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My solo travel to Moldova and Transnistria, Apr 27 - May 3
2024.05.07 18:13 Ngdawa My solo travel to Moldova and Transnistria, Apr 27 - May 3
 | G'day all! submitted by Ngdawa to travel [link] [comments] I am now back from my 7 day travel to Moldova and Transnistria, and I thought I would tell you guys a little about it. Moldova is the least visited country in Europe, despite its rich culture and history. The most frequesnt asked question I've got when I told people I was going to Moldova was: What are you going to do there? And when one is searching for "Things to do in Moldova", you'll probably just get vineyards, museums, and monuments from the USSR period. And this is why I went. To explore if there really wasn't more. I landed in Chișinău at 2 PM the 27th of April 2024. I had rented a car, and I was planning to drive around all of Moldova. Well, mostly, anyway. My route of the Moldova and Transnistria trip The first afternon I spent in Chișinău, exploring the city, exchanging money, and eating. A favourite pace for me was the Valea Morilor Park. If you go there, try and see if you can find The Little Prince statue! The Little Prince statue in Valea Morilor Park The next day, I had an early start and drove to Little Switzerland of Moldova, in the northern part of the country. It was very, hot, about 30°C, and no shadow, so bring water! It's very beautiful, and I was hiking there for about an hour. There were no parkings spaces, which in itself witness about how Moldova is not used to tourists, so I just parked by the road a long a large building. Had to walk about 5 minutes from where I parked to reach the area. From where I came, I saw no paths, so I walked over a field (sorry!) and carefully climbed up (it was part stone, part sand, so I guess if you are not respectful you could probably collapse the whole thing). This resulted in that I had huge trouble to find a way down, but after a while I found a path leading down to the road, and about 15 minutes away from my car. I believe there are tours going here, if you rather do it the safe way. Little Switzerland of Moldova, \"The Lone Tree\" I don't think "The Lone Tree" is its official name, I just like to call it that because it sounds cool. And it was pretty lonely. The View from the top From here I drove to Soroca, where I spent the night. Soroca is the ninth largest city in Moldova with a population just over 22 000 people, located in the north-eastern Moldova, just a by the Dnister River. Soroca Fortress View of Dnister River, and Ukraine on the other side The next day was another exciting day. I left Soroca around 8 in the morning, and drove east towards Sănătăuca and the corssing over Dnister River to Transnistria (meaning: "On the Other Side of the Dnister"). The road from Soloneț to Sănătăuca The roads in Moldova is not always ... a road. Sometimes it's a dirt road, and other times you just assume it's a road. In the picture above is one of the better parts of the 40 km road from Soloneț to Podul Sănătăuca. To drive here with a rental was a complete nightmare. Here I got overtaken my huge trucks and other racer drivers. I just screamed "be careful with my car!" :D When I arrived in Sănătăuca I found that the service station was closed, so with a quarter of a tank left, I knew that the first thing I had to do after enterin Transnistria was to go to Camenca (Kamenka) to find a place to exchange money and fill up the car. Quick re-cap about Transnistria for those who don't know: Moldova was part of the Soviet Union. When Moldova was about to get its independence from the USSR the easter region in the about-to-be independent state wanted to remain with USSR. The problem here is that the USSR seized to exist, so they became a part of the Republic of Moldova. This lead to The Transnistria War which lasted from 2 Nov. 1990 - 21 July 1992. The fighting parties were Moldova on one saide and Transnitria supported by Russia on the other. The result was that Transnistria becomes a de facto independent state, but remains internationally recognized as part of Moldova. The end of the road So, as I was closing in to the check point I did a final check that I had all my papers ready for the car. It was more than 10 years ago I studied Russian, so it was more than rusty. I was very calm, did everything I could to help, didn't speak up when they thought I had the wrong papers, but calmly went back to my car, got my booking papers for the hotels, told them how long I was planning to stay, and my frequently asked questions to them was "is it this you are asking for?", "is this the paper?", "what is that?" LOL! Finally they showed me from booth (on the irght in the picture) into the house (to the left in the picture). In the house I gave the man all the papers I had recieved from the booth, plus passport of course, and answered all the questions one more time. I had to pay a vignett (for driving on Transnistrian roads?), but got no sticker or reciept that it was payed. I didn't say anything since it was just 100 Lei (5.30 €). FINALLY everything was done, and when I got out of the house I loudly said "phew!". For a second I regretted my attempt to a joke (since it had taken about an hour of struggle and waiting), but when I drove past them I heard the guardr, whom I first had interracted with, laughing and said something about me to his colleague. I guess they don't get many foreignerrs crossing the border up there, so it was probably fun for them as well. When everything was done, I ended up with a Note of Migration, which I then also had to show when I was leaving Transnistria. No stamps in the passport - since they're not a recognised country, so this I got instead: Migration Card to Transnistria. I even had a specific time I had to leave at latest. In Kamenka (Camenca) I exchanged 150 € to Transnistrian rubles, which equal 2 595 PRB. The lady at the bank (Sperbank). I knew it was probably way too much, but I thought that since I had to fill the car and pay for two hotels, it might be good to have a little more that just for food. (For the one's interested, so fill 28 litres of petrol costed me 687 PMR.) This is eomthing you see everywhere in Transnistria. This is otside the City Hall in Kamenka While in Kamenka I just strolled around the city and went to the Wittgenstein Park. Very Soviet-like swings From Kamenka I drove south to Dubăsari where I would spend the night. House of Culture in Rașcov Lenin standbeeld, outside the House of Culture in Rașcov Monument to Lenin and Children, Katerinovka Lenin's statue, outside of Palace of Culture, Rîbnița I believe the theme in Transnistria is pretty obvious here. They still dream about the glory days of the Soviet Union. There are monuments like this everyone, even in the smallest towns you will find statues and monuments of Lening and Victory of the Great War. I reached Dubăsari, which is a district claimed by both Transnistria and Moldova. The city of Dubăsari is under Transnistrian control, but the neighbouring town Cocieri, just 12 minutes north, is under Moldovan control. There were just one guard at the check point, and he didn't bother that I crossed twice withing just a few minutes. Piața Biruinței, Dubasări Wherever you go in Transnistria, you will also find big open squares, but there's rarely any people out, which gives it all a little creepy feeling. I did a small detour up to a small town called Dubău, 30 minutes north-east of Dubasări, close to the Ukrainian border, before heading south to Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria. On the way I passed through many towns, and at one point I got waved in at a check point. I had just looked down in a T-section, to see which way I should go. The first think the civilian dress man (police?) told me was not to use the phone while driving. I showed him my phone and said I was just looking at the map. He asked me to park my car. He then approached my car with his mate. They asked for my documents and passport. I saw no point in arguing, but gave them all they asked for. The man then told me he'd seen me filming (don't ask med how. Cameras in the towns, maybe?) and asked why I was filming and to whom. He also asked me where I've been fimling and wanted me to show him the recordings. I said I'd just been filming in Dubasări and a little in Grigoriopol, and that I was filming for my family, and showed him my video camer. I tried my very best to find the clips, but since I rarely use the camera I just couldn't find my way in the menus. He saw my struggle, since I didn't hide anything from him, and he then simply asked me to delete everything. My heart sank. "Okay", I said and continued my struggle. He left me alone in the car to talk to his mate. A few minutes later he came back and asked if I had deleted the clips. At this point I knew I would never be able to find where to delete it, so I looked at him and said "Yes". He quickly replied "Can I see?". At this point I knew I was screwed. I sighed and picked up my camera again, and started my search through the menus. I agains said it's very old and that I rarely use it. Then his mate came back with my passport, and just said "You can go". In the mirror I saw a police car arriving, and I'm not sure if that was the reason the stopped bothering me. They jumped in to their black care, with Tiraspol plates, and drove away the opposite direction I was heading. I packed all my papers again, and thought to myself "Such a typical Russian thing to do." Again, do not panic when/if this happends to you. Just be polite, give them what they want, and do everything you can to help. When I was leaving Transnistria the next day, I actually removed the memory card from the video camera, and had prepared my answer if they would ask to see what I've filmed. I would the just hand them my camera, start it up, and say "Funny thing. I have forgotten to bring a memory card, so I couldn't film anything." Would they believe me? I don't, but I had put the memory card in my wallet, and I doubt they would search the wallet. Anyway, they never asked, so this was just a one time thing. Suvorov Monument I spent a whole day walking around in Tiraspol, looking at all the monuments, etc. It's a very nice city, and if you are planning to go by bus/taxi from Chișinău to Tiraspol, I'd recommend you arrive early to have time to see everything. For me it took me 6 hours walking around the city to basically see everything. From Tiraspol I went to check out the Noul-Neamț Monastery and Memorial Complex Kitskany Bridgehead in Kitskany (Chițcani), before going to Bender. In Bender it was time for a new police interaction, but as soon as he understood I was just a lost tourist, he actually took the time to help me out. His colleague, on the other hand, just wouldn't stop demanding to see my documents. The police officer (this time actual police officers), tried to reason with his colleague by saying that I'm just a tourist, and that it's fine. "But, he has to show his documents", tried the colleague one last time. In Bender I just had time for a quick visit to the fortress before I had to leave Transnistria. I continued driving south to the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, and its capital city Comrat. I mean, of course I had to visit a city called Comrat! Entering Gagauzia The city of Comrat itself it's not really a tourist magnet. It is very similar to any Moldovan town I've seen along the way. It's very charming, has many small restaurants, shops, and a shopping mall. Of course you can also find more monuments and statues of the beloved Lenin. Even though Gagauzia is populated by the Gagauz people, which are Turkic-speaking, the main language here, just like is Transnistria, is Russian. From Comrat I did a trip to Ceadîr-Lunga (about 40 minutes south), when I had a very nice late lunch, looked and some more monuments, like the Golden Monnument of Lenin, and then I drove back 15 minutes the same way I came from, to visit Gaidar, which was a very cute small town. Here's the "famous" wind mill, and very beautiful scenery of the open landscape. Gaidar Wind Mill In Komrat I then took another walk around the town and had a late dinner before going to bed. The next day I left around 7 in the morning, since I was going to Orheiul Vechi. View over the valley Orheiul Vechi, or Old Orhei, is 1h 20m north of Chișinău, and this was a very beautiful place. There's a monastery you can visit to get a nice view over the valley. The parking in 10 Lei, and then it's 10 Lei per person. Or you can just, instead of turning right, go straight, park your car, and walk there for free. It's probably a 30 minutes walk, depending on how far off you park. From the parking lot it was barely a 10 minute walk. You can also do like me, park your car, and pay the 20 Lei (since I was alone), then you hike around the whole valley. It'll take you about 3 hours. I did miss that you could enter the monastery and have a nice view from underneath it, so I had to go back there just to check it out. There's also a small museum - which is included in the price (not that anyone was asking for the ticket, but anyway ...). Not much to see, to be honest, but it's was nice with some air condition. :D I arrived just after 10 AM, and I was the only one there, except for two cars, but I think they were staying at the hotel, since there were no people except for the ones working there. Please note that there are no restaurant, so if you are like me and hike around the whole valley, please don't be like me and not having any snacks. I couldn't find a restaurant along the way, so I didn't eat until I was back in Chișinău, which was around 4 PM. Now, this was very long, and if you've gone all the way here, amazing! To sum it all up, I really enjoyed Moldova. It might not be where you take your whole family, but the nature is amazing, and there are lots of places you can do a 2-3 hour hike without anyone around you. There are also day tours to many of these places, but then you won't have the whole place to yourself. The food is, in general, very good and it's also very cheap. You'll have a good meal for 6 € - and that includes beer! I usually also ordered a coca-cola to my meal, since I was hiking so many hours a day I needed the sugar. Moldova is also known for its wine. Unfortunately I didn't visit any wineries or vineyards, since I was driving everyday, and the alcohol laws are very strict. You can't drive withing 24 hours of driving. But there are many tours to wineries like Cricova and Mileștii Mici Winery, which you definitely should check out if this is your thing! I'd love to go, but did I prioritised differently this time. So, if nature and/or wine is our thing, or you're just fascinated by the ghosts of the USSR, Moldova is definitely for you! No touristic traps, no queues, entrence fees are like 5 € when expensive, and food could be less than 40 € for a family of four. And this includes drinks. If driving, please note that this is Eastern Europe. There roads are ... just not there sometimes. There are speeding cameras everywhere, but no signs telling you the speed limit. In cities it's usually 50 km/h, outside the cities it's usually 70 km/h, and outside the outside of the cities in 90 km/h. Yeah, it's a little unclear, but after a few hours on the road you'll get the hang of it. Most of the time it's right hand traffic, but you basically drive on the side where the road is the best. On dirtroads it's a good idea to keep in the middle you can have a good view of where all the holes are. Moldova sure was an adventure, and I would love to come back! And don't fear Transnistria. Just think of it as Russia. They love being important, ask for all papers, take their time, pressure you a little, but if you just keep calm and cooperate, it will be a smooth ride. Don't let them intimidate you, but be respectful. They will always have the upper hand, so don't be stupid. If you let them do their thing, they'll be happy. And it they are happy, you will be happy. I drove through the whole region, and got stopped once, like I explained above. I was just calm, cooperated, gave them all documents, and didn't interupt with "Are you done yet?" or any other stupid question. See it as a game, if you try to ruch them, you will have to start all over again, and it will just take longer. Driving through Transnistria was very fascianting. I was never scared or worried. It felt very safe, and even when I was out walking after dark, there were barely any people out. There are no gangs just hanging around. Money summary Moldova: I exchanged 250 €, which gave me 4 507 MDL. Of this, I had 731 MDL left (40.54 €). The hotels costed me in total 1 178 MDL, and the petrol costed me 662 MDL. Transnistria: I exchanged 150 €, which gave me 2 595 PRB. Of this, I had 702 PRB left (40.57 €). The hotels costed me 600 PRB, and the petrol costed me 687 PRB. |
2024.05.06 15:09 partypastor Unreached People Group of the Week - Jewish Peoples of the United States
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Welcome back to the Reformed UPG of the Week!
Gonna leave this here because reddit is still a massive pain these days
Stratus Index Ranking (Urgency): 34
It has been noted to me by u/JCmathetes that I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs.
Climate: With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.
Frozen Great Lakes
LA, California
Terrain: Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, and just ahead of Canada. So its hard to get a bead on all the types of Terrain. The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Mojave. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges also reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States are in the state of California, and only about 84 miles (135 km) apart. At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and in North America.
30A in Florida
Denver, CO
Mississippi River
Wildlife of US: There are 311 known reptiles, 295 amphibians and 1154 known fish species in the U.S. Known animals that exist in the US include white-tailed deer, bobcat, raccoon, muskrat, striped skunk, barn owl, American mink, American beaver, North American river otter, red fox, American Black Bear, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Black-Footed Ferret, Gila Monster, Groundhog, Pronghorn, American Alligator, Crocodile, American Bison, bald Eagle, wolves, mountain lions, Grizzly bears, polar bears, lynx, muskox, caribou, and now I'm tired of searching for lists that include all the animals. We have tons of venomous snakes, we have invasive pythons in the everglades.
Unfortunately, there is an invasive but existing population of wild monkeys in Silver Springs Florida.
Bison in Yellowstone
Pigeons in New York
Environmental Issues: Environmental issues in the United States include climate change, Ohio, species conservation, invasive species, deforestation, mining, nuclear accidents, pesticides, pollution, waste and over-population.
Languages: While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is the most common. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English, and most states have declared English as the official language. Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian), Alaska (twenty Native languages), South Dakota (Sioux), American Samoa (Samoan), Puerto Rico (Spanish), Guam (Chamorro), and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro). In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English. According to the American Community Survey, in 2010 some 229 million people (out of the total U.S. population of 308 million) spoke only English at home. More than 37 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include Chinese (2.8 million), Tagalog (1.6 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), Korean (1.1 million), and German (1 million). The Jewish Peoples of America speak English.
Government Type: Federal presidential constitutional republic
Population: 4,596,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 92+
Beliefs: The Jewish peoples of America are 2.7% Christian, but only 1.6% Evangelical. That means out of their population of 4,596,000, there are roughly 73,000 believers who share their faith. That slightly more than 1 believer for every 100.
Like all those who deny Christ, the Jewish peoples are deceived and follow a false god. For religious Jewish peoples, God (not the true God at this point) is the Supreme Being, the Creator of the universe, and the ultimate Judge of human affairs. Beyond this, the religious beliefs of the Jewish communities vary greatly. Orthodox Jewish peoples generally follow the traditional religious beliefs and practices found in the Jewish literature that interprets Scripture regarding ethical, religious, civil and criminal matters. Conservative Judaism is less traditional than Orthodox and combines different ethical, philosophical, and spiritual schools of thought. Reform Judaism is the most liberal form and interprets Jewish beliefs and practices in light of contemporary life and thought. Reform Jewish peoples do not believe that the Jewish Law is divinely revealed. They are not restricted to kosher (traditional, approved) foods, nor do they wear the skull cap (yarmulke) when praying or use Hebrew in prayer. All religious Jewish peoples believe in the coming of a Messianic Age, but only the Orthodox Jewish peoples look for a personal Messiah.
Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. American Jewish peoples are more likely to be atheists or agnostics than most Americans.
The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.
History: Jewish peoples were present in the Thirteen Colonies since the mid-17th century. However, they were small in number, with at most 200 to 300 having arrived by 1700. Those early arrivals were mostly Sephardi Jewish immigrants, of Western Sephardic (also known as Spanish and Portuguese Jewish) ancestry, but by 1720, Ashkenazi Jewish peoples from diaspora communities in Central and Eastern Europe predominated.
For the first time, the English Plantation Act 1740 permitted Jewish peoples to become British citizens and emigrate to the colonies. The first famous Jewish person in U.S. history was Chaim Salomon, a Polish-born Jewish person who emigrated to New York and played an important role in the American Revolution. He was a successful financier who supported the patriotic cause and helped raise most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution.
Despite the fact that some of them were denied the right to vote or hold office in local jurisdictions, Sephardi Jewish peoples became active in community affairs in the 1790s, after they were granted political equality in the five states where they were most numerous. Until about 1830, Charleston, South Carolina had more Jewish peoples than anywhere else in North America. Large-scale Jewish immigration commenced in the 19th century, when, by mid-century, many German Jewish peoples had arrived, migrating to the United States in large numbers due to antisemitic laws and restrictions in their countries of birth. They primarily became merchants and shop-owners. Gradually early Jewish arrivals from the east coast would travel westward, and in the fall of 1819 the first Jewish religious services west of the Appalachian Range were conducted during the High Holidays in Cincinnati, the oldest Jewish community in the Midwest. Gradually the Cincinnati Jewish community would adopt novel practices under the leadership Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, the father of Reform Judaism in the United States, such as the inclusion of women in minyan. A large community grew in the region with the arrival of German and Lithuanian Jewish peoples in the latter half of the 1800s, leading to the establishment of Manischewitz, one of the largest producers of American kosher products and now based in New Jersey, and the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States, and second-oldest continuous published in the world, The American Israelite, established in 1854 and still extant in Cincinnati. By 1880 there were approximately 250,000 Jewish peoples in the United States, many of them being the educated, and largely secular, German Jews, although a minority population of the older Sephardi Jewish families remained influential.
Jewish migration to the United States increased dramatically in the early 1880s, as a result of persecution and economic difficulties in parts of Eastern Europe. Most of these new immigrants were Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jewish peoples, most of whom arrived from poor diaspora communities of the Russian Empire and the Pale of Settlement, located in modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. During the same period, great numbers of Ashkenazic Jewish peoples also arrived from Galicia, at that time the most impoverished region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with a heavy Jewish urban population, driven out mainly by economic reasons. Many Jewish peoples also emigrated from Romania. Over 2,000,000 Jewish peoples landed between the late 19th century and 1924 when the Immigration Act of 1924 restricted immigration. Most settled in the New York metropolitan area, establishing the world's major concentrations of the Jewish population. In 1915, the circulation of the daily Yiddish newspapers was half a million in New York City alone, and 600,000 nationally. In addition, thousands more subscribed to the numerous weekly papers and the many magazines in Yiddish.
At the beginning of the 20th century, these newly arrived Jewish peoples built support networks consisting of many small synagogues and Landsmanshaften (German and Yiddish for "Countryman Associations") for Jewish peoples from the same town or village. American Jewish writers of the time urged assimilation and integration into the wider American culture, and Jews quickly became part of American life. Approximately 500,000 American Jewish peoples (or half of all Jewish males between 18 and 50) fought in World War II, and after the war younger families joined the new trend of suburbanization. There, Jewish peoples became increasingly assimilated and demonstrated rising intermarriage. The suburbs facilitated the formation of new centers, as Jewish school enrollment more than doubled between the end of World War II and the mid-1950s, while synagogue affiliation jumped from 20% in 1930 to 60% in 1960; the fastest growth came in Reform and, especially, Conservative congregations. More recent waves of Jewish emigration from Russia and other regions have largely joined the mainstream American Jewish community.
Eastern European Jewish immigrants arriving in New York ca 1887?
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
In North America, most Jewish peoples live in urban areas on the east or west coasts. New York City has the largest Jewish population in North America, with over a half million Hassidic Jewish peoples alone. In South America, they also live in cities, but keep themselves as a distinct religious and ethnic minority.
While maintaining a Jewish identity, the majority of North American Jewish peoples conform to the mainstream American culture. "Jewishness" is often defined in more secular terms such as the use of Yiddish words and family traditions, rather than in religious aspects, such as the following of Jewish laws regarding dietary restrictions. Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. Understanding what it means to be a Jewish people begins in childhood. It takes place in the home through storytelling and by taking part in Jewish rituals and festivals such as Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Passover. Socialization also takes place through participation in Hebrew school or synagogue youth groups. At the age of 13, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony for a boy (or Bat Mitzvah for a girl) is an important rite of passage, which marks him or her as an adult member of the community. While these ceremonies were more spiritually focused in the past, they have become equally important as social events.
Marriage and family relationships among Jewish peoples are much the same as other Americans. While Jewish families have fewer children, they are child-oriented, indulgent, and permissive. Although wives generally take on their husbands' surnames, Jewish identity is traced through the mothers. That is, if one's mother is a Jewish people, then he is, according to Jewish law, Jewish. He or she is entitled to all the rights and privileges that status brings, including the right to immigrate to Israel and settle there as a citizen.
I couldn't not include a pic of the notable cultural event of the American Hasidic Jewish peoples who dug a tunnel in New York
Cuisine: Popular dishes in American Jewish cuisine include:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for Reformed from 2023 (plus a few from 2022 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current.
a - Tibet belongs to Tibet, not China.
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a liberal drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.
submitted by partypastor to Reformed [link] [comments]
Welcome back to the Reformed UPG of the Week!
Gonna leave this here because reddit is still a massive pain these days
Slight update, the new reddit UI has made it almost impossible for me to quickly do these, like I used to be able to do. Thus, theres a chance it becomes UPG of the every other week until the problem is fixed. I can't spend every one of my entire Monday mornings working on this for hours with stupid formatting issues.Last week I was reminded just how many Unreached People Groups there are in America. So today we are doing the largest unreached people group in the US, Jewish peoples of America.
Region: United States
map of Jewish peoples in the United StatesStratus Index Ranking (Urgency): 34
It has been noted to me by u/JCmathetes that I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs.
The Stratus Index - Synthesizes reliable data from different sources to clearly display the world’s most urgent spiritual and physical needs.The vast majority of missions resources go to people and places already Reached by the Gospel, while only 3% of missionaries and 1% of missions money are deployed among the Unreached. This is the Great Imbalance. As a result, there are more people without access to the Gospel today than a decade ago. Stratus seeks to equip the global church with fresh vision to accomplish the Great Commission by addressing some of the factors that perpetuate the Great Imbalance. We hope this tool allows the church to better understand what steps will be required to overcome the barriers that prevent needs from being met, spurring informed and collaborative missions strategy. Stratus WebsiteNew York City
Climate: With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.
Frozen Great Lakes
LA, California
Terrain: Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, and just ahead of Canada. So its hard to get a bead on all the types of Terrain. The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Mojave. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges also reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States are in the state of California, and only about 84 miles (135 km) apart. At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and in North America.
30A in Florida
Denver, CO
Mississippi River
Wildlife of US: There are 311 known reptiles, 295 amphibians and 1154 known fish species in the U.S. Known animals that exist in the US include white-tailed deer, bobcat, raccoon, muskrat, striped skunk, barn owl, American mink, American beaver, North American river otter, red fox, American Black Bear, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Black-Footed Ferret, Gila Monster, Groundhog, Pronghorn, American Alligator, Crocodile, American Bison, bald Eagle, wolves, mountain lions, Grizzly bears, polar bears, lynx, muskox, caribou, and now I'm tired of searching for lists that include all the animals. We have tons of venomous snakes, we have invasive pythons in the everglades.
Unfortunately, there is an invasive but existing population of wild monkeys in Silver Springs Florida.
Bison in Yellowstone
Pigeons in New York
Environmental Issues: Environmental issues in the United States include climate change, Ohio, species conservation, invasive species, deforestation, mining, nuclear accidents, pesticides, pollution, waste and over-population.
Languages: While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is the most common. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English, and most states have declared English as the official language. Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian), Alaska (twenty Native languages), South Dakota (Sioux), American Samoa (Samoan), Puerto Rico (Spanish), Guam (Chamorro), and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro). In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English. According to the American Community Survey, in 2010 some 229 million people (out of the total U.S. population of 308 million) spoke only English at home. More than 37 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include Chinese (2.8 million), Tagalog (1.6 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), Korean (1.1 million), and German (1 million). The Jewish Peoples of America speak English.
Government Type: Federal presidential constitutional republic
People: Jewish Peoples of America
Jewish man of AmericaPopulation: 4,596,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 92+
Beliefs: The Jewish peoples of America are 2.7% Christian, but only 1.6% Evangelical. That means out of their population of 4,596,000, there are roughly 73,000 believers who share their faith. That slightly more than 1 believer for every 100.
Like all those who deny Christ, the Jewish peoples are deceived and follow a false god. For religious Jewish peoples, God (not the true God at this point) is the Supreme Being, the Creator of the universe, and the ultimate Judge of human affairs. Beyond this, the religious beliefs of the Jewish communities vary greatly. Orthodox Jewish peoples generally follow the traditional religious beliefs and practices found in the Jewish literature that interprets Scripture regarding ethical, religious, civil and criminal matters. Conservative Judaism is less traditional than Orthodox and combines different ethical, philosophical, and spiritual schools of thought. Reform Judaism is the most liberal form and interprets Jewish beliefs and practices in light of contemporary life and thought. Reform Jewish peoples do not believe that the Jewish Law is divinely revealed. They are not restricted to kosher (traditional, approved) foods, nor do they wear the skull cap (yarmulke) when praying or use Hebrew in prayer. All religious Jewish peoples believe in the coming of a Messianic Age, but only the Orthodox Jewish peoples look for a personal Messiah.
Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. American Jewish peoples are more likely to be atheists or agnostics than most Americans.
The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.
History: Jewish peoples were present in the Thirteen Colonies since the mid-17th century. However, they were small in number, with at most 200 to 300 having arrived by 1700. Those early arrivals were mostly Sephardi Jewish immigrants, of Western Sephardic (also known as Spanish and Portuguese Jewish) ancestry, but by 1720, Ashkenazi Jewish peoples from diaspora communities in Central and Eastern Europe predominated.
For the first time, the English Plantation Act 1740 permitted Jewish peoples to become British citizens and emigrate to the colonies. The first famous Jewish person in U.S. history was Chaim Salomon, a Polish-born Jewish person who emigrated to New York and played an important role in the American Revolution. He was a successful financier who supported the patriotic cause and helped raise most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution.
Despite the fact that some of them were denied the right to vote or hold office in local jurisdictions, Sephardi Jewish peoples became active in community affairs in the 1790s, after they were granted political equality in the five states where they were most numerous. Until about 1830, Charleston, South Carolina had more Jewish peoples than anywhere else in North America. Large-scale Jewish immigration commenced in the 19th century, when, by mid-century, many German Jewish peoples had arrived, migrating to the United States in large numbers due to antisemitic laws and restrictions in their countries of birth. They primarily became merchants and shop-owners. Gradually early Jewish arrivals from the east coast would travel westward, and in the fall of 1819 the first Jewish religious services west of the Appalachian Range were conducted during the High Holidays in Cincinnati, the oldest Jewish community in the Midwest. Gradually the Cincinnati Jewish community would adopt novel practices under the leadership Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, the father of Reform Judaism in the United States, such as the inclusion of women in minyan. A large community grew in the region with the arrival of German and Lithuanian Jewish peoples in the latter half of the 1800s, leading to the establishment of Manischewitz, one of the largest producers of American kosher products and now based in New Jersey, and the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States, and second-oldest continuous published in the world, The American Israelite, established in 1854 and still extant in Cincinnati. By 1880 there were approximately 250,000 Jewish peoples in the United States, many of them being the educated, and largely secular, German Jews, although a minority population of the older Sephardi Jewish families remained influential.
Jewish migration to the United States increased dramatically in the early 1880s, as a result of persecution and economic difficulties in parts of Eastern Europe. Most of these new immigrants were Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jewish peoples, most of whom arrived from poor diaspora communities of the Russian Empire and the Pale of Settlement, located in modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. During the same period, great numbers of Ashkenazic Jewish peoples also arrived from Galicia, at that time the most impoverished region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with a heavy Jewish urban population, driven out mainly by economic reasons. Many Jewish peoples also emigrated from Romania. Over 2,000,000 Jewish peoples landed between the late 19th century and 1924 when the Immigration Act of 1924 restricted immigration. Most settled in the New York metropolitan area, establishing the world's major concentrations of the Jewish population. In 1915, the circulation of the daily Yiddish newspapers was half a million in New York City alone, and 600,000 nationally. In addition, thousands more subscribed to the numerous weekly papers and the many magazines in Yiddish.
At the beginning of the 20th century, these newly arrived Jewish peoples built support networks consisting of many small synagogues and Landsmanshaften (German and Yiddish for "Countryman Associations") for Jewish peoples from the same town or village. American Jewish writers of the time urged assimilation and integration into the wider American culture, and Jews quickly became part of American life. Approximately 500,000 American Jewish peoples (or half of all Jewish males between 18 and 50) fought in World War II, and after the war younger families joined the new trend of suburbanization. There, Jewish peoples became increasingly assimilated and demonstrated rising intermarriage. The suburbs facilitated the formation of new centers, as Jewish school enrollment more than doubled between the end of World War II and the mid-1950s, while synagogue affiliation jumped from 20% in 1930 to 60% in 1960; the fastest growth came in Reform and, especially, Conservative congregations. More recent waves of Jewish emigration from Russia and other regions have largely joined the mainstream American Jewish community.
Eastern European Jewish immigrants arriving in New York ca 1887?
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
In North America, most Jewish peoples live in urban areas on the east or west coasts. New York City has the largest Jewish population in North America, with over a half million Hassidic Jewish peoples alone. In South America, they also live in cities, but keep themselves as a distinct religious and ethnic minority.
While maintaining a Jewish identity, the majority of North American Jewish peoples conform to the mainstream American culture. "Jewishness" is often defined in more secular terms such as the use of Yiddish words and family traditions, rather than in religious aspects, such as the following of Jewish laws regarding dietary restrictions. Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity. Understanding what it means to be a Jewish people begins in childhood. It takes place in the home through storytelling and by taking part in Jewish rituals and festivals such as Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Passover. Socialization also takes place through participation in Hebrew school or synagogue youth groups. At the age of 13, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony for a boy (or Bat Mitzvah for a girl) is an important rite of passage, which marks him or her as an adult member of the community. While these ceremonies were more spiritually focused in the past, they have become equally important as social events.
Marriage and family relationships among Jewish peoples are much the same as other Americans. While Jewish families have fewer children, they are child-oriented, indulgent, and permissive. Although wives generally take on their husbands' surnames, Jewish identity is traced through the mothers. That is, if one's mother is a Jewish people, then he is, according to Jewish law, Jewish. He or she is entitled to all the rights and privileges that status brings, including the right to immigrate to Israel and settle there as a citizen.
I couldn't not include a pic of the notable cultural event of the American Hasidic Jewish peoples who dug a tunnel in New York
Cuisine: Popular dishes in American Jewish cuisine include:
- Bagel – A doughnut-shaped bread roll. The dough is first boiled and then baked, resulting in a dense, chewy interior with a browned exterior: A bagel and cream cheese is a popular pairing.
- Bialy – A bread roll similar to a bagel, but without a hole, and somewhat less chewy as the dough is not boiled before being baked.
- Blintz – A fried crêpe, usually filled with farmer cheese and served with various toppings.
- Brisket – An inexpensive cut of beef that is braised as a pot roast.
- Challah – A light bread made with eggs, used as regular food, and on ritual or holiday occasions.
- Chicken soup – Chicken broth with herbs like parsley, dill, or thyme, and often with egg noodles added.
- Matzah balls are sometimes added to the soup instead of, or in addition to, noodles.
- Kreplach are small dumplings that are another common addition to chicken soup.
- Chopped liver – A liver pâté made with hard-boiled eggs, salt, and pepper. Served as a side dish, hence the expression, "What am I, chopped liver?"
- Corned beef – Beef brisket that has been cured with brine and spices and then sliced.
- Corned beef sandwich – A common use of corned beef.
- Gefilte fish – Ground fish – often a combination of carp, pike, and whitefish – that is mixed with other ingredients, formed into patties or balls, and poached; usually served as an appetizer.
- Kishke – A large, starchy sausage made with grain, vegetables, beef or chicken fat, and spices.
- Knish – A type of savory baked turnover; various fillings are used, such as potatoes or ground beef.
- Kugel – A baked casserole made with egg noodles or potatoes.
- Latke – A pancake made with grated potatoes and other ingredients, fried in oil.
- Lox – A sliced fillet of cured salmon. Belly lox is cured with brine and is therefore rather salty. Nova lox is cold-smoked. Lox is often eaten as a sandwich, on a bagel with cream cheese.
- Mandelbrot – A crunchy cookie, sometimes made with almonds, formed by baking a loaf which is then cut into small slabs and twice-baked.
- Pastrami – Beef brisket that has been cured with brine, rubbed with pepper, garlic, and other spices, smoked, and then sliced. Like corned beef it is usually served as a sandwich.
- Pastrami on rye – Pastrami on rye bread topped with spicy brown mustard.
- Rugelach – Small baked pastries made by wrapping dough around a filling.
- Whitefish – Smoked freshwater whitefish, either filleted or made into whitefish salad.
Prayer Request:
- Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth loving Christians to work among the Jewish communities.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom and favor to the missions agencies that are focusing on the Jewish peoples of North and South America.
- Pray that the Jewish people will understand that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.
- Ask the Lord to soften the hearts of the Jewish peoples towards Christians so that they might hear and receive the message of salvation.
- Pray that God will grant Jewish believers favor as they share their faith in Christ with their own people.
- Pray that strong local churches will be raised up in each Jewish community.
- Pray against Putin and his insane little war.
- Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically.
- Pray that in this time of an upcoming election and insanity that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for Reformed from 2023 (plus a few from 2022 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current.
| People Group | Country | Continent | Date Posted | Beliefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish peoples | United States | North America | 05/06/2024 | Judaism |
| Jordanian Arab | Jordan | Asia | 04/29/2024 | Islam |
| Bouyei | China | Asia | 04/22/2024 | Animism |
| Arab Libyans | Libya | Africa | 03/25/2024 | Islam |
| Gafsa Amazigh | Tunisia | Africa | 03/18/2024 | Islam |
| Hindi | South Africa | Africa | 03/04/2024 | Hinduism |
| Arabs | Iraq | Asia | 02/26/2024 | Islam |
| Bagirmi Fulani | Central African Republic | Africa | 02/12/2024 | Islam |
| Gujarati | Portugal | Europe | 02/05/2024 | Hinduism |
| Western Cham | Cambodia | Asia | 01/29/2024 | Islamc |
| Yadav | India | Asia | 01/22/2024 | Hinduism |
| Thai (updated) | Thailand | Asia | 12/18/2023 | Buddhism |
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a liberal drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.
2024.05.05 22:40 Cultural-Olive-366 Car damaged and held hostage
Our vehicle was damaged in transport through a transport company chosen by Montway, and is being held hostage in various storage yards in LA area with GPS disabled. Montway worked hand in hand with Pacific Auto Transport Inc in vetting, selecting, vouching and then insisting the carrier, not the consumer, had the right to write damages on the bill of lading at delivery, which itself was never given to us to mark damages. Go online and try to find a review of Pacific Transport Inc of Glendale California. None exists we found. There are a lot with similar names in other locations, but nothing with an exact match. So much for Montway's vetting. Montway's site, upon which we relied, is full of deceptive falsehoods such as its careful vetting of shipping carriers, its own insurance carrier information and having the consumer being presented with a bill of lading to mark damages for delivery. We found the principal(s) of the carrier had six a figure fraud lien in addition to tax liens and bankruptcies. In our online searching, we found the fraud lien comes from a situation where the principal set up a fake dental laboratory and he and associates dressed as dental lab technicians to defraud companies into providing financing for a non- existent dental laboratory. They went to the extreme length of wearing white lab coats, medical type shield eyeglasses and pretended to work on tooth molds and conduct dental procedures. The lien in this case has same name and address as carrier principal. Good luck in collecting for damages. The carrier said when confronted with this information "whether true or not." Montway also interfered with a drop off agreement with the carrier by improperly inserting themselves to obtain releases for Montway and statements to muzzle online reviews by us of Montway. Montway continued its deceptive practices with respect to the consumers online review rights by lifting out of context a section from the very federal law allowing consumer to make online reviews. We say STAY AWAY FROM MONTWAY
submitted by Cultural-Olive-366 to AutoTransport [link] [comments]
2024.05.05 20:12 Gold_Departure_9153 Places in tokyo that are busy with people walking around and have shops/food open late at night (12-2am)? Have hit a road block with my research would appreciate opinions!
I have tried to do my research as best as possible. Cannot figure out where to stay. I need some executive advice here as I'm getting stuck now between Akiba, Ueno, and Shinjuku. We do not drink, but would enjoy walking around with all the crazy lights, stopping to do some shopping, grabbing some street food, people watching, and hitting some arcades. Latest we would be out would be 12am-2am. Akiba is most central, but worried about it being a bummer at night. Thank you for any help. This is a 2.5 day 3 night trip.
Most of our destinations are in eastern tokyo: akihabara, fabric district, shrines in taito city.
we do have a few spots in other places in western tokyo we will visit:
-shibaya: Shimokitazawa, donki, mandarake
-shinjuku: national garden
-nakano broadway
Cons- reportedly quiet low pop and sadder vibes at night (massive con), people say not to stay here, worried about food (wife is vegan and would like her to have options), far away (30+ minutes) from shinjuku and even farther from shibaya
Cons-big market closes at 8pm I believe. have heard is kinda sleepy/older vibes. if we finish akiba in a day/are burned out now we have a farther commute to shinjuku/shibuya
Cons- not sure if the night life is mostly drinking, think the shopping here is more high class clothing (we want nerd or secondhand/ not name brand stuff)
cons- too far from other things
submitted by Gold_Departure_9153 to JapanTravelTips [link] [comments]
Most of our destinations are in eastern tokyo: akihabara, fabric district, shrines in taito city.
we do have a few spots in other places in western tokyo we will visit:
-shibaya: Shimokitazawa, donki, mandarake
-shinjuku: national garden
-nakano broadway
Very simplified and possibly incorrect research ive found on each one and how it fits to our personality:
Akiba:
Pros- near a bunch of the shopping and things we want to do.Cons- reportedly quiet low pop and sadder vibes at night (massive con), people say not to stay here, worried about food (wife is vegan and would like her to have options), far away (30+ minutes) from shinjuku and even farther from shibaya
Ueno:
Pros- people like it, more food options than akiba? (don't know how late into night), location pretty good if we end up spending a lot of time in akibaCons-big market closes at 8pm I believe. have heard is kinda sleepy/older vibes. if we finish akiba in a day/are burned out now we have a farther commute to shinjuku/shibuya
Shinjuku:
Pros- busy, bustling area with night life, technically central if you include nakano and shibaya, can go to 24 hour donki.Cons- not sure if the night life is mostly drinking, think the shopping here is more high class clothing (we want nerd or secondhand/ not name brand stuff)
Shibuya:
pros- seems cool has night lifecons- too far from other things
2024.05.05 17:54 Skeptical102 Karma as revenge is the sweetest (and pettiest)
Just watching my toxic ex, let's call her M, get karma from a distance was so sweet, and I feel pretty petty about enjoying it so much, even though I wasn't involved getting even. I'm sure if I could document all the ways she made my life a living hell here you'd agree, but I can at least give you some of the highlights.
I met M through mutual friends in a remote Australian city in the early 1990s. Not only was it remote, but we were part of a small counter culture group, so everyone kinda knew everyone else. The mutual friends were my housemates and we started dating when she was coming around to visit them after breaking up with her fiancé. Let's call him Brian.
Brian was living off an inheritance and didn't work. He spent his time on playing RPG's with friends (including me) and vanity projects like DJing and being the front man for his band. The story she told is that they argued a lot, and he wouldn't pay for anything while she was studying for a science degree. So M was working as an office cleaner after hours. She claimed Brian kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable he might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping Brian buy and furnish a house.
It didn't take long before we hit it off as she was always visiting my housemates. She couldn't move back with her parents as there was bad history there. They were both very strict Christians, both going on to become ministers, and viewed her interest in the counter culture we were both involved in as satanic and evil. She claimed they kicked her out when she was still 16/17, or made living together so uncomfortable they might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by as they lied about the reasons she left home.
So began our relationship in the mid 1990s. We bought a house together, got married and spent about 15 years making each other miserable. Hindsight is 20/20, and believe me that I can see all the red flags now that I missed at the time. M was a classic narcissist, using verbal abuse to undermine my confidence and gaslighting me and distancing me from my friends and family. I'll give some examples, feel free to skip them as needed:
-As Brian was popular in our group of friends she convinced me they all were taking his side. He claimed they were not broken up and were reconciling when we started dating, and she was the one that moved out unexpectedly. After M and I broke up I found out this was not the case at all. Our group was small and many people went on to date their friends ex's
-She emotionally blackmailed me into asking her MOH to be my best man ahead of my two brothers as she continually accused my family of disproving her and trying to break us up
Soon I was in a trap where I had to work hard to earn bonuses just to stay on top of our massive credit card debt from her overspending. I'm sure she was just treating me worse and worse to trigger me, so that I would break up with her. But I'd always viewed marriage as forever, and something you should work on to maintain. Despite our problems I stayed faithful, and never suspected she would be unfaithful or be less commited than me to try and make our marriage work.
In the end I realised there were two M's. The public M that everyone else saw, and the private M that would disparage everything I did or said in public after the fact, and twist it into yet another way I was disrespecting her. It took me way to long to realise the M I loved, the public M, was just a mask.
Eventually I started to assert myself. She refused marriage counselling as our problems were all my fault do my responsibility, and when I insisted in 2011 my mother and brither visit, some 10 years since we moved countries and a good 7 years since I'd seen them on a visit home for my brother's wedding, she asked for a separation. What a great 40th birthday present! And the torture continued with constant mind games right up till our divorce. Despite her being the one wanting the separation, and many times declaring our marriage over, she still acted as the victim when it was I that sued for divorce.
I initiated divorce after one of her stupid mind games 3 months into our separation caused huge drama at a friend's wedding. We were separated but still living under the same roof at that time, but it was the event that finally made mylecrealise just how delusional and attention seeking she had become. I was the main breadwinner as I'd kept my professional career going, but she'd jumped from career to career and had fallen in with an alternative healing crowd and set up a business as an "energy healer" that barely broke even, if that. So she refused to move out as it would "lower her living standards", and as I covered all our living costs, she could not, or would not take them over so I could move out.
Side note: Her interest in increasingly weird and unfounded alternative healing scams had been one of the major argument topics we had towards the end. I could accept accupuncture, or reiki as pretty well established eastern healing techniques. This one she'd jumped into was the type of thing with a guru or leader, who is the only one that can teach, or connect you to the healing energies ( fit a few of course), that never guarantees a cure as it's a "holistic" healing modality, but claims many unverifiable stories of cures, ranging from stiff joints to cancer. You had to be connected by this guru to be listed on his website as one of his healers, which is what M did to set up her healing business.
Anyway, 3 months after I started the divorce she'd run off to Spain. I found out from mutual friends she claimed I kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable I might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping set up the house we had in the UK. (Is it just me or is this story eerily familiar?). It had to be Spain you see as it was cheap to live there and I'd left her unable to afford living in the UK.
I later found out she'd run off to live with one of her new alternative healing friends, but I didn't find out till after the divorce was finalised, almost a year later. I suspect she was trying to hide it out of some misguided motion it would affect the divorce settlement, but one of our Australian friends let it slip that they'd visited her and stayed with her and her new boyfriend during our separation after the divorce was final.
The UK divorce laws could have seen her getting more than 50% of our assets, and spousal support, due to the disparity in incomes. So I pushed to settle out of court, and we did, very favourably for her. I was on the verge of bankruptcy. There were some assets she wanted to contest, against legal advice: land I inherited jointly with my brother's long before we started dating, and share options from the comany I worked for that would mature in years, but only if I stayed at the company, effectively worthless.
My lawyer advised me to try and settle out of court even though she had no claim on these assets as going to court to fight it would be expensive. So I remortgaged the flat we'd bought striping out as much equity as I could to give her a cash settlement, signed over my pensions, paid off her credit cards but even then, that wasn't enough. So I agreed to installment payments for 2 years. She refused the term spousal support in the agreement as she claimed "she didn't want any support from me", but I suspect the real reason is that maintenance is terminated if the receiving party gets remarried or enters a civil partnership. It's also probably why she blocked me on all social media, and was hiding her new relationship.
And this is where karma starts kicking in. During our separation I had met the most wonderful girl. If not for one of her mind games, this Angel would never have crossed paths with me and entered my life. We fell madly in love and now have been married for coming onto 10 years. My wife has shown me what a true marriage should be. I can't think of any better revenge than ending up in a truly happy relationship after all that M put me through.
But the karma kept on coming. Remember those share options that were effectively worthless, well within weeks of agreeing the finances of our divorce a venture capitalist announced a takeover ofy employer, delisting them and crystallising those options and giving my a much needed cash injection. But even without that, no longer having to keep up with my ex's excessive spending on designer clothes, skin care and accessories meant I could easily afford for my now wife to be a stay at home housekeeper.
But the real kicker for me, and why I feel just a bit petty, was finding out about six years after our divorce and after running off with a boy from this energy healing cult, she died alone but for her esteanged parents in 2018 after battling breast cancer. I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone, but in this case, after all the arguments about opening my mind to accept alternative healing without question, I feel poetic justice was served!
submitted by Skeptical102 to CharlotteDobreYouTube [link] [comments]
I met M through mutual friends in a remote Australian city in the early 1990s. Not only was it remote, but we were part of a small counter culture group, so everyone kinda knew everyone else. The mutual friends were my housemates and we started dating when she was coming around to visit them after breaking up with her fiancé. Let's call him Brian.
Brian was living off an inheritance and didn't work. He spent his time on playing RPG's with friends (including me) and vanity projects like DJing and being the front man for his band. The story she told is that they argued a lot, and he wouldn't pay for anything while she was studying for a science degree. So M was working as an office cleaner after hours. She claimed Brian kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable he might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping Brian buy and furnish a house.
It didn't take long before we hit it off as she was always visiting my housemates. She couldn't move back with her parents as there was bad history there. They were both very strict Christians, both going on to become ministers, and viewed her interest in the counter culture we were both involved in as satanic and evil. She claimed they kicked her out when she was still 16/17, or made living together so uncomfortable they might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by as they lied about the reasons she left home.
So began our relationship in the mid 1990s. We bought a house together, got married and spent about 15 years making each other miserable. Hindsight is 20/20, and believe me that I can see all the red flags now that I missed at the time. M was a classic narcissist, using verbal abuse to undermine my confidence and gaslighting me and distancing me from my friends and family. I'll give some examples, feel free to skip them as needed:
-As Brian was popular in our group of friends she convinced me they all were taking his side. He claimed they were not broken up and were reconciling when we started dating, and she was the one that moved out unexpectedly. After M and I broke up I found out this was not the case at all. Our group was small and many people went on to date their friends ex's
-She emotionally blackmailed me into asking her MOH to be my best man ahead of my two brothers as she continually accused my family of disproving her and trying to break us up
- Her deciding after destroying her own career we'd try a 2 year trial of living in her country of birth, near her extended family by the way. On the opposite side of the Earth from all mine. She came home one day from work declaring she'd quit her job and bought her ticket, and if I loved her I'd hurry up and quit mine and get my visa. Which I did, but not quickly enough for her, so she moved without me, claiming it was my way of "getting rid of her" until I finally got my 2 year visa and joined her. Once we were there she didn't want to return and I had to get a permanent spouse visa
- Criticising everything I did, whether it was DIY, cleaning, housework, my cooking, etc. even the way I breathed!
- Alternating between accusing me of cheating ( I know now that's a red flag for cheaters) or of being gay, as she said she got more attention from the guys she worked with than I gave her.
- Her forgetting our 10 year wedding anniversary, and somehow blaming me for it as I didn't make a big enough deal about it.
- Spending so much on designer clothes, skin care and stuff we couldn't afford that I had to give up my hobbies and sell off most of my hobby collections.
- Accusing all of my close friends of being jealous of us and either insulting her or trying to make a move on her
Soon I was in a trap where I had to work hard to earn bonuses just to stay on top of our massive credit card debt from her overspending. I'm sure she was just treating me worse and worse to trigger me, so that I would break up with her. But I'd always viewed marriage as forever, and something you should work on to maintain. Despite our problems I stayed faithful, and never suspected she would be unfaithful or be less commited than me to try and make our marriage work.
In the end I realised there were two M's. The public M that everyone else saw, and the private M that would disparage everything I did or said in public after the fact, and twist it into yet another way I was disrespecting her. It took me way to long to realise the M I loved, the public M, was just a mask.
Eventually I started to assert myself. She refused marriage counselling as our problems were all my fault do my responsibility, and when I insisted in 2011 my mother and brither visit, some 10 years since we moved countries and a good 7 years since I'd seen them on a visit home for my brother's wedding, she asked for a separation. What a great 40th birthday present! And the torture continued with constant mind games right up till our divorce. Despite her being the one wanting the separation, and many times declaring our marriage over, she still acted as the victim when it was I that sued for divorce.
I initiated divorce after one of her stupid mind games 3 months into our separation caused huge drama at a friend's wedding. We were separated but still living under the same roof at that time, but it was the event that finally made mylecrealise just how delusional and attention seeking she had become. I was the main breadwinner as I'd kept my professional career going, but she'd jumped from career to career and had fallen in with an alternative healing crowd and set up a business as an "energy healer" that barely broke even, if that. So she refused to move out as it would "lower her living standards", and as I covered all our living costs, she could not, or would not take them over so I could move out.
Side note: Her interest in increasingly weird and unfounded alternative healing scams had been one of the major argument topics we had towards the end. I could accept accupuncture, or reiki as pretty well established eastern healing techniques. This one she'd jumped into was the type of thing with a guru or leader, who is the only one that can teach, or connect you to the healing energies ( fit a few of course), that never guarantees a cure as it's a "holistic" healing modality, but claims many unverifiable stories of cures, ranging from stiff joints to cancer. You had to be connected by this guru to be listed on his website as one of his healers, which is what M did to set up her healing business.
Anyway, 3 months after I started the divorce she'd run off to Spain. I found out from mutual friends she claimed I kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable I might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping set up the house we had in the UK. (Is it just me or is this story eerily familiar?). It had to be Spain you see as it was cheap to live there and I'd left her unable to afford living in the UK.
I later found out she'd run off to live with one of her new alternative healing friends, but I didn't find out till after the divorce was finalised, almost a year later. I suspect she was trying to hide it out of some misguided motion it would affect the divorce settlement, but one of our Australian friends let it slip that they'd visited her and stayed with her and her new boyfriend during our separation after the divorce was final.
The UK divorce laws could have seen her getting more than 50% of our assets, and spousal support, due to the disparity in incomes. So I pushed to settle out of court, and we did, very favourably for her. I was on the verge of bankruptcy. There were some assets she wanted to contest, against legal advice: land I inherited jointly with my brother's long before we started dating, and share options from the comany I worked for that would mature in years, but only if I stayed at the company, effectively worthless.
My lawyer advised me to try and settle out of court even though she had no claim on these assets as going to court to fight it would be expensive. So I remortgaged the flat we'd bought striping out as much equity as I could to give her a cash settlement, signed over my pensions, paid off her credit cards but even then, that wasn't enough. So I agreed to installment payments for 2 years. She refused the term spousal support in the agreement as she claimed "she didn't want any support from me", but I suspect the real reason is that maintenance is terminated if the receiving party gets remarried or enters a civil partnership. It's also probably why she blocked me on all social media, and was hiding her new relationship.
And this is where karma starts kicking in. During our separation I had met the most wonderful girl. If not for one of her mind games, this Angel would never have crossed paths with me and entered my life. We fell madly in love and now have been married for coming onto 10 years. My wife has shown me what a true marriage should be. I can't think of any better revenge than ending up in a truly happy relationship after all that M put me through.
But the karma kept on coming. Remember those share options that were effectively worthless, well within weeks of agreeing the finances of our divorce a venture capitalist announced a takeover ofy employer, delisting them and crystallising those options and giving my a much needed cash injection. But even without that, no longer having to keep up with my ex's excessive spending on designer clothes, skin care and accessories meant I could easily afford for my now wife to be a stay at home housekeeper.
But the real kicker for me, and why I feel just a bit petty, was finding out about six years after our divorce and after running off with a boy from this energy healing cult, she died alone but for her esteanged parents in 2018 after battling breast cancer. I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone, but in this case, after all the arguments about opening my mind to accept alternative healing without question, I feel poetic justice was served!
2024.05.05 16:08 DemonicDevice Help choosing new hometown in NC
Hello everyone!
I recently transitioned to full-time remote work and moved from living in Southern California for 18 years. I spent the last 3.5 years in CA (LA) (Los Angeles) before relocating out east. Currently, I'm staying with family in NJ but planning to explore places in NC. I'm a bit undecided on where to settle down. My top two choices currently are Fuquay and Varina but I'm having a hard time deciding between the two.
Ideally, I'm looking for a new-build, apartment close to Whole Foods or similar organic grocery stores and a nice gym, as these are essential aspects of my lifestyle. I'm a single (divorced) 42-year-old with two French bulldogs. I don't drink much, so being in the heart of the action isn't a priority for me.
A good friend of mine lives in Charlotte and speaks highly of it. Personally, I prefer to be at least a 2-hour drive from the beach. While I'm not someone who frequents the beach, I loved the convenience of being able to drive along the coast or park by the ocean to enjoy the sounds.
Both Fuquay and Varina seem to be equidistant from the beach, but I've heard that there are big differences between the two. For example, the Fuquay Mineral Springs Park offers healing waters but I'm worried about taking my dogs too close to a spring that could contain sulfites, PFAS, or gluten. If anyone can share the water testing records with me (and possibly be available for a conference call with my vet) I would be so grateful. On the other hand, the Varina historic district is supposed to be lovely but it concerns me that the two anchors of this area are the Bank of Varina and the Varina Drug Store. In California and NJ, we take a dim view of the banking and pharmaceutical industries. Why isn't NC doing more to be like these states?
On the third hand, I have heard good things about the alpine landscape of Gastonia from Instagram but I can't seem to find the mountains. Does anyone know if they're in Martha Rivers Park?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
submitted by DemonicDevice to NorthCarolina [link] [comments]
I recently transitioned to full-time remote work and moved from living in Southern California for 18 years. I spent the last 3.5 years in CA (LA) (Los Angeles) before relocating out east. Currently, I'm staying with family in NJ but planning to explore places in NC. I'm a bit undecided on where to settle down. My top two choices currently are Fuquay and Varina but I'm having a hard time deciding between the two.
Ideally, I'm looking for a new-build, apartment close to Whole Foods or similar organic grocery stores and a nice gym, as these are essential aspects of my lifestyle. I'm a single (divorced) 42-year-old with two French bulldogs. I don't drink much, so being in the heart of the action isn't a priority for me.
A good friend of mine lives in Charlotte and speaks highly of it. Personally, I prefer to be at least a 2-hour drive from the beach. While I'm not someone who frequents the beach, I loved the convenience of being able to drive along the coast or park by the ocean to enjoy the sounds.
Both Fuquay and Varina seem to be equidistant from the beach, but I've heard that there are big differences between the two. For example, the Fuquay Mineral Springs Park offers healing waters but I'm worried about taking my dogs too close to a spring that could contain sulfites, PFAS, or gluten. If anyone can share the water testing records with me (and possibly be available for a conference call with my vet) I would be so grateful. On the other hand, the Varina historic district is supposed to be lovely but it concerns me that the two anchors of this area are the Bank of Varina and the Varina Drug Store. In California and NJ, we take a dim view of the banking and pharmaceutical industries. Why isn't NC doing more to be like these states?
On the third hand, I have heard good things about the alpine landscape of Gastonia from Instagram but I can't seem to find the mountains. Does anyone know if they're in Martha Rivers Park?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
2024.05.05 11:38 Ordinary_Honey8191 I consider taking part in a Green Card Lottery. Worth it these days?
I come from Eastern European EU country and as in title am considering taking part in US visa lottery for 2026. I have very small chances of winning it (around 2%), but my natural overthinking leads me to considerations if it would be worth it once I'd obtain it. The plan would be to use the 6 months window to find a job in the US and move here once I've found it. Not sure if I'd like to move there permanently, I could stay but also use US network to find a contract for a US company while moving to my home country. I would also use the opportunity to travel around the States to the locations I'd otherwise never visit.
About me - I work as a DevOps Engineer to which I've somewhat accidently switched from data engineering a year ago. Currently I work with Azure, but worked with other clouds as well. By 2026, I'll have 6 YoE overall. I also have a MSc from a rather irrelevant university. I don't consider myself a FAANG-level guy but I think I could get there if I put effort into it.
Currently I earn about 50k$ yearly after taxes, but I work as a contractor (I've got low taxes but no paid leaves, I include 20 days of unpaid leave in my calculations). Based on my calculations I would need around 125k$ gross to maintain my current standard of living (more for California/NYC) + money for flights.
I am curious what I could expect if I'd move to the US with current market. Could I be able to find employment matching my minimum salary requirements relatively quickly? How do people achieve such high salaries, like 200k$+, are there so hardly achievable and what would I need to learn to obtain it? Has anyone took the route to come back to the home country after few years?
submitted by Ordinary_Honey8191 to cscareerquestions [link] [comments]
About me - I work as a DevOps Engineer to which I've somewhat accidently switched from data engineering a year ago. Currently I work with Azure, but worked with other clouds as well. By 2026, I'll have 6 YoE overall. I also have a MSc from a rather irrelevant university. I don't consider myself a FAANG-level guy but I think I could get there if I put effort into it.
Currently I earn about 50k$ yearly after taxes, but I work as a contractor (I've got low taxes but no paid leaves, I include 20 days of unpaid leave in my calculations). Based on my calculations I would need around 125k$ gross to maintain my current standard of living (more for California/NYC) + money for flights.
I am curious what I could expect if I'd move to the US with current market. Could I be able to find employment matching my minimum salary requirements relatively quickly? How do people achieve such high salaries, like 200k$+, are there so hardly achievable and what would I need to learn to obtain it? Has anyone took the route to come back to the home country after few years?
2024.05.04 20:51 OrlonDogger A Witch at Midnight - Chapter 2
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The store wasn’t very far, just a few blocks away from my apartment. I’ve taken the same trip so many times in the past, and yet these last months it feels completely different. My back hurts when I walk for too long, my legs tire much faster, and I have this incomprehensible, unshakable feeling that someone is watching me. It’s nauseating…
“Take a deep breath. No one here is paying attention to you… they are all busy with their own lives, just like you!”
She says that as she walks by my side, but I still feel it crawling on my back, the eyes of people around me. Loud instrumental music used to block the feeling but these days it really doesn’t help. My hands nervously open and close, until I realize what I am doing and force myself to stop. No, I don’t want to look like a freak. I don’t want to be a freak at all.
I just want to be normal.
“You are normal.”
Please don’t lie to me.
Eventually I did reach the Munimarc, one of those old supermarket chains that you can see anywhere in this part of Wohl. The place greets me with a cold breeze from the AC, and an annoyingly catchy tune from the speakers. ‘Be the King of the Barbecue!’, said Alejandro Villegas, ‘With our exclusive meat cuts!’.
Man. I remember when Villegas was the sensation across the nation, as the children say. A young and handsome actor appearing in the latest telenovelas of the time… now a washed up old man selling you sirloin. In a way, it makes me feel a little better about myself.
“It shouldn’t. You call him a washed up old man but he still makes more in one day than you’ll make in several years.”
I can’t have anything good here.
Slowly, nervously, I walk into the building and go straight for a basket, then turning to go to the sausage section. I need a big pack, some soda… maybe some Tavs…
“Sugar would pick you up.”
“And fatten you up even more. Gluttonous bastard, don’t you dare pick up Tavs. It’s already bad that you’re eating sausages!”
Sigh.
I pick up some of the good sausages, then go for a bottle of Chugga Cola… and a package of Chocolate biscuits.
“Bastard. You put those back where you found them. I can’t believe you’re being so stubborn!”
With my loot on hand, I walk straight for the check-outs… but then, a sound freezes me to the core. A voice I recognize.
“Oh, that’s Patricio! Let’s go say hi!”
I don’t even turn around, I don’t dare to. It’s distant, so clearly he hasn’t realized I am here yet, but it’s definitely him. Oh no.
“Come on, it’s a good chance to test the waters! See if he’s still… you know… a friend.”
He and I were good friends in college, or at least I think we were? Never had much in common beyond our predilection for anime and videogames, but hey. That was enough for conversation. We used to hang out after class, eat trash together, study and try to get by together, it was nice.
But now this is not nice. This is the opposite of nice.
For a moment I feel the need to push the volume of my cellphone up to the maximum, but no, on the contrary, I stop the song on its tracks just to make sure I can know where Patricio is at all times.
Oh right, that’s it! The headphones! I can just pretend I can’t hear him and walk my way!
“That’s mean…”
“And impractical. You will be talking to the cashier, right? Besides, you know how Pat is, he’ll come straight to you if he sees you.”
I hate being right. I can hear the guy walking closer. Quickly I go back to the cashier, a nice old lady who looks at me with concerned eyes. Am I freaking out? Is it too visible?? She idly checks out my products and comments:
“Oh dear, you shouldn’t eat so many sausages, they are bad for you…”
Oh.
Okay. That’s okay. She just recognizes me. That’s normal. I recognize her too, so that’s normal.
“You’re so fat it is showing already. Told you.”
Shut up.
“I… sorry.” I mumble, passing the money to the cashier.
“Don’t apologize to me dear, apologize to yourself.” She smiles. She thinks she’s being sweet… I am not sure if that makes me feel indignant or guilty.
With a nod I take the bag and walk out. Patricio is walking out as well. I brace, taking a sharp breath and closing my eyes for a moment.
“Just say hi. He won’t bite!”
Gathering all my strength, I turn on my heels to face Patricio. My cheeks force the rest of my face to smile, pulling from those muscles I barely use anymore, and then–
He passes me by.
I freeze right there, just feeling the wind of the AC hitting my face as the guy just walks out of the supermarket. My body refuses to move for a second as I am hit with the realization that I was ignored.
What?
“Maybe… maybe we heard wrong? Maybe it wasn’t him? I mean, why would he shop here anyways, it’s far from his house.”
“Didn’t you want to avoid him anyways? Why do you even feel bad? Little crybaby, you’re just looking for excuses to feel miserable.”
My breath picks up for a moment, to the point where I have to bite my lower lip to control myself, to not just cry right then and there. What? Why did he ignore me? Is he mad?
Of course he’s mad, I’ve been gone a month and I haven’t even tried to talk to him or communicate in any way.
He has all the right to hate me.
“He could at least say something about it though…”
“He’s a damn coward, he’d never say it to our face unless pushed to it… Not that he’s too different to you in that aspect.”
My shoulders slump, my whole body slouches a little bit. I have to push myself to turn around and abandon the building before making a scene. I am not even sure if anyone noticed how humiliated I feel right now… I really hope no one did.
When the discordant sounds of the city hit me again, I remember that I have to turn the music on. Anime openings and videogame instrumentals feel a little too happy for me right now, but it’s better than the noise old trucks make when passing by.
As I trudge my way out of the supermarket and begin the walk back home, I can feel the plastic bag digging into my flesh. It’s not even that heavy! And yet the damn thing gets so thin on my hands, it cuts my circulation.
“Hypertension is a bitch, huh? Fatty.”
Like my grasp on my own humanity, those comments grow ever weaker. At least it’s a bit of a relief, it gives me space to think. Why should I go straight home? What’s waiting for me there?
“A warm meal. Which you need to survive, mind you?”
That’s a good point. But at the same time…
My eyes wander to my left. I look through the street, beyond the street, remembering the trips I used to take to and from College, walking through the central streets of the city, passing by the pit, and then through the market district… I enjoyed going there, seeing all the things I couldn’t buy. Checking out new games, merchandise, books.
Maybe buying something will make me feel better.
“Or it will be wasting precious money.”
Sigh.
“Besides. You already had one person ignore you today. Do you want to risk another? Considering you don’t even want to be acknowledged either, you tiresome bitch.”
My body slumps again, as I take a turn back towards the apartment building. Maybe some other day I’ll feel better to just go out.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sausages and rice. So easy to make, so fast too. I am never sure if I am overcooking or undercooking the damn things but, it tastes good… just, not as good as it used to.
I am aware that the natural tendency for people is to always think past times were better, but maybe they changed the sausage formula?
“It’s the exposure. When you were a kid, sausages were a sometimes food. Now you eat them all the time.”
As I fill my plate with three sausages and a bunch of rice, like the decadent bitch I am, I think about where to eat… I’ve been eating in my room for the last month. It’s getting full of plates, so maybe it would be best to eat in the living room….?
“Why? There’s literally no reason, there’s no one here to eat with.”
My heart aches. Not physically, at least not yet, but you get the idea. There was a time when Venus and I ate together every night, sharing our experiences in college… whatever happened to that?
“You started eating and doing stuff in your room by yourself.”
“You neglected her for a long year or so. And of course, she neglected you right back.”
I feel like it’s not as simple as that but, at the same time… ugh… Shaking my head, I set my food on the table, then go for the old computer to set it up in the living room. Today I am eating like a normal person.
“It’s a start!”
“You’ll have to clean this fucking garbage bin of an apartment eventually. But you won’t. Lazy bastard.”
When I open my computer, I spend a moment checking the dirty keyboard and the smudged screen. For someone who spends as much time online as I do, I really need to take better care of this thing. If it were to break, I… I honestly don’t know what I would do.
Trying not to dwell on the inevitable but still eventual catastrophe, I search for an old episode of ‘Golden Bawl’, setting it up while I eat and listen along to Kintoki’s shenanigans. I don’t watch a lot of Comedy shows, or even anime for that matter, but they can be good for passing the time.
“There was a time where comedy was our entire world, remember that?”
Yeah… My one claim to “fame” in VirtualZone was a silly comedy “Road of Ninja” fanfic I wrote back in the day. Saints, just remembering all the fourth breaking jokes and needless references makes me cringe and shrivel to my core! I have advanced as a writer, at least enough to recognize the mistakes of my past and be haunted by them.
Maybe… maybe what I need is to actually write something. A short tale, a little poem, whatever.
“You haven’t written anything in months, if not an entire year. What would make this different?”
I, I have ideas. I have this whole world in my mind! A tale of generations, about passing the torch from one person to the next. Not connected by blood, but by a shared destiny.
“Well isn’t that interesting? And tell me, who’s going to read that, exactly?”
I…
“Writing should be done for the sake of itself, for the enjoyment of writing.”
“Uh huh. Sure. Tell him that. Without a public to read his stuff, he’ll shrivel up and die. Won’t you? You attention starved asshole.”
I hate it. I hate it because it’s true. My motivation dies so quickly when I don’t feel like someone’s going to read my things… it’s like throwing more and more messages in bottles to the sea, until all I see are bottles floating around me, unattended, ignored. It’s… painful, honestly.
“We can always look for new venues! New sites to post, right? Maybe a new forum?”
“A new forum to be ignored on.”
A sudden sound pushes me out of this depressing spiral and scrambles the voices around me. A new message? Really? From whom? My eyes go back to the computer, where a new window has suddenly pop up. Mesenen is like that, a little invasive, but honestly, the other popular programs are terrible. At least in my eyes.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ayyyyy santi!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: how’s it going man? it’s been a while!
Pepe.
Has it really been a month already? He always checks on me every month or so. That bastard… he’s always been such a good guy, since primary school. I can’t help but smile a little bit, my heart warming up a little bit and my head immediately getting rushed by memories.
The Bohr to my Einstein, my rival…
“Can you imagine how much he would freak out if he heard you refer to him so tenderly?”
I stop myself immediately. Yes, true. Those sorts of thoughts can only get me in all sorts of trouble. I push them back, back I said! To the pits of my mind, where they couldn’t hurt anyone…
Better to answer him quickly, or else he might think I’m ignoring him.
“Or he may think you’re a good for nothing who spends all day on his pc. Oh wait!”
Biting my lower lip a little bit, and putting my empty plate aside, I get to writing.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hey man! n.n
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Oh you know, it’s going alright. Can’t really complain. uwu
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What aboutcha? o.o
…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: tired man, tired like u got no idea.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: exams are a bitch, am i rite??
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: thanks The Saints it’s over
My hand hits my face so fast that, for a moment, I don’t even realize. Saints damn it, I forgot! The exams were this week, weren’t they!? Another row of exams I’ll just fail by default.
Fuck.
“Welp, there’s no way to recover from that one. It’s official now, you’ll fail most if not all of your classes this semester. Isn’t that funny?”
Panic starts to boil and pushes its way from the bottom of my stomach and through my entire body at prodigious speeds, my eyes are wide open, am I sweating already? No, no no no no, how did I allow it to get to this!? Can’t I fix it somehow?! My hands reach for my hair, pulling down harshly as my breath picks up so much that I start panting.
Fuuuuuuck.
This is it, I will fail the semester, I’ll have to talk with my parents, they will all learn of it. The looks of disappointment on their eyes will kill me, the sadness in their voice as they try to console me. No, no no no.
Wait. Wait. I can still save it. I just have to get a good grade on the next row of exams… for every single class.
“Y-You can afford to fail a few of them, it’s college after all! Everyone fails once or twice.”
“A cope out… Remember highschool, smartass? Aren’t you supposed to be a prodigy or something? Start acting like it, work.”
My body hurts, everything is moving so fast. But yeah, I can do this. I did it before, I used to be a real smart kid… I can do this.
But before anything, I need to answer to Pepe. I don’t like lying to him… so, let’s make a compromise.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Pffft. Tell me about it. ewe
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I hate to be pessimistic but, I think I failed everything this time… u.u
...
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: oh shit, rly??
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: im sorry man…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: but there’s always the next midterms! u can pick up the pace then
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: Saints know im gonna try too lmfao
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: maybe we’ll end up repeating this time, but we have to keep trying, alright??
“Failing? As if he was capable of that. The bastard’s studying medicine for a reason, he’s the real genius here…”
Shut up. I won’t let you talk about Pepe like that.
“He’s probably pitying us.”
You know he’s incapable of stuff like that. Whatever he says, he means it with all of his heart… the bastard is incapable of being facetious.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Alas, these old bones can’t keep trying forever hahaha. :3
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I need to pick up the pace. >.<
...
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: man what i’ve told u about talkin like that?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Like what? o.o?
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: like an old fart, lmao
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ur like what, 20? you gotta act ur age man!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: i bet you are still acting and dressin like an old man too
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Shirts and coats are cool man! >.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: no. no their not.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: at least ur not using that sombrero anymore
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: First off, it’s a Fedora.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Second off, shut the fuck up man xD
Honestly, it was a relief for me too that I grew out of the fedora phase. I was still clinging to my long montgomery but, at least the hat was gone! I smile, closing my eyes for a moment. This… was nice. It was always nice to talk to Pepe.
Too bad it only happens once every month.
“You could talk to him more often, you know?”
I have nothing to say, and I don’t want to make things even more awkward than they already are. It’s fine. He knows I mean well… right?
“Does he?”
I… really hope he does.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: hey man
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: do u like what ur studying?
The question slaps me straight in the face, my eyes widened. It takes me a second to actually react and answer.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What do you mean? o.o
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: like, i kno ur goin for law, right?
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: but it kinda came outta nowhere, if u ask me…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: are u sure this is it?
He’s right. Again.
It did come out of nowhere because, after we graduated from Highschool, I literally had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I would love to write for a living, but that stuff doesn’t pay… and I never liked medicine and such, so…
What other career is expected of a kid with high grades?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: It’s… a little late to think about that, isn’t it? ówo
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: its never too late man
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: just, think about it
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ur a smart cookie, maybe ur failin because u dont feel it there
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: my dad still calls u “book eater” from time to time
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: do u still read like before?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: …
My eyes went to the little bookshelf Venus and I improvised. It wasn’t full, but we had some books… both of us were obsessed with reading back in the day. I’ve read through all of those, even the not-so-good young adult books Venus left behind… but after finishing all of them once, I haven’t really read anything thoroughly in a while.
Maybe that is what I need… damn you, Pepe.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I think I will go to the bookstore today. Check out the stuff? :3
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: now that’s the al i know lol
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: enjoy ur vacations, i gotta start doing paperwork for the intern work
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Take care man!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: same dude
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’ is now offline
My eyes linger on the conversation for a bit longer. Now that’s a good feeling, so good I can’t even hear my complaints about being “too gay” right now. I am just basking on the echoes of this revelation for a moment, before I get right up. Yes. This was a good plan, this would surely get me out of this funk.
Going back to old, good habits will get me back into the same mindscape I was before, and then maybe, just maybe, I can grasp back on that talent I used to have.
…
“Wait, did he say ‘vacations’???”
Another incoming message interrupts me. When I look, I find it’s not Pepe, but Vito… my heart freezes for a moment.
My brother often tries to reach me, this is not the first time. But I always feel so guilty about the way I treated him when I was younger, I… honestly don’t know how to answer.
But I can’t simply ignore him, can I?
UndeadVito: yo.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hey n.n
UndeadVito: how’s it going bro?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: It’s going. Not too well, not too bad. uwu
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I think I flunked my exams but, I’ll try to get better at it next time. u.u
UndeadVito: that sucks man. Im sorry.
There’s a moment of silence. None of us know how to talk to each other… How could we? I’ve been out of the house through the kid’s teenagehood. He probably has a lot of shit on his mind…
Maybe I should ask about that?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What about you dude? Is everything okay at school? o.o
UndeadVito: … I’ll survive.
That’s not good. That’s pretty much the opposite of good. Fuuuuck, what would a good sibling do?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Talk to me bro, you can tell me. n.n
UndeadVito: nah, don’t worry. I’m just being silly.
UndeadVito: hey hey, what’s the last thing you’ve written?
He’s not fooling me, he’s not fooling anyone, not even himself. But I can’t exactly pry, can I? Do I have the right to?
I read him and all I can remember are the times I made him cry when he was a little kid.
Worst of all, he has always looked up to me. I can’t stand it, knowing what I’ve become… he’s always asking and wondering about my ideas. If only he knew I have done nothing for so long.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I’m not working on anything right now
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: You know, with the college and stuff u.u
UndeadVito: awww. okay, I get it.
UndeadVito: you know what you should do?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hmmm? o.o
UndeadVito: you should write a book about mobsters!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Pffft xD why mobsters?
UndeadVito: mobsters are cool!
UndeadVito: as your biggest fan, I demand that you write something about mobsters!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: lol xD
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I’ll think about it, okay?
UndeadVito: yesssssss.
UndeadVito: are you coming home this weekend?
I haven’t returned home in so long, has it been a month too? Maybe, considering Pepe said we have vacations now (I still have to look into that). Maybe it is time to rest.
“And what, tell our parents the truth? Absolutely not. After all the softness and pity goes off, they will force you to stay in that dump of a town and work at a supermarket or something. Trapped forever there, just wasting away. Game over.”
I flinch. I refuse to fall that far down…
“It wouldn’t be falling, it would simply be taking another way in life.”
I am supposed to graduate college. We are not discussing this now!!
UndeadVito: bro??
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ah! O.o Sorry, got busy!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I am not sure if I can this weekend, sadly u.u but maybe the one after!
UndeadVito: oh.
UndeadVito: ok.
Why. Why does he care? Why does he insist on caring about me? I haven’t been there for him when he needs me the most and yet he clings?
A part of me wants to go full “tough love” and try to push him away rudely but… come on… he’s my brother. And I was already plenty of bad in the past.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: You gotta tell me more of that story of yours when I go back, okay? n.n
UndeadVito: huh? oh yeah, I mean, I guess.
UndeadVito: if you really wanna listen.
I know how comforting it is, to hear that someone wants to actually hear and understand your ideas… it’s not much, but I can at least offer him my legitimate attention and opinions. Not that he needs much of my help though, the kid has talent for stories!
“Let’s hope it doesn’t take him the same way it took us.”
…
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I gotta go uwu you take care, alright?
UndeadVito: will do, boss.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx is now offline.
Sigh. No more messages for today, this was more than enough… I need something to read, I need to get active again, write, actually do something…
But first, it was time to brush my teeth.
I walk past Venus’ former bedroom, and then turn around. In front of it, there’s the bathroom… and the dreaded mirror. It’s so central on the wall that I can’t really not look at it, and it just takes a little glimpse to look at myself. My hair is a mess, my beard is a mess. I am a mess. I don’t look as fat as I was fearing but, it is an undeniable fact that one sees themselves far more attractive in the mirror than they are in reality.
I must be even worse than this.
Water and a comb do fix things a little but…
“Look at yourself. Look at this ugly mess. This is who you are. No matter how much you’d want to identify as something else, no matter how you try to dress or to do. You can even lose weight, and you’ll still be this. An ugly man. Nothing more.”
Sigh. Tell me something I don’t know…
“It would take work, and a lot of effort… but you could change. Nothing in this life stays the same, we live and thrive in change.”
“She’s delusional, just like you are. If you think you can become like her, go ahead! Try it, chase that stupid delusion… let’s say what mom and dad have to say about it.”
After cleaning myself and properly brushing my teeth, I stop looking at myself in the mirror, grab my montgomery and hurry out of the house. I didn’t want to listen anymore, I didn’t want to think anymore.
I just wanted to buy a damn book and get over with it.
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The store wasn’t very far, just a few blocks away from my apartment. I’ve taken the same trip so many times in the past, and yet these last months it feels completely different. My back hurts when I walk for too long, my legs tire much faster, and I have this incomprehensible, unshakable feeling that someone is watching me. It’s nauseating…
“Take a deep breath. No one here is paying attention to you… they are all busy with their own lives, just like you!”
She says that as she walks by my side, but I still feel it crawling on my back, the eyes of people around me. Loud instrumental music used to block the feeling but these days it really doesn’t help. My hands nervously open and close, until I realize what I am doing and force myself to stop. No, I don’t want to look like a freak. I don’t want to be a freak at all.
I just want to be normal.
“You are normal.”
Please don’t lie to me.
Eventually I did reach the Munimarc, one of those old supermarket chains that you can see anywhere in this part of Wohl. The place greets me with a cold breeze from the AC, and an annoyingly catchy tune from the speakers. ‘Be the King of the Barbecue!’, said Alejandro Villegas, ‘With our exclusive meat cuts!’.
Man. I remember when Villegas was the sensation across the nation, as the children say. A young and handsome actor appearing in the latest telenovelas of the time… now a washed up old man selling you sirloin. In a way, it makes me feel a little better about myself.
“It shouldn’t. You call him a washed up old man but he still makes more in one day than you’ll make in several years.”
I can’t have anything good here.
Slowly, nervously, I walk into the building and go straight for a basket, then turning to go to the sausage section. I need a big pack, some soda… maybe some Tavs…
“Sugar would pick you up.”
“And fatten you up even more. Gluttonous bastard, don’t you dare pick up Tavs. It’s already bad that you’re eating sausages!”
Sigh.
I pick up some of the good sausages, then go for a bottle of Chugga Cola… and a package of Chocolate biscuits.
“Bastard. You put those back where you found them. I can’t believe you’re being so stubborn!”
With my loot on hand, I walk straight for the check-outs… but then, a sound freezes me to the core. A voice I recognize.
“Oh, that’s Patricio! Let’s go say hi!”
I don’t even turn around, I don’t dare to. It’s distant, so clearly he hasn’t realized I am here yet, but it’s definitely him. Oh no.
“Come on, it’s a good chance to test the waters! See if he’s still… you know… a friend.”
He and I were good friends in college, or at least I think we were? Never had much in common beyond our predilection for anime and videogames, but hey. That was enough for conversation. We used to hang out after class, eat trash together, study and try to get by together, it was nice.
But now this is not nice. This is the opposite of nice.
For a moment I feel the need to push the volume of my cellphone up to the maximum, but no, on the contrary, I stop the song on its tracks just to make sure I can know where Patricio is at all times.
Oh right, that’s it! The headphones! I can just pretend I can’t hear him and walk my way!
“That’s mean…”
“And impractical. You will be talking to the cashier, right? Besides, you know how Pat is, he’ll come straight to you if he sees you.”
I hate being right. I can hear the guy walking closer. Quickly I go back to the cashier, a nice old lady who looks at me with concerned eyes. Am I freaking out? Is it too visible?? She idly checks out my products and comments:
“Oh dear, you shouldn’t eat so many sausages, they are bad for you…”
Oh.
Okay. That’s okay. She just recognizes me. That’s normal. I recognize her too, so that’s normal.
“You’re so fat it is showing already. Told you.”
Shut up.
“I… sorry.” I mumble, passing the money to the cashier.
“Don’t apologize to me dear, apologize to yourself.” She smiles. She thinks she’s being sweet… I am not sure if that makes me feel indignant or guilty.
With a nod I take the bag and walk out. Patricio is walking out as well. I brace, taking a sharp breath and closing my eyes for a moment.
“Just say hi. He won’t bite!”
Gathering all my strength, I turn on my heels to face Patricio. My cheeks force the rest of my face to smile, pulling from those muscles I barely use anymore, and then–
He passes me by.
I freeze right there, just feeling the wind of the AC hitting my face as the guy just walks out of the supermarket. My body refuses to move for a second as I am hit with the realization that I was ignored.
What?
“Maybe… maybe we heard wrong? Maybe it wasn’t him? I mean, why would he shop here anyways, it’s far from his house.”
“Didn’t you want to avoid him anyways? Why do you even feel bad? Little crybaby, you’re just looking for excuses to feel miserable.”
My breath picks up for a moment, to the point where I have to bite my lower lip to control myself, to not just cry right then and there. What? Why did he ignore me? Is he mad?
Of course he’s mad, I’ve been gone a month and I haven’t even tried to talk to him or communicate in any way.
He has all the right to hate me.
“He could at least say something about it though…”
“He’s a damn coward, he’d never say it to our face unless pushed to it… Not that he’s too different to you in that aspect.”
My shoulders slump, my whole body slouches a little bit. I have to push myself to turn around and abandon the building before making a scene. I am not even sure if anyone noticed how humiliated I feel right now… I really hope no one did.
When the discordant sounds of the city hit me again, I remember that I have to turn the music on. Anime openings and videogame instrumentals feel a little too happy for me right now, but it’s better than the noise old trucks make when passing by.
As I trudge my way out of the supermarket and begin the walk back home, I can feel the plastic bag digging into my flesh. It’s not even that heavy! And yet the damn thing gets so thin on my hands, it cuts my circulation.
“Hypertension is a bitch, huh? Fatty.”
Like my grasp on my own humanity, those comments grow ever weaker. At least it’s a bit of a relief, it gives me space to think. Why should I go straight home? What’s waiting for me there?
“A warm meal. Which you need to survive, mind you?”
That’s a good point. But at the same time…
My eyes wander to my left. I look through the street, beyond the street, remembering the trips I used to take to and from College, walking through the central streets of the city, passing by the pit, and then through the market district… I enjoyed going there, seeing all the things I couldn’t buy. Checking out new games, merchandise, books.
Maybe buying something will make me feel better.
“Or it will be wasting precious money.”
Sigh.
“Besides. You already had one person ignore you today. Do you want to risk another? Considering you don’t even want to be acknowledged either, you tiresome bitch.”
My body slumps again, as I take a turn back towards the apartment building. Maybe some other day I’ll feel better to just go out.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sausages and rice. So easy to make, so fast too. I am never sure if I am overcooking or undercooking the damn things but, it tastes good… just, not as good as it used to.
I am aware that the natural tendency for people is to always think past times were better, but maybe they changed the sausage formula?
“It’s the exposure. When you were a kid, sausages were a sometimes food. Now you eat them all the time.”
As I fill my plate with three sausages and a bunch of rice, like the decadent bitch I am, I think about where to eat… I’ve been eating in my room for the last month. It’s getting full of plates, so maybe it would be best to eat in the living room….?
“Why? There’s literally no reason, there’s no one here to eat with.”
My heart aches. Not physically, at least not yet, but you get the idea. There was a time when Venus and I ate together every night, sharing our experiences in college… whatever happened to that?
“You started eating and doing stuff in your room by yourself.”
“You neglected her for a long year or so. And of course, she neglected you right back.”
I feel like it’s not as simple as that but, at the same time… ugh… Shaking my head, I set my food on the table, then go for the old computer to set it up in the living room. Today I am eating like a normal person.
“It’s a start!”
“You’ll have to clean this fucking garbage bin of an apartment eventually. But you won’t. Lazy bastard.”
When I open my computer, I spend a moment checking the dirty keyboard and the smudged screen. For someone who spends as much time online as I do, I really need to take better care of this thing. If it were to break, I… I honestly don’t know what I would do.
Trying not to dwell on the inevitable but still eventual catastrophe, I search for an old episode of ‘Golden Bawl’, setting it up while I eat and listen along to Kintoki’s shenanigans. I don’t watch a lot of Comedy shows, or even anime for that matter, but they can be good for passing the time.
“There was a time where comedy was our entire world, remember that?”
Yeah… My one claim to “fame” in VirtualZone was a silly comedy “Road of Ninja” fanfic I wrote back in the day. Saints, just remembering all the fourth breaking jokes and needless references makes me cringe and shrivel to my core! I have advanced as a writer, at least enough to recognize the mistakes of my past and be haunted by them.
Maybe… maybe what I need is to actually write something. A short tale, a little poem, whatever.
“You haven’t written anything in months, if not an entire year. What would make this different?”
I, I have ideas. I have this whole world in my mind! A tale of generations, about passing the torch from one person to the next. Not connected by blood, but by a shared destiny.
“Well isn’t that interesting? And tell me, who’s going to read that, exactly?”
I…
“Writing should be done for the sake of itself, for the enjoyment of writing.”
“Uh huh. Sure. Tell him that. Without a public to read his stuff, he’ll shrivel up and die. Won’t you? You attention starved asshole.”
I hate it. I hate it because it’s true. My motivation dies so quickly when I don’t feel like someone’s going to read my things… it’s like throwing more and more messages in bottles to the sea, until all I see are bottles floating around me, unattended, ignored. It’s… painful, honestly.
“We can always look for new venues! New sites to post, right? Maybe a new forum?”
“A new forum to be ignored on.”
A sudden sound pushes me out of this depressing spiral and scrambles the voices around me. A new message? Really? From whom? My eyes go back to the computer, where a new window has suddenly pop up. Mesenen is like that, a little invasive, but honestly, the other popular programs are terrible. At least in my eyes.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ayyyyy santi!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: how’s it going man? it’s been a while!
Pepe.
Has it really been a month already? He always checks on me every month or so. That bastard… he’s always been such a good guy, since primary school. I can’t help but smile a little bit, my heart warming up a little bit and my head immediately getting rushed by memories.
The Bohr to my Einstein, my rival…
“Can you imagine how much he would freak out if he heard you refer to him so tenderly?”
I stop myself immediately. Yes, true. Those sorts of thoughts can only get me in all sorts of trouble. I push them back, back I said! To the pits of my mind, where they couldn’t hurt anyone…
Better to answer him quickly, or else he might think I’m ignoring him.
“Or he may think you’re a good for nothing who spends all day on his pc. Oh wait!”
Biting my lower lip a little bit, and putting my empty plate aside, I get to writing.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hey man! n.n
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Oh you know, it’s going alright. Can’t really complain. uwu
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What aboutcha? o.o
…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: tired man, tired like u got no idea.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: exams are a bitch, am i rite??
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: thanks The Saints it’s over
My hand hits my face so fast that, for a moment, I don’t even realize. Saints damn it, I forgot! The exams were this week, weren’t they!? Another row of exams I’ll just fail by default.
Fuck.
“Welp, there’s no way to recover from that one. It’s official now, you’ll fail most if not all of your classes this semester. Isn’t that funny?”
Panic starts to boil and pushes its way from the bottom of my stomach and through my entire body at prodigious speeds, my eyes are wide open, am I sweating already? No, no no no no, how did I allow it to get to this!? Can’t I fix it somehow?! My hands reach for my hair, pulling down harshly as my breath picks up so much that I start panting.
Fuuuuuuck.
This is it, I will fail the semester, I’ll have to talk with my parents, they will all learn of it. The looks of disappointment on their eyes will kill me, the sadness in their voice as they try to console me. No, no no no.
Wait. Wait. I can still save it. I just have to get a good grade on the next row of exams… for every single class.
“Y-You can afford to fail a few of them, it’s college after all! Everyone fails once or twice.”
“A cope out… Remember highschool, smartass? Aren’t you supposed to be a prodigy or something? Start acting like it, work.”
My body hurts, everything is moving so fast. But yeah, I can do this. I did it before, I used to be a real smart kid… I can do this.
But before anything, I need to answer to Pepe. I don’t like lying to him… so, let’s make a compromise.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Pffft. Tell me about it. ewe
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I hate to be pessimistic but, I think I failed everything this time… u.u
...
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: oh shit, rly??
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: im sorry man…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: but there’s always the next midterms! u can pick up the pace then
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: Saints know im gonna try too lmfao
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: maybe we’ll end up repeating this time, but we have to keep trying, alright??
“Failing? As if he was capable of that. The bastard’s studying medicine for a reason, he’s the real genius here…”
Shut up. I won’t let you talk about Pepe like that.
“He’s probably pitying us.”
You know he’s incapable of stuff like that. Whatever he says, he means it with all of his heart… the bastard is incapable of being facetious.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Alas, these old bones can’t keep trying forever hahaha. :3
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I need to pick up the pace. >.<
...
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: man what i’ve told u about talkin like that?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Like what? o.o?
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: like an old fart, lmao
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ur like what, 20? you gotta act ur age man!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: i bet you are still acting and dressin like an old man too
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Shirts and coats are cool man! >.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: no. no their not.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: at least ur not using that sombrero anymore
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: First off, it’s a Fedora.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Second off, shut the fuck up man xD
Honestly, it was a relief for me too that I grew out of the fedora phase. I was still clinging to my long montgomery but, at least the hat was gone! I smile, closing my eyes for a moment. This… was nice. It was always nice to talk to Pepe.
Too bad it only happens once every month.
“You could talk to him more often, you know?”
I have nothing to say, and I don’t want to make things even more awkward than they already are. It’s fine. He knows I mean well… right?
“Does he?”
I… really hope he does.
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: hey man
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: do u like what ur studying?
The question slaps me straight in the face, my eyes widened. It takes me a second to actually react and answer.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What do you mean? o.o
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: like, i kno ur goin for law, right?
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: but it kinda came outta nowhere, if u ask me…
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: are u sure this is it?
He’s right. Again.
It did come out of nowhere because, after we graduated from Highschool, I literally had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I would love to write for a living, but that stuff doesn’t pay… and I never liked medicine and such, so…
What other career is expected of a kid with high grades?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: It’s… a little late to think about that, isn’t it? ówo
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: its never too late man
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: just, think about it
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: ur a smart cookie, maybe ur failin because u dont feel it there
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: my dad still calls u “book eater” from time to time
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: do u still read like before?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: …
My eyes went to the little bookshelf Venus and I improvised. It wasn’t full, but we had some books… both of us were obsessed with reading back in the day. I’ve read through all of those, even the not-so-good young adult books Venus left behind… but after finishing all of them once, I haven’t really read anything thoroughly in a while.
Maybe that is what I need… damn you, Pepe.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I think I will go to the bookstore today. Check out the stuff? :3
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: now that’s the al i know lol
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: enjoy ur vacations, i gotta start doing paperwork for the intern work
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Take care man!
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’: same dude
‘HéálérFrómThéHéárt’ is now offline
My eyes linger on the conversation for a bit longer. Now that’s a good feeling, so good I can’t even hear my complaints about being “too gay” right now. I am just basking on the echoes of this revelation for a moment, before I get right up. Yes. This was a good plan, this would surely get me out of this funk.
Going back to old, good habits will get me back into the same mindscape I was before, and then maybe, just maybe, I can grasp back on that talent I used to have.
…
“Wait, did he say ‘vacations’???”
Another incoming message interrupts me. When I look, I find it’s not Pepe, but Vito… my heart freezes for a moment.
My brother often tries to reach me, this is not the first time. But I always feel so guilty about the way I treated him when I was younger, I… honestly don’t know how to answer.
But I can’t simply ignore him, can I?
UndeadVito: yo.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hey n.n
UndeadVito: how’s it going bro?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: It’s going. Not too well, not too bad. uwu
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I think I flunked my exams but, I’ll try to get better at it next time. u.u
UndeadVito: that sucks man. Im sorry.
There’s a moment of silence. None of us know how to talk to each other… How could we? I’ve been out of the house through the kid’s teenagehood. He probably has a lot of shit on his mind…
Maybe I should ask about that?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: What about you dude? Is everything okay at school? o.o
UndeadVito: … I’ll survive.
That’s not good. That’s pretty much the opposite of good. Fuuuuck, what would a good sibling do?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Talk to me bro, you can tell me. n.n
UndeadVito: nah, don’t worry. I’m just being silly.
UndeadVito: hey hey, what’s the last thing you’ve written?
He’s not fooling me, he’s not fooling anyone, not even himself. But I can’t exactly pry, can I? Do I have the right to?
I read him and all I can remember are the times I made him cry when he was a little kid.
Worst of all, he has always looked up to me. I can’t stand it, knowing what I’ve become… he’s always asking and wondering about my ideas. If only he knew I have done nothing for so long.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I’m not working on anything right now
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: You know, with the college and stuff u.u
UndeadVito: awww. okay, I get it.
UndeadVito: you know what you should do?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Hmmm? o.o
UndeadVito: you should write a book about mobsters!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Pffft xD why mobsters?
UndeadVito: mobsters are cool!
UndeadVito: as your biggest fan, I demand that you write something about mobsters!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: lol xD
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I’ll think about it, okay?
UndeadVito: yesssssss.
UndeadVito: are you coming home this weekend?
I haven’t returned home in so long, has it been a month too? Maybe, considering Pepe said we have vacations now (I still have to look into that). Maybe it is time to rest.
“And what, tell our parents the truth? Absolutely not. After all the softness and pity goes off, they will force you to stay in that dump of a town and work at a supermarket or something. Trapped forever there, just wasting away. Game over.”
I flinch. I refuse to fall that far down…
“It wouldn’t be falling, it would simply be taking another way in life.”
I am supposed to graduate college. We are not discussing this now!!
UndeadVito: bro??
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ah! O.o Sorry, got busy!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I am not sure if I can this weekend, sadly u.u but maybe the one after!
UndeadVito: oh.
UndeadVito: ok.
Why. Why does he care? Why does he insist on caring about me? I haven’t been there for him when he needs me the most and yet he clings?
A part of me wants to go full “tough love” and try to push him away rudely but… come on… he’s my brother. And I was already plenty of bad in the past.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: You gotta tell me more of that story of yours when I go back, okay? n.n
UndeadVito: huh? oh yeah, I mean, I guess.
UndeadVito: if you really wanna listen.
I know how comforting it is, to hear that someone wants to actually hear and understand your ideas… it’s not much, but I can at least offer him my legitimate attention and opinions. Not that he needs much of my help though, the kid has talent for stories!
“Let’s hope it doesn’t take him the same way it took us.”
…
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I gotta go uwu you take care, alright?
UndeadVito: will do, boss.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx is now offline.
Sigh. No more messages for today, this was more than enough… I need something to read, I need to get active again, write, actually do something…
But first, it was time to brush my teeth.
I walk past Venus’ former bedroom, and then turn around. In front of it, there’s the bathroom… and the dreaded mirror. It’s so central on the wall that I can’t really not look at it, and it just takes a little glimpse to look at myself. My hair is a mess, my beard is a mess. I am a mess. I don’t look as fat as I was fearing but, it is an undeniable fact that one sees themselves far more attractive in the mirror than they are in reality.
I must be even worse than this.
Water and a comb do fix things a little but…
“Look at yourself. Look at this ugly mess. This is who you are. No matter how much you’d want to identify as something else, no matter how you try to dress or to do. You can even lose weight, and you’ll still be this. An ugly man. Nothing more.”
Sigh. Tell me something I don’t know…
“It would take work, and a lot of effort… but you could change. Nothing in this life stays the same, we live and thrive in change.”
“She’s delusional, just like you are. If you think you can become like her, go ahead! Try it, chase that stupid delusion… let’s say what mom and dad have to say about it.”
After cleaning myself and properly brushing my teeth, I stop looking at myself in the mirror, grab my montgomery and hurry out of the house. I didn’t want to listen anymore, I didn’t want to think anymore.
I just wanted to buy a damn book and get over with it.
2024.05.04 19:37 Guest-Username 5/24- 6/1 (+- 2 days) Narrowing Down Quiet/Countryside European Destinations.
Hello, we're very open to almost anywhere in preferably western Europe from NYC area. We prefer to not stay in large cities; if we were, it would be to pop in for half a day to view a must-see tourist destination. We also understand high season starts right when we leave, so even small cities/towns will be a little more dense, and our room choices will be limited.
For reference our favorite trips were the Cotswolds in England and Jungrau Region of Switzerland. We love nice scenery, and drinking coffee/eating baked goods haha. We are pretty "basic."
Some ideas I am thinking of is:
Lake District, England
Southeast, England
Unspecficed area of Scotland, may just rent a car and explore.
Bavaria, Germany
Eastern Switzerland/Jump into Liechtenstein
Also considering the countryside of France, but I need to do more homework as which part. I always wanted to travel to Normandy, but I know we will be just shy of the 80 year anniversary of D-Day and could be difficult.
Thank you for any input!!
submitted by Guest-Username to travel [link] [comments]
For reference our favorite trips were the Cotswolds in England and Jungrau Region of Switzerland. We love nice scenery, and drinking coffee/eating baked goods haha. We are pretty "basic."
Some ideas I am thinking of is:
Lake District, England
Southeast, England
Unspecficed area of Scotland, may just rent a car and explore.
Bavaria, Germany
Eastern Switzerland/Jump into Liechtenstein
Also considering the countryside of France, but I need to do more homework as which part. I always wanted to travel to Normandy, but I know we will be just shy of the 80 year anniversary of D-Day and could be difficult.
Thank you for any input!!
2024.05.04 17:53 Friendtoallandnone 29F, drowning in debt, married with one kid, scared
$15,000 Barclays credit card debt - stopped paying for a debt relief program (originally $12,000)
$32,500 student loan debt - $200 per month
$3500 care credit from two uninsured root canals in 2019 - almost paid off ($180 remaining)
$700 Synchrony tire card - almost paid off at $95 but got closed yesterday because I’ve not been paying my Barclays credit card
$370 groceries - per month
$48 car insurance - 2015 Honda coupe paid off
$92 - WiFi
My husband pays our rent and I pay our WiFi and groceries. I barely make $43,000 a year, my husband makes $85,000. Had to take a lot of time off of work to care for our autistic daughter and since my husband makes more, it makes sense to have him work more hours while I stay home as much as I can.
I was a dumbass who took her credit too far. Because of that I started a debt relief program but as my credit score keeps going down (because the program tells you to stop paying your credit card) I’m wondering if I should just apply for a personal loan and have a fixed rate to pay it off. I tried applying for a personal loan with sofi to pay off my credit card but got denied. I feel bad asking my husband to co-sign, but I have a higher chance of getting approved.
I pay $270 a month to the debt and have been since December 2023, but I’m so lost on what to do. I stopped paying my Barclays around November 2023.
Should I try to do the personal loan with my husband as the co-signer instead of the debt relief program? Or should I just bite the bullet and file for bankruptcy?
submitted by Friendtoallandnone to Debt [link] [comments]
$32,500 student loan debt - $200 per month
$3500 care credit from two uninsured root canals in 2019 - almost paid off ($180 remaining)
$700 Synchrony tire card - almost paid off at $95 but got closed yesterday because I’ve not been paying my Barclays credit card
$370 groceries - per month
$48 car insurance - 2015 Honda coupe paid off
$92 - WiFi
My husband pays our rent and I pay our WiFi and groceries. I barely make $43,000 a year, my husband makes $85,000. Had to take a lot of time off of work to care for our autistic daughter and since my husband makes more, it makes sense to have him work more hours while I stay home as much as I can.
I was a dumbass who took her credit too far. Because of that I started a debt relief program but as my credit score keeps going down (because the program tells you to stop paying your credit card) I’m wondering if I should just apply for a personal loan and have a fixed rate to pay it off. I tried applying for a personal loan with sofi to pay off my credit card but got denied. I feel bad asking my husband to co-sign, but I have a higher chance of getting approved.
I pay $270 a month to the debt and have been since December 2023, but I’m so lost on what to do. I stopped paying my Barclays around November 2023.
Should I try to do the personal loan with my husband as the co-signer instead of the debt relief program? Or should I just bite the bullet and file for bankruptcy?
2024.05.04 16:07 FlameHeartWings Belgian Beer Saved Me
So I decided to try an experiment on myself.
I recently read this post from the FODMAP Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/FODMAPS/comments/x1zxzb/solved_my_issues_to_some_degree_by_drinking_a/
It's a shame it didn't get any replies and upvotes other than mine.
I really so think this person was onto something!
Based off a quick Google Search and this post on Reddit, it seemed to me that buying some Belgian Beer specifically Trippel might help solve my current issues.
See, sometimes something either food or stress triggers something in my gut and then no matter what I eat or drink (even water) my gas just builds and builds starting to hurt more and more.
This got so bad once I had to go to the ER TWICE, when I was driving from California to Colorado.
They had to put me on PEPSID IV to reduce my stomach acid buildup apparently, but I also think going to the ER helped to relax me so that helped as well.
Well this time after buying and taking medication with the same main ingredient as Pepcid: Fomotadine and taking some Stomach Relief chews (same ingredient as Pepto Bismal), and eating some burger Patties and drinking alot of water, I was still having issues.
I haven't been getting much sleep lately due to working too much at a job that doesn't pay enough while drowning in bills.
And every church I go to seems to want to kick me out or ignore me.
Also I'm particularly frustrated with being an Incel=Involuntarily Celibate, aka I would like to get laid but I just suck at making it happen.
So, needless to say I am stressed out.
Taking a drive up into the Cheyenne Mountain State Park and listening to the sounds and falling asleep did help, but I still had problems.
So bought a 6-pack of Belgian Trippel Beer from Walmart for about $11, Moterzerlla Cheese for about $2, had a $1 loaf of bread at home, and bought 7 big beef Patties from Carl's Jr. For $1.50 each plus tax.
Went home, and drank 2 beers and ate a double beef Patty with cheese and bread sandwich.
It actually worked surprisingly well.
I fell asleep twice, I woke up after the first time and drank some more of the 2nd beer and the 2nd time I fell asleep I stayed asleep until morning light about.
Saved me a trip to the hospital.
The Beer didn't taste good at first, but after drinking the 1st one and the relief it brought me, it started tasting REALLY good!
submitted by FlameHeartWings to ibs [link] [comments]
I recently read this post from the FODMAP Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/FODMAPS/comments/x1zxzb/solved_my_issues_to_some_degree_by_drinking_a/
It's a shame it didn't get any replies and upvotes other than mine.
I really so think this person was onto something!
Based off a quick Google Search and this post on Reddit, it seemed to me that buying some Belgian Beer specifically Trippel might help solve my current issues.
See, sometimes something either food or stress triggers something in my gut and then no matter what I eat or drink (even water) my gas just builds and builds starting to hurt more and more.
This got so bad once I had to go to the ER TWICE, when I was driving from California to Colorado.
They had to put me on PEPSID IV to reduce my stomach acid buildup apparently, but I also think going to the ER helped to relax me so that helped as well.
Well this time after buying and taking medication with the same main ingredient as Pepcid: Fomotadine and taking some Stomach Relief chews (same ingredient as Pepto Bismal), and eating some burger Patties and drinking alot of water, I was still having issues.
I haven't been getting much sleep lately due to working too much at a job that doesn't pay enough while drowning in bills.
And every church I go to seems to want to kick me out or ignore me.
Also I'm particularly frustrated with being an Incel=Involuntarily Celibate, aka I would like to get laid but I just suck at making it happen.
So, needless to say I am stressed out.
Taking a drive up into the Cheyenne Mountain State Park and listening to the sounds and falling asleep did help, but I still had problems.
So bought a 6-pack of Belgian Trippel Beer from Walmart for about $11, Moterzerlla Cheese for about $2, had a $1 loaf of bread at home, and bought 7 big beef Patties from Carl's Jr. For $1.50 each plus tax.
Went home, and drank 2 beers and ate a double beef Patty with cheese and bread sandwich.
It actually worked surprisingly well.
I fell asleep twice, I woke up after the first time and drank some more of the 2nd beer and the 2nd time I fell asleep I stayed asleep until morning light about.
Saved me a trip to the hospital.
The Beer didn't taste good at first, but after drinking the 1st one and the relief it brought me, it started tasting REALLY good!
2024.05.04 15:21 Electronic-Cherry-67 MLP Fan Fic (Working Title) Prolouge and Chapter 1
Prolouge
So, it all began on that fateful day, a Tuesday if I remember correctly, sometime around April 16th. I was leisurely pedaling my bicycle around the park, just trying to stay active and enjoy the fresh air. With the iconic tune of Bohemian Rhapsody blasting through my headphones, I was in my own little world.
As I glanced down at my watch, it read 2:15pm. "Well, that's enough exercise for today," I thought to myself. I had already been riding for a good hour and was ready to head back home. As I made my way down 1745 Starshine Street, something caught my eye to the right - a mysterious glowing object. Intrigued, I couldn't resist the urge to investigate further.
Curiosity piqued, I steered my bike towards the source of the glow, wondering what I might discover. Little did I know that this impromptu decision would lead to a series of unexpected events that would change the course of my day.
As I made my way closer to the glowing light, I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at the sight that greeted me - a mysterious portal. Intrigued by the possibilities, I decided to test it out by picking up a rock and tossing it in. To my surprise, the rock disappeared into the swirling vortex. Eager to explore further, I leaned in for a closer look. But in my excitement, I lost my balance and tumbled headfirst into the portal.
As I fell through the swirling colors, the familiar tune of "Hotel California" played in my headphones. I found myself surrounded by flashing lights and shadowy figures that looked like horses. I glimpsed rolling landscapes and an airship soaring through the sky. Amidst the chaos, I heard voices saying things like "Where am I?" and "Guys, wake up!" in a confusing mix of sounds.
The journey picked up speed, the scenes blending into a blur of white before a sudden impact shook me. As everything faded to black, I was left pondering the mysterious events that had unfolded before me.
Chapter 1
As my vision slowly started to return, I found myself surrounded by a mesmerizing array of colors, swirling and blending together like a kaleidoscope. The world around me was a blur, and my head throbbed with a relentless pounding, resembling the beat of a drum. Through the haze, I could vaguely make out the silhouettes of five figures standing before me, their voices echoing in my ears.
Concerned, one of them asked, "Are you okay?" Their tone dripped with genuine worry.
Struggling to gather my thoughts, I managed to reply in a barely audible whisper, "I-I-I think so."
Confusion clouded my mind as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. "Where am I?" I questioned, desperately seeking some semblance of understanding.
Soothingly, another figure reassured me, "Don't worry about that right now."
But my struggle to comprehend was further amplified by the fact that I couldn't see clearly without my glasses. The world remained a blurry mess, and I muttered, "Everything's so blurry, I need my glasses."
To my astonishment, a black object floated towards me. As it drew nearer, I recognized it as my glasses, landing perfectly in front of my eyes. A wave of relief washed over me as I delicately placed them on my face, finally able to perceive the world around me with crystal-clear clarity.
However, as soon as I opened my eyes, an unsettling feeling crept over me. Something was undeniably amiss. Instead of the figures I had expected, I found myself surrounded by five majestic horses, each one more unique and enchanting than the last. An orange horse wearing a straw hat, a pink horse with a mane as fluffy as cotton candy, a sky-blue horse with a mane that seemed to be a vibrant rainbow of colors, a white horse with a stunning royal blue mane meticulously curled, and a yellow horse with a wavy, pink mane.
Confusion overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but stammer out, "Uhhh, OK, what's happening?"
To my utter surprise, the horse adorned with a straw hat responded, its voice filled with concern. "Well, we saw you come flying out of something earlier, then watched as you crashed into a wall and got knocked out," it explained, leaving me even more bewildered.
"Wait, you can talk?!" I stuttered, completely taken aback by this surreal encounter.
"Of course I can, why wouldn't I be able to?" the horse replied, its voice carrying a charming southern accent.
A hesitant explanation escaped my lips, "Well, you see, where I come from, horses don't talk."
The horse with the mesmerizing rainbow mane chimed in, adding a touch of playfulness to the conversation. "Alright, so can you get up?" it asked, its words laced with curiosity and a hint of impatience.
I'll give it a shot," I replied, mustering up the courage to stand. However, my attempt was met with a wobbly and unsteady balance that made it incredibly difficult to stay upright.
"Nope, still feeling a bit dazed and dizzy," I admitted, acknowledging my disoriented state.
Curiosity sparked in the pony with the puffy mane as she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be on all fours?"
Confusion washed over me as I responded, "Wait, what do you mean?" Her statement left me utterly perplexed.
With a knowing smile, she explained, "I mean, since you're also a pony, like us. And we-"
"Wait, what?!" I interrupted, my eyes widening in disbelief. The idea of being a pony was completely unfathomable to me.
Suddenly, the pony with the striking blue mane grabbed a mirror. As she did, I couldn't help but notice a soft blue glow emitting from her head. With ease, she levitated the mirror and held it up to my face, revealing the reflection of a pony staring back at me. I was in complete disbelief.
"I think I understand now," I muttered, feeling uneasy as I examined my reflection.
Just as the realization began to sink in, the door creaked open, causing a wave of nervousness to wash over me. "Who's there?" I asked, my voice filled with apprehension.
"Don't worry, darling. I'll go talk to her and let her know you're awake," the pony holding the mirror reassured me, gracefully walking through the door. I strained to hear snippets of their conversation.
"Rarity, what are you telling me?" a voice inquired.
"Twilight, darling, he's awake. He seems a bit confused, though," Rarity responded, shedding light on the situation.
"What do you mean?" Twilight pressed, seeking further explanation.
"He's saying things like he didn't know he was a pony or that he didn't think we could talk," Rarity explained, adding more context to my bewildered state.
Out of nowhere, a new pony suddenly appeared before me, likely the Twilight that Rarity had mentioned earlier. Approaching with concern, she asked, "Are you okay? I went to look for something to help with your injuries."
Feeling a bit disoriented, I replied, "I'm feeling okay, but I'm a little confused. I was just riding my bike when I saw something glowing, then I hit my head on something solid, and now I'm here.”
My words came out in a rush, a hint of panic in my voice.
As luck would have it, my gut feeling turned out to be right - the Twilight Rarity had mentioned earlier was indeed the very same Twilight standing right in front of me. She asked if I had met her other friends, to which I confessed that I had only met Rarity and knew her name, but was clueless about the rest of the ponies. With Twilight's help, I was able to learn the names of all the other ponies in their group.
Adapting to my new pony form took some time, but eventually, I got the hang of it. Twilight took it upon herself to introduce me to her friends, starting with Applejack, who always sported a straw hat. Then came Pinkie Pie, with her wild and puffy hair. Rainbow Dash, with her vibrant rainbow-colored mane, followed suit. Of course, I was already acquainted with Rarity from our earlier encounter. And last but certainly not least, there was Fluttershy, with her soft pink mane that flowed in gentle waves.
Once we settled down, Twilight asked, "Now that we've got that out of the way, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling better now, but I think I might need a few days to fully recover," I replied. The thought of finding my way back home crossed my mind, but for the time being, I decided to set it aside.
Pinkie Pie chimed in, "Can you walk out of the room?"
I hesitated for a moment before admitting, "I've never walked on four legs before, but I'll give it a shot." Determined, I made an attempt to move like a pony. It was a bit challenging at first, but with practice, I soon started to get the hang of it.
"Hey, what's your name?" Rainbow Dash asked, her vibrant blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Oh, it's Benny," I replied, causing the group of ponies to exchange puzzled glances.
"What? 'Benny'? That's not such an unusual name, is it?" I questioned, slightly taken aback by their reaction.
"Well, I've never heard that name before," Fluttershy admitted softly, her gentle voice barely above a whisper.
Alright, well, you guys can just carry on with what you were doing," I suggested, trying to ease the awkwardness. Applejack proposed, her friendly smile encouraging, "Why don't you come along with us?"
"I suppose I could, even though I'm not exactly from around here. Although, I have a feeling the other ponies might find 'Benny' a bit odd," I mused. Twilight suggested, her purple mane shimmering in the sunlight, "That's an easy fix, you could always go by a different name while you're here."
"What do you mean?" I inquired, intrigued by the idea. Twilight explained, "You don't have to stick with 'Benny' while you're in our dimension. You could choose a new name."
"Well, considering my resemblance to the morning, how about 'Daybreak'?" I proposed. Twilight agreed, nodding in approval, "I like Daybreak." Pinkie Pie chimed in, her cheerful demeanor adding to the decision, "Daybreak it is then."
I had a few more burning questions on my mind. "Hey, what's this drill-looking thing sticking out of my head?" I inquired. Rarity replied casually, "Oh, darling, that's your horn."
"My horn? What do you mean by horn?" I pressed for more information. Rarity gestured towards the drill-like object protruding from my head, "That thing."
"Oh, that thing," I acknowledged. "What exactly does it do?" I probed further. Twilight chimed in, "It allows you to perform magic."
"How do I go about using it, though?" I sought clarification. Rarity explained, "It's a bit tricky to explain, but essentially, you just have to focus on what you want to achieve, and then, it sort of just happens."
It suddenly struck me that both Twilight and Rarity also had horns. And then I couldn't help but notice the wings on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as well.
submitted by Electronic-Cherry-67 to mylittlepony [link] [comments]
So, it all began on that fateful day, a Tuesday if I remember correctly, sometime around April 16th. I was leisurely pedaling my bicycle around the park, just trying to stay active and enjoy the fresh air. With the iconic tune of Bohemian Rhapsody blasting through my headphones, I was in my own little world.
As I glanced down at my watch, it read 2:15pm. "Well, that's enough exercise for today," I thought to myself. I had already been riding for a good hour and was ready to head back home. As I made my way down 1745 Starshine Street, something caught my eye to the right - a mysterious glowing object. Intrigued, I couldn't resist the urge to investigate further.
Curiosity piqued, I steered my bike towards the source of the glow, wondering what I might discover. Little did I know that this impromptu decision would lead to a series of unexpected events that would change the course of my day.
As I made my way closer to the glowing light, I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at the sight that greeted me - a mysterious portal. Intrigued by the possibilities, I decided to test it out by picking up a rock and tossing it in. To my surprise, the rock disappeared into the swirling vortex. Eager to explore further, I leaned in for a closer look. But in my excitement, I lost my balance and tumbled headfirst into the portal.
As I fell through the swirling colors, the familiar tune of "Hotel California" played in my headphones. I found myself surrounded by flashing lights and shadowy figures that looked like horses. I glimpsed rolling landscapes and an airship soaring through the sky. Amidst the chaos, I heard voices saying things like "Where am I?" and "Guys, wake up!" in a confusing mix of sounds.
The journey picked up speed, the scenes blending into a blur of white before a sudden impact shook me. As everything faded to black, I was left pondering the mysterious events that had unfolded before me.
Chapter 1
As my vision slowly started to return, I found myself surrounded by a mesmerizing array of colors, swirling and blending together like a kaleidoscope. The world around me was a blur, and my head throbbed with a relentless pounding, resembling the beat of a drum. Through the haze, I could vaguely make out the silhouettes of five figures standing before me, their voices echoing in my ears.
Concerned, one of them asked, "Are you okay?" Their tone dripped with genuine worry.
Struggling to gather my thoughts, I managed to reply in a barely audible whisper, "I-I-I think so."
Confusion clouded my mind as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. "Where am I?" I questioned, desperately seeking some semblance of understanding.
Soothingly, another figure reassured me, "Don't worry about that right now."
But my struggle to comprehend was further amplified by the fact that I couldn't see clearly without my glasses. The world remained a blurry mess, and I muttered, "Everything's so blurry, I need my glasses."
To my astonishment, a black object floated towards me. As it drew nearer, I recognized it as my glasses, landing perfectly in front of my eyes. A wave of relief washed over me as I delicately placed them on my face, finally able to perceive the world around me with crystal-clear clarity.
However, as soon as I opened my eyes, an unsettling feeling crept over me. Something was undeniably amiss. Instead of the figures I had expected, I found myself surrounded by five majestic horses, each one more unique and enchanting than the last. An orange horse wearing a straw hat, a pink horse with a mane as fluffy as cotton candy, a sky-blue horse with a mane that seemed to be a vibrant rainbow of colors, a white horse with a stunning royal blue mane meticulously curled, and a yellow horse with a wavy, pink mane.
Confusion overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but stammer out, "Uhhh, OK, what's happening?"
To my utter surprise, the horse adorned with a straw hat responded, its voice filled with concern. "Well, we saw you come flying out of something earlier, then watched as you crashed into a wall and got knocked out," it explained, leaving me even more bewildered.
"Wait, you can talk?!" I stuttered, completely taken aback by this surreal encounter.
"Of course I can, why wouldn't I be able to?" the horse replied, its voice carrying a charming southern accent.
A hesitant explanation escaped my lips, "Well, you see, where I come from, horses don't talk."
The horse with the mesmerizing rainbow mane chimed in, adding a touch of playfulness to the conversation. "Alright, so can you get up?" it asked, its words laced with curiosity and a hint of impatience.
I'll give it a shot," I replied, mustering up the courage to stand. However, my attempt was met with a wobbly and unsteady balance that made it incredibly difficult to stay upright.
"Nope, still feeling a bit dazed and dizzy," I admitted, acknowledging my disoriented state.
Curiosity sparked in the pony with the puffy mane as she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be on all fours?"
Confusion washed over me as I responded, "Wait, what do you mean?" Her statement left me utterly perplexed.
With a knowing smile, she explained, "I mean, since you're also a pony, like us. And we-"
"Wait, what?!" I interrupted, my eyes widening in disbelief. The idea of being a pony was completely unfathomable to me.
Suddenly, the pony with the striking blue mane grabbed a mirror. As she did, I couldn't help but notice a soft blue glow emitting from her head. With ease, she levitated the mirror and held it up to my face, revealing the reflection of a pony staring back at me. I was in complete disbelief.
"I think I understand now," I muttered, feeling uneasy as I examined my reflection.
Just as the realization began to sink in, the door creaked open, causing a wave of nervousness to wash over me. "Who's there?" I asked, my voice filled with apprehension.
"Don't worry, darling. I'll go talk to her and let her know you're awake," the pony holding the mirror reassured me, gracefully walking through the door. I strained to hear snippets of their conversation.
"Rarity, what are you telling me?" a voice inquired.
"Twilight, darling, he's awake. He seems a bit confused, though," Rarity responded, shedding light on the situation.
"What do you mean?" Twilight pressed, seeking further explanation.
"He's saying things like he didn't know he was a pony or that he didn't think we could talk," Rarity explained, adding more context to my bewildered state.
Out of nowhere, a new pony suddenly appeared before me, likely the Twilight that Rarity had mentioned earlier. Approaching with concern, she asked, "Are you okay? I went to look for something to help with your injuries."
Feeling a bit disoriented, I replied, "I'm feeling okay, but I'm a little confused. I was just riding my bike when I saw something glowing, then I hit my head on something solid, and now I'm here.”
My words came out in a rush, a hint of panic in my voice.
As luck would have it, my gut feeling turned out to be right - the Twilight Rarity had mentioned earlier was indeed the very same Twilight standing right in front of me. She asked if I had met her other friends, to which I confessed that I had only met Rarity and knew her name, but was clueless about the rest of the ponies. With Twilight's help, I was able to learn the names of all the other ponies in their group.
Adapting to my new pony form took some time, but eventually, I got the hang of it. Twilight took it upon herself to introduce me to her friends, starting with Applejack, who always sported a straw hat. Then came Pinkie Pie, with her wild and puffy hair. Rainbow Dash, with her vibrant rainbow-colored mane, followed suit. Of course, I was already acquainted with Rarity from our earlier encounter. And last but certainly not least, there was Fluttershy, with her soft pink mane that flowed in gentle waves.
Once we settled down, Twilight asked, "Now that we've got that out of the way, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling better now, but I think I might need a few days to fully recover," I replied. The thought of finding my way back home crossed my mind, but for the time being, I decided to set it aside.
Pinkie Pie chimed in, "Can you walk out of the room?"
I hesitated for a moment before admitting, "I've never walked on four legs before, but I'll give it a shot." Determined, I made an attempt to move like a pony. It was a bit challenging at first, but with practice, I soon started to get the hang of it.
"Hey, what's your name?" Rainbow Dash asked, her vibrant blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Oh, it's Benny," I replied, causing the group of ponies to exchange puzzled glances.
"What? 'Benny'? That's not such an unusual name, is it?" I questioned, slightly taken aback by their reaction.
"Well, I've never heard that name before," Fluttershy admitted softly, her gentle voice barely above a whisper.
Alright, well, you guys can just carry on with what you were doing," I suggested, trying to ease the awkwardness. Applejack proposed, her friendly smile encouraging, "Why don't you come along with us?"
"I suppose I could, even though I'm not exactly from around here. Although, I have a feeling the other ponies might find 'Benny' a bit odd," I mused. Twilight suggested, her purple mane shimmering in the sunlight, "That's an easy fix, you could always go by a different name while you're here."
"What do you mean?" I inquired, intrigued by the idea. Twilight explained, "You don't have to stick with 'Benny' while you're in our dimension. You could choose a new name."
"Well, considering my resemblance to the morning, how about 'Daybreak'?" I proposed. Twilight agreed, nodding in approval, "I like Daybreak." Pinkie Pie chimed in, her cheerful demeanor adding to the decision, "Daybreak it is then."
I had a few more burning questions on my mind. "Hey, what's this drill-looking thing sticking out of my head?" I inquired. Rarity replied casually, "Oh, darling, that's your horn."
"My horn? What do you mean by horn?" I pressed for more information. Rarity gestured towards the drill-like object protruding from my head, "That thing."
"Oh, that thing," I acknowledged. "What exactly does it do?" I probed further. Twilight chimed in, "It allows you to perform magic."
"How do I go about using it, though?" I sought clarification. Rarity explained, "It's a bit tricky to explain, but essentially, you just have to focus on what you want to achieve, and then, it sort of just happens."
It suddenly struck me that both Twilight and Rarity also had horns. And then I couldn't help but notice the wings on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as well.
2024.05.04 12:53 guiltyofnothing “It's called 'Animal Husbandry', not Animal Dumbassry.” A picture of a dog riding on a truck causes /r/Oregon to riot
The Context:
A user posts a picture ofComments quickly collapse into a torrent of slapfights, accusations of animal cruelty, and red vs blue politics.
The Drama:
Does everyone do this?You guys aren’t going to like hearing this but 95% of working cattle dogs out here in eastern Oregon ride around like this. 99% of the time these dogs dont fall off[Continued:]
I gave you your 4th up vote which I assume is the line of your 70 downvotes 😂
Same people complaining here don’t pickup their dogs shit in the city. They should move to the country haha
I had to scroll to the bottom of the coments to find a rational one. SAD!
you and all your lil inbred friends are gonna get the shit beat outta them if you keep doing this lmao
I’d love to see someone who lives in Portland “beat the shit” out of someone who has horses. That’s cuter than Amy on a Friday night.
Right? They all piss themselves and then run back to their meth den.“i fuck my cousin so you should too yeehaw”
These dog would trade a day of this you watch you portland people fuck trans people
These dogs would pay to watch me fuck trans people? Who am I to deny someone that opportunity? 😂
rent free big dog
everyone here fucks their cousin and their dog and they don’t mind it we jus got some lead in our brains 🤪
“well everyone else does it” is not really an excuse
I think the point they’re making is it’s not as dangerous as it looks. Also it appears they’re tied to the back so they can’t get too close to the edge. Seems fine to me
Fuck you then
Damn really struck a nerve by just suggesting people calm down. Alrighty[…]
Fuck you from me too.
Keep fighting the good fight buddy!
I'm not you buddy cunt. Fuck you.
Right back at ya, pal
it's incredibly shitty and unsafe for the animal and other people on the road.Liberals!
Because you say so? Who cares about you,
Ain’t nothing unsafe in that picture. Dogs not gonna jump of a flat bed going 55 mph.
What would be unsafe is if the dogs were on leash/tether.
In what world is this safe? They could have to brake suddenly, take a sharp turn, hit a huge pothole, swerve to avoid hitting something else, get hit by another vehicle, etc. Any one of those events would to easily lead to that dog’s death.Low speed around the ranch.....60 on the freeway.... NOT THE SAME..And NOT OK.. DON'T TRY TO JUSTIFY THIS THOUGHTLESS P.O.S...again we need a license plate number ...PLEASE.😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Because you say so 😂
Did you know that people can say things that you disagree with and be correct?
lol. Those dogs are smarter than 99% of the liberals in Oregon.[Continued:]
Hurrrr
Certainly smarter than the likely Republican asshole driving the truck.
Don’t choke on that steak in your mouth. Brought to you by that dog that’s 10x’s your intelligence.
The fuck does that even mean? 🤣
That these border collies are herding checks notes cows.I'm an idiot liberal, remember? I don't eat steak.
The fact you can almost put a sentence together is impressive. Next step will be to have that comment make sense!
👆 and you’re talking about putting sentences together 😂
Wow Kevin you really owned the libs there damn
Keep on asking the internet for beard advice 👍 that’s much funnier.[Continued:]
Wow Kevin, it's banger after banger from you. You're on fire Kevin bravo
And you have nothing 🤷🏼♂️
You're so right Kevin wow you really showed me, I'm in such awe of your wit and intelligence. You know so many words I'm so impressed Kevin you're my hero
Followed by the same unintelligent shit you spew. Should I call you Karen? Cause that’s where you are going. Might do you some good to get out a little. You’re starting to sound like that guy in your mom’s basement. You know the kind. Hot pockets in one hand. Keyboard warrior in the other.
Calm down there Kevin your blood pressure is getting a little too high there we don't want anything to happen to you Kevin[…]
It is way past Kevin’s bedtime, he’ll tucker himself out soon
What's it like to wake up every day and be so pathetically upset over something you have no control over?[Continued:]
Great considering you get to read it and feel the need to open your mouth over it. March on liberal. Are you proud of all the homelessness and graffiti as you pass thru here? Liberal policies at work.
Lol, I'm not a liberal. I'll open my mouth over whatever I feel like too. I'm surprised you can open yours with a boot stuck in it.
March on commie!What's it like to be so fucking boring that you have to make this dumb shit your entire personality.
Same shit farmers have been doing for centuries. Rolling their dogs down the road to go catch cows, but now they roll thru the liberal utopia of Portland. Land of meth. Land of homeless. Land of crime. Land of complete failure and all the sudden the Cowboy with the dog is doing something illegal. Y’all need to fucking take another hit of that meth and chill 👍
It's so wild to me how many of you bozos live in the same state as Portland and have such unfounded fears about it, so scared of nothing. It'd be funny if it wasnt so pathetic. "Oh lordy lordy, that big city living is scawy!"
I grew up in the deep south, it's been entirely run by conservatives for decades. If the liberalism of Oregon bothers you so much, you're welcome to head down there. You'll love it, violent crime is higher, poverty is higher, infrastructure is crumbling, education is at the bottom, and drug overdose deaths (your favorite topic) are also higher. Go on down there and get some of that good ol fashioned conservative living. 👍
Right. Because Chicago, every city in California and every blue state is like Heaven right? You need to pull your head out of your ass.[…]
Well see, here's the difference between you and me, slugger. I've been to all those places that you're too scared to go because the TV tells you how super scary it is. They're fine, every place is gonna have its issues. There were areas in my home state that I wouldn't go during the day time. Don't even act like you know anything about Chicago or California, you're just regurgitating horse shit you've been fed, and you only believe it because you live in a bubble and you gotta fit in with your community. Can't go around thinking for yourself, now can ya.
But all that's irrelevant because we have these things called "data" and "statistics". And the data says the placed I'm talking about are worse in all the categories I said.
You need to pull your head out of your ass.Physician heal thyself.
Imagine, all of this because some of us don't like dogs being out in dangerous situations. What is wrong with you?
Well there you go assuming. Typical liberal. I travel all over this country. I’m very aware of all of it. Try again Jack ass. 😂
Blah blah blah. Whatever you say man. You came in here to shit on people, and now that someone is calling you out for the insecure and unlettered baby that you are, you're doing that weird defensive thing where you throw out names and use emojis like a child. In my 40 years on this earth, I have never seen anyone that goes out of their way to shit on other people because they're actually happy. Look inward and grow up. Now I'm done with ya.
You ain’t done with me. You’ve called me an introvert, and an unintelligent hillbilly that is uneducated in the culture of America. Piss off and I’ve got you beat by at least 10 years. I’ve also traveled this country up, down and side to side more times than you’ve been laid. Get over yourself kid. You ain’t got shit.
And 100% of the conservatives in every state…Someone suggests calling the cops:
Enjoy your trump salad this fall 😂 brought to you by Joe Biden 👍
It’s so sad how y’all have made Trump your entire personality
Only to your kind 🤷🏼♂️
Okay Kevin
Everyone does it, the cops don’t care[…]
EveryoneNope. Only assholes do this.
So I guess basically every farm worker with a dog is an asshole then. Got it
I've never seen a farmer put an animal on a flatbed. I've seen them in the back of a normal pickup, but not on something that has no barrier that could protect the dog from falling out. I live out in a small town with a farming community and I have never seen someone be this careless with their animals
Fuck off. Not every farmer does this or is an asshole. People who do this are assholes.
I mean a lot of them do. And the dogs are fineBuy a crate. Strap the crate down in the bed of your truck. Problem solved.
Don’t make this about ‘farm workers’ —I work sheep/outside with three dogs and they go in crates at the back in the end of the day. Farm work ain’t got shit to do with it. Just because you’re too lazy to secure your dog doesn’t mean others aren’t.
Goddamn you are really going out of your way to excuse this here, haha.
It's odd, right?? Then I their checked previous comments...
Did you know there is a whole realm of PetFree?
Dude... I know a lot of farmers and they don't all abuse their dogs like this. All of them actually care about their dogs. This is an asshole move, not a farmer move. This is 1000 times different then driving down a rural road with your dog in a pick up. Don't fucking try to normalize this shit.[Continued:]
How is this abuse? Just because you perceive a danger doesn’t mean there is one.
Yea, if there’s an accident the dog definitely has a better chance of survival on that deck than it does in the cab. Shut the fuck up you cunt.
If there’s an accident all bets are off anyways. But yeah, I’m basically a monster for suggesting this is fairly common and people should calm down. Keep fighting the good fight my guy
It doesn’t matter if it’s common and how are all bets off in an accident? The dogs matter less if there’s an accident? And you being obtuse just make you look stupider.
I mean that every being in the vehical is at risk of death or injury in an accident.[Continued:]
I mean yeah, human life is more valuable than a dog’s life
And you understand that the chances of survival plummet outside the vehicle even in a more minor incident. No one said that the dogs matter more but putting them back there in any setting other than a country road is irresponsible and shitty but I wouldn’t expect any less from those welfare recipients.
I think it depends on the type of accident. If they were inside the cab they’d probably be just roaming around and could just as easily get thrown through a window.
Are you implying being a welfare recipient is a sign of moral failure?
So now we’re clairvoyant and no it’s just what I call farmers that receive subsidies.
Man, you love your insults. I’m sure they really strengthen your case.
I mean how do you even know this guy is a farmer? The fact that you have a derogatory term for a whole group of people is definitely interesting…
They get real worked up it’s great. This is a bullshit thing to do they make harnesses for the animals inside the vehicle. Sorry I called you a cunt.[…]
Well fwiw, thanks for apologizing.
Yeah I can see that and I don’t know the specifics here so I could be wrong. It’s just my opinion
Yup, call 911 and get connected to the appropriate non-emergency police line to report them.And what of the ranch folk?
We’re not seriously wasting 911 dispatchers time and resources on this? I swear people freak out for the most minor shit. These dogs are clearly chained so they can’t get too close to the edge. That’s legal and not nearly as dangerous as it looks. But oh boy, dog not being chauffeured around in a private limo, everybody get angry!
Ok boomer
Yeah, 29 year old boomer here
Okay so you’re a phenomenon then
The worst kind of boomer
Ranch folk in eastern Oregon let their working dogs ride like that often. The one dog is clearly just napping away. Move alongMore discussion of ranch life:
Fuck you and your “ranch folk”
Haha, stop eating any meat or vegetables then
Aww boo boo, you think this is animal abuse. You don’t get out much do you?
You clearly don't get out much if your only hobby is being an asshole on Reddit
Actually just back from a week of backpacking, free from all you judgemental keyboard clowns. Those dogs were fine. Get a life. ✌️Actually I’m very much city folk, 26 years Philly, 23 years Portland. I just travel outside of the I-5 corridor occasionally and do get in other peoples business. ✌️
Who cares you're still an asshole
He is a rancher this is what all ranchers do…… educate yourselvesMore people are urged to get outside:
It's called 'Animal Husbandry', not Animal Dumbassry.
If you can't afford or don't care about the welfare of your animals, then you're a shitty rancher! Do something else!
That rancher has more money they most y’all. You keep sticking to your city way of life I’ll stay away from it. Cheers
You fuckin idiotGet fucked
You realize this is the middle of a highway going 60 mph right?
All your "country living" doesn't apply
That's why you, and this guy are wrong and ignorant
It's country in a fuckin city and it's not safe
Your so woke, you can’t handle real world
No, he's right. Get fucked. A message from the real world.
So brain dead you don’t even realize the world doesn’t revolve around your shitty back country experiences
This is 10000% reportable. I hope you took a pic of the license along with the dog pic, or he's just gonna keep doing itIn the before times…
You need to get out of the city homie, go into a farming and ranching community and almost every truck will have the same god damn thing….. worry about cleaning the tweakers off your streets
I don't live in the city, sir. Move along
Ur def a tweaked if u think this is ok
You need to get out of the city homie, go into a farming and ranching community and almost every truck will have the same god damn thing….. worry about cleaning the tweakers off your streetsWith all due respect,
Get fucked you stupid asshole.
In a time before Reddit kids and pets rode around freely in the beds of pickup trucks, and life was good. Nobody was accused of child abuse, threaten to call the police, people minded their own fucking business….what a time to be alive!Are these dogs better than Redditors?
People just need something to get angry about and with dogs elevated to personhood in modern culture there you go. The comments on this thread are nuts
Agreed 👍
It's a flat bed you boomer moron
Shouldn’t you be vandalizing a university library someplace?
Pshht already did that. Gotta get this pepper spray dye off before work on Monday.Let me guess, you also drank out of the hose and walked uphill to school both ways? And a little lead poisoning never hurt nobody?
No but I’m old enough not to get riled up by a pic of farm dogs riding on the back of a flatbed truck, like they probably always do. Sensationalism at its worst.
Those dogs work harder than most of the folks on this .
Amen, those dogs know there place.
Working out of town with my city dog my daughter asked if I was going to bring a toy out to “ranch dogs name”. I explained that ranch dogs don’t really have toys, they have a ranch. My dogs a good mix between the two but he ain’t a ranch dog that can ride in the bed of a pickup.
That dog is happier the shit. People are soft.
Correct. Bunch of pussy ass people in here.
That means nothing coming from a dipshit like you.
The Flairs:
2024.05.04 10:47 alorable Bay Area Bound: To Stay or Stray?
Standing at a crossroads, my wife and I are grappling with the decision of whether to stay in the Bay Area or explore new horizons. I'm seeking advice from experienced Redditors who have faced similar dilemmas or embarked on journeys beyond California.
Here's a bit about us: my wife and I are first-generation Taiwanese-Americans with a young toddler and plans for expanding our family. We're considering settling down in my hometown in the South Bay primarily for its excellent school district. Although we're both in our late 30s and work as physicians, our careers don't hinge on the tech industry, so Silicon Valley's allure might not extend beyond its educational offerings. However, the close proximity to my late-60s parents in the South Bay and sister in the East Bay is a significant factor keeping us rooted here.
Currently, we're contemplating purchasing a 1960s ranch-style home comprising 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1500 square feet. The prospect of being "house poor" and unable to save for the foreseeable future (529, 401k, brokerage account) has prompted me to entertain the idea of relocating our family to a more financially sustainable environment.
We're exploring options such as Danville for better home value within the Bay Area, or potentially venturing further away to the following cities:
Dallas, Texas (Frisco, Prosper, Southlake)
Chicago, Illinois (Hinsdale, Naperville)
Nashville, Tennessee (Brentwood)
Fairfield County, Connecticut (Stamford, Weston)
Research Triangle, North Carolina (Chapel Hill).
We envision purchasing a larger home with excellent school system without the burden of our networth tied into our home. Although this would entail being distanced from immediate family, we'd be joining countless others in sending our children to nursery schools, public schools, and babysitters. We also realized we are moving away from an Asian-majority area and everything it entails.
We're aware of the privilege inherent in our options and are grateful for the opportunities available to us. To those who've grappled with similar decisions, how did you navigate the decision-making process? Are there any regrets about moving away? We know that acclimating to a larger home and lower living costs elsewhere could diminish our likelihood of returning to California. Any insights or shared experiences would be immensely valued.
Update: We're neurologists specializing in Alzheimer's research, currently affiliated with a major academic medical center. Though our salaries are modest as researchers, our true passion lies in advancing Alzheimer's research, rather than focusing on patient turnover in private practice or pursuing opportunities in pharmacology firms/industry. Excitingly, our research progress has caught the attention of Vanderbilt, Duke, and U Chicago, who are interested in recruiting our lab.
Update: We're currently renting a 2-bedroom condo in the Lakewood area of Sunnyvale (94085). I grew up attending Los Altos High, although we lived in the apartments near 101. LAMV School District has a significant income discrepancy — minorities residing between El Camino and 101, while titans of industry inhabit the area from El Camino to the Hills. I've always envisioned making it to the 'other side of the tracks' (Highway 101 and eventually El Camino).
Update: Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks for all the advice and stories you've shared. This decision has been weighing on me ever since I moved back to the Bay for training. With the pandemic adding extra stress, it's turned into a bit of an existential crisis, especially with a toddler and a growing family.
It seems like there are three main options on the table. One is to settle in the South Bay, renting in a good school district. The second option is heading to the East Bay—Contra Costa County or the Tri-Valley Area—for a bigger home that's still pricey but not as much as the South Bay/Peninsula. And the third option suggests skipping Texas and TN due to weather, culture, and politics, and instead looking at Chicago or the Research Triangle.
Appreciate all your input—it's really helping me figure things out.
submitted by alorable to bayarea [link] [comments]
Here's a bit about us: my wife and I are first-generation Taiwanese-Americans with a young toddler and plans for expanding our family. We're considering settling down in my hometown in the South Bay primarily for its excellent school district. Although we're both in our late 30s and work as physicians, our careers don't hinge on the tech industry, so Silicon Valley's allure might not extend beyond its educational offerings. However, the close proximity to my late-60s parents in the South Bay and sister in the East Bay is a significant factor keeping us rooted here.
Currently, we're contemplating purchasing a 1960s ranch-style home comprising 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1500 square feet. The prospect of being "house poor" and unable to save for the foreseeable future (529, 401k, brokerage account) has prompted me to entertain the idea of relocating our family to a more financially sustainable environment.
We're exploring options such as Danville for better home value within the Bay Area, or potentially venturing further away to the following cities:
Dallas, Texas (Frisco, Prosper, Southlake)
Chicago, Illinois (Hinsdale, Naperville)
Nashville, Tennessee (Brentwood)
Fairfield County, Connecticut (Stamford, Weston)
Research Triangle, North Carolina (Chapel Hill).
We envision purchasing a larger home with excellent school system without the burden of our networth tied into our home. Although this would entail being distanced from immediate family, we'd be joining countless others in sending our children to nursery schools, public schools, and babysitters. We also realized we are moving away from an Asian-majority area and everything it entails.
We're aware of the privilege inherent in our options and are grateful for the opportunities available to us. To those who've grappled with similar decisions, how did you navigate the decision-making process? Are there any regrets about moving away? We know that acclimating to a larger home and lower living costs elsewhere could diminish our likelihood of returning to California. Any insights or shared experiences would be immensely valued.
Update: We're neurologists specializing in Alzheimer's research, currently affiliated with a major academic medical center. Though our salaries are modest as researchers, our true passion lies in advancing Alzheimer's research, rather than focusing on patient turnover in private practice or pursuing opportunities in pharmacology firms/industry. Excitingly, our research progress has caught the attention of Vanderbilt, Duke, and U Chicago, who are interested in recruiting our lab.
Update: We're currently renting a 2-bedroom condo in the Lakewood area of Sunnyvale (94085). I grew up attending Los Altos High, although we lived in the apartments near 101. LAMV School District has a significant income discrepancy — minorities residing between El Camino and 101, while titans of industry inhabit the area from El Camino to the Hills. I've always envisioned making it to the 'other side of the tracks' (Highway 101 and eventually El Camino).
Update: Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks for all the advice and stories you've shared. This decision has been weighing on me ever since I moved back to the Bay for training. With the pandemic adding extra stress, it's turned into a bit of an existential crisis, especially with a toddler and a growing family.
It seems like there are three main options on the table. One is to settle in the South Bay, renting in a good school district. The second option is heading to the East Bay—Contra Costa County or the Tri-Valley Area—for a bigger home that's still pricey but not as much as the South Bay/Peninsula. And the third option suggests skipping Texas and TN due to weather, culture, and politics, and instead looking at Chicago or the Research Triangle.
Appreciate all your input—it's really helping me figure things out.
2024.05.04 02:31 PlasmaShovel Needle in The Haystack 12
Rejoice! An early chapter, because I'll be too busy to post tomorrow. I've been strapped for time this week, but the show must go on!
Anyway, we have a 'radically pro-human' character already, so a 'radically anti-human' character is in order (And even though I created Uanta first, she wasn't very fleshed out until this chapter.) Yes, I'm thinking what you're thinking. No spoilers!
A big thanks to as always.
Prev - First - Next
12: The Winning Side
- Memory Transcription Subject: Uanta, Venlil Exterminator Platoon Captain
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 19th, 2136
The exterminator guild represents many things. Civility. Protection. Strength. These things hold our society together. If it were not for us, order could not persist. However, some people don’t seem to understand this. This duty that we have. This weight that we shoulder. The magnitude of which was completely lost on the empty headed idiots that I was currently standing before.
We stood in my office, with awards and trinkets lining my shelf, desk brimming with reports and files, precious time discarded by this pathetic waste of energy. They were relatively new, but they shouldn’t have been. If I was in charge they wouldn’t have passed basic training. The guild may have been strapped for personnel, but we needed quality over quantity.
They were not from one of my squads. They did not have to be. All of the platoon captains in the office knew my name. They revered me. Any captain, especially a new one—like the failure that could not even discipline his own troops—would flock to the opportunity to have the great Uanta train their officers. I had authority that outclassed my rank.
I eyed the officers, flicking my tail in annoyance. “Do you have any idea what a disgrace you are to this guild?” I began to pace in front of them, slapping one with my tail when he fell out of attention.
They said nothing.
I stopped pacing to look the higher ranking one in the eye. “That was not a rhetorical question officer.”
“Y-yes captain!”
Worm.
I resumed my pacing, steps reverberating with more than sound. “Do you know why? Why you are a failure?”
He stiffened up. “B-because of our search?”
I clasped my paws together. “Oh my stars, you understand basic conduct! I’m so proud of you.” Silence strangled the air, and I sighed. “Now what I don’t quite understand, maybe you could clear it up for me, is why despite your apparent knowledge of this conduct, you still choose to disregard it.”
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But of course, you’ve already transgressed.
“Now why would someone do that?” I asked, when they didn’t respond. “Maybe it makes you feel like a big man? A powerful person? Because if that’s the case, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re no better for your measly authority as an officer.” I crossed my arms behind my back.
“We have a job, as exterminators. Tell me what our job is.”
“To destroy predators captain!” Both shouted in unison.
“Idiots!” I shouted, snarl finding its way to my face. “Our job,” I hissed. “as exterminators of venlil prime, is to keep the public safe. To protect the greater society from threats. It is our duty, to serve the herd. You are a civil servant. Do you understand that?”
“Yes captain!”
“Do you really?”
“Y-yes captain!”
“Because I don’t think you do. Our job is not complicated. Eliminate threats, protect innocents. Two directives. These directives are sacred. Nothing comes before them. Not money, not status, and certainly not some juvenile power fantasy!” I lashed my tail in anger. “As exterminators, we are expected- no, we are required, to carry ourselves with dignity. The guild is a paragon, the paragon, of safety. What do you think it says about us, when we mistreat the people we are supposed to be protecting? Answer me!”
“N-nothing good!” Says one.
The other couldn’t find anything to say.
“It says, that there is nobody to keep them safe. That they can’t even trust their own protectors. People like you are exactly why so many are denouncing the guild right now. People like you are the reason so many think that humans are a better alternative. Does that make you feel powerful?”
“N-no captain!” They said.
“I hope not. Because without the public, we have nothing. The guild does not exist without the people for it to protect. If I ever catch you doing speh like that again, and I will, you wont have the luxury of explaining yourself.”
“Understood captain!”
“Now, there is a silver lining to all this.” My tail betrayed my elation. “Your captain has agreed to do a personnel switch with me, for training purposes.”
Fear gripped them. Blood drained from their faces. The facade of composure shattered, and their eyes widened. They knew what was coming.
“You will report to me, and only me, for the next 12 paws.” I patted them both on the shoulder. “I will break you.” I spoke softly. “I will break you, until there is nothing left but dirt. Then, from the ground, I will reconstruct you into the perfect exterminators. I will enjoy it.”
This was going to be a good learning experience for them.
“You are dismissed.”
Both marched out of my office, looking anemic, probably drowning in fear, maybe a little more disciplined than before, but not by much. They would need more guidance. Much more.
I sighed. There was much work to be done. Intimidating delinquents was the least of my worries. I slumped down into my chair, dropping the posture of authority. I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the importance of my position.
The curfew would go into effect in a few claws, but that was the only sure thing. More refugees were slated to arrive in a paw or two, then it was walked back, then pressure from the UN saw it shoved forward again, public backlash changed it again, and that was only ignored because the refugees were already in transit. All while the magistrate was sitting on the fence as always, trying and failing to keep the favor of both sides.
Wear the colors of both sides, and they’ll all shoot at you.
All while the pro-human groups were getting louder and louder. False calls and angry letters were common, especially to the PD division. They were getting more brazen with their little ‘protests’.
Soon the town would have another 500 or maybe even more humans filing into the little—not so little anymore, swallowing up nearby buildings like a sinkhole—refugee center. The thing is, the guild wanted to crack down on them, and while I would love to go out with a flamer and get rid of them, that’s just not how real life works, and I was a realist.
The absolute worst thing we could do, as an organization, was to mistreat the humans, and I think the humans knew that. Any slight against them would be put up on a pedestal, just like the Marcel case, and only bolster the predator’s political power. Public opinion of the exterminators was already at an all time low. Every case of violence against the humans was the favor of tens, maybe hundreds of venlil lost.
I picked up the name plaque on my desk and inspected it. It was gold, with an engraving displaying my name and rank. A rank I wouldn’t have for long if the guild bit the dust. That’s why my division had a spotless record. Not a single one of my exterminators had ever so much as scratched a human. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t need to play their game, but it was too late to burn the rule book this many turns in. I placed the plaque back on my desk with a thunk.
If everything went well, I would keep climbing the ranks and be able to make some real change, on a global level. I had come far since the raid on my home colony, but it seemed I would have to go even further.
Mother would be proud.
“Enough musing.” I ordered myself. “It’s time to work.”
I stood up from my chair and headed towards the barracks. Down the halls walked many officers, going to and fro from call to office to call to office. Disorder reigned in the halls that were usually so spacious, but now bulged and bowed with the incessant pitter-patter of paws on tile. Claws tapping and paper shuffling summoned the urge to straighten out the whole building, but even if I had the authority, I didn’t have the time.
My mind raced with plans and tasks, even while I was finding my way through the tangled interior of the guild. In the lowest floor of the building, the barracks pulsed with activity. At any given time, there were 10 or more exterminators switching out gear, talking, reporting, and leaving just as fast as they came.
A tall venlil in uniform greeted me at my arrival. “Captain!” He saluted me with his tail, standing at perfect attention. I could see his face through the helmet.
Nolek was my right hand man. He understood why our job was important, and he was reliable, if a little dense at times.
“At ease. I need to talk to you.”
He relaxed. “Yes captain?”
“We’re taking on two freshies for a few paws. I will be training them, but when I’m not around, I want them serving under Gelna.”
“Are you sure? She’s been harsher lately.”
“Yes, she’s the perfect person to rear them.”
“Understood. It will be done.”
“Good man.” I patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to do field work this paw. It looks like we could use the extra help.”
“Of course, would you like to take some of my personnel?”
“That would be lovely. You’ve got some new recruits, correct?”
“Yes, they’re still wet behind the ears, but they’re shaping up nicely.”
“I’ll take them. I’ve got to make sure you aren’t going soft on them.”
“Of course, captain. I’ll send them here.”
Platoon captains didn’t usually go out in the field, but I needed to get out of my head, and this was the perfect way to do so while still being useful. My squads could handle themselves. I made sure of that. Not to mention that’s it’s always a good idea to know your personnel, and this gave me an excuse to finally appraise these new recruits.
“Oh and Nolek?”
“Yes captain?”
“Your fur needs a trim.” I gestured to dismiss him.
“U-understood.” He bowed, and got back to whatever he was doing before.
Like I said, a little dense at times. I can’t think of a single other exterminator that forgets to have their fur cut. It’s like he wanted to go up in flame or something. The suits aren’t foolproof. I’ve seen people turned to dust inside of them, writhing like worms. Unpleasant.
I dawned my fire retardant suit, and left my other uniform in the locker. Nolek’s recruits arrived shortly after, one a krakotl, and the other a venlil. Their posture was lazy, with lowered guards, and they moved carelessly, throwing weight around like fat shadestalkers. I was not impressed. At least they saluted me.
“Hello. I trust you know who I am?”
“Yes captain!” They said.
“What are your names?”
“Denui, captain.” Said the krakotl.
“Lanek, captain.” Said the venlil
I recognized the name. Denui was in the same support group as Meba. As much as I would like to ask him about my herdless friend’s progress, I had enough tact to avoid mentioning Denui’s situation in front of others.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” I signed them to be at ease. “We will be patrolling downtown, near the shopping district, as there’s a higher concentration of disturbances there.”
Both gave me signals of understanding.
We got into a squad car, and drove downtown, with Lanek at the wheel in case manual takeover was required. I was glad to have a licensed driver on the team, because I was horrible with cars, and even though they were self driving, you never know when special maneuvers might be required. It wasn’t long before we had a call to respond to. Even before we made it to the area, something came through the comms.
It was something about a human at a bar. Typical. Humans often drank venlil alcohol without reading the labels. Especially the sad ones. Their biology as predators left much to be desired. Flat face, dull claws—not even claws, nails—and thin skin that broke easily. Devoid of natural weapons, so that they had to learn how to do damage with their squishy bodies.
That’s not to say they were harmless. Far from it. The human figure was deceptively weak. A trained fighter could knock someone unconscious with a single flick of those ‘fists’, and grappling was a whole other topic. When they fought, they fought smart. Sand in the eyes, dislocate the joints, kick the legs out from under you. It was similar to their political strategy, really.
When facing a human, the best practice was to stay out of range, and keep them hopeful. A desperate human is a dangerous human. Yet another reason why endangering them was a bad idea.
Lanek turned to me. “It’s an honor to work with you, captain.”
“Don’t mention it.” I said. “Instead, impress me with your performance.”
That lit a fire under him. “Of course captain!”
I winced at the sound. “That does not include screaming in the car.”
“S-sorry.”
Denui scoffed at his partner. “This is not the time to get all starry eyed, Lanek.”
Lanek was about to reply, but instead his face met the steering wheel as the car came to stop. Nolek wasn’t lying when he said they were wet behind the ears. I was beginning to have doubts about their competency. At least this one seemed passionate. Passion was a powerful tool, when tempered with reason.
We exited the vehicle and approached the bar. Neon lights lined the windows, glowing faintly against the frames. The thrumming of soft music managed to pass through the walls, but the murmur of conversation was almost absent. Almost.
“Fuck you!” Out came a muffled scream from inside the establishment.
I swung open the door, side arm visible in its holster, flamer on my back. Do you know who didn’t have their flamers on their backs? The newbies. However, I didn’t notice that yet.
I took in the scene in an instant. He was not the only human in the bar, another sat in a corner booth with a venlil, both watching the altercation. There were 37 people in the room, including the drunk one. He was sitting at the bar, making shapes with his hands, pointing and shouting in every direction. The bartender was nowhere to be found. Nope, scratch that, his tail was sticking out from behind the bar. Make the tally 38. The human was sitting next to a large white venlil with spots, who was also intoxicated, although not as severely. Every patron in the bar was staring at the scene, some with fear, some with anger. Mostly fear. No one was hurt, yet.
The bystanders are likely safe, as the bar area is empty but for the two sitting there and the barkeeper, but an assurance of safety is a good idea.
Judging by posture, the human in the corner booth is also frightened, and won’t intervene. Not worth paying attention to.
The venlil arguing with the human might be a problem. He obviously lacks tact, or any sense of self-preservation for that matter. I will have to shut him up somehow.
Threat assessment: Moderate to severe, depending on the human’s willingness to listen. He’s well built, and his triceps are especially defined, suggesting a possible background in boxing. Whether experienced or not, a fist fight would be bad. He is obviously shitfaced, so a delicate approach will be necessary. The best course of action is a soft show of force, a firm talking to, and a chance to redeem himself.
In the next instant, the whispers all ceased, and every head in the bar turned to us. Including the gaze of a particularly tipsy human. He looked back to the venlil next to him.
“Of course you called the exsh- ex- excherminaters. You racist bashtards!” He slammed his fist on the bar, sending the whole room reeling.
The venlil next to him started running his mouth. “It’s exactly what you deserve, you monst-”
“Hello! I see we’re having a lively time here, aren’t we?” I interlaced my voice with friendliness, looking around at the bystanders. “Rest assured, everything will be just fine.”
The human eyed me with hatred. I could tell he was imagining hurting me in a million creative ways in his drunk little head.
I ambled towards the bar, newbies following behind. I was acting nonchalant, although I was juggling a volatile situation that could devolve into violence at any moment. Confidence put everyone at ease, including myself, even if it was forced. Inside my head I was thinking up backup plan after backup plan, for any possible situation.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen. We’re all gonna take a deep breath, and then we’re gonna talk this out.” I said.
“Talk!” The human laughed. “Bullschit, yoor all crazies, wid your little flame throwers. What’s wrong? Couldn’t find any animals to burn?” He growled.
I stopped walking. “Is a peaceful resolution not acceptable? Do you want to do the whole song and dance with the flamers and stun batons?”
He sobered up a bit, and stood up from the stool, swaying gently from side to side. “Youh’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“No, that wouldn’t be very fun for either of us. Why don’t we calm down instead?” I kept my voice level.
“Calm down? Calm down?! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?!” He let out a guttural scream that surely scarred his throat. “Everyone I know is dead!”
Grieving. I should have guessed. This will complicate things.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Oh go fuck yourself, you don’t care.”
He was right. “Whether I care or not is irrelevant. It was a horrible event. Still, I am going to have to ask you to leave the bar. You’re causing a disturbance.”
“I have just as much a right to be here as everyone else.”
“And as such, they also have a right to feel safe in public. You’re even scaring the other human here.” I gestured to the corner booth.
The spotted guy sipped on his drink. “Yeah, go crawl back to your den, coward. Maybe if you rammed your ship you could’ve stopped the bombs.” He chuckled.
Every spectator in the room cringed at the words.
This idiot.
No sound. Even the music faded into the back of my perception. The human turned his head towards the venlil next to him. Slowly. His breathing sounded ragged, but he hadn’t exerted himself. The muscles in his arms twitched, while fingers cracked into fists.
“Say that again.”
I have to stop this.
“Huh? So you’re deaf too? Add that to the pil-”
“Silence!” I yelled. “I will not allow this to escalate any further.”
He turned to me, with an intensity that sent my skin crawling up and off my body, were it not for the suit to keep it in line, even the mask unable to hide the burning of his eyes. Then he turned back to the spotted one.
“Say that again, you motherfucker.”
He scoffed, oblivious. “I said, maybe if you had rammed your ship, you could have stopped the bo-”
A flash of skin splayed across his jaw, sending him spiraling into the bar, where a hand slammed onto the back of his skull, pressing him against the counter. The human’s knuckles were split open, with red spilling from the chasm. He probably hurt himself more than the victim.
The human bent down to whisper into his ear. “I’m going to kill you, you little shit.”
My squad stepped forward with their flamers pointing towards him. We were in a venlil bar, just to remind you.
Denui spoke. “Let him go, predator!”
The human straightened himself, still holding the victim down. “What, so you can burn me?”
I was losing my patience. More with the newbies than with the human.
Flamers in a bar? Brahk. Did Nolek teach them nothing?
“Lower your weapons. both of you.” I growled.
Denui and Lanek gave me confused looks, still wielding their flamers.
I glared at them. “Put them down now. I should not have to explain why using flamers in a bar with venlil alcohol is a bad idea.” I pointed to the human. “And you. Stop this, no one is going to hurt you.”
“Fuck. You.” He tightened his grip, eliciting a squeak from the victim.
“If you hurt him, will it help? Will it make anything better? Would it bring your family ba-”
“Don’t you fucking mention them!”
Brahk.
“Okay, you’re hurting, and you have every right to be, but he didn’t do it. No one here had anything to do with the bombing.”
“He’s sure as hell happy about it.” He growled, while the victim trembled in his grasp.
“I understand he was provoking you, but please, don’t make this worse than it already is.”
A drop of liquid fell from behind the helmet. Whether sweat or tears I did not know. “It can only go up from here.”
No no no.
“You’ll only be proving Kalsim right by doing this. Do you want that? Do you want to prove that humans are nothing more than beasts?”
He stiffened.
Oh thank the stars…
I took the chance to continue. “When your people reached out to the stars, they spoke of peace and friendship. Were they lying? Was the extermination fleet right?”
The human shook his head like it was full of bugs. He let go, and the victim fled right out the door. Finding him later was going to be a pain. It was a miracle that it didn’t start a stampede, with most of the bystanders choosing instead to hide under the tables.
At least the guy’s okay. I don’t think the human is a danger anymore.
“Fuck me. Fuck this. Fuck you.” He mumbled, plopping back into the stool and holding his face in his hands. “Fuck this planet. Fuck this bar. Fuck space. Fuck birds. Fuck the galaxy.” His voice was breaking, and his forearms had streaks of liquid running down them. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK.” The last word startled even me, with consonants carrying force like pressure waves. He grabbed the rest of his drink, still full of what I can only assume was 80 something percent, and sent it straight down into his stomach.
That’s gonna leave a nasty hangover.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Please follow me outside. UN personnel should arrive soon.”
We couldn’t bring him into custody, or rather, we could, but I wouldn’t want that shit show on my paws, so throwing the responsibility of handling him onto the UN for the time being. After all, the humans were very strict with diplomatic incidents, and their own punishments would work just fine, with no chance of bad publicity on us. As such, I gave them a call.
The human stood up on wobbly legs. “Uh huh.”
Monster.
I led him outside, with newbies trailing behind, and soon the UN truck with their obnoxious tactical gear, and their badges arrived. Two officers stepped out, then slapping a pair of hand cuffs on the human, and herding him into the back of the truck.
“Before you go, I need your ID for the report.”
“Fuck me, fine.” He produced a fold out wallet from his pocket, from which he grabbed a little plastic rectangle.
I snapped a picture of the card. “We are done here. The guild will be in touch.”
He snatched the card back from me. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” The sound of the truck door shutting followed.
I turned to leave, and gestured for the newbies to follow suit. They were shaken. It was because they lacked experience. They panicked, and acted without thinking. A common problem for new officers, but inexcusable in a life or death situation. I glared at them, letting my voice take on a deeper tone. “We will talk about this later.”
They gave me nervous gestures of confirmation. We made our way towards the squad car. I did not miss the human slinking out of the bar to follow us.
“Do not panic, but there is a human following us.”
Lanek panicked. Denui got nervous again.
“What did I just say?” I sighed. “It’s fine. As you will soon see, humans are easy to deal with as long as you follow the rules. So be quiet and listen.”
The human moved without grace or stealth, making a b-line towards us and the car. I turned to look at her. The venlil she was sitting with was bounding after her, grabbing on limbs and clothing to pull her back towards the bar. I could just barely hear what he was saying.
“Do…the…ght…urt…ou.” He half whispered.
The human was much less secretive with her speech. “It’s fine, they seem nice.” She waved an arm up in the air. “Hey! Wait up a sec!”
Speh, this is one of the crazy ones, isn’t it?
She jogged over, making the newbies stiffen up into living statues. “Hi there.”
“Hello. What is it?”
She did a full body bow, making a right angle with legs and torso. “Thank you so much for what you did back there. I thought all exterminators were crazy, but I was obviously wrong. I’m sorry for thinking badly of you.”
This was perhaps the last thing I expected. “Um, yes. I was just doing my job.”
She righted herself. “You don’t get it! I’ve seen people come back covered in bruises, or even with scorch marks. I’ve never seen one of you handle a situation so delicately. I thought he was gonna end up soot.”
Her venlil friend caught up to her, looking worried.
I flicked an ear. “We would all be soot if a flamer was fired inside a bar. The whole building would have gone up in seconds.” I glanced back at my junior officers, who glanced towards the ground.
“Still, you were so lenient with him! Ben, that’s his name by the way. Ben lost his daughter in the bombings, so he’s been drinking himself to death. I keep telling him he’s gonna destroy his liver but he wont listen to me. Anyway he’s taking it really hard, and I’m sorry he was such a nuisance. I think your talk helped him. I hope the poor guy he punched is okay. He-”
“I’m sorry officer, please excuse her, we don’t mean to disturb you.” Said her friend. “Taylor, we should get going. Don’t you want to go to the book club?” He pulled on her clothes.
“Don’t worry, it can wait.” She exuded friendliness.
Wow. Did she really not get that hint?
She turned back to me. “I just want to say that I really admire what you did. I wish more exterminators were as understanding as you. Would you tell me your name? Mine’s Taylor, if you didn’t catch it already.” She giggled.
“Uanta.” I would be lying if I said the interaction wasn’t throwing me off my game.
“Uanta. What a pretty name! I’ve never heard of a venlil with a name like that.”
The worried venlil’s tugging intensified.
That’s because it’s not a venlil name.
“It’s a fissan name.”
She brought a hand to her chin. “Hmm. Can’t say I’m too familiar with them. Anyway, here.” She handed me a band of metal with a jewel enshrined in the center.
I picked up the band between two claws. “What’s this?”
“A ring, you wear it on your fingers, or claws, or whatever you guys call your digits. It’s real garnet in there! Whenever you look at it, you can remember how thankful us humans are for your patience.”
What an air-headed predator.
I eyed her. “Uh huh.”
“Well, I should probably be on my way. I hope you’ll keep being awesome. See you around!” She walked off with her friend, who was now quite obviously scolding her.
What just happened?
“Captain?” Lanek asked.
I snapped out of my thoughts. “Y-yes, what?”
“Are we gonna go?”
“Yes.” I pocketed the ring.
After a few more minor calls, which were mostly overreactions, the curfew went into effect, and the humans all went back to the refugee center. I took any moment not occupied by duties to explain to the newbies exactly what went wrong with the first encounter, and also to explain the guidelines for human interaction.
“Have you seen the Marcel case?”
“Everyone has, captain.”
“Then you know what a boon it was for human relations.”
They both stared wide eyed. They understood.
“When you think about it for a just a moment, you see that every time one of them is hurt, it ruins our reputation.” I said.
“What an underhanded tactic!” Denui squawked.
“Yes.” I replied.
We were now nearing the office again, ready to hang up our suits and file the reports. The newbies were chewing on their thoughts, as if what I just explained was a grand revelation. It wasn’t. It was common sense. But maybe common sense wasn’t as common as I thought.
In the final moments before we would arrive, I chose to rest my eyes. My brain was running on empty; with all the work I was doing, I was barely sleeping. A shame I wouldn’t get to rest for the end of the drive.
“Captain?”
I opened an eye. “Yes Lanek?”
“When you were talking with that crazy human, you said your name was a fissan one. What-”
“Lanek.” I tried to keep my voice level. “My personal life is of no concern to you.”
“O-of course. I apologize, captain.”
Soon the car pulled into the garage, with the metal door closing behind us, leaving us in the yellow light of the indoor parking lot. We entered the barracks, peeling off the tough second skin that was our suits. I took a deep breath. The air tasted of rubber.
“I expect you to take my advice to heart. I will not see my officers causing bar-fires.”
“Yes captain.” They said.
“Lanek, you are dismissed. Denui, I wish to speak with you.”
They eyed each other with worry. Lanek walked off to go do stars know what, and I was left with the herdless one.
“Denui, I want to talk to you about the support group.”
He stiffened. “Y-yes c-captain? How did you know about t-that? If you d-don’t mind me asking.”
“I have a close friend in the same group as you.”
His expression instantly changed to one of confusion. “Really?”
“Yes. His name is Meba. I wanted to ask how he’s doing. Is he making progress?”
“Oh. Well, I haven’t really talked to him much. He’s very… quiet. I have no clue if he’s making progress, he’s only been there for one meeting.”
I suppose I might be getting ahead of myself.
“I see. Well, thank you. I’d like you to keep me updated on him if you don’t mind.”
“I can do that. Um… if you don’t mind me asking. What’s your relationship with him?”
How would I describe it?
I sighed, only giving him a look.
“O-of course, none of my business.”
“Good. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you captain.”
He left the barracks, and I soon followed suit, only stopping on the way to my office to drop of the ring at the scanner room. You never know when something might have a camera, a microphone, or even a tracker in it. Surprisingly, it was not only spyware free, but also a genuine gemstone. Not even artificially grown.
I sat in my office, feeling the little metal band. It was cold to the touch, almost unnaturally so. It fit rather snugly around my digits, only comfortable on the thinner ones. I had half a mind to throw the trinket away, no matter how precious the stone, but for some reason I didn’t want to.
What harm could it do, anyway? There’s nothing planted in it.
It was very pretty. The stone was a deep red, cut roughly, with a shine that rivaled the polished metal it sat in.
I yawned. My body was almost as tired as my mind. Before I headed home, I checked my pad. Meba had still not replied to, or even read my messages, even though we had talked on call.
“Typical.”
I was worried about him. He really did change after the raid. At least he was socializing, or so he said. I really hoped he was telling the truth. But all that stuff with the riot; what if he was wrapped up in something sketchy? I would have to check on him again.
I sent him a message.
“Hey, hope you’re doing well. I just got done with work. How’s it going?”
He would find a herd soon, I just knew it. He was going to get better. I was going to make sure of it.
submitted by PlasmaShovel to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Anyway, we have a 'radically pro-human' character already, so a 'radically anti-human' character is in order (And even though I created Uanta first, she wasn't very fleshed out until this chapter.) Yes, I'm thinking what you're thinking. No spoilers!
A big thanks to as always.
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- Memory Transcription Subject: Uanta, Venlil Exterminator Platoon Captain
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 19th, 2136
The exterminator guild represents many things. Civility. Protection. Strength. These things hold our society together. If it were not for us, order could not persist. However, some people don’t seem to understand this. This duty that we have. This weight that we shoulder. The magnitude of which was completely lost on the empty headed idiots that I was currently standing before.
We stood in my office, with awards and trinkets lining my shelf, desk brimming with reports and files, precious time discarded by this pathetic waste of energy. They were relatively new, but they shouldn’t have been. If I was in charge they wouldn’t have passed basic training. The guild may have been strapped for personnel, but we needed quality over quantity.
They were not from one of my squads. They did not have to be. All of the platoon captains in the office knew my name. They revered me. Any captain, especially a new one—like the failure that could not even discipline his own troops—would flock to the opportunity to have the great Uanta train their officers. I had authority that outclassed my rank.
I eyed the officers, flicking my tail in annoyance. “Do you have any idea what a disgrace you are to this guild?” I began to pace in front of them, slapping one with my tail when he fell out of attention.
They said nothing.
I stopped pacing to look the higher ranking one in the eye. “That was not a rhetorical question officer.”
“Y-yes captain!”
Worm.
I resumed my pacing, steps reverberating with more than sound. “Do you know why? Why you are a failure?”
He stiffened up. “B-because of our search?”
I clasped my paws together. “Oh my stars, you understand basic conduct! I’m so proud of you.” Silence strangled the air, and I sighed. “Now what I don’t quite understand, maybe you could clear it up for me, is why despite your apparent knowledge of this conduct, you still choose to disregard it.”
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But of course, you’ve already transgressed.
“Now why would someone do that?” I asked, when they didn’t respond. “Maybe it makes you feel like a big man? A powerful person? Because if that’s the case, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re no better for your measly authority as an officer.” I crossed my arms behind my back.
“We have a job, as exterminators. Tell me what our job is.”
“To destroy predators captain!” Both shouted in unison.
“Idiots!” I shouted, snarl finding its way to my face. “Our job,” I hissed. “as exterminators of venlil prime, is to keep the public safe. To protect the greater society from threats. It is our duty, to serve the herd. You are a civil servant. Do you understand that?”
“Yes captain!”
“Do you really?”
“Y-yes captain!”
“Because I don’t think you do. Our job is not complicated. Eliminate threats, protect innocents. Two directives. These directives are sacred. Nothing comes before them. Not money, not status, and certainly not some juvenile power fantasy!” I lashed my tail in anger. “As exterminators, we are expected- no, we are required, to carry ourselves with dignity. The guild is a paragon, the paragon, of safety. What do you think it says about us, when we mistreat the people we are supposed to be protecting? Answer me!”
“N-nothing good!” Says one.
The other couldn’t find anything to say.
“It says, that there is nobody to keep them safe. That they can’t even trust their own protectors. People like you are exactly why so many are denouncing the guild right now. People like you are the reason so many think that humans are a better alternative. Does that make you feel powerful?”
“N-no captain!” They said.
“I hope not. Because without the public, we have nothing. The guild does not exist without the people for it to protect. If I ever catch you doing speh like that again, and I will, you wont have the luxury of explaining yourself.”
“Understood captain!”
“Now, there is a silver lining to all this.” My tail betrayed my elation. “Your captain has agreed to do a personnel switch with me, for training purposes.”
Fear gripped them. Blood drained from their faces. The facade of composure shattered, and their eyes widened. They knew what was coming.
“You will report to me, and only me, for the next 12 paws.” I patted them both on the shoulder. “I will break you.” I spoke softly. “I will break you, until there is nothing left but dirt. Then, from the ground, I will reconstruct you into the perfect exterminators. I will enjoy it.”
This was going to be a good learning experience for them.
“You are dismissed.”
Both marched out of my office, looking anemic, probably drowning in fear, maybe a little more disciplined than before, but not by much. They would need more guidance. Much more.
I sighed. There was much work to be done. Intimidating delinquents was the least of my worries. I slumped down into my chair, dropping the posture of authority. I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the importance of my position.
The curfew would go into effect in a few claws, but that was the only sure thing. More refugees were slated to arrive in a paw or two, then it was walked back, then pressure from the UN saw it shoved forward again, public backlash changed it again, and that was only ignored because the refugees were already in transit. All while the magistrate was sitting on the fence as always, trying and failing to keep the favor of both sides.
Wear the colors of both sides, and they’ll all shoot at you.
All while the pro-human groups were getting louder and louder. False calls and angry letters were common, especially to the PD division. They were getting more brazen with their little ‘protests’.
Soon the town would have another 500 or maybe even more humans filing into the little—not so little anymore, swallowing up nearby buildings like a sinkhole—refugee center. The thing is, the guild wanted to crack down on them, and while I would love to go out with a flamer and get rid of them, that’s just not how real life works, and I was a realist.
The absolute worst thing we could do, as an organization, was to mistreat the humans, and I think the humans knew that. Any slight against them would be put up on a pedestal, just like the Marcel case, and only bolster the predator’s political power. Public opinion of the exterminators was already at an all time low. Every case of violence against the humans was the favor of tens, maybe hundreds of venlil lost.
I picked up the name plaque on my desk and inspected it. It was gold, with an engraving displaying my name and rank. A rank I wouldn’t have for long if the guild bit the dust. That’s why my division had a spotless record. Not a single one of my exterminators had ever so much as scratched a human. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t need to play their game, but it was too late to burn the rule book this many turns in. I placed the plaque back on my desk with a thunk.
If everything went well, I would keep climbing the ranks and be able to make some real change, on a global level. I had come far since the raid on my home colony, but it seemed I would have to go even further.
Mother would be proud.
“Enough musing.” I ordered myself. “It’s time to work.”
I stood up from my chair and headed towards the barracks. Down the halls walked many officers, going to and fro from call to office to call to office. Disorder reigned in the halls that were usually so spacious, but now bulged and bowed with the incessant pitter-patter of paws on tile. Claws tapping and paper shuffling summoned the urge to straighten out the whole building, but even if I had the authority, I didn’t have the time.
My mind raced with plans and tasks, even while I was finding my way through the tangled interior of the guild. In the lowest floor of the building, the barracks pulsed with activity. At any given time, there were 10 or more exterminators switching out gear, talking, reporting, and leaving just as fast as they came.
A tall venlil in uniform greeted me at my arrival. “Captain!” He saluted me with his tail, standing at perfect attention. I could see his face through the helmet.
Nolek was my right hand man. He understood why our job was important, and he was reliable, if a little dense at times.
“At ease. I need to talk to you.”
He relaxed. “Yes captain?”
“We’re taking on two freshies for a few paws. I will be training them, but when I’m not around, I want them serving under Gelna.”
“Are you sure? She’s been harsher lately.”
“Yes, she’s the perfect person to rear them.”
“Understood. It will be done.”
“Good man.” I patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to do field work this paw. It looks like we could use the extra help.”
“Of course, would you like to take some of my personnel?”
“That would be lovely. You’ve got some new recruits, correct?”
“Yes, they’re still wet behind the ears, but they’re shaping up nicely.”
“I’ll take them. I’ve got to make sure you aren’t going soft on them.”
“Of course, captain. I’ll send them here.”
Platoon captains didn’t usually go out in the field, but I needed to get out of my head, and this was the perfect way to do so while still being useful. My squads could handle themselves. I made sure of that. Not to mention that’s it’s always a good idea to know your personnel, and this gave me an excuse to finally appraise these new recruits.
“Oh and Nolek?”
“Yes captain?”
“Your fur needs a trim.” I gestured to dismiss him.
“U-understood.” He bowed, and got back to whatever he was doing before.
Like I said, a little dense at times. I can’t think of a single other exterminator that forgets to have their fur cut. It’s like he wanted to go up in flame or something. The suits aren’t foolproof. I’ve seen people turned to dust inside of them, writhing like worms. Unpleasant.
I dawned my fire retardant suit, and left my other uniform in the locker. Nolek’s recruits arrived shortly after, one a krakotl, and the other a venlil. Their posture was lazy, with lowered guards, and they moved carelessly, throwing weight around like fat shadestalkers. I was not impressed. At least they saluted me.
“Hello. I trust you know who I am?”
“Yes captain!” They said.
“What are your names?”
“Denui, captain.” Said the krakotl.
“Lanek, captain.” Said the venlil
I recognized the name. Denui was in the same support group as Meba. As much as I would like to ask him about my herdless friend’s progress, I had enough tact to avoid mentioning Denui’s situation in front of others.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” I signed them to be at ease. “We will be patrolling downtown, near the shopping district, as there’s a higher concentration of disturbances there.”
Both gave me signals of understanding.
We got into a squad car, and drove downtown, with Lanek at the wheel in case manual takeover was required. I was glad to have a licensed driver on the team, because I was horrible with cars, and even though they were self driving, you never know when special maneuvers might be required. It wasn’t long before we had a call to respond to. Even before we made it to the area, something came through the comms.
It was something about a human at a bar. Typical. Humans often drank venlil alcohol without reading the labels. Especially the sad ones. Their biology as predators left much to be desired. Flat face, dull claws—not even claws, nails—and thin skin that broke easily. Devoid of natural weapons, so that they had to learn how to do damage with their squishy bodies.
That’s not to say they were harmless. Far from it. The human figure was deceptively weak. A trained fighter could knock someone unconscious with a single flick of those ‘fists’, and grappling was a whole other topic. When they fought, they fought smart. Sand in the eyes, dislocate the joints, kick the legs out from under you. It was similar to their political strategy, really.
When facing a human, the best practice was to stay out of range, and keep them hopeful. A desperate human is a dangerous human. Yet another reason why endangering them was a bad idea.
Lanek turned to me. “It’s an honor to work with you, captain.”
“Don’t mention it.” I said. “Instead, impress me with your performance.”
That lit a fire under him. “Of course captain!”
I winced at the sound. “That does not include screaming in the car.”
“S-sorry.”
Denui scoffed at his partner. “This is not the time to get all starry eyed, Lanek.”
Lanek was about to reply, but instead his face met the steering wheel as the car came to stop. Nolek wasn’t lying when he said they were wet behind the ears. I was beginning to have doubts about their competency. At least this one seemed passionate. Passion was a powerful tool, when tempered with reason.
We exited the vehicle and approached the bar. Neon lights lined the windows, glowing faintly against the frames. The thrumming of soft music managed to pass through the walls, but the murmur of conversation was almost absent. Almost.
“Fuck you!” Out came a muffled scream from inside the establishment.
I swung open the door, side arm visible in its holster, flamer on my back. Do you know who didn’t have their flamers on their backs? The newbies. However, I didn’t notice that yet.
I took in the scene in an instant. He was not the only human in the bar, another sat in a corner booth with a venlil, both watching the altercation. There were 37 people in the room, including the drunk one. He was sitting at the bar, making shapes with his hands, pointing and shouting in every direction. The bartender was nowhere to be found. Nope, scratch that, his tail was sticking out from behind the bar. Make the tally 38. The human was sitting next to a large white venlil with spots, who was also intoxicated, although not as severely. Every patron in the bar was staring at the scene, some with fear, some with anger. Mostly fear. No one was hurt, yet.
The bystanders are likely safe, as the bar area is empty but for the two sitting there and the barkeeper, but an assurance of safety is a good idea.
Judging by posture, the human in the corner booth is also frightened, and won’t intervene. Not worth paying attention to.
The venlil arguing with the human might be a problem. He obviously lacks tact, or any sense of self-preservation for that matter. I will have to shut him up somehow.
Threat assessment: Moderate to severe, depending on the human’s willingness to listen. He’s well built, and his triceps are especially defined, suggesting a possible background in boxing. Whether experienced or not, a fist fight would be bad. He is obviously shitfaced, so a delicate approach will be necessary. The best course of action is a soft show of force, a firm talking to, and a chance to redeem himself.
In the next instant, the whispers all ceased, and every head in the bar turned to us. Including the gaze of a particularly tipsy human. He looked back to the venlil next to him.
“Of course you called the exsh- ex- excherminaters. You racist bashtards!” He slammed his fist on the bar, sending the whole room reeling.
The venlil next to him started running his mouth. “It’s exactly what you deserve, you monst-”
“Hello! I see we’re having a lively time here, aren’t we?” I interlaced my voice with friendliness, looking around at the bystanders. “Rest assured, everything will be just fine.”
The human eyed me with hatred. I could tell he was imagining hurting me in a million creative ways in his drunk little head.
I ambled towards the bar, newbies following behind. I was acting nonchalant, although I was juggling a volatile situation that could devolve into violence at any moment. Confidence put everyone at ease, including myself, even if it was forced. Inside my head I was thinking up backup plan after backup plan, for any possible situation.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen. We’re all gonna take a deep breath, and then we’re gonna talk this out.” I said.
“Talk!” The human laughed. “Bullschit, yoor all crazies, wid your little flame throwers. What’s wrong? Couldn’t find any animals to burn?” He growled.
I stopped walking. “Is a peaceful resolution not acceptable? Do you want to do the whole song and dance with the flamers and stun batons?”
He sobered up a bit, and stood up from the stool, swaying gently from side to side. “Youh’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“No, that wouldn’t be very fun for either of us. Why don’t we calm down instead?” I kept my voice level.
“Calm down? Calm down?! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?!” He let out a guttural scream that surely scarred his throat. “Everyone I know is dead!”
Grieving. I should have guessed. This will complicate things.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Oh go fuck yourself, you don’t care.”
He was right. “Whether I care or not is irrelevant. It was a horrible event. Still, I am going to have to ask you to leave the bar. You’re causing a disturbance.”
“I have just as much a right to be here as everyone else.”
“And as such, they also have a right to feel safe in public. You’re even scaring the other human here.” I gestured to the corner booth.
The spotted guy sipped on his drink. “Yeah, go crawl back to your den, coward. Maybe if you rammed your ship you could’ve stopped the bombs.” He chuckled.
Every spectator in the room cringed at the words.
This idiot.
No sound. Even the music faded into the back of my perception. The human turned his head towards the venlil next to him. Slowly. His breathing sounded ragged, but he hadn’t exerted himself. The muscles in his arms twitched, while fingers cracked into fists.
“Say that again.”
I have to stop this.
“Huh? So you’re deaf too? Add that to the pil-”
“Silence!” I yelled. “I will not allow this to escalate any further.”
He turned to me, with an intensity that sent my skin crawling up and off my body, were it not for the suit to keep it in line, even the mask unable to hide the burning of his eyes. Then he turned back to the spotted one.
“Say that again, you motherfucker.”
He scoffed, oblivious. “I said, maybe if you had rammed your ship, you could have stopped the bo-”
A flash of skin splayed across his jaw, sending him spiraling into the bar, where a hand slammed onto the back of his skull, pressing him against the counter. The human’s knuckles were split open, with red spilling from the chasm. He probably hurt himself more than the victim.
The human bent down to whisper into his ear. “I’m going to kill you, you little shit.”
My squad stepped forward with their flamers pointing towards him. We were in a venlil bar, just to remind you.
Denui spoke. “Let him go, predator!”
The human straightened himself, still holding the victim down. “What, so you can burn me?”
I was losing my patience. More with the newbies than with the human.
Flamers in a bar? Brahk. Did Nolek teach them nothing?
“Lower your weapons. both of you.” I growled.
Denui and Lanek gave me confused looks, still wielding their flamers.
I glared at them. “Put them down now. I should not have to explain why using flamers in a bar with venlil alcohol is a bad idea.” I pointed to the human. “And you. Stop this, no one is going to hurt you.”
“Fuck. You.” He tightened his grip, eliciting a squeak from the victim.
“If you hurt him, will it help? Will it make anything better? Would it bring your family ba-”
“Don’t you fucking mention them!”
Brahk.
“Okay, you’re hurting, and you have every right to be, but he didn’t do it. No one here had anything to do with the bombing.”
“He’s sure as hell happy about it.” He growled, while the victim trembled in his grasp.
“I understand he was provoking you, but please, don’t make this worse than it already is.”
A drop of liquid fell from behind the helmet. Whether sweat or tears I did not know. “It can only go up from here.”
No no no.
“You’ll only be proving Kalsim right by doing this. Do you want that? Do you want to prove that humans are nothing more than beasts?”
He stiffened.
Oh thank the stars…
I took the chance to continue. “When your people reached out to the stars, they spoke of peace and friendship. Were they lying? Was the extermination fleet right?”
The human shook his head like it was full of bugs. He let go, and the victim fled right out the door. Finding him later was going to be a pain. It was a miracle that it didn’t start a stampede, with most of the bystanders choosing instead to hide under the tables.
At least the guy’s okay. I don’t think the human is a danger anymore.
“Fuck me. Fuck this. Fuck you.” He mumbled, plopping back into the stool and holding his face in his hands. “Fuck this planet. Fuck this bar. Fuck space. Fuck birds. Fuck the galaxy.” His voice was breaking, and his forearms had streaks of liquid running down them. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK.” The last word startled even me, with consonants carrying force like pressure waves. He grabbed the rest of his drink, still full of what I can only assume was 80 something percent, and sent it straight down into his stomach.
That’s gonna leave a nasty hangover.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Please follow me outside. UN personnel should arrive soon.”
We couldn’t bring him into custody, or rather, we could, but I wouldn’t want that shit show on my paws, so throwing the responsibility of handling him onto the UN for the time being. After all, the humans were very strict with diplomatic incidents, and their own punishments would work just fine, with no chance of bad publicity on us. As such, I gave them a call.
The human stood up on wobbly legs. “Uh huh.”
Monster.
I led him outside, with newbies trailing behind, and soon the UN truck with their obnoxious tactical gear, and their badges arrived. Two officers stepped out, then slapping a pair of hand cuffs on the human, and herding him into the back of the truck.
“Before you go, I need your ID for the report.”
“Fuck me, fine.” He produced a fold out wallet from his pocket, from which he grabbed a little plastic rectangle.
I snapped a picture of the card. “We are done here. The guild will be in touch.”
He snatched the card back from me. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” The sound of the truck door shutting followed.
I turned to leave, and gestured for the newbies to follow suit. They were shaken. It was because they lacked experience. They panicked, and acted without thinking. A common problem for new officers, but inexcusable in a life or death situation. I glared at them, letting my voice take on a deeper tone. “We will talk about this later.”
They gave me nervous gestures of confirmation. We made our way towards the squad car. I did not miss the human slinking out of the bar to follow us.
“Do not panic, but there is a human following us.”
Lanek panicked. Denui got nervous again.
“What did I just say?” I sighed. “It’s fine. As you will soon see, humans are easy to deal with as long as you follow the rules. So be quiet and listen.”
The human moved without grace or stealth, making a b-line towards us and the car. I turned to look at her. The venlil she was sitting with was bounding after her, grabbing on limbs and clothing to pull her back towards the bar. I could just barely hear what he was saying.
“Do…the…ght…urt…ou.” He half whispered.
The human was much less secretive with her speech. “It’s fine, they seem nice.” She waved an arm up in the air. “Hey! Wait up a sec!”
Speh, this is one of the crazy ones, isn’t it?
She jogged over, making the newbies stiffen up into living statues. “Hi there.”
“Hello. What is it?”
She did a full body bow, making a right angle with legs and torso. “Thank you so much for what you did back there. I thought all exterminators were crazy, but I was obviously wrong. I’m sorry for thinking badly of you.”
This was perhaps the last thing I expected. “Um, yes. I was just doing my job.”
She righted herself. “You don’t get it! I’ve seen people come back covered in bruises, or even with scorch marks. I’ve never seen one of you handle a situation so delicately. I thought he was gonna end up soot.”
Her venlil friend caught up to her, looking worried.
I flicked an ear. “We would all be soot if a flamer was fired inside a bar. The whole building would have gone up in seconds.” I glanced back at my junior officers, who glanced towards the ground.
“Still, you were so lenient with him! Ben, that’s his name by the way. Ben lost his daughter in the bombings, so he’s been drinking himself to death. I keep telling him he’s gonna destroy his liver but he wont listen to me. Anyway he’s taking it really hard, and I’m sorry he was such a nuisance. I think your talk helped him. I hope the poor guy he punched is okay. He-”
“I’m sorry officer, please excuse her, we don’t mean to disturb you.” Said her friend. “Taylor, we should get going. Don’t you want to go to the book club?” He pulled on her clothes.
“Don’t worry, it can wait.” She exuded friendliness.
Wow. Did she really not get that hint?
She turned back to me. “I just want to say that I really admire what you did. I wish more exterminators were as understanding as you. Would you tell me your name? Mine’s Taylor, if you didn’t catch it already.” She giggled.
“Uanta.” I would be lying if I said the interaction wasn’t throwing me off my game.
“Uanta. What a pretty name! I’ve never heard of a venlil with a name like that.”
The worried venlil’s tugging intensified.
That’s because it’s not a venlil name.
“It’s a fissan name.”
She brought a hand to her chin. “Hmm. Can’t say I’m too familiar with them. Anyway, here.” She handed me a band of metal with a jewel enshrined in the center.
I picked up the band between two claws. “What’s this?”
“A ring, you wear it on your fingers, or claws, or whatever you guys call your digits. It’s real garnet in there! Whenever you look at it, you can remember how thankful us humans are for your patience.”
What an air-headed predator.
I eyed her. “Uh huh.”
“Well, I should probably be on my way. I hope you’ll keep being awesome. See you around!” She walked off with her friend, who was now quite obviously scolding her.
What just happened?
“Captain?” Lanek asked.
I snapped out of my thoughts. “Y-yes, what?”
“Are we gonna go?”
“Yes.” I pocketed the ring.
After a few more minor calls, which were mostly overreactions, the curfew went into effect, and the humans all went back to the refugee center. I took any moment not occupied by duties to explain to the newbies exactly what went wrong with the first encounter, and also to explain the guidelines for human interaction.
- Do not antagonize them.
- Do not corner them.
- Do not harm them unless absolutely necessary.
- Do not verbally assault them, i.e. 1, but worth restating.
- Defuse situations peacefully whenever possible.
- When a peaceful solution is impossible, use non-lethal force unless absolutely unavoidable.
“Have you seen the Marcel case?”
“Everyone has, captain.”
“Then you know what a boon it was for human relations.”
They both stared wide eyed. They understood.
“When you think about it for a just a moment, you see that every time one of them is hurt, it ruins our reputation.” I said.
“What an underhanded tactic!” Denui squawked.
“Yes.” I replied.
We were now nearing the office again, ready to hang up our suits and file the reports. The newbies were chewing on their thoughts, as if what I just explained was a grand revelation. It wasn’t. It was common sense. But maybe common sense wasn’t as common as I thought.
In the final moments before we would arrive, I chose to rest my eyes. My brain was running on empty; with all the work I was doing, I was barely sleeping. A shame I wouldn’t get to rest for the end of the drive.
“Captain?”
I opened an eye. “Yes Lanek?”
“When you were talking with that crazy human, you said your name was a fissan one. What-”
“Lanek.” I tried to keep my voice level. “My personal life is of no concern to you.”
“O-of course. I apologize, captain.”
Soon the car pulled into the garage, with the metal door closing behind us, leaving us in the yellow light of the indoor parking lot. We entered the barracks, peeling off the tough second skin that was our suits. I took a deep breath. The air tasted of rubber.
“I expect you to take my advice to heart. I will not see my officers causing bar-fires.”
“Yes captain.” They said.
“Lanek, you are dismissed. Denui, I wish to speak with you.”
They eyed each other with worry. Lanek walked off to go do stars know what, and I was left with the herdless one.
“Denui, I want to talk to you about the support group.”
He stiffened. “Y-yes c-captain? How did you know about t-that? If you d-don’t mind me asking.”
“I have a close friend in the same group as you.”
His expression instantly changed to one of confusion. “Really?”
“Yes. His name is Meba. I wanted to ask how he’s doing. Is he making progress?”
“Oh. Well, I haven’t really talked to him much. He’s very… quiet. I have no clue if he’s making progress, he’s only been there for one meeting.”
I suppose I might be getting ahead of myself.
“I see. Well, thank you. I’d like you to keep me updated on him if you don’t mind.”
“I can do that. Um… if you don’t mind me asking. What’s your relationship with him?”
How would I describe it?
I sighed, only giving him a look.
“O-of course, none of my business.”
“Good. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you captain.”
He left the barracks, and I soon followed suit, only stopping on the way to my office to drop of the ring at the scanner room. You never know when something might have a camera, a microphone, or even a tracker in it. Surprisingly, it was not only spyware free, but also a genuine gemstone. Not even artificially grown.
I sat in my office, feeling the little metal band. It was cold to the touch, almost unnaturally so. It fit rather snugly around my digits, only comfortable on the thinner ones. I had half a mind to throw the trinket away, no matter how precious the stone, but for some reason I didn’t want to.
What harm could it do, anyway? There’s nothing planted in it.
It was very pretty. The stone was a deep red, cut roughly, with a shine that rivaled the polished metal it sat in.
I yawned. My body was almost as tired as my mind. Before I headed home, I checked my pad. Meba had still not replied to, or even read my messages, even though we had talked on call.
“Typical.”
I was worried about him. He really did change after the raid. At least he was socializing, or so he said. I really hoped he was telling the truth. But all that stuff with the riot; what if he was wrapped up in something sketchy? I would have to check on him again.
I sent him a message.
“Hey, hope you’re doing well. I just got done with work. How’s it going?”
He would find a herd soon, I just knew it. He was going to get better. I was going to make sure of it.
2024.05.03 15:09 como365 Anti-abortion groups say more aggressive approach necessary to stop Missouri amendment
 | Wednesday’s Midwest March for Life at the Missouri Capitol had a different tone this year. It was about fighting. submitted by como365 to missouri [link] [comments] Nearly two years ago, the crowd celebrated Missouri becoming the first state to ban abortion after Roe V. Wade was overturned. But on Wednesday, a new worry loomed over the annual event: Abortion could soon be enshrined in the Missouri Constitution. “If God doesn’t intervene in this process,” Paul Shipman, with the Christian radio program Bott Radio Network, said at a rally on the statehouse steps Wednesday, “it just kind of shows you the direction where the nation is going and the direction where the state of Missouri is going.” After recent losses in states like Kansas and Ohio, anti-abortion activists say they must take a more aggressive approach in Missouri, using a low-budget grassroots strategy to convince Missourians not to sign the initiative petition that would put a constitutional right to an abortion in the hands of voters. They enlisted elected officials to publicly decry the ballot measure. They set up a hotline to report the location of signature gatherers so volunteers could show up and hand out “Decline to Sign” materials. And they stoked unsubstantiated fears about the initiative petition process, such as the notion that it could result in widespread identity theft. And with a Sunday deadline to turn in signatures for proposed initiative petitions, their message and strategy is transforming from “decline to sign” to “withdraw your signature,” with fliers distributed Wednesday hoping to reach those “who regret signing – or who mistakenly signed.” After signatures are turned in, anti-abortion advocates plan to pour over them to make sure anyone who opts out isn’t counted. Anti-abortion organizers interviewed by The Independent, both in Missouri and nationally, say the biggest lesson they learned from a series of defeats across the country over the last two years is that they have to engage their supporters earlier in the process. Missouri could be the first test of the new strategy, even as abortion-rights supporters are raising millions more to get the issue on the November ballot. “It is the work that is being done on the ground in Missouri that has not happened in any other state across the entire nation,” said Brian Westbrook, CEO of St. Louis-based Coalition Life. “It doesn’t require tens of millions of dollars to get that ground game. That groundwork is already happening.” Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the abortion-rights initiative petition, has until Sunday to turn in more than 171,000 signatures from 8% of registered voters across six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, which is a leader in the abortion initiative petition coalition, said she remains confident the campaign will hit its signature goal. She didn’t share where their numbers currently stand ahead of the deadline, but Schwarz said the tactics from the anti-abortion side boost her confidence that abortion is a winning issue. “If they were confident that people were aligned with them,” she said, “they wouldn’t resort to tactics like blatant lies, disinformation and harassment.” Anti-abortion groups interviewed by The Independent are focused on communicating three main points to voters: They believe the constitutional amendment goes farther than Roe; they say the amendment would harm health and safety protections for mothers; and they argue it will eliminate parental consent laws. Abortion-rights groups have said these claims have no merit whatsoever. The decision to move forward with an amendment including viability limit, often considered to be around 24 weeks, rather than no ban at all was considered a compromise position rather than an extreme one. Susan Klein, executive director with Missouri Right to Life, said her organization has teams across the state who will file requests under the state’s open records laws to obtain copies of all the signatures obtained by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. They plan to make sure any names she says were scratched out by people who regretted signing are not counted. Missouri’s messaging is consistent with the strategy being deployed in six other states with abortion measures heading for the ballot, said Kelsey Pritchard, state public affairs director at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Jamie Morris, executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, said the results in other elections made it clear that anti-abortion groups needed a new strategy. The Catholic dioceses in Missouri are helping spread the movement’s message and encouraging parishioners not to sign the abortion-rights petition. “Our track record has not been good,” he said. “From the pro-life side, we’ve always kind of been used to making one particular argument. And obviously, that was not resonating in some of the other states.” Morris said the movement isn’t changing its position, but rather it is rethinking its messaging to focus increasingly on mothers as well as the “unborn child.” “We’ve done a good job of trying to limit the supply of abortions in the state, but what can we do to limit the demand?” Morris said. In neighboring Kansas in 2022, the Catholic church donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed attempt to pass an amendment that would remove the right to abortion from that state’s constitution. So far, the Missouri Catholic Conference has been one of the main donors to Missouri Stands with Women, the only campaign focused solely on actively opposing the abortion initiative petition, contributing $5,001. Morris said Missouri’s dioceses so far have not fundraised on this issue, but if the measure lands on the ballot, he imagines there will be more serious conversations about financial contributions. On a recent Saturday in late April, Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman stood outside her hometown library in Arnold and asked constituents not to sign the abortion-rights initiative. Connie Doty, 74, a longtime Arnold resident and an escort with Abortion Action Missouri, was volunteering to collect signatures that day. Doty said library staff eventually asked her and the other volunteers to stay on the sidewalk. When Doty stepped into the parking lot at one point to let someone take a picture of the ballot initiative, she says Coleman followed her and told the person in the vehicle not to sign it. A short time later, after Doty refused to leave for stepping off the sidewalk, she said three police vehicles showed up. They told everyone to “be nice and be safe,” Doty recalls, then left. Doty said she was not phased, thanks to her decade of experience as an abortion clinic escort encountering protesters who try to stop women from getting abortions. But she said she was alarmed to see her own state senator among the two anti-abortion protesters who showed up. “Considering that Sen. Coleman was doing this to her constituents,” Doty said, “I found pretty deplorable.” Doty said despite the interruption, they collected 143 signatures in a couple hours. “They’re very much afraid that the issue will get on the ballot,” Doty said. “And if it gets on the ballot, people will pass it.” Coleman could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Kellie Copeland executive director of Pro-Choice Ohio, said anti-abortion advocates used similar tactics during their 2023 campaign, including instances where police were called on signature collectors. “Everything about that frankly shows they know that they don’t have the will of the people,” Copeland said. “Why else would they do that?” Sam Lee doesn’t want to talk about November. The longtime Missouri anti-abortion lobbyist has his sights set on May 5. He said other states where anti-abortion groups have taken the approach of only trying to beat abortion measures at the ballot box have lost. That’s why in Missouri, efforts began much earlier. “The Decline to Sign (strategy) overall has just been more aggressive in Missouri by a variety of groups,” Lee said. “Not just one group or even one church. It is THE strategy.” Lee said Missouri’s approach has been much more grassroots, spread through social media, sermons and at dining tables. “Tell your family member not to sign,” he said. “Tell your neighbor not to sign.” When Lee is asked by some what he’s afraid of, he said it’s simple: “I just don’t think this should be on the ballot. I think it’s wrong. Why should you give people an opportunity to vote for something that is bad?” Missouri Stands with Women, of which Lee is president, has been distributing messaging, including through paid Facebook ads, encouraging people not to sign. One in particular depicts a man portrayed in a mugshot offering a pen in his hand. The word “felonies” is in quotes beside the drawing. “It’s a pretty clever ad, actually,” Lee said. “Is there a guarantee these signatures cannot be duplicated and used for identity theft? Is it a real issue or not? Well I don’t know. It’s been raised elsewhere.” JoDonn Chaney, a spokesman for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, said he’s not aware of any threat of identity theft during the signature gathering process at this point. He said the office’s larger focus is ensuring people know and understand what they’re signing. Lee said his campaign is leaning into a 2005 California law that prohibits the sale or transfer of voter data collected through initiative petitions to other countries after concerns were raised when an initiative petition campaign outsourced signature verification to a firm in India. So far, Chaney said, the office has received “a handful” of applications to withdraw signatures from the abortion initiative petition. According to records obtained by The Independent through Missouri’s Sunshine Law, the Secretary of State’s office has received about 140 requests for signature withdrawals from the abortion ballot initiative. Most did not provide an explanation for why they changed their mind, but one Columbia resident wrote: “I let a very pushy person with a petition make me feel like I needed to sign. Immediately after, all the reasons not to sign flooded my head. Someone needs to speak for the unborn.” On Wednesday morning, the crowd of at least several hundred people gathered on the front lawn of the Capitol, including many high school students, were encouraged to stall signature gatherers if they encounter them on a sidewalk or at their door in a final push to defeat the measure before it gets to a vote. Michael Merchant, 31, based in St. Louis and with Students for Life, said it would be easier if the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment was more than a simple majority. Legislation seeking to increase the threshold for amendments to pass through the initiative petition process has cleared the House and Senate, but dysfunction in the Senate has put its chances at risk. “As much as I like to be optimistic, I’m not 100% confident that we can get 50% (in opposition),” Merchant said. “The main thing we would have to do is convince people that it’s an extreme thing.” Merchant said he may be able to sway more people who are on the fence by pointing out to them how few limits on abortion would exist under the amendment. Advocates of abortion rights have said limits on abortion access often harm those who are most in need of the procedure, including those with medically-complicated pregnancies. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who attended Wednesday’s rally, said he believes his party can defeat an abortion ballot measure whether a higher threshold for passing citizen-led ballot measures is ultimately passed or not. “I’m not a political consultant,” Ashcroft said, holding an anti-abortion sign at Wednesday’s march. “I just want to make sure that people know what this amendment will actually do. That it’s abortion from conception until the very last second that the last toenail leaves the birth canal.” |
2024.05.03 14:10 OttoVonBlastoid Nature Of A Homeless Musician: FINALE: Part 4: The Journey Home
Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating the NoP universe.
I'd also like to thank u/xskipy10 for their awesome fanart of the main cast as well as their recent Tohba meme and their fanart of Michael baysitting. You're work is a treasure!
Thank you as well to u/Accomplished-Golf-59 for his take on Michael, Teylim, and Tohba in his submission for the Banner Art Contest, and u/Spacer_Catgirl4969 for their awesome music video featuring a pixel-art Dohkar in his bar. Be sure to give ALL of these awesome creators your love and support.
And let's not forget u/Guywhoexists2812 who has been an awesome source of memes as well as sick pixel art, such as THIS and THIS!!!! And even THIS!!!!!! And how could I forget THIS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!
Today, we join Michael and Khornel as they finally make it back to Teylim's home, and discover what has become of it. What lies in wait for our heroes? LETTUCE...continue...
First
Previous
Songs Mentioned/Used: Journey (Vocal Variant 2) from Destiny 2
[Warning!: You Are About To Access Restricted Files: Continue?: Y/N]
[The Following Is A Pad Communication Record Archived By Magistrate Intelligence…]
[Call Connects…]
“Hello?! Who is this?!”
“TEVIS!!!!”
“Brahking HELL! Dohkar?!”
“You have exactly five seconds to explain to me-“
“Dohkar, I’m glad you seem to be alright, but I have a bit of a situation here and I-“
“TEVIS, I HAVE SIX DEAD EXTERMINATORS PILED UP OUTSIDE MY BAR!!! You will stay the FUCK on this line!”
“. . .Dead?”
“Yes. And six more still alive, subdued, and ready to be interrogated IF you get your ass HERE and explain what the hell happened!”
[An Audible Sigh Is Heard…]
“You know just as much as I do… The bulk of my team along with an engineering expert were heading inside to do a thorough check of the Predator Disease Screening equipment to check if that leaked maintenance report was accurate. They were late for a check-in, so I reached out… but didn’t get any response… It was only seconds after I realized our communications had been cut off, that my Intarim patrols reported exterminator vans headed straight for your bar…”
[There Is A Silence Over The Line For Several Seconds…]
“Call…the U.N.”
“Excuse me?”
“Call the U.N.!!! You’ve clearly underestimated who you’re up against and you can’t raid the Guild Office with just the forces you have now!”
“Are you insane?! After EVERYTHING that’s happened in this town, in our entire DISTRICT over these past few months?! Just that concert business alone would have the entire Magistratta under investigation! We’re talking political SUICIDE here, Dohkar!”
“You think I care?! In case you’ve forgotten, PEOPLE! ARE! DYING! MY people! The people YOU lot are SUPPOSED to be looking after! If the Magistratta was neglectful enough to let all this happen, then they DESERVE to be held accountable for their inaction!”
“...Even if I agreed with you, anti-human sentiment in the district is still high. My men would never agree to work alongside predators-”
“TEVIS!! There are a full DOZEN PEOPLE on their way to Dr. Forrik’s clinic including a retired exterminator who might not even make it! MY OWN GODSON’S LIFE COULD BE IN JEOPARDY RIGHT NOW! I! DON’T! CARE! WHAT YOU OR YOUR MEN HAVE TO SAY!! CALL THE DAMNED U.N., or so help me, you won’t need to worry about predators anymore, BECAUSE I’LL HUNT YOU DOWN MYSELF!!!!!!!!”
[Line Disconnects…]
“...C-c-call the U.N. embassy for reinforcements…”
“Sir?”
“Call them, damnit!”
Memory Transcript Subject: Michael Ruiz Andrews, Human Refugee Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
“Is there anyone on our six?!”
The only sound on the street were our rapid footsteps as we ran through the neighborhood, along with our ragged breathing. After a quick check, ‘Nel managed to respond between breaths.
“No! Nothing!”
The gravity was starting to get to me. My legs ached like a motherfucker and my throat was burning, but none of that mattered. Once we made the turnoff to my street, we only picked up speed.
Gotta get home! Gotta get toMom and Tohba! Gotta get home!
“There! I see it!”
[Warning!: Stress Response Spiking Rapidly!: Attempting To Compensate…]
I gave my legs another push once I saw the house. The door was wide open…and there was smoke coming from one of the windows…
No… Nonononononononono!!!
MOM!!! TOHBA!!!
It only took a few strides. Up and over the curb, across the sidewalk, cut across the front lawn, up the front walk, onto the front stoop, and through the wide open and splintered door.
“TEY!! TOHB-!!”
I froze in place, unable to take another step. My breath hitched in my burning throat. My eyes widened, doing their best to process what I was seeing. The house…my home…
From the front door, it opens onto…what used to be Tey’s kitchen. The table, the one we’d all eaten at so many times, was overturned and broken, the chairs splintered and tossed away. The cabinets were knocked free of their mountings, the dishes inside all broken and shattered. The fridge and pantry were wide open and covered in ash. The whole kitchen was. They’d burnt it. They destroyed and burned Tey’s beautiful kitchen, and everything in it. But the worst part, was that they weren’t here… No Tey… No Tohba…
“TEY?! TOHBA?!”
Nothing. No response at all. Just silence.
“TEY!!! TOHBA!!!
My breaths got shaky as I started frantically looking around. Thankfully, ‘Nel’s voice managed help me focus.
“I-I’ll check the office. You do the living room and start up on the hallway.”
We nodded to each other and split up. I kept Dohk’s sidearm ready…just in case…
Cartridge release… Don’t need to reload yet.
Safety… Click. Off.
Trigger… Keep my finger off of it until I’m ready to fire.
“TEY? TOHBA?”
Still nothing.
I felt my soul shatter as I turned to my left into the living room. It was all ruined. The holoscreen was knocked off the wall and shattered. The couch…where we’d all sat at for movie nights, napped on, where Tohba first said the words “I love you.” to me… It was torn to shreds. Not even Tohba’s playmat was spared. His toy chest was busted open, with every single toy inside destroyed. Blocks were splintered and burnt. Dolls and plushes torn apart. Not even his lobster plush from our trip to the aquarium survived. They destroyed everything… And still, the worst part…was that there was still no one here… No Tey… No Tohba…
I turned back towards the rest of the house.
“TEY! TOHBA!”
Still…nothing…
‘Nel still wasn’t back from the office, so I started down the hallway. My bedroom door was closed…so…I allowed myself to feel a little hope…
Maybe they hid in the basement?
“Tey? Tohb-?”
I was cut off as I opened the door and was immediately blinded and choked by a wall of smoke rising up the stairs. I squinted my eyes and coughed. I already knew what I might find if I went down there, but I still had to try. If only to make sure they weren’t in my room. I pulled the collar of my hoodie up over my nose and mouth and did my best to keep my head down to avoid most of the smoke. Thankfully, now that the smoke actually had somewhere to go, it started to clear up a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.
It only made things worse.
My stomach dropped when I finally saw what they did to my room. They burned it, all of it. Everything was gone: My bed, my dresser, my clothes, my desk, my journals…even my picture frame of Dad… Everything I had left besides the clothes on my back and the few things I brought to the bar... Everything was gone…
I was so lost in what I was seeing, I didn’t even notice ‘Nel come down the stairs behind me.
“Cough cough. The office was trashed- cough But no one was in-. Oh… Oh no… Michael, I… I am so sorry…”
“...No one…was in the office, you said?”
“Y-yeah… The bathroom, too. I…DID manage to find the First Aid kit… You know…in case we need it…”
As much as I wanted to keep mourning the loss of my room, we needed to keep looking. If the bathroom was empty too, then we still needed to find Tey and Tohba. That had to take priority.
Have to findMom. Have to find Tohba.
“...We still need to check the master bedroom.”
“Michael…are you su-?”
“Let’s just go…”
“Okay… I’m with you.”
Sidearms at the ready, we made our way up the stairs and back into the hallway. Slowly, I led the way down the hall and through the cracked bedroom door. I shouldn’t have been surprised by what we found, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Just like the rest of the house, Tey’s bedroom had been completely ransacked. The bedframe was broken, mattress and sheets torn up and burned. Shelves and personal belongings were broken and scattered across the floor in piles, Tohba’s crib was smashed to bits and splinters. And once again, the worst part…was that there was no one here.
“Tey? Tohba?”
Still…nothing… I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. Even as ‘Nel tried holding me back. I still screamed out, begging any god that would listen that someone would answer me.
“TEY?! TOHBA?!”
“Michae-“
Still…even now…with my voice bouncing off the walls hard enough to make them ring…nothing…
They were gone…
It was only now…that it finally set in, and with that realization, all feeling in my legs gave out and I fell to my hands and knees. I forced my eyes closed, knowing full well it wouldn’t help.
Damnit…
They were gone…
Damnit!
It happened again…
DAMNIT!!!
It’s all my fault…
DAMNIT!!!Worthless…
I let this happen…
DAMNIT!!!!!!Useless…
I let myself believe I could have it.
“DAMN IT!!!!!”
The silence returns. I’m not sure for how long, but for a good amount of time, the only sound in the room is my own crying. Eventually, I feel warm feathers wrap around my shoulders. I’d like to think that it helped… I’d LIKE to…
“M-maybe we can look again. There might be something we missed? Something to tell us where they are.”
I knew she was grabbing at straws, just trying to make me feel better. But…even so…she was right…
There WAS something we missed…
“The studio…”
“What?”
My head shot up, immediately looking for the nightstand next to the bed.
“The music studio! It’s the one place we haven’t checked. Look for the nightstand in the rubble! It should have a key!”
“R-right! On it!”
I hadn’t even noticed at first. I was too distracted with the state of the rest of the room, but the door to the studio was still closed, and hopefully, locked.
It took a minute or two of sifting through rubble and broken furniture, but we found the broken nightstand, and after prying the drawer open, the key as well. With a deep, shuddering, breath, I turned the key and opened the door.
I was almost relieved. The studio was almost completely intact. They hadn’t gotten in. The only thing that was different was the stand in the middle of the room had been knocked over, but everything else was untouched. The problem was…just like the rest of the house…it was empty. No Tey… No Tohba… They were gone…
No…
I crashed my head in my hands. My scar burned and my head felt like it was breaking in half as my thoughts swirled in my mind. It actually happened again…
No. No. No. No.
I let myself believe that there was a chance, that I could actually have a home, a family, a mom, and AGAIN! The universe took it all away…
Mom… Worthless.
Tohba…Useless.
I am so so so sorry…Burden.
“Michael?”
“…”
“Michael! I hear something!”
I did my best to wipe away the tears as ‘Nel started shaking me by the shoulders. When I finally looked up, she pointed a talon towards the back of the room.
“There. The flytser.”
I wanted to, but the all too familiar fog in my mind screamed at me to not listen, to give up and stop hoping, but…I made a promise.
Don’t give up on music. Don’t give up on myself.
So…I listened… I focused all my hearing in that one direction…and I heard it.
It was small, faint, and muffled, but I heard it…
I knew that sound. I’ve heard it dozens of times. I’ve soothed it dozens of times. It was the sound that pulled me out of my funk the first week I was here…
Someone else was crying…
And as we walked closer to the old, out of tune, instrument against the back wall, I noticed something. The small maintenance panel had been left slightly ajar, with only half the pins holding it in place.
Memory Transcript Subject: Tohba, Yotul Youth Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
…
I don’t like it here.
It’s dark. It’s cold. I’m scared. I don’t like it.
I wanna cry. But can’t. Promised Mama.
Mama said to be quiet. Mama said to be brave.
So I’m quiet. I hear lots of loud things. I don’t like them. I hear Mama. She’s loud. She’s scared. She’s angry. I don’t like it.
Then…I don’t here Mama anymore. The bad guys. They keep doing loud things. I stay quiet. I don’t wanna go with the bad guys. I wanna cry.
No. Gotta be quiet. Gotta be brave. Brave for Mama. Brave like Mikey.
Mikey…
Mama said to wait. Said Mikey would come back. But Mikey not here. I don’t like it when Mikey not here. I want Mama. I want Mikey.
Bad guys leave, I think. I don’t hear them anymore. I’m alone. I’m scared. I wanna cry.
No. Gotta be quiet. Gotta be brave. Wait for Mikey.
But I’m scared. I don’t like it. It’s too dark. It’s too quiet. I don’t like it. I want Mama… I want Mikey…
But Mama is gone. Bad guys took her. And Mikey isn’t here.
…
I hear something again. It’s loud. I don’t like it. I hear loud talking. It’s them. The bad guys. I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna go with them! I want Mama… I want Mikey…
\click* *creeeeek\**
…
They in the room. They found me.
No! I don’t wanna go!
I wanna cry. But can’t. Gotta stay quiet. Gotta wait for Mikey.
[Warning!: Fear Response Rising Rapidly!: Attempting To Compensate…]
“…I hear something.”
No! They heard me! I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna go with the bad guys! I want Mama! I won’t Mikey!
“There. The flytser.”
No! NO! NO! I don’t wanna go! I want Mama! I want Mikey!
Thump…Thump…Thump…
No! I don’t wanna! I want Mama! I want Mikey!
[Warning!: Fear Response Spiking To Unacceptable Levels!: Loss Of Bladder Control Detected…]
Creeeeeeeeek…
NO!!!!! I DON’T WANNA!!! I WANT MAMA!!!! I WANT-
“T-Tohba?”
. . .
I know that voice.
I like that voice.
I’m happy… I’m safe… Want uppies…
“…Mikey…”
Memory Transcript Subject: Michael Ruiz Andrews, Human Refugee Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
I knelt there, frozen in place. My hands shook as they lowered the removed panel to the ground. All I could do was beg, PLEAD that my eyes weren’t tricking me, that I really WAS seeing what I hoped I was.
“T-Tohba?”
The tiny, perfect, being’s ears twitch in my direction as he hears me. His eyes wash over with tears of relief as he turns to face me. His tiny claws reach out to me as he just barely squeaks…
“…Mikey…”
…
No words. No thoughts. Just action. Just instinct.
Up we go.
Before I even know it, he’s wrapped up in my arms again. I fall over onto my side, curling around him in a fetal position, guarding him from all directions, as if even true slightest breeze will rip him away again.
His tiny claws dig into my chest, drawing blood as they cling on for dear life…but I don’t care.
I can tell from the smell that he must have soiled himself while he was in there…but I don’t care.
I kiss the top of his head, breaking every single mental rule and barrier I’d set for myself…but I don’t care.
None of it matters. The only thing, THE ONLY THING that matters…is that Tohba, my baby brother, who I LOVE with EVERYTHING I’ve got, is alive. He’s alive and he’s safe. He’s safe! He’s safe! He’s safe! And I was gonna make sure he stayed that way.
“MIKEY!!! MIIIHIIIKAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAHAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
“SssSSshHHh. It’S oKAy. IT’s okAy. MIkeY’s hERe. MiKey’S gOt yoU. sniff And he’s NEVER letting you go again! Never!”
“MIKEY!!! BA-! BA-! BA-! BAHAAD GUYS TOOK MAMAAAAAA!!!!”
“I know… I know, but we’re gonna get her back, okay? I PROMISE… I promise we’re gonna get her back.”
I was a complete sobbing mess. We all were. Even after ‘Nel knelt down next to us and joined in our tearful group hug, we just continued to sit there, crying our collective eyes out. And even then, once ‘Nel and I had gotten ahold of ourselves, Tohba was still absolutely petrified.
So…I did what came naturally. I sang. I can’t even remember what tune it was, or where I’d heard it from. A game? A movie? I didn’t know. I just kept humming it since I didn’t know the words, or if it even had any. ‘Nel joined in too, and we hummed our little sad tune, in our big, empty home…until it was time to make our journey back to safety.
[Transcript Time Progression: 30 minutes…]
We sat there for a while, I’m not sure how long. But eventually, Tohba cried himself to sleep in my arms. We were still alone.
“I kept watch. No sign of any of them coming back.”
“Thanks… Sorry you had to do that…”
“Don’t be. How is he?”
I looked back down at my brother. Now that I could get a good look at him, I was relieved that he hurt at all, just a bit dirty from being inside the old, dusty flytser…and…soiling himself…
He must’ve been so scared…
I gave him a squeeze, holding him as close as I could before responding.
“He’ll be alright, but we can’t stay here.”
“Right. Let’s salvage what we can and get out of here.”
Slowly, we got back up and left the studio. I made sure to lock it again on the way out. Hopefully that would be enough to discourage any returning exterminators. It worked the first time anyways.
While ‘Nel went to scavenge around, I took Tohba to the bathroom. It was trashed like the rest of the house, but the sink was still in one piece, at least. And the water was somehow still running. Once he was clean and somewhat dried off, I went back to the bedroom.
While his crib was in pieces, the quilted blanket inside was still intact. Once I’d shook it out, it was usable again, at least temporarily, By the time I found ‘Nel again, she was in the middle of looking through what was left of the fridge and pantry for any food that survived.
“Anything?”
“Not much, no. But I DID find Ms. Teylim’s wicker pack.”
It was a bit roughed up, but it was still usable. After we’d packed the last remaining food into ‘Nel’s satchel, we lined the inside of Tey’s pack with the blanket and put Tohba inside.
Once we finished packing up what supplies we could, I pulled Tey’s pack with Tohba still nestled inside onto my back. ‘Nel pulled her satchel over her shoulder and handed me the first aid kit, which I clipped to my belt.
After checking our weapons, we went to the windows to check if the coast was clear. We had to take a step back when a large vehicle sped down the street past the house.
“What the hell was that? Exterminators?”
“I don’t think so. That wasn’t like any exterminator vehicle I’ve seen.”
We waited until we couldn’t hear the rumble of its engines anymore. Whoever they were, exterminators or not, didn’t matter. We weren’t about to risk it either way. Once the coast was clear, we looked at each other one last time.
"You got my back, 'Nel?"
"Always."
And so, with one more nod, we opened the door and left, only turning around for a moment to say goodbye…to my home…
Damnit…
On the way back to Dohkar’s, I couldn’t help but get angry. To be fair, I was feeling a lot of things: Confusion, sadness, fear, worry, and an endless amount of anxiety…but as all my emotions started swirling together, the one that began to win out…was anger…
Damnit! Damn them!
These bastards. These fucking psychopaths have done nothing but take from me and the people I care about!
They took Tey’s husband, Lohrek. They took Dohk’s whole damned childhood. They took Scullen’s kid, and the relatives of so many others for money! They took Clem! They took ‘Nel’s home! They took MY HOME! THEY TOOK MYMOM!!! And they would’ve taken Tohba too, if she hadn’t hidden him.
Take and take and TAKE AND TAKE!!!
FUCK THAT!!!! FUCK THEM!!!!
As dumb as I knew it was, I knew that it was time someone took something from THEM for a change.
We have to getMom back! We have to! We will!
And then…we get THEM back…FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!
But that would have to wait. The fact was, as much as I wanted to bust down the doors of the Guild Office, I had something else to care for.
My eyes darted backwards to the pack on my back.
Keep him safe. Keep Tohba safe.
There was a reason Tey hid him. She knew I’d come back. So she hid him in the one place she knew I’d be able to find him. Even without her being here, I knew what she wanted me to do. I have to protect Tohba. I have to protect…my baby brother. I needed to get him somewhere safe. Back to Dohkar’s…
And then…we needed a plan…
I’m coming,Mom. I promise.
Next
submitted by OttoVonBlastoid to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
I'd also like to thank u/xskipy10 for their awesome fanart of the main cast as well as their recent Tohba meme and their fanart of Michael baysitting. You're work is a treasure!
Thank you as well to u/Accomplished-Golf-59 for his take on Michael, Teylim, and Tohba in his submission for the Banner Art Contest, and u/Spacer_Catgirl4969 for their awesome music video featuring a pixel-art Dohkar in his bar. Be sure to give ALL of these awesome creators your love and support.
And let's not forget u/Guywhoexists2812 who has been an awesome source of memes as well as sick pixel art, such as THIS and THIS!!!! And even THIS!!!!!! And how could I forget THIS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!
Today, we join Michael and Khornel as they finally make it back to Teylim's home, and discover what has become of it. What lies in wait for our heroes? LETTUCE...continue...
First
Previous
Songs Mentioned/Used: Journey (Vocal Variant 2) from Destiny 2
[Warning!: You Are About To Access Restricted Files: Continue?: Y/N]
[The Following Is A Pad Communication Record Archived By Magistrate Intelligence…]
[Call Connects…]
“Hello?! Who is this?!”
“TEVIS!!!!”
“Brahking HELL! Dohkar?!”
“You have exactly five seconds to explain to me-“
“Dohkar, I’m glad you seem to be alright, but I have a bit of a situation here and I-“
“TEVIS, I HAVE SIX DEAD EXTERMINATORS PILED UP OUTSIDE MY BAR!!! You will stay the FUCK on this line!”
“. . .Dead?”
“Yes. And six more still alive, subdued, and ready to be interrogated IF you get your ass HERE and explain what the hell happened!”
[An Audible Sigh Is Heard…]
“You know just as much as I do… The bulk of my team along with an engineering expert were heading inside to do a thorough check of the Predator Disease Screening equipment to check if that leaked maintenance report was accurate. They were late for a check-in, so I reached out… but didn’t get any response… It was only seconds after I realized our communications had been cut off, that my Intarim patrols reported exterminator vans headed straight for your bar…”
[There Is A Silence Over The Line For Several Seconds…]
“Call…the U.N.”
“Excuse me?”
“Call the U.N.!!! You’ve clearly underestimated who you’re up against and you can’t raid the Guild Office with just the forces you have now!”
“Are you insane?! After EVERYTHING that’s happened in this town, in our entire DISTRICT over these past few months?! Just that concert business alone would have the entire Magistratta under investigation! We’re talking political SUICIDE here, Dohkar!”
“You think I care?! In case you’ve forgotten, PEOPLE! ARE! DYING! MY people! The people YOU lot are SUPPOSED to be looking after! If the Magistratta was neglectful enough to let all this happen, then they DESERVE to be held accountable for their inaction!”
“...Even if I agreed with you, anti-human sentiment in the district is still high. My men would never agree to work alongside predators-”
“TEVIS!! There are a full DOZEN PEOPLE on their way to Dr. Forrik’s clinic including a retired exterminator who might not even make it! MY OWN GODSON’S LIFE COULD BE IN JEOPARDY RIGHT NOW! I! DON’T! CARE! WHAT YOU OR YOUR MEN HAVE TO SAY!! CALL THE DAMNED U.N., or so help me, you won’t need to worry about predators anymore, BECAUSE I’LL HUNT YOU DOWN MYSELF!!!!!!!!”
[Line Disconnects…]
“...C-c-call the U.N. embassy for reinforcements…”
“Sir?”
“Call them, damnit!”
Memory Transcript Subject: Michael Ruiz Andrews, Human Refugee Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
“Is there anyone on our six?!”
The only sound on the street were our rapid footsteps as we ran through the neighborhood, along with our ragged breathing. After a quick check, ‘Nel managed to respond between breaths.
“No! Nothing!”
The gravity was starting to get to me. My legs ached like a motherfucker and my throat was burning, but none of that mattered. Once we made the turnoff to my street, we only picked up speed.
Gotta get home! Gotta get to
“There! I see it!”
[Warning!: Stress Response Spiking Rapidly!: Attempting To Compensate…]
I gave my legs another push once I saw the house. The door was wide open…and there was smoke coming from one of the windows…
No… Nonononononononono!!!
It only took a few strides. Up and over the curb, across the sidewalk, cut across the front lawn, up the front walk, onto the front stoop, and through the wide open and splintered door.
“TEY!! TOHB-!!”
I froze in place, unable to take another step. My breath hitched in my burning throat. My eyes widened, doing their best to process what I was seeing. The house…my home…
From the front door, it opens onto…what used to be Tey’s kitchen. The table, the one we’d all eaten at so many times, was overturned and broken, the chairs splintered and tossed away. The cabinets were knocked free of their mountings, the dishes inside all broken and shattered. The fridge and pantry were wide open and covered in ash. The whole kitchen was. They’d burnt it. They destroyed and burned Tey’s beautiful kitchen, and everything in it. But the worst part, was that they weren’t here… No Tey… No Tohba…
“TEY?! TOHBA?!”
Nothing. No response at all. Just silence.
“TEY!!! TOHBA!!!
My breaths got shaky as I started frantically looking around. Thankfully, ‘Nel’s voice managed help me focus.
“I-I’ll check the office. You do the living room and start up on the hallway.”
We nodded to each other and split up. I kept Dohk’s sidearm ready…just in case…
Cartridge release… Don’t need to reload yet.
Safety… Click. Off.
Trigger… Keep my finger off of it until I’m ready to fire.
“TEY? TOHBA?”
Still nothing.
I felt my soul shatter as I turned to my left into the living room. It was all ruined. The holoscreen was knocked off the wall and shattered. The couch…where we’d all sat at for movie nights, napped on, where Tohba first said the words “I love you.” to me… It was torn to shreds. Not even Tohba’s playmat was spared. His toy chest was busted open, with every single toy inside destroyed. Blocks were splintered and burnt. Dolls and plushes torn apart. Not even his lobster plush from our trip to the aquarium survived. They destroyed everything… And still, the worst part…was that there was still no one here… No Tey… No Tohba…
I turned back towards the rest of the house.
“TEY! TOHBA!”
Still…nothing…
‘Nel still wasn’t back from the office, so I started down the hallway. My bedroom door was closed…so…I allowed myself to feel a little hope…
Maybe they hid in the basement?
“Tey? Tohb-?”
I was cut off as I opened the door and was immediately blinded and choked by a wall of smoke rising up the stairs. I squinted my eyes and coughed. I already knew what I might find if I went down there, but I still had to try. If only to make sure they weren’t in my room. I pulled the collar of my hoodie up over my nose and mouth and did my best to keep my head down to avoid most of the smoke. Thankfully, now that the smoke actually had somewhere to go, it started to clear up a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.
It only made things worse.
My stomach dropped when I finally saw what they did to my room. They burned it, all of it. Everything was gone: My bed, my dresser, my clothes, my desk, my journals…even my picture frame of Dad… Everything I had left besides the clothes on my back and the few things I brought to the bar... Everything was gone…
I was so lost in what I was seeing, I didn’t even notice ‘Nel come down the stairs behind me.
“Cough cough. The office was trashed- cough But no one was in-. Oh… Oh no… Michael, I… I am so sorry…”
“...No one…was in the office, you said?”
“Y-yeah… The bathroom, too. I…DID manage to find the First Aid kit… You know…in case we need it…”
As much as I wanted to keep mourning the loss of my room, we needed to keep looking. If the bathroom was empty too, then we still needed to find Tey and Tohba. That had to take priority.
Have to find
“...We still need to check the master bedroom.”
“Michael…are you su-?”
“Let’s just go…”
“Okay… I’m with you.”
Sidearms at the ready, we made our way up the stairs and back into the hallway. Slowly, I led the way down the hall and through the cracked bedroom door. I shouldn’t have been surprised by what we found, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Just like the rest of the house, Tey’s bedroom had been completely ransacked. The bedframe was broken, mattress and sheets torn up and burned. Shelves and personal belongings were broken and scattered across the floor in piles, Tohba’s crib was smashed to bits and splinters. And once again, the worst part…was that there was no one here.
“Tey? Tohba?”
Still…nothing… I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. Even as ‘Nel tried holding me back. I still screamed out, begging any god that would listen that someone would answer me.
“TEY?! TOHBA?!”
“Michae-“
“TEY!!!!! TOHBA!!!!”
Still…even now…with my voice bouncing off the walls hard enough to make them ring…nothing…
They were gone…
It was only now…that it finally set in, and with that realization, all feeling in my legs gave out and I fell to my hands and knees. I forced my eyes closed, knowing full well it wouldn’t help.
Damnit…
They were gone…
Damnit!
It happened again…
DAMNIT!!!
It’s all my fault…
DAMNIT!!!
I let this happen…
DAMNIT!!!!!!
I let myself believe I could have it.
“DAMN IT!!!!!”
The silence returns. I’m not sure for how long, but for a good amount of time, the only sound in the room is my own crying. Eventually, I feel warm feathers wrap around my shoulders. I’d like to think that it helped… I’d LIKE to…
“M-maybe we can look again. There might be something we missed? Something to tell us where they are.”
I knew she was grabbing at straws, just trying to make me feel better. But…even so…she was right…
There WAS something we missed…
“The studio…”
“What?”
My head shot up, immediately looking for the nightstand next to the bed.
“The music studio! It’s the one place we haven’t checked. Look for the nightstand in the rubble! It should have a key!”
“R-right! On it!”
I hadn’t even noticed at first. I was too distracted with the state of the rest of the room, but the door to the studio was still closed, and hopefully, locked.
It took a minute or two of sifting through rubble and broken furniture, but we found the broken nightstand, and after prying the drawer open, the key as well. With a deep, shuddering, breath, I turned the key and opened the door.
I was almost relieved. The studio was almost completely intact. They hadn’t gotten in. The only thing that was different was the stand in the middle of the room had been knocked over, but everything else was untouched. The problem was…just like the rest of the house…it was empty. No Tey… No Tohba… They were gone…
No…
I crashed my head in my hands. My scar burned and my head felt like it was breaking in half as my thoughts swirled in my mind. It actually happened again…
No. No. No. No.
I let myself believe that there was a chance, that I could actually have a home, a family, a mom, and AGAIN! The universe took it all away…
Tohba…
I am so so so sorry…
“Michael?”
“…”
“Michael! I hear something!”
I did my best to wipe away the tears as ‘Nel started shaking me by the shoulders. When I finally looked up, she pointed a talon towards the back of the room.
“There. The flytser.”
I wanted to, but the all too familiar fog in my mind screamed at me to not listen, to give up and stop hoping, but…I made a promise.
Don’t give up on music. Don’t give up on myself.
So…I listened… I focused all my hearing in that one direction…and I heard it.
It was small, faint, and muffled, but I heard it…
I knew that sound. I’ve heard it dozens of times. I’ve soothed it dozens of times. It was the sound that pulled me out of my funk the first week I was here…
Someone else was crying…
And as we walked closer to the old, out of tune, instrument against the back wall, I noticed something. The small maintenance panel had been left slightly ajar, with only half the pins holding it in place.
Memory Transcript Subject: Tohba, Yotul Youth Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
…
I don’t like it here.
It’s dark. It’s cold. I’m scared. I don’t like it.
I wanna cry. But can’t. Promised Mama.
Mama said to be quiet. Mama said to be brave.
So I’m quiet. I hear lots of loud things. I don’t like them. I hear Mama. She’s loud. She’s scared. She’s angry. I don’t like it.
Then…I don’t here Mama anymore. The bad guys. They keep doing loud things. I stay quiet. I don’t wanna go with the bad guys. I wanna cry.
No. Gotta be quiet. Gotta be brave. Brave for Mama. Brave like Mikey.
Mikey…
Mama said to wait. Said Mikey would come back. But Mikey not here. I don’t like it when Mikey not here. I want Mama. I want Mikey.
Bad guys leave, I think. I don’t hear them anymore. I’m alone. I’m scared. I wanna cry.
No. Gotta be quiet. Gotta be brave. Wait for Mikey.
But I’m scared. I don’t like it. It’s too dark. It’s too quiet. I don’t like it. I want Mama… I want Mikey…
But Mama is gone. Bad guys took her. And Mikey isn’t here.
…
I hear something again. It’s loud. I don’t like it. I hear loud talking. It’s them. The bad guys. I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna go with them! I want Mama… I want Mikey…
\click* *creeeeek\**
…
They in the room. They found me.
No! I don’t wanna go!
I wanna cry. But can’t. Gotta stay quiet. Gotta wait for Mikey.
[Warning!: Fear Response Rising Rapidly!: Attempting To Compensate…]
“…I hear something.”
No! They heard me! I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna go with the bad guys! I want Mama! I won’t Mikey!
“There. The flytser.”
No! NO! NO! I don’t wanna go! I want Mama! I want Mikey!
Thump…Thump…Thump…
No! I don’t wanna! I want Mama! I want Mikey!
[Warning!: Fear Response Spiking To Unacceptable Levels!: Loss Of Bladder Control Detected…]
Creeeeeeeeek…
NO!!!!! I DON’T WANNA!!! I WANT MAMA!!!! I WANT-
“T-Tohba?”
. . .
I know that voice.
I like that voice.
I’m happy… I’m safe… Want uppies…
“…Mikey…”
Memory Transcript Subject: Michael Ruiz Andrews, Human Refugee Date:[Standardized Human Time] January 15, 2137
I knelt there, frozen in place. My hands shook as they lowered the removed panel to the ground. All I could do was beg, PLEAD that my eyes weren’t tricking me, that I really WAS seeing what I hoped I was.
“T-Tohba?”
The tiny, perfect, being’s ears twitch in my direction as he hears me. His eyes wash over with tears of relief as he turns to face me. His tiny claws reach out to me as he just barely squeaks…
“…Mikey…”
…
No words. No thoughts. Just action. Just instinct.
Up we go.
Before I even know it, he’s wrapped up in my arms again. I fall over onto my side, curling around him in a fetal position, guarding him from all directions, as if even true slightest breeze will rip him away again.
His tiny claws dig into my chest, drawing blood as they cling on for dear life…but I don’t care.
I can tell from the smell that he must have soiled himself while he was in there…but I don’t care.
I kiss the top of his head, breaking every single mental rule and barrier I’d set for myself…but I don’t care.
None of it matters. The only thing, THE ONLY THING that matters…is that Tohba, my baby brother, who I LOVE with EVERYTHING I’ve got, is alive. He’s alive and he’s safe. He’s safe! He’s safe! He’s safe! And I was gonna make sure he stayed that way.
“MIKEY!!! MIIIHIIIKAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAHAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
“SssSSshHHh. It’S oKAy. IT’s okAy. MIkeY’s hERe. MiKey’S gOt yoU. sniff And he’s NEVER letting you go again! Never!”
“MIKEY!!! BA-! BA-! BA-! BAHAAD GUYS TOOK MAMAAAAAA!!!!”
“I know… I know, but we’re gonna get her back, okay? I PROMISE… I promise we’re gonna get her back.”
I was a complete sobbing mess. We all were. Even after ‘Nel knelt down next to us and joined in our tearful group hug, we just continued to sit there, crying our collective eyes out. And even then, once ‘Nel and I had gotten ahold of ourselves, Tohba was still absolutely petrified.
So…I did what came naturally. I sang. I can’t even remember what tune it was, or where I’d heard it from. A game? A movie? I didn’t know. I just kept humming it since I didn’t know the words, or if it even had any. ‘Nel joined in too, and we hummed our little sad tune, in our big, empty home…until it was time to make our journey back to safety.
[Transcript Time Progression: 30 minutes…]
We sat there for a while, I’m not sure how long. But eventually, Tohba cried himself to sleep in my arms. We were still alone.
“I kept watch. No sign of any of them coming back.”
“Thanks… Sorry you had to do that…”
“Don’t be. How is he?”
I looked back down at my brother. Now that I could get a good look at him, I was relieved that he hurt at all, just a bit dirty from being inside the old, dusty flytser…and…soiling himself…
He must’ve been so scared…
I gave him a squeeze, holding him as close as I could before responding.
“He’ll be alright, but we can’t stay here.”
“Right. Let’s salvage what we can and get out of here.”
Slowly, we got back up and left the studio. I made sure to lock it again on the way out. Hopefully that would be enough to discourage any returning exterminators. It worked the first time anyways.
While ‘Nel went to scavenge around, I took Tohba to the bathroom. It was trashed like the rest of the house, but the sink was still in one piece, at least. And the water was somehow still running. Once he was clean and somewhat dried off, I went back to the bedroom.
While his crib was in pieces, the quilted blanket inside was still intact. Once I’d shook it out, it was usable again, at least temporarily, By the time I found ‘Nel again, she was in the middle of looking through what was left of the fridge and pantry for any food that survived.
“Anything?”
“Not much, no. But I DID find Ms. Teylim’s wicker pack.”
It was a bit roughed up, but it was still usable. After we’d packed the last remaining food into ‘Nel’s satchel, we lined the inside of Tey’s pack with the blanket and put Tohba inside.
Once we finished packing up what supplies we could, I pulled Tey’s pack with Tohba still nestled inside onto my back. ‘Nel pulled her satchel over her shoulder and handed me the first aid kit, which I clipped to my belt.
After checking our weapons, we went to the windows to check if the coast was clear. We had to take a step back when a large vehicle sped down the street past the house.
“What the hell was that? Exterminators?”
“I don’t think so. That wasn’t like any exterminator vehicle I’ve seen.”
We waited until we couldn’t hear the rumble of its engines anymore. Whoever they were, exterminators or not, didn’t matter. We weren’t about to risk it either way. Once the coast was clear, we looked at each other one last time.
"You got my back, 'Nel?"
"Always."
And so, with one more nod, we opened the door and left, only turning around for a moment to say goodbye…to my home…
Damnit…
On the way back to Dohkar’s, I couldn’t help but get angry. To be fair, I was feeling a lot of things: Confusion, sadness, fear, worry, and an endless amount of anxiety…but as all my emotions started swirling together, the one that began to win out…was anger…
Damnit! Damn them!
These bastards. These fucking psychopaths have done nothing but take from me and the people I care about!
They took Tey’s husband, Lohrek. They took Dohk’s whole damned childhood. They took Scullen’s kid, and the relatives of so many others for money! They took Clem! They took ‘Nel’s home! They took MY HOME! THEY TOOK MY
Take and take and TAKE AND TAKE!!!
FUCK THAT!!!! FUCK THEM!!!!
As dumb as I knew it was, I knew that it was time someone took something from THEM for a change.
We have to get
And then…we get THEM back…FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!
But that would have to wait. The fact was, as much as I wanted to bust down the doors of the Guild Office, I had something else to care for.
My eyes darted backwards to the pack on my back.
Keep him safe. Keep Tohba safe.
There was a reason Tey hid him. She knew I’d come back. So she hid him in the one place she knew I’d be able to find him. Even without her being here, I knew what she wanted me to do. I have to protect Tohba. I have to protect…my baby brother. I needed to get him somewhere safe. Back to Dohkar’s…
And then…we needed a plan…
I’m coming,
Next
2024.05.03 11:47 studypalacehub MBBS Abroad vs. MBBS in India: The Great Debate
 | For aspiring doctors in India, the path to becoming a physician can be a competitive one. Choosing between pursuing an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) in India or an MBBS abroad is a significant decision. Both options offer their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Let's delve into the great debate of MBBS in India vs MBBS abroad: submitted by studypalacehub to u/studypalacehub [link] [comments] Source- Freepik The Competition Conundrum:
The decision between MBBS in India vs abroad hinges on your priorities. Consider factors like your academic performance, financial situation, career aspirations, and desire for a global experience. Research universities abroad thoroughly, ensuring their recognition and accreditation for practising medicine in your desired location. Remember: MBBS is a demanding yet rewarding journey, regardless of where you choose to pursue it. Make an informed decision based on your personal goals and aspirations, and embark on this exciting path to becoming a doctor! |
2024.05.03 04:50 narcwatchkiwi The next Coronation (2044)
 | Hi All, submitted by narcwatchkiwi to SaintMeghanMarkle [link] [comments] This is an imaginary scenario. Hopefully King Charles lives for as long as possible! For this scenario I've picked a good to mid range estimate (given the Windsors tend to live a long time), and given Charles' healthy lifestyle (long walks in the country side and organic gardening). Hopefully he overcomes his cancer and lives to be over 100, but I've picked 95 for this prediction, which is still very good and a similar age to the late Queen. So what does Prince William's coronation look like in 2044? Here are my predictions... Soon to be King William has achieved many incredible accomplishments in the past 20 years. The Earthshot prize helped to support pioneering technology that helped to reverse the climate crisis and his social housing projects have helped thousands of people. Soon to be crowned Queen Catherine, has retained her beautiful glamour and style into her 60's, overcame the cancer scare of 2024, and has continued her pioneering work on early childhood education as well as a yearly special panel on overcoming narcissistic abuse (from in laws). The new Prince of Wales, Prince George, married his glamourous partner two years ago, in a ceremony watched by 4 billion people, and now has a beautiful daughter (and future Queen). Princess Charlotte has grown up to look exactly like Princess Diana, and like Princess Catherine is sporty, academic and glamourous. She did a little modelling but has remained focused on her career and equestrian activities, as well as helping pioneer a riding for disabled veterans scheme. She has a massive following and everything she wears sells out within microseconds. Dashing young Prince Louis, aged 26, is a massive star. Like his father he is an officer in the Air force. At 6"6, althetic and with chiselled good looks, and a kind and fun loving personality, so many people are in love with him that several young women were caught scaling the barbed wire fence of his military academy, requiring minor medical treatment. There have been minor scandals, including a photo leak of an embossed plaque in his house quoting his Great-grandfather's saying, "Never marry an actress", but by all, Louis is a widely loved and admired good sort. And what of the Harkles? Initially MM's ARO merchandise sold moderately well to sugars and reality stars. MM reacted with massive lifestyle inflation and purchased two private jets and a massive, 40 bedroom 'McMansion' / fake castle in West Hollywood. Wild spending plunged the Harkles into massive debt. Soon MM began appearances as a 'celebrity psychic', and not long after TW and Doria began a religion, popular amongst sugars, where she claimed to be the reincarnation of Princess Diana. In 2038 the headquarters were raided by the IRS, where corrupt practices and tax evasion were discovered. Tales of financial and other abuse amongst followers followed. Beatrice, Eugenie, and Omid Scobie all joined the cult at some points, and all were defrauded of thousands. MM is now serving a long prison sentence at a California women's prison, alongside Doria, where they watch the coronation on television. Harold had stayed married to MM, although his behavior became increasingly erratic and bizzare, due to his addiction to a wide variety of substances. Following the bankruptcy and imprisonment of MM, Harold returned, penniless to his father, and as part of the signed agreement was forced to attend rehab and cult deprogramming, file for separation from MM, amongst many other conditions. In return he was given a small diplomatic post in Africa. Harold attends the coronation in the tenth row, and is seated tactfully behind a potted palm. Other predictions welcome!!! 😁 |
2024.05.02 16:29 kittehgoesmeow What A Day: Tents And Nervous (Can't Relax) by Crooked Media (05/01/24)
"I didn’t eat my dog. I didn’t shoot my dog. I loved my dog, and my dog loved me." - Mitt Romney, piling on former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who did shoot her dog.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) says she’ll charge ahead with her plan to try to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his post next week. Greene doesn’t have the votes, since Dems have pledged to protect Johnson, which in turn would sort of prove her point to other Republicans that Johnson owes his gavel to the enemy party. As we say every day at this time: DOOOOO IT MARGE!!
A federal appeals court rejected Louisiana’s latest congressional district map that contains expanded power for Black voters to choose the candidates of their choice. It’s part of a long-running battle over Louisiana’s violations of the Voting Rights Act. Now the whole thing is likely headed to the Supreme Court, with a critical House seat in the balance.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reupping his push to fully legalize marijuana and completely remove it from the DEA’s list of controlled substances. Schumer’s hoping to capitalize on momentum from news yesterday that the Biden Administration plans to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.
The Biden Administration announced another $6.1 billion in student debt relief, this time for more than 315,000 attendees of Art Institutes schools that scammed students with false promises of post-study employment. The relief goes automatically to students who attended any of Art Institutes’ dozens of schools between 2004 and 2017. Hey young and young-ish voters!
The Federal Reserve declined to cut interest rates, citing concerns that “sticky” inflation was taking longer to come down than hoped. Still, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he still expects inflation to wane, and he all but ruled out a pre-election rate hike.
Magnesium deficiency is a root cause of a whole host of problems–from anxiety and depression to insomnia and stress. Every cell in your body needs magnesium to function and when you don’t get enough, well, you really feel it.
For a lot of us, feeling better is as simple as taking magnesium every day. But not all magnesium is created equal!
When choosing a magnesium supplement, the most important thing is to make sure you’re buying chelated magnesium. Translation: Magnesium combined with aminos. It’s gentler on your stomach and easier for your body to absorb, so you actually get what you pay for and aren’t just flushing money down the toilet, which, incidentally, is where the other stuff will land you – it literally just goes straight through you.
That’s why we’re such big fans of Mellö, the #1 bestselling Magnesium Superblend with 300+ health benefits for better sleep, less stress, and optimal health & wellness.
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An amusingly large number of people are collecting endorsements to run for president of Iceland, after the process moved online. Eighty-two people have been put forward so far, including at least 11 whose names were entered accidentally and had no idea that someone else endorsed their candidacy.
submitted by kittehgoesmeow to FriendsofthePod [link] [comments]
The Struggle Israel
College campuses are on edge after a clash in LA and hundreds of arrests around the country.- Things got violent on the UCLA campus last night, in the latest sign that pro-Palestinian protests on dozens of campuses nationwide are escalating. The confrontation at UCLA was apparently sparked by pro-Israel counter-protesters who approached the barriers around a pro-Palestinian encampment, ripping down placards, tearing down barriers and shouting abuse. Fifteen people were hurt in the ensuing brawl, according to the president of the University of California, although the exact number seems to be in question. UCLA canceled classes on Wednesday. On the other side of the country, at Columbia University, NYPD cops moved into the Hamilton Hall administration building, which pro-Palestinian demonstrators had occupied the night before. Overall, more than 1,000 demonstrators have been arrested on campuses, many of whom aren’t students. That last part is a dilemma for school administrators, as they look to find ways to keep the protests from interfering with imminent commencement ceremonies and final exams. University of Chicago president Paul Alivisatos, for example, hailed the “core animating value” of free expression…while issuing a plea (warning?) to protesters to consider alternatives to an encampment. As of this writing, the U of C encampment is still growing. It shouldn’t be lost you, dear What a Day reader, that Chicago will host the Democratic National Convention later this summer.
- Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the home of the actual war, U.S. and Saudi officials are doing their best to talk up a massive defense pact that would normalize relations with Israel and incentivize Israel’s right-wing government to end the war in Gaza and endorse a future Palestinian state. The deal would require landing lots of political back-flips, like OK’ing advanced U.S. weapons for the Saudis, who recently have had a tendency to use them in Yemen; giving the Saudis security guarantees even against an aggressive Iran; and, maybe hardest of all, getting PM Benjamin Netanyahu (or a successor?) to endorse Palestinian statehood. Add onto all of that the likely need to get Senate treaty ratification from skeptical and divided lawmakers.
- In Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other negotiators are still hoping a proposed ceasefire deal can stave off Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah. As of this writing, Hamas still hasn’t responded to the offer, which would exchange the release of 33 Israeli hostages for a 40-day ceasefire and clearance for displaced Palestinians to move back north in the strip. Desperately-needed humanitarian aid is reportedly flowing more freely over the last week. Still, Jordan said two of its Gaza-bound humanitarian aid convoys were attacked by Israeli settlers as they made their way through the West Bank.
Look No Further Than Crooked Media
Election years can be overwhelming, so mark your calendars for June 25th to get your copy of Democracy or Else: How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps! Jon, Jon and Tommy are already 34% toward their pre-order target which will, with any luck, land them on the New York Times Best Seller list and bump Ben Shapiro off! Plus, Crooked is donating all of its profits from Democracy or Else to Vote Save America and 2024 campaigns. So when you pre-order you’re not just getting a book and ruining Ben Shapiro’s day - you’re already making a difference. Head to https://crooked.com/books to pre-order your copy now!Under The Radar
Joe Biden may be president, but in so many ways we’re still living in disgraced former President Donald Trump’s America—or, at least, with the problems he left us. Tens of millions of American women saw their rights whipsawed today as Trump’s signature gutting of Roe v. Wade burrows in. Florida’s post-Roe abortion ban went into effect today, cutting off women from seeking most abortions after six weeks. Yes, that’s before most women realize they’re even pregnant. Here is a tragic story of a woman who tried to access abortion before Florida’s deadline only to be turned away. Fla. Governor Ron DeSantis spent the day protecting Floridians from the scourge of lab-grown meat. Meanwhile, Republicans in swing-state Arizona completed their frantic retreat from their own policy of banning abortion by passing a repeal to that state’s 1864 near-total abortion ban. Arizona’s prevailing law will be a 15-week ban once the governor signs the repeal. If you think the legislature’s contortions are gross, wait til you see Trumpist GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake, who’s been on an incoherent journey for the 1864 ban, then against it, then back again. But hey, she’s great on TV!What Else?
The House easily passed a bill expanding the federal definition of antisemitism at the Dept. of Education. The bill is the latest flourish in Republicans’ cynical efforts to drive division and de-legitimize protests by pretending to care about antisemitism. We’ll have more to say about this grossness in tomorrow’s newsletter—and also on the What A Day podcast!Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) says she’ll charge ahead with her plan to try to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his post next week. Greene doesn’t have the votes, since Dems have pledged to protect Johnson, which in turn would sort of prove her point to other Republicans that Johnson owes his gavel to the enemy party. As we say every day at this time: DOOOOO IT MARGE!!
A federal appeals court rejected Louisiana’s latest congressional district map that contains expanded power for Black voters to choose the candidates of their choice. It’s part of a long-running battle over Louisiana’s violations of the Voting Rights Act. Now the whole thing is likely headed to the Supreme Court, with a critical House seat in the balance.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reupping his push to fully legalize marijuana and completely remove it from the DEA’s list of controlled substances. Schumer’s hoping to capitalize on momentum from news yesterday that the Biden Administration plans to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.
The Biden Administration announced another $6.1 billion in student debt relief, this time for more than 315,000 attendees of Art Institutes schools that scammed students with false promises of post-study employment. The relief goes automatically to students who attended any of Art Institutes’ dozens of schools between 2004 and 2017. Hey young and young-ish voters!
The Federal Reserve declined to cut interest rates, citing concerns that “sticky” inflation was taking longer to come down than hoped. Still, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he still expects inflation to wane, and he all but ruled out a pre-election rate hike.
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Light At The End Of The Email
The United Methodist Church, one of the largest protestant denominations in America, overwhelmingly voted to end its bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage.An amusingly large number of people are collecting endorsements to run for president of Iceland, after the process moved online. Eighty-two people have been put forward so far, including at least 11 whose names were entered accidentally and had no idea that someone else endorsed their candidacy.
Enjoy
Moon Star Glow (@moon.cat.life) on Instagram: "Text on video: "At 5 months old, I have An apartment, two passive incomes, and a personal chef. Follow me for more financial advice""
2024.05.02 05:29 Kinshawcam Was I Fired for my Disabilities?
Hello!
You can call me Cameron. I'm 28 years old I never used Reddit, so hopefully, I'm posting this in the right area...
I believe I was wrongfully terminated because my disabilities were causing me to be late to work... I am diagnosed with 3 major mental disabilities, which CAN make it very difficult for me to find and get to work... I can and will share these disabilities and how they make my daily life difficult, if you need me to. I am on a waiting list for government assistance. Due to these disabilities, I'm often late to work. I'm not talking about 1 hour to 2 hours late, just maybe 10 to 20 minutes late at most. A BIT OF BACK STORY: Gensco Inc. is a HVAC, wholesale, warehouse and distribution, corporation with multiple branches from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and I believe California too. I personally like the company as a whole... I like my fellow co-workers. In fact, my best friend was the one who helped me a job there. The manager at the time was fully aware of my disabilities upon hiring and was being accommodating and giving me slack on when I showed up late. I was part of the team that pulled orders for big companies like Greenwood, Bel- Red, Sea-Town, and more, to stage on palettes for delivery. Typical Warehouse shipping practices. That's not all we did. There's aisle maintenance, helping other departments like Receiving and Will Call, and educating ourselves with product knowledge and online courses. I would typically go above and beyond by looking for safety hazards, taking pictures of them, reporting them, and then often fixing them with supervision. Sounds like a lot of responsibilities for someone with disabilities right?... It was... but I was promised that I'd get put in the tech. department from the branch manager. so I wanted to make a name for myself. My first 2 months go by, and I didn't know that the current branch manager was promoted to the Idaho regional manager position and was going to Boise. There was an interview process to take over his position, and apparently, only 3 people applied. They were Alex, Candace, and Stacy. (this will be important later) Alex was the lead for all of the warehouse for about a year and was working there for 3 years. Stacy's Dad has been part of Gensco for at least 20 years and is a very reputative OSR. Stacy herself is the supervisor of the branch, and she has been with Gensco, for I don't know how long. Candace was there for less than a year and was the lead of pm receiving. (graveyard) ...Candace ended up becoming the branch manager... Of course, there were a lot of upset people, and a few people actually quit and never came back. It wasn't until then that I heard that she had a nickname called "The Warden. "... Well, unlike a lot of the others, I was supportive and respectful. I know what it's like running a business for the first time ever. I even gave advice and pep talks to her. ( I used to have my own before I sucked at running a business.. It was a computer repair and fabrication company we used to freelance and test hardware. nothing big. I just didn't know what I was doing. But I've been learning and dreaming that one day I can start again... ) One day in late February I ended up getting covid and missed just about 2 weeks of work. (No, i was not paid for it. so funds were tight that month) I was told by Candace that I needed to get a Doctors note if i wanted to return to work. I didn't have insurance for about 3 years since i was working for a paving company that ended up shutting down. ever got state insurance cause I'm lazy. but I finally have insurance thanks to Gensco. so, I went in and spoke with a Walk-In Dr. and while I was there, I mentioned having back pain. they then suggested filing an L&I claim so that way my insurance would cover any back treatment. I was on the fence. then the Dr. started to push it and said that i really should file an L&I claim. Otherwise, there's nothing they can do for me.... so... I filed an L&I claim towards Gensco. claiming that my work has been making my back injury flair up and getting worse.. I've previously injured my back while working in paving, AND I most likely have a "genitive disc."" deuteriation disease" along my L4 and 5. However, that company is now shut down due to Covid. So the claim gets bumped to Gensco... THIS IS WHEN THINGS START TO GET BAD: When I returned to work, I gave Branch Manager (Candace) the Dr. note and spent that entire week scared that i was going to lose my job at any moment. Then, finally, Friday came, and I was called into Candace's office, where she asked me why I filed an L&I claim and why I didn't i report it to her when it happened. I explained to her that the doctor urged me to file one so I could get treatment for my back. Her face went red, and she told me that I had to sign a document as to why I filed an L&I claim so she could send it to HR. I filled in and signed the paper and walked out of the office. Later that same day, I was told that I'm being switched to part-time hours and light duty. No, I was not paid for full time. My pay too was reduced. I was placed in a small room that had 2 computers for training or courses. I was told that I was supposed to take 10 minute brakes every hour, and all I had to do was confirm shipment orders. which just means scan the order, double check to see if everything is correct. see if it's been paid and delivered, then digitally and physically stamp your number on the order and turn it in. Since I'm tech savvy and by this point, I knew how the software ran inside and out. I'd end up getting thousands of orders and still have like 2 to 3 hours to spare. Which would use to take their online courses on Branch Managment, Junior OSR Training, OSR Training, every single Safety Course, Diamond Software, P21 Software, On Fleet Software, Columbian and Mitsubishi products, American Standard and Train products. I even ended up doing some data analytics of the On Fleet Program for the Everett Branch. I helped improve the accuracy and efficiency of our truck Drivers delivery process. One day, my supervisor (Stacy) sees me taking my breaks and yells at me to get back to work because I've taken too many breaks. I tried to explain to her the situation, but she was not having it and gave the hand. and once more told me to go back to work. Maybe a day or two later. I've already finished the ship confirm. and was doing the OSR courses when my Candace walked by. She sees that I'm doing courses, and like a pissed off mom said "ohhh no no no, you can go in the warehouse with a rolling chair and audit the shipping pallets." I'm sure Osha would have had a hay day there... so many safety violations since she became manager. I have photos of how bad it was since I had to fix a lot of it. But from that point on, both Stacy and Candce started to treat me like a child. They even nit picked me to the point where i was in trouble at least once or twice a week for some dumb and little. for example, one day, according to Alex, I was rolling too fast on the rolling chair in the warehouse. and almost fell... A peace of pallet stopped the wheel, making the chair and almost topple over, but i was able to catch myself... but I somehow got in trouble, and the branch manager chewed me out for it.... never mind the fact that she is making a disabled injured employee use a rolling office chair as wheel chair in the shipping warehouse for HVAC equipment and products. this is how it went when she called me into her office... ( This was during the 1st or 2nd month of the L&I claim. Candace "So how are you" Me "Uhm Alright, yourself?" Candace "Not so good. So Alex told me that you were being all Speed Racer in the warehouse last night and almost hurt yourself again... Why would you do that? We already accommodate and do a lot for you. " Me "..." (I'm thinking "THE FUCK YOU MEAN DO ALOT FOR ME!?!" Candace "You know this looks really bad for you while you are claiming L&I. " Me "Sorry... Won't happen again" Candace "Good. You can leave." From that point, while i was on Light duty I refused to go and help my old team.. the shipping department. Since i knew Alex (the Warehouse Lead) was just trying to get me in trouble... Other than being treated like a child by the supervisor and branch manager. everything was going good until about May of 2023 where L&I turned down my claim. I should have had gotten an L&I lawyer but I didn't know how to reach out to one... Just a reminder at this point I have been showing up late on a rare occasion. but no more that 20 minutes late. THE day after I got my L&I claim rejected, I was called into the office for my 6 month Review with Candace. She counted the time while i was on light duty to help her decide the scores. Apparently I got bad score all around besides the self education section. But I don't do enough and I could be doing so much more. but fails explain how. She pretty much tells me that I fail to meet expectations but she fails to tell me how and I even have copies of those records. Being late to work was also on one of the sections too.. in the end she gave me a 67 cent raise.... By this point you're probably thinking.. "why haven't you left yet?" well... 1. I was living pay check to pay check. 2. I was behind on Bills 3. and It's hard for me to find a job that will actually hire someone with my disabilities. Especially where I want to go... 4. I needed the money... Fast forward to late June. My partner's family drama comes to light and needless to say... shit goes down.. Due to a serious situation we ended up fostering her little brother for the remainder of June and July. We were still behind on bills so i continued to work, my partner was unfortunately fired a month or 2 prior because she felt uncomfortable and refused to listen to another supervisor from a different department... During this I've been brought to Candaces office twice for showing up late. I informed her of my disabilities again and she dismissed me 2 weeks go by and I'm struggling with my mental health while being the rock for the 3 of us... My Partner is overly stressed and doesn't drive. There's a lot we had to do for her brother that unfortunately required the both of us. SO I had to request Family Leave... Candace allows me to fill out the paper work and turn it into HR. she told me that I can go home and figure things out. 2 weeks go by and I get a call from Candace asking me to come in sometime soon. I went there the next day and was told that I was denied for family leave. but she gave me a normal Leave contract and told me that I wasn't going to be paid for my absence... by that point it was too late. i was broke, my partner was broke and neither of us were able to work. we still had her brother for another 2 weeks... i was lucky that my family stepped int and started helping us out immensely... Her brother was adopted by his Aunt we safely transported there at the end of July. AUGUST 2023 I returned to work and also set up a meeting with an psychiatrist to start getting treatment for my disabilities. I was able to see one by the end of August where i was retested for everything. Throughout the month I was late. A LOT ... I was maybe on time for like 5 to 6 days in total... my Mental health was just getting worse and worse... I was called in once more to have another write up for my attendance and was handed a new employee handbook with the attendance policy highlighted.. I have the old one and there is no attendance policy when I was hired. SEPT 2023 I just started 1 of my 3 different medications. and show some minor improvements with sleep and other things, However i was still getting extreme anxiety attacks, depression spells, burnout, and had zero motivation to do anything. thus I was still late to work a lot.. but I decided that id start being open to my coworkers and tell them how ive been feeling about management. I ended up getting a lot of shared opinions and we all started to see a pattern involving candace. Oct. 2023 I got a Dr. note from my Psychiatrist asking for a 2 hour leniency to arrive to work while i adjust to my new medication. this was also when i was give my 2nd medication out of 3 and this helped.. quit a bit. my depression spell dont come as often and the are not as intense. I'm able to sleep at night, I actually want to laugh and smile. but.. the anxieties are still there... and they were tad bit worse.. I didn't see Candace AT ALL during that month after I gave her the Dr. note, Nov 2023 I start my 3 medication and start to see immediate improvements. I don't really get depression spells that all that often. i can still feel sad and happy. I'm able to focus, be creative and back into my hobbies. AND my work life has also improved. I'm arriving on time, I'm being more efficient at picking orders, I'm training new hires, and establishing generalized SOP for everyone in the warehouse. i was able to connect with more coworkers and got learn a lot. for example; At the Gensco Everett Branch #18 - The Branch Manager pays the female employees that has less experience more than ALL of the male employees - The female employees get fast tracked and promoted to whatever position they want while the men are stuck where they are. - She completely lost her cool and blew up at 2 other male employees and verbally threatened them. only one of them was brave enough to call HR - Everyone that called HR on Candace was coincidently fired a month later - She supposedly lied about her qualifications and resume to get the Branch Mananger Position (that one is probably just a rumor) - If she doesn't like you, she will find way to get you to quit by making work unbearable or she will fire you. (this one I've witnessed happen to 2 other employees before myself) Dec 2023 The Dr. Note that my psychiatrist made has now expired and my body adapted to the medication, so we had to increase the dosage when i pick up my next prescriptions. I showed up late 2 days in a row and wasn't spoken to about it until the following week. where i was given my final warning before they would have to terminate me. I was able to show up on time for the rest of that week except for 1 day ( Thursday ) ... i spent that entire day scare that was going to lose my job.. Then Friday came. i showed up on time. stayed late to close up for Christmas next week and we all ate at the Christmas dinner that she had set up for all of us... The day after Christmas.. the 26th, I came in to work with a bad feeling in my gut.. like something about the atmosphere felt different.. I enter through the doors and I wasn't greeted like I normally was (in my head I knew it was going to happen today) I walked past the Branch managers office and my stomach immediately tightened like I just got punched in the stomach. I go to my locker and when i open it, I see my Annual Review Report. apparently I did worse than last time... I gear up and clock in and start to walk to my position.. I look in Candace's office to see if she was there. She wasn't. As i was in the mid of the exhale of relief i heard her voice coming from the supervisors office... I started to feel nauseous... and the started to lightly spin. I took a breath in and pressed on. as i walk by them i smile and wave to them as though it was another day. no response. not even a glance. i keep walking to my post when the new lead tells me that Candace wants to see me in her office. I then turn around and start heading back to her office. She was no longer in Stacys office, so i assumed that she must have radioed him. I walk into her office to be greeted not only by her but also the Regional manger for all of the WA branches. She gestures me to sit, and he shuts the door behind me.. I instantly felt trapped, my breathing was short and tight, and my brain was racing a million miles per second. My thoughts; "I FUCKING KNEW IT!" "Why is he here?" "what's that folder for" " did he just lock the door?" "This is it... I'm going to be fired" "why did he close the door?" then silence... my mind went blank and i froze as they opened up the folder that had every single day that was late written down but with no time that i came in. they informed me that showing up late at all is considered missing half the day. they continue to tell me that i am being terminated and the reason is because I was getting to work late. when they know exactly why i have been late. it was due to my disabilities... What should i do?. is it too late to do anything now?.. I still can't find a job that will hire me, I don't have source of income, and I'm on a waiting list for government assistance...
submitted by Kinshawcam to WhatShouldIDo [link] [comments]
You can call me Cameron. I'm 28 years old I never used Reddit, so hopefully, I'm posting this in the right area...
I believe I was wrongfully terminated because my disabilities were causing me to be late to work... I am diagnosed with 3 major mental disabilities, which CAN make it very difficult for me to find and get to work... I can and will share these disabilities and how they make my daily life difficult, if you need me to. I am on a waiting list for government assistance. Due to these disabilities, I'm often late to work. I'm not talking about 1 hour to 2 hours late, just maybe 10 to 20 minutes late at most. A BIT OF BACK STORY: Gensco Inc. is a HVAC, wholesale, warehouse and distribution, corporation with multiple branches from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and I believe California too. I personally like the company as a whole... I like my fellow co-workers. In fact, my best friend was the one who helped me a job there. The manager at the time was fully aware of my disabilities upon hiring and was being accommodating and giving me slack on when I showed up late. I was part of the team that pulled orders for big companies like Greenwood, Bel- Red, Sea-Town, and more, to stage on palettes for delivery. Typical Warehouse shipping practices. That's not all we did. There's aisle maintenance, helping other departments like Receiving and Will Call, and educating ourselves with product knowledge and online courses. I would typically go above and beyond by looking for safety hazards, taking pictures of them, reporting them, and then often fixing them with supervision. Sounds like a lot of responsibilities for someone with disabilities right?... It was... but I was promised that I'd get put in the tech. department from the branch manager. so I wanted to make a name for myself. My first 2 months go by, and I didn't know that the current branch manager was promoted to the Idaho regional manager position and was going to Boise. There was an interview process to take over his position, and apparently, only 3 people applied. They were Alex, Candace, and Stacy. (this will be important later) Alex was the lead for all of the warehouse for about a year and was working there for 3 years. Stacy's Dad has been part of Gensco for at least 20 years and is a very reputative OSR. Stacy herself is the supervisor of the branch, and she has been with Gensco, for I don't know how long. Candace was there for less than a year and was the lead of pm receiving. (graveyard) ...Candace ended up becoming the branch manager... Of course, there were a lot of upset people, and a few people actually quit and never came back. It wasn't until then that I heard that she had a nickname called "The Warden. "... Well, unlike a lot of the others, I was supportive and respectful. I know what it's like running a business for the first time ever. I even gave advice and pep talks to her. ( I used to have my own before I sucked at running a business.. It was a computer repair and fabrication company we used to freelance and test hardware. nothing big. I just didn't know what I was doing. But I've been learning and dreaming that one day I can start again... ) One day in late February I ended up getting covid and missed just about 2 weeks of work. (No, i was not paid for it. so funds were tight that month) I was told by Candace that I needed to get a Doctors note if i wanted to return to work. I didn't have insurance for about 3 years since i was working for a paving company that ended up shutting down. ever got state insurance cause I'm lazy. but I finally have insurance thanks to Gensco. so, I went in and spoke with a Walk-In Dr. and while I was there, I mentioned having back pain. they then suggested filing an L&I claim so that way my insurance would cover any back treatment. I was on the fence. then the Dr. started to push it and said that i really should file an L&I claim. Otherwise, there's nothing they can do for me.... so... I filed an L&I claim towards Gensco. claiming that my work has been making my back injury flair up and getting worse.. I've previously injured my back while working in paving, AND I most likely have a "genitive disc."" deuteriation disease" along my L4 and 5. However, that company is now shut down due to Covid. So the claim gets bumped to Gensco... THIS IS WHEN THINGS START TO GET BAD: When I returned to work, I gave Branch Manager (Candace) the Dr. note and spent that entire week scared that i was going to lose my job at any moment. Then, finally, Friday came, and I was called into Candace's office, where she asked me why I filed an L&I claim and why I didn't i report it to her when it happened. I explained to her that the doctor urged me to file one so I could get treatment for my back. Her face went red, and she told me that I had to sign a document as to why I filed an L&I claim so she could send it to HR. I filled in and signed the paper and walked out of the office. Later that same day, I was told that I'm being switched to part-time hours and light duty. No, I was not paid for full time. My pay too was reduced. I was placed in a small room that had 2 computers for training or courses. I was told that I was supposed to take 10 minute brakes every hour, and all I had to do was confirm shipment orders. which just means scan the order, double check to see if everything is correct. see if it's been paid and delivered, then digitally and physically stamp your number on the order and turn it in. Since I'm tech savvy and by this point, I knew how the software ran inside and out. I'd end up getting thousands of orders and still have like 2 to 3 hours to spare. Which would use to take their online courses on Branch Managment, Junior OSR Training, OSR Training, every single Safety Course, Diamond Software, P21 Software, On Fleet Software, Columbian and Mitsubishi products, American Standard and Train products. I even ended up doing some data analytics of the On Fleet Program for the Everett Branch. I helped improve the accuracy and efficiency of our truck Drivers delivery process. One day, my supervisor (Stacy) sees me taking my breaks and yells at me to get back to work because I've taken too many breaks. I tried to explain to her the situation, but she was not having it and gave the hand. and once more told me to go back to work. Maybe a day or two later. I've already finished the ship confirm. and was doing the OSR courses when my Candace walked by. She sees that I'm doing courses, and like a pissed off mom said "ohhh no no no, you can go in the warehouse with a rolling chair and audit the shipping pallets." I'm sure Osha would have had a hay day there... so many safety violations since she became manager. I have photos of how bad it was since I had to fix a lot of it. But from that point on, both Stacy and Candce started to treat me like a child. They even nit picked me to the point where i was in trouble at least once or twice a week for some dumb and little. for example, one day, according to Alex, I was rolling too fast on the rolling chair in the warehouse. and almost fell... A peace of pallet stopped the wheel, making the chair and almost topple over, but i was able to catch myself... but I somehow got in trouble, and the branch manager chewed me out for it.... never mind the fact that she is making a disabled injured employee use a rolling office chair as wheel chair in the shipping warehouse for HVAC equipment and products. this is how it went when she called me into her office... ( This was during the 1st or 2nd month of the L&I claim. Candace "So how are you" Me "Uhm Alright, yourself?" Candace "Not so good. So Alex told me that you were being all Speed Racer in the warehouse last night and almost hurt yourself again... Why would you do that? We already accommodate and do a lot for you. " Me "..." (I'm thinking "THE FUCK YOU MEAN DO ALOT FOR ME!?!" Candace "You know this looks really bad for you while you are claiming L&I. " Me "Sorry... Won't happen again" Candace "Good. You can leave." From that point, while i was on Light duty I refused to go and help my old team.. the shipping department. Since i knew Alex (the Warehouse Lead) was just trying to get me in trouble... Other than being treated like a child by the supervisor and branch manager. everything was going good until about May of 2023 where L&I turned down my claim. I should have had gotten an L&I lawyer but I didn't know how to reach out to one... Just a reminder at this point I have been showing up late on a rare occasion. but no more that 20 minutes late. THE day after I got my L&I claim rejected, I was called into the office for my 6 month Review with Candace. She counted the time while i was on light duty to help her decide the scores. Apparently I got bad score all around besides the self education section. But I don't do enough and I could be doing so much more. but fails explain how. She pretty much tells me that I fail to meet expectations but she fails to tell me how and I even have copies of those records. Being late to work was also on one of the sections too.. in the end she gave me a 67 cent raise.... By this point you're probably thinking.. "why haven't you left yet?" well... 1. I was living pay check to pay check. 2. I was behind on Bills 3. and It's hard for me to find a job that will actually hire someone with my disabilities. Especially where I want to go... 4. I needed the money... Fast forward to late June. My partner's family drama comes to light and needless to say... shit goes down.. Due to a serious situation we ended up fostering her little brother for the remainder of June and July. We were still behind on bills so i continued to work, my partner was unfortunately fired a month or 2 prior because she felt uncomfortable and refused to listen to another supervisor from a different department... During this I've been brought to Candaces office twice for showing up late. I informed her of my disabilities again and she dismissed me 2 weeks go by and I'm struggling with my mental health while being the rock for the 3 of us... My Partner is overly stressed and doesn't drive. There's a lot we had to do for her brother that unfortunately required the both of us. SO I had to request Family Leave... Candace allows me to fill out the paper work and turn it into HR. she told me that I can go home and figure things out. 2 weeks go by and I get a call from Candace asking me to come in sometime soon. I went there the next day and was told that I was denied for family leave. but she gave me a normal Leave contract and told me that I wasn't going to be paid for my absence... by that point it was too late. i was broke, my partner was broke and neither of us were able to work. we still had her brother for another 2 weeks... i was lucky that my family stepped int and started helping us out immensely... Her brother was adopted by his Aunt we safely transported there at the end of July. AUGUST 2023 I returned to work and also set up a meeting with an psychiatrist to start getting treatment for my disabilities. I was able to see one by the end of August where i was retested for everything. Throughout the month I was late. A LOT ... I was maybe on time for like 5 to 6 days in total... my Mental health was just getting worse and worse... I was called in once more to have another write up for my attendance and was handed a new employee handbook with the attendance policy highlighted.. I have the old one and there is no attendance policy when I was hired. SEPT 2023 I just started 1 of my 3 different medications. and show some minor improvements with sleep and other things, However i was still getting extreme anxiety attacks, depression spells, burnout, and had zero motivation to do anything. thus I was still late to work a lot.. but I decided that id start being open to my coworkers and tell them how ive been feeling about management. I ended up getting a lot of shared opinions and we all started to see a pattern involving candace. Oct. 2023 I got a Dr. note from my Psychiatrist asking for a 2 hour leniency to arrive to work while i adjust to my new medication. this was also when i was give my 2nd medication out of 3 and this helped.. quit a bit. my depression spell dont come as often and the are not as intense. I'm able to sleep at night, I actually want to laugh and smile. but.. the anxieties are still there... and they were tad bit worse.. I didn't see Candace AT ALL during that month after I gave her the Dr. note, Nov 2023 I start my 3 medication and start to see immediate improvements. I don't really get depression spells that all that often. i can still feel sad and happy. I'm able to focus, be creative and back into my hobbies. AND my work life has also improved. I'm arriving on time, I'm being more efficient at picking orders, I'm training new hires, and establishing generalized SOP for everyone in the warehouse. i was able to connect with more coworkers and got learn a lot. for example; At the Gensco Everett Branch #18 - The Branch Manager pays the female employees that has less experience more than ALL of the male employees - The female employees get fast tracked and promoted to whatever position they want while the men are stuck where they are. - She completely lost her cool and blew up at 2 other male employees and verbally threatened them. only one of them was brave enough to call HR - Everyone that called HR on Candace was coincidently fired a month later - She supposedly lied about her qualifications and resume to get the Branch Mananger Position (that one is probably just a rumor) - If she doesn't like you, she will find way to get you to quit by making work unbearable or she will fire you. (this one I've witnessed happen to 2 other employees before myself) Dec 2023 The Dr. Note that my psychiatrist made has now expired and my body adapted to the medication, so we had to increase the dosage when i pick up my next prescriptions. I showed up late 2 days in a row and wasn't spoken to about it until the following week. where i was given my final warning before they would have to terminate me. I was able to show up on time for the rest of that week except for 1 day ( Thursday ) ... i spent that entire day scare that was going to lose my job.. Then Friday came. i showed up on time. stayed late to close up for Christmas next week and we all ate at the Christmas dinner that she had set up for all of us... The day after Christmas.. the 26th, I came in to work with a bad feeling in my gut.. like something about the atmosphere felt different.. I enter through the doors and I wasn't greeted like I normally was (in my head I knew it was going to happen today) I walked past the Branch managers office and my stomach immediately tightened like I just got punched in the stomach. I go to my locker and when i open it, I see my Annual Review Report. apparently I did worse than last time... I gear up and clock in and start to walk to my position.. I look in Candace's office to see if she was there. She wasn't. As i was in the mid of the exhale of relief i heard her voice coming from the supervisors office... I started to feel nauseous... and the started to lightly spin. I took a breath in and pressed on. as i walk by them i smile and wave to them as though it was another day. no response. not even a glance. i keep walking to my post when the new lead tells me that Candace wants to see me in her office. I then turn around and start heading back to her office. She was no longer in Stacys office, so i assumed that she must have radioed him. I walk into her office to be greeted not only by her but also the Regional manger for all of the WA branches. She gestures me to sit, and he shuts the door behind me.. I instantly felt trapped, my breathing was short and tight, and my brain was racing a million miles per second. My thoughts; "I FUCKING KNEW IT!" "Why is he here?" "what's that folder for" " did he just lock the door?" "This is it... I'm going to be fired" "why did he close the door?" then silence... my mind went blank and i froze as they opened up the folder that had every single day that was late written down but with no time that i came in. they informed me that showing up late at all is considered missing half the day. they continue to tell me that i am being terminated and the reason is because I was getting to work late. when they know exactly why i have been late. it was due to my disabilities... What should i do?. is it too late to do anything now?.. I still can't find a job that will hire me, I don't have source of income, and I'm on a waiting list for government assistance...
2024.05.01 21:14 Kinshawcam Was I fired for my Disability?
Hello!
You can call me Cameron. I'm 28 years old I never used Reddit, so hopefully, I'm posting this in the right area...
I believe I was wrongfully terminated because my disabilities were causing me to be late to work... I am diagnosed with 3 major mental disabilities, which CAN make it very difficult for me to find and get to work... I can and will share these disabilities and how they make my daily life difficult, if you need me to. I am on a waiting list for government assistance. Due to these disabilities, I'm often late to work. I'm not talking about 1 hour to 2 hours late, just maybe 10 to 20 minutes late at most. A BIT OF BACK STORY: Gensco Inc. is a HVAC, wholesale, warehouse and distribution, corporation with multiple branches from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and I believe California too. I personally like the company as a whole... I like my fellow co-workers. In fact, my best friend was the one who helped me a job there. The manager at the time was fully aware of my disabilities upon hiring and was being accommodating and giving me slack on when I showed up late. I was part of the team that pulled orders for big companies like Greenwood, Bel- Red, Sea-Town, and more, to stage on palettes for delivery. Typical Warehouse shipping practices. That's not all we did. There's aisle maintenance, helping other departments like Receiving and Will Call, and educating ourselves with product knowledge and online courses. I would typically go above and beyond by looking for safety hazards, taking pictures of them, reporting them, and then often fixing them with supervision. Sounds like a lot of responsibilities for someone with disabilities right?... It was... but I was promised that I'd get put in the tech. department from the branch manager. so I wanted to make a name for myself. My first 2 months go by, and I didn't know that the current branch manager was promoted to the Idaho regional manager position and was going to Boise. There was an interview process to take over his position, and apparently, only 3 people applied. They were Alex, Candace, and Stacy. (this will be important later) Alex was the lead for all of the warehouse for about a year and was working there for 3 years. Stacy's Dad has been part of Gensco for at least 20 years and is a very reputative OSR. Stacy herself is the supervisor of the branch, and she has been with Gensco, for I don't know how long. Candace was there for less than a year and was the lead of pm receiving. (graveyard) ...Candace ended up becoming the branch manager... Of course, there were a lot of upset people, and a few people actually quit and never came back. It wasn't until then that I heard that she had a nickname called "The Warden. "... Well, unlike a lot of the others, I was supportive and respectful. I know what it's like running a business for the first time ever. I even gave advice and pep talks to her. ( I used to have my own before I sucked at running a business.. It was a computer repair and fabrication company we used to freelance and test hardware. nothing big. I just didn't know what I was doing. But I've been learning and dreaming that one day I can start again... ) One day in late February I ended up getting covid and missed just about 2 weeks of work. (No, i was not paid for it. so funds were tight that month) I was told by Candace that I needed to get a Doctors note if i wanted to return to work. I didn't have insurance for about 3 years since i was working for a paving company that ended up shutting down. ever got state insurance cause I'm lazy. but I finally have insurance thanks to Gensco. so, I went in and spoke with a Walk-In Dr. and while I was there, I mentioned having back pain. they then suggested filing an L&I claim so that way my insurance would cover any back treatment. I was on the fence. then the Dr. started to push it and said that i really should file an L&I claim. Otherwise, there's nothing they can do for me.... so... I filed an L&I claim towards Gensco. claiming that my work has been making my back injury flair up and getting worse.. I've previously injured my back while working in paving, AND I most likely have a "genitive disc."" deuteriation disease" along my L4 and 5. However, that company is now shut down due to Covid. So the claim gets bumped to Gensco... THIS IS WHEN THINGS START TO GET BAD: When I returned to work, I gave Branch Manager (Candace) the Dr. note and spent that entire week scared that i was going to lose my job at any moment. Then, finally, Friday came, and I was called into Candace's office, where she asked me why I filed an L&I claim and why I didn't i report it to her when it happened. I explained to her that the doctor urged me to file one so I could get treatment for my back. Her face went red, and she told me that I had to sign a document as to why I filed an L&I claim so she could send it to HR. I filled in and signed the paper and walked out of the office. Later that same day, I was told that I'm being switched to part-time hours and light duty. No, I was not paid for full time. My pay too was reduced. I was placed in a small room that had 2 computers for training or courses. I was told that I was supposed to take 10 minute brakes every hour, and all I had to do was confirm shipment orders. which just means scan the order, double check to see if everything is correct. see if it's been paid and delivered, then digitally and physically stamp your number on the order and turn it in. Since I'm tech savvy and by this point, I knew how the software ran inside and out. I'd end up getting thousands of orders and still have like 2 to 3 hours to spare. Which would use to take their online courses on Branch Managment, Junior OSR Training, OSR Training, every single Safety Course, Diamond Software, P21 Software, On Fleet Software, Columbian and Mitsubishi products, American Standard and Train products. I even ended up doing some data analytics of the On Fleet Program for the Everett Branch. I helped improve the accuracy and efficiency of our truck Drivers delivery process. One day, my supervisor (Stacy) sees me taking my breaks and yells at me to get back to work because I've taken too many breaks. I tried to explain to her the situation, but she was not having it and gave the hand. and once more told me to go back to work. Maybe a day or two later. I've already finished the ship confirm. and was doing the OSR courses when my Candace walked by. She sees that I'm doing courses, and like a pissed off mom said "ohhh no no no, you can go in the warehouse with a rolling chair and audit the shipping pallets." I'm sure Osha would have had a hay day there... so many safety violations since she became manager. I have photos of how bad it was since I had to fix a lot of it. But from that point on, both Stacy and Candce started to treat me like a child. They even nit picked me to the point where i was in trouble at least once or twice a week for some dumb and little. for example, one day, according to Alex, I was rolling too fast on the rolling chair in the warehouse. and almost fell... A peace of pallet stopped the wheel, making the chair and almost topple over, but i was able to catch myself... but I somehow got in trouble, and the branch manager chewed me out for it.... never mind the fact that she is making a disabled injured employee use a rolling office chair as wheel chair in the shipping warehouse for HVAC equipment and products. this is how it went when she called me into her office... ( This was during the 1st or 2nd month of the L&I claim. Candace "So how are you" Me "Uhm Alright, yourself?" Candace "Not so good. So Alex told me that you were being all Speed Racer in the warehouse last night and almost hurt yourself again... Why would you do that? We already accommodate and do a lot for you. " Me "..." (I'm thinking "THE FUCK YOU MEAN DO ALOT FOR ME!?!" Candace "You know this looks really bad for you while you are claiming L&I. " Me "Sorry... Won't happen again" Candace "Good. You can leave." From that point, while i was on Light duty I refused to go and help my old team.. the shipping department. Since i knew Alex (the Warehouse Lead) was just trying to get me in trouble... Other than being treated like a child by the supervisor and branch manager. everything was going good until about May of 2023 where L&I turned down my claim. I should have had gotten an L&I lawyer but I didn't know how to reach out to one... Just a reminder at this point I have been showing up late on a rare occasion. but no more that 20 minutes late. THE day after I got my L&I claim rejected, I was called into the office for my 6 month Review with Candace. She counted the time while i was on light duty to help her decide the scores. Apparently I got bad score all around besides the self education section. But I don't do enough and I could be doing so much more. but fails explain how. She pretty much tells me that I fail to meet expectations but she fails to tell me how and I even have copies of those records. Being late to work was also on one of the sections too.. in the end she gave me a 67 cent raise.... By this point you're probably thinking.. "why haven't you left yet?" well... 1. I was living pay check to pay check. 2. I was behind on Bills 3. and It's hard for me to find a job that will actually hire someone with my disabilities. Especially where I want to go... 4. I needed the money... Fast forward to late June. My partner's family drama comes to light and needless to say... shit goes down.. Due to a serious situation we ended up fostering her little brother for the remainder of June and July. We were still behind on bills so i continued to work, my partner was unfortunately fired a month or 2 prior because she felt uncomfortable and refused to listen to another supervisor from a different department... During this I've been brought to Candaces office twice for showing up late. I informed her of my disabilities again and she dismissed me 2 weeks go by and I'm struggling with my mental health while being the rock for the 3 of us... My Partner is overly stressed and doesn't drive. There's a lot we had to do for her brother that unfortunately required the both of us. SO I had to request Family Leave... Candace allows me to fill out the paper work and turn it into HR. she told me that I can go home and figure things out. 2 weeks go by and I get a call from Candace asking me to come in sometime soon. I went there the next day and was told that I was denied for family leave. but she gave me a normal Leave contract and told me that I wasn't going to be paid for my absence... by that point it was too late. i was broke, my partner was broke and neither of us were able to work. we still had her brother for another 2 weeks... i was lucky that my family stepped int and started helping us out immensely... Her brother was adopted by his Aunt we safely transported there at the end of July. AUGUST 2023 I returned to work and also set up a meeting with an psychiatrist to start getting treatment for my disabilities. I was able to see one by the end of August where i was retested for everything. Throughout the month I was late. A LOT ... I was maybe on time for like 5 to 6 days in total... my Mental health was just getting worse and worse... I was called in once more to have another write up for my attendance and was handed a new employee handbook with the attendance policy highlighted.. I have the old one and there is no attendance policy when I was hired. SEPT 2023 I just started 1 of my 3 different medications. and show some minor improvements with sleep and other things, However i was still getting extreme anxiety attacks, depression spells, burnout, and had zero motivation to do anything. thus I was still late to work a lot.. but I decided that id start being open to my coworkers and tell them how ive been feeling about management. I ended up getting a lot of shared opinions and we all started to see a pattern involving candace. Oct. 2023 I got a Dr. note from my Psychiatrist asking for a 2 hour leniency to arrive to work while i adjust to my new medication. this was also when i was give my 2nd medication out of 3 and this helped.. quit a bit. my depression spell dont come as often and the are not as intense. I'm able to sleep at night, I actually want to laugh and smile. but.. the anxieties are still there... and they were tad bit worse.. I didn't see Candace AT ALL during that month after I gave her the Dr. note, Nov 2023 I start my 3 medication and start to see immediate improvements. I don't really get depression spells that all that often. i can still feel sad and happy. I'm able to focus, be creative and back into my hobbies. AND my work life has also improved. I'm arriving on time, I'm being more efficient at picking orders, I'm training new hires, and establishing generalized SOP for everyone in the warehouse. i was able to connect with more coworkers and got learn a lot. for example; At the Gensco Everett Branch #18 - The Branch Manager pays the female employees that has less experience more than ALL of the male employees - The female employees get fast tracked and promoted to whatever position they want while the men are stuck where they are. - She completely lost her cool and blew up at 2 other male employees and verbally threatened them. only one of them was brave enough to call HR - Everyone that called HR on Candace was coincidently fired a month later - She supposedly lied about her qualifications and resume to get the Branch Mananger Position (that one is probably just a rumor) - If she doesn't like you, she will find way to get you to quit by making work unbearable or she will fire you. (this one I've witnessed happen to 2 other employees before myself) Dec 2023 The Dr. Note that my psychiatrist made has now expired and my body adapted to the medication, so we had to increase the dosage when i pick up my next prescriptions. I showed up late 2 days in a row and wasn't spoken to about it until the following week. where i was given my final warning before they would have to terminate me. I was able to show up on time for the rest of that week except for 1 day ( Thursday ) ... i spent that entire day scare that was going to lose my job.. Then Friday came. i showed up on time. stayed late to close up for Christmas next week and we all ate at the Christmas dinner that she had set up for all of us... The day after Christmas.. the 26th, I came in to work with a bad feeling in my gut.. like something about the atmosphere felt different.. I enter through the doors and I wasn't greeted like I normally was (in my head I knew it was going to happen today) I walked past the Branch managers office and my stomach immediately tightened like I just got punched in the stomach. I go to my locker and when i open it, I see my Annual Review Report. apparently I did worse than last time... I gear up and clock in and start to walk to my position.. I look in Candace's office to see if she was there. She wasn't. As i was in the mid of the exhale of relief i heard her voice coming from the supervisors office... I started to feel nauseous... and the started to lightly spin. I took a breath in and pressed on. as i walk by them i smile and wave to them as though it was another day. no response. not even a glance. i keep walking to my post when the new lead tells me that Candace wants to see me in her office. I then turn around and start heading back to her office. She was no longer in Stacys office, so i assumed that she must have radioed him. I walk into her office to be greeted not only by her but also the Regional manger for all of the WA branches. She gestures me to sit, and he shuts the door behind me.. I instantly felt trapped, my breathing was short and tight, and my brain was racing a million miles per second. My thoughts; "I FUCKING KNEW IT!" "Why is he here?" "what's that folder for" " did he just lock the door?" "This is it... I'm going to be fired" "why did he close the door?" then silence... my mind went blank and i froze as they opened up the folder that had every single day that was late written down but with no time that i came in. they informed me that showing up late at all is considered missing half the day. they continue to tell me that i am being terminated and the reason is because I was getting to work late. when they know exactly why i have been late. it was due to my disabilities... What should i do?. is it too late to do anything now?.. I still can't find a job that will hire me, I don't have source of income, and I'm on a waiting list for government assistance...
submitted by Kinshawcam to AskALawyer [link] [comments]
You can call me Cameron. I'm 28 years old I never used Reddit, so hopefully, I'm posting this in the right area...
I believe I was wrongfully terminated because my disabilities were causing me to be late to work... I am diagnosed with 3 major mental disabilities, which CAN make it very difficult for me to find and get to work... I can and will share these disabilities and how they make my daily life difficult, if you need me to. I am on a waiting list for government assistance. Due to these disabilities, I'm often late to work. I'm not talking about 1 hour to 2 hours late, just maybe 10 to 20 minutes late at most. A BIT OF BACK STORY: Gensco Inc. is a HVAC, wholesale, warehouse and distribution, corporation with multiple branches from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and I believe California too. I personally like the company as a whole... I like my fellow co-workers. In fact, my best friend was the one who helped me a job there. The manager at the time was fully aware of my disabilities upon hiring and was being accommodating and giving me slack on when I showed up late. I was part of the team that pulled orders for big companies like Greenwood, Bel- Red, Sea-Town, and more, to stage on palettes for delivery. Typical Warehouse shipping practices. That's not all we did. There's aisle maintenance, helping other departments like Receiving and Will Call, and educating ourselves with product knowledge and online courses. I would typically go above and beyond by looking for safety hazards, taking pictures of them, reporting them, and then often fixing them with supervision. Sounds like a lot of responsibilities for someone with disabilities right?... It was... but I was promised that I'd get put in the tech. department from the branch manager. so I wanted to make a name for myself. My first 2 months go by, and I didn't know that the current branch manager was promoted to the Idaho regional manager position and was going to Boise. There was an interview process to take over his position, and apparently, only 3 people applied. They were Alex, Candace, and Stacy. (this will be important later) Alex was the lead for all of the warehouse for about a year and was working there for 3 years. Stacy's Dad has been part of Gensco for at least 20 years and is a very reputative OSR. Stacy herself is the supervisor of the branch, and she has been with Gensco, for I don't know how long. Candace was there for less than a year and was the lead of pm receiving. (graveyard) ...Candace ended up becoming the branch manager... Of course, there were a lot of upset people, and a few people actually quit and never came back. It wasn't until then that I heard that she had a nickname called "The Warden. "... Well, unlike a lot of the others, I was supportive and respectful. I know what it's like running a business for the first time ever. I even gave advice and pep talks to her. ( I used to have my own before I sucked at running a business.. It was a computer repair and fabrication company we used to freelance and test hardware. nothing big. I just didn't know what I was doing. But I've been learning and dreaming that one day I can start again... ) One day in late February I ended up getting covid and missed just about 2 weeks of work. (No, i was not paid for it. so funds were tight that month) I was told by Candace that I needed to get a Doctors note if i wanted to return to work. I didn't have insurance for about 3 years since i was working for a paving company that ended up shutting down. ever got state insurance cause I'm lazy. but I finally have insurance thanks to Gensco. so, I went in and spoke with a Walk-In Dr. and while I was there, I mentioned having back pain. they then suggested filing an L&I claim so that way my insurance would cover any back treatment. I was on the fence. then the Dr. started to push it and said that i really should file an L&I claim. Otherwise, there's nothing they can do for me.... so... I filed an L&I claim towards Gensco. claiming that my work has been making my back injury flair up and getting worse.. I've previously injured my back while working in paving, AND I most likely have a "genitive disc."" deuteriation disease" along my L4 and 5. However, that company is now shut down due to Covid. So the claim gets bumped to Gensco... THIS IS WHEN THINGS START TO GET BAD: When I returned to work, I gave Branch Manager (Candace) the Dr. note and spent that entire week scared that i was going to lose my job at any moment. Then, finally, Friday came, and I was called into Candace's office, where she asked me why I filed an L&I claim and why I didn't i report it to her when it happened. I explained to her that the doctor urged me to file one so I could get treatment for my back. Her face went red, and she told me that I had to sign a document as to why I filed an L&I claim so she could send it to HR. I filled in and signed the paper and walked out of the office. Later that same day, I was told that I'm being switched to part-time hours and light duty. No, I was not paid for full time. My pay too was reduced. I was placed in a small room that had 2 computers for training or courses. I was told that I was supposed to take 10 minute brakes every hour, and all I had to do was confirm shipment orders. which just means scan the order, double check to see if everything is correct. see if it's been paid and delivered, then digitally and physically stamp your number on the order and turn it in. Since I'm tech savvy and by this point, I knew how the software ran inside and out. I'd end up getting thousands of orders and still have like 2 to 3 hours to spare. Which would use to take their online courses on Branch Managment, Junior OSR Training, OSR Training, every single Safety Course, Diamond Software, P21 Software, On Fleet Software, Columbian and Mitsubishi products, American Standard and Train products. I even ended up doing some data analytics of the On Fleet Program for the Everett Branch. I helped improve the accuracy and efficiency of our truck Drivers delivery process. One day, my supervisor (Stacy) sees me taking my breaks and yells at me to get back to work because I've taken too many breaks. I tried to explain to her the situation, but she was not having it and gave the hand. and once more told me to go back to work. Maybe a day or two later. I've already finished the ship confirm. and was doing the OSR courses when my Candace walked by. She sees that I'm doing courses, and like a pissed off mom said "ohhh no no no, you can go in the warehouse with a rolling chair and audit the shipping pallets." I'm sure Osha would have had a hay day there... so many safety violations since she became manager. I have photos of how bad it was since I had to fix a lot of it. But from that point on, both Stacy and Candce started to treat me like a child. They even nit picked me to the point where i was in trouble at least once or twice a week for some dumb and little. for example, one day, according to Alex, I was rolling too fast on the rolling chair in the warehouse. and almost fell... A peace of pallet stopped the wheel, making the chair and almost topple over, but i was able to catch myself... but I somehow got in trouble, and the branch manager chewed me out for it.... never mind the fact that she is making a disabled injured employee use a rolling office chair as wheel chair in the shipping warehouse for HVAC equipment and products. this is how it went when she called me into her office... ( This was during the 1st or 2nd month of the L&I claim. Candace "So how are you" Me "Uhm Alright, yourself?" Candace "Not so good. So Alex told me that you were being all Speed Racer in the warehouse last night and almost hurt yourself again... Why would you do that? We already accommodate and do a lot for you. " Me "..." (I'm thinking "THE FUCK YOU MEAN DO ALOT FOR ME!?!" Candace "You know this looks really bad for you while you are claiming L&I. " Me "Sorry... Won't happen again" Candace "Good. You can leave." From that point, while i was on Light duty I refused to go and help my old team.. the shipping department. Since i knew Alex (the Warehouse Lead) was just trying to get me in trouble... Other than being treated like a child by the supervisor and branch manager. everything was going good until about May of 2023 where L&I turned down my claim. I should have had gotten an L&I lawyer but I didn't know how to reach out to one... Just a reminder at this point I have been showing up late on a rare occasion. but no more that 20 minutes late. THE day after I got my L&I claim rejected, I was called into the office for my 6 month Review with Candace. She counted the time while i was on light duty to help her decide the scores. Apparently I got bad score all around besides the self education section. But I don't do enough and I could be doing so much more. but fails explain how. She pretty much tells me that I fail to meet expectations but she fails to tell me how and I even have copies of those records. Being late to work was also on one of the sections too.. in the end she gave me a 67 cent raise.... By this point you're probably thinking.. "why haven't you left yet?" well... 1. I was living pay check to pay check. 2. I was behind on Bills 3. and It's hard for me to find a job that will actually hire someone with my disabilities. Especially where I want to go... 4. I needed the money... Fast forward to late June. My partner's family drama comes to light and needless to say... shit goes down.. Due to a serious situation we ended up fostering her little brother for the remainder of June and July. We were still behind on bills so i continued to work, my partner was unfortunately fired a month or 2 prior because she felt uncomfortable and refused to listen to another supervisor from a different department... During this I've been brought to Candaces office twice for showing up late. I informed her of my disabilities again and she dismissed me 2 weeks go by and I'm struggling with my mental health while being the rock for the 3 of us... My Partner is overly stressed and doesn't drive. There's a lot we had to do for her brother that unfortunately required the both of us. SO I had to request Family Leave... Candace allows me to fill out the paper work and turn it into HR. she told me that I can go home and figure things out. 2 weeks go by and I get a call from Candace asking me to come in sometime soon. I went there the next day and was told that I was denied for family leave. but she gave me a normal Leave contract and told me that I wasn't going to be paid for my absence... by that point it was too late. i was broke, my partner was broke and neither of us were able to work. we still had her brother for another 2 weeks... i was lucky that my family stepped int and started helping us out immensely... Her brother was adopted by his Aunt we safely transported there at the end of July. AUGUST 2023 I returned to work and also set up a meeting with an psychiatrist to start getting treatment for my disabilities. I was able to see one by the end of August where i was retested for everything. Throughout the month I was late. A LOT ... I was maybe on time for like 5 to 6 days in total... my Mental health was just getting worse and worse... I was called in once more to have another write up for my attendance and was handed a new employee handbook with the attendance policy highlighted.. I have the old one and there is no attendance policy when I was hired. SEPT 2023 I just started 1 of my 3 different medications. and show some minor improvements with sleep and other things, However i was still getting extreme anxiety attacks, depression spells, burnout, and had zero motivation to do anything. thus I was still late to work a lot.. but I decided that id start being open to my coworkers and tell them how ive been feeling about management. I ended up getting a lot of shared opinions and we all started to see a pattern involving candace. Oct. 2023 I got a Dr. note from my Psychiatrist asking for a 2 hour leniency to arrive to work while i adjust to my new medication. this was also when i was give my 2nd medication out of 3 and this helped.. quit a bit. my depression spell dont come as often and the are not as intense. I'm able to sleep at night, I actually want to laugh and smile. but.. the anxieties are still there... and they were tad bit worse.. I didn't see Candace AT ALL during that month after I gave her the Dr. note, Nov 2023 I start my 3 medication and start to see immediate improvements. I don't really get depression spells that all that often. i can still feel sad and happy. I'm able to focus, be creative and back into my hobbies. AND my work life has also improved. I'm arriving on time, I'm being more efficient at picking orders, I'm training new hires, and establishing generalized SOP for everyone in the warehouse. i was able to connect with more coworkers and got learn a lot. for example; At the Gensco Everett Branch #18 - The Branch Manager pays the female employees that has less experience more than ALL of the male employees - The female employees get fast tracked and promoted to whatever position they want while the men are stuck where they are. - She completely lost her cool and blew up at 2 other male employees and verbally threatened them. only one of them was brave enough to call HR - Everyone that called HR on Candace was coincidently fired a month later - She supposedly lied about her qualifications and resume to get the Branch Mananger Position (that one is probably just a rumor) - If she doesn't like you, she will find way to get you to quit by making work unbearable or she will fire you. (this one I've witnessed happen to 2 other employees before myself) Dec 2023 The Dr. Note that my psychiatrist made has now expired and my body adapted to the medication, so we had to increase the dosage when i pick up my next prescriptions. I showed up late 2 days in a row and wasn't spoken to about it until the following week. where i was given my final warning before they would have to terminate me. I was able to show up on time for the rest of that week except for 1 day ( Thursday ) ... i spent that entire day scare that was going to lose my job.. Then Friday came. i showed up on time. stayed late to close up for Christmas next week and we all ate at the Christmas dinner that she had set up for all of us... The day after Christmas.. the 26th, I came in to work with a bad feeling in my gut.. like something about the atmosphere felt different.. I enter through the doors and I wasn't greeted like I normally was (in my head I knew it was going to happen today) I walked past the Branch managers office and my stomach immediately tightened like I just got punched in the stomach. I go to my locker and when i open it, I see my Annual Review Report. apparently I did worse than last time... I gear up and clock in and start to walk to my position.. I look in Candace's office to see if she was there. She wasn't. As i was in the mid of the exhale of relief i heard her voice coming from the supervisors office... I started to feel nauseous... and the started to lightly spin. I took a breath in and pressed on. as i walk by them i smile and wave to them as though it was another day. no response. not even a glance. i keep walking to my post when the new lead tells me that Candace wants to see me in her office. I then turn around and start heading back to her office. She was no longer in Stacys office, so i assumed that she must have radioed him. I walk into her office to be greeted not only by her but also the Regional manger for all of the WA branches. She gestures me to sit, and he shuts the door behind me.. I instantly felt trapped, my breathing was short and tight, and my brain was racing a million miles per second. My thoughts; "I FUCKING KNEW IT!" "Why is he here?" "what's that folder for" " did he just lock the door?" "This is it... I'm going to be fired" "why did he close the door?" then silence... my mind went blank and i froze as they opened up the folder that had every single day that was late written down but with no time that i came in. they informed me that showing up late at all is considered missing half the day. they continue to tell me that i am being terminated and the reason is because I was getting to work late. when they know exactly why i have been late. it was due to my disabilities... What should i do?. is it too late to do anything now?.. I still can't find a job that will hire me, I don't have source of income, and I'm on a waiting list for government assistance...