A line the back view

I’m 24 years old going on 25 in a few months. I graduated college in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. At first, I had gone into college majoring in business but switched majors quickly once I got to accounting. I am not good at math. However, I did well in my sociology classes and I specifically enjoyed my crime courses a lot. Crime has always been a fascination for me. Interrogations, forensics, and understanding and uncovering what causes individuals to commit crime.
After graduating college, I worked for a tech company in sales for 2 years. Pay was good for being right out of college but this was never a career path for me rather a job to have until I figure out what I really want to do.
I’m very good with technology. Been surrounded by it since I was a child. Volunteered in high school at a non profit where I would: open up laptops replacing key components or fixing damages, installing anti-virus software, and pretty much anything else that helps improve tech performance. As well as working for the tech company these past few years.
I’m also skillful within the English language in writing. I do like to write and have always been an A student in English courses.
I have no idea what I want to do. I had gone to college with scholarships and grant that has saved me from a huge amount of loans(although I still have a portion I have to pay off). I have been thinking of going back to school and getting a Masters in Criminology online for 18 months to get my degree. Although, I don’t know how much that would help if I don’t have a career path set.
I have been thinking of a career path set in law such being a lawyer, special agent/investigator or along the lines of being a social worker due to my degree. Cyber security has also been on my radar. My father works in corrections, a path I was thinking about taking, but according to him, he does not want to see my being a correctional officer due to how demanding the job can be not just physically but mentally. Working 16 hours back to back and being in a prison environment has changed my father for the worse within the past few years. Perhaps it’s hypocritical to say no to corrections but yes to other careers in law enforcement even though they all have a similar physically, emotionally and mentally demanding job characteristics.
I know for some I might be judged for not taking action early and taking my degree and running towards a career path, but other than my parents, I don’t have any other support, guidance, that could help my decision making. It’s mentally draining when I have so much ambition inside of me but don’t know how to use it and know that I have people that are counting on me.
I would very much appreciate any advice about what career paths I could possibly take. Any information would be greatly helpful.
Thank you.

We have run many events for a client who needs attendees to join via MS Teams. We normally send audio and video via webcam emulation and then share a PowerPoint using the Teams share feature. This has worked fine but there are many disadvantages including clunky share/stop share functionality, fixed postage stamp video size, poor frame rate video playback and other UI issues that make it feel a bit crappy.
Instead, I was wondering can I simply send a video feed that incorporates the PowerPoint and then spotlight it so that all attendees see a 16:9 (non resized) video feed? That way we could easily show the speaker full screen when needed and then flip back a combined view when needed. It would give us much more flexibility visually and allow us to make something a bit more special than a normal Teams meeting.
I realise that this would not work with any remote presenters (as they would appear as a second video feed but I am thinking more for on stage use only.
I have yet to test if you can you force 16:9 on a spotlighted window so this might be a deal breaker as we can't have any cropped video feeds.
Keen to hear your thoughts please.

Hello
I am backing up my netapp to tape and have found a single folder full of research data files that I am unable to interact with at all. No matter what I do I get "you require permission from the system administrator".
The owner of the volume and every file on it is my domain user. Verified this with vserver security file-directory
However whenever I try move these files, rename them, view permissions etc. I am met with "you dont have permission".
I tried using a local administrator account for the netapp too and get the same error. I cant copy the files, I cant write them to tape, I cant even delete them and I just cannot understand why.
I did also create and run a file-directory policy task to overwrite all permissions with my account as the owner with full permissions, just in case - no change.
The file path was super long so I have shortened that. Tried from Windows and Linux. Does anyone have any ideas what else I can try?

I know it sounds like a pipe dream, but hear me out. As an average salaried employee, I pay my taxes, but I don't get enough services or any say in how my money is being used. I can't go around and protest on the street because I have other responsibilities. I thought of a solution, even though I know this would never be implemented, but I still wanted to share it.
I should be able to withhold a year's taxes. It's not like I won't give taxes, but my tax money would be stored in a bank account, which the government can only access when I give permission. I can't take the money back, but I can choose when to release it.
At an individual level, it should prompt a local representative to approach me so that I can get some small issue resolved, and at a national level, the taxpaying class would get representation and be able to effectively protest. The Constitution gives us the right to protest; this could be a logical progression of that.
What are your views on this system?

Next Patreon Ko-fi Discord
PRs: u/anakist & u/BroDogIsMyName
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The cave was dark, its luminescent crystals having long since faded, the shattered shards sprinkling onto the stone floors as inert fragments. Once intricate brickwork was now rubble and crumbled debris, their murals and etchings now lost to deterioration. Countless tunnels and subterranean floors had filled in over time, reducing the monument of his efforts to but a solitary room nested within an unremarkable hole in the hillside, far beyond the township he called home. Or so he assumed, anyway. There was no way of knowing where he was, nor if said home even existed anymore, though he was doubtful it did. It had been far too long since he entered this promise-turned-prison, and he had no more heart to ache.
An ashen glow of sunlight penetrated the pitiful, dreary depths he was once prideful of. The luminance fought against the haze of dust and miasma, but never quite brought its warmth inside, teasing him. He’d forgotten what it felt like to stand in that brightness. To experience the gentle breeze and soft rustle of leaves. Admittedly, the touch of nature’s blessing was one he never often experienced, making for those sparse moments of sunkissed relaxation to be amongst the first memories to dissipate. There were things he still recalled, of course—the days before a single well-intentioned decision changed everything.
The days before he knew only regret.
Altier could still picture the modest farmland that his brothers and father worked on, and how he watched from behind the moss-laden shutters of his room, a frail smile worn on his emaciated face. His two siblings were well and hearty; they quickly grew up to be strong men, becoming apprentices under the village’s herbalist and leatherworker respectively. One would always help their father tend to the crops while the other was off gaining the experience required to take over the storefronts of their eventual occupation.
Their father would regularly be seen wiping the sweat off his brow and wearing a proud grin whenever his young men came back to ramble about what they learned, even if the elder man never understood much of it. That hardly mattered to him; knowing his boys were happy was enough for him to listen with rapt attention, and he repeated their words to his spouse, pretending to know why what he talked about was impressive. The matron of the family always winked Altier’s way when his father would start his usual boasting, letting her adorable fool of a partner take pride in their children for wrapping their heads around whatever he couldn’t. She loved him anyway, calling him playful names with a serene and adoring smile. The sound of her laughter at her husband’s antics could warm even the coldest of winters.
She cared for Altier when she wasn’t busy tidying the home his father built with his own two hands, the structure degrading over time, yet cared for all the same. She would heat the iron stove they had saved up for, her enchanting singing softly reaching those who listened. His father purchased it from a promising blacksmith just to spare his poor wife the trouble of maintaining a fireplace; it cost them years of being frugal, but the delight she showed at no longer needing to bear the direct heat when preparing meals made it worth every coin.
Altier still blamed himself for wasting her time with his needs, but his main regret was the toll his birth took on the angel of a woman. Her constitution wasn’t the best even before his addition, and although she was far from crippled by it, the thin woman couldn’t quite hide the struggles it caused. She never explicitly said why she was so weak, but he assumed she didn’t want him to shoulder the blame for something she decided herself. He pretended not to.
Unfortunately, such a frailty was carried on to their youngest son, yet done so in the worst of fashions. Ever since Altier was but a babe, he struggled with even the simplest of tasks, his body brittle and his lungs temperamental. A gaunt, bedridden figure showed his pale flesh clinging to nigh useless musculature, with sunken cheeks and eyes shadowed by omnipresent illness. The doctors that visited their village only did so twice a year, and being seen by them cost a proportional sum. Yet his parents wasted their coin every fall and spring, hopeful that their child would be cured. They told him that it was subsidized by the crown when he asked how they could afford it, assuring him that it wasn’t making his family financially suffer. He kept quiet and smiled, hiding the fact that he could see the effects of their dwindling coffers.
The answer never changed. ‘Mana deficiency,’ the learned man had called it, recommending that the corpse of a boy channel energy from rare stones to ease his ailment. The doctor even offered to procure an appropriately attuned gem himself, which Altier’s parents latched onto, evaporating their meagre savings and relegating the hopes of hiring help for the fields to being but a dream. The first element, Nature, was what most people held some affinity for, and even if his alignment was dismal, a concentrated stone would curb the worst of his symptoms.
The light green gemstone failed to so much as warm within his palms.
His doting mother and strong-willed father were undiscouraged. In fact, they were delighted; they voiced enthusiastic speculation on what affinity their troubled boy might have, seeing as how something considered ‘common’ was unsuitable. Altier was of a different mind, seeing the blinds of optimism veiling the impending downfall of reality. The pair couldn’t fathom anything but excellence from their offspring, and although they never forced unrealistic expectations upon their young, they were ignorant of just how crushing that faith could be.
They never saw how strained his smile became as gem after gem lay inert in his hands, while their excitement only grew, though that too came to an end. Altier’s hopes of recovery vanished when his father was the one to break the news; the doctors had no more stones to give. They had tried them all, and anything more potent was well outside their means. He was promised that the search for a solution would continue, neglecting the fact that they had already borrowed funds from most of the village to afford what they already found.
His father held him in a tight embrace that night, reassuring the stock-still boy. Altier never noticed how his eyes had gone wide at the information. He didn’t even feel the rivulets of tears pouring down his sickly skin. No, he simply remained frozen as he connected the dots as to why his mother wasn’t the one delivering the news.
She wouldn’t be able to hide the fear in her eyes.
Though beleaguered he might be, Altier was not so ignorant as to forget the one gemstone they never tried—the only affinity that had yet to be tested, and never would be.
Decay.
Reviled by the church and woven into the concepts of death and entropy, Decay was what stalked heroes in tales of old. Decay was what bled from graveyards and followed the monstrous attacks that left bustling townships as little more than crumbled ruins. Decay was powered by pain, suffering, and bloodshed, using the gathered energies to bring forth yet more horrid atrocities.
And he was one of the accursed few who manifested an affinity with such a voracious element. It fed off his own vitality, consuming him to fuel its demands. He would never be healthy as long as he stayed quiet and kind; every ounce of growth would be combated by ever-increasing requirements. Eventually, the pittance he supplied might not be enough, and therein lie the fear he remembered in his mother’s visage.
He would be killed by his own affinity…or kill to provide for it.
Unwilling, unintentional death would be stripped from the cloth of others’ survival.
The bedridden young man became further withdrawn after that, turning away visitation to immerse himself in daydreaming. They still loved him, and they were sure to remind him constantly, yet he couldn’t help but notice that even the most assertive interaction never brought them closer than the doorway. He smiled regardless, escaping into books read by candlelight. The stories made his isolation less painful.
Altier lived vicariously through tales of knights combating orcs and goblins, suave merchants persuading harpies and lamia to relinquish their collections, and impeccable heroes who stood atop slain menacing dragons. It was a pastime of his that arose when his father acquired an old storybook from a roaming trader; he would turn the final page, then try to guess where fact ended and fiction reigned supreme. He had heard of the many monsters while eavesdropping from his window, but they all were either settled in distant lands or subdued by the army before they became a problem. A peaceful township like his benefited greatly from being so far from the uninhabited wastes beyond the kingdom’s borders, yet also came with its detriments—the lack of apothecaries was a notable one.
He was surprised when he heard the hushed whispers from beyond his room, the earthen pathways of their village set alight by curious voices. Men, women, and children alike gathered in front of their homes and workplaces to watch as soldiers of the king’s army politely marched through the streets, stopping in front of the humble abode belonging to a family of five.
At first, he feared that the financial toll of his condition had hindered his parents from paying due tax, earning the crown’s ire. But no, they came with a proposition; one of the king’s aides had received a letter from a doctor providing someone with elemental stones, and the news of a decay affinity was apparently quite intriguing to them.
He listened to parents refusing to part with their son, yet he also heard his brothers citing just how miserable their youngest was, begging their father not to imprison a child inside the cage of good intentions. It was hard to place both arguments inside the same frame, but it was clear that everyone still cared for him in spite of his affinity. The talking turned to shouting, then flipped to sharpened silence when the stairs creaked beneath his feet, drawing attention to the thin form of his weakened body. He took advantage of the guilty looks and curious new faces to ask what the offer was.
The crown’s minister of magic wanted to hire him—an absurd thought, but one he confirmed by having them repeat it twice. Decay seemed to be an exceedingly rare affinity, and was sparsely documented outside its occasional mention in yarns tumbling past the lips of horribly scarred and inebriated adventurers. He was wanted for study, and after receiving clarification that the process wouldn’t be harmful, he almost considered it. Why wouldn’t he? As much as his family tried, they were terrified of what he might become or do. He was tired of placing a burden upon them, never being able to help with the farm or clean around the house, and he was disgusted with how much more difficult his parent’s life was just by his existence. Of course, his mother and father had countless gripes they brought to light when they saw his contemplative expression, but the knight at the table placed down the final counterpoint.
A writ of promised compensation and a pouch of coin clinked against the aging furniture. The king himself had signed the document, and although neither of his parents received much education, they were both able to read the amount. As long as Altier continued to work, the crown would pay a portion of his earnings directly to his family. The house could get desperately needed repairs, the fields would see new farmhands, and his mother could hire help. They could have everything Altier had taken from them since his birth…and all he had to do was say yes.
So he did.
He ignored the protests, gathered his things, then hugged his parents and siblings farewell the next morning, promising to send them letters on how he was whenever he could. They were less than thrilled—hearing from him once a season at best wasn’t preferable—but they eventually wished him well when he explained that he hoped to control his affinity. His mother wept upon realizing he was aware of her concern over all those years. He cried when she told him that it pained her to remain so distant. The fear for her own life was something she didn’t feel at all; she just didn’t want him to blame himself if something happened that he couldn’t control.
“I brought you into this world to be loved,” she whispered into his ear as she held him, her voice damp and cracking, yet filled with familial affection. “I knew what it would cost me when I learned I was pregnant again; I just didn’t consider how you could think it was your fault. I would never forgive myself if you suffered because of something I decided. Death is too kind a punishment for what it would do to you.”
It took a while, but he did manage to collect himself enough to walk with his escort to the village’s limits, one of the soldiers helping him stay upright without an order or word of protest. They brought him to a carriage, then set off for the mainland, the view of his home shrinking until it was a mere speck in the distance. He could almost still see his parents’ faces filled with pride and sorrow, awestruck by his selflessness yet torn by his departure. His brothers had kept their facade of confidence and a jovial demeanour, but their concern bled through strained smiles. He fell asleep to the sounds of horses and the crackle of rocks against wooden wheels.
Some time passed without much of note occurring. Altier was examined by kind people of a town that was still rather far from the city, but no one had specifically said he was going there, so he wasn’t sure why he didn’t think to ask. Nevertheless, his affinity was documented using tools he couldn’t identify, and the answers he got for his inquiries passed straight through his ears. He was worried his lack of education would irritate the obviously more well-off researchers, yet the soft-spoken academics didn’t dislike him for his ignorance. They tried explaining things to him in ways he could understand, but switched to more general conversation when he was still struggling to comprehend. It was fine, though; he enjoyed the company.
Despite the long wait for a reply, the first letter he got back from his parents was a reassurance he didn’t know he needed. They had received their first payment since he left, and the pages were scrawled edge to edge with their praises, worries, heard gossip, and a single mention of his brother courting a woman. Altier wrote how glad he was that they were well, told them of all the interesting sights, his disappointment at not being in the capital proper, and how kind everyone was. He chuckled to himself after handing the letter off to be delivered, a last minute thought having him jot down a request for his mother to tease the nascent couple in his stead. He wondered if the next reply would include a relationship or not.
Things took a turn after a year. His eldest brother was still seeing his sweetheart, while the middle sibling had yet to have anyone catch his eye, his sights set on his work with the herbalist. Their mother mentioned how she suspected he was interested in the older woman in charge of providing salves and poultice for the village’s ill, and although she was hoping for him to find someone his own age, she put his happiness over having grandchildren. Their father was just as supportive, putting down his own sloppily written query on how their ‘brave boy’ was doing in romantic endeavours.
Altier smiled as he read, updating his family on how he had been moved to a more isolated region since their last correspondence, and thus wasn’t really able to meet anyone he could see himself with. He insisted he was fine, scattering well-wishes and the like while he avoided speaking of events he had promised not to mention. The response came off as somewhat stiff, but he was sure they would understand. All that really mattered was that they were happy and healthy.
His profession as a research subject came to an end, in a way. After collecting what information they could, there was a period where no one bothered to visit the Decay-afflicted young man. He dwelled within his humble accommodations in the middle of a forest, but he didn’t press when the people assigned to deliver food refused to answer where he was. It was fine; he had new books brought to him regularly, and knowing that his family was being taken care of by his ‘work’ was enough to dissuade him from complaining. He stayed quiet even as he got sicker and sicker, some nights spent shivering next to the fireplace with the most recent letter being held by trembling hands. The look of contentment on his face was genuine despite the insufferable pain.
Someone did eventually visit his little hovel in the woods. A man who introduced himself as a ‘Technician’ entered, accepted some simple tea, and made polite conversation for a while. It was a pleasant experience for someone who had grown used to solitude. Once they had both finished their drink, the Technician called for an aide to bring in an unexpectedly opulent box. The gold trim parted to reveal a strange orb—a ‘core’ the man called it, though he was reticent on what it was or did. All Altier was told was to spend the night’s rest with it in his hands, and by the morning, he would no longer suffer from his affinity.
“There is still much for us to learn, Altier,” the Technician promised, putting the younger man’s worries to rest. “Tomorrow, you will be stronger than ever. I would wager your parents will be ecstatic once you tell them.”
“W-what are we studying next?” Altier stuttered out, feeling the weight of the strange stone as it was laid into his unsure grasp. It was no larger than an apple, yet the smooth obsidian sphere somehow dragged him downward by the heart, the flawless surface captivating his attention in a way he both liked and despised. Light bent as he inspected the object, almost avoiding its very presence. He settled it on his lap after a moment, conflicted about how he would be healed by something the very world seemed to reject.
“We,” the newcomer started, flourishing an arm towards Altier, “are going to prepare. With your help, we can create the heroes from those stories you so love.”
It was a bitter memory in retrospect, yet the sickly boy at that table was entranced by what was promised to him. His soul would be captured by the orb, and he would be given the ability to make a Dungeon—the very same he read about hundreds of times. His body would be taken care of, suspended until he returned to it, which he was assured would be whenever he wanted.
That assurance came with a stipulation, however. Were he to decide that he was done, he would lose his new abilities, return to his old form, and be sent on his way, fully healed. But—and there was always a ‘but’—his parents would no longer receive compensation. The king had been withholding from implementing a tax increase in his village, and once the reason for it was no longer employed, then the other ministers would place immeasurable pressure until he capitulated. Altier’s whole world before leaving would fall under the demands. The Technician wore a sombre, sympathetic gaze as he expressed how difficult things would be for the boy’s parents.
Stupid, gullible Altier agreed, thanking the stranger for the opportunity. He went to bed with hope in his heart and wonder on his tongue.
[Initializing…]
[User identified: Altier
Affinity: Decay
Status: Deteriorating (Insufficient mana supply)
Inherent Ability: Avatar of Decay]
[Error: Insufficient Mana. System will acquire the excess from suitable sources as dictated by the User.
Error: User is unable to designate a suitable source.
Searching based on default requirements…Source found.
Converting source to Mana…Success.
Synchronizing…Success.
Updating libraries…Success.
Implementing framework…Success.
Establishing Domain…Failure. Insufficient Mana. Insufficient Authority.
Modifying criteria…Success.
Establishing Domain…Success.]
[Dungeon established! Generating assignment…Success.]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:12]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:11]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:10]
- - - - -
When he awoke, it wasn’t to the small room where books threatened to take over every available surface, but to a claustrophobic darkness that crushed him as much as left him weightless. He had been warned that the experience would be disorienting, so he clenched the jaw he learned was no longer there, took a breath that could no longer be taken, and waited like he was supposed to.
Thankfully, the Technician was a man of his word, and he came back shortly after Altier had managed to figure out the basics of…well, of whatever he was turned into. He found a way to ‘see’ the world around him, though ignoring the sense of vertigo that came with having sight of everything at once was difficult. There was text that he could summon or dismiss at will, but it only really displayed a countdown he wasn’t familiar with. Truth be told, he wasn’t quite sure what to think of things back then, but he remembered feeling relieved when the Technician brought droves of researchers.
The first thing he noticed with his new senses was that he was underground. The second was that he didn’t know how to talk without a mouth. Apparently, his new company had a list of expected inquiries, and they set out to answer as many questions as he might have.
Someone explained that they had already moved his body to a secure area, and in order to make use of his nascent abilities, his new form was taken to a suitable location. It made sense to him; if he was supposed to be a place where soldiers trained to fight monsters and get stronger, then they needed it somewhere hidden away from people who might accidentally wander in. Guards were apparently placed outside the entrance, but when he tried to separate his focus from the polished black orb, his sight grew dim and indistinct. They mentioned that sort of thing was expected, and once they placed him on a pedestal, he would be able to ‘feel’ his Domain more clearly.
He learned over time what a Domain was and how to use it, guided by the researchers and the occasional soldier or knight who stopped by to see how Altier was performing. He summoned his first creature using his stockpile of mana, though the spider wasn’t very threatening. Apparently, the pool of his new resource incremented passively based on how large he was, and would strengthen his abilities, but it also required an upkeep to maintain. He could get more by analyzing new materials, objects, or whatever else he hadn’t seen before, and he gained a larger amount by absorbing something—after inspecting it, ideally. Beginning as a single room, neither the upkeep nor income was particularly exciting, but the researchers also had a solution to that: Invaders.
‘Invader’ was a term that referred to any creature that entered his Domain, and although he gained mana during their occupation, they were also a threat to the core. His imminent concern for his safety was abated by the Technician quickly assuring him that, in the unlikely event that the core was destroyed, he would be transferred back to his body without any ill effects, but it would also bring an end to the agreement that prevented his family from being crushed by financial demands. He quietly reiterated the point until it stuck, then waited through the explanation until he had most of his questions answered.
Sadly, the Altier back then didn’t know what questions to ask.
Once he worked out how to summon and manage the most basic of creatures, his guides urged him to build and expand, which took some getting used to. A single room became a hub of connections, and despite the advice given, he metaphorically banged his head against the wall that was trying to close off his core. It just didn’t work; any walls would refuse to be built, containers would topple before they fell over him, and everything else he tried ended just as unspectacularly. Something would always be able to reach him if they had the desire to.
Eventually, he was put through mock ‘invasions’ where fresh trainees fought his creatures, reached the core, then stopped to place a hand on it before leaving, taking some of his mana as a reward. He didn’t understand how it worked, but he learned that people could ‘absorb’ some experience to fuel their affinity if they touched him. The more experienced he became, the more that invaders received, and the more experience he got from defending his core from increasingly powerful invaders. It was a cycle he could comprehend, and it put to rest the lingering fear that someone would try to break his core.
There was also something of an exchange going on; coloured motes were left behind on the core’s surface, then slowly absorbed. Each time it happened, he gained a little more insight on how to integrate new things into his dungeon—first a small pool of water, then a fire, then other things that seemed fairly removed from the concept of ‘Decay.’ As soon as a researcher noticed what was going on, the Technician encouraged Altier to specialize in a particular element, since that was apparently more efficient. With a few more long-winded explanations, he had figured out how to hide anything that wasn’t related to Decay within his ‘menu,’ and focused on making himself as strong as he could.
Mock invasions became a regular occurrence, each one taking place after he had the chance to patch holes in his strategy or adjust rooms. He discovered that expanding downwards was an option, but doing so meant that he needed a ‘Boss’ to precede the stairs. The selection unsettled and excited him. A skeleton was what ended up guarding the way deeper into his Domain, and at the insistence of his guides, he left the new creature…monster…? He left his new creation as it was and set about expanding the second floor. Thankfully, the task went smoother since he knew what to do, and soon enough, he was the proud owner of ten floors. Every boss focused on testing what the knights and soldiers knew about fighting and teamwork, and every floor down grew harder and harder to contest.
Altier’s first ‘victory’ was gained when his ‘invaders’ surrendered on the ninth floor. He had been proud of that; they weren’t expecting him to branch into using animal as well as humanoid skeletons. A well-placed Ox made short work of their forces, but stopped before doing more than bashing them around. The thrill of defending his core was incomparable. He also gained access to some more cosmetic options for his existing structures, including the ability to write on a sign if he so wished—though doing so was prohibitively expensive. He didn’t care; a sign was put near the entrance within seconds, asking if someone would mind letting him know when letters arrived from his parents, and to write his reply to send back.
To his relief, it wasn’t much longer before a letter did arrive. He was delighted to hear that all was well, yet sad when he wasn’t able to attend his brother’s wedding. It was a simple affair, true, but he would have liked to go. He asked the person who was kind enough to read it out for him to pen his response, then got back to improving his Domain. His family was doing well, and if being the best dungeon he could be would ensure their happiness lasted as long as possible, then he would be just that.
Ten floors became twenty. Twenty became forty. He hit one-hundred floors after constant effort, happily using signs to ‘talk’ through short phrases with the nicer groups of ‘invaders’, while he mostly ignored the rest. It was too hard to keep track of everyone after a while, but he was supposed to be a training ground, so he kept up doing what he was supposed to, mentally smiling when someone he was keeping tabs on managed to overcome a challenge they were struggling with. Some got stuck on certain floors, unable to adapt to new creatures, while others had a hard time traversing the increasingly long voyage to his core. He made small recovery rooms for a party that thanked him for the challenge, filling basins with food and water, then instructed his creatures not to bother anyone inside.
Surprisingly, the group accepted his offer of rest with gratitude that seemed excessive. They spoke to the walls, regaling him of their various journeys and the humorous events spread throughout. He enjoyed the time spent focusing on that area, as well as the gifts people sometimes left behind. Each new item was transferred to a room near his core, where he kept a collection of keepsakes ranging from books to tarnished jewellery that had more sentimental value than monetary. Still, it was all priceless to him, displayed proudly next to the letters he received regularly from his family.
His one-hundred floors became two-hundred, and he struggled to find recurring visitors after some time. The soldiers grouped up into parties of five or six, venturing into the dungeon with the goal of increasing the strength of small units. Altier adjusted the difficulty to accommodate, dialing back the force he once used to combat near endless waves of knights. Magic was something that came from the change in tactic, much to his surprise. It was weak, but pretty much everyone who tried the dungeon could light a torch or chill their water. He wasn’t well-learned about what any particular element could do, but he was glad to see that his new participants were indeed getting stronger.
The two-hundred floors became three-hundred, which then became four-hundred. Altier’s creatures would have been terrifying if it wasn’t for the fact that he had yet to kill anyone, the skeletal monstrosities looming through corridors like horrific nightmares made manifest. He was pleased to find that they listened rather dutifully when he said to escort those who surrendered to the entrance, which was most people. In fact, hardly anyone ever made it to his core anymore, despite the jump in power of various magics he often saw. Flamethrowers, earthen spikes, empowered bodies, and many more effects were in play within each party that tried to conquer his trial. A particularly adept group eventually placed their hand on the obsidian sphere, taking suffocating amounts of mana, while also leaving a thick haze of their own. His creatures became far stronger for it, and so he adjusted the difficulty once more, wondering when they would try to best him again. Unfortunately, they never did, but he saw some people who shared a striking resemblance, and the newcomers were easily more magically inclined. It was fun to challenge them.
The cycle repeated, though he wasn’t sure when the Technician stopped visiting. Altier was too busy keeping his end of the deal, improving the crown’s army in exchange for giving his family a life they deserved. He did notice something wrong after the letters started taking a while to come, and although the contents filled him in on the newest events, things started seeming…out of character. The feeling tickled at his mind, but it was fine. They were happy and well.
How foolish he was.
A party entered shortly after he completed his six-hundredth floor, instantly setting off an incomparable feeling of dread. His senses warped when he tried to focus on them, blocking everything in their vicinity from his view. It took a bit for him to figure out why, but they were carrying something that sucked the mana out of the very dungeon itself, and his unbidden instincts screamed that whatever it was needed to be destroyed. He reacted without thought, releasing everything he determined too dangerous for simple training in a bid to drive them out.
It wasn’t enough. He watched the void travel floor after floor, leaving nothing but dismembered skeletal creatures in their wake. Veritable monsters were slain, chimeras he had worked on as a side project became incinerated dust, and the signs he left for the weary were torn off the walls. A voice bellowed through his halls from the darkness he couldn’t see, declaring what was happening.
They were not there to train. In order to defend against a force threatening the kingdom, they needed power, and in order to gain that, they needed his mana. His experience. All of it.
They were there to break the core under the king’s decree.
Altier’s nonexistent heart stopped, memories of how impoverished his family used to be flashing through his mind, and with a near silent refusal, he let the instincts to get rid of the invaders swallow him whole.
By the time he calmed down, it was to a pit of blackness and a dull pull in his ephemeral chest stopping him from being able to do anything. He could still ‘hear’ though, and he heard the choking breaths of a single man in his core’s room. He heard the bitter laughter that followed accusations of dooming the very world…as well as sympathies for what the pale, sickly, Decay-afflicted man had gone through.
Altier could only listen as the man told him how his dungeon was hundreds upon hundreds of years old, and how the party had been briefed on its history. He listened as the man spoke of the letters that were to be presented to the dungeon every scant decade, yet always claimed to be given every few months. The groups he befriended had left to start families of their own, and their children returned to befriend him as well, continuing the cycle and passing it on in a generations-long tradition. He listened as he ignored the warnings popping up, the transient text telling him that his mana production was insufficient to support the dungeon. That he was dying.
When the man perished, and the dungeon collapsed piece by piece, Altier listened to silence, because there was nothing else he could do.
Nothing besides reading the text that lingered in his vision amidst the warnings.
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End — Failure]
- - - - -
Altier ‘looked’ at the dim orb that seemed so much like his own, its small form sat next to dust that might have once been the man who unveiled all those truths so long ago. He didn’t know how long it had been since then, only that he was still alone. He wasn’t even angry anymore; the energy needed to feel rage or sorrow was gone. He was just lonely.
[Attempting to reestablish Mana Well…Failure.]
The core dismissed the message absently, more than aware of what it read. Thousands of the notifications had passed by, interspersed by various abilities and whatever else becoming ‘corrupted.’ He didn’t care anymore. His dungeon was his pride at some point, but now he just wanted to feel the sunlight that slowly dimmed as night claimed the evening sky. It would be nice to see the stars again. Or just outside, assuming there was anything left to see. Maybe it was all a desolate wasteland.
[Restructuring Affinity: Decay…Failure.
Reorganizing libraries…Failure.
Re—]
[Error. Ability ‘Avatar of Decay’ has been corrupted. Please provid—]
[Error. System corruption exceeding threshold. Please provide a valid framework.]
[Error. Affi—]
It might as well be. He sold himself to ensure his family’s well-being, but how many of those letters were real? Did they have a good life, receiving word that their ‘brave boy’ was healthy and happy? He hoped so. All there was left to do was watch the thin glow of the outside shift. Eventually, that draining orb the floor would run out of things to take from him. And to think that he just wanted those he cared about to be well…
[Error. Stability compromised. System integ—]
Altier roused from his trance, lethargically shifting his focus to a flicker of shadow near the deteriorated entrance. How strange it was to have his core room be right next to outside, yet he didn’t recall how that came to be. Magic, possibly, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care. He was tired of numbers and percentages. Of values and skeletons. He was tired of being a dungeon, and of being alone.
A rock—a pebble, really—tumbled into the shallow curved hallway that acted as the path to his core, a strange sound getting louder. He ‘felt’ his brow furrow in perplexion before he actually considered what was happening. That was a voice. Speech. Someone was talking.
He was stunned silent before enthusiasm could build. A gaunt bipedal creature entered the cave, though it was decidedly not human. Taloned feet supported two legs, though they walked on their toes, he supposed. Its skin was reptilian, the pale black colour still managing to look plush, if dry. A thick, long tail swayed slowly to correct its weight, shifting its tattered garment that looked more like worn burlap than clothing. Nervous hands fiddled with chipped claws and felt along the wall, a lack of care rendering them dull and dirty. Fearful, exhausted eyes wandered the cave, the grey irises showing a pained soul underneath an etched smile on otherwise soft features.
Altier ransacked his memory as the creature nervously looked for something in his desolate ‘dungeon,’ recalling a crude painting in one of his old books. It was a kobold, though they shouldn’t have been anywhere near the kingdom, not that it mattered now. The scaly occupant muttered to itself, their voice soothing and feminine in a language he didn’t know. He wouldn’t have minded the conversation, but it was a moot point; he lost the ability to write on signs long ago. A part of him was surprised he would talk with a monster from his stories. He was never overly involved with his fellow humans—excluding his family and the odd party in his rest areas—but he figured there would be more resistance. There was no point in thinking about it. It would leave when it realized there was nothing here, and he would be alone again.
The last thing he would have expected was the kobold noticing a dusty obsidian orb sat atop crumbled stone, then excitedly picking said orb up to hold against its chest, its chirps of excitement filling the quiet room. Or, it would have been the last, if not for the messages that appeared.
[Compatible library found! Synchronizing…Error. Framework is incompatible.
Restructuring framework…Error.
Redefining framework…Error.
Replacing framework…Success.
Restructuring framework…Success.
Defining Affinity…Error.
Redefin—
Error.
Error.
Err0r.
Er44#%$@.
Rein#$^!@zing…Er$&*or.
Domaaaaaa#@%in…Er^r.
@%$%#$R.
Aff%$^: Null…Su^@!#ss.
D#@%^a@#n Es^!@l%#@ed!—]
[Null]
[Pr#%y #@$nment: ERRRR#*#$RRR—]
[Null]
[Priooooooority Assignmentmentmnet: B#&#$^—]
[Null]
Next

Hi all just a quick question for a new builder. Why when I group select a couple of items do they sometimes jump a few feet to the side out of view. It makes lining up objects really difficult and I’m not sure why it’s happening. I’m playing unmodded on pc with a ps4 controller.

I met my (19F) boyfriend (20M) around 6 months ago in our university. Me and him hit it off almost immediately, and within just 3 weeks of talking, we decided that we're both already in love and started dating. This is my first real, long-term relationship so I grew extra attached to him. We'd meet every single day, go on dates multiple times a week and we were basically inseparable. I know it may sound like we jumped into this too soon, but it felt like we've known each other for a lifetime, and he's all I ever wanted in a man, and more. He's the only man I've ever felt so comfortable with. He raised my standards so high that I don't think I'll find anyone like him ever again. He does everything he can to make me feel loved and appreciated, and he's literally the only man I've ever loved so much in my life. Our relationship seemed almost too good to be true, and unfortunately, I have a feeling that it is just that.
My boyfriend and I both come from similar cultural backgrounds, and we're both following the same religion and religious beliefs. We believe in dating to marry, and we were doing just that. We're both international students and studying in a different country than the countries our families live in. We're both the eldest siblings in our families, so we have extra responsibilities and expectations placed on us. My boyfriend is a very hardworking man and he takes his studies seriously, yet he still manages to make time for me and his friends while doing all of that. But his family never seen his efforts and hard work, and it genuinely breaks my heart. This makes him think that he's never enough, that he's a failure, that he's not good for anything, which is completely false and it hurts that his family makes him think that way. When my boyfriend talks about his dad I can see a hint of sadness in his eyes. His dad never tries to understand him, never approves of his efforts and basically wants his son to be perfect in everything. His dad thinks of him as an investment, nothing more, nothing less.
About 3 months ago, My boyfriend's uncle randomly showed up in his dorm unannounced. It was really surprising because his uncle lives in a completely different country. First thing his uncle does is go through his phone. His uncle finds pictures of me and my boyfriend together on dates. They're totally innocent pictures since me and him haven't really done anything, but his uncle was furious with my boyfriend. He was mad at him for keeping this relationship a secret, even though my boyfriend was planning to tell his parents about me but felt like it was a bit too soon, especially because he was doing his final exams at the time. But his uncle exposed my boyfriend to his parents, implying that my boyfriend did nothing other than go out with me and his friends and party and mess around like a fool. Which was completely false and based on nothing but assumptions. My boyfriend tried to explain himself, but they never believed him. They even accused him of doing drugs and going to clubs and drinking (which is a big no no in our culture) even though he had done nothing like that before. Long story short, he was threatened by his parents and uncle, telling him that he won't continue with this university and they'll make him travel back home. This meant that me and him would have to be long distance for God knows how long before we finally meet again. When my boyfriend told me all this information over the phone, since his uncle was with him the whole time, I had a mental breakdown and couldn't stop crying for days to the point that my friends had to stay with me to make me feel better. However, after a lot of harsh scolding and verbal abuse from his uncle and dad, my boyfriend was allowed to stay in the university as long as he cuts off all his friends and girlfriend as well. They wanted him to do nothing but study. My boyfriend agreed, he promised his parents and uncle that he'd focus on his studies more than anything. But he couldn't cut me off. He did imply to them that he cut me and his friends off so that his family would let him continue studying here.
At that time both me and my boyfriend traveled back home for the semester break, but we continued texting and calling each other. My boyfriend kept this a secret from his family, which I don't blame him for since they wouldn't let him continue on in the university if they found out. Once we both came back from the semester break, we met once again and had a heart-felt moment after not seeing each other for almost 2 months. I felt so safe and so happy to know that he's not gone and I can see him once again. From that point on, me and him could only see each other in university or going to/from our dorms, since his dad and uncle would call him everyday and/or every week to make sure that he's still "in line". But these were my favourite moments of the day because at least I got to see and talk to him. Me and my boyfriend mostly had date nights where we'd call each other on Discord and watch movies and/or YouTube videos together. I thought everything was normal, everything was going fine. But fast forward to a few days ago. My boyfriend's uncle had called him and used an app to get access to his laptop. It's one of those apps where you request online access from the owner of the device to navigate it. My boyfriend didn't think much of it because his uncle does that sometimes to help him with his study material. However, this time, his uncle decided to open his Discord and read through the messages. My boyfriend only texts/calls me on Discord so our chat was the first thing his uncle saw. His uncle decided to go through all the messages, read everything and saw how much we're calling. His uncle was furious and immediately hung up. My boyfriend called me after to tell me what happened, and we both knew he was in a huge amount of trouble, but we decided to wait and see what his uncle is gonna do about it. I genuinely didn't think anything crazy was gonna happen, I just thought his uncle and parents would be furious with him but would let it go since my boyfriend took his studies extra seriously this time. But the next day, I called my boyfriend to check up on him. He had an exam that day and I called him to ask him how he'd done, but his voice sounded different. He sounded sad and worried so I asked him about it, and he said he had to meet me face to face so he can tell me. I asked him if this was about his uncle and he said yes, and my heart immediately sank. I knew whatever he was about to say wasn't good news. I was hanging out with my friends but I had to leave them because this was weighing on my mind.
When he and I finally met, I asked him to tell me about it immediately. He said the words I never wanted to hear from him. "I'm leaving," he said. My heart sank to the floor. No way. I asked him what he meant, and he just said he's leaving the country and going back home. He then explained to me that his uncle told his parents about the fact that me and him are still messaging and hadn't cut me off. His dad called him after, telling him to pack his bags and that he's leaving in a week. His dad cussed him out in every way possible, told him that he hated him, and that he won't be studying abroad anymore. His dad told him that he doesn't trust him to be alone, and doesn't think he's responsible enough for that. I broke down crying. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe that he was about to be talked away from me so suddenly. I felt so guilty, like this was all my fault. If I hadn't talked to him, if I hadn't begged him not to cut me off because of his family's wishes, if I hadn't done any of that he wouldn't have gone through all of this stress and verbal abuse. My boyfriend, even though he had tears falling down his face, still consoled me and told me it wasn't my fault. Even though he was the one going through all of this he still wanted me to feel better. I really don't deserve him. I said I'd tell him not to give up on us but it's really selfish of me and I'll leave the decision up to him. Even after all of this he still told me he won't give up on me, and he wants to continue with this relationship even if it has to be long distance. I just love this man. I love him so much that I'm starting to think that it just might be better for him to let me go. I don't want it, I don't wanna think about it, but I just can't help but feel like I'm the cause for all this pain he's going through right now. I can't help but feel guilty for destroying his family dynamic. I don't want him to go through all of this because of me, he doesn't deserve it.
Right now I'm sitting on the bed writing this, and I just can't imagine how my life would be without him being here with me. I have to get used to the fact that I won't see him everyday anymore. I have to get used to the fact that we won't text as much. I have to go to places we used to go together knowing that he won't be there with me. It hurts. It hurts so much. And I just want to share this to see if there is anything I can do to cope with these feelings I'm having, and how me and him can navigate a long distance relationship once he actually leaves. What do I do? Should we even continue long distance? I really want to, but would that be selfish of me? Or should I just let him go for his sake?
TLDR; My boyfriend's family want him to leave uni and travel back home, and I don't know how or if we can do long distance, especially with his family being around him.

Hi all, Apologies in advance for the very long post. This is my first one via the PC rather than the phone, so hopefully the grammar, spelling and readability are better than my usual comments!
My wife is having an affair with a male work colleague (minimum emotional, HIGHLY likely to be physical), but continues to deny it. I'm trying to write this in paragraphs but it's really difficult, so I'll go with bullets:

• 21st / 23rd December - something happened as her mood was significantly off with me and on a later audio recording from my house I hear them talking about these specific dates and saying "you said something like "you get in there, so I did""
• 29th December - we got intimate (normally a dead bedroom, but we did things 4 times from this date and through January) and then later that day she searched on google maps at his area (some distance from ours and google was super specific about the viewing location, we know no-one else around there and I had no idea he lived there until early April)
• Between 9th March and 2nd April she visited his house a minimum of 4 times (all time stamped and location pinpointed on google maps) when she said she'd been at her female friends. These were to varying times including two past midnight...
• Start of April I found messages saying "Love you, I miss you! Looking forward to seeing you Sunday"... Context: She'd only seen him less than 48 hours before the "I miss you" bit, and there were no other messages above these, so they'd been actively deleting them to hide their conversations.
• Confronted her with it all and was told "we're just friends, he's my someone to talk to whilst we've been struggling, I don't love him, I'm not having an affair". But she made no attempt to apologise or reconcile with me. I sent her a screenshot of their messages later that day and said "no, I love you"... Her reply? "have you got screenshots of all of the messages?"...
• After this I still said "I won't stop you talking to him but please don't hide it". Because I'm not controlling and I needed time to process everything - guess what she did?...
• Called him every time I was out of the house, finished calls with "Loooove you", changed appointments that I was aware of so that she had more time after to see him, talked about how "he didn't question anything when I got in" after seeing him whilst going out to buy our daughters last few birthday presents.
• I haven't included all details as I collated A LOT. New perfume, thongs, ankle bracelet (which I think might be from him), always home late from work despite working a literal 3 minute drive/10 minute walk away, the list goes on.

But guess what? She still denies it and instead deflects it back on me for a conversation I had via facebook in June 2023 with a girl from my gym, who I saw (but didn't talk to other than a nod and "you ok?" with headphones on) 3 times a week at the 5am slot along with a load of other regulars. I was transparent with my wife about the conversation at the time, I congratulated her on a significant weight loss transformation that she put on her stories and we chatted briefly about the gym and workout history. I saw my wife get angry when I mentioned I was trying to find a pic of my old gym to send her, so I blocked her and (this is where I did make a mistake), deleted the chat when it prompted me asking if I wished to delete it.
I was so apologetic back in January when she told me this had upset her (yes that's correct, 7 months after the messages) and changed her. I bent over backwards to find the messages/recover them and prove it was platonic. I respected her wishes of not contacting the girl and asking for screenshots of the messages. (I realise now that this is not the cause, and is deflection, but I want you to all understand the where I went wrong too).
Yet when confronted, she still denies it and gets very angry at me. Neither of us are interested in reconciliation, I love this woman with all of my heart, but this behaviour is of someone else and I will not be treated like this. The only thing close to truth that I have had so far is that when I challenged her on the basis that it was definitely an emotional affair even if she says it didn't get physical (which I don't believe at all), she literally didn't response. I think that's the closest I'll get to an admission of guilt.
I also challenged her on whether they're romantic now and she said "what does that mean"... and when pushed further for "are you more than friends" she refused to answer as "you ended the relationship" (I told her a week after finding the messages that I don't see how we can go on as I won't trust her and she'd made ZERO attempt at apologising or reconciling).
She's shown zero empathy, remorse or concern towards me. She's been angry and cold, but will then be sweet and she even flirted on Saturday... mind bend. (we have a house and two kids together, so the separation will take some time and we have to be amicable under the same roof).
Useful info for context:

• She's known the work colleague since about 2013/2014 (we met in 2012...)
• She continued to talk to him via messenger at all hours, including lying next to bed with me (but at this point not hiding it) even when she didn't work there anymore between 2015-2022.
• She went back to work at the same place in 2022....
• I always felt slightly uneasy but was a trusting husband giving her autonomy, and I guess that's also why I didn't think me messaging the girl at the gym was a big deal... in hindsight that's probably precisely why it was a big deal, because she knew how she felt about him (or maybe even what they had been doing together already).

Then to top it off with the confusion? She still assumed we'd all go on the family holiday in August "for the kids, this isn't about us".
My brain is fried a bit. BUT you should see how far I've come since the 5th April when I found those messages. I was in a dark place.
Sorry for the rant.
I hope you're all ok with your of struggles and situations.
But back to the main topic, why do they deny it so vehemently?

I was watching the recent Preston Jacobs livestream where he again talked about the Gods Eye and how that name supposedly doesn't make any sense, and boy was it a perfect example of the tendency in some fandoms to obsess over and make issues out of perceived problems where there are non.
According to Preston the name of the Gods Eye doesn't make any sense because you could only perceive it as an eye from above, and even then, shouldn't there be an apostrophe after "Gods" to show that it is the eye of the gods?
Now I don't know how many people agree with this interpretation but I was just screaming to myself like, what? How is this even an issue?
First off, is it really that inconceivable that ancient westerosi would know there's a big lake with a big island in the middle, and just put two and two together that it kind of has the shape of an eye? Would you really need to view it from above through warging or from dragon back or a spaceship to make that conclusion?
From that point it's just a small step to apply some spiritual significance to this unique location and boom, you have the Gods Eye.
Sure an apostrophe might make it more explicit but it's not like "the noun X noun Y" is not a perfectly common construction to express that noun Y (the eye) belongs to noun X (the gods).
There are other possible explanations like the idea that all the weirwoods act like an aye for the gods, or that the lake+island could be the eye of a giant god that is the earth itself, but, really, I feel like the basic explanation I laid out is all there is supposed to be to it.
Am I missing something here?

I'm trying to find a good layout that works on a 30 key split keyboard. Like the Humming Bird or the Midge, but with a three button thumb cluster.
I'd like to keep all alpha characters on the main layer and use either compos or another layer for punctuation and other symbols.
So far what I have come up with is

 cldk jfou rsthg mneia qwvb pxyz 

I've used this for about 6-8 months and while I feel it's pretty good I'm stagnating at about 75 wpm on monkeytype "english" and around 60 wpm at "10k english". So I'm starting to doubt if it is a good layout at all. It does feel pretty good though and it's super comfortable - but ideally I'd like to achieve at least 100 wpm.
What I think is good: Words like what, where, when, could, would, should, back, then, for, view, first, write are nice to type.
Bad: I noticed that I'm trying to avoid words like Civilization, Buying, Laugh, Create. Especially the crc combination is not that great.
I tried swapping w and c

 wldk jfou rsthg mneia qcvb pxyz 

but then I got the awkward cl and ck combinations.
I'm starting to think that something like

 pldk jfou crstg mneia qwvb rxyz 

would work better.
Or maybe I should just ditch the idea of getting a 30 keys keyboard to work for me?
I'd appreciate your input on this!

There’s a fanfic I read back in 2016 where Link and Zelda could hear and read each others thoughts. They knew when each other were in trouble and their souls were bound to each other or something like that. It was posted to fanfiction.net and I want to say the title starts with an “r” or something along the lines of “rechained?” Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

I'm sorry, this is a really long post but I'll bullet point most stuff down.
•The one big thing that makes me feel valid is that, when I was 11, my stepdad fingered me in my bedroom. I won't go in to too much detail or anything, it's unimportant. But the entire time he just stared at me and everything was silent, like he was waiting for my reaction. Our relationship has always been odd, so I wanted it. But eventually I got scared and told him something, I don't remember what it was but it got him to stop immediately and he apologised too. I don't remember much after, as in I don't know if he left my room or I left first, but I immediately went to the bathroom. Which was when I discovered I was bleeding. •Around this time, for some strange reason I would repeatedly say to him "fuck me daddy." This would either be in person, or over messages. I remember once, when I was in school, I messaged him that. He told me to stop in case one of my friends saw. I don't know why he didn't tell me to stop for other reasons. •One day, after telling him that in person, we were in my parents bedroom. I was sat on his bed and he was in front of me in his weird chair. He then started going in to detail about how I wanted him to fuck me, I can't remember exactly what he said, it was like I zoned out. Everytime I try to recall it now it literally feels like bugs start to crawl up me, I don't understand why. I remember the last part, and his really disgusting hushed and gentle voice. He asked if I wanted him to "cum inside of me", or he was just explaining how that would finish. I'm not really sure. •Still around this same time period of me being 11-12, I would ask him to 'squish me.' The reason why we would call it that is because I would be on my back, my legs would be up all the way to where my head is and he would be on top of me in a way that would 'squish me'. Basically like that one sex position. I would usually be wearing my school uniform when that would happen, so a skirt. During the 'squishing', he would push down on me, so our crotches would basically be against eachother. I don't know why, but I would continuously ask him to 'squish me' and during it I would even say the whole "fuck me daddy" thing. Only recently have I realised that he was probably just pretending to fuck me. •Other things had happened around that age too, like how we would talk about how many times we masturbated a day and compare it to eachother. Sometimes if I was abruptly going to my room, he would ask if I was going to go masturbate, since we were 'close like that' I would tell him. He would often recommend me NSFW Instagram model accounts. I was once tricked in to sending feet pics to this guy, which really isn't that serious and whenever I brought it up with friends they find it fucking hilarious. But the detail I always leave out is that, I did bring that up with my stepdad and he proceeded to tell me that he already knew. Which means he was spying on me through the crack of the door. If that already didn't bother me, I don't understand why he just allowed me to send those pictures, if he was watching why the hell didn't he stop me? •I'm pretty sure this also happened around the age of 11 as well, recently, a memory resurfaced but I barely remember it. Basically, I was sucking on his neck. I don't remember who said it, but either him or my mum spoke up and laughed, saying that I needed to stop otherwise I would "give him a hickey." The reason why I wouldn't be surprised if my mum was in the room at the time is because she doesn't care about what he does. She knows everything and just doesn't fucking care. •I'm very sure that, around that age, my parents begun to expose me to their loud sex. I wouldn't be surprised if it started even younger, however. Obviously, I tried to bring it up with them at the ripe old age of 11 and my mum immediately shot me down with a "it's natural." This only stopped recently, around this year, because I had a big panic attack over hearing them and my mum finally felt guilty. I started getting panic attacks over it the minute it started, maybe the panic attacks were a sign of the trauma when I was younger, but I'm convinced it is now. I heard it so many times that I began to get paranoid every night, I would start to hear it even if they weren't upstairs (I sound crazy, I know.) I would get so anxious every night in case I would hear it, to the point I started to really resent them from it. I know fine well I could just go to sleep before them, but sometimes they even woke me up with it, on numerous occasions. •I'm convinced my stepdad wanted me to hear it. Around the time of it finally stopping, I got mad because i was hearing it again (I'm unsure if it was due to me hearing shit or they actually were) but it caused me to take my bedding and go downstairs to sleep. In the morning, I was rudely awoken to my stepdad slamming the door open and storming past. He's not usually like that when people are sleeping, so it instantly gave me the impression that he was pissed off and the only reason I can think of is that he was angry I wasn't there to listen. •He used to tease me for my paranoia to. As a way to discourage them from getting intimate, I would leave my door open at night. This happened around this year, but I was doing that again and I messaged my stepdad if they were actually going to sleep. It then somehow turned to him making a dig about how he knew I gets anxious at night and when I asked why he sent me "In case me and your mam have sex. 😜" Before, I tried to resolve this issue by begging them to just tell me if they were gonna have sex or not so I could sleep downstairs (because I was gonna find out the hard way anyways.) And they kept on refusing? Which just gave me the impression that they wanted me to listen more. •Around 11 again, he would often tell me details about his and my mums sex life. Like how he was always good at pulling out and the only time he would wear a condom is right when he was about to finish. But the reason why my sister came to be was because he just failed to pull out that one time and my mum refused to get an abortion. Another time, he went on about how him and my mother had sex during her period and how they had to use towels and they didn't enjoy it because it was too messy. •I don't know if he did things before the age of 11, my memories are very faded and it's like there are major gaps throughout everything. I'm worried that he did, however. When I was very young, I remember having no accidents at all during the night. But then, around the ages of 9, I would have an accident basically every night and would get a lot of water infections. I know that's a classic sign of child sexual abuse, but I don't want to jump to conclusions or anything. •Another reason as to why I believe more things had happened to me than what I know of is because I always seemed to know what sex was when I was young, but I wouldn't know the name or anything specific about it like how to get pregnant or what cum was. Though, even though I didn't know what it was, it was like I always thought about it, I could never not think about sex, it was disgusting. This stayed until I was around 13. I remember where I even asked my 'boyfriend' at the time, we were both around 8, if he wanted to have sex, and I have no idea why. •Over the years, he would flash me frequently. Everytime, I would always believe it was an accident because he'd never acknowledge it, besides from that one time which he always jokes about it and blames me. Everytime he would flash me, it would either be because of a convenient hole in the crotch of his pants or because he was wearing very lose fit shorts and it would just be hanging out. The more I think about it, I'm very sure he would have been able to feel such a thing, especially when it was poking out of the hole, but it was like he was just oblivious. •For some strange reason, when I was younger, I would make comments about small dicks. I don't know if I was commenting on his dick specifically, but he would always say the same thing. "Width matters more than length." •Recently, around 16-17, he made a joke about how he listens to me masturbating. Once he noticed how shocked I looked, he then went on saying about how my vibrator is too quiet to hear. •Around 17 again, I went to use the shower. The shower I use is the one that's connected to my parents room. When I locked the door, he got madish and started making comments about it. I had to defend myself, saying how 'the door would open on it's own if I didn't lock it'. Eventually, he backed off. •I don't understand the point in the fucking door and lock to my bedroom anymore. Whenever I decided to lock my door, my parents start shouting at me through the walls, asking why I locked my door. My stepdad barely knocks, it's like a tap and he doesn't even wait sometimes. I remember seeing a past message from an old friend saying how he tried to walk in when I was changing and that he knew I was changing. I didn't explain myself, I really wish I did because I don't remember this. •(Around 17.) We were messaging eachother and it somehow turned in to him hinting if I saw this one animated video, it was a porn one. I said no, and to that he sent me a screenshot of it. It wasn't anything bad or anything, just the start of it and nothing was revealing, he then asked if I was sure. And how he was surprised that I hadn't. •(Around 17.) I don't really get my period, we still don't know why. But as I was getting a lot of blood tests, my stepdad was trying to check things off the list of what it could be. One of those being that my opening is just extremely tight I guess, because he asked if I ever tried penetrating myself. I admitted that I did, but I couldn't get it to exactly go in. Which he then decided to make a comment saying how It's just my 'technique'. I wonder if the only reason he asked that was to see if I ever tried anything out of morbid curiosity. •(Around 17 again.) He randomly bought me dildo's once, I didn't ask him for them, he just bought them for me and it was wildly uncomfortable. Once he gave me them, he asked if I wanted him to show me how to use them. I said no, which he then said something about how if I ever did then I could ask him. I worry what would have happened if I did say yes. •When I was around 14, I went glamping. I ended up having to share a bed with him. One of the nights, I woke up to his hand just on top my crotch. I tried grabbing it and moving it away but it just fell back down on to it. I don't know if he put it back there on purpose. I still question if it was a dream, I'm very sure it wasn't because I remember going back to sleep, but it still just bugs me. •Around 17, I was upset for some reason and he was comforting me. During this, he randomly grabbed the inside of my thigh. I usually just wear a shirt and boxers, so he basically just grabbed my naked thigh but I don't know if he was doing it in a comforting way. •Usually when I draw, I have my knees up to my chest so it's easier to use my tablet. Considering what I wear for pyjamas, I can always see him looking at my crotch when he comes in to my room. If he really can see everything I don't understand why he doesn't just tell me to put my legs down. •He's made a lot of uncomfortable jokes over the years too. One of the ones that upsets me sometimes is that, when he was measuring me for a binder, I was constantly moving around because it was uncomfortable since I was just in a sports bra. As he was leaving, I think I told him about how it was uncomfortable for me or something along those lines. He then turned around and shouted "oh come on, it's not like i was fingerings your pussy or anything." •Very recently, I asked him if I looked okay before going to college. After a bit of back and fourth he said "I wouldn't kick you out of bed, maybe you could find someone in college who would do the same." •Other times when I asked him if I looked okay, he'd go on tangents about how my ass is great or how he would date me or be too nervous to talk to me if he was my age. •One of the more recent jokes was when I dropped a mayonnaise lid on my lap. Nothing got on me, but my stepdad turned to me then turned to my mum and shouted "if anyone starts accusing us, just tell them it was mayonnaise!" Or something like that. •I remember after we watched the new mean girls film, he started going on saying about how he wanted to rewatch it for the Halloween seen (if you know you know) for the 'panty action'. Which rubs me the wrong way because I'm very sure the girls are supposed to be around my age. •I'm very sure he also made this fake account, pretending to be one of my old groomers that I tried to cut off, just to message me about nsfw topics and ask for pics. It's a whole long yap about paranoia and just suspicions so I won't get into it though. If I tried to provide all the evidence I have, it'll take forever and there's no point.
There's definitely way more things that he's said, joked and done. But I'm only now beginning to realise that they're not okay. Even when I was younger, I was sort of uncomfortable around the jokes so I would just zone out, leading me to not remembering them now.
I probably will never accept that what happened to me was bad, or a big issue. Especially due to the 'lovely' people on here. Thank you for telling me immediately that I was a liar before you even knew what happened, that I shouldn't blame an 'innocent man', that you hope he comes in and rapes me to the point I split open and bleed. Thank you for telling me that my parents were just trying to promote a sex positive household, that some of the things were questionable at most. Thank you so much for saying I deserved it because I didn't send you pictures. You all made me feel like shit and I'm probably never going to tell people in person what happened to me, out of fear I would be ridiculed due to how much of a baby I'm being. I wasn't raped, so I have no place to cry or even think about it. I'm being overdramatic.
If you even read to this point, you're an angel.

I met my (19F) boyfriend (20M) around 6 months ago in our university. Me and him hit it off almost immediately, and within just 3 weeks of talking, we decided that we're both already in love and started dating. This is my first real, long-term relationship so I grew extra attached to him. We'd meet every single day, go on dates multiple times a week and we were basically inseparable. I know it may sound like we jumped into this too soon, but it felt like we've known each other for a lifetime, and he's all I ever wanted in a man, and more. He's the only man I've ever felt so comfortable with. He raised my standards so high that I don't think I'll find anyone like him ever again. He does everything he can to make me feel loved and appreciated, and he's literally the only man I've ever loved so much in my life. Our relationship seemed almost too good to be true, and unfortunately, I have a feeling that it is just that.
My boyfriend and I both come from similar cultural backgrounds, and we're both following the same religion and religious beliefs. We believe in dating to marry, and we were doing just that. We're both international students and studying in a different country than the countries our families live in. We're both the eldest siblings in our families, so we have extra responsibilities and expectations placed on us. My boyfriend is a very hardworking man and he takes his studies seriously, yet he still manages to make time for me and his friends while doing all of that. But his family never seen his efforts and hard work, and it genuinely breaks my heart. This makes him think that he's never enough, that he's a failure, that he's not good for anything, which is completely false and it hurts that his family makes him think that way. When my boyfriend talks about his dad I can see a hint of sadness in his eyes. His dad never tries to understand him, never approves of his efforts and basically wants his son to be perfect in everything. His dad thinks of him as an investment, nothing more, nothing less.
About 3 months ago, My boyfriend's uncle randomly showed up in his dorm unannounced. It was really surprising because his uncle lives in a completely different country. First thing his uncle does is go through his phone. His uncle finds pictures of me and my boyfriend together on dates. They're totally innocent pictures since me and him haven't really done anything, but his uncle was furious with my boyfriend. He was mad at him for keeping this relationship a secret, even though my boyfriend was planning to tell his parents about me but felt like it was a bit too soon, especially because he was doing his final exams at the time. But his uncle exposed my boyfriend to his parents, implying that my boyfriend did nothing other than go out with me and his friends and party and mess around like a fool. Which was completely false and based on nothing but assumptions. My boyfriend tried to explain himself, but they never believed him. They even accused him of doing drugs and going to clubs and drinking (which is a big no no in our culture) even though he had done nothing like that before. Long story short, he was threatened by his parents and uncle, telling him that he won't continue with this university and they'll make him travel back home. This meant that me and him would have to be long distance for God knows how long before we finally meet again. When my boyfriend told me all this information over the phone, since his uncle was with him the whole time, I had a mental breakdown and couldn't stop crying for days to the point that my friends had to stay with me to make me feel better. However, after a lot of harsh scolding and verbal abuse from his uncle and dad, my boyfriend was allowed to stay in the university as long as he cuts off all his friends and girlfriend as well. They wanted him to do nothing but study. My boyfriend agreed, he promised his parents and uncle that he'd focus on his studies more than anything. But he couldn't cut me off. He did imply to them that he cut me and his friends off so that his family would let him continue studying here.
At that time both me and my boyfriend traveled back home for the semester break, but we continued texting and calling each other. My boyfriend kept this a secret from his family, which I don't blame him for since they wouldn't let him continue on in the university if they found out. Once we both came back from the semester break, we met once again and had a heart-felt moment after not seeing each other for almost 2 months. I felt so safe and so happy to know that he's not gone and I can see him once again. From that point on, me and him could only see each other in university or going to/from our dorms, since his dad and uncle would call him everyday and/or every week to make sure that he's still "in line". But these were my favourite moments of the day because at least I got to see and talk to him. Me and my boyfriend mostly had date nights where we'd call each other on Discord and watch movies and/or YouTube videos together. I thought everything was normal, everything was going fine. But fast forward to a few days ago. My boyfriend's uncle had called him and used an app to get access to his laptop. It's one of those apps where you request online access from the owner of the device to navigate it. My boyfriend didn't think much of it because his uncle does that sometimes to help him with his study material. However, this time, his uncle decided to open his Discord and read through the messages. My boyfriend only texts/calls me on Discord so our chat was the first thing his uncle saw. His uncle decided to go through all the messages, read everything and saw how much we're calling. His uncle was furious and immediately hung up. My boyfriend called me after to tell me what happened, and we both knew he was in a huge amount of trouble, but we decided to wait and see what his uncle is gonna do about it. I genuinely didn't think anything crazy was gonna happen, I just thought his uncle and parents would be furious with him but would let it go since my boyfriend took his studies extra seriously this time. But the next day, I called my boyfriend to check up on him. He had an exam that day and I called him to ask him how he'd done, but his voice sounded different. He sounded sad and worried so I asked him about it, and he said he had to meet me face to face so he can tell me. I asked him if this was about his uncle and he said yes, and my heart immediately sank. I knew whatever he was about to say wasn't good news. I was hanging out with my friends but I had to leave them because this was weighing on my mind.
When he and I finally met, I asked him to tell me about it immediately. He said the words I never wanted to hear from him. "I'm leaving," he said. My heart sank to the floor. No way. I asked him what he meant, and he just said he's leaving the country and going back home. He then explained to me that his uncle told his parents about the fact that me and him are still messaging and hadn't cut me off. His dad called him after, telling him to pack his bags and that he's leaving in a week. His dad cussed him out in every way possible, told him that he hated him, and that he won't be studying abroad anymore. His dad told him that he doesn't trust him to be alone, and doesn't think he's responsible enough for that. I broke down crying. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe that he was about to be talked away from me so suddenly. I felt so guilty, like this was all my fault. If I hadn't talked to him, if I hadn't begged him not to cut me off because of his family's wishes, if I hadn't done any of that he wouldn't have gone through all of this stress and verbal abuse. My boyfriend, even though he had tears falling down his face, still consoled me and told me it wasn't my fault. Even though he was the one going through all of this he still wanted me to feel better. I really don't deserve him. I said I'd tell him not to give up on us but it's really selfish of me and I'll leave the decision up to him. Even after all of this he still told me he won't give up on me, and he wants to continue with this relationship even if it has to be long distance. I just love this man. I love him so much that I'm starting to think that it just might be better for him to let me go. I don't want it, I don't wanna think about it, but I just can't help but feel like I'm the cause for all this pain he's going through right now. I can't help but feel guilty for destroying his family dynamic. I don't want him to go through all of this because of me, he doesn't deserve it.
Right now I'm sitting on the bed writing this, and I just can't imagine how my life would be without him being here with me. I have to get used to the fact that I won't see him everyday anymore. I have to get used to the fact that we won't text as much. I have to go to places we used to go together knowing that he won't be there with me. It hurts. It hurts so much. And I just want to share this to see if there is anything I can do to cope with these feelings I'm having, and how me and him can navigate a long distance relationship once he actually leaves.
TLDR; My boyfriend's family want him to leave uni and travel back home, and I don't know how I'll be able to mentally function without him.

This is copied from a comment I left on another post here railing the band and its members as hypocrites. i thought it might be useful enough to share as a main post for whoever needs to see it and critique the conversation more
I have some thoughts
In your defense, I understand how damning a silence toward such a colossal and ongoing killing machine can look on whoever perpetuates the silence. it's always going to be important to speak against the world's injustices. And there's enough space on planet earth for all our condemnation to mean something. I wanna validate your position before i criticize it
So that said, I think ultimately lets remember that any organisation, musical group, band or party is made up of people. the people are at the end of these units. and people are liable in part to their views but mostly to themselves and their moral compass I think social media, call out culture and the aggrandizing nature of an 'internet voice' has taken a seat where action needs to. using these platforms to condemn the atrocities of the Israeli government is not the objective, supreme and concrete method of activism, or support for the palestinian people and plight that assumption and conclusion is made under a very heavy, very niche distortion. One that does not reflect the people or constituents of the real world Johnny was spotted at a pro-palestine protest recently, and those actions are significant enough to show the absolute heart and philosophy of the band, and their above ground action towards this plight
it is blind to conclude that words on social media are significant enough or even necessary to affect praxis, and incredibly narrow-minded to conclude hypocricy. There's more than one way to skin a cat here. And its important to not that action does not need to be loud and seen by everyone to be effective. most of those are air-headed and empty. there's real substance in what they do annd what extent they might go into behind the scenes.
Let's platform reason in a world that abhors it at every turn. that's the most radical act we can do everyday, lets not seek to separate the purest from the pure in their ideology. Nobody's silence is the enemy here. the genocide campaign by the IDF is, and that will not change from this division
I appreciate you for being critical and I wanna add, it's important to hold our heroes to high standards, but lets have eyes behind the back of our head. lets see through blindspots and not succumb to distortions

Hey all! Owing a Mac M2 Pro (2023) for a year after having used Windows for 42 years :)
My problem: I like to sync the sound of my video's to the soundtrack. I can set it all super tight and sharp during editing but after rendering it is just off. By just half a second or less but far enough to make all my efforts meaningless. I often make slideshows with images and add transitions and stuff to it, so it's not always videofiles I'm working with. I try to solve it by sliding the entire soundtrack a bit back or forth and render it again to see how it turns out but it's bothering me that I can't fix it in the program itself. I also noticed that there's a difference by viewing a rendered video by pressing space in Finder, or actually opening the video with QT or whatever.
I must be missing something.
Any help would be highly appreciated!
Thanks

Theory About The Potential Lore of Ægir Event
This event is going to be big and the first towards the finalization of arc 2 and the beginning building steps for arc 3 and Doctor Civilization interstellar continuation.
First, in the PV, there was the picture of Seaborn that was shown in PV-4 2:14, meaning they teased the event before talking about it officially. Which means it's connected to the ARG and upcoming arc; subsequently followed by Laterano pictures of a Sankta woman and Sarkaz man, which some speculate it to be Cecelia's parents, which regardless of their identity, after Ægir, the next event stop would be Laterano and specifically Celestial Fulcrum, the Sankta Law.
Back to Ægir first, we have finally seen how it looks, and it looks very advanced compared to other nations on Terra, basically Atlantis.
Friston in Lone Trail mentioned Aegir's potential to rival or surpass Kristen HAMMR project with the right conditions, in which Kristen's projects wasn't possible without the help of Friston and his dead Sacrophagi. Which speaks volume about Aegir's potential.
Additionally, the PV says (MTL) "Ulpian was the one who stayed the longest, Long enough for him to witness, The so-called 'truth', Even if you never find your true destination again, Even if you can no longer control your own life and death, Even so, Ulpian, I remember every species that died due to pittosporum ————Forgot them again, Are you still bent on destruction?“ Sequence ends —
Ulpian: "i trade my fall for answers"
Continuation of the PV: “Aegir has been responsible since her birth
————Responsibility to mankind
before time stops,
Grab all the nutrients
Solve all puzzles
Create a path for all things in the endless darkness”
The nature of PV speaks as Aegir is in some mortal danger, which is, based on Stultifera Navis events. Ulpian continues to search about Aegir and Church of the Deep.
The "endless darkness" is either rhetorical,
Seaborn and the fall of Aegir,
Or... The Observers and the 'Endless Darkness' refers to the ARG phase 1 rewards tape of Oracle talking to Luo about Seaborn stepping into the "Cold Void" as they're hopes for survival and vessels for hope.
Or all three.
Based on Civilight Eterna Operator Lines, i assume the reason behind Aegir's success is because that there is another pure Originium piece, other than Ananna, fueling their advancement. Since Theresa CE mentioned "the other two Originiums are buried in their respective places", it is only an assumption for now.
I think the event will revolve also about fixing the Seaborn hostility, perhaps. And some information about Caerula Arbor. As we Kal'tist and Gladiia approaching some hologram of an Aegir higher-up or something.
————
Back to PV-4, since the event was teased since PV-4, the subsequent scenes shower Laterano, which again, means the next stop is Laterano.
It'll revolve about the Law, Celestial Fulcrum, will finally understand its mission of survival and deactivate the racial discrimination and elitism of Sankta and include Sarkaz. And potentially Elders and Ancients. It'll also the cover the sanctification of Giallo siblings, the "maximum threat" mentioned by the Law, and Andoain potentially becoming playable alongside Lumuen and Mostima alter?
Arknights is now making all the lore-important events back to back to finalize the Terra arc and move on to the main plot.
We might also see a Rim Billiton event based on PV-4.
Which hypothetically, if one of the other two Originiums was in Aegir, the last one might be in Rim Billiton.
Maybe Higashi still won't get any attention until the very end.
All in all, drop your thoughts and ideas about the event story.
I don't think this event will be any small.

Wifi - We bought the Premier (paid) Wifi package for one (12 days). - The package support one connection at a time, not just one device, so my wife and I can take turns using the internet on the same account. You simple log into the apex-guest wifi, go to login.com, login and say switch device. I use Android and she uses iPhone. No issues.

• Router - when we get back to the room I plug in our GL.iNet router and we can use that network on all our devices at the same time on that one account. I sometime need to reboot my phone. Connect to your router on your routers network and login to your Apex wifi account again. There are a number of tutorials on setting up your router. I won't go into that. I would recommend you set it up at home first.
  
• TV - Chromecast did not work for use, but Samsung Smart View did. On the remote, press CC, then Menu, scroll down to Support, Source List, Screen Mirror and connect Smart View. Use Home button to exit.
  
• VPN - VPN works with Apex (paid) Wifi. You can connect to TV services in the counties as well as your home country, however you will drop your TV Smart View connection since you'll no longer be able to reach devices on the local Apex network. I highly recommend VPN if you plan on doing anything financial. I used Proton VPN.
  
• Room Controls - Lights, TV and thermostat. It took me a while to find these. They are buried in the menu under Shortcuts (round icons at the bottom of the Apex app page). Go to More, Stateroom. It works with either Apex network, (free or paid) but the Stateroom icon seems to disappear when your device is not connected directly to the Apex network (like through the router)
  
• Unlock room with device. Couldn't find this.
  

Hope this helps!

I nanny for a wealthy family with 2 kids B 5 yrs G 11 months. I’ve only been working for less than a month but I’m on the lookout for another job. I haven’t been paid since I started and I’m just losing money at this point. They live on a beautiful farm ( imagine if they’re on here 😂) anyways this farm is not accessible without a car which I don’t have . I literally have this job so I can save up for one . It takes me 2 hrs to commute and that’s because it’s an hour walk . I have to wake up at 5:30. I let DB that the commute is stressful and they’ve been picking me up at the bus stop so a 10 min drive to their place, which is great but I’m starting to feel like a burden + they’ll stop in 2 weeks.
MB is fine. I’m finally getting comfortable with her. I’m quite introverted and have had interviews with parents that are extroverted which immediately makes me anxious aka I flop the interview. But with MB she was fine I didn’t feel anxious or anything at all and cute babies.
Oldest NK doesn’t like me he scoofs and screams every morning when I walk in. He “likes” as the day goes on because I do activities with him . For reference I’m black and he told me doesn’t know if he likes my skin color (I have not told the parents).I just chalked it up to him being a sheltered kid which he is. He’ll purposely act up like push his sister off a table she’s using to hold herself up and when I correct him he’ll say something along the lines of “this is why I don’t like you and just because he doesn’t bad things I don’t need to be bad to him back “
The duties I’m given makes me feel more of a housekeeper than nanny which is fine I love chores but I’m struggling to do them because he always wants to “help” which he means well but I can’t vacuum because he’ll scream for it. I needed to clean his room but he screamed and cry coz he wants to play with me which I love to do and it’s how I start my day with him is by playing or reading or puzzles. So as I folded his clothes he just made an unfolded the folded clothes because he wanted to do it too. Just all in all I feel like I can’t finish my chores.
Back to pay. DB travels every odd week so I have to email him. I emailed the DB my hours and the amount no response . I show up on Monday I remind him because he is traveling he promised to pay by the end of the day. No pay ( typing this makes me feel so dumb like I have no money I haven’t told anyone especially my bf coz he would actually freak out rightfully so). Saturday I text MB about it which she actually responds to my text but no response. It’s now Wednesday no pay . Yesterday at “work” I felt miserable MB gave me list of chores which weren’t out the ordinary but I almost felt resentment while doing anything. I had such a heavy heart. I have nobody to talk about this with my dad doesn’t approve and my mom reluctantly approves since she’s a child behavior therapist with a childcare that I used to work at .
I’ll see DB on Friday and will not leave till he pays me for the month. I just wanted to vent and to hopefully get some encouragement from Nannies and parents or just lay it on me if I’m overreacting . 😂now it’s almost 2am and I have to wake up at 6:30 to go to “work”
Edit: forgot to mention how I turned down a family that lives on a bus route 15 min transit away with 1 kid for same pay and no household chores because I had accepted current NF offer

The fact that she was not immediately rushed to hospital even though she was vomiting and that it took a good 30 minutes for her family to make the decision to not fly (who were seated in economy & she was in premium economy as she was elderly) makes me uneasy. I’m assuming they then got her to a good hospital in Istanbul & a Turkish doctor would have understood the situation regardless of language & ordered a CT-scan? Yet I am still very anxious.
I cannot stop thinking about her! I’m not a doctor myself but I’m full of guilt for not stepping in? It took me awhile to realize the severity of this AND to realize that I may have spoken a similar language as this woman (I felt helpless until this clicked & by that time I was already being pushed to my seat). Please tell me a concussion like this isn’t a death sentence! I’ve said a prayer and am considering contacting Turkish Airlines to complain about their flight attendant’s lack of urgency.
Background: I was boarding an international flight from Istanbul back to my home country yesterday, and as I was walking to my seat on a very crowded plane, I saw a carry-on bag fall right on an elderly woman’s head! Everyone seemed a bit confused and we were also getting yelled at by impatient idiots behind us to keep walking. I think language barrier was an issue too.
At first I thought the victim was a youngish man, but later as I got closer to her seat, I realized it was an elderly woman and she was vomiting! I then assumed she was Arab and that the women seated near her (also in head coverings) were her relatives, so what help could I be? But turns out, she was seated alone (her family was in economy while she was in premium economy) and that she was a Punjabi Sikh! I’m not Punjabi but can speak a similar language, but I didn’t realize what her ethnicity was until I saw her religious bracelet as I was being pushed down the aisle. I wish I had sat down with her and tried to talk to her.
As soon as she started vomiting the couple in front of me in line started giving her plastic bags and they fortunately also knew Turkish and called a flight attendant over right away, but the attendant didn’t seem to be in a rush and seemed non-chalant 🙄
On the overhead system the crew then asked for a doctor on board. I was travelling with a relative (who had already sat down and didn’t know this all was happening since I was one of the last bunch to board) who is a medical doctor but their medical board had advised doctors not to get involved in such cases abroad due to legal reasons and lack of protection. Now I’m not here to judge because I know how brutal systems can be towards to doctors, and eventually another doctor did go up and Turkish medical crew came on board. But I still feel SO bad about all of this. The woman and her family eventually got off the plane. My doctor relative told me that flying could have likely built up more pressure in the brain so it’s good they chose not to fly.
But if anyone can help me with any additional likely scenarios or even some reassurance that she could be perfectly fine after a bit of rest (I know it’s hard to say anything when there’s such little information), I would be so grateful! I can’t sleep and just feel so terrible. The vomiting just feels like an extremely disturbing symptom.