she initiated the separation, we had to move mountains to get together...
I'm from the US, she is originally from Africa, but immigrated to CAD for college. We were only 4 hours apart, but a border in between.
We met when i visited her city, she was very outgoing, fun, we spent the entire weekend together, her brother visited and i met him, too.
She wanted to have sex, i held back, as i didn't want to get attached. i did stay over, we had breakfast the next day...she told me a huge story of how she grew up with an abusive step mom, emotionally and partially physically absent dad, and her mother left africa for the US when she was 8 (her dad divorced her)..so absent mom as well...
Coming from a 'caretaking' type family (lots of nurses, teachers, social justice lawyers, etc), I immediate was pulled in and wanted to be there...plus she's beautiful, intelligent, social...
once she realized i wasn't the perfect husband, and that we had to compromise on time, etc. with big life decisions... she started to resent me, criticizing, blaming, eggshells, i was constantly putting effort, resources, small gestures into the relationship just to be forgotten, i couldn't express myself without it coming back to hurt me, i was always wrong,...i started to get eczema on my hands, arms, as stress reaction
i had my issues too, i was reluctant to move to canada, she wanted a kid right when i arrived, i wanted to settle into the new country // job first...which is when the resentment kicked in...
at one point, she was done with me, eventually she wanted me to move out, and when i did...i never heard from her for months, i heard she made friends with the guy neighbor in our condo....6 of her closest friends are divorced, others are single....
her mother, aunts, uncles, tried to help her get back on track, saying to be patient with marriage, she ragefully replied, nobody could stop her...she'd could never forgive, yet never took any blame for herself, how she made me feel...
she will contact me for logistics, we have mutual friends, whom i am positive report my life updates back to her.. its as if i didn't exist...she'll be kind, then get what she wants and then go no contact..today she asked for some immigration info, i gave it to her...and she left me on read....
she says she doesn't want to be married, that she wishes 2 years ago I was the just man i am now, that our marriage was too much work,
I moved from the US to CAD to be with her, i left family, friends, started a new job, helped her family with finances, welcomed her into my family with open arms, I never felt loved..I never felt truly loved....
said she doesn't want to stay in touch or make any plans to see each other...
how did it turn so nasty?
is this normal in breakups?
why did i stay in it, and is there a way to heal? the way she has treated me...she is still such a mystery....

In December 2021, I realized I might be a lesbian. I’m 32, I never considered that women were even an option. I look back and can remember so! many! things! about my teenage years that just scream queer. I jumped from long term relationship to long term relationship with guys, now I’m married to a man for 10 years with two kids. I don’t think my marriage is great right now, shit is complicated but I think it could be worked on and become better. Part of me wants to have more kids. I know I could with someone else, but I grew up with divorced parents then divorced step-parents, and I just don’t want that life for my kids. Plus I’m getting olddddd.
The other part of me is terrified of being gay and never having the chance to be who I really am. I live in the south, I know my family will accept me to my face and shame me behind my back. I have gay extended family members and grew up being told that they were “weird” and “wrong.” Still to this day, a parent of mine references the Bible and how “that isn’t right in god’s eyes.” I’m not even religious. And I don’t think I will ever get that out of my head. I care too much about what people think of me. But I want this!
I feel like I fucked up by realizing who I am “too late.” After marriage. After multiple kids. I never gave myself time to discover who I truly am. I just don’t know where to go from here. It’s already been 2.5 years since my realization and I feel so stuck… how does one even determine if they’re “actually a lesbian” without burning their entire life down?

Ok this is going to be long so here goes. My son is 2 year 3 months old 4 months in 2 days. He is really speech delayed in expressive speech. First and foremost I need to tell his backstory. He was born 10 days early emergency c section due to cord being wrapped around his neck 4 x and a knot. He came out crying and all seemed well. 5 days later he started vomiting green threw up and wouldnt breastfeed. We took him to the emergency room he then got diagnosed with volvulus and had emergency surgery at 5 days old!! The surgery took 3 hours. All went well he had the lad’s procedure. We went home and continued life. We had to be careful because of his incision but not as much tummy time etc no baths. Anywho then right before turning two months he started puking green again!!! I freaked out to him to the ER and he had another surgery that took about 2/2.5 hours. After bother of these surgeries we had to stay in the hospital a week to almost two weeks. We had to starve him to let his intestines relax and he was hooked to wires so we couldn’t hold or comfort him. He cried bloody murder. And I didn’t sleep for a long time because I was so worried I just anxiety pumped (breast pumped) so he would at least have enough milk when he was able. We had to measure his feeding etc. after that I would say he didn’t act “normal” until close to 4 months old. You could tell he was in pain and always seemed sad and didn’t want to be left alone to sleep or anything.I’m assuming trauma. He then woke up one day smiling and everything was wonderful. He hit some of his milestones a little late but right in the time limit. Crawled at 10 months walked at 14. He walked really weird for awhile but I assumed it was because of his abdominal surgeries. He doesn’t walk weird anymore. At 18 months old he had a wild phase where he wouldn’t sit still or listen and when he got evaluated by early intervention at that time, the OT therapist stood overtop of him pointing out everything he did and yelling across the room at me. The other evaluators were nice . I was so put off by the OT therapist that I saw red lol. Anywho they said he needed all the services. Which I would have agreed with because he did act a little wild when I took him but to be honest o never left the house because of my PPA after his birth and him being sick. I was literally scared of everything, we also didn’t let him be very independent because of my husbands ocd so we literally did everything for him before he even knew he wanted it. I just laughed because he was into everything not giving a crap about anyone else. if they wouldn’t have discounted the beginning of his life as in why he walked weird and was speech delayed. They said his surgery had nothing to do with it, which I find hard to believe since the surgeon told me he could be delayed!! They said he wasn’t even ready for speech he would have a developmental coach instead anyways she did nothing beneficial besides act like my kid has asd, which is fine but he hasn’t been diagnosed with anything so it was kinda weird. So I got him re evaluated by another company that has all of the services but they are private company. I told them how traumatic my first experience was and they sent the speech coach who has years of experience and is amazing, to my house and the evaluation was night and day compared to the other one. She said he has a severe expressive language delay and maybe a little receptive delay (which she now says she doesn’t think he does) but he has reached all other milestones. She also said that kids are always ready for speech and couldn’t believe the other company said that .We worked with her for a couple of months and then she has surgery and was out for two months. We just started back up. In that time he did progress without speech. I do work with him too. He says some single words, momma, dadda, eat, oe (shoe),up, hi, red, een (green), yellow, duck, at (cat), happy, Andy (candy), bye bye, ball, apple, anna(banana)blue,bluey,etc I’ve counted maybe 50 but he doesn’t use them all the time. He also says bye bye dada, all done, ice cream, brr for cold and he says hot . He uses them in context too. He points to everything when asked down to a rug in a book or in his setting. He knows like 10 body parts. Follows commands and directions. He can sort shapes and colors. Play cooks in his kitchen play feeds his toys and is now obsessed with rolling cars around the whole house and you if you’re not careful!!He is very expressive with his father and I greets his dad and is so excited when he comes home from work, he dances, he definitely tells us what he wants and does show us things too He is very smart!!! His MIL thinks he is autistic. She is a chiropractor and has maybe met him 12 times and not for long periods of times. I’m not saying he is or isn’t but she is constantly making comments about how bad his speech is and how delayed he is. It drives me nuts like I worry enough I don’t need that!! She makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. The speech coach at this time doesn’t see anything concerning (I feel like when you try to teach him to talk or when he is shy his eye contact isn’t that good but otherwise he does it) . She said his situation is unique because of the fact he had anesthesia. Which my surgeon said he could have a speech and motor delay. Also if you google it if they have had more than one surgery before three the chances of delay in speech goes up to 87%!!! Anywho so she told me to wait on going for a diagnosis etc because he is making progress. But all I hear are my MILs remarks and i just want to make sure I’m doing enough or that I’m not completely oblivious. I don’t know what I’m looking for here, I haven’t talked to many people who had an infant that was exposed to anesthesia or that knows anything about it so I feel kinda alone. So maybe just hearing other stories not just about that but about speech delay may make me feel better. Thank you

Its very late that i make this post since this has happened 2-3 months ago, but i just feel the need to make a summary so i can get peoples opinions about it.
Her background:(Inside our friend group) My close friend's Ex-Girlfriend, they acted like they were in a puppy relationship. Almost how you can describe puppy love but a little bit more deeper. But after the almost 6 month relationship they had last school year (2022-2023), They mutually broke it off. She was hurt ofcourse but she wasn't as hurt as my-
Homie: (Also inside our friendgroup) Blud was so attatched to her bro. My dude got so depressed and so down because they broke it off, He seems so happy also but he's super sad on the inside too, which is worrying for the whole friend group. That was 1 year ago though. Now he isn't as affected anymore, he can think about it without getting hurt. He accepted it. Also He didnt study for (2023-2024) since he was supposed to go to japan last year August but he will definitely go to Japan this July and it will be long until he comes back to this country
Story: (Maybe started at November 2023) Idk it this is relevant but we had a filming project last year and we had a scene where i was cheating with my "wife" with her in the movie (NOT 18+ OK THIS IS HIGHSCHOOL). The just hugged me in a weird way that's all. Maybe this is where it started.
Where it really started for her (February 2024) It started from that one day that class was about to end, and all of my friendgroup was all cooped up in a circle and asked me, "Who do you think has a crush on you". And then i asked one of my friend who does the think it may be. (She said it was C). I was shocked since we dont even have that much interaction and hadn't thinked her as one of the option since i felt guilty to even think about her since she has a history with ma homie.
Minor event (early March 2024) I asked her friend who is it. She gave me hints and my friend sent C's message and it goes like "Would you take it seriously? Would you reciprocate it?)
Next big thing i remember was (late March 2024) We had a sunday practice for a P.E performance and had to commute back home, i can't remember why we got to the terminal together but i remember us walking together. Then i started asking who has a crush on me in the section. I asked her so many questions but i couldnt pinpoint anyone (i didnt know back then that it was her, i wasnt acting blind).
And then (Mid April) She straight up just told me in chat that she likes me. And she said she wanted the info to come from her.
Personally for me i find her attractive but not in a way that i would want to be with her. I am afraid that i might just damage both of us because i am still in the stage where i dont feel like entering a relationship and being alone is better for me.(Because i have another incident with another girl at the same timeline). Plus the fact that she is my homies past "gf".
So what are yall's opinions?

Commuting is a complete waste of time. Not only does it waste everyone's time, it removes at least 1 hour of sleep, maybe even 2 hours of sleep, out of everyone's schedule. If WFH was the norm, then money wouldn't be wasted on renting out an office space. Plus the office rent money could be added to everyone's salary too.
If your job can be entirely WFH, which I imagine is the case most of the time since we use computers, then their mandate is just to fuck with you, to make another demand of their obedient pet. Commuting also makes you more tired and have less energy, thus having less chances to really think about this fucked up system.
It also takes advantage of The Sunk Cost Fallacy, where you know the firm doesn't give a shit about you, but because you spend so much time to commute for them, then you start to believe that you must like the firm somewhat.

I've read people's opinion on it and why it makes sense vs the one's who don't like it. Watched gameplay from different people. played multiple games with this rework trying out different strategys. No matter what is going on it's just awful to play. I genuinely don't see why they did this and most of the people who like it can't even explain why. Most just like it because it's a (new) support because it's a support without caring about the character. Others want it to happen whether because they hate going against Moji or the low pickrate excuse even though kinnesa and strix exist. So like the other actual Moji mains or people who know how she operates and her history. I'm going to explain everything wrong with this rework and why it shouldn't happen.
 

Spit & Sparkle

\ \ I have multiple problems with this change. Let's start with the fact that sparkle now self slows you for 20% when used. It used to be 10% which was one of the main issues that we wanted to be removed but kept it now it's at 20%. So now Moji has a ball and chain on her and anyone with extra speed will outrun Moji's heals and damage. Thought supports was supposed to stay with the team. Not have a hard time keeping up with them. No wonder Moji she tells Po-Li to go faster. In order to do it you have to stop healing, then heal, and do it again which means you have less healing. Unless of course they're glued to the point which won't happen in most cases since people have to constantly move in different areas because of what's happening.
Also when it comes to attacking and running away you might as well stay still. Where are you going while being self slowed for 20% while having a big hurtbox? Everyone in this sub just forgot about her big hurtbox which makes Fighting even more of a issue. Even if you use morning breath which takes off 4% of self slow. You still have the big hurtbox issue and less options for better cards which most of them suck that I'll slightly explain later as well. Self slow should be gone in general. It should have never stayed especially when they decided to remove it for everyone else.
Second issue is her damage. There was a reason why she did 1,000 damage and not 450. Not only that but they removed her ability to mark enemies by default. You can with a talent but I'll get to that later. Spit does the main damage and now sparkle does limited tickle damage which also means you're wasting your heals. Who thought this made sense in the slightest. You have to use that in order to kill your enemies faster. When your done you have to wait for it to refill to attack the next enemy coming when no one else comes to help making you helpless. Or you somehow kill the enemy because it's hard to do unless low health. You have to use the rest of it to heal your team which you won't have enough of. This is painful to use.
Third issue is it has heal ammo like IO that runs out quick. Yes you can mark your team but it still isn't enough and doesn't fix the main problems. Her main healing is short range. Name one healer in the game that has a short range in healing. They also have to manually heal with sparkle which other manual healers especially auto or assisted aim healers can do way better. God forbid if they have to come back into battle and try to heal a low health teammate with spit which you will miss multiple times. So what's the point of healing with this character. Moving on to Magic Shield
 

Magic Shield

 
This ability doesn't do much for her team or herself and she should have kept magic barrier. This ability feels like a worse version of Torvalds removed talent alternating current. Instead of delaying your death by 1.5 seconds you delay it by one attack and take the next few shots before being able to run away. The only possible use of it is a niche build and team where you run with a flank while having the card harmonious. With the card you are basically a walking dispenser that shoots with the flank you will hug through most of the game. We already have enough niche things that can be pretty boring and are hardly used. Torvalds had multiple of those. Moji doesn't need it too.
 

Scamper

\ \ You can now run indefinitely with it. They removed bunny hopping but then they brought it back when they realized that she was a literal bunny. When they brought it back though they nerfed the speed and the bunny hops. It's so noticeable that it's not any different from the scamper ability when it comes to speed. The only good thing about it is when you do the advanced tech when trying to spray. That is until that 20% self slow puts a ball and chain on you. This doesn't fix her main issues and they made it worse beilieve it or not. Here's there reason on doing it.
Due to changes to how Scamper functions, Bunny Hopping will be weaker at base than it was prior. In order to feel similar to how it did on Moji prior, you'll want high levels of both Boop and Morning Breath to allow those same flings across spaces.
This is completely wrong because when did we ever had a card that decreases self slow. Your really trying to tell me that Moji players, grandmaster Moji players, and bot Moji didn't know anything about it??? Guess it was hidden in the game the whole time. Plus it doesn't even change the speed of bunny hopping because you nerfed it and nothing in her cards effects it. So in order to maintain any kind of speed I have to put points into morning breath which is pretty a forced have too in game. Also who uses boop to increase the speed after using scamper. No one used it because bunny hopping was way better than that because you're able to move while attacking and defending yourself. Anyone running it was basically throwing without knowing. Not even maxing out scoot will save you. Your just delaying your death with that maxed out 20% damage reduction and giving them more ult. Seriously if using regular scamper made you die when trying to escape. What's making it indefinitely going to do?
 

Bon Appetite

\ \ This one really amazes me because they actually put part of yummy into base kit that we asked for halve what. Except there is no ult percentage and gives 50% of maximum health instead of 1000hp and ignores anti-healing. Problem is. This ult is now basically worse than pips ult and atlas setback. They changed everything else but the ultimate in order to keep the old Moji play style that is pretty much dead. They clearly want her to be glued to her team and with this ultimate you make them have to run to the opponent to eat it. The main use now for it is to use it for defence which is horrible because it's so easy to predict it. Most characters can either block, CC immune, dodge, and other things to ignore being ulted. Even with the cancels it won't work. You had a better chance of using it because you can attack regularly, use the magic barrier combo, and other methods to make people take the ultimate. Without magic barrier she less uses for her ultimate. It's now a long charging ability and is terrible. Now for the talents.
 

Spit Shine

\ \ Spit now heals them for 350 and increases their Movement Speed by 20% for 2s. Why is this reworked Moji's only true support talent. This talents fine until you realize that it's also goes against Moji and the team. Let me explain. Remember how Moji has 20% self slow when she fires. Well now that the team is moving at 120% now you're basically moving at 60% and they're outrunning you. Some characters can move even faster and you will basically be at a speed of 40%-60%. So if you felt forced using morning breath you will using this talent and have to make it 5 points. Even with morning breath maxed out. You will be moving at 60%-80% and will be forced to use scamper and may get attacked by a enemy and can't run or hurt them enough. You're just a bad assist healer with some use that is not enough.
 

Jubilation

\ \ Reworked to "Magic Marks are now instead applied to enemies. Detonating at least 7 stacks of Magic Mark deals bonus damage, up to a total of 800". I'm aware that she is a support but they still don't know why she did 1,000 damage in the first place. With this talent you no longer have the ability to use the secondary to heal people. This talent will bring these types of players.
The ones who like old Moji and then realizing that they changed so much that flank Moji is not possible. Instead they may go damage and heal from time to time. Another one is that someone uses it for defence while mainly healing the team and forcing two supports to play in the match. The last one is someone you will see more often is someone not able to play Moji or the talent well. Youthought grohk going damage and seris flanking on the same team was bad. Get ready for her to join the team. Your going to ask them so who is going main support and who will play tank and it's television static. The seris will stand around too much and do a bunch of questionable things. Grohk only has some heals because they were there when they played damage. The Moji is struggling to do anything with it. The seris will plug and the bad grohk player will say something crazy before leaving a millisecond later.
No matter what you do with the talent based on your skill. Nothing just works for reworked Moji including the cards. The damaged worked because she had magic barrier and damage combos with it. Without it she can't do anything when she's is in danger including running away with the giant hurtbox.
 

Realm Runner

\ \ When entering Scamper, leave a magical dust cloud behind that applies a lingering heal for 600 over 3s. Dust cloud lasts 4s.
Moji mains have been wanting toot I mean realm runner in base kit for awhile because it's not a real talent. It's a better version of scurry and when it's in base kit then she would actually be able to use the other two talents and do better without ruining gameplay for anyone. Instead they kept it as a talent to play the old Moji. What old Moji...you got rid of almost everything Moji who is basically just a echo champion at this rate. You turned a forced talent into a throw talent.
The dust cloud we wanted back is just a sparkly circle on the ground that people won't be able to see. Plus is like back then where the team can see it and no one else. Otherwise people will know where she is and take her down. Why.
 

Cards

\ \ None of the cards have any synergy with each other at all. You're basically forced to use morning especially with the healing talent at 3-5. Since default ammunition for sparkle is terrible you will definitely need 3-5 points for symbiotic. Dense woods never needed any points above 1 and was a decent filler card for old Moji. However since this is reworked Moji. Don't think it's worth using since you will try to be around the team constantly and should already be enough. Now we have 5-9 points for ourselves so what can we do. Uhhhh. Well damn.
Oh I didn't mention this earlier but remember how spit shine and Moji's 20% self slow makes the team run away from her. Well the card natures blessing gives allies 5% extra speed when they get hit by spray for 3 seconds. So you can max this out at 25%. Instead of being 40-60% slower than faster teammates being healed with there speed cards and abilitys. 60% slower when trying to healer teammates without anything making them move faster besides you. This is how fast you will be moving compared to them.
You will be moving at 15% at worst to 55% when trying to heal teammates while trying to heal them as they really outrun your heals. With morning breath maxed out you will mainly be moving at 35%-75% while healing. No one has tested this character at all.
Anyway you can look at the cards and get some ideas as we move on to the long time Moji bugs. So for the people who been playing Moji or about to with support Moji. Get ready to deal with these long time annoying bugs.
 

Weapons/Armor

\ \ Fluffy
Increase your maximum Health by {5050}.
Peppy
Generate {0.40.4}% Ultimate Charge when triggering a max stack Magic Mark.
Symbiotic
Increase your Sparkle capacity by {66}%.
Will-o-the-Wisp
Increase your Movement Speed by {55}% for 4s after getting an Elimination.
 

Sparkle

\ \ Dense Woods
Increase the duration of your Magic Marks by {0.80.8}s.
Greater Good
When an ally receives max Magic Marks, they gain a {2020} Health Shield while marked.
Morning Breath
Reworked to "Decrease self-slow of Sparkle by 2020%"
Nature’s Blessing
Allies gain {55}% Movement Speed for 3s after being hit by Familiar Spray.
 

Magic Shield

\ \ Cozy
Magic Shield Heals allies for {66} every 0.25s while its being channeled.
Glimmer
Reduce Magic Shield’s Cooldown by {0.10.1}s when detonating a max stack Magic Mark.
Harmonious
Regenerate {31}% Sparkle and Ammo for affected allies every 0.25s while channeling Magic Barrier.
Shimmering
Allies affected by Magic Barrier gain {33}% Crowd Control resistance for 4s.
 

Scamper

\ \ Boop
Increase your Movement Speed by {88}% for 2s after using Scamper.
Scoot
Reduce the damage you take during Scamper by {44}%.
Scurry
Heal for {2020} every 0.3s during Scamper.
Wobbles
Gain {1010}% Slow resistance while using Scamper.
 

The Bugs

\ \ It isn't a paladins games without mentioning the bugs. Here's what to expect when playing her so you don't get confused.
If a seris or Kasumi is on the team and attack the same enemy as you. Your marks will reset back to zero everytime they attack. Now can this somehow happen when trying to heal the same teammates. No idea but anything goes with paladins.
If you mark a enemy, shoot spit at them and die. Despite the mark being there the game will for some reason make you do zero mark damage.
A enemys hurtbox when turned into a cookie is really weird. You can touch them multiple times and still won't be eaten until they finally do. Sometimes they may turn back to normal even though you clearly deserved it. Last part hasn't happened to me and I hope it doesn't. What's even weirder is that even though you can't eat them from the front from time to time. Even when they're literally on your head and jumping around. You can definitely eat them from behind with no misses. Why has this not been fixed.
When being ulted by furia that's supposed to give 30% extra damage. You will instead receive 9% extra damage. I don't think this happens to no one else besides maybe jenos too.
These bugs are still relevant for reworked Moji. The other ones are not there like snack attack so I won't mention them. I even have videos for these bugs too. Don't think because these videos are old it means that it no longer happens. The horse bug is old and that has been going on for years including other things.
https://www.reddit.com/Paladins/comments/tvfhlg/a_video_of_multiple_moji_bugs_happening_ill/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/Paladins/comments/z33w1x/yeah_that_makes_sense/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
 

Conclusion

\ \ I know they want to do something with her but I don't buy it that they did this because they cared about Moji. Moji hardly got any changes for years and I mean rarely a update to anything about her even though we're telling them what to do and then they rework them. They did thid because they didn't have funds for a echo champion since that was mentioned in the exact same post when talking about changing moji. Paladins has a history of someone who works on the game saying they will do this or mention a thing. Whether or not people like it or not which most of them we didn't like. They will still do it like echo champions.
This is the wrong way to go about it and no warning was ever given. To people who think well people ask for support/tank in the past. Those people now see that Moji is actually better than how people depicted her in late season 2. Plus those people no longer play the game and had a whole different idea when paladins was different back then. It's one thing to say I want a support. It's another when it comes to a type of support and what they have but everyone can't explain it because they simply hate Moji based on the comments. There are some characters I hate going against and when there character gets gutted I don't cheer in excitement. I would hate that to happen to my favorite characters. I simply want a certain thing nerf if it's clearly too much but without ruining them. I only suggest a rework or change to a certain thing if nothing else can work and is something people can agree on that benefits everyone.
These changes don't benefit anyone including the ideas since no one asked for these specific things. I would just revert it and actually listen to Moji mains needs to make her a better character. Not just Moji but every character. Especially the non human characters because they stay ignore them including people wanting ruckus Aerial Assault in base kit. Rather you guys fix the actual issues than do stuff like this. Including finishing unfinished maps instead of a unnecessary map rework making them worse to play on and never fixed.
That's all I have to say. Please let me know your thoughts on this. Actually have a real opinion and thoughts and not repeat the same thing over and over without making a actual point or I'm ignoring it.

Venting, sorry
Haven't done laundry since december, haven't opened the fridge in weeks because I know stuff is rotting in there, been eating using the same bowl and spoon for weeks without properly washing them, haven't cooked because that's groceries+prepping+cooking+cleanup+things inevitably rotting in the fridge, haven't vacuumed/mopped, haven't done any housework. The food one is especially bad because I'm either spending too much on takeout or just eating cheap junk food. That, plus an injury back in feb that meant I couldn't walk long-distances/use stairs.. I feel the weakest I've ever felt in my life and it sucks
I hate living like this. Not okay with being dirty at all. Ever since I moved into a new place, a sharehouse where I have to keep all my belongings in my room and the kitchen's always messy with other people's stuff and there's no washing machine......... The putting things off and avoiding tasks/being unable to start a task even with free time has become extreme. Luckily there's a house inspection at the start of next week so I have real incentive to get things done. But man........ Collectively, worst year of my life for adhd problems. I feel so uncomfortable all the time

Hello again velo, It's me. The guy that rides uphill in Japan. On my last post I mentioned some differences in racing in Japan saying it was for another post. Well, there appeared to be some interest in me making that post. As I mentioned then... I tend to ramble. I'm an English teacher at a small high school which leaves me with a lot of free time. I enjoy spending that time researching anything from training methodology to obscure Japanese history. I decided to use some of that time to write about road racing in Japan and it turned into... well, whatever this is. It's (sort of) a guide to racing your bike over here. I've organized it into sections, so feel free to read it all or skip through them. At the end I've attached racing adjacent notes as well as a small bio.
If this post is not appropriate for this subreddit, I understand. And while I don't want to self-promote I spend most of my time reading about Japan not only because I live here, but also because my wife and I host a podcast. We mostly ramble about our lives here as foreigners. It's mostly cultural, but as long time competetive cyclists we often talk about bikes too. We host a website where I write random articles, which is where this is ultimately hosted, with photos. If you're curious you can google my username and find us.
I tried to think about things I've learned along the way and put it into writing for anyone in the future that might move to Japan and have an interest in racing. If you have any questions or see any information gaps, feel free to ask! In September we'll be moving to the Netherlands... so maybe I'll have to do this all over again then. Anyway, without further rambling, here it is.
Race License
There are actually quite a lot of road events throughout the country. However, many are marketed towards recreational cyclists. Going as far as incorporating anti-competition clauses in their rules. So what do you do if you want to race? For starters, you’ll head to the Japan Cycling Federation’s website and register for a license. It’s in Japanese, but with the magic of Google Translate it shouldn’t be too hard to navigate. This is also for those currently residing in Japan. I think otherwise you would need an international license issued from your country’s governing body.
While on their website you can check the calendar of events that are scheduled. But, it’s not as simple as where I am from (USA) where once you have a license you can register yourself for almost any event and just show up.
Race Organizers
In most cases while the JCF is the licensing body, they are not the event coordinator. Events are hosted by a number of different governing bodies within the country. There’s the Japan Intercollegiate Cycling Federation (JICF), Japan Cycling League (JCL), prefectural federations such as the Yamaguchi Cycling Federation and finally the Japan Bicyclist Club Federation (JBCF). There are a lot of Js, Cs and Fs in the acronym lexicon over here. In this post I’ll be focusing on the JBCF because it was sold to me as Japan’s premier race organizer and the highest level of racing in Japan. It also seems to have the most robust calendar of events.
Declaration of my bias and shortcoming: The JBCF is the only organizer I’ve had any meaningful experience with. No, they’re not paying me. However I have won a cool towel, a coffee cup and some bar tape at their events. Actually I’ve given them quite a bit of money…
Teams
So you’ve got your JCF license and like me you’ve decided to participate in the JBCF. What’s next? Register for a JBCF account, sign up for events, race your bike? Almost. You do need to register for an account. After that, you need to find a team. That’s right, you need to be registered with a JBCF team to participate in races. This was a surprise to me and also a barrier to entry at first. As a new resident of Japan I didn’t know anyone here let alone a team that would let a random foreigner join.
How’d I do it then? Well, the first team I joined was through a friend of a friend of a friend. My second and current team I ended up getting to know because I took a bunch of KOMs around my new home. I guess Strava KOMs are worth something after all. If you’re looking for a team you could start by asking local shops, they often have a club organization that you can sign up for. If you’re desperate you can also make your own team. It used to only require two people, but I think they increased that to three or four.
Costs
I’m writing this in May of 2024, so the costs will be current as of that month. The USD to JPY conversion is sitting around 1 USD = 155 JPY.
Your first cost will be the JCF license fee. In my case, an elite rider over 23 years old, it was 5,000y for an e-license and 6,300y for the physical one. My first year I used the e-license, but my second year I paid for the physical one as a cool souvenir.
Beyond the license. You’ll need a team kit (bibs & jersey) and you may also be required to pay the athlete registration fee. To join my E1 team in 2024 I paid 43,000 yen. That included one team kit and the registration fee plus some small accessories (gloves, bottle, etc.). In E1 I paid all my own entry fees, which were approximately 8,500y per race.
My JPT experience was a special case. I paid roughly $1,200 (usd). But I received two kits (jerseys & bibs), a speed suit (SS skinsuit), windbreaker, vest, socks, etc. I also had the benefit of the “pro” treatment at races with lots of assistance. Was it a cold rainy day? I could ask for embro and they’d oil me up with a little massage. Needed a bike wash, snacks, or a trainer to warm up on? All provided. And all of my entry fees were covered. I never paid those out of pocket. It was a really cool experience and honestly I think I got my money's worth just in the races that I attended, let alone all the extras. Plus the team was above and beyond hospitable. A really great bunch of people.
Categories
Once you’re on a team you’re good to go! So which category should you race in? The JBCF has 5 big categories: Japan Pro Tour (JPT), Japan Elite Tour (JET), Japan Feminin Tour (F), Japan Youth Tour (Y1 & Y2), and the Japan Masters Tour (M). JET is further broken down into E1, E2 & E3. The general idea is male riders start as E3 and through results they work their way up to E1. If they’re highly motivated they’ll target a placement on a JPT Team.
Unfortunately for the women, I believe there is only one lump “Female” category. But in one of my most recent races a woman lined up with us for our race start. So that may be an option. For the Youth there’s U19 & U17. Masters is similar to the women’s category and I believe there is simply one “Masters” event, without age ranges.
Using what I know (USA Cycling Categories) I’ll try to make a comparison. E3 is your Cat 4/5 or Novice rank. E2 is around Cat 3/4 and E1 is roughly one big P/1/2/3 field. JPT is something like the US’s Domestic Elite field. Some JPT teams (and even some E1 teams) are UCI Continental teams. Although, honestly, some JPT riders are probably equivalent to strong Cat 3s.
In America I raced as a Cat 2 on the road, albeit I was a pretty weak 2. My first year in Japan I raced JPT and was able to hang in the peloton and finish events. My second year I raced as an E1, where I was very competitive and able to fight for podium finishes. That’s my experience and my basis for the above comparisons.
Events
Once you’ve got all the above figured out, it’s time to finally race! The JBCF organizes the following events: Road, Criterium, Hill Climb, Time Trial and Track. Criterium, Time Trial & Track are pretty similar to what you’d find anywhere else in the world. So for this post I’ll really just focus on Road and Hill Climb.
It’s worth noting that except for track, all of these events take place on public roads. But, unlike the USA, it seems the general rule in Japan is that for a race to be a “race” the roads need to be closed to traffic. Sounds great, right? Right! Or, mostly. Japan is a beautiful country with incredible scenery and fantastic road riding. Unfortunately, the JBCF uses very little of this. I think to minimize inconveniencing locals, cut costs, and make their lives easier, most of these events will take place on already closed circuits or around agricultural land (where no one lives or drives anyway). In practice they are “public” roads, but they only need to shut down one or two entrances to close off the entire loop.
Many “road” events are just very long short circuit races. A popular venue that hosts multiple races throughout the season is the Gunma Cycle Sports Center. This is a defunct cycling theme park built in the 1980s with a paved 6 km circuit. Some of the races in the higher categories can be up to 150 km! That’s 25 laps! And, they’ll be pulling riders. When I was racing JPT it was often a big accomplishment just to finish a race. It was a common occurrence for a break to get established with the big teams represented and the rest of the field to sit up, inevitably getting pulled before being lapped. It’s not uncommon for well over half of the field to DNF early on in these longer races. Sometimes to add a little spice to your life, they’ll run the course in the opposite direction one weekend.
So, I’m biased, but that style of “road racing” wasn’t for me. That’s what led me to the Hill Climb. At first, I thought it was just an uphill TT. But, it's a mass start! The last one I did was Mt. Ontake HC which was a 17.7km race gaining 1,150 meters in elevation finishing at an altitude just under 2,200m. I finished in 51 minutes. It’s more like an uphill criterium. You might explode, but you won’t get pulled. It’s also, of course, point to point.
Good things to know about a Hill Climb are the controlled descent and luggage delivery. When you finish you’ll be waiting at the top of the climb for all other riders and categories to finish. Sometimes this means you’re waiting for an hour or more! Thankfully the morning of the race you can give a bag to the organizers and they will deliver it to the top of the mountain. This is a great way to make sure you have extra layers and snacks waiting for you. Just make sure it’s packed in a bag that you can then easily carry with you on the descent.
Be extra mindful of the forecast. At Ontake in 2024 we started at the base of the mountain in temperatures around 16 celsius. At the summit it was 7 degrees and it started to rain! Thankfully I had a teammate who had driven to the top (you must register your vehicle) and he gave me a lift back down. If you’re riding down, the descent will be done in waves which are chaperoned and controlled by officials on motorcycles.
Registering
I can only tell you my experience and I’m not certain that this is how it always works. When I was in the JPT, I never paid for an event. Each team could send six riders and the team manager made a selection based on which riders requested to go to which event, they would then register you to go. In my E1 team I haven’t run into any rider maximums (we only have a few E1 riders), and I pay for each event. I still tell the team’s manager which event I want to travel to, they register me, but then I pay them back.
The Day Of
The JBCF events have been very organized. The week before they will release a list of registered riders along with a technical guide. The technical guide will include information about the course, where to park, where to check in, how to pin your numbers and more. It’s only in Japanese. Google Translate will be your best friend. Or if you’re lucky you may have a teammate that can speak some English and help you out.
Usually the check in process begins a couple of hours before the start time. You’ll go to license control and pick up your numbers and timing chip. If you’re doing a hill climb and need to, this is also the period of time you drop off your luggage to be taken to the summit. Get kitted & pinned up, then go to the “vehicle control”. They will check your bike against a jig, kind of like what the UCI might use, as well as check the weight (take your bottles off the bike when you hand it to them) and make sure your numbers are pinned correctly. A keen eyed inspector may even look at your helmet to make sure it has the JCF certification sticker. You could possibly be told to change helmets if yours doesn’t have the sticker. When they tell you that everything is OK, you’ll go to the table and sign the box with your name.
There are also meetings that will be happening. But, you shouldn’t have to worry about that. If the team manager can’t be present they will send an “attendant”. This person is responsible for going to the meetings and reporting back to the riders.
Podiums & Prizes
Look how far you’ve come. After all that you’re headed to the podium, which in many events will be six deep. What should you expect? Maybe a cool trophy or a medal? It’s even better. How about a formal certificate signed and stamped by the JBCF President! That’s right, you’ll be receiving an A4 sheet of paper. And yes, when they hand it to you they’ll turn it to face you, use both hands to hand it over and bow. And yes, you should receive it with both hands and bow in return. I plan to frame and hang mine like some kind of college diploma. You’ll probably receive a prize as well. Something like what I mentioned earlier in this post, a towel, cup, umbrella, etc.
Where’s the money? If you want to hold a giant cheque with a big number (because it’s in yen) you’ll need to be racing in the top category, JPT. In this category the podium is only three deep. One time in a race I had a teammate finish 3rd and win some money. I never saw any of it, which was fair as I didn’t really contribute to his result. And I never podiumed myself. So I’m not sure how the payout actually works. Did he get to keep it all? Did the team take it? Who knows. I hope he kept it all, he’s a great guy.
Other Notes
Gachinko Cycle TV & Photo Galleries. Almost all JBCF events are live streamed & archived on YouTube! There’s a company called Gachinko Cycle TV that provides coverage. This includes camera motos as well as stationary cameras. A lot of photographers also come to the events and a photo gallery is posted on the JBCF website after the events take place.
Events & Categories. Not every event will be run for every category. A motivator for me to move from JPT to E1 was that not every hill climb has a JPT category, but they all seem to have E1. My first time racing at Ontake I was in the “Open” category and not eligible for any points or placement.
Outlier events. There are some events like the Niseko Classic (Gran Fondo World Championship Qualifier) and the Tour of Okinawa. These are one off events which are not part of the JBCF or any other federation I mentioned above. But, they are “real” road races on closed roads. There are also plenty of “cookie” rides. But be aware, like mentioned earlier, many of these explicitly say you shouldn’t come and try to ride for a certain time. I think it’s related to what I’ve been told about races having to take place on closed roads. These cookie rides likely have no traffic control. And instead of a cookie, you might get a bag of dry rice to cook later. Happened to me once.
The Hill Climb might be Japan’s most accessible event. There are actually quite a few of them around the country outside of the JBCF and they can be registered for on SportsEntry - I don’t think you need a JCF license.
What about other disciplines? I’ll toss this in here at the end because I think it’s worth mentioning. If you’re not racing Track, Cyclocross or Road… you’re not going to be doing much racing. Mountain biking is still very much in its infancy here in Japan. Despite its incredible landscape, there’s a shocking lack of good mountain biking. My wife and I moved here from Western North Carolina and she’s a former Age Group XC National Champion as well as podium finisher in events like the Pisgah Stage Race and Collegiate Nationals in STXC, XC & Omnium. So believe me, we have tried to find some good mountain biking here and it’s rough.
There are some lift-access downhill courses and we actually went to one for a “gravel” race which my wife won. This was held on what was essentially a non-technical STXC course. Disappointing is a bit of an understatement. There IS Grinduro Japan… but it’s insanely expensive and again, not really a race.
This honestly has had a big impact on our decision to ultimately move away from Japan. But, keep an eye out for developments in places like: https://www.minamialpsmtb.com/ https://namba.ngo/ https://www.nsd-hakuba.jp/iwatake_mtb_park/en/
Cyclocross has a big following in Japan and the calendar appears to be full of events throughout the season. If we were staying long term, I’d be buying a cross bike. Unfortunately I don’t have one, so I never got into that scene while living here.
Although this is mostly about racing in Japan, if you come here to race you’ll also (hopefully) be riding your bike for fun. Please be aware some laws work differently here. Although I’ve never personally run into trouble I’ve been told things like: bikes MUST use the crosswalk if turning across traffic (no turning like a car turns) & that bikes CANNOT exceed 30 km/h (a bike shop owner told me this). My wife and I have often talked about this as well… while in the USA drivers can be malicious towards cyclists, Japanese drivers are often blissfully ignorant towards them. Always ride defensively. Drivers will make eye contact with you and proceed to pull out in front of you expecting you to either not be traveling with speed or to stop for them. Even in “polite” Japan, the Car is King. I’ve had far more close calls with drivers here than I had in America. Having said that, it’s still a wonderful country to explore by bike.
Who Am I?
If you read all of this, thanks! I hope that you learned a little bit about road racing in Japan. But, who am I? I’m an American from Western North Carolina, now living in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture to be specific. I’ve been a cyclist since 2011 when I bought my first road bike. In America I’m a Cat 2 on the road and an XC MTB Cat 1 with extensive experience training for and racing in a variety of disciplines. Road riding and racing is my true love and I honestly only got into MTB to hang out with my girlfriend. I guess it was worth it because the only National Championship medals I have are from Team Relay & Team Omnium. Oh, we ended up getting married too. So that was cool. I also got into the gravel craze thanks to the plethora of racing options in the South East. I’ve stood on multiple podiums with the internet’s favorite privateer, Dylan Johnson. And I’ve dabbled in bikepacking, bike touring & ultra endurance riding. Really, I’m just a guy that thinks about bikes too much.

first
Luna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa.
Done!
Luna VI query: What did Nathan do during the first hour of the war?
***
From the instant he opened his eyes, Nathan's morning was chaotic. It all began with the ground shaking beneath him, jolting him into a state of awareness. He then was greeted by the sight of Amara. She was leaning against a corner, covered in purple from head to toe as she screamed at someone through an earpiece that she was pressing with one of her claws.
His good morning was overhearing one piece of bad news after the other.
The rest of Amara's group had been ambushed early in the morning; many were dead, injured, or missing.
A war had erupted in the sky and her allies were trying to push back the enemy forces, but the battle persisted; the outcome was uncertain.
Zara was being brought to them, but Amara had lost contact with Igmila's group who was bringing her, only receiving confirmation from another group that a rescue pod was spotted at a distance.
And when he thought that things couldn't get any worse, he heard a bang followed by the AI reporting that Ryo had shot down a drone somewhere near their position.
"Open the tent!" Red had conquered Amara's body.
None of the scenarios Nathan had contemplated the previous night had prepared him for such a chaotic morning. "Give me a second."
He only wanted a chance to get his gun from his backpack and explain why he had it in the first place, even though he suspected Amara was already aware he had it. But she didn't let him. "Now!"
She had never felt so distant to him as the moment she said that single word, which led him to just comply as he stood up and followed her in silence. But this frail silence only masked his morning grumpiness, magnified by the dire circumstances and her cold demeanor toward him.
Nathan had barely caught a glimpse of Ryo and Elysira at a distance when he muttered. "It wouldn't have been so hard to say a few words to fill me in, you know."
Amara's eyes were transfixed on the smoking pieces of the drone when she whipped her head around, glaring at him with her orange eyes. "My people are fighting a war and dying. How can you demand my time when Yelara is hurt and barely escaped alive?"
"Oh, come on, I'm not demanding anything." He scoffed, shaking his head. "I just don't think it would have been so hard to tell me what you intend to do in the next five minutes."
The tip of her tail pressed against his chest, as red and purple coexisted on her skin.
"I am heading up the mountain to find Igmila." She spoke in a detached voice, pulling her tail back and turning around, and then she sprinted in the gap between himself and the tent.
He caught a glimpse of gray on her neck and all his grumpiness was gone, replaced by a cold shiver running down his spine. With his arms moving faster than his thoughts, he grabbed her by the tail, preventing her from going anywhere.
"You absolutely can't do this Amara." Nathan looked down at the tail he held with both hands and swallowed a lump of saliva in fear of her reaction. But that still didn't prevent him from finishing what he had to say, "It's too dangerous."
Amara's eyes sought his, causing him to suspect she would demand to be released or try to free herself by force, but she did something else. "All of this is because of you. Had I not come to your tent, I would be there to assist them."
Nathan caught a glimpse of green around her back spots, which let him know that there was a hint of guilt in her words. But did that justify blaming everything on him and running into danger without thinking?
If not for the awful night followed by an awful morning, Nathan might have just taken the blame and hugged her. But he too had his limits, "How is that fair? Blame me all you want, but nothing will change that you had all the chances in the world to go back and you didn't. I'm not saying that you could have done anything abo-"
"Indeed." Gray flashed for a moment before red flowed among her black spots. "This night was a waste of time." His grip faltered at her words and she pulled her tail back from among his fingers. "I should have stayed with Yelara to help her tend to her wounds."
Nathan bit his lips in frustration. How was it possible to agree with her words, yet still feel the sharp sting in his heart?
And if that was not enough, Ryo had to step in to rub salt in the wound.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
With Elysira’s tail wrapped around his wrist as she averted her eyes from Amara, Ryo spoke, "Please don't tell me you're mad because the plant lover couldn't get it up."
Nathan blinked fast not believing his eyes. Ryo was not only shirtless but there were a lot of scratches on his neck and below. Elysira’s long strands were also a mess, but even without that, their physical closeness alone would be enough of a hint of how much fun they had at night.
When Nathan glanced at Amara to gauge her reaction, she had already crossed her arms, looking at him angrily. Which immediately made him feel as if Ryo’s not-funny joke was true although he knew it wasn't.
It took Nathan a considerable amount of self-retainment to not walk up there and rearrange Ryo's handsome face with his fist, or at least attempt to do so.
A few seconds passed before he said, "Why are you here?"
Ryo didn't even bother to look at him, his eyes focusing solely on Amara. "Information. I want her to tell me what she knows about this war."
Amara didn't look pleased to help, but she still informed him about the ambush and even alerted him that even their current position would soon be unsafe.
As If things weren't already bad enough, Ryo frowned and hurried to instruct Elysira to get his things as soon as Amara had finished talking. Nathan felt like he was in a war movie where everything was happening too fast for his emotions and reason to follow.
It was only when he saw Ryo raising his gun skywards that Nathan’s anger subsided, contained by the prospect of how bad their situation was. Ryo movements were fluid and methodical, but he never pulled the trigger on the many drones that appeared high above and, instead, retreated to take cover behind a tree.
Only now the seriousness of the situation sank in for Nathan.
He didn't even care that he hadn't explained to Amara why he had a gun yet, rushing inside the tent after exchanging a glance with her.
After crossing the circular door, he found only a few items on the ground: a pair of boots, his sleeping bag, and his backpack with all his equipment inside.
Nathan was quick, wearing his boots first before retrieving his belt, knife, and holster from the backpack. With a sequence of swift movements, he strapped the sheathed knife and holster to the belt and cinched it around his waist, securing it in place before closing the backpack and dashing out the door with his gun in one hand and the backpack in the other.
Already outside, Nathan found it weirdly reassuring that Ryo was in the same spot as before, but that only lasted until he tried to find Amara, but found nothing no matter where he searched for her.
He dropped his backpack, feeling at a loss. How could he have allowed her to venture beyond his sight when he knew that guilt was clouding her judgment?
Only when he had already cupped his hands around his mouth to scream her name that he felt a touch right above his heel—her tail.
"Psst..."
Wiping his head, Nathan saw Amara's whole body mimicking the colors of his tent, making herself quite hard to spot.
"I thought you were gone." He joined her, stooping down beside the tent as relief washed over him.
"It might be too late to join my soldiers." She didn't allow her colors to change, but the translator conveyed a hint of sadness. "I lost contact with all the teams who were coming here."
"Amara I-"
Nathan was about to attempt to make things right with her when Ryo’s assertive voice reached him. "Listen up, those fuckers are jamming our comms and they will be here at any time. Take the MLBCS and find a clearing to use it, I doubt they can interfere with the laser. Just don't forget that your immediate safety comes first or else you might not be among the living when the pod arrives."
Ryo ran back to his tent as soon as he was done speaking, leaving Nathan questioning his own intelligence. How come he had never even considered leaving the planet? A single glance at Amara and he knew why. But did he have any other option?
Staying and fighting to hold his position was something he briefly considered. But did he have a chance when even Ryo decided to leave after seeing the drones?
Mission control might give him other options, so Nathan decided to try his luck despite Ryo’s warning.
Unable to establish a two-way connection.
He confirmed the interference with the communication with a single thought, kicking his backpack in frustration even though it was expected.
Why did it have to be so hard to accept that Ryo was right and leaving the planet was his best option?
But would Ryo truly leave the planet and leave Elysira behind?
Nathan forgot Amara who was beside him and screamed, not allowing this question to stay in his mind, "Wait, what are you gonna do?"
Ryo replied as he waited for Elysira, "I'm not leaving the planet unless mission control finds a way to save Ely too."
Nathan's eyes widened, feeling like an idiot as he brought up a pop-up window showing the schematics of the rescue pods. They were designed to be fast vehicles capable of transporting a single person to the space station, but Earth's government hadn’t skimped on the design, which included various components that could be discarded, such as medical supplies and search and rescue equipment.
He used the AI to run the calculations and found that Amara would likely be able to go with him, that is if they wedged themselves into the vehicle and discarded everything else.
Nathan was about to share his findings with Ryo when he caught a glimpse of him and Elysira disappearing into the woods, abandoning their tent behind as they ran away.
A sense of urgency struck him at that moment, but it was easily forgotten when Amara's voice struck even harder, "You should go."
"What do you mean?" He sought her eyes, but she avoided his gaze, facing to the ground.
"Do what Ryo suggested." She took a small pause before she went on. "Leave the planet."
"The hell I will!" He punched the tent. "Not without you." He could only assume she was saying this because she didn't know she could leave with him. "You'll come with me, and the pod will take us to the space station."
"Your species will refuse to take me." He saw a hint of purple on her neck. "Before the mission started your people told us you humans will not get involved in our wars." She finally made eye contact, and the purple on her skin intensified. "My best chance to survive this is to hide in the mountains and wait for reinforcements."
"You don’t understand, Amara." He didn't have time for a full explanation of what humans considered not getting involved. "No one in mission control will want to leave you here to die just because of some stupid rule." He then spoke his heart out without a care in the world. "And even if they do, they will take you anyway if say I won't go anywhere without you."
A hint of yellow could be seen among her camouflaged skin, but before she could say what she would do, her tail wrapped around his neck and he felt a strong pull to lower his head and bend his knees for cover.
"The rebels are here," she whispered as her ears twitched.
Nathan was tall enough to see the slope on the other side of the tent by just standing, but Amara struggled to see from above the structure, requiring her to stretch her full height and still take little jumps to take peeks.
And it was after doing so that she dropped her camouflage entirely, letting purple run free among her black spots.
Nathan took interest in what she had seen that had caused such a reaction, and he leaned cautiously against the tent and raised his head slowly, prepared to find a few armed Irisians hidden among the trees. But what he found instead was a never-ending line of Irisian advancing downhill at a fast pace towards them.
He understood Amara's reaction now, pulling back the harmer of the revolver as he stared at her. "I need to... do something."
He made up his mind, determined to shoot. But when activated the infrared view mode and took aim at Irisians descending the slope, Nathan froze for a second. This just lasted a moment, and when found the resolve to fire, he had already lifted the gun enough that it wouldn't hit anyone and it would just be a warning shot.
He fired once, twice, and went on until all six rounds were gone, then he noticed their organized marching had stopped, all of them having activated their camouflage. Some even broke the line and retreated uphill.
When he took cover again, Amara was protecting her ears with both hands, looking at him as if he were some sort of monster. Nathan ignored her and rifled through his backpack in search of more ammunition, finding the small box with shining metal bullets after he had searched for some long seconds.
It was only when he released the cylinder to reload the gun that Nathan noticed something.
His hands were shaking.
He ignored it and pressed the extraction rod the remove the cartridges from the cylinder to make room for the new ones, clumsily dropping a few of them as he reloaded.
Amara saw this and stopped him with her tail before he had filled all the chambers.
"I cannot go with you." Her body had been conquered by purple.
"You think I'll leave you behind?" He almost reached his breaking point when she replied.
"No." Her tail touched his cheek gently. "There are too many of them, Nathan." She pulled her tail back as a hint of gray appeared. "My brother will never let me go, he lost too many ships and soldiers to give up without his prize." The gray intensified, squeezing her black spots. "If you die with me on this planet, your species might abandon Irisa forever.
"My chances of hiding in the mountains are slim, but they exist... and even if I fail I will distract them long enough for you to flee."
Her body blended with the surroundings again and Nathan felt that she was about to do something stupid, but he moved faster and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to bend her legs and join him on the ground as she stared at him with wide eyes.
"To hell with this self-sacrifice bullshit." Nathan finally decided what he would do. "Do you think I will die that easy? Guess what, you’re wrong." His hands moved from her shoulder to her back and he embraced her. "Let me tell you what we'll do, we take the MLBCS, we find a clearing, and we go to the space station." He released her and added, almost crazily. "You go with me even if I have to drag you by the tail as you scratch me, you hear me?"
He was not kidding; he grabbed her tail with his left hand, leaving her exterior filled with colors ranging from purple to yellow.
Amara was about to reply when the tent produced a thud noise, sounding as if someone had knocked on a cardboard box. When they turned to the side, there was a tiny hole in the tent dangerously close to Amara's head.
She touched the hole with her finger, and then her whole hand pressed against the side of her head, staring at him without saying a word.
Nathan's heart skipped a beat when he realized what had just happened, and consumed by a rage like he never felt before, he pressed the cylinder of his revolver back into place with just the four bullets inside, pulling back the harmer.
This time there was no hesitation, he quickly stood up and used the infrared view mode to survey the now organized groups of Irisians who had taken a defensive formation, choosing as target an Irisian who had climbed a tree and was pointing a long gun at them.
In just a moment Nathan aimed and pulled the trigger, firing one round after another. The first two missed completely, but the others hit the tree right above the target, making this Irisian panic and release his claws from the wood, only to welcome an ugly fall on the rocks below from several meters above the ground.
He took cover again immediately, but this time noise as if he was facing heavy rain under an umbrella struck his eardrums moments after he had taken cover, making him wince every time he heard the distinct noise of a projectile going through one wall of the tent and stopping the other.
With her tail still among his fingers, Nathan and Amara exchanged several anxious glances as the shooting persisted, only calming down when the rebels realized they were wasting ammunition and the barrage of fire slowly started to lose momentum.
Nathan's heart was racing and she was going through all tones of purple when she broke the silence.
"Fine!" She spoke fast. "If you are being so adamant about tying our fates together, we can do it your way." Her tail escaped his grip, but instead of pulling it back, she coiled it around his wrist. "But we are weaker together, Nathan. I will be a burden to you when you run, and you will be a burden to me when we hide."
"Oh, to hell with that too." Despite his harsh words, just knowing that they were on the same page now was enough to give him some hope. "Sorry. I do all the running and you do all the hiding, does that work for you?"
He didn't wait for her reply and loaded the gun again, this time doing it very fast even though his hands were still shaking.
"You do all the running? I fail to understand you." She said as she stood up to take a peek at the enemies, just to recoil in fear and add, "Explain yourself fast, they are losing the fear of your loud gun."
"Sure." He grasped his backpack bottom and overturned it, emptying its contents in a quick motion. With all the items on the ground, Nathan only took the MLBCS and the little box with his drones that he promptly stored in his pocket. "We won't need any of that, which means my back will be free."
"Are you crazy, I am too heavy f-"
"You're not." Nathan was 6′3″, and he had the nanites ensuring he was as healthy as a human could be. This meant that the short Amara—the top of her head only reaching a little below his shoulder—was not a challenging weight for him to carry given her slender body.
Noticing the doubt in her gaze, he lowered his body even more, turning his back towards her in a way it would be easy for her to climb, hoping this would be all the push she needed.
"You take pleasure in testing my trust, do you not?" The tone of her voice hinted at her reluctance, but she still draped her arms over his shoulder, securing her grip in a way her claws wouldn't hurt him.
Even though they had a plan now, Nathan still felt a chill down his spine at the thought of what he would have to do. And despite knowing that he had taken everything he needed, he anxiously patted down his pocket the make sure the box with the drones was there and remembered to take a handful of bullets, filling up his pockets as some of them fell to the ground.
"Ready?" He asked, trying to sound confident.
"See for yourself." Her tail wrapped around his belly, full of tiny black spots surrounded by purple as far as he could see.
Nathan took a few deep breaths and stood up, getting a glimpse of the many groups that were advancing from both sides, trying to surround them.
It didn't even take him a full second before he started firing his revolver indiscriminately at them while his legs moved on their own, not even waiting for his eyes to decide which path he would take.
Amara's weight escaped his thoughts completely, replaced by the fear evoked by the faint noise of metal breaking the sound barrier around them as soon they left the protection of the tent.
He didn't spare a single glance behind, running downhill at full throttle with bursts of adrenalin fueling his speed. He outran the reach of their guns quite fast, hurdling fallen brunches and putting not only distance but also several tree trunks between them and the hostile force behind.
With Amara's solid grip and occasional shifting of her weight to prove that she was fine, Nathan kept his pace as his muscles burned with exertion.
For a little over ten minutes he kept going, jumping over protruding roots and ducking beneath low-hanging branches. But this couldn't go on forever and eventually, he stopped to catch his breath, bending forward and letting go of items in his hand as Amara released her grip to stand on her own two feet.
His breath was coming in ragged bursts, but that didn't keep him from starting to laugh as he stared at her, whose eyes were gentle and her entire body was filled with hints of yellow.
In a split-second though, her whole demeanor changed, all the yellow giving way to purple and red.
She asked a single question, "Is that device of yours supposed to release smoke?"
The tip of her tail was pointing at the MLBCS, which now had a small hole in it from where a whisp of smoke curled upwards, just like a candle after its flame had been extinguished.
Nathan shook his head and touched his forehead; a single word left his mouth, "Fuck."
***
This was an account based on what Nathan did during the first hour of the war. The previous narrative is based on the events of the morning of the twentieth day of the exploratory mission of Irisa. According to your current settings, no queries will be suggested.
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Hey everyone! I wanted to share my journey of getting my first 100 paying customers for my SaaS application. I posted something similar recently focusing on cold outreach, but I left out the initial strategy for coming up with a product in the first place, so here goes.
Background
To give you some context, my SaaS application Dawnvox (www.dawnvox.com) is a customer feedback tool that I built. It's my sixth attempt at trying to find success with a SaaS product. Also, I want to note that my background is in tech, which allowed me to build everything myself. We'll come back to this in a moment.
Previous Attempts
Previously, I'd try to build something that I thought was cool. Having a background in tech, my thought process went like this: "Oh, I can build some sort of CI/CD tool and make it really easy to use," or "Small businesses need a cheaper way to do X," and then off I'd go to build something for a few weeks, completely focused on the tech side. Then I'd realize there were a million tools all doing the same thing, and I'd quickly lose motivation...
Three Questions That Made a Difference This Time
Before diving into the specifics, I want to highlight three questions that I believe made the difference this time around:

1. Figuring Out What You Are Good At (Your Advantage): Leverage your unique skills and strengths. For me, it was my background in tech, which allowed me to build the product myself. I also have experience in SaaS, both B2B and B2C. I knew enough about how to market and talk to prospects.
2. What You Are Passionate About: Passion drives perseverance. I was passionate about creating a tool that could help businesses gather and analyze customer feedback effectively because I love knowing how customers feel and constantly improving.
3. What Customers Need: Understand the market demand and pain points. I identified a gap in affordable customer feedback tools for startups and small businesses. At work, I'd used a variety of different tools, and while they all worked well, they were all super expensive. This is what I decided to focus on.

At this point, I felt good because my product idea was at the intersection of:

• What I'm good at (Tech)
• What I'm passionate about (Customer satisfaction)
• What customers need (a more accessible tool, particularly aimed at small businesses)

Regarding point 3, I didn't have to spend too much time on customer market research. The market exists; I knew that. I just found a smaller slice of this market and focused on that.
GEMO (Good Enough, Move On)
I gave myself a hard deadline: three weeks. I would have everything live in three weeks' time. I didn't want this to suck up too much time, as I already have a full-time job. Plus, if it failed, I'd be happy it only took three weeks.
Launch
Three weeks later, I had a product. It was by no means perfect and still missing a bunch of features. No matter, I launched anyway.
By "launch," I mean doing cold outreach. You can read more about that here if you like. The article explains more about how I got the 100 customers. But in my opinion, that was possible because of the foundation I laid in finding the right product to build.
Summary
I think my success this time stemmed from finding a product at the intersection of the following 3 areas. 1. leveraging my tech background 2. focusing on my passion for customer satisfaction 3. addressing a clear market need for affordable feedback tools for small businesses.
Also I gave myself a strict deadline to launch no matter what in 3 weeks.
Anyways, this is just a brief overview of the initial template I followed for identifying a product. I hope it helps.
Feel free to reach out in the comments, and I'm happy to post about other parts of my business too.
I've really appreciated the support I've gotten on Reddit, so I hope I can give back in some small way.

(My second ever HFY story, I hope you enjoy it more than my first one)
[Stardate 1024 CF, Cold Season, Secondary Class Recording, Planet Emi-shield. Educational Board Only]
Good morning class, I hope you enjoyed the break. Welcome to Space Sociology, this course will have 5 main topics, generally related to first contact scenarios. In my years of teaching, I’ve developed a tradition of telling a story, one I find quite interesting, and I hope you shall too.
A long time ago… in a system not to far from here actually, there was a planet, a small planet, with lovely green continents, rising out of the cold blue oceans, the planet was divided, and when they were discovered, the Sapient Alliance, our old government, contacted them, with their thousands of species, to try and force their unification.
This was something they had never done before, as all sapients discovered or who contacted them were already unified, so the SA believed that they could force their nations to get along. Unsurprisingly this just made the natives mad. They believed that this was an invasion, and some media outlets began to spew stories of slavery and torture, so what followed were many terrorist attacks from the natives, to try snd get the SA to leave them alone.
However, the angered SA took this as an act of war, and to stop any more of this species from committing these atrocities, they wrongfully glassed their world, and hunted the rest for either experimentation, prison, or death.
Which sets up our next part. You see, nit many lightyears away (By our standards) there was a similar world, also divided. Hopeful, the SA used a different (and much smarter) approach, they wouldn’t offer them full membership status until they got their act together. This frustrated the natives, however they understood and went to work to fix it, it took a long time, and then there was a war. But the war ended prematurely, mainly due to another race, the uzi’gon saw this and feared another large scale terrorist attack could happen, and managed to convince the council another glassing was in order.
Now this new race had time, and in that time, they managed to get basic FTL from less than reputable sources. However, this unification war had their members visiting the Alliance chambers had seen the gavel drop, and luckily got a message out before their capture. Now, this new species was in a pickle, they had everyone against them, horribly basic FTL. But they had an idea.
This would be the most creative, and desperate idea the galaxy had seen, and will probably ever see for a while. Now, I know this is a sociology class, however, you should have studied your flight laws, no? There is a reason FTL should always be deactivated outside of systems aside from emergencies, a single mistake could cause a single planet to blow, sending debris everywhere.
This species took FTL drives, and removed the safety features. Yes, they managed to hold 50% of the galaxy hostage, with FTL kinetic railguns, of sorts. And well, the SA didnt take to kindly to that, and thats why the Council only has hundreds of species.
Hah! Don’t worry, that parts not true. Uh- the part about this story being a tradition, I just had nothing prepared and was gonna drink coffee for an hour. And those new natives? Well by default they were the 4th most powerful after that attack. So they got a seat as a head of the council. Moral of the story? Don’t use FTL bombs unless its a desperate scenario, ####heads.
(I’ll be honest, I lost steam at the end there, actually more after the first half, and needed an ending, but I hope it good enough)
(Also Uzi Gon is pronounced uzi gun bcause why not?)
(Okay, im gonna go now, but remember: REALITY IS AN ILLUSION THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM BUY GOLD BYEEEEE!!!!)

Hello all! I've been stalking this subreddit for the better part of two months trying to learn as much as possible. This has been so helpful and uplifting that I truly do feel like I'll feel better with time.
While I was only diagnosed a week ago I had suspected I had thyroid issues from the moment I started browsing here.
A few questions I still have though are regarding treatment.
Doctor prescribed levothyroxine 50mg. I have started taking it but as I do more research I'm starting to wonder if I should or should not take it at this time. Today marks the 4th day that I've taken it.
I've had blood work 3 times in the last 6 months.
In Nov TSH was 5.05 T4 was 1.2
In April TSH was 5.64 T4 was 1.0
A week ago TSH was 4.24 T4 not tested. TpoAb 442 Thyroglobulin 8
I understand the antibodies being present very likely indicate hashimotos. However my TSH levels were back within the "green" range on the mychart app.
Doctor wrote the prescription after the most recent panel.
Reviewing my current symptoms
I have a noticeable but not debilitating goiter. Seems to be getting worse lately. I felt cold today (it was 87 degrees outside but the AC inside was chilly). Then I started to feel super hot. Before taking the meds I used to have palpitations but they seem to have gone. I had overwhelming dread and anxiety but they seem to be gone too.
As I'm sure many of people are searching for answers I'm just trying to find out if these symptoms are common as I work towards balance or if I should be more concerned.
As with any autoimmune disease I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Thank you in advance!

If we're all being honest, with only a couple of exceptions, all of the Jarls kinda suck. So I'm curious to see how everyone would replace them if given the chance. Doesn't have to link to the Empire or Stormcloaks, just a general replacement. Here's Mine.
Solitude: Gisli. Frankly I think it'd be a funny bit of Karma to make her Erikur's Boss with how much she seems to resent him.
Morthal: Jogen. Every time I see him in game, either for the Vampire Quest in the hold or for Pieces of the past, he comes across as a very level-headed individual who takes good care of his community. It's part of the reason I always buy the Pieces of the Razor off of him, the Mill needs new blades, and If I can help out Morthal while doing the quest it's a win-win.
Markarth: Ainethach from Karthwasten. Give him some sort of Leverage over the SIlver-Bloods. Maybe he'll be willing to put pressure on the bastards.
Falkreath: Ok this one kinda sucks because there's hardly anyone living in Falkreath hold that isn't an assassin or a Vampire. So I'm gonna go with Valdr, simply because he's one of the few characters I like in this hold.
Dawnstar: There are probably objectively better choices to lead Dawnstar (frankly anyone's better than Skald), but I'm going to give Bulfrek the seat of Dawnstar's Jarl. Let him have the authority to boot his abusive *former* boss out of town and start making life better for everyone else!
Riften: Mjoll. Look at Riften's 2 Jarl options from the game, we have a good-intentioned person who's too stupid to see exactly how bad the corruption in her city is, and a borderline crime lord with direct connections to the Thieve's Guild. Let Mjoll take the throne and then let us help her wipe out the thieves!
Winterhold: There's nobody here! Everyone who lives in the hold lives in this one city, and most of those are College members! There's 13 people living in Winterhold itself, and most of them are either the Jarl's family or his Imperial replacement! Ranmir's a Drunk, Nelecar's a bad Idea, and while someone like Tolfdir or Urag are crazy smart Politics aren't what that intelligence is tailored around. Winterhold sucks.
Windhelm: Frankly I think Brunwulf is the best option for a replacement Jarl of Windhelm, but just going with the base game is uninteresting (and unlike Winterhold I actually have more options). Shahvee is the next best candidate for Jarl (and would piss off some of the more racist Nords in the area! XD), plus as a follower of Zenithar we know she has good morals, and she's always in high spirits!

Black 27, engaged. Budget is no real concern but if it's expensive i have to get what i pay for. For example i think Manhattan is not worth the price.
I'm from New Orleans. Live in Atlanta, i hate it and most places in the south. I lived in Houston too. Great city but too much flooding, hurricanes, and power outages.
What i want is a green city that's easy to live in. By that I mean easy to get around and navigate.
I like good food, green spaces, nature(don't have to be mountains or beaches, just nature), birds, I like to meditate, i do not like a lot of noise, I like to be able to go on walk but not to any place in particular just nice side walks and not crowded. I like white water rafting, paint ball, arcades, aechery and all kinds stuff. My hobbies are malleable but i like to have a decent amount of options of things to do. I don't like the rain and i like snow but not snow like vermont and new Hampshire. Snow thar doesn't stop life but just slows it down. I don't need to be around a ton of blacks but i do wanna be able to see them when i go out unless the whites are very welcoming which from my exp typically they aren't far west or far noeth east just my exp tho no offense. I like convience and ease of access. I HATE traffic. I love driving. I don't wanna walk to shop. I'd rather drive to the stores. I like to walk just for a hobby not to get things done. Wouldn't mind walking to eat tho.
I cannot accept earth quakes.
Would Cincinnati or Columbus Ohio be fit? Was considering those two. Philly was great but a bit too much traffic for me at the moment. Got potential tho.

This is not my confession, its a copy paste of a real confession
Today I want to come clean about something I feel very badly about. I cannot undo some of the things I have done, but hopefully this message will prevent other such occurrences in the future.
I am a paid basher.
Yes, it is true. Today is my last day at this company; I'm moving on to a new job. I've realized that there are more dignifying jobs out there that can pay me equally as well. But before I go, I want to explain a few things because this just isn't right and I won't feel good about myself until I expose this sham. It's hurt too many people and I don't want it on my conscience anymore. I can no longer live with a lie.
I work for a company called Global Calumny Funds in Stamford, CT. Basically, it's a Boiler Room much like the one in the movie of the same name. The idea behind my group is to bash the price of a company's stock down low enough to where the group of investors who retained our company's services can buy the stock really cheap and perhaps even take it over all together.
There are approximately 70 people at the company divided into several groups. My group, consisting of 5 people, is responsible for IDWD. While I probably shouldn't give any names of anyone working here now, what the heck, I'm leaving here, so what can they do? sue me? Ha! I can tell you that laptoptrader and janice shell were part of my group until he left last week, as was ninaturtle. Others who have been part of this include early bashers like hard data and Investorman. You may be interested to know that some hypsters, such as MONEYMADE and even Datatech!!, have also been part of the scam (more on that later).
There are several companies engaged in the bashing business, ours is not the only one. However, I can tell you that not every basher in here is a paid basher. Having done this for a year, I can usually tell who is a paid basher and who is merely someone having a little fun. While unpaid bashers have a different motive than someone like me, they can be unwilling accomplices to helping me achieve my ultimate goal and they also spread rumor and confusion throughout a room, which also helps me.
What is that goal? Well, I am merely a cog in a much larger machine, so my bosses never really explained the big picture to me, but I'd say essentially, Shaddowwatch2oo3 was right. There are several companies who are quite familiar with Jim Bishop and Janice Shell and who are deathly afraid of them.
There are three types of bashers here at Global Calumny Funds: Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner. An Advanced-level basher (also known as a Silver Tongued Devil) would spread false or misleading information about the company. They would deal in facts, countering every longs post with articles, news reports and opinion surveys that gave a negative impression about the company.
An Intermediate-level basher (also known as a Serpent) would try to weasel their way into the confidence of longs and create doubt using rumor or innuendo.
Finally, a Beginner-level basher (also known as a Pitchfork) would attempt to create confusion in the room by distracting other posters with satire, name calling and pointless arguments. The idea was to make sure no serious discussion of the stock could take place. A Pitchfork was usually a basher, but not always. Sometimes, we would throw in a hypster Pitchfork such as MONEYMADE and laptop and a pumper like Datatech to create the illusion of an argument going on. What was really funny (in a perverse way, I guess) was that Datatech and I sat next to each other, laughing the whole time.
I was a Serpent basher, because I am known for effective bashing based on solid facts and truth. I was paid a base wage of $18 an hour for my services. I was given a $1.25 bonus for every decent quality post over 100 per day as well as a monthly bonus of $100 for every penny the stock had dropped from the previous month. I was also paid a bonus for bashing on weekends. While this may not sound like much, I made a decent, though dishonorable, paycheck plus a nice Laptop with free wireless internet connection.
Each of us sat in a small half-cubicle in a cluster with our teammates. Each group (usually five people) was made of three beginners (two who would bash and one who would hype), one intermediate and one advanced level basher. Occasionally for some of the hotter stocks, one of the beginners would be replaced by an intermediate depending on how much the stock was rising. IDWD was a low-level stock, meaning it got the 3-1-1 configuration.
Honestly though, somehow, I get the feeling that WV Hillbilly may have worked for a basher company or knows someone who does because the fund websites he occasionally posts is eerily similar to our employer's websites. While not exact, I'd say it is about 90 percent the same. We do have certain rules that we follow.
First, we have to develop a character and stay within that character in order to build a "following." My character, "FogOfWar," was a humorous, sarcastic, obnoxious supporter of free speech and loved to portray himself as a truth-telling superhero, but only when it came to bashers.
Next, we had to follow certain guidelines on what we could say. We were urged to have an "answer" to every long's question, but we were to frame that answer in a way that ridiculed the questioner for asking such a question. However, we were never to use profanity or vulgarity because that would cause people to ignore us. We were to make fun of people, but in a civil way. The idea was to get "play," i.e. reaction from other posters. The more play we got, the more the room would be disrupted. Ignored posters get no play. One exception would be the hypsters since they were "defending" the stock against our onslaught, they got a little more leeway. People would side with the hypster because they thought he was real since he appeared to be on their side, but was really on ours, setting us up to disrupt the room. MoneyMade was quite good at this and gets paid very well.
I've worked on IDWD, VLO, AGII, QBID, BKMP for a few months now. In addition to the FogOfWar alias, I've used a few others on several other boards as well. I've used so many aliases that I can not remember the monikers or the passwords. I honestly lost track of everything. I stuck with FogOfWar because it was the one that got the most play from other posters.
In closing, I feel absolutely terrible about this. It's just awful how I've been part of a scam designed to cheat honest, hard-working people out of their investments all for the benefit of a few wealthy people who already have enough money to last a lifetime.
These greedy people MUST be stopped. That's why I'm posting this before I leave. I want to make up for some of the damage I've done. I can't live with this lie anymore. You can't imagine how hard it is to look at myself in the mirror each morning knowing my job is to cheat and lie.
I have to go now, I'm too broken up to continue. I hope this confession can make up for my sordid deeds; I would urge everyone who reads this to inform as many people as you can. Only by shining the light of truth can we drive these rats back into the darkness from whence they came. Believe me, they don't want publicity.
Good luck and I hope all of you the best in your investment endeavors.

I have a sole proprietorship business and I used WIX for the website. They offer a business line that connects through the app for $15CAD/month with unlimited calls and texts. I don't need too many features but I don't want my actual phone number to be visible to clients for privacy. I was thinking of buying a toll free plan but they charge $15/month (unsure if its USD or CAD) plus additional for minutes.
I just need the client experience to be professional and organized so what are your reccomendations? Should I go for the toll free number or just use the local numbers either from WIX or Virgin Mobile?? (still trying to find out how much the eSIM would cost me)
My services are all online and I offer in-person only for the people in my area. Toll free appears more professional than a local number but also might seem like they'll be on hold for a while or go through multiple "reps" to get their questions answered. A local number is great for those in my area or North America but then idk how that would translate to clients who aren't in North America.
Thoughts?
EDIT: SCRATCH WIX. Just saw that they don't support any international calls or texts. Need help deciding between toll-free or adding an eSIM.

*UNRELATED BUT RE:JINXING IT: it dont be silly (says the guy who hasnt shaved in multiple weeks now lmfao but thats more a camaraderie tradition thing with the team/my brothers) but WE in NY should know better than anyone even the Pres Trophy 'curse' doesnt effect us (the last 3 we got to the FINAL the last time, got knocked out in game 7 of the ECF by Tampa when they were in dynasty mode, annnnd won the cup in 94, the year we won the PT, plus this year worst case another ECF loss....
*TO THE MAIN POINT(S)* ill keep em brief cuz im sure u get the idea and also have opinions of your own but lets try and respect eachother as fellow humans but right now moreso AS FELLOW RANGERS!
THE REASONS IF UR JUST HERE FOR THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF IT:
1.) Igor > Bob - i know these are the two only ELITE goalies left though Oett is playing really well but not on this level...these guys can steal series but i lean Igor cuz A.) theres a reason we got Quick as a backup after he literally played in LAST YRS playoffs lol, to rest Igor for long series/posteason, the longer it goes the more that edge can help - also looking at their playoff numbers Igor's got most covered (i dont really put much into GAA and more into SAVE % as a former minor goalie cuz if u have great defense etc it helps but save % is just how well YOU did against ON GOAL SHOTS aka goals if ur not there (and also 'big chance' bob and igor are abotu tied but Bob also hasnt faced a team as offensively talented as the rangers (atleast right now the way the playoffs are goin, not that FLA is a slouch)
2.)Special Teams, they made the diff in CAR a few times, and CAR was meant to be top 3 at PP AND PK...well as we know it duidnt go that way for their ST's and not only are we scoring SH goals keeping teams wary but going into this series our PP is 31.4% and FLA's PK is 22.1% - thats gonna give 3 or 4 goals on avg against any goalie/games at this level facing a PP as clinical as NY (personally i do worry it could be worse as Fox looks to be playing injured and sturggles to pivot as well/agility so being our top 'QB' on the PP could be an issue)
3.) LIneup - again its hard to seperate these teams but i STILL think we have a slight edge in all 3, OFF (they're more top heavy, we get scoring up and down the lineup - ALSO we have teh 'good' problem of picking Rempe for more physical, Blake Wheeler is back AND Chytils at full health, obv cold but i trust Lav cuz he earned it and also he sees way more than we do behind the scenes. - Point is say Mika or Panarin have a garbage game/series or dont show up theres on fire Laff AND Trocheck, very solid Roslovic and i doubt Mika AND Bread dissapear at the same time but theres one player OBV not mentioned for a reason...Kreider.
As Kreider has adjusted his game to being a deflecting netfront presence vs the 'speed power' in his earlier game but (legacy game aside aka the #RalieghRallyNattyHatty lol) but the point is over the last 5 years EVERYONE knows thats his game and he still leads the league in tip ins...its the fact they CANT STOP HIM from doing something thats generating goals and if they DO put enough effort into stopping him itll leave more time and space for others...
****BONUS REASON***** this effects everyone AND strategically cuz u get 2 periods vs 1 of the 'short switch' and as the home team in a poss game 7 not only is IGOour record at MSG inane but that building will be exploding...its been proven many times refs tend to favor home teams likely due to subsciouscious pressure from the crowd (like giving a 'bs makeup call' which many former refs admit is common) but also as the home team THEY have to put their lines out first so we can 'react' instead of putting out a physical 4th line only to see them put their big guns out etc
*I know this isnt all like, shockingly insightful but just antsy so thought id see what yall think or if yall knew this info too or agreed/disagree?d

So sorry for how vague this is, but there were some plants I used to love when I was a kid and I'm trying to figure out what they were. I live in the UK, and I remember coming across a "grove" of them and to my child brain they made a fantastic den; they grew taller than I was as a 10-year-old child, and had thick green stems, long and straight, a little bit like bamboo, but easy to snap and break, and fibrous rather than woody, and the inside of them the sections would often be filled with liquid - they were in sections, a bit like bamboo too. They had flat leaves that grew on the top of them, which made a fantastic roof for the "den". When they died, they left brittle woody stems. I remember this "den" was around a small stream, so they might grow quite close to water. I don't remember if they had flowers or not. They didn't grow too thickly together - not like a bush or anything - because it was easy to walk between them.
Thanks so much for any help. I'm writing a book at the moment and really want to include them in a scene in the book, but can't find what they are.

Looking for advice from someone who knows about EWR operations. Last two times I’ve landed at Termjnal A at EWR, the car traffic into arrivals has been incredibly long. As in a car that i can see in the loop can take 15+ mins to reach the pickup points. At the same time, the pickup points have few cars lined up. It seems to me the traffic lights that let pedestrians cross to the medians are going too frequently. I had time on my hands waiting and the lights switched after only 30 seconds of green. I’m no industrial engineer but I’m wondering if letting the lights stay green for 45 or even 60 seconds would better allow the cars to fill up the pickup points so there isn’t as much dead time. Seems like that would be no problem for the pedestrians who are waiting for rides anyway and would reduce congestion. Who decides things like that? Curious to know how those things get tested. Anyone know?

I'm a total novice, trying to grow some peppers for the first time.
I've got some 1'x3' boxes I built, maybe 8 inches deep, plus a 36" round grow bag. I'm in a "high desert" area, maybe 90 in the day and 50 at night this week, and dry. The only place I have available to grow gets about 4-5 hours of the western sun, from 1:00-5:30 or so.
I've been trying to wait until the soil feels dry to water, maybe every 2-3 days, but often times the plants start looking droopy and stressed in the afternoon. The soil feels moist-ish, but adding some more water seems to help perk them back up. I also have some marigolds that I planned with the peppers that are doing decent overall, but getting a little crispy on the ends of some leaves.
A cheap moisture meter seems to read a bit over 50% right after watering, down to maybe 25% when I haven't watered. I don't know how much I trust it though, as the soil always feels a bit moist a half inch down or so.
What am I missing? Am I watering too much, too little? Thanks in advance!