names of female figure skaters

I’m a huge fan of the Hyperion Cantos and I truly think it has some of the best world-building, writing, concept, etc of any sci fi series. Every time I’m in a bookstore I have to see if they have Hyperion and I reflexively have to tell whoever is looking at the shelf to read Hyperion. But god damn it I can’t separate the work from the meme that is a male sci fi writer basically writing themselves into a story where they groom a child.
Maybe I’m totally off base but it seems like such a trope in sci fi at this point where the female character is described basically by her breast size and shape and that’s basically her character. I thought the whole Aenae arc was weird and did not need to include a love-story where basically a grown adult dude turns from a father figure of a literal child to their lover via some time-travel mechanics. Super weird, didn’t need to happen. The descriptions of Aenae as a literal child but also like nubile virgin is just so weird.
I thought it was a one-off thing but I just read Finding Kelly Dahl and now I’m like “okay my dude; you didn’t need to also write yourself into another story where you are the teacher of a literal 6th grader who then becomes their lover when they’re old enough due to another time-travel parallel universe mechanic.” Like cmon.
Anybody else feel this way? The same thing can be said about basically every male sci fi writer ever. Male kind of nerdy main character who is also kinda cool 😎🤘 and his character arc involves going from the protector of to the lover of a barely of age girl with trauma.
Super weird. IIRC the same thing happened in the Expanse Series. All down the line to the Moon is a Harsh Minstress. It seems totally ingrained in sci fi writing. Idk that’s the rant.

Martlet and Papyrus are two names that are rather famous throughout the Undertale and Undertale yellow communities. Of course, there are many things that come to mind when you here both names. Papyrus for example is the loud. arrogant, but kind skeleton that is the brother to the funny Skeleton Man (Sans). Martlet on the other hand you might remember as kind of a mother figure to clover if you support the idea of momlet or maybe just the puzzle loving bird friend of clover. Each of these characters have unique fates for each Fanfiction a member of our beloved community writes. Whether its romance, tragedy, or a simple slice of life fanfic. So where do these two falls in my little world of a second human monster war. Well, it might be a bit more complex than one might think.
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Opening UN Archives.

The second monster human war was the most destructive war in history and resulted in the destruction of several Undertale AUs and monster race losing 90% of their population all because they followed a racist and mentally Ill scientist name Chujin. As tragic of this sounds it doesn't mean people tried to improve the aftermath and make life easier. Papyrus and Martlet are a good example of this.
Martlet was born in the human year 1959 at an unknown date. Accounts of her early life and parents have been lost to history to due Asgor and the monsters general poor record keeping with Alphy's and Chujin being the only ones who kept some records of sorts. It's possible this poor record keeping is why Chujin thought the monster population was bigger than it actually was. What we do know is Martlets part the events of what the United Nations Elimination of Monsters Coalition calls Undertale Yellow are and some of her life just before the events. It's suggested by Human historians that Martlet got into puzzles when she was possibly 12 in human years but that's just a rough idea. Interviews with her few surviving friends state that she made her first puzzle at 6 years old in monster years which is roughly 14 years old in human years. To further complicate things is the fact that different monsters age differently than others with Martlets species having the closest correlation to human years out of all monsters.
Payrpus birth and exact age are harder to track down. All we know is that he and his brother Sans (Currently living in New Ebot in Colorado. Mt Ebot is in Colorado) appeared in the underground out of nowhere in 1980 on the [Redacted] of [Redacted]. Papyrus took a job as a royal guard somewhere between 1980-1981 and met Martlet possibly around that time. We both know based on William Henderson's interview with Papyrus and a mention by Flowey that they exchanged blueprints for their respective puzzles on occasions and while Papyrus describes her as his closest friend Sans stated that "She was simply my brothers pen pal" whether this was Sans simply messing with Willaim Henderson or him saying the true we'll never know.
EVENTS OF UNDERTALE YELLOW
The turning point in Martlets life came on May 12th when a certain kid named Clover fell into the underground. Clover was born on the 4th of July 1969 though his family moved to the to the town of Ebot Colorado in 1978. He never got to meet his father until 1975 due to his father's enlistment into the Unified states of the Americas army during the Vietnam war. (1962-74. This is an Alternate Vietnam the US still loses however) When his father came back, he was a drunken and PTSD ridden mess. Clover's mother was little better as she was rather neglectful and lazy. Clovers Unhealthy Family life would play a role into going ahead with his plan to find the forgotten 6 children who had gone missing throughout the 60s and 70s. He developed a fascination with cowboys when watching western movies (Particularly the old ones) along with a cowboy attire. He wore this attire proudly. Due to his family life, he matured rapidly. When his friend Integra (The soul integrity) went missing when she was dared to climb MT Ebot it was the final nail in the coffin for him and he began to prepare himself for an expedition into the mountain. He bought a Coll-Wesson revolver and rope by stealing money from his father. (He was beaten for this) on May the 12th he climbed Mt Ebot and jumped into the underground and died.... Oh, wait no Flowey brought him back to life without him knowing. Clover then met Flowey around 30 minutes later starting his journey.
Martlet in the meantime was lazily relaxing in one of the many checkpoints in the Snowdin area. The exact time she met clover is unknown, but it was most likely 1 hour after she had sent a list of suggestions to how Payprus could improve his puzzles. Martlet originally tried to follow protocol and capture clover however after seeing how peaceful clover was, she gave up on it. Then after their failed attempt to get to the hot lands, the fiasco in the wild east, and meeting Ceroba and Chujin, Ceroba (Chujin is alive in my story, but Kanko is not and was killed by integrity according to Chujin) was revealed to want clovers soul to bring back Kanako. Chujin was horrified at the thought of killing an innocent kid and went against his wife's wishes (Unknown to the others this was a ploy to gain trust) Martlet and clover spoke briefly on a hotel rooftop before going with Starlo and Chujin to face Ceroba. Ceroba knocked Martlet, Starlo, and Chujin (Who was only pretending) out. Clover battled it out with Ceroba on the 13ths of May. Clover came close to winning until Chujin drove a knife through his back killing him. Chujin then asked Ceroba to not use clovers soul to bring back monster kind but to instead to give it to Asgor so monster kind can be free. (Chujin is still the royal scientist in my AU) Ceroba after some arguing agrees with Chujin as Martlet and Starlo begin to wake up. Chujin calls the royal guard who apprehend Starlo but Martlet Barely escapes by flying away.
Knowing her time was now limited she sent the last Blueprints to Papyrus before the royal Guard burst into her home at around midnight and captured her. Martlet and Starlo were executed by undying on the 14th of May early morning. While Martlets story came to an end her legacy and puzzles did not as Papyrus received her blueprints on the 14th and would hide them from the royal guard.
EVENTS OF THE SECOND HUMAN MONSTER WAR AND PAPYRUSES RISE TO FAME.
Papyrus would with the help of Sans create more puzzle's and preserve Martlets puzzles. Then on September 4th, 1984, Frisk fell into the underground and was killed by Undying. After this Papyrus was ordered to destroy his puzzle's as they now had no use to monster kind as the invasion of the surface was inevitable. Papyrus as a sign of things to come suggested instead of destroying the puzzles they should be used to entertain monster kind's children. Undying would allow it and Papyrus who still wanted to hunt the humans though his loyalty was shaken by martlets execution agreed to be in the first wave out of the underground. On the 10th of September the monster climbed up to the surface for the first time.
The sight was so breathtaking many simply forget that they were invading. Chujin fear that the humans would be waiting for them up on the surface ready to exterminate monster kind was proven false within the first day as no human was spotted on the first day. Chujin still refused to believe reports and still ordered the invasion forward. Papyrus spent the first day trying to make more puzzles. On the 11th the town of Ebot was spotted and attacked by Asgors army and Chujins boss monsters and axis models. Papyrus was in the attack but quickly simply broken down as he watched the monsters slaughter humans indiscriminately. What made Papyrus ultimately desert the Royal Guard was the Human police's along with the 9th National Guards battalions last stand as they bought time for the civilians to evacuate the time. Papyrus stated in his interview with William Henderson decades later "IT WAS THEN ON THAT DAY I KNEW WE HAD LOST THE WAR. THE HUMANS PROVED BOTH BRAVER AND FAR KINDER THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND MONSTER KIND!! IF THE GREAT PAPYRUS COULD GO BACK IN TIME HE WOULD HAVE GLADLY FOUGHT WITH THOSE BRAVE HUMANS!!"
Papyrus and later his brother Sans would go into hiding for most of the war until 1996 when they switched sides and joined the Commonwealth of Britannia's army. They would serve in the Commonwealths army until 1998 when they both retired. It was around this time when Papyrus began his journey to help the entertainment industry and carry on Martlets puzzle making legacy. The second human monster war by the time he had retired had gone on for 14 brutal years and large amounts of homes and cities had been destroyed. Papyrus would turn his attention to entertaining the many children who had lost their fathers and mothers during the ongoing conflict by hosting's puzzle solving challenges. Many of these puzzles' Martlets puzzles, and these proved to be a favorite among human children. Sans also helped and had stopped being lazily for once in his life.
When interviewed by William Henderson and asked what inspired him to do this he stated. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS SIMPLY DOESNT WATCH AS CHILDREN CRY IN THEIR SLEEPY AND REMAIN SAD. ITS NOT WHAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES." The entertainment industry caught onto what Papyrus was doing in 2000 and offered to not only to fund his puzzle challenges but to make them into a game show of sorts. The show "Papyruses puzzles" was born as a result of this and has remained popular ever since. Sans found his calling in the fast-food industry and opened up his own fast-food chain to honor Grillbies who had died during the war. Papyrus would give a lot of credit to Martlet for helping him discover puzzles and funded the building of a statue in her honor.
WHAT PAPYRUS IS DOING NOW.
Papyrus is currently these days is donating much of his money to the protection of the underground charity and has recently created the Blue Bird Puzzle Corporation (Refence to Martlet). Martlet was dug up by UNEMC soldiers (United Nations Eliminations of Monsters Coalition) and was buried under a second statue made in her honor in Snowdin next to the Statue of Clover and the 6 other souls. Papyrus pays a visit to her grave once very 6 months. An inscription on her statue reads "The one that inspired THE GREAT PAPYRUS to make puzzles."

Hi. My daughter is 20. She has a bf named Aiden, who is really sweet. I saw a video they posted on TikTok.
My daughter asked, “Is it cheating if I get a ride home with a guy?” Aiden said no. I trust you. She said, “How can you say no, ofc that is cheating!”
She said, “Is it cheating if I give someone my number at a party?” He said no. She said, “Wtf, if you did that I would be pissed.” Aiden said, “Maybe you are giving this person your number so you can study or want to be friends, that would be fine.”
She went down the list and called everything cheating. It was super bizarre. If you exchange numbers with a girl, cheating. If you spend the night at a girls house, cheating.
My daughter has always been a little jealous. She’s home for the summer and brought her bf so I ended up asking her about her answers. I said there was NO WAY she thought that stuff was cheating.
But she absolutely doubled down. She said it is cheating and people on TikTok agree with her. If you even think that stuff is OK, you’re a red flag.
I asked, “So your bf is a red flag?” She said “yes! Look at the comments on the video. Everyone said that. She said I love him, but those were stupid answers.”
I told her that people on TikTok are dumb and young. In a trusting relationship, you should be able to trust your bf to stay the night at a friends house. Who cares if that friend has a vagina?
But she said in a trusting relationship, you don’t do things that are risky like spend the night at a girls house.
I said it’s only risky if you have a risky bf. She said it’s always risky, no matter what.
Aiden was kind of like, “Can you all stop fighting? It’s okay, really. I’m not going to do any of that stuff anyway.”
I said, “Is he allowed to have female friends at all?” She said sure, but it’s cheating if they hangout alone. I rolled my eyes so hard.
I said, “Your bf is a lot more mature than you and your friends and those Tiktokers that agree with you. He has enough sense to know that trust is important in a relationship. You should learn to trust him or you’ll lose him.”
She said “this is what works for us. Everyone agrees with me, no one agrees with you.” I said, “Ok, whatever, but your bf deserves better.”
She is so mad at me about this. She has sent me a million TikTok’s agreeing with her and said everyone gave the same answers as her and that I was the weird one.
Oh sweet summer child. AITA here? What do you all think?

As much as the title seems VERY peculiar (Superman? Horror? Gtfo), I had this idea in my head about it. It might be bad because it's a horror movie take on a character that is far from horrifying, but fuck it.
Just for the heck of it, this story is set in canon to Matt Reeves's Batman universe. But here goes:
The events of this movie happen a few months after the events of "The Batman". Bruce Wayne has held a fundraiser to help rebuild the destroyed dam and reinforce it. He decided to earn Gotham's trust and try to control the narrative behind what Riddler said about Martha Wayne. This, however, isn't as big a news as the fact that Bruce decided to show himself to the world. Perry White from "The Daily Planet" sends his top reporter, Lois Lane, who is slightly jaded in personality, but she puts the story above all else, willing to do anything for a story, even bending the law. Perry does, however, send an intern reporter, Clark Kent, with her, so she could "show him the ropes". Cut to the fundraiser. Lois and Clark hang around at the fundraiser, socialising, getting quotes and stories, etc. That's when Lois eventually crosses paths with the man himself: Bruce Wayne. Lois gets not just an eerie vibe from him, the cologne reminds her of fear. She feels her heart rate rising, her pupils start dilating, she starts sweating when around Bruce, but she pushes that fear away and decides to continue on. They chat each other up and hit it off. Eventually, Bruce offers her to join him in a nightcap and charms her enough with the promise of a much more in-depth interview, just the two of them. Lois accepts and Clark is sent home. During this interview, one thing leads to another, and Lois ends up having sex with Bruce and spending the night with him.
Lois is woken up by Alfred and served breakfast, being informed Bruce has left for Wayne Enterprises. Lois decides to leave and reaches the Daily Planet, where after turning the report in to Perry, heads to the roof for a quick smoke. That's where she sees a man waiting for her, floating in the air. He has blue eyes, he looks straightened and confident, and has straightened hair, with a widow's peak. He's also wearing a blue suit with a weird S on his symbol and a cape. He's floating in the air, petting a stray cat, while giving a warm smile to Lois. Lois is genuinely confused and, weirdly, intimidated by the aura he gives out. Almost like he has the power of a god. She thinks, "Is there yet another freak on this planet? First the monster from Gotham, and now...whoever, no. Whatever, this is?". She has to get a story out of him. She shakes her head out of disbelief, but just like that...he's gone. As if he was never there.
Over the next few days, Lois goes around town, thinking about that man and, at every turn, he's there. Sometimes looking at her from the sky. Sometimes floating, helping a few schoolchildren pass the street. Despite the good she sees him doing, she suspects the man of having an agenda. She starts coining the name: Superman. She tries to ask Perry to give her permission to write a piece on this "Superman", but Perry doesn't let her, claiming no one even knows who this Superman is, and it might all be a hoax. Clark is concerned for Lois and her obsession with this "Superman" and tries to help Lois with her story. Lois starts to suspect Clark of being this "Superman" character she sees throughout Metropolis due to the sheer facial resemblance, even having mental breakdowns over Clark being Superman or not, constantly feeling afraid whether he'll show up or not. Eventually, at night, she sees Superman outside her house and for the first time, he speaks. Using a calm, softer, near deep and melodic voice to talk to Lois Lane. She asks "What do I call you?" to which he replies, "I'm just someone who wants to help around. But I like the name you gave me. Superman. I like it!" She feels nervous, but braves that feeling by getting closer and standing on her tiptoes, kissing Superman.
Throughout the movie, we see more of Lois and Clark trying to figure out the Superman mystery together, getting close enough, but Lois starts to feel even more frustrated, and through seeing Clark, she keeps on thinking he's Superman and even goes through mental episodes. The final scene is Lois standing at the edge of the roof of the Daily Planet, with Clark tearfully pleading her not to jump, but Lois, now fully convinced Clark is Superman, tearfully says "Clark, I know your secret. There's no need to deny it. I know you'll jump and save me. It's okay". She kisses him hard then backs up, closes her eyes, and jumps. Clark tries to reach for her hand, but is a split second too late.
Lois feels herself falling, only for her to gradually slow down. She opens her eyes, only to see Superman again, carrying her in his arms. She kisses him again, and tearfully says "You came." Superman just keeps on smiling, although slightly eerily. "There was no need to be scared of me, Lois. There never was." Lois reaches up to cup his cheek in her hand, but her hand fazes through. She tries again, and again, and again, before realising. "...I'm sorry, Clark." she mutters.
We cut to police sirens, and a silhouette walking over to the body: Batman. He was specially called through the police department via the GCPD, as officers were afraid just going to the body. He slowly walks over: Lois Lane died upon impact when she jumped off the building. Perry was right. "Superman" was a hoax. She hallucinated Superman the whole time. Why? the "cologne" Bruce wore? An unadulterated, raw sample of a gas. "Bruce Wayne" was also just another man posing to be rich, except... he looked very similar to Bruce. Batman checks the body, takes a sample of it, and deduces that she was drugged the night of the fundraiser he held. He simply says to Alfred (listening in via an upgraded cowl) "Whoever did this doesn't want any materialistic things. Given she was drugged in Gotham and did this to herself in another place entirely, our mutual friend wants to undo my work before it even starts." This sets up the sequel for "The Batman Part II"
What do you guys think of this pitch?

Hi all,
For some background information. Currently I am a competitive figure skater, and have been training at the same club for the last 3 years. I recently decided to move clubs since there was an opportunity for me at a club in a city not to far away. I decided to move after trying out for 2 weeks.
When I first started out at my current club everything was pretty good. I didn't fit in initially but eventually it was decently comfortable. The head coach and I weren't always in agreement but it wasn't the end of the world since I needed a place to train. Luck wasn't really on my side for the first 2 years as it was filled with injury and the inability to train. She didn't really like that and would always be against taking time off and her solution to everything was to keep training. It eventually wasn't working for me, when the first time in my career I did not make it to the national qualifier. I decided to take my training into my own hands with a different coach at the club who is less known with less of a reputation. We got a long and came from the same beginnings so it made it much easier for me to train with him. Things started going much better until he announced that he was going to be slowly leaving the club and coaching less days. It didn't matter much to me since I was could train on my own. My old coach barely spoke to me except for once in a while. It was when I started getting better when she finally said some things, complimenting my training. Not sure of her intentions but there was never a thought of her coaching me again.
Once my old coach started his new schedule things did not change much accept for another coach who is a specialist in jumps decided to take his leave after getting frustrated with my old coach. This made it tough for everyone because he played a decent part in everyone's training. This was around the same time I decided to look for new places to train. She had no idea of this because I kept it pretty quiet. It was almost as if the move was meant to be because I got accepted into the University there, and the coach at the new club got back to me quickly. I let everyone know that I would be gone for 2 weeks to "try out" and come back after a week to get my things and then leave.
After training there for a week, some of the skaters asked me what I thought of it. Of course when you're a bit high off of a new environment you are more likely to talk about the great things you experienced. I said some subjective things I liked better and objective things like how they had a jump specialist coach. Some of the things I liked because they benefited me as a Student Athlete since the schedule at the new club was more flexible. Word got around everyone of how I felt and my old coach did not like that.
When I got home after my second week, I went to skate at my old club for a week like I had explained. As I was warming up, my old coach went up to me to talk about what I said. Her words were along the lines of "if you go out and trash the club, you are not welcome back." I was a bit confused because I did not say anything that I would say constitutes trashing a place. Also stating that I was not allowed to skate because my coach was not there. She never had a problem with that until today. I also fought back a bit by stating that I am entitled to an opinion and if someone asks me then I'm going to tell the truth. She made it clear that I was not allowed to skate since my coach was not there. I did speak with management who sided with me saying I did nothing wrong since it is my opinion. They also stated that I am allowed on that ice since I paid for the program.
Now I feel uncomfortable to skate there for the week, but I am wondering if I was wrong for talking about the club and stating my opinion about it.

Over the last two years, I've been on a mission to get to the bottom of what's wrong with me. I feel like my doctors are either dismissive right away, or excited to try to figure it out, but quickly give up when no one test isn't off the charts bad. I'm seeing a neurologist in July. Wondering what other specialists I should ask for. I've already been to an allergist, a pulmonologist, a cardiologist who specs in electrophysiology and has referred me for a tilt table test, an orthopedist as a teen, and a gastroenterologist.
About Me:
Almost 30 years old, female. Married, no children, full time self employed business ownehairstylist. Of English and Mediterranean descent. No significant history of alcohol use. Have not drank since 2020. I don't use Marijuana or other drugs. No significant nicotene use, but smoked 1 to 3 cigarettes per day until 2021, switched to vaping the lowest concentration, quit nicotene in 2023. Generally healthy and balanced diet. 5'5", currently about 145lbs. 105/65 is normal resting BP, heart is high 50s to low 60s. No significant personal medical history aside from benign ovarian tumor resulting in emergency surgery due to torsion in 2017. Have had pelvic ultrasound within last 6 months, no findings. Normal abdominal CT. Have had two colonoscopies and an endoscopy due to GI issues, detailed below. PFT suggested mild asthma. GI Scopes found mild cell changes in lower esophagus, rectum, and chronic gastritis in stomach. Had MRI of brain which showed two small white matter hyperintensities. Normal echocardiogram, cardiac stress test showed elevated ejection fraction which may have been due to dehydration. Normal cardiac event monitor. I have some degenerative disc disease in my cervical and thoracic spine.
Blood panels usually show: - low- to low end of normal hemoglobin, potassium, sodium. - high end of normal levels of CO2 -high but not alarmingly high wbc (very high neutrophils but low lymphocytes) -thyroid (free t3 and t4) levels tend to swing from the 1.0's to almost 3.0 -estradiol low end of normal Have a normal ESR blood test, have not been given an ANA.
Symptoms include:
-Sudden, crushing fatigue (have almost fallen asleep while standing and walking) -Heart palpitations (both fast and slow, pounding ones) I do take propranolol 10mg as needed and it always helps within an hour. -Sudden feelings of impending doom/death/panic -Sudden lightheadedness and nausea -Sudden bloating and diarrhea 5+ times a day -Cystic acne, currently controlled with tretinoin -Migraines with aura, with or without headache (visual and sound distortions, cannot look at certain patterns (especially small stripes) or hear certain noises without feeling "out of sorts" -Vertigo (feels like I'm falling or about to fall over) -Extreme acid reflux that is never fully controlled even with Pantoprazole (burning is gone, regurgitation still a thing) -Dysphagia -Unexplainable weight fluctuations of up to 25 pounds within a couple months, both gain and loss. This has happened since age 12/13. My mom took me to the doctor for this when I was 95lbs at 13, size 000 and couldn't put on weight no matter what I ate after suddenly losing 15lbs for no reason, doctor accused me of bulimia and dismissed us. -Random episodes of shortness of breath, rescue inhaler works typically. Sharp, stabbing pains and dull aches in rib cage, back, neck, and chest Sudden aching pains in arms and legs or skin will feel like patches of it are burning for a few minutes Unable to vigorously exercise or I will have what feels like an adrenaline dump and have a panic attack. Usually walking up to 3mph is fine but sometimes it isn't. Hypermobile joints which have resulted in many partial and full knee, shoulder, and finger dislocations, especially in teens and early 20s. I've always been very flexible. I do have TMJ as well.
***Also worth noting: Throughout 2018 and 2019, I'd have random days here and there where I would spike a fever and be in bed all day with flu like symptoms, if I went to the doctor my WBC count would be quite high, but either the next day or by the end of the day I'd be fine. This went on for about a year and a half. Then in late 2020, I got COVID and everything started or severely intensified about 6 months later. Continued to worsen until early 2022, then again in early 2023 after a series of very stressful events, and has stayed the same since. Most of my above symptoms have been with me to some degree since childhood or teens, but greatly intensified post-COVID.
Family history of:
Mitral valve defects DVT Heart attack Unstable angina Atrial fibrillation Renal failure Heart failure Type 2 diabetes Hypertension High cholesterol Colon cancer Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism Reproductive cancers in men and women Anxiety Depression Bipolar disorder Substance use disorder Fibromyalgia Chronic fatigue syndrome Ulcerative colitis GERD Lupus PMDD
Honestly at this point I don't believe I will ever get a diagnosis. I'm leaning toward some type of dysautonomia like POTS, an autoimmune or thyroid disorder, or even EDS.

So, me and my bf are in a 3y relationship. We were classmates, i felled in love with him at first sight. I initiated this relationship. Back then he didnt know how to express his feelings so i did and gave him all my love. He was really sweet and caring with me.We ve been so close that all of our families know abt this relationship. I cant say my age here but im still a teenager(near 20). He is younger than me, back then that wasnt a problem but now i can see how childfish he is.
Everytime i talk to him about something he cant take it serios. Over time i started to stop telling him how i feel bc i know its always the same. (for context a few years ago i was in a really bad depression and now im okay but thats because of my female friends who standed by myself and lisened to me seriosly when i needed them bc my bf couldn take me serios).Beside that he makes me feel bad abt myself or how i look beause of his jokes. I talked to him multiples time to change something but guess what, nothing.
In january i joined a school competition with dances and all these kind of stuff. There i was partener with a boy, lets call him jason. When we first slow danced we started to like each other. We danced for a whole month if not more. Everyday felt like magic because we had a conection i never felt it with my bf. He looked at me the way my bf never did. I never talked abt my bf with the excitment i talk abt jason(thats what my friends told me).We had a bad phase in our realtionship that period but jason was really nice to me. Beside the phisical touch we had bc of the dancing he even bought me flower for valentines day and everytime i was mad at him he tried to calm me down and was so sweet with me.Its been a couple of months but i still miss and like him.
I cant tell my bf this because i dont wanna lose him because otherwise i would have no one and i cant risk my relationship because of jason. Back then he liked me and if i werent with my bf i could of had chances with jason but i tried my best to not get so close to him.
One thing about jason is that he talks to multiple women just for fun, not bc he want a relationship so if i break up with my bf would be for nothing but what if something like this happens again and for half a year i think about someone else?
I feel really guilty and i cant sleep at nights bc i think of this situationship.I love my bf but i like jason as well. If i tell my bf about this i think he would go much colder on me.He is the alone type of boy.He loves me but a lot of times he loves himself more and thats okay and normal but he makes me feel low and bad abt many things. Idk what to do and idk what is the right thing to do.
I wanna be with him but i dont like a lot of stuff abt him like the way he makes me feel inferios and there are many times i find him so annoying and i feel like im his mother not his partener. Sometimes when i look at him i dont feel anything. We became a habit. I find it hard to say i love you a lot of times.
Everytime we talk abt this he doesnt understand or makes me the bad guy.
On the other hand jason is from my town, we are much more alike and this is something i like abt him.If i go to a party with jason we would have so much fun togheter, we would dance all night long to the songs we both like but if i go with my bf he would sit in a corner and leave me alone.I love him but idk if this is right or not. Now i am at a young age but what if i continue and its not right and i figure this out in my 30s . And im scared to leave him bc all my family and his know abt us and its gonna be hard. Also 3y its a pretty long time and idk if anyone else would love me tbh...
Please help me figure things out. Should i tell my bf abt jason?Should i keep going on with this relationship?

Hello Agent
There isn’t much time for me to give you this mission so you must listen carefully. There is someone that we need you to befriend to get more information on. Down below is what we know about her so far.

Name: Gillian Gender: Female Age: 25 From: Wisconsin Hobbies: writing, baking, and drawing abstract Music: 80's, classical, 2000's and jazz Favorite color: doesn’t have one. Favorite food: tacos Favorite drink: Regular coca cola. 

One random fact about the agent: They have a unique self-published book. Rumor has it that the pages are filled with the emotions the agent normally keeps hidden.
To establish contact with the agent you must provide the details below to her. It is a first step in the right direction of gaining trust.

Name: Age: Where you are from: Tell her something you think is interesting about you: 

We know that she is a night owl by choice based on the report from the last agent. She has a list of health issues but continues to push on even with them. Doing such shows the determination and hard-headedness that she has. Although this has helped her through life it means that it is going to be another obstacle for you, take note of that.
She is anti-drug and anti-alcohol by choice. One thing that is a must if you choose to continue is she is quiet and shy. You might ask how I can get the information quicker, you can’t, it will take time and patience. If you do not have that turn around right now because you will just frustrate yourself while she sits there calm and composed.
You get to ask the agent one free question. Meaning no matter what you will get an honest answer.
Follow these instructions carefully. If you don't there is no guarantee that you will get a response. The agency wishes you the best of luck on what is going to be a tough mission.
Transmission terminated.

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1cxj7h8/comment/l52vtd5/?context=3
*****

The Palatini of Orias journey took nine grueling days of traveling down the peaks of Torness Mountain Range. But at long last, they reached the Coralus Valley. While the temperature was far below what the half-elf usually enjoyed, it was far better than the mountain peaks.
They traveled through the valley, trying to avoid the multiple hostiles, villages, and anyone else who could tip off their enemies. They had to take every tedious path imaginable to prevent possible contact with the enemy.
Staring at their destination, Fraeya Holiadon could not decide if she should be thrilled or distorted at the sight. "Is this the place?"
"I believe so," Raegel said. "The pattern of the structures matches my drawings and the map. See the remains of the two walls?"
"And the stone rings that direct out," Henness said.
"So, you have read the legends," Raegel said, surprised by the centurion's knowledge of the temple.
"I always prepare before a mission," Henness said. "Those half rings, are they stone or artificial?"
"They look like stone, so I think they used the ground stone and molded them," Raegel said.
Fraeya Holiadon carefully stared at the temple ruins. All she could see was the destruction—fractured stone buildings, walls, weed-infested stone pavement, and so on. While there were still many stone structures, most were destroyed. She could only see death, not the walls her father could see.
She turned to ask her father what he was talking about but saw Centurion Fionntan Henness pointing toward the walls and other details.
Watching the two communicate about the features of the temple, she realized how out of depth she was. Her father spent generations studying ruins like this, while Henness is an experienced soldier. For Fraeya, this was her first mission outside the academy supervision, and she realized how different the world was compared to the classroom.
As the two spoke, her elf ears overheard Henness mention that he saw green webbing. As the two men debated what creatures could create that webbing, she already knew based on the type of webbing. Being an excellent student, she recalled the topic regarding intelligent monsters. While many species produce a web, only one creates a thick green. Goblins.
"Father," Fraeya said. "I think goblins made those webbings."
"How could you possibly know that?" Henness asked, unconvinced by the theory. "It would easily be Rorgo or a Kipt."
Fraeya reached into her backpack and pulled out her notepad. She flipped through the pages and responded, "Kipt is more silk-like, while Rorgo is more for capturing prey. Both are white. Only Goblins make green."
"She is correct," Raegel said. "The green should have been a given."
"Alright," Henness said. "That complicates things."
"How so?" Fraeya asked. "The academy said they are weak. Adventures and local militia kill them constantly, so your men should be able to wipe them out with your weaponry easily."
"Goblins are weak in small numbers, but they are a nightmare in large numbers," Henness said. "And depending on the horde, they adapt to who their enemies are quickly. For all I know, we could be fighting a nest that is as heavily armed as we are."
Fraeya looked back toward the next with much confusion. She knew about the goblin's ability to adapt. However, her teachers never stated how formal they could be. Only treating them as barbarians is a functional civilization. "I would think the academy would mention something like that."
"If you are going to be out here in the world, you must understand that life is very different from the classroom," Henness said. "The difference between someone who lives behind a desk versus someone on the ground. Now, I need to get my forces ready for our attack."
Once the centurion left, Fraeya looked at her father. "I am starting to get the impression that my schooling wasn't as truthful as I once thought."
Raegel chuckled at the statement from his daughter. "That is what I said when I left my academy in Thali'ean," he said with a short chuckle before he spoke. "Henness was correct; there is a large gap between the classroom and out here in the world."
"I see. So, now, what do we do?"
"We wait for the legionaries to form a plan. Because time is not on our side, he will want you to assist with your magic. Do you think you can assist? If you are uncomfortable, tell me now, and you can stay here where it is safe."
Feeling a nervous chill creeping down her spine, she looked back toward the temple and breathed heavily. "I admit, I am scared, but I didn't come here to babysit the camp. I want to help."
She felt her father pat her on the back, feeling a sense of pride from his touch.
"That's my daughter."
After an hour of planning, the Palatini of Orias began their assault on the temple ruins. The plan was for a primary team to assault the temple directly, triggering a response from the goblin. The second team would remain on the high ground and pick off the horde.
Fraeya ended up on the right side of the group team. To her surprise, many soldiers were thrilled that they were finally getting into a fight. She wondered, after two weeks of crawling over the mountains and hiding like rodents, they finally got a chance to be soldiers.
The primary assault group she was attached to advance toward the temple once the signal was given. Passing one of the few remaining wall structures, they entered the temple ground. As they swept through the old temple's front sections, the goblins huddled around a fire pit, noticed them, and prepared for battle.
Three legionaries known as circilmen, from the palatini positioned themselves to engage the incoming enemy. Carrying a ranged projectile weapon known as a circiletum, they hid behind the front shield men and fired upon the incoming enemy. They picked off two of the three goblins as the last one quickly crawled under a piece of rubble for cover. Then, the palatini heard a painful screech from the hiding goblin.
Fraeya couldn't help herself but stand there noticing the two fresh corpses. She then watched as two of the swordsmen rushed to the hiding goblin. They reached in and pulled the little green monster out of its hiding spot.
Two swordsmen grabbed the goblin and dragged it from its cover, it jumped on top of one of the legionaries, stabbing its blade into its armor, unable to break through. With a short struggle, the legionary could slam the goblin onto the ground. The other legionary stomped on the body before thrusting his gladius into the monster.
Hearing another screech, Fraeya looked down the stone path and saw goblins popping out of every crack and corner.
One of the legionary officers ordered the unit to reform. The swordsmen took the front with their large scutum shields, creating a two-line protective shield wall. Behind them were the circilmen, taking cover behind the scutum.
The group of goblins charged forward. As they approached, the legionaries saw the raw, starving rage within their dark green eyes—a thirst for primal instincts of food and lust and nothing else.
"Fraeya, is it?"
Hearing her name, she turned to the commanding offer of this group.
"When I give the order, shake the ground." The lower-ranking Centurian said.
Fraeya acknowledged the order as she understood what he was planning.
Turning back to the incoming horde, she watched the three circilmen open fire. The circiletums cut down the forward group of goblins. The ones behind that row suddenly stopped from the shock but were cut down by a second volley.
"Now. Before they scatter."
Fraeya placed her hands together and chanted. The two tiny mana crystals on her gloves blew green as she felt a raw energy channel through her body. A moment later, that glow expanded to the point that it encompassed her hand.
Channeling the mana needed for the spell, Fraeya placed her left hand on the ground.
The stone ground beneath them shook the stone terra, stunning the goblins. Right down the center, cracks formed, and the terra broke apart. The road slightly uplifted into an elevation, forcing the goblins to focus on what was happening.
With the ground disinformed, it prevented the enemy from scattering in an organized manner, allowing the circilmen to fire another volley.
The front scutum marched forward and started cutting down anything that moved. The other line split into two groups. They were marching down the street in an almost synchronized manner. They held their shields high toward the ruins, protecting the circilmen from any incoming projectile. Arrows and magic.
Fireballs flew and impacted the scutum infantry, protecting the flanks. Some of the shields glowed from the impact. The flames engulfed one of the men's arms, and he started to scream from the pain.
The circilmen returned fire, and a firefight began. The sound of their weapons crackled throughout the surrounding area, amplified by the ruined walls. Above the sound of battle were the voices and cries of the wounded—the circiletum that were deployed on the ridge above rained fire from the suppressive team.
The Palatini of Orias pushed deeper into the temple ground as the battle continued. That was until the town began to be consumed by this thick haze, providing cover for the goblins, and restricting visibility for the Lat forces. While not educated to the standards of civilized races, Goblins were not stupid.
"It is a haze," Fraeya said. "They must have a mage somewhere within the nest."
Centurion Fionntan Henness approached their forces and began to regroup. "Can you counter it?"
"No," Fraeya replied. "I never studied Aeromancy magic."
"Nebulo," Henness said. "Our armor and weapons will be less effective."
Fraeya understood his concern. From what she recalled from her classes; goblins have sharp senses. Based on the density of the haze, it was clear even to her that they were planning to force them to huddle and expose themselves to be surrounded, making their ranged weapons worthless.
"We will just have to work around it," Raegel said.
As Frayea prepared herself, she felt a strange feeling throughout her body, almost like some field affecting her body. She saw a female legionary in light armor and a cloak checking over the wounded. One of the few women in the legionary, she could tell she was the unit healer specializing in Sanamancy magic. The women must have placed a barrier to help protect against any poisonous gasses lying within the haze.
Orias advanced through the haze; this forced the soldiers to clump together for safety. As the assault group progressed, they were hit non-stop by the goblin's arrow fire, spears, and fire shots from sling guns. Most of these projectiles caused minor damage thanks to the heavy armor legionary’s wear. However, this did not remove the damage as it brought discomfort and limited their progression to a crawl.
Barely noticing two figures on top of a rooftop through the haze, who were firing slingshots toward their position, she pointed her hand toward a piece of rubble and, with her magic, lifted the debris and projected it through the haze. The rubble temporarily formed a gap in the haze that increased the line-of-sight.
She then called out to the fire battle mage within the unit. The mage realized what was happening and fired multiple firebolts toward the tower. Five bolts impacted the building from different directions, engulfing the structure in flames. Everyone could hear the faint sound of goblins screaming as the building burnt.
With the tower collapsing suddenly, arrows rained through the thick haze, hitting the legionaries in retaliation. While most arrows bounced off the armor, some found exposed spots. Two more legionaries fell to their knees, with one vomiting blood, forcing the healed to focus on the sick over protecting the group.
It became clear that the goblins changed their tactics and poisoned their arrows. While worthless against armor, they could still puncture the underneath clothing and scrap any exposed part of the skin.
A luperca legionnaire picked up an old broken wagon and used it as a shield to protect. With the cover, the lower ranking commanders directed the circilmen to pick off any goblins that peaked above the surface.
Combined with the haze and change of tactic, this formed a strange stalemate between the two sides. The Orias was forced into a defensive; they were well equipped to deal with any goblins who dared to get within melee range. However, the goblins had surrounded and had the range advance as they could see through the haze, allowing them to snipe any legionary who adventured far from the group.
Fraeya saw a blob of acid impact a swordsmen's scutum. The scutum started being consumed by the spell, slowly falling into pieces. The man screamed as he felt his arm burn, desperately untieing the strappings to ditch the heavy shield.
"We need to kill their shaman before we are picked off," Raegel said.
"I agreed," Henness replied. "As long as this haze is here, my suppressive team is useless."
"If I recall," Fraeya said. "A Shaman should be nearby. Someone close enough to maintain this haze and give commands but not put themselves in danger."
"Then I know where it should be," Henness said. "Let's go half-elf."
She felt her ears perk up once she realized the centurion was talking about her. She looked toward her father and saw the 'it is time to prove yourself' look. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she gathered behind Henness and six of his men.
The assault unit left the main one and adventurer deeper into the temple grounds. As they reached what remained of an intersection, goblins stormed out of the stone buildings to ambush the legionaries.
With their disciplined reaction, the legionaries immediately adjusted their formation and sliced down the attackers. Henness stood at the center, holding his sword out as flames wrapped around the blade.
As the goblins attacked the swordsmen, Fraeya broke apart the ground on the right flank, knocking many goblins. The one that fell, she entangled them by summoning vines - which trapped the goblins and pulled them into the ground until their death or burial.
She then turned and lifted parts of the ground on the left flank, blocking some of the goblins. This prevented the legionaries from being encircled.
"Reform," Henness ordered. "We need to advance quickly. Stay close."
Once the path was clear, the unit moved toward the building where the goblins had fortified. Henness moved in front of her to provide protection. He held up his shield, deflecting arrows.
"Stay behind me," Henness said.
While not being a military woman, Fraeya quickly learned to accept the chain of command on this quest. On the battlefield, her father told her to listen to Henness as he was a man of war. She realized that the structure and safety of the city and the academy are vastly different in the countryside. Getting behind him, she followed him close behind as he pushed forward, arrows striking his shield, allowing her to get in range for her spell.
The legionaries stopped engaging the incoming goblins, allowing their centurion and the young mage to get closer. Henness reached around his scutum and pressed the amulet attached to the outer shell's center. Once pressed, the large shield briefly glowed before darkening, returning to the standard red with white lining design.
Up ahead, Fraeya saw in full display of the nest. Spikes, fortification, and green webbing filled the gaps between the ruined structures. Skeletons and decomposing bodies littered the areas of their past victims. The goblins were standing in the bunker sections, preparing for battle. With how heavily guarded it was, she concluded that this must be where the Shaman was.
"Fraeya, now!"
Fraeya moved around the man to cast her spell. With a quick chant, her hands glowed green again. As she channeled her mana, an acid attack impacted Henness' scutum. While the added hardening enchantment from the amulet increased the scutum resistance, the acid slowly ate through the large shield.
Stepping from cover, Fraeya aimed her hands at the nest. The ground trembled a little as the front of the nest collapsed on itself from the summoned sinkhole.
With the front entrance open, Fraeya saw the Shaman in plain view—a female, being one of the few within a goblin nest. The Shama looked scared as she looked around where to hide.
Fraeya did not give it time as she cast a spell that created a spike from the ground below the Shaman and pierced straight through the vicious monster, killing it instantly.
As the Shaman staff hit the ground, the haze started to disappear.
Believing that her work was complete after killing the goblin leader, her ears quickly heard footsteps surrounding them.
Noticing that the goblins were about to swarm their position, she took cover behind Henness to protect his rear. She took a deep breath as she felt exhausted from the battle and cast so many spells quickly.
Starting at five goblins that emerged from the ruins, Fraeya watched as they charged toward them. Before they got close, however, each one was sniped from the ridge-side suppressive team.
With a moment of confusion, she stared toward the cliffside and saw the suppressive team. Now that the haze is disappearing, they could snipe off the remaining goblins from their elevation position.
"Good job, half-elf," Henness said, slowly stepping back with a shield aimed at the flames, guiding Fraeya back.
"Stop calling me half-elf," Fraeya yelled. "I am out here risking my life with the rest of you, and don't give me that war is a male-domain thing! I am willing to see this through. Most of my kind would stay home and let you fight, so why do you keep degrading me?"
"Because ideals get people killed," Fionntan Henness replied. "Out here, you must earn that respect within the brotherhood of warriors, especially if you are used to living inside the city walls. People with a self-protected mindset usually end up as food for the worms or get my soldiers killed because they do not understand what it takes to survive."
The centurion then turned to the destroyed nest. "I will say, though, what you did here. It is a good first step for a half-elf." He then turned to give her an approving smile.
Not understanding the humor from the Lat, Fraeya accepted it. From her experience, Lats always had a strange sense of humor. Insults are sometimes seen as compliments while praising could be considered offensive. Saying one thing but meaning another is a common trait for them.
With the remaining palatini coming after clearing the remaining goblins, Fraeya saw her father. She rushed over and hugged him and teared up.
"You did good, my dear," Raegel said as he patted her.
"Is this really what it is like out here?" Fraeya asked.
"Sadly, it is," Fraeya replied. "That is why I never brought you around on my digs."
"I am sorry to interrupt," Henness said. "We are on borrowed time, so can we get at it?"
Fraeya looked toward the centurion with frustration as she wanted a moment with her father. After taking a deep breath, she realized that he was right.
After finishing her hug, she brushed off the goblin's blood and clothing.
"Then we better begin searching for what we came for," Raegel said as he reached for his bag. She watched as he pulled out a perfectly smoothed, pure black orb. By itself, it didn't look impressive. She had seen hundreds of these orbs at the academy or the many workshops within the city.
Raegel held the orb in one hand and activated it with his mana. The orb glowed light blue and fainted, barely emitting any energy. He then took it against the mountain and began scanning.
Not wanting to miss anything, Fraeya quickly pulled out her journal, skipping past all her notes until she reached a blank page. She then began documenting everything her father did, taking in every world and detail.
The palatini began walking through the ruins, heading toward the mountain wall. Raegel explained in his research that the temple extended inside the mountain, like a dwarf borrian. While others who came before him came up with this theory, they were still looking for a way to detect the hidden door markings and find it.
Raegel moved down the side of the mountain, holding the orb high.
"Why are you not using a door-detecting amulet?" Fraeya asked.
"Because people have been using that for generations and found nothing here," Raegel replied.
After a reasonable amount of time when nothing had happened, Fraeya began to wonder if everything was for nothing. Seeing the lack of progress, Henness inquired if the orb failed to work. As Raegel replied, the orb suddenly blimped orange for a moment.
Witnessing the sudden change, the group backed away as they did not know how to respond to the sudden glow.
Noticing a renewed excitement from her father, she followed him closely as they investigated the mountainside.
As they searched, her father noticed that the faint blue glow from the orb had changed to orange. It then disappeared and slowly appeared, like it was slowly pulsing. When they continued walking forward, the pulsing light increased in speed.
"I think it is directing us, father," Fraeya said.
"Possible," Raegel said. "There must be some type of link."
The palatini followed the direction the orb gave. As the group approached a mountainside wall, the pulse frequency increased until it looked like the orb glowed a solid color.
"I think we found it," Raegel said. He lifted the orb toward the wall.
As the orb drew closer to the mountainside, these blue lines appeared all over the rocky wall. The rough chips of rock melted away and turned smooth as the light traveled through the grooves, slowly creating what looked like a giant door of light.
Once the bright lights finished designing a massive door, Fraeya placed her hand on the wall, shocked at how the natural bulky rocks turned into a marble-like wall.
"I would step aside, Fraeya," Raegel said.
As Fraeya stepped backward, she watched her father open the door with a magical spell. Like most magical doors, the door brightened as she expected it would fold into the mountain. To her surprise, the door didn't fold away but melted into the ground.
"What happened to the door?" Fraeya asked.
Raegal placed his hand on his chin. "It seemed that the wall was not solid but some liquid matter. These people are impressive."
The wall began to shake as dusk from the cracks spread through the area.
A large opening formed as the door walls folded into the mountainside. A passage leading deeper into the mountain. The walls were black and smooth, while the floor had these textiles in perfect order, leading deeper into the mountain.
"This has to be a dwarven design," Fraeya commented. "Only they could do something like this."
"I'm not sure," Raegel said. "This is not a design I have seen from dwarves."
Fraeya understood what her father meant. Dwarven doors into the mountains took a lot of work to find. While there were many designs of such hidden doors and the means to open them, it was doubtful that anyone had ever seen a secret magical door like this before.
Raegel started to walk into the chamber but was suddenly stopped by Henness. Stating that he wanted his men to go first to ensure no trap, three legionaries moved through the large chamber. Once they gave the clear, the rest of the group entered.
While walking, Fraeya stayed close to her father as she took notes. The soldiers ahead of them set up torches to add more light. To her surprise, the walls and floor were smooth. The air was stale, probably trapped within this chamber for centuries.
As they walked inside, the room lit up. Everyone stopped as they looked toward the end of the hall. The chamber was empty, with only a strange-looking platform at the very end. Noticing that the orb was pointing toward the platform, they approached it.
"Is this it?" Henness asked. "It does not look that impressive."
"Not everything is based on size, centurion," Raegel replied, to which his daughter giggled.
Fraeya then analyzed the platform. It was smooth, almost marble-like. However, she doubted whether it was marble. The fundamental details that she noticed were a strange-looking blue crystal at the center of the platform and another in a hole on the side.
"This is interesting," Fraeya commented. The design looked surprisingly simple. This orb must act as some command orb for this device. They must be communicating in some manner."
"Assuming that the legend was true, the orcs were the ones who summoned the lats from Altaerrie," Fraeya said. "Maybe, when this place was lost of that time, it was never turned off. Being left in a state of slumber, waiting to be reawakened."
"Possible. It would explain why the orb directed us here. The orange pulse is now pointing down at a rapid pace."
"I think it goes into that hole, father," Fraeya said. "From what I can tell, the crystal in there connects to the one on top of the platform."
"I see," Raegel said. "The pulse is pointing toward it too. I recommend that everyone step back."
"Be careful, father," Fraeya said.
Stepping back from the platform, Fraeya watched as her father placed the orb into the hole. This was the moment her father had been talking about for decades, and it had finally come true. The Bridge between two worlds had finally been discovered.
As Raegel placed the orb into the platform, it glowed orange in a solid state, no longer pulsing. The blue crystal in the middle of the platform slowly lit up, like it was waking up after a long sleep.
The air suddenly chilled as the air flowed toward the platform. A bright light beamed out of the crystal and slowly faded away, leaving a light as if on standby.
To their dismay, the orb changed to red, dimming and brightening in a slow, tired pattern.
"What is it doing, father?" Fraeya asked.
"I have no idea," Raegel replied. "It must be waiting for something."

I got a text message from a Chicagoland carrier looking for OOs. Weird thing is, it literally and clearly says "no female OOs allowed". I'm not going to name them here in case somebody warns 'em.
There's good money in this for one of you ladies :). I'll forward the whole message and if you want, a notorized statement as to when and how I got the ad. I may know a Chicago area lawyer who'd take this on contingency too.
Carriers screw us enough, this is just blatant and waay illegal.

I feel the best submission wrestlers for MyF at the moment are:
FW charlotte flair 84 (tier 3 space), high tech offensive stats finisher is a submission which adds to its power, couple this with a manager that adds technical submission offense (e.g Kurt) and or plates for Tech Off, also damage limbs are faster on legs for charlotte than Becky FW (84) (Becky does a grab, charlotte stomps, on a stun bar u get x3 hits for one of becky's) Asuka can be good too if you prefer a striker. Becky 84 FW has blue space. but if you can get becky you can get charlotte as both are in the same boss faction and I feel charlotte is superior because of my aforementioned points.
Males would be similar anyone with a high attributes in either power or tech off dependent on your preference matched to a finisher in that type, a good badge in space invader, coupled with a manager and badges. I didn't like the FW taker card as quick climber is wasted on him due to his slow speed and low stamina. However he is a striker (easier MFP on Legendary), has a super-finisher submission (EVEN MORE POWER), and has that space invader at level 2 blue.
PG Ruby Kurt angle has 79 on his tech offense, purple (tier 3!) space invader which will boost subs, and a 79 finisher stat which is his ankle lock, any finisher submission is boosted in its effectiveness so if you have a red limb and pull off Kurt's special you are gonna break legs.
Bret Hart Sapphire 77 (Legends) is very good with 88 tech offense, Blue (tier 2) Space invader, and 75 on finisher with that finisher being the sharp shooter!
A lot of feedback on this board states that the new Backlash Bret Hart (don't have him) even with his space invader level 1 is a great submission wrestler. I am irked that the excellence didn't get at least a blue (should be purple imo) space invader but like Kurt he has the finisher which is a submission (always boosts the submission especially if limbs are damaged) if limb is orange it will make it red too. His tech offense is 77 which is really good and can easily be boosted and his finisher being a tech sub and finisher stat being 82 tha'ts pretty much a monster and u do have, though low level, that space invader boost.
Managers :
For technical submissions the following managers boost this stat:
Gold or above B-fab (Tech, HF), any Kurt (tech, HF), Emerald Foley but he's inclined towards strikers and PH but will still boost techs at that gem level, Tyler breeze gold or above (haven't got a lower one), Trish emerald or above.
For power submissions the following managers:
Trish emerald or above (don't have lower tier), Xpac silver or above, Ted DiBiase Silver or above, MVP emerald or above, Lita silver or above.
WHAT? What's the difference between technical and power submissions? It's my belief, and I am happy to be corrected, is that technical submissions target the arms or the legs and à power submission targets a torso or head.
Example: the arm bar, figure 4, ankle lock and sharpshooter are all technical submissions. Sleeper (million Dollar dream), batista bite, Boston crab and torture rack are all power submissions.
In conclusion, submissions aren't just about one attribute being high, an effective submissionist has a combination of high attributes in desired submission offense, Space invader Badge, a signature, or better a finisher, that is a submission, complimented with a high finisher attibute. When all these come together. THEY WILL TAP OUT!
TL;DR:
Males: Kurt Angle (PG), Bret Hart (Backlash), Ken Shamrock (Showcase) are great or Undertaker (FW) with Space invader and use super finisher.
Females: Charlotte FW (84) or Becky FW (84) are top tier but Asuka is good too. Plate for tech or power offense and manage with Tech or power offense. Anyone with finisher or signature as a sub will get a boost to sub.
High sub offense either power or tech, space invader badge (higher the better), high finisher, finisher or signature that is a submission will synergise effectively.
Does anyone have any different suggestions or advice or have I overlooked someone?

Hello, my name is Matt and I have had lots of success finding information and documents about my family, however certain family lines end really early with their info. I would like to know any good ways or websites that can help find the information I am seeking or what techniques I can use to dig deeper. Here are some scenarios I would like help with please!
Germany, Italy, and Spain: I have family ties from these but since all were dictatorships in one point in their time I wouldn't be surprised if information was lost. My knowledge and information in them is very slim, especially with Spain and Germany. My grandmother was half Spanish with my grandfather being half Italian from my paternal side and German from my Grandfather on my maternal side. Italian, earliest known ancestor being 5th great grand parents, Germany being 3rd and Spain 2nd.
UK/Ireland to America: My paternal side also has family from Ireland (maybe England but from the information I have, most likely Ireland) I have been trying to figure this one the most as I know the least information about my paternal Grand Fathers past. I have more photos than I do documents, which is nice but I wish I could back those photos up with stories. I know my 2nd great grandfather immigrated to the USA around 1875 but there are so many people with his name but don't share the same family members as I have so I can't find information on him and similar goes for his wife as well as information pretty much stops at her parents too.
Vietnam: Now I am not Vietnamese but my friend is, and he is also trying to find his family history. His grandparents don't know much about their past as they were separated as kids/young adults during the Vietnam war in the South. Now we are aware that the current government did destroy documents as a "start over" kind of mentality but hopefully some were saved somewhere. My friend just wants to know at least to their 2nd great grand parents if they can but of course more is better. He also believes he is linked to a French soldier during the times of French Indochina so that may help a little.
Thank you all for any support you can give me! If you want to look at my tree for more a visual understanding you can find my tree by searching George William Johnston, Born in December of 1871 in Ireland, he is only in 2 trees so far, I'm the one with more information.

Can someone please ELI5 the difference between the 2? Is there a difference? Is a backplate and wing just another name for a back inflate?
I have googled and searched and I can't figure out what would classify one over the other. I fully understand what a jacket is since that is what 99% of the rentals I've worn were. There was one time it was not a jacket, but there was a crotch strap. Was it a back inflate, was it the holy grail of BCDs according to all the FB groups, a BP/W ? I don't know. Please help this newbie understand what people are talking about.

So gxk is out on digital but there is still a lot of confusion around what actually happened, I've done some research and I'll try to explain what I can. (Feel free to give opinions in comments!)
SHIMO
So first of all I don't think Shimo is actually the oldest Titan ever. I believe Mother of All Titans was just a name given in legend, like how Rodan isn't literally a fire demon. She still very much could be one of the oldest, and it could reflect on how reptiles were some of the first land animals ever.
MOTHRA
So Mothra as we know got blown to bits in KOTM, but the credits say Monarch found another egg in her territory. If you don't know, Mothra's whole shtick is that before every major battle, she lays an egg (hence why she was absent for the start of the Battle of Boston). She can transfer all her memories into this egg, essentially allowing her to be reborn in a different body. Now how the fuck did this egg get to Hollow Earth? Well, I think she hatched on the surface in larval stage, burrowed to the temple and made her cocoon there. The Mothra in KOTM had waited millions of years to hatch, so it would make sense that the one in gxk would need additional energy, hence why she went into dormancy that needed Jia to awaken her.
About her symbiotic relationship, i see it as Godzilla and his species being protectors of the surface, and Mothra being Hollow Earth's guardian, as she is where most of the Vial Vortexes are, and they would help each other when needed.
IWIS
So the Iwis are basically just the ancient humans, the ones who worshipped Titans and all, but the only two surviving ones in modern day were on Skull Island and Hollow Earth, and the one on Skull Island is as good as gone. About the telepathic connections, from as far as back as Kong 2017, we knew that they never talked, and in the graphic novel The Birth of Kong, their medicine literally gives people visions of Kong's past. Mothra was simply the one to be most connected to humanity, hence the prophecy eventually came to fruition.
About the crazy ass technology, their civillisation was surviving unimpeded by war and Titans (thanks to the barrier of Mothra's silk) for millenia, and Hollow Earth has tons of resources not fully explained yet. Given the multiple gravitational fields, its not too out there that they could manipulate it like they did in the Hollow Earth battle. (If you suspend your belief this movie was WAY out there)
SCYLLA
The prequel novel (Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted) pretty much explains her so go read it (or just look up the plot on Wikizilla or smth)
TIAMAT
Tiamat had an encounter with Godzilla before in Godzilla Dominion, and was EXTREMELY territorial. Godzilla was nearly beaten but was able to get a terrain advantage and spared her afterwards. Godzilla in this movie was not having shit, so the moment he had a chance he blew her to pieces (RIP my girl).
About Evolved Godzilla, the reason he's pink is because apparently pink is higher up on the radiation scale than blue, so I guess there's that.
KONG
Adam Wingard confirmed that from now on he'll be referred to as King Kong, which is really sweet :D
Also, the reason Godzilla attacked him, not only did they have their territorial agreement, Kong emitted an alpha roar to get his attention, so that was a mistake on Kong's part.
TITAN WARS
For the last bit I've cobbled together the history we have to create a coherent timeline of the war:
Humans tried to use Titan's for war, so the Gojira were quick to retaliate, but as we know the Great Apes are the protectors of humanity so stepped in. Skar King saw this as an opportunity for world domination, so enslaved his species and went into full on war with Gojira. From the few that they were able to kill, he would fashion weapons out of their dorsal plates to parry the atomic breath, giving them a fighting chance.
Eventually, King Ghidorah appears from space, so the Gojira have another enemy. Godzilla gets the help of Shimo to freeze him in Antarctica, which is what created the ice age. The ice age causes the radiation levels to die down, so most Titans go into dormancy or return to Hollow Earth.
Skar King eventually acquires a crystal to control Shimo. My theory is that there used to be more of these crystals and were what the humans actually used to control the Titans, and Skar King got the last one. Godzilla can't beat Shimo at his current stage, so opts to imprison them all in the volcanic regions of Hollow Earth. The remaining Great Apes flee to Skull Island, becoming protectors of the native Iwis. My theory is that they formed sort of a subspecies (Titanus Kong), which is why Kong in 2017 (an adolescent) was smaller than Suko (an infant).
Because no other Titans except the few remaining Gojira are on the surface, another species naturally comes, an invasive one (the MUTOs). They kill most of the Gojira, then start to kill each other, the sole survivor becoming a MUTO Prime. She lays spores in two Gojira, (one being Dagon), one hatching into the MUTO Queen we see in King of the Monsters, and the two in Dagon would become the male and female from 2014. Godzilla is left the only standing Gojira.

~First~
Cats, Cops and C4
The Erumenta woman tries to fight even as he forces her into the cell, her natural fire flaring hot enough for his clothing to smoulder and him to mentally congratulate himself for his Undaunted Brand. It’s literally saved his fingers multiple times today.
Marlintine Spire is like many of the spires of Centris still reeling from the massive scan. Sure it had been legal, and both Living Goddesses upon the world had told everyone to calm down in their own way. But just because something is legal and endorsed by powerful figures does not make it a popular move.
“You burn any of your fellow prisoners while you’re in there and you’re getting a suppression collar.” He tells the obstinate criminal as he shoves her into the holding cell and slams the bars shut. The forcefields supplementing the metal bars flickers into place and the blast of flame she aimed at his face splashes against it without further effect. “Cute, keep it up and we won’t need a court hearing to upgrade you to a real prison.”
“He’s being serious. Stripper boy is playing at being a serious police officer.” Another criminal mocks and is subsequently ignored as Chenk leaves the area. He has other things to do.
“Ma’am.” He greets Chief Bowman as he slips by to head back out.
“Hold it human. I know your kind are endurance monsters, but you need to sit the hell down. You’ve been dragging in cult soldiers for six and a half hours straight. Your legal overtime ended a half hour ago.”
“Then keep a cell open for me as I keep bringing in more people. This needs to be quelled.” Chenk says and as he turns to keep going she grabs his belt and pulls him back.
“You need to rest.”
“The Spire is in the middle of a borderline insurrection. I can rest when it’s...” He begins to say before a sudden movement to his right makes his head snap around. Just before Vera the Takra-Takra crashes into him.
“Thanks for stalling him out Chief! Come on you goofy human!” Vera announces as she drags him down the hallway and into Linda’s Office. She tosses him onto the couch and then pounces onto him and pins him.
“Really?” Chenk asks.
“Yes really. You need to calm down. And I found a way to force it.” Linda states.
“But the Spire is...”
“You are one officer. Supersoldier on loan to the station or not, you’re still only one officer. The structural integrity of this spire only depends upon you when there’s a bomb threat and even then, only when it’s a chemical bomb.” Linda tells him. “Or do we have to restrict you to only being called out during a bomb threat?”
“No.” He says. “But people are still getting hurt and...”
“And they're the ones hurting themselves. Just please calm down. I know you’re skilled, but your sense of justice is just going to hurt you at this rate. Don’t want to leave a bad example for Amy now do you?” Linda teases him and Chenk groans in frustration.
“... I really should have thought things through before growing attached to that girl.”
“Oh probably, but it was adorable to see. The world crashing down on a poor little girl in over her head and then Officer Hero, Supersoldier from the blackest void of the galaxy flies in to save her.” Vera teases.
“Still, him being a supersoildier is a bit of a problem right now. Big man needs a mission, or he’s going to go nuts!” Linda notes. “Luckily! I called one of your friends on the ship. Soldier, you’re in position to requre a talking to from The Observer. However, the call is on hold, but you need to be here when it goes off.”
“That’s a dirty trick.” Chenk notes even as an Undaunted communicator is tossed at him and he catches it. It’s activated, it’s in a waiting queue and there’s no way he can go into the field now if he’s waiting for an official answer. “Very dirty.”
“Good thinking!” Vera compliments as she cuddles closer to her pinned target. Her hair spikes out in sudden shock as The Communicator then goes off to signify the call has gone through. “I jinxed it!”
“Specialist Chenk Barnabas sir!” Chenk answers the call instantly as he sits up and Vera scurries off him.
“Really? I put him on that waiting list to get him to calm down and stop working.”
“Specialist Barnabas, I’m one of numerous individuals filtering the sheer number of incoming calls to The Inevitable. You’re in the proper queue now, please state what you have been doing as a member of The Undaunted so that Observer Wu can better decide who to speak with.”
“I’m on loan to one of Marlintine Spire’s major police stations. Due to the overpopulation of Centris this means I have been acting as elite law enforcement over a population that exceeds that of many of earth’s countries.”
“I see, anything in particular that you’re doing?”
“I’m a chemical expert and accredited detective at this rate. I am the go to specialist for law enforcement when it comes to chemical explosives for a full ten percent of Centris Police Departments.”
“Any particularly interesting cases you’ve been assigned to?”
“Yes, one that is still being debated in court by none other than The Trytite Lady. It involves cloning, murder, mercenaries, numerous criminal gangs and a great deal of more nonsense such as massive prison breaks, fighting robots and Axiom effects so dangerous that even speaking about them in anything more than the most broad and general of terms on an open frequency is a punishable offence.”
“So you have seen a fair amount of what has occurred in the galaxy.”
“I’ve seen enough that I’m going to be very hard to surprise or overwhelm any longer.” Chenk says.
“Very good. I’ll just note this down. The Galaxy is absolutely insane, I’ve been fielding calls from people with like nine heads all speaking in concert and god damn lobster people and more...”
“That’s reality for you.” Chenk replies. “Always more absurd than it should be.”
“Indeed, stand by. I’m putting you into the next proper queue. It shouldn’t be more than a minute or two long.” The Assistant states and then the call shifts to simply display that he’s fourth in the queue now.
“Hunh. Faster and somehow slower than expected at the same time.” Chenk says even as Vera leans against him.
“Even when you take a break you’re still working.”
“You didn’t complain about me being an endurance monster when I planted this in you.” He says gently patting her growing stomach and she pushes him a bit in protest.
“Problem with getting the super-babies of doom is the wait for the baby.” Vera complains and he chuckles before the communicator activates again. He puts it in broadcast mode as Linda leaves her desk to sit next to him for support.
“Observer Wu I take it?” Chenk asks the Asian man who nods.
“And you are Officer and Operative Barnabas. The little summary in front of your call has my attention. Tell me, how are laws generally handled in the Centris space.”
“Centris is a massively overpopulated planet consisting of Spires and Plates. The Spires are the massive multi tiered towers that have two hundred levels each and each level holds enough people to populate any major city on Earth with ease. The lower the level on the spire the less funding, infrastructure and support it has with the bottom ten generally considered a universal slum or no man’s land. Law enforcement in those areas is nigh on impossible and the air itself has been described as thick and fetid. No natural light reaches those areas either.”
“And higher up?”
“Increasing amounts of wealth and support. To such a degree that the plates, which form an artificial ring around Centris are of such high quality that their most squalid and desperate places are at roughly the same standard of living as the middle fifty floors of a well off Spire. As you can imagine, policing all this is an outright herculean effort and every station, no matter how well funded, armed or endorsed is simply inadequate for the task.”
“What sort of crimes have you witnessed?”
“I’ve stopped terrorist conspiracies, torn down drug labs, found myself between assassins and their targets, I’ve stood in the middle of gang wars commanding people to stand down, I have tackled muggers, murderers and maniacs alike into walls and cuffed them. Not even twenty minutes ago I dragged a criminal who could light fires with her will alone into a cell, my jacket is still singed from it.”
“So the world is rife with criminality.”
“No more than any other place, there’s just so many people crammed in here that it’s constant, and that’s without the recent provocation that every single criminal organization received more or less simultaneously. Generally for every single idiot that needs a police officer to remind them why good behaviour is a good idea, there’s an entire bus full of people that didn’t even consider breaking the law.” Chenk explains.
“But when they truly commit crimes they don’t stop do they?”
“No, more resources, technology and Axiom means that if someone wants to break the rules they can break the very concept of rules. The last major case I was in before this flashfire of criminality was kicked off involved the sanctity of body and mind being shattered for the sake of mere greed by a figure so underworld infamous that for a chance to get either evidence on the person in question or ingratiate themselves to them we had an all out war break out in the station. One that if not for a quick trick, we would have lost.”
“And the trick was?”
“Switching out the prize for a disguised tracking beacon.” Chenk says and Observer Wu nods appreciatively. “I can’t credit on that though, it was The Private Stream that did that.”
“I haven’t had that fully explained to me. What is THE Private Stream?”
“I’m not the best person to explain it, but a quick summary is that it’s a shared persona for low profile work. Operative Jameson is the founder and original Private Stream, a persona that lets him go around while heavily armed and armoured while arousing no suspicion.”
Vera snorts in amusement. “Arousing... lot of girls find the aw shucks innocent routine to be arousing.”
Chenk slowly urns to her. “What?”
“You know what.”
“Maybe I don’t!”
“Maybe you do.”
“Could we focus please?” Observer Wu asks. “Now, as an Officer, are there any laws that you would find concerning about humans?”
“Yes, they’re usually location dependant thankfully. So the issue can be avoided. Furthermore there’s a lot of leeway given in laws where the traits of a species would make following the law difficult if not impossible. For example a human can generally get away carrying substances that are considered highly toxic or dangerous due to the fact that our diets contain what many people in the galaxy are nothing more than hard core poisons.”
“Hmm... Could you be more specific?”
“Well, this one won’t apply to you due to an amendment that Admiral Cistern was able to get allies to help him push through, but one of the most popular religions the galaxy over is the Gravid Faith, it has numerous denominations and variants and several of them create what’s called Arrangement Systems where men are required by law to have a hundred wives.”
“And the amendment is?”
“That if you are gainfully employed by governmental or military forces that you are exempt from the law so long as you remained employed in such a manner. You Observer Wu are the eyes of hundreds of Earth Nations meaning a government employee.” Chenk explains and he nods.
“I see. Any other exemptions?”
“Generally the Galaxy looks down on kinetic weaponry, so when it was pushed that humans wear weapons and cultural garb it was allowed through without issue. So humans are legally allowed to carry weapons like knives and pistols at almost all time without question. It’s... rather stupid in my opinion, but well it would be even more foolish for me to complain about something I’m outright benefiting from.”
“Hmm... any other laws?”
“They very much vary by location. Which are further influenced by the species of the residents, local culture, religion, political association, economic status. The name of the game is jurisdiction issues here on Centris. The local police departments all help one another, but always at the invite of the local officers who can actually confirm if what’s taking place is a crime or not in the local area.”
“Can you give an example of this working against things?”
“Alright, the easiest example is with drugs. There is no agreed on way to combat the spread of illegal narcotics. Some make the growing of the plants that produce what you want illegal. Others make the refinement of it’s fruit illegal and some make the selling of the drug illegal. So you can produce it all on the third Spire and sell it on the first two legally. You can grow the plant on the second and third spire legally, refine it on the first and third legally and that way you have a massive multi-jurisdiction drug running operation without technically breaking any law.”
“Hmm... that is a great deal to consider. I presume other such crimes can operate the same way?”
“Unfortunately yes. But that’s the problem with laws, you need to set where the boundaries are, but not make people prisoners in their own homes. There’s always a loophole.”
“Tragically yes.” Observer Wu remarks. “Now, I do need to speak to the others, but I have a few moments more. Who and what are you sitting near. The vaguely catlike woman on your right and the... generally human looking woman on your left are?”
“Linda is to my left. Partner and wife, the first actual police officer of us three. Vera is to my right. Wandering Warrior and wife. Linda is a Tret woman, they’re best considered to be humans if we evolved with Axiom helping us, a sister species to our own people. Vera is a Takra-Takra, she and her kind can shapeshift into the ferocious Warform and use it in battle. They pride their skill as Warriors and seek out stronger mates to empower the next generation.” Chenk explains before tiltiing the view down a little to show the pregnant stomach on Vera. “A work in progress.”
“I see. Congratulations. Although compared to many other Undaunted you seem a little behind.”
“I wasn’t aware it was a race.”
“Which is exactly how you lose the race!” Vera says in an amused tone.
“Indeed. Every conversation leads me to believe that I need to take an entire university degree in order to understand things. Thankfully your own is rather straight forward.”
“Really? Who are you speaking with next?”
“I haven't decided yet, but I need to speak with everyone in some way.” Observer Wu states.
“Good luck sir, I think you’ll need it.” Chenk says.
“Excuse me, is there a way to get a human to calm down and take a break? Ever since Centris was Scanned and hidden societies were exposed all over Chenk has refused to stop working. Is there any way to just get him to take a break?” Linda asks.
“It generally varies from person to person. But I would suggest guilting him. Emotional blackmail is a powerful tool.” Observer Wu says with a slight smirk.
“Traitor!” Chenk declares and there’s a chuckle from The Observer.
“Indeed. I’m afraid this call needs to finish now. Best of luck.” Observer Wu says before the call ends.
“So... we need to guilt you then? Okay!” Vera exclaims before her eyes start to water. “Don’t you wanna be there for the baby? Doesn’t she deserve a daddy?”
“Oh my god woman!”
~First~ Last

Hey team, looking for some assistance if at all possible.
I'm not sure how to express this to anyone in my life because I don't know anyone who happens to be trans. I try to express it and get a lot of generic platitudes from people trying to be supportive, but out of their element.
Ive been on hrt for over a year now. A mile away from passing still and not even out at work. Trying to get a new job with the new name and all that to rectify that. I've learned some makeup, got a few clothes that look/feel alright, and I know, in a proper mindset, that I'm far different from where I was before I started all this. Happier in general.
That said, while I started this with the full intent of being seen as a woman, I can't call myself that. It's impossible for me. It's hard to even say trans honestly. Even if that is explicitly what I am. I feel like a fraud. Like I don't have the credentials to say these things. It's completely self imposed but knowing that doesn't really do me much good. It's been a couple weeks of this now and I can't seem to shake it. Wondering if anyone else can relate and help me out.
Which brings up the second point. Since I gatekeep myself from being the things I am, I feel like I can't really enter any community space for LGBT spaces. Let alone, I have no idea how to really find them here in Ohio. I understand I'm posting in a trans subreddit and saying that but I'm looking for more staying power than one post a year on the internet.
FWIW I do therapy, I go to laser treatments, I'm going to a local court to figure out how to start name change and all that. Even with all that, it feels surreal almost and like I don't deserve it, while also being disappointed with where I am.
Rant over. Thanks for reading. Advice appreciated.

I’ve been at this job for four years; office environment. This coworker, she started on our team of 6 about a year and a half ago and has had some sort of issue with me since arriving - constant passive aggression and snark that I figured was just a character flaw. But it’s very pointed even when I try initiating conversation or being friendly- we’re the only two women on this team after all.
Mentioned a Halloween party I went to? “do you use ouija boards or just give off that energy?”
Was eating a salad one day. “You look like you’d have a gluten allergy. Do you have a gluten allergy?”
I mis-remembered the name of a place and laughed off my mistake, she says to our team “that must be what Florida public schools do to your brain” (we’re in the Midwest, I’m from FL)
To name a few. Then about a year ago I started dating a guy at our work. My boss calls me in the other day to say that said antagonizer made a complaint about ME; That apparently my relationship bothers her… My SO hardly ever comes by and if so, it’s to bring me lunch or ask about plans later. I was genuinely confused. My boss was telling me that he doesn’t expect me to do anything different but just wanted me to be aware. Mind you, he had no clue about my relationship- this antagonizing coworker outed it when making her complaint to the boss. I’ve never had a work complaint, but a baseless one from someone regularly after me was incredibly frustrating.
It’s such a small team. I just try to make it through the day. I don’t know if this is even considered “bullying” but what’s to gain from bringing it up? It’s every damn time I join in on a group conversation, and it’s always snarky remarks to me alone- never the men we work with. And the money sucks too, hard to find a reason to stay at this place but job searching is terrible. I’ve played nice, but she can go step on a Lego at this point.

I'm going to preface this with an apology if I say something wrong in my post—this is all very new to me. It's going to take some time to learn to navigate this issue without completely putting my foot in my mouth.
My child recently came out as a trans girl. It was shocking, but I've tried to be as reassuring and supportive as possible; last term I even took some gender studies classes as electives in my degree program to learn more about gender issues.
She's only 14; she's never given any indication that she was trans, and there's never been any overt gender dysphoria (or any, for that matter that I've observed). I asked how she knew, and her response was that she's always been drawn to female avatars in video games.
She's come out at school, but not to family and still dresses male presenting. I suggested that until she's ready to come out fully, that using non-binary pronouns might be a good middle-ground so that if she does make the transition it's kind of eased into? but I kind of worry that I just wanted to give her an out so that if she decided that she really doesn't know who she is, the nonbinary identity can be walked back from easier than a full public transition? I don't know. I just don't want to fuck this up and traumatize them by saying or doing the wrong thing.
I am fully board with supporting her as she figures out who she is, but I do have some doubts about her being trans. But I don't know how to discuss it with her or even if I should. I know gender is fluid and that not everyone's journey is the same. I don't know. I'm not even sure why I'm posting here.
I just worry because sometimes it feels as if want her to be wrong... I know that's probably selfish. I just want to protect her.

Last fall a male bluebird showed up in my yard to scope out the bluebird house that I put up. Eventually he brought his partner, and together they spent more and more time in my yard, eventually going inside the bluebird box consistently. Fast forward to spring, they came back! I was delighted. Again they spent lots of time scoping out the yard and scoping out the box. Eventually they began to build a nest in the box and I was elated.
Shortly after this, she laid some eggs. Shortly after that, the eggs hatched and I watched every day as they took care of their babies and fed them during the daylight hours.
The amount of time I watched these birds throughout the day would probably be considered ridiculous by most people. I learned so much about their behavior and their habits. They were wonderful parents and a great pair. Periodically I would take a look at their nestlings, who were all in excellent health, although one of them seemed to be less responsive than the others.
One day I watched all morning and there was no activity at the Nest. Nobody going in and out. This was very strange. After over an hour, I went out to check out what was going on with the nest. When I opened it up, I discovered the male was dead inside. This was absolutely heartbreaking. I put on some gloves and I removed the male, And I had my partner film as I examined the body. I didn't see evidence of a physical altercation, however that same day another male bluebird showed up. I know he was different because he looked different, and he was acting different. He was chasing away all the other birds and was scoping out the property the same way that the bluebirds were scoping it out in the fall. So I figured he killed the other male.
Strangely enough, the new male took over. He participated in feeding the babies with the female, and as sad as it was for the original bluebird to have died I was happy that at least there was a pair again.
A few days later, I see the same thing happening at the nest. Hours go by and nobody's going to the nest. I finally go out there and I open it up and I find the female is dead inside. My heart dropped. Two of the nestlings were very lethargic and not very responsive, whereas the other two were very energetic and responsive.
I did my research, and I brought them inside and took care of them as I contacted local wildlife rehabilitation centers in my area. Eventually I found somebody that would come and pick them up. I cared for the two that were healthy and they were healthy all the way up into the point that I gave them away. Unfortunately the other two died.
Here's the crazy part. I'm just dumbfounded at what happened and so I'm watching the Nest constantly all day. Suddenly the male shows up again. Shortly after that, ANOTHER female shows up. Together they start scoping out the property and the nest the same way that the original pair did last fall. Based on their behavior, it seems like they are not familiar with the nest the way they would be if they were the original bluebirds. While the male is easy to distinguish from the original, I have a harder time with a female and I'm using her behavior to distinguish versus physical appearance.
In my research it seems that this is extremely rare, and very unfortunate, for bluebirds to kill each other. I wonder if anyone has experience with a pair of bluebirds aggressively killing and taking over another pair's active nest. The weirdest part about it is that the second male bird seemed to care for the nestlings for many days before killing the female. So heartbreaking.
I have lots of theories but I'm interested to hear yours. I'm very interested if anyone else has direct experience with this type of behavior in bluebirds.
Also- The new male is doing something strange. He sits in one spot and sort of flicks one wing at a time, one after the other over and over again.

Olá! It's me! I'm Rickle Pick! Hello everyone!
So, I’ve been listening to some stories about Neckbeards and Kevins, as well as some Legbeards and Kevinas (Is that the correct term??). Well, most of the times I listen to those stories, I am reminded of some people I used to deal with in school. Specifically, this time, the tale of a guy, who I’ll name Roger Bacon for reasons soon to be explained. Sorry for any grammar errors, eu falo português! I also don't really know the posting rules here, so I'll just post it and see how it goes lol
This prologue is more of a compilation of stories that I think is needed before we get to the main shenanigans and awkward situations this guy put himself AND me into. If this generates any interest, I will post more specific tales of this weirdo! Long time lurker, first time poster, english is definitely not my first language and the whole shebang. I also never wrote a text this large, so go easy on me!
THE LIST:
Well, I guess it’s usual to make a list of people that appear in those stories, so I’ll make one just for you!
Me: Your basic musician-type nerdy theater kid white guy! Tall, thin with medium-light brown hair. At the time, I usually wore a leather jacket and sometimes a hat (not a fedora, a Chaplin hat. Also, where I live, hats are an acceptable attire choice lol). I kinda looked like the Once-ler from Lorax. At this time, I had just failed my second year of high school because of… honestly just lack of effort, mixed with undiagnosed ADHD and a bit of lacking in the ol’ confidence and self-respect department. At the time, I also was physically incapable of saying no and had a crippling fear of disappointing people.
Roger Bacon: 168 centimeters (or 5,5ft for the uncivilized) of pure muscle! Or at least he thought it was that way. In reality, he did have some muscles but was kinda chubby and flaccid. Not FAT fat, but athletic fat (???). He was mixed, light skinned, had shaved short curly hair, no beard (except for the inside beard) and his face was a special kind of oval, besides having a, "chiseled jaw". He always smelled like he had just gotten out of a day-long brawl with a french cologne wearing burrito. He wasn't an usual neckbeard, but he was a huge attention whore. Thought too much of himself, as we say here in Brazil: “Promised too much, delivered nothing at all.” His moto was: “Dude, I think she’s into me!”
For now, these are the characters, as the focus is to introduce you all to Roger Bacon as a person.
With the list over, let us get to the story.
FEBUARY 2018:
The year of 2018 started pretty badly for me. I had just been held back from 10th grade, had no friends and didn’t really know anyone. As most people know, high school in Brazil is quite different from America, as we start school in febuary and we share the same class with the same people all day, excluding language classes and extra-curriculum activities. This meant that, for the foreseeable future, I was alone. On the first day of school, I shyly sat on the last desk on the far right corner of the room, as I scanned my classroom to see what I was dealing with. A few groups of people sitting together, talking and greeting their friends, some loners reading or playing on their phones. The artsy girl drawing a beauriful woman on the white board. Some guy drawing a penis right beside her. Perfect balance. A normal classroom.
Another difference between our school systems is that we don’t really have clicks based on like Jocks or Nerds or Pretty Girls, it’s mostly people who connected in childhood or matched personalities, instead of connecting through roles and interests within the school. Not saying either one is better, just different. And yeah, the bullying situation is just as bad. I was bullied for my whole middle school and through first year of high school, and made a very specific group of low profile friends. So when I failed sophomore year I thought to myself “Screw it, if I’m going to be held back, that’s at least a second chance for me to grow an acceptable social life.”
All this elucidates how intimidating it could be for someone to join a new classroom full of mostly new faces. If you were unable to make a friend, you’d pretty much be on your own for the whole year unless an already formed group “adopted” you. So my mindset was to at least try and meet new people.
Well, have you ever said “I’m gonna do this thing I’ve never done before!” And got the worst possible circunstance you could get at the very first attempt? Welp, that’s just what happened. My strategy was to start small, and go talk to only one person at first, and then try to interact with a few of the groups as that was a bit intimidating (fun fact: we call “clicks “panelinhas”, spelled “pah-neh-lin-ias”, wich means “little pans”, because, you know, they’re closed groups, like a closed… pan. Idk, anyway), so I went up to this guy in front of me, and that guy was Roger Bacon.
He was almost lying on his chair, on a cool guy pose while messing around on his phone. He was also wearing a black sports tank top with a grey opened sweatshirt and the standard uniform wine-red shorts that were mandatory in our school, which made him look like a short and jelly version of Rocky balboa mixed with Kick Buttowski.
In real life, my name and his started with sequential letters, and because of this, we would sit near each other for the whole year, so I guessed he’d be the best person to interact with. I also KINDA knew him because we had basketball training after class in like 2015 and I went to the same church as him, in which I befriended his brother, Kevin, slightly, but didn’t have much contact with him because he had already graduated (I have some stories about basketball and church so tell me if yall wanna read them lol). I approached and gestured for him to take of his headphones (They were extremely loud, so I could recognize he was listening to the song In The End by Linkin Park).
Me: Hey! Aren’t you Roger? You’re Kevin’s brother, right?
RB, trying to sound stoic: “Oh, hey Rick. Yeah, it’s me… fortunately for you.”
Me: “What do you mean?”
RB explained: “Well, I’m the cool brother! Kevin was lame, and also had no friends.”
Me: “Isn’t he in a band with [insert band members]? They seem to be his friends…
RB: “They might look nice, but they’re all assholes. Don’t let them fool you! I’m the nice brother, Kevin is a dipshit.
To elucidate you: that band he said was made of assholes was the Worship band of the church we went to. It was also the worship band that I occasionally played the piano with.
I said, jokingly: “Guess I’m an asshole then! Because, ya know, I play with them more often than not”
RB: “No man, it’s just them. They’re just so infuriating! They never let me participate!”
Me: “Wow, that’s weird… I mean, I didn’t know you were a musician too! What instrument do you play?”
RB: “I play the drums, piano, guitar, bass and I also sing. But Kevin keeps me out because he wants to be the 'star brother'!”
I could tell he got a little heated, and went silent for a little while. I decided not to mention the band or his brother in his presence, 'cause ya know, that was pretty awkward lol.
I remember thinking to myself “This guy’s kinda weird”, because his brother was one of the nicest people I had ever known, and he also didn’t have the say on who played on the band, the worship leader did. I thought about confronting Roger with this, but I didn’t want to abandon my quest of finding a friend. And also, he seemed chill at first, if not a little insecure.
I was a little uncomfortable with this line of conversation, so I opted to change the subject. We talked a bit more about me having been held back, and he went on about how he was really good at math and chemistry, and how he could help me with my school stuff.
I was glad to have someone to help me, and even more, someone who apparently liked the stuff I liked. I remembered what he was listening to, so I commented on it and asked which song was his favorite, and we talked about Linkin Park for a bit. He said “In The End” was his favorite song, and then I mentioned I was a huge Linkin Park fan. He told me he was a big fan as well, but as we talked about it, it became a bit fishy. He never specifically said anything and just kinda repeated what I said. It became clear after a while that “In The End” was, in fact, virtually the only song he knew from that band.
That was the first time I noticed something strange, but only in hindsight, as at the time I just thought he really wanted to make a human connection. I remember thinking he was just excited to know someone who was open to talking to him, so I didn’t think anything of it.
Also, not everyone memorizes this stuff, and maybe he did only remember one song, for whatever reason, so I let that pass. I only felt necessary to include this information because it was, at least in some way, the first lie that Roger told me, a little sample, if you will, of what’s to come.
After we talked for a while, mostly catching up on our lives, the bell rung and our first actual class had begun, and I had the first-hand experience of this guy’s sense of humor. The teacher walked into the classroom and introduced himself as the new Geography teacher, and started a power point presentation about some of the subjects we’d be covering that year, saying “Please pay attention to this class, as you’ll need to know how our schedule will work”. Roger looked back and said “Huh, I guess this class is useless for you then, being held back and all, hahah”, which made everyone look at me and just kinda stare like I should say something, and he kept repeating the joke to anyone that showed any reaction besides just staring, adding “Amirite? Huh? Amirite?”.
I was kinda salty about this, but my people pleasing peapod brain couldn’t handle letting it show, so I just laughed and said nothing. I guessed it was a poorly thought out joke at first, but then Roger proceeded to make the same comment on every single one of the opening classes we had for both of the introductory days. There were 12 of them. He did it every time. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes he repeated it even louder, as if he didn’t think people heard it, because no-one was laughing.
“Ok”, I said to myself, “He didn’t mean to make fun of me, he’s just a little overexcited and probably is trying to make a connection and help me get acquainted to our classmates.”
Either way, I was very uncomfortable and annoyed.
Thankfully, this came to a halt when he was practically thrown out of the Literature class for interrupting the teacher mid-sentence while she talked about how important the first month of class would be for our comprehension of the whole subject. He made the joke four times. FOUR TIMES. I was beginning to think that I made a mistake, but well, the mistake was already made, at least I can try and understand him a bit, before judging.
The rest of the week went by and he didn’t get any better, but I got kinda used to it. In fact, I actually enjoyed having conversations with him at recess, when we could talk a bit more freely. And, as all things in life tend to do, it got weirder. Weirder in the sense that as we spoke more and more, I noticed a bit of a concerning pattern: every time I shared an experience I had, he’d share a cooler and more awesome almost equal experience back.
Some light examples:
I told him I went hiking for 2-3 kilometers on a trail by the beach. Then he smirked and said he went hiking for “at least 7 kilometers on a deserted beach that only his father’s company’s employees had access to and he saw a Gorilla. There are no gorillas in Brazil. Maybe in zoos, I guess, but definitely no gorillas.
I told him I was kinda sad because I had just ended a “thing” with a girl from my old grade. He “proudly” said he’s been dumped by his ex, Laura, after they dated for 11 months and made out aaaallll the time after school, and he even saw her “lady parts” once!”.
And then he went on to describe that shit for like 3 straight classes, adding more and more to the story every chance he had to speak, providing me with my daily dose of cringe in tiny bits of uncomfortable information at a time! Like a sporadic cringe snack! Sninge! Crack? Probably Crack.
ANYWAYS
There was also the time I told him the story of how I became best friends with a guy because we got into a fight in P.E.. We were arguing about some nonsense and he wanted to fight, so after he socked me on my stomach, I cheaply kicked him in the face so hard I almost sprained my ankle and then we started laughing (because I guess sometimes that’s all it takes). Phillip is my best friend for almost 10 years now.
Roger puffed up his soap dish chest went on for at least 2 classes worth of time about how he “beat up his last bully and broke both of his arms, and almost went to prison, but his dad is a lawyer and bailed him out”. Dude was 16, and I don’t think he’d need to be bailed out, but okay… He was, in fact, very badass.
Those are all approximations of actual stories he told me, because my ADHD memory is shit, but you get the gist of it.
My days were filled with endless stories filled with absolute bullshit, like a Gary Stu from a dying rpg campaign. (I have a story about a DnD game he participated in, but that’s for another time!)
Roger, not content with lying to me about anecdotal facts about his past that could be true but were almost certainly mostly bullshit (if not entirely), had a tendency to just negate reality when presented with facts in certain situations.
And example of this situation is the time we were doing a group assignment and a girl at least 3 meters in front of him dropped her pencil and he just kinda threw himself on the ground, picked it up and said “Here you go, Lana!”. She said “Thanks Roger!”, barely turning around and carried on with the assignment. Roger, then, turned to me with a sleek shit feasting smirk on his face and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me??”
I contained a ridiculing laughter just in time to realize he was dead serious.
I said “I don’t know man… Doesn’t seem like it to me, but sure I guess.”
RB then straight up asked ME to go talk to her and get HIM her number. When I asked why shouldn’t he do it, he said it was “the wingman’s job to get the number of the girl” so that he wouldn’t “look weak for asking”
I said I’d do it, cause I genuinely wanted to see if he was right about her liking him (I hadn’t really understood the dynamics of the classroom, so I actually had no idea if he was actually right, just a gut feeling that yeah, he probably wasn’t).
I went up to her and asked for her number, explaining it was Roger who was interested in her and, as I pulled out my raging 2014’s Sony XPeria, I was swiftly interrupted by her delicately saying “Sorry! I have a boyfriend.” (She said the boyfriend part out loud, and stared at Roger)
I said “Oh, ok, sorry to bother ya!” and, as I was starting to walk back, I noticed that she turned back and glared at Roger. Later that day her boyfriend texted him, telling him that “He’s got to stop asking her out, and next time, if he wants to get rejected, he should come do it himself” He called him a moron. And then they both blocked him.
Well, that was embarrassing.
Despite having been turned down (for the 6th time now, I’d come to find out), Roger still maintained that she was “totally into him”, and it wasn’t just Lana. Any time he had even the smallest interaction with any girl, he’d say that they’re “probably into him”, or that “they made out at a party, but she was drunk and probably won’t remember”, or that they “sent him nudes last year but he’s already deleted them because he’s a good person, with morals”.
This went on for a while and, after about a month, Roger begun to dial down the crazy stories about how he’s a “badass and he gets all the girls but he’s single because he’s too good for them”. Until I started seeing a girl from another church I started going to. I met Janice () at the churches youth group, and we talked the whole time afterwards about lots of stuff. This name’s given because of her insanely similar laughter and demeanor of Janice from Friends. We clicked well and I was very interested in her, but my ADHD ass forgot to get her number, and remembered it only when she had already left.
When I told Roger, he laughed and said “I had just cockblocked myself” and that I’d “probably missed my only chance of banging a girl ever”. I was bummed, but clarified I didn’t really want to have sex before marriage or at least before making an emotional connection (I had just then begun to go to church, so I didn’t really get the rules, so it was more of a personal choice I always had in mind when thinking about dating. Also I met her at church so wtf).
He said “that was dumb” and, “even though he was a virgin, he’d dance the Devil’s Tango with the first chick he had the chance to”
“What about Laura?”, I asked. His face went from a confident smirk to an almost sad expression, and he blankly replied: “She didn’t want to, but I tried anyway at times. I even got a blowie once!” I let it go because I was very tired, as Mondays are hell on earth.
A few classes later, I went up to him and reminded him of our conversation and asked:
I said “Ooookay, but what about all those girls you told me were all over you? Didn’t they want to have some bum bum times with you??”
He was taken by surprise by this, and was visibly trying so hard to think of an answer for at least 15 seconds. He mumbled “Well…”, and like just left. Like he got up in the middle of the class, and walked away. Well that was weird!
He got back and I didn’t pry, thinking he had some kind of trauma, and I tried to change the subject.
I say “tried” because instead we were suddenly interrupted by a girl asking me if I was Rick. I didn’t know her or how she had materialized beside our desks, but later I found out that that girl’s name was Mary. She had blue eyes and was smiling mischievously, and I answered “Yup, that’s me”. She then giggled and said that “Anna wanted to make out with me after class”. Me and Roger were both very much taken aback by this, and I immediately thought to myself that this could only be some type of dare or prank (which it probably was), and was about to try and respond with the first witty joke that popped up in my monkey brain when, without missing a beat, Roger said “Rick’s already seeing someone!”. Mary was visibly surprised and said “Oh, you have a girlfriend??” with a look of disbelief on her face. Ouch. I explained that I wouldn’t say I do, I just liked a girl from church and we’re going to see a movie with some friends on Saturday, and that either way it was a pass on the making out sesh! Mary said “Oh, okay!” and started to walk back to her desk. I was about to make a joke and say that Anna could probably do better than me, when Roger interjected:
RB: “I’d like a making out sesh if she’s interested!”
Mary looked back with a visible “Lol, ew no” expression and just said: “I’m sure you would, Roger!”, turned away and sat down, laughing with her friends when she got to her desk.
Roger turned to me and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me?”
This cycle repeated once in a while, so I’m not gonna tell you all of the situations that I felt like shaking him and trying to wake him up like Woody does to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Exhausting, right?
Another thing Roger tended to brag about was that he did Martial Arts. Specifically, Kung Fu (Wushu). I would come to find out that, in the year before, he made a big scene to tell everyone in class that he’d just started Kung-Fu classes and, when no-one payed attention, he started a habit of punching the wall beside his desk, audibly making “hmpft” noises. When anyone asked why, he’d say he was training, and that his Sensei (Not shifu, he actually said sensei) had asked him to do that to strengthen his fists so he could harness all the strength he had, so one day he could put a hole through a wall with his fists.
He would also punch the school’s fireproof doors because, if you didn’t know, they dent pretty easily, and he would show me and tell me to bask at his strength and ability. That until I said I’d give it a try. He told me not to, because “I wasn’t trained” and “it could really hurt my hand”. I punched the door. It made a dent.
Roger said it was beginners luck and that he’s just a good teacher. I told him I really didn’t even make an effort to pay attention, the metal was just bendy and soft. Roger never talked about it again, and started only punching walls. For that, he would feel superior because, yeah I ain’t doing that. There were consequences for his wall punching habits, but I’ll address that some other time.
The last thing I’ll say about him for now is how clueless Roger was, how much he thought of himself and how he treated everyone else like they should (and would) respecting for what he told them, and not for what he showed them.
(I plan on doing another part eventually, with the story of how his disconnection with reality, lies, schemes and generally narcissist behavior eventually exploded back into his face.)
As a last bit of exposition of our circumstances, there’s an important part of our school life that fueled Roger’s social life’s demise.
Pranking was a big part of my class’ culture. There were also some people in my classroom who were bullied. The thing is: the bullies actually made fun of literally everyone else, which made it very hard to figure out if you were considered a target or just a colleague. They’d mess with people’s stuff, tie backpacks to the windows and hide pencil cases, but they would also do it to their own group.
Essentially, the only way to differentiate those who they considered normal schoolmates from those who were bullied was the frequency of the pranks and their demeanor in general towards those people. They would apologize for the pranks, ask to make up for it, buy you lunch, make jokes, try to laugh with you. I swear some of those guys were politicians in the making. Luckily, was very good friends with one of the guys in that group, I’ll call him Turkey, who was also held back a few years before me, and he liked my sister, so I was mostly safe.
Roger, on the other hand, THOUGHT he was one of the pranksters. Every time someone pranked him or anyone else, he would laugh knowingly, like he was in on the joke the whole time, and try to make jokes, only to further humiliate himself. And they would capitalize on that as hard as they could.
You see, Roger liked to portray himself as the “Mysterious-Badass-Quiet-Protagonist-Take-No-Shit-From-Anyone-Mr.-Steal-Yo-Girl” guy. This combo of personality substitutes was the recipe for the downfall of his popularity, and the start of the longest lasting pranks I’ve ever seen in my life, which will come if yall want another post. That prank is also the reason I named him Roger Bacon.
Because he was so into Math and Science (and into himself too lol) he also always wanted to look like the smartest guy in the room. The problem is that, as our first semester went by, it became clear that he wasn’t as good as he hyped himself up to be. Shocker, right? This was proven to be true when we were doing a chemistry group test, and I was paired with him and Anna, and we needed to calculate some entropies or whatever. He made a point of telling us to do all of the “easy ones”, and he would take on the more complicated questions.
The thing is, he was trying really hard to look like a genius, to maybe impress Anna, so every time he made a calculation, he would roll his eyes up and kinda vibrate a little. I guess he wanted to look like a genius mathematics robot, but instead he looked like he was trying to imitate an autistic person having a small stroke. I didn’t mind the Good Doctor amateur impersonation, because at least it looked like he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, it really just looked like he knew what he was doing.
Each easy question of the test was worth 1 point, and there were 4 of them, and there were 3 hard questions worth 2 points each. We got a 4/10 on that test, and lo and behold, the only questions we got right were the ones me and Anna worked on. We were a bit pissed, not gonna lie.
Until the last time we spoke, Roger still blames Anna for his complete failure at this test for, in his words, distracting him because she was obviously into him.
But that’s just Roger, I guess!
I've got A LOT of stories about Roger and other neckbeards I've encountered, and I can't wait to tell them!
Until then, thanks for reading, and have a good one yall!

TDLR: Petco apparently doesn’t do genetic screenings, nor Kaytee, and I ended up with a “super” guinea pig who developed cataracts due to genetics and is almost fully blind at 1 1/2 years old.
I bought my first guinea pig at Petco, she was by herself because she was a little meaner. A couple months after I ended up getting a guinea pig named Teddy.
At this point, Petco was transitioning into getting super pigs only. There were some regular pigs but no females, and no other store near me sold female guinea pigs. The one I bought was very skittish but I chose her anyways for a great 80$ because she was “super.”
I chose to feed her a better food I had found because I’m not fond of Kaytee. I noticed that Kaytee puts dyes that are harmful to humans in their treats and I’ve never trusted their pellets. But in order to get the “super pig health guarantee” it’s required that you purchase the food, but I never did so I didn’t get the guarantee. I also believe that Kaytee was the company who was selling these super pigs because the guarantee was under them, and you had to purchase their food to get it.
I noticed that a couple months later Teddy’s eye looked weird. It looked like a camera lens almost, where her pupils had a light blue coating. I did some googling and got freaked out and told my parents I wanted to bring her to the vet. I was 16 at the time, and because there was nothing visible my parents said no.
It’s not their fault, but when her eye was almost nearly covered in blue I brought her to the vet and he said she had cataracts, which could have been genetic. All we could do was wait until it got worse. When it turned completely white and had a red line across I brought her back and they told me she had lost weight and needed medication at this point. I bought the medication and it’s been a month or so now. Her other eye has begun to turn and she’s almost fully blind. Considering how fast the other one progressed, I’d give it a week before she is fully blind.
Because my other guinea pig is a little meaner (there’s been no attacking and Teddy is able to access food and water whenever) and Teddy can no longer see, I had to make the difficult choice to put her down. I know she won’t be happy and I can’t afford her medical expenses because I’m going to college in the fall. My parent’s won’t be able to either since the vet is nearly an hour away. Luckily I did find a sanctuary place that will take her if I provide materials and a small fee so I won’t have to put her down.
I wish that they had these animals tested or genetically screened before selling them and allowing people to buy them and bond with them only to later find out that the animal might not make it. I know she could still live blind, but she requires extra care and medications that not everyone can afford. She also isn’t happy blind and lives in fear. I hope that someone who has the money will take her when I bring her to the sanctuary so that she can live happier. She has been happy here, but I think it’s cruel to keep her here knowing I can’t afford the care she needs and I won’t be here.
Please be aware of the animals you purchase from big corporations such as Petco, and ask health questions. I am heartbroken that I have to let her go, but I’m glad that they will take care of her at the sanctuary.