games. Look at the package's contents for "Star Citizen Digital Download" and/or "Squadron 42 Digital Download." I will show you an easy way to add Squadron 42 to a Star Citizen-only package during the checkout process.The second point of interest concerns ship insurance (also found in the package's contents). Ship insurance covers the ship's hull and factory stock equipment in the event of complete loss. As a part of promotional offers, ships are sometimes sold with lifetime insurance (commonly referred to as LTI), but there are tricks to get LTI on almost any ship and many people will advise you to take advantage of them (often at a cost of $20-$35 USD = Token LTI ). To properly assess of the "value" of lifetime insurance, you should know a few things.
guide https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18381-New-Player-Guide-Star-Citizen