If you work for a company, they likely have a Human Resources team. They have access to inside information. Back in the day before everything went digitized, there was an actual book. A book of the true shareholders, their positions, info, etc. With the right permissions, HR could provide you access to this information. What I’m trying to get at is, the majority of us are on gamestops book. What we did was digitally sign our names to it with money and a ledger.
I truly do believe that when RC was posting the cone poo chair memes and others alluding to CS, he meant exactly that. I feel my money is safe because if some shit goes down where I can’t access my shares or money anywhere else, GameStop has a book with my name on it that they can haul into the courtroom. I’m not sure what implications it may have, but if they get into with the govt, I want to be on paper in that courtroom too. I was an owner when they killed the buy button. I was an owner during March 11th (I think) dip. I’ve been around the block and I’m not fuckin happy with what I’ve been through. Like DFV latest, I’m fucking staying. Take it from me, apes, there’s hundreds of thousands like me with the same attitude. I’m not fuckin leaving.
Anyway, I digress. My buddy who is deeply invested as well asked me how I think this shit is truly going to end. I got him involved around the battle of 180. So he’s seen his fair share of war too. I’ve read more of the original DD, so I’m a touch more zen than he is. I told him I’m not really worried about it. Most of us have our shares in CS and consider them part of the infinity pool. Our locked 25-30% should take care of a majority of the hedge funds alone and like I said, if shit goes down, even the president can’t remove my name from GameStops books. Fuck it all watch it burn. Getting rich is cool but I’m in it for spite now.
They fucked around and we’re ALL about to find out. See you all in the shareholder meeting. Stay zen, stay diamond hands. This is it.

So in short, my players cleared Kolat Towers and the Sanctum with the help of the Harpers and Doom Raiders and instead of searching for the eye searched for Manshoon and ended up getting a TPK. Now the Warlock sacrificed himself and asked for his patron to teleport everyone back home (with a 26 religion roll) so technically 2 players are still alive (unconscious) and they will continue with 2 new and 2 existing characters.
I decided to do a time skip in game of at least a couple of weeks and since there was a lot going on in the campaign I will make some bullet notes on things I need resolved for the continuation and I hope for some tips and ideas.

1. Manshoon, Sanctum and the Zhentarim: Since Manshoon won the fight but lost almost all of his soldiers/liutenants what is the next step for him given that the Harpers were also involved in the raid as well as the Doom Raiders. He still has Skeemo and Mirklav so he could also revivify some people. His Sanctum was also breached and the players know the teleportation circle combination so they could just open a portal directly in now from what I understand. Since the Xanathar is defeated, he could also try to take over Skullport and the Xanathars by allying himself with Nihiloor.
2. The Tavern: Due to happenings in the campaign, after the death of the owner, the inn goes to the Lords Alliance and will be put up for auction. This creates another goal for acquiring money so that they can buy the inn back but what happens with the inn in the meantime. The players took good care to style the inn and remade it into a successful business with many NPCs working there. So technically the tavern should now be closed or owned by the city (or already bought by someone else).
3. Doom Raiders: Davil and his squad reluctantly helped the players against Manshoon and Ziraj died in the fight. They had good relations with the players troughout the campaign but it's all going downhill. Skeemo was also revealed to be a double agent so what is next for the remaining 3 members now ?
4. Xanathar Guild: The party allied with Jarlaxle during the heist and bombed most of the hideout, burying the Xanathar inside and trapping Nihiloor in his chambers after double crossing him. Nihiloor also has a possible baby "Neothelid" down there which could be used against the players or dangerous to everyone. Skullport is still left unscathed but every liutenant in the hideout is dead after Xanathar's fish got bombed. I wonder what happens with them now. Does Nihiloor take over, what happens with the Xanathar, does Manshoon swoop in ?
5. Black Viper: She got scammed by Skeemo so she went to the Cassalanters with the poison and got caught. I don't want to outright kill her off screen because the players like her so I wonder what the Cassalanters would do with her after her infiltration attempt. Do they dumb the body and kill her or do they hold her hostage etc. She is a noble after all.
6. The Drow: Jarlaxle has the stone and one eye (xanathar and gralhund pieces) and N'arl with him. He currently has the players working to get the other 2 pieces for him as he promised 100k gold for the players as well as his spy network and all the leftovers. He used the players connections to talk to Mirt about getting the gold to Lareal and told them exactly why he needs the gold. The players don't see Jarlaxle as an enemy but I wonder if he's playing all of them and what are his final motives. What are his next moves as the players failed the job. I guess he would continue using the players, but does he neccessarily want to screw anyone over ?
7. Cassalanters: The Cassalanters are idle watching all of this after the players promised to help them with the kids. The players know about the eyes and the Cassalanters have already helped them trough previous troubles as well as offered all the help the players ask for or need. Do they stay idle or do they start making moves ?
8. Harpers: Since 2 of the players allied themselves with the Harpers, Mirt and Remmalia gave them guidance and helped them when needed. The Harpers in my campaign want to keep the Dragonstaff inside the vault or want it brought back for safe keeping. Their main motive is what it always was lore wise but how does Mirt react to the happenings with Manshoon, Jarlaxle and the Doom Raiders and are there any moves that he might want to make now that the city is becoming more and more unstable.
9. Lords Alliance and Force Grey: The Alliance has lost it's faith in the players before and they still don't act or really know about the threats of the Vault hunt. Vajra is in good terms with the players but she can't act or do anything without Lareal's approval and Lareal is known to use them only as a last resort. Do I keep these 2 factions out still as they are way too powerfull if they intervene in the game now.

The players are left in a position where they hold no pieces but are allied with both the Cassalanters (one eye), Jarlaxle (stone and eye) separately and also the Harpers. I have no idea what their next plan may be since they just suffered defeat but getting to Manshoon is the biggest mistery that I have while trying to keep him smart and calculative.
I know it's a long post but thank you in advance!

At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“Four years on and the headache still sucks,” Vell groaned to himself.
Though most of the loopers had managed to make it to midnight alive, they had nothing to show for it but headaches. They had not succeeded in digging Cane out of the rubble, or investigating his apparent ghost theory in any other way. That was a complication, but not a fatal one. They had some leads to work with, at least, and Vell knew where to get started on the ghost angle. Vell gladly made the call that would get them started.
“Goooooood morning Mr. Harlan,” Harley chimed. “What’s happening?”
“Frog invasions, among other problems,” Vell grumbled.
“Oh, that’s a time loop headache if I ever heard it,” Harley said. She’d run into that affliction more than a few times.
“Yeah, it’s not great,” Vell said. “Listen, do you still have Garrett’s number?”
“Ooh, ghost problems, eh?” Harley said. “I’ll text it to you.”
“Thanks. I kind of got to get right to it, so I’ll have to give you the details later, alright? Love you, Harley.”
“Love you too, bud,” Harley said. “Say hi to Garret for me.”
Vell hung up the first call and braced himself for the second. He liked Garret, but he could also be a lot to deal with -a fact well-demonstrated by the phone call beginning with Garret’s theme music blaring over the phone. Once the bombastic rock and roll stopped, Vell was disappointed to hear a mechanical beep indicate the start of an answering machine message.
“Hi, you’ve reached Garret Geist, Ghost Getter,” the message said, in Garrett’s usual southern california drawl. “I’m currently on a long-term submersible mission to exorcise the ghosts of shipwreck victims who’ve been trapped undersea for centuries.”
“What?”
Vell knew it was a recording, but needed to voice his offense anyway. It was hard to truly be mad knowing Garrett was doing something so incredibly heroic, though.
“I should be back to the surface and ready to help in a few days, so please leave a message and I’ll get to you as soon as I can!”
The automated message clicked again and fell silent. Vell hung up the phone and let out a low groan of despair.
“Okay, we’re not screwed yet,” Vell said. “Just need to wait a bit.”
Vell brushed his teeth and rushed through breakfast, and then, right on cue, heard a knock on his door. He whipped it open to find a bothersome scientist once again at his door.
“Hi, good morning,” Vell said, as he opened the door. “You here to bother me about Quenay?”
“I- uh, I have some very interesting theories.”
“I’m sure you do,” Vell said. “If you can just hold on one second…”
Vell paused and waited. The bothersome student also waited, at least for a few seconds.
“What exactly are we waiting for?”
“This.”
Cane grabbed the student by the collar and yanked them away from the door. Vell invited him in and slammed the door shut behind them to really drive the point home.
“Thank you for that,” Vell said. “Did you need something?”
“Just to talk to you,” Cane said. “I was trying to get people together to hang out tonight. Figured you’d want in, if you’re not too busy.”
“I could probably make it, I just have to…”
Vell froze. He really should’ve come up with these lies in advance.
“You good, Vell?”
“I, uh, sorry, just losing track of things, mentally,” Vell said. “I’ve had a lot of people, uh, ask me for help with things.”
“What kind of things?” Cane said. “You need a hand?”
“Maybe.”
Vell contemplated how to proceed for a moment, and then figured he’d probably built up enough good will with Cane over the past four years he could just dive right in.
“You ever heard about frog ghosts?”
“Yeah,” Cane said, without so much as blinking.
“Oh, cool,” Vell said. “What about them?”
“Well, hold on, are you talking about frog ghosts as in the ghost of frogs, or a ghost related to frogs?”
“Either or, I guess?”
“Okay, because I don’t know anything about any ghostly frogs,” Cane said. “There is supposedly the ghost of a guy obsessed with frogs on campus, though.”
“Interesting. Tell me about the frog guy.”
“I don’t know all the details, it was kind of an urban legend even when my brother came here about a decade back,” Cane said. “All he ever told me was the this frog-obsessed sophomore died while studying, and he haunts the basement of the sophomore dorms, I guess. ‘Some say you can still hear faint croaking in the basement’ and all that horror story shit.”
“Interesting,” Vell said, again. “Let me look into that and we’ll circle back later, alright? I gotta go, see you.”
“Vell-”
“Sorry, kind of in a hurry, bud,” Vell said, as he left and shut the door behind.
“This is your dorm, dude,” Cane said.
***
“You were not exaggerating about this headache,” Alex said.
“We warned you,” Kim said. “Man, it’s almost better to die.”
“How do you have a headache, you’re made of metal!”
“It’s complicated,” Kim said. Her synthetic body did not spare her from the time loop headache, no matter how she rebuilt herself.
“Good morning everyone,” Helena said, as she whacked the door open with a crutch. “What did I miss?”
“Quiet down a little, please” Hawke said.
“Why?”
“Do you not have a headache too?”
“No, I died pretty early,” Helena said. “Got a frog on me.”
“You died from a frog touching you? What condition do you have that causes that?”
“Well it was a poison dart frog, so I guess ‘being alive’,” Helena said. Samson pursed his lips and said nothing. “What did you all get up to while I was busy being dead?”
“Vell found out the frogs were summoned by a weird frog-obsessed ghost,” Hawke said. “He apparently knows a guy who might be able to help.”
The loopers then proceeded to relax and chat about frogs, ghosts, and other miscellaneous topics for about seven minutes, which made it a lot less dramatic when Vell barged in and announced Garret would be unable to help.
“Oh come on,” Kim snapped. “What’s the point of knowing a ghost hunter if he never helps hunt ghosts?”
“He’s on some undersea mission to rescue lost souls,” Vell said. “Which makes it really hard to be mad at him.”
“And yet I manage,” Kim said. She didn’t begrudge Garret personally, but she had been hoping for their first easy win of the year. All the apocalypses thus far had been a major pain in the ass.
“Aren’t you people supposed to be able to handle things like this?”
“Yes, Alex, and we will,” Vell said. “Just would’ve been nice to have a professional on the job.”
“I’ll get the ghostbusting stuff ready,” Hawke sighed. He would’ve loved a chance to outsource their daily nonsense.
“Keep it on standby for now,” Vell said. “Ghosts have unfinished business or regrets. If we can help our ghost deal with whatever frog-related business he’s got going on, maybe we can fix this without having to bust anyone.”
“That’s your plan?” Alex said. “Be nice to the ghost that crushed a building and hope it goes away?”
“Yes,” Vell said, with a completely straight face. “And busting is plan B.”
“Bustin’ makes me feel good,” Hawke sang, as he grabbed all their various ghostbusting gear.
“True professionals at work,” Alex scoffed. Everyone else rolled their eyes and got back to work.
“Vell is an old pro at being nice to people,” Kim said. “Just ask Helena’s sister.”
“Don’t pat yourself on the back, Joan’s incredibly susceptible to manipulation,” Helena said. It was disturbing she’d say that, and even more disturbing she knew that. “That said, anyone dumb enough to get stuck as a ghost for decades will probably buy into your routine just as easily.”
“Thanks for your input,” Vell said. “I’m just going to go ahead and get started.”
He said that both because it was important and because it was an excuse to get away from Alex and Helena faster.
“Need any backup?” Samson asked, for similar reasons.
“I’ll check it out solo first,” Vell said. Historically speaking, he was the best people-pleaser, a dubious honor at best, but one that came in handy when dealing with a frog-summoning ghost. “I’ll let you know if I need backup.”
“Or busting,” Hawke said.
“Or busting,” Vell agreed. “I have to find out where the ghost is, for starters. I’ll be in touch soon.”
***
Finding the lair of the ghost was the first hurdle. As it turned out, the sophomore dorms had a lot of basements. Every building on campus had a lot of basements, so Vell was not all that surprised. At least these basements didn’t have booby traps or old experiment equipment in them. They mostly just had a lot of junk. Vell kicked aside some old food wrappers and scanned the room.
“Why do people treat these empty rooms like dumping grounds?”
“People are usually different when they think no one is watching.”
Vell whipped around and saw a transparent head poking through one of the nearby walls. A ghost if Vell had ever seen one.
“Oh, hi,” Vell said. “Uh, weird question, how do you feel about frogs?”
“I’m ambivalent at best,” the ghost said. “Are you looking for the frog guy? Because he haunts two rooms over.”
The ghost pointed to the right, down the hall, and Vell looked that way.
“Thanks,” Vell said. He took a few steps towards the door before spinning around to face the other ghost again. “Uh, do you need any help like, moving on? Finishing unfinished business?”
“Nah, we get wifi down here, so I don’t mind just chilling,” the ghost said. “Thanks for offering though.”
The ghost drew back into the wall and vanished from sight. While Vell was painfully curious as to how a ghost accessed wifi, he decided it was time to move on. The frog ghost was apparently close by, after all.
Vell followed the wifi ghost’s directions and hopped two doors down, barging into a subterranean room that was uncomfortably moist and smelled of mud and rainwater. Condensation dripped from the ceiling and onto Vell’s back, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. Unlike other rooms, this one was completely free of any garbage, but Vell took no comfort in that.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
A chill ran down Vell’s spine that definitely was not another drop of water. He waited two seconds, took a deep breath, and turned around.
“Hello.”
Vell was just inches away from another transparent face. This one had a slight green tint, with wide set eyes and a broad, flat mouth. Vell wondered if the similarities to a frog had been there during this person’s life, or if they just liked frogs so much their ghost had slowly shifted to reflect their passion.
“Hey! Hi, uh, nice to meet you,” Vell mumbled. “I’m Vell.”
“I’m Raine.”
“Neat, nice name,” Vell said. If Raine noticed the awkward hesitation in the compliment, he didn’t show it. “So, uh, I was wondering, well, I heard you were the guy to ask about frogs.”
The already wide eyes of the ghost got even wider, and visible excitement trembled through their spectral form. Vell began to think he may have made a mistake.
***
“So even though it’s the biggest frog in the America’s, the helmeted water toad is still only half the size of the Goliath frog,” Raine said. “Which must be wild for the helmeted water toad. Could you imagine crossing an ocean and finding out the people who live there are literally twice your size?”
“Must be pretty mindblowing, yeah,” Vell said.
“And that’s not even going into the real extremes,” Raine said. “Do you remember our pal P. Amauensis?”
“How could I forget,” Vell said, about something he had definitely forgotten.
“Not just the world’s smallest frog, but maybe the world’s smallest vertebrate,” Raine said. “Only seven point seven millimeters long, a literal fraction of the Goliath frog! Could you imagine meeting someone who’s only as big as your toe?”
“I actually did, once,” Vell said. “Shrink ray.”
“Oh. Was...was it weird?”
“A little,” Vell said.
“Wow. You almost know what it’s like to be a Goliath frog meeting a P. Amauensis,” Raine said. “I’m so jealous.”
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of interesting stuff,” Vell said. “What about you, what’d you get up to when you weren’t studying frogs?”
Raine tilted his spectral head and stared blankly at Vell.
“You did do things other than study frogs, right?”
“Not if I could help it,” Raine said.
“Okay, uh...what did you like to eat?”
“Oh, I just ate food whenever I was hungry,” Raine said. “What I really liked to do was gather samples of different bugs and other frog dietary staples, so I could try to get a sense of their diet for myself.”
“Like, cooked bugs, or just raw, living bugs,” Vell said. He’d eaten a few different varieties of cooked bugs, just for the experience, but couldn’t imagine eating raw insects.
“If I could find them, yeah, live ones,” Raine said. “It got pretty hard after I got banned from the entomology department.”
“That’d do it,” Vell said. “So, did you, uh, go swimming a lot?”
“Oh yeah, all the time,” Raine said. “Until I got banned from the pools too. Trying to swim like a frog doesn’t work very well, and they got sick of having to rescue me, I guess.”
“You could’ve just swam like a person.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To...I don’t know,” Vell said. He was starting to feel like Raine’s entire life and unlife revolved around frogs. “Did you ever do anything, I don’t know, human?”
“Oh, I studied frogs,” Raine said. “Frogs lack the self-awareness to understand frogs. It’s their only flaw, really.”
“I see. So what’s your favorite frog?”
As expected, this set off a long rant, as Raine found it hard to pick a favorite and had to start listing pros and cons of various frog species. It was not exactly scintillating conversation, but it kept Raine talking instead of somehow summoning frogs. Vell kept reminding himself that was the real goal. He was not here to have a pleasant chat, he was here to prevent the frogpocalypse. Anything that kept Raine ranting was good. He was saving the world.
As Raine started ranking every existing frog species by maximum jump distance, Vell kept repeating that to himself. Saving the world, one frog jump strength at a time.

Hey everyone! I back again with some more funny shenanigans with our good pals Lerson and Silversmith. Thank you all for the great feedback for the last chapter, it really made my day. I'm excited to hear what you all think about this next one. Hope you all enjoy!
And again a special thanks to SpacePaladin15 for the NoP universe! __________
[First] [Next] __________
Memory Transcription Subject: Lerson, Undercover Farsul Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
How did I get here? Just yesterday I was running for my life through the forest on this backwater planet and now I am sitting in the back of a vehicle with a predator, who thinks that I am some kind of hunting beast. Well… what do I do now?
The first part of my plan went off without a hitch. The simple minded predators had not realized I was not one of their slave beasts, so they released me from their holding pens. However, I am now trapped in a car right alongside my new predatory master.
Maybe I could try to take it down. It doesn’t seem particularly dexterous at least compared to the other predators I have seen. It is not looking at me now, so I would have the upper hand, but it is nearly twice my size. I will probably have to hold out for a little bit longer before I make my move.
I am suddenly pulled from my thoughts when the predator in the front seat begins to growl, “Car, can you bring me to the pet store, please?”
‘Pet Store,’ what is that? My translator says that it is a place for the sale of animals. Is it going to sell me already? Maybe I am just being sent to my new prison. My heart races as I watch the vehicle begin to slow down and come to a stop in front of the building. The elderly predator gets out of the vehicle and walks around to the door next to me. Oh no! This isn’t part of the plan. I thought I was finally out of that place, but now I am just about to get locked up again. The door opens.
“Okay bud, we’re gonna get you some things,” it said. Huh. I am not getting sold? The predator grabbed the end of the rope around my neck and beckoned me out of the vehicle. I chose to oblige and we slowly made our way towards the nearby building.
It was a small structure that looked like it was in disrepair. It makes sense that the predators would not upkeep their buildings all they care about is killing and eating. I was surprised to find that they even have buildings to begin with.
The old one pushed the door open, which produced a soft jingle as we walked in. First thing I noticed was the intense smell. It was almost overwhelming with how many different scents there were. Looking around the aisles of the shop were very narrow and the shelves were packed with different items. “Um, so the lady at the shelter suggested that I get food, bowls, a bed, and… I don’t really remember what else. That’s probably fine to begin with, we can always come back later.”
We walked down one of the narrow aisles, which had dozens of bags of ‘kibble.’ My translator says it is “ground meal shaped into pellets, especially for pet food.” That does not sound very appetizing. The predator stops and starts looking through the different options. I also start to look around. The bag nearest to me has an ingredients list. Luckily I opted for the built in visual translator. Scanning the ingredients it contains mostly different grains and other fillers, which is surprising from predator food, but it also lists ‘animal byproducts’ which sounds horrifying. I guess whatever the Terrans do not end up eating gets tossed to the lesser predators.
“Let’s get this one. It says it’s for ‘senior’ dogs. Ha! That’s something we’ve go in common”
Really?! Do I look that old to everyone? By the Tenants, maybe I need to dye my fur after I get out of this mess. We continued going around the store picking up items until we got to the counter near the front.
Speaking to the predator behind the counter my ‘master’ says, “Good afternoon Bobby. How’s everything going?”
The young predator behind the counter responds, “Not too great, Mr. Silversmith.”
“Oh. I spose that was a bad question to ask, sorry.”
“It's okay sir, there is just a lot going on. I’m glad that my parents and I are all fine, being out here in the country, but my brother works in the city and we still don’t know if he’s alright.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope for the best.”
“Thank you. Now what can I do for you?”
“Oh I’m just buying some supplies for old Buddy over here,” he gestures down to me.
The clerk looks over the counter towards me, “Uh… Mr. Silversmith…” The old predator cuts him off, “I know he aint the best lookin’, but can’t say much about myself either, so I don’t need to hear it.”
“Sure… Well… let me ring that all up for you then.”
Spekh! That one has to know, right? Perhaps these predators are not as dense as I thought and the one I got is just really stupid. Well at least that helps my plan, but I will still have to be careful around other Terrans.
The old one finishes paying and we head back down to the vehicle and it drives off. After about [~34 minutes] we reach what I think is the elderly predator's den.
It is at the end of a very long dirt roadway, tucked among the trees, that I see the structure. Just like the pet shop it is a small building made out of simple materials like wood and stone. I suppose the predators really are as primitive as I thought.
The vehicle comes to a halt next to the building and the old one steps out. After he opens my door, I step out of the vehicle as well. I follow him to the entrance of the den, which is a simple wooden door painted bright red. And if I remember correctly that is the color of blood on this planet. So savage!
Upon entering, the interior looks very similar to the outside with wood adorning the walls and floors. Though I was surprised how similar the layout was to the living quarters back at the guild. The room at the entrance looked to be some kind of lounging room with a small couch and rug in the center of the room facing a screen mounted on the opposite wall. To the left of the door was what I could only assume was a kitchen with storage cabinets covering the walls.
The elderly predator returned to the car to retrieve the items it purchased at the ‘pet shop,’ which makes this the best time to do some sleuthing. I made my way past the lounge room into the depths of the den. Past the entrance room was a hallway leading further back. It was adorned with photographs filled with predatory snarls. I did my best to ignore them and worked my way further down the hall.
Up ahead there was a door and upon opening it I found a room which, by the smell of it, must be a lavatory. That really reminded me that I had to go to the bathroom. My cell did not even have a waste pit. I made my way quickly into the room and relieved myself with haste. Once I finished I thought about flushing the ‘evidence,’ but that’s when I heard the front door open again, so I was forced to hurry out of the room.
“Hey Bud! Where did you go?” it growled from the other room. I made my way back to the entrance as quickly as I could manage on all fours. “There you are. So do you like the place?” the predator asked. I did not respond and just looked towards it. “Ha ha, great!” it growled. I did not say anything?
“So I got your food and water bowls over here. Let me go fill them up. You’ve gotta be hungry.”
It walked over to the kitchen with the bowls in hand and filled one with water from the sink. The other bowl, the predator filled with the ‘kibble’ from earlier. Then it placed them both on the floor. It looks like the food situation might not be any better than my previous arrangement at the holding pen.
“Well, I spose I should eat dinner as well.”
It opened the large metal cabinet and began looking through it. I snuck a little closer to get a better look. When I approached I could feel the chill coming off of it, so I could assume that it was some kind of refrigerators unit. Must not be that primitive I suppose. After a bit of scrounging around the refrigerator, the elderly one pulled out a clear plastic container. It was green on the inside. Is it really going to eat rotten flesh!? I guess that is expected of a predator.
As it opened the container I braced my nose for the putrid smell of rotten flesh, but it never came. I watched as the predator poured out leafy greens into a bowl. Huh, a predator is eating plants?
Wait, I do remember that during the Terran’s deceptive talk at Aafa, they had said they were [all-eaters]. I guess that must be true. Watching it eat the greens is making me even hungrier than I was before.
I watched as the elderly predator finished its salad. It brought the bowl and utensils to the sink to begin washing them. I waited in the corner of the kitchen for him to finish and leave. My stomach was killing me and I could only think of the amazing taste of a crisp salad. Finally the predator finished his task and turned away from the sink. It looked towards me and then at the bowls on the floor. “Aren’t you hungry boy? You haven’t touched your food at all… I hope you’re alright. Maybe I need to take you to the vet tomorrow?”
Vet? My translator says that that means ‘animal doctor.’ Even though the average human is pretty oblivious, a doctor will be sure to realize that I’m not really a ‘dog.’ I can not let this Terran take me there. I know what I have to do, but I do not like it. I steel myself as I walk over to the bowl and stare down at its contents. Am I really going to do this? You have to! So, I lower my head and bite down on a mouthful of ‘kibble.’
It… is not that bad? I honestly expected worse.
I suppress the thoughts of the ‘animal byproducts’ in it and swallow. Immediately I wash out my mouth with the water in the second bowl. Then I turn to look at the human who is now snarling at me. I freeze. Did I do something wrong? Did it figure me out?!
“There you go. Ha ha. I was worried for a second there.”
What? Is it happy that I ate? Then why is it snarling at me? Maybe maybe that means that it is happy? These predators are so weird. At least it seems like I have avoided detection once again. Nailed it!
The old predator, having been satisfied, let out a yawn revealing all its sharp teeth… well… most of them were surprisingly quite dull. “Okay bud it's getting late, so I think it's time for me to turn in, but let me get you your bed first,” it said. Reaching into the biggest bag from the pet shop the elderly predator pulled out a round fluffy bowl. It looks similar to beds I saw when working on the Iftali and Sulean homeworld, though this one is a lot smaller. It placed the bed down in the living room next to the couch.
It paused, “Oh wait. I should probably take you outside before turning in for the night. Don’t want a mess in the morning, come on.”
I follow the predator as instructed, wondering what it wants me to do now. It leads me out a side door into a grassy area. “Okay… do your business,” it said.
What? Does it want me to do something? I just look around seeing if there's anything to give me any clues.
“I guess that didn’t work. Go potty.”
What?! Is it commanding me to defecate?! Outside! I guess he does think I am an animal. But there is no way I am doing that especially with it watching me. Why is it watching? Is it some kind of pervert? Grr, Screw the plan!
“Okay… uh… I guess come back in when you’re done,” it says as it turns to walk back to the house.
Thank the Tenants! I wait [a few minutes] and then slip back into the predator’s den. On my return it spots me, “Oh good you’re back!”
It walked over to the side door and locked it. Then the predator shuffled to wall switches and turned off most of the lights. Thankfully it left a singular lamp turned on. It is already bad enough that I am stuck in a predator's den, but being in the dark with a predator would be too much even for me.
“Okay goodnight bud, see you in the morning,” said the old one. Then right as it entered the hall it stopped and looked down at a nearby table, “Good night Ella. Good night Ben. Good night Martha.” Then it walked out of sight.
Who was he talking to? Are there other predators here? I don’t smell anyone else and I think I would have heard them earlier. Spekh! Did I get a crazy one?
Okay craziness aside, I need to eat some real food. I finally stood upright. Ah my back! It was already getting bad enough when I was back home. Hopefully I can get used to this because walking on all fours is killing me right now.
I walk over to the refrigeration unit and slowly open the doors trying to stay quiet. Looking around the inside I am surprised to find so many vegetables. However, I did spot a slab of flesh towards the back, which I did my best to ignore.
Now, I can not just eat anything, it might notice if food is missing. Scrounging around for a [minute] my eyes eventually find a plant in one of the lower drawers. It looks like a big bundle of large leaves. I take it out and pry off one of the ones on the outside. It comes off relatively easily with a crunch. Hopefully this is edible. I bring the leaf to my mouth and bite down. It makes a very satisfying crunch as a do. There really is no distinct taste, but I am so hungry that I don’t even care if it is bland.
I scarfed down the rest of the leaf quickly and then grabbed another and then another. Before I knew it, the bundle was only a third of the original size. So much for being sneaky. Finally satisfied, I returned what remained of the bundle to its proper place and closed the refrigerator doors.
After finishing my raid on the refrigerators, I thought about what the old predator had said earlier. I walked over to the table near the entrance to the hallway. There must be something interesting here. However, there was nothing but a handful of photographs. Looking at them in the dim light I was able to make out the wide snarls that adorned the faces in the photo. I guess It makes more sense now since the snarl is a ‘happy’ expression. It is still very strange to me.
The photo closest to the front had the old predator standing next to a much younger predator, which appeared to be wearing Terran military pelts. Strangely, the young one has very bright orange hair on the top of its head.
Next to that one there was a similar photo, but the old predator looked slightly younger. The other Terran in the photo looked similar to the first. They did share the same bright orange hair, but the enlarged mammaries indicated that this one was a female.
I then spotted another picture including the same female, but this time she was next to a different predator and she was holding a Terran pup, which had the same orange hair. Perhaps the female was the mother of the other one. Most of the other photos appeared to be different combinations of the same four predators: the old one, his offspring, his offspring’s mate, and then their pup.
I moved over to the other side to see if I could find anything more useful. There was a photo that stood out to me. It pictured the old one, but he looked significantly younger even more than the other photos. Standing next to him was a female, which had the same orange hair as the others. Who was this? I had not seen it in any of the other pictures.
I searched around to see if I could find any more with this female in it. Towards the back I saw two pictures next to each other. The one on the left had the female again with the old predator. Laying in a bed she was cradling a newborn pup in her arms. However, the photo on the right was the old one with the pup in its arms. The pup appeared to be a year or two older in this one, but where was the mother? Looking at the older predator I saw the look in his eyes. I know that look. Cerci…
No! They are predators! They are not like us! You know they can not think like us! It's not the same!
Grr, you are tired… just… just go rest. I walk over to the bed. I curl up and try to let sleep take me. __________
[First] [Next] __________
So much for being comedic and lighthearted. I promise that the rest of it won't be so depressing, but I wanted to add a little more substance to some of the characters. Thanks again for reading! Feel free to leave any feedback or suggestions, I really appreciate it.

This might already be a known theory, but I wanted to jot down what's been swimming in my head since Sunday:
I think Armand's brain fuckery is mostly consensual.
After the conversation about the "agreement" about removing the pages from the dairy and Armand quite openly reminding him his name is in those pages... I started to wonder if this memory issue is actually Louis' doing.
I think whatever happened with Claudia in this version of IWTV, Louis needed to forget it and wanted to. So he asked Armand to cut out the pages and remove or change the memories. I do think that Armand has taken LIBERTIES while he was doing that (making Lestat seem like much more of a bad guy to tighten his hold on Louis), but I do believe that there was an agreement to make existing easier for Louis. Especially since the "not going into the fire" comment is important. In order to not throw himself in the fire (especially if Claudia was experimented on and is still "around"), Armand and him agreed to this or Armand was forced to do this to stop Louis from ending himself.
"I protect Louis from himself" or whatever the quote from Armand in season 1 only further cemented it for me. He truly believes this.
The issue is I think Louis invited Daniel here to help remember and undo this agreement because he's starting to realize Armand did more than what they agreed on and might not understand that it goes WAY beyond the agreed upon pages with Claudia.
Anyways, that bedroom conversation gave me a lot to chew on. No clue if this is anything, but wanted to play around with the idea that Armand isn't some moustache twirling villain but is actually trying to stop this interview so Louis doesn't remember things he ASKED not to remember anymore.

I have two reddit accounts, so if these stories are familiar, that's why. Someone commented that one of these sounds like abuse from my Christian parent to me. So I've compiled all most of them here. (Most of them are to do with Christianity, the hypocrisy of Christianity, or the consequences of my choice to leave it.) Please be honest but also recognize that this isn't all the times sometimes these are amazing people and I love these people but for my sake I need to know if it's really that bad.
"I'm rather young. My mom (42F) and my dad (41M) both grew up in the church. My grandfather is the pastor of his own church and my mother was raised by her grandmother who played piano in the church. Growing up I'd say I was the perfect little Christian girl. I liked praying and went to church, I wanted to help the world, and I wanted to be baptized before I even started kindergarten. I remember that vividly. I was sitting in the kitchen in one of our folding chairs because we couldn't afford real ones and I was begging my mom to let me get baptized.
My family and I are African American. The church I went to when I was little was a black church. My mother was the praise dance choreographer so of course I did praise dancing. I'd go to Sunday school, I wore the big puffy dresses, and I knew all the songs. Of course I had the common experience of being assaulted in a sexual manor by someone I went to church with. But we were both the same age and I just knew I was uncomfortable and she just knew that's how people bigger than us touched each other. All that came of me telling my mom and me not having to go to her house anymore. I was always told that I was intelligent and I believed everything I was told without question. Then my sister was born and we moved. At first everything stayed the same. We ended up having to switch churches as the previous one was an hour away from our new home. We found a new church. A church were you can wear your hoodie and jeans like it's a Tuesday. I made friends and played sports and nothing really changed until I was eight. When I was eight there was a girl on my softball team I'll call E. E is Jewish and at the time I thought everyone was Christian. As in Christianity was the default and only option. But my friend E's church wasn't called a church but a synagogue, and she couldn't eat specific foods together. E also talked about BaBat Mitzvah's. When I brought that up to my mom she said my friend was Jewish and that being Jewish is like being Christian but they read from the old testament exclusively but they don't believe in Jesus.
Which a while later caused me to spend all night crying because I put the two and two together of: Believing in resurrection Sunday and that Jesus was gods son is what got us into heaven and I cried worrying one of my closest, sweetest friend and her nice family would go to hell. Then school, which had always been easy, became hard. Which made me feel dumb. Especially since my self worth was put into how smart I was and I wouldn't dare get below an A or high B because I was scared I'd get punished. Like the time I slammed my fingers a metal door on accident and spent the next fifteen minutes in tears and my mom told me if I kept crying she'd take me to the hospital to have them cut off my fingers. Because of moments like that disappointing my parent or having to big of an emotional reaction was not okay and it made me scared and uncomfortable. They knew I was struggling, they were the ones who stayed up till four something in the morning with me trying to explain the concept. But with every minor and major struggle I felt like my worth was slipping away. But the better I did in school the more my outstanding grades became the expectation which resulted in acknowledgement for my academic achievements disappearing. I felt like I was falling apart so I'd spend hours pray and begging god for help. To take the feeling of being worthless away. I developed an eating disorder sometime before ten. Specifically binge eating. My parents would find the trash, not understand that it was more than just "the sin of gluttony" and yell which made me feel threatened and eat more food.
And then I'd pray on my knees on the hard wood outside my room door with nails and splinters in it and hurt myself because not only was I a dumb glutton but I also apparently wasn't good enough for god to save or help. It made me think if he wants a relationship with me so bad why does he ignore me? I'd hold a knife to my wrist when I'd wash dishes to see if I felt him then. I questions if I'd even go to heaven. For all my problems the answer was to pray but the problem was I'm doing that but my prayers aren't being answered. I was having thought of death no twelve year old should have. On my birthday I was like a puppet simply going through the motions. Then I started questioning my sexuality. Not to mention, I'm now cut off from the world because this is all during covid, on the bright side they gave me my door back. Now I'm older and I have questions like. How was Adam able to name all the animals and understand god not wanting him to eat from the tree and their need to stay in the garden, but not comprehend his nakedness? How was Eve able to be tempted and not understand her nakedness? Why did they and apparently god think being naked was wrong? How are we not all messed up from tons of inbreeding and how do animals still exist after the inbreeding the would've occurred after Noah's ark if he only saved one male and female of each species? Why did god want to flood the Earth and purge it of it's evil humans if he was the one who decided free will would be a good idea? Since he is perfect and all knowing their shouldn't have been a moment of let me make something I'll destroy, wait nvm. My parents have changed a lot since I was little and have let me go to therapy. Of course I have a Christian therapist. Which I wouldn't mind if it wasn't for the fact that every time I bring up trauma that's linked to religion or need advice in terms of how to change a bad behavior or over come anxiety the advice is to pray. And at times I feel like I'm in a moment of doubt she feel she should try and pull me back in. But they also said I have to volunteer in the childern ministry at church.
I used to work with children ages three to five. Now I'm in one to three. And it feels like I'm spreading propaganda. They tell me what to say and what the goal is for the kids to believe by the end of the month. After I can't help but feel dirty. I'm at the point in my journey were I don't believe. But I have to keep working in the childern ministry, I have to go to church every Sunday, my parents are both devotional authors with published books. I'm the only one in my family who doesn't believe both extended and intermediate. I just wanna know I'm not crazy. I feel like I'm being brainwashed or something. Like drink the blood and eat the body of Jesus!? It's all too much. And now that my parents know they're trying to make me go back to believing. And I listen to them talk and it's like I can't have a conversations with you. You put your faith above all else. You believe whole heartedly, my point of view is automatically wrong to you because faith trumps logic so why would I share it with you? But at the same time it's majority of the music they play, it's all their advice, I go every Sunday, my classmates and friends are majority Christian and yet I even though I see the flaws and hypocrisy, I still can't help but wonder, am I the crazy one?"
"My grandma would grab me and call me "big booty Judy." And my butt was grabbed, spanked, and frequently talked about. Sometimes she'd just sit there tapping it while she talked. It started when I was around three or four and just continued. Though now I'm in my teens and rarely see her. But my breast were also a topic for a while. Comments like "where'd you get those from?", "she's bigger than you.", and "her sisters the tall one but she's the curvy one." They felt icky but I didn't dwell on them. But she's also an alcoholic along with many other things. She dated my mom's friends when she was in college, gets shit faced in at events like birthdays and funerals. Shakes her ass on family members and frequently offered us alcohol. But I always took pride in being her favorite grandchild. Which she constantly reminded me I was. She also has a serious spending problem. But the funny thing is. She goes to a church church. She's in the choir and used frequently as a look example. She hosts church events and potlucks. She even remarried in the church. Never mind the things I just said that'd be considered sins. She's the perfect Christian woman."
"How do you cope with the level of disrespect? I'm not eighteen yet, but I'm still able to be disrespected. My main problem is the disrespect from my parents. My parents who wish to be respected in their beliefs and don't want their minds to change. But at the same time, my dad has sent my scriptures and stuff for the past couple of months since it came out. I don't believe in God or Jesus. They force me to serve and volunteer at church and attend every Sunday. They paired me with a not so ethical Christian therapist. Then both gang up on me about it and take my silence as defeat when I'm just respecting their beliefs. I'm literally the only non Christian in my family. I also have mental problems from staying with them and just in general, but they won't test me because I don't behave in such a stereotypical manner. I want to say they love me, but does someone who blatantly disrespects you love you? I'm having a hard time with seeing if I should do something as drastic as no contact after I reach a certain age.
But at the same time their those awful parents who don't just blatantly suck but also have messed me up quite a bit, resulting in me not feeling like I have a right to be upset. I've told them about how Christianity mixed with their parenting drove me to suicidal thoughts, almost going through with it, and an eating disorder I'm still battling. I also can't just leave and close the door behind me. I'm the oldest, and their are two more kids just like me, and if I turned my back on them, I'd never forgive myself. They're my siblings, but they're also what stopped me from going through with the bad thoughts I was having. They need someone who will be honest, say the weird things, and answer the ignored questions. So, how can I deal with the blatant disrespect so that I'm around for them? What skill for stress management can I use? How do I block out the constant religious gaslighting that happens in church? Because I have over two more years of this."
"My dad said if people don't wanna have a baby, they shouldn't have sex even if they're married. But sir, you had three babies while financially unstable because you couldn't keep your damn hands off my mom. You were planning me, but your job fell through, and when my mom went to get back on birth control, it was too late, so I'll give you a pass with me. But my siblings were both surprises. So, quit judging and practice what you preach. But that's not what pissed me off the most. He said women will put all their time into work and not their husbands, and that's why some men cheat, but the way he said it, it was like he was justifying it. But my dad, he'd go to hooters alone, and when I needed tights, he got them from a woman their and it made me think what if. And I know it's stupid, but that what if. It is so loud.
And it's not even the first time he's said something along the lines of justifying it and almost blaming the woman who gets cheated on. But then he likes to be all up in arms about how his friend married a woman who cheated on him multiple times. My dad's like, I wanna pour into my kids but then makes no effort, and when we spent time with him, we had to initiate it. He doesn't do the hey you wanna . . . stuff. But he has his own company, and they can't get any work right now, so he spends most of his time at home. And then says I'm just to tired to spend time with ya'll.
My mom was sick to the point of being half passed out in a drive-thru after taking my brother to karate and having to pick up dinner. I would've offered to drive him if I could. I'm still leaning, and I'm bad at staying in one lane. But my dad was really busy on his PS5 with his made-up football team. So busy he couldn't take my brother to karate nor could he pause his game to get dinner. I'm kinda starting to hate him. He's also done a couple of other things, but that's what recently has made me mad. But I don't feel like I have a right to be mad because he's here and a lot of my friends dad aren't, and he's not physically abusive like my best friends dad is. I just don't know how I should feel. Is everyone's dad like this?
Edit: It's mothers day and he couldn't be bothered to get the food, pick up the groceries, nothing. #1Dad guys."
​
So is it truly a horrible go no contact at eighteen situation, a be watchful situation, or is it fine? I know some of this stuff is a lot but some of it was also in a moment of extreme emotion. Remember like I said in the beginning they're not always like this.

I have two reddit accounts, so if these stories are familiar, that's why. Someone commented that one of these sounds like abuse from my Christian parent to me. So I've compiled all most of them here. (Most of them are to do with Christianity, the hypocrisy of Christianity, or the consequences of my choice to leave it.) Please be honest but also recognize that this isn't all the times sometimes these are amazing people and I love these people but for my sake I need to know if it's really that bad.
"I'm rather young. My mom (42F) and my dad (41M) both grew up in the church. My grandfather is the pastor of his own church and my mother was raised by her grandmother who played piano in the church. Growing up I'd say I was the perfect little Christian girl. I liked praying and went to church, I wanted to help the world, and I wanted to be baptized before I even started kindergarten. I remember that vividly. I was sitting in the kitchen in one of our folding chairs because we couldn't afford real ones and I was begging my mom to let me get baptized.
My family and I are African American. The church I went to when I was little was a black church. My mother was the praise dance choreographer so of course I did praise dancing. I'd go to Sunday school, I wore the big puffy dresses, and I knew all the songs. Of course I had the common experience of being assaulted in a sexual manor by someone I went to church with. But we were both the same age and I just knew I was uncomfortable and she just knew that's how people bigger than us touched each other. All that came of me telling my mom and me not having to go to her house anymore. I was always told that I was intelligent and I believed everything I was told without question. Then my sister was born and we moved. At first everything stayed the same. We ended up having to switch churches as the previous one was an hour away from our new home. We found a new church. A church were you can wear your hoodie and jeans like it's a Tuesday. I made friends and played sports and nothing really changed until I was eight. When I was eight there was a girl on my softball team I'll call E. E is Jewish and at the time I thought everyone was Christian. As in Christianity was the default and only option. But my friend E's church wasn't called a church but a synagogue, and she couldn't eat specific foods together. E also talked about BaBat Mitzvah's. When I brought that up to my mom she said my friend was Jewish and that being Jewish is like being Christian but they read from the old testament exclusively but they don't believe in Jesus.
Which a while later caused me to spend all night crying because I put the two and two together of: Believing in resurrection Sunday and that Jesus was gods son is what got us into heaven and I cried worrying one of my closest, sweetest friend and her nice family would go to hell. Then school, which had always been easy, became hard. Which made me feel dumb. Especially since my self worth was put into how smart I was and I wouldn't dare get below an A or high B because I was scared I'd get punished. Like the time I slammed my fingers a metal door on accident and spent the next fifteen minutes in tears and my mom told me if I kept crying she'd take me to the hospital to have them cut off my fingers. Because of moments like that disappointing my parent or having to big of an emotional reaction was not okay and it made me scared and uncomfortable. They knew I was struggling, they were the ones who stayed up till four something in the morning with me trying to explain the concept. But with every minor and major struggle I felt like my worth was slipping away. But the better I did in school the more my outstanding grades became the expectation which resulted in acknowledgement for my academic achievements disappearing. I felt like I was falling apart so I'd spend hours pray and begging god for help. To take the feeling of being worthless away. I developed an eating disorder sometime before ten. Specifically binge eating. My parents would find the trash, not understand that it was more than just "the sin of gluttony" and yell which made me feel threatened and eat more food.
And then I'd pray on my knees on the hard wood outside my room door with nails and splinters in it and hurt myself because not only was I a dumb glutton but I also apparently wasn't good enough for god to save or help. It made me think if he wants a relationship with me so bad why does he ignore me? I'd hold a knife to my wrist when I'd wash dishes to see if I felt him then. I questions if I'd even go to heaven. For all my problems the answer was to pray but the problem was I'm doing that but my prayers aren't being answered. I was having thought of death no twelve year old should have. On my birthday I was like a puppet simply going through the motions. Then I started questioning my sexuality. Not to mention, I'm now cut off from the world because this is all during covid, on the bright side they gave me my door back. Now I'm older and I have questions like. How was Adam able to name all the animals and understand god not wanting him to eat from the tree and their need to stay in the garden, but not comprehend his nakedness? How was Eve able to be tempted and not understand her nakedness? Why did they and apparently god think being naked was wrong? How are we not all messed up from tons of inbreeding and how do animals still exist after the inbreeding the would've occurred after Noah's ark if he only saved one male and female of each species? Why did god want to flood the Earth and purge it of it's evil humans if he was the one who decided free will would be a good idea? Since he is perfect and all knowing their shouldn't have been a moment of let me make something I'll destroy, wait nvm. My parents have changed a lot since I was little and have let me go to therapy. Of course I have a Christian therapist. Which I wouldn't mind if it wasn't for the fact that every time I bring up trauma that's linked to religion or need advice in terms of how to change a bad behavior or over come anxiety the advice is to pray. And at times I feel like I'm in a moment of doubt she feel she should try and pull me back in. But they also said I have to volunteer in the childern ministry at church.
I used to work with children ages three to five. Now I'm in one to three. And it feels like I'm spreading propaganda. They tell me what to say and what the goal is for the kids to believe by the end of the month. After I can't help but feel dirty. I'm at the point in my journey were I don't believe. But I have to keep working in the childern ministry, I have to go to church every Sunday, my parents are both devotional authors with published books. I'm the only one in my family who doesn't believe both extended and intermediate. I just wanna know I'm not crazy. I feel like I'm being brainwashed or something. Like drink the blood and eat the body of Jesus!? It's all too much. And now that my parents know they're trying to make me go back to believing. And I listen to them talk and it's like I can't have a conversations with you. You put your faith above all else. You believe whole heartedly, my point of view is automatically wrong to you because faith trumps logic so why would I share it with you? But at the same time it's majority of the music they play, it's all their advice, I go every Sunday, my classmates and friends are majority Christian and yet I even though I see the flaws and hypocrisy, I still can't help but wonder, am I the crazy one?"
"My grandma would grab me and call me "big booty Judy." And my butt was grabbed, spanked, and frequently talked about. Sometimes she'd just sit there tapping it while she talked. It started when I was around three or four and just continued. Though now I'm in my teens and rarely see her. But my breast were also a topic for a while. Comments like "where'd you get those from?", "she's bigger than you.", and "her sisters the tall one but she's the curvy one." They felt icky but I didn't dwell on them. But she's also an alcoholic along with many other things. She dated my mom's friends when she was in college, gets shit faced in at events like birthdays and funerals. Shakes her ass on family members and frequently offered us alcohol. But I always took pride in being her favorite grandchild. Which she constantly reminded me I was. She also has a serious spending problem. But the funny thing is. She goes to a church church. She's in the choir and used frequently as a look example. She hosts church events and potlucks. She even remarried in the church. Never mind the things I just said that'd be considered sins. She's the perfect Christian woman."
"How do you cope with the level of disrespect? I'm not eighteen yet, but I'm still able to be disrespected. My main problem is the disrespect from my parents. My parents who wish to be respected in their beliefs and don't want their minds to change. But at the same time, my dad has sent my scriptures and stuff for the past couple of months since it came out. I don't believe in God or Jesus. They force me to serve and volunteer at church and attend every Sunday. They paired me with a not so ethical Christian therapist. Then both gang up on me about it and take my silence as defeat when I'm just respecting their beliefs. I'm literally the only non Christian in my family. I also have mental problems from staying with them and just in general, but they won't test me because I don't behave in such a stereotypical manner. I want to say they love me, but does someone who blatantly disrespects you love you? I'm having a hard time with seeing if I should do something as drastic as no contact after I reach a certain age.
But at the same time their those awful parents who don't just blatantly suck but also have messed me up quite a bit, resulting in me not feeling like I have a right to be upset. I've told them about how Christianity mixed with their parenting drove me to suicidal thoughts, almost going through with it, and an eating disorder I'm still battling. I also can't just leave and close the door behind me. I'm the oldest, and their are two more kids just like me, and if I turned my back on them, I'd never forgive myself. They're my siblings, but they're also what stopped me from going through with the bad thoughts I was having. They need someone who will be honest, say the weird things, and answer the ignored questions. So, how can I deal with the blatant disrespect so that I'm around for them? What skill for stress management can I use? How do I block out the constant religious gaslighting that happens in church? Because I have over two more years of this."
"My dad said if people don't wanna have a baby, they shouldn't have sex even if they're married. But sir, you had three babies while financially unstable because you couldn't keep your damn hands off my mom. You were planning me, but your job fell through, and when my mom went to get back on birth control, it was too late, so I'll give you a pass with me. But my siblings were both surprises. So, quit judging and practice what you preach. But that's not what pissed me off the most. He said women will put all their time into work and not their husbands, and that's why some men cheat, but the way he said it, it was like he was justifying it. But my dad, he'd go to hooters alone, and when I needed tights, he got them from a woman their and it made me think what if. And I know it's stupid, but that what if. It is so loud.
And it's not even the first time he's said something along the lines of justifying it and almost blaming the woman who gets cheated on. But then he likes to be all up in arms about how his friend married a woman who cheated on him multiple times. My dad's like, I wanna pour into my kids but then makes no effort, and when we spent time with him, we had to initiate it. He doesn't do the hey you wanna . . . stuff. But he has his own company, and they can't get any work right now, so he spends most of his time at home. And then says I'm just to tired to spend time with ya'll.
My mom was sick to the point of being half passed out in a drive-thru after taking my brother to karate and having to pick up dinner. I would've offered to drive him if I could. I'm still leaning, and I'm bad at staying in one lane. But my dad was really busy on his PS5 with his made-up football team. So busy he couldn't take my brother to karate nor could he pause his game to get dinner. I'm kinda starting to hate him. He's also done a couple of other things, but that's what recently has made me mad. But I don't feel like I have a right to be mad because he's here and a lot of my friends dad aren't, and he's not physically abusive like my best friends dad is. I just don't know how I should feel. Is everyone's dad like this?
Edit: It's mothers day and he couldn't be bothered to get the food, pick up the groceries, nothing. #1Dad guys."
​
So is it truly a horrible go no contact at eighteen situation, a be watchful situation, or is it fine? I know some of this stuff is a lot but some of it was also in a moment of extreme emotion. Remember like I said in the beginning they're not always like this.

Note: I have written a huge post about my relationship with guy from Tinder. Here is only my thoughts about the situation that make me sad. And I feel I am still fall in love to him, but I'd rather forget it.
You can read it and leave me a comment if you wish.
I met a guy on Tinder. Before the date, he asked me about continuing the evening at his home. I said to him: "I like you, you seem like a good person, but I'm going to just meet with you and have some conversation. That's why I don't want to give you any expectations about continuing the evening."
We decided to meet in the city center and then go to a pub for a pint. Firstly, we went to the bench near the river and talked a little bit about everything. Then I noticed he tried to sell me his service as an artist. It was a little bit weird because it was a date and in my opinion, mixing private life and business is a bad idea.
Then we went to the pub, the evening was going well, we had an interesting conversation after he asked me about kissing. I wasn't against it because I liked him. During our first date, he invited me to the next date. We were going to go for a walk near the beach in the closest town to the city.
After this date, we didn't chat for a day or two, I don't remember. I texted him first, we had some conversation and he asked me if I could help him to prepare a business card for print. I could do it for him, but I don't like to mix private life and business, as I mentioned above. I said it to him and offered him help with advice. He answered me that I mixed nothing, and if I went to his studio, I would pay as well.
Then we were chatting about other topics and sex as well. He wanted that I showed him my underwear. I refused him. He said, if I show him it, he will be glad to see me again. I said: "It sounds like blackmailing, and if people like each other, they will be delighted to see each other without IF".
He texted me the next day and asked if I wanted to go with him to that town, and I agreed. We met in the city center and then went together to a train station. I felt some time he behaved a little bit cold, maybe just felt uncomfortable, I don't know. I usually have no idea what to do in a similar situation. I was tired after work and I felt uncomfortable because of him. We chatted not too much during our journey from the city to the town. When we came to the town he started to text somebody or listen to voice message from a woman. I felt uneasy because of it. It felt like he wanted to finish the date. I didn't tell him about my feelings. Actually, he explained to me that he was chatting with a guy who sold him one thing for a guitar.
Then we walked on the beach and on the way to the mountain I found two incredibly beautiful places where we spent a lot of time, just sitting there, chatting, kissing, and hugging. It was really pleasant for me. I was pleasant when we told positive things about each other when we walked holding hands when he kissed me every 5 minutes. It was a nice time. Then we went to have dinner at his familiar pub. To summarize, we were together for over 5 hours.
I invited him to my place the next day, he went to my town. Unable he wanted to try traditional cuisine from my country I offered him to cook together. And yes, we had great sex as well. We were together most of the day. After that he texted me when he came home: "I am a nice person, so kind. He spent time great. The food was delicious, etc". We chatted about this day a little bit, and then he texted me appreciation again and said: "You're very kind, bla bla bla... I wish you the best". I asked him if he was breaking up with me, he said: "No, see you soon".
After 2 days, I noticed he blocked me on Instagram. I didn't text or call him these days. So, did nothing. I was really surprised. I was unpleased because of it because we spent time well together, I thought so.
Two weeks have passed, but I can't forget him.
I am thinking about why he did it and I have some explanations for myself, such as

1. He wasn't going to have a relationship with me in the beginning. That's why he behaved cold a little bit and didn't talk about himself much.
2. He is looking for clients on Tinder + hookups. I think he estimates himself for his job. I asked him "What's up?" But he started to make excuses that 2 clients per day were fine. And I guess that my job is not cool for him (I worked as a store assistant and as a graphic designer on days off instead of his 20 years of experience as an artist). Maybe he worries about his social status.
3. He escapes from perspective long-term relationships because of a scare, sad background, or other reasons.
4. Maybe he has a long-term relationship but I don't really believe in it.

Honestly, I can't understand, if he didn't care about me, why he was so gentle with me? I didn't force him to kiss me as often as he wanted to do it. I noticed that he likes to check my personal boundaries. What I can let him do or don't? But if I disagreed with something he was polite and never forced me. Why he spent a lot of time with me? In my opinion, if you want sex, you are looking for a person who is okay for hookup.
What is your opinion about my situation?

So I'm 22 years old and disabled with high functioning autism and severe vision impairment to the point that I can barely see. My mom has been a good parent to me since I was born and since then she's also given birth to my younger brother (19) and my younger sister. (16) However, in recent years my mom has become seemingly more and more frustrated with taking care of us. I currently live with her and pay 25% of my income as rent, and in exchange she provides me with food and a place to live. I never really grew out of my "being a teenager" phase, I still feel internally like I'm in my late teens (17 to 19) and I'm many years behind when it comes to maturity. I've never been in a relationship, I don't go out with anyone, I don't know anyone and haven't had any real friends since middle school, I don't know how to cook, I'm super irresponsible and lazy, and if left on my own I would probably starve even if food was right in front me. Not to mention I can't drive and won't ever be able to due to my near-blindless. I'm extremely vulnerable and need a lot of support to get by, something my mom is no longer willing to provide me.
She's taken care of me for 22 years, and now she's saying stuff like she's "sick of being a parent" and "it's time for us kids to grow up and manage stuff on our own." That "she wants more free time" and is "tired of being our personal maid." Just today she said she's never cooking us a meal again, and if we want dinner we'll have to buy or make it ourselves. It's only a matter of time until she starts refusing to clean the house and it becomes a dump due to her three kids, including me, general incompetence and immaturity. When I brought up to my mom that I'm disabled and can't fend for myself, she got super defensive and was like "oh you have mentors" (who only show up twice a week for like an hour and we usually just end up going on a walk and talking and getting lunch) and "oh you have your brother" (who's arguably even more inmature and incompetent than me) and "oh you're getting too old now it's about time you grow up and learn to be an adult." Problem is I'M NOT READY to be an adult. I only made $12 an hour which isn't even close to enough to pay for rent and due to all my disabilities I had a bunch of close calls that eventually caused me to loose my job and it's been HELL trying to find a new one.
My mom manages all my finances, all my legal stuff, all my medical stuff, I have no access or knowledge of ANY of it and even if I did I wouldn't have to means to pay for anything. Rent is like 6k a month here and I don't come close to affording that. I can't move out. I would love to be able to do everything myself. Cook for myself, clean for myself, live in my own place, but that just isn't possible because I don't have any money and I'm not nearly responsible enough to do that. And with my mom becoming less and less involved and lashing out every time I bring up that I need her help, I'm worried that she'll just straight up abandon my relatively soon when she gets tired of my shinanigans of small things like leaving my cup out on the kitchen table or my bathroom smelling weird or wet towels being on the floor of my room and all the small things get to her and she kicks me out. She's already refusing to feed me and multiple nights I'm left there starving no knowing what to eat because Mom won't feed me and she does she making disgusting weird foods that she KNOWS I won't eat but makes it anyways and then gets mad at me when I respectfully decline to eat it.
My mom's tired of being "our personal maid" but I feel like it's her responsibility as a parent to take care of us, something which made my mom VERY mad as she stormed off in her car. She feels like there's "too much on her plate to manage" and I feel like she's jealous of all the free time us "kids" (not really) get to chill and play video games with friends and watch YouTube while she "works her butt off" to provide for us. But isn't that what being a parent is? Working your butt off to provide for us kids? It's not like when dad was here that her job was any harder. My dad was barely even involved in any work around the house or with finances, medical stuff, and school and was always either at his job breadwinning or watching american football on the couch while drinking tons of Coke Zero.
Now my mom is tired of being our mom and wants to live her own life seperate from us. She is sick of taking care of us and dealing with us and wants "a break", and lashes out when we're merely enjoying ourselves because she's jealous of the free time we get while she spends every day from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM working either at her job or at home. I have desperately needed therapy for the past TWO YEARS getting close to game ending myself MULTIPLE TIMES due to lack of therepy and me having a mental breakdown, she just has "other priorities". What priorities? Priorities higher than my own mental health?
Not to mention the dog getting old and becoming VERY hard to deal with and no one taking my concerns about the dog seriously. I had to be out in the pouring rain for 18 minutes today trying to get the dog to go onto the grass to go potty, but she refuses until the SECOND my sister and brother arrive and she runs out to greet them and then goes pee immediately afterwards. At that point I'm on my phone under the roof of the porch like anyone would be after waiting for nearly 20 minutes for the stupid dog to go pee, and then my sister gets angry at ME for being "lazy and irresponsible" when I waited for 20 minutes in the freezing rain for my dog to go into the grass and go pee but she only ends up actually doing it once my brother and sister come. Our dog also CONSISTANTLY now pees on the sidewalk, ONLY poops in the neighbour's lawn, and refuses to walk any point past said yard. She's a complete handful and yet she doesn't act that way with ANYONE ELSE. It's like everyone hates me or something. Everyone always blames everything on me and I'm tired of it.
So, who's the AH? My mom who doesn't want to parent or provide for me or our siblings anymore because we're "too old?" Or me, a disabled 22yo who doesn't have any prospects of living on their own anytime soon (at least until eye cybernetics exist) and will LITERALLY STARVE if not provided with food?
Sorry if this is the wrong sub I just really needed to vent and I have no therapist so yay.

I thought I’d share my experience today regarding my Paragard IUD removal after having it in since 2017. I decided I wanted to remove it after reading into potential side effects and potential complications with removal (arms breaking, etc). I decided to go to Planned Parenthood because my thought process was, “I want someone very experienced and know what they’re doing so I’ll go here, as they must have plenty of experience removing IUD’s.” I told the provider my concerns regarding potential complications of removal and she said 95% of the time, it goes very smoothly. I guess I was the unlucky 5%. She informed me that she would only lightly pull on the strings and if there is any resistance, she would stop, in order to prevent any breakage or damage. Well, about 2 seconds into the removal process, she said “Well…the strings came out…” So now I’m panicking, as the device is still inside! She then informed me she’ll need to perform a guided ultrasound IUD removal and numb my cervix (paracervical block). I just started tearing up, as I was nervous that the IUD wouldn’t be able to be retrieved with just forceps and that I’d have further complications with removal. Well, she numbed my cervix with three different injections and I honestly didn’t feel a thing (I have a high pain tolerance), even though she said I would feel sharp pains for the last two injections. Luckily, upon confirmation via ultrasound, the IUD was in its “normal” place and position. The provider used long forceps to grasp the device from my uterus. I felt a very deep cramping sensation upon her pulling out the IUD, but, once she grasped the device, it came out within a matter of seconds. And best of all, it all came out in one piece! I was so relieved, I just started crying and thanking both the ultrasound tech and the provider for being so reassuring and kind to me throughout the whole process. Although I expected to walk out of the clinic relieved and content, I honestly felt emotional, anxious, and just…sad, almost. Which, I guess is valid, given the circumstances. A few hours have passed and I’m feeling good now. I also am only experiencing light spotting, which is expected. I just wanted to share my experience, as this wasn’t an ideal situation, but definitely not the worst! I’m so relieved I’ll never have to worry about this ever again!

"Good evening, tributes, and welcome back to the stories of Panem. Before we begin, I would like to thank Christian Blanco, the original writer of "Tales of the Hunger Games," and Lauren from "Panem Reborn." Now, since I don't have too much else to say, let's go!
Game 114 (150):
District 1: Jacqueline and Facet
District 2: Malona and Crane
District 3: Darlene and Colt
District 4: Brook and Harbor
District 5: Unknown girl and Darian
District 6: Fifi and Atlas
District 7: Bloom and Amarylio
District 8: Scarlet and Carter
District 9: Zest and Mazin
District 10: Zulu and Mateo
District 11: Unknown girl and Lee
District 12: Dorothy and Hargree
District 14: Both unknown
A plethora of excitement crossed the capital over the past year, especially their beloved commentator Camilia Ravenstil's pregnancy, which resulted in her giving birth to twins named Amelia and Cyrus, to honor the past two Game Makers. Even Winnow's victory was still in high popularity.
As the reapings rolled around on July 4th, many of the capital citizens flew to their TVs and viewing parties. Winnow made her journey from district to district with her mother and entourage from the capital. When she landed in District 4 on the late morning of the third day of the reapings, she was greeted by Mayor Chigwell. After a rather long tour of the district's harbors and jewelry stores, they stopped at a nearby seaside diner for a brief lunch. Viewers in Snow Square laughed at Winnow's face of pure boredom as Mayor Chigwell ranted about the latest trends in the district's fashion. Winnow's face soon turned to relief as the mayor brought her back to the district's reaping square.
After a little bit of time, the light blue-catered youths were walked into the square by rather impatient Peacekeepers. Mayor Chigwell finished up his speech before welcoming Winnow to the stage. She gave out a rather tired smile at the district's population before talking about the joys of being a victor. She then asked if any of the girls wanted to volunteer. After hearing no response, she then took out the name of 17-year-old Brook Branachok.
Brook was found in the back of the 17-year-old section. Her platinum blonde hair made her quite noticeable to viewers in Snow Square. She sighed dramatically before flipping her blonde hair back in a dramatic manner as her piercing blue eyes even made some of her nearby peers shudder in fear as Brook arrived at the stage and shook Winnow's hand. "She was later described as a 'rich high school bully' by commentators. The girls in a mood," Winnow laughed before shaking Brook’s hand before walking to the male reaping bowl. After a brief silence, she thrusted her hand elbow-deep before taking out the name of 17-year-old Harbor Zanders. A brief pause soon followed by a discussion as a boy with dark brown curly hair with a smattering of light brown freckles on his face gave a guilt-ridden smile before walking up to the stage. However, as a group of teens his age giggled, Harbor turned back and glared at the giggling boys as they suddenly grew quiet. Harbor soon took out a flask of wine. Capital citizens laughed as Harbor found one of his friends and tossed it to him before walking back up to the stage. Back in the capital, both Camilia and Silca and even most of the audience had been surprised at the pair's striking attitudes.
Harbor then shook Brook and Winnow’s hand before they were announced as this year's tributes for District 4 before moderate applause followed. Winnow soon brought the two tributes to the drawing room before she made her journey to District 3 with her entourage.
Brook was visited by her mother, father, and four younger sisters clinging dearly onto their sister. After successfully removing her sobbing siblings, Brook’s mother calmed her daughter down as her father, Coral, gave the best advice he could offer. Peacekeepers soon came in to bring Brook to the waiting dock. She waved and said she’d "At least try to win."
As for Harbor, he was visited by his mother, father, and his younger and older brothers. As his siblings were saddened as well as his parents, Harbor embraced them all in a tight hug. Before he was needed at the dock, his girlfriend Melanie even joined in this hug causing Harbor to show some emotion.
After a few more minutes, peacekeepers soon brought Harbor out of the room to join Brook at the dock as the pair boarded the jet boat to the capital.
"Man, you've been through the ringer, haven't you?"
"Same goes to you, girl. Haven't seen you in a year."
The pair soon chatted with each other about their experiences at the academy and gossiping about old friends. Brook, in particular, laughed hysterically when Harbor mentioned how his ex-girlfriend got karma returned to her when she crashed a birthday party at Harbor’s dad's bar, resulting in the peacekeepers putting her in the district's jail for a month.
However, as the pair tried to dine upon the food provided, the boat hit a bump resulting in Brook, Harbor, four avoxes, the dining table, and nine peacekeepers to go flying up into the sky. Thankfully, no harm came between the fifteen as the peacekeepers then helped the two back up as a new lunch buffet was arrived. And so did their mentor, Sienna Shoreville, victor of the 105th Hunger Games, arrived in.
"I don't want you two to ally with the 2s, maybe the 1s, depends on how they are."
Brook looked curiously at Sienna before saying, "Didn't Anamaria get her neck snapped by the girl a year prior?"
Sienna groaned in annoyance at remembering this cringeworthy death before walking to the bar carriage before inviting the two to join. As Sienna asked the pair about their lives, she laughed while listening to Harbor telling some stories of working at his dad's bar and the customers who would frequent the place. However, when Sienna asked Brook about her life and possible skills, Brook sighed before saying, "I guess looking pretty’s a skill."
Sienna laughed before replying, "For getting sponsors, yes, but not when you're in a fight to the death."
As this reality check wiped the smile from Brook’s face, she and Harbor finished up their meals before listening more to Sienna’s lecture about the games. And as an act to see if her tributes were actually paying attention, she quizzed them on the dos and don'ts in the capital. As Harbor passed this quiz, Sienna laughed before allowing him some "Capital Goodies." However, as Brook blatantly failed the quiz, she laughed and called Harbor a "suck-up" before walking to her room.
Sienna looked at Harbor for a second before saying, "I guess she’s either related to the mayor or is a spoiled rotten brat."
"She usually brags about her rich family members, always thinks she's better than everyone."
"And trust me, the girl ain't pretty."
Sienna and Snow Square laughed as she then patted him on the back before""telling him to get a 'nap' in before they were to arrive in the capital."
He nodded before Brook returned. It is unknown what the two girls talked about for the remainder of the trip, but our historians have noted that Brook’s scowl from before had dissolved for the time being. As evening rolled around, the pair from District 4's boat landed at Mcaine dock as an excited crowd of capital citizens swarmed the pair from 4 and their very popular mentor, who had been giving out her new jewelry to some of her lucky fans.
Brook and Harbor performed rather well, with the capital citizens enjoying their "feisty sailor attitudes." Even some reporters from Golden 24 put up a most popular tribute poll with Harbor and Brook being in the top 3, narrowly beating Fifi from District 6.
Sienna then thanked the capital for their time before taking her tributes to the limousine. Once it arrived at the accommodation tower, they arrived at the 4th floor. After arriving, Sienna called their stylist, Orivile Cartwright.
Orivile embraced Sienna before showing his tributes his pre-made outfits, which were Sailor themed, which made Brook and Harbor smile. Due to them having a fair amount of time left, Sienna displayed the post-reaping commentaries before turning on the commentary for District 1 as Orivile worked away at the pairs' outfits.
Mayor Cassino greeted a very exhausted Winnow Fraiser. Also accompanying the mayor was Realm Jones, victor of the 101st Hunger Games, and Quintin Mahoney, victor of the 108th Hunger Games, joined Winnow on the initial tour. Winnow appeared to be star-struck sitting between both iconic victors. She even turned around to Quintin saying, "I can't believe I get to meet a legend like you."
Quintin laughed before giving Winnow some comic relief during the tour, telling her about his games and even asking a few questions about her own games. At the conclusion of the tour, Realm's eyes lit up in delight as he saw his own capital mentor, Narcissa Valentions, warmly embracing her mentee.
"So what're you doing here?"
"I had some time off. I figured I'd come by and see how you've been doing. Business at my shop has been bustling as ever, so I figured I’d take a break to see my first victor."
As Realm and Narcissa soon walked over to the talent demonstrations together, Quintin laughed as Mayor Cassino welcomed the scarlet youths. Winnow was then brought up to the stage. She asked if any of the youths wanted to volunteer, becoming surprised when 10 ladies and 8 gentlemen volunteered for the role of tribute for District 1. Silca joked with Camilia, saying, "It's normal for them, isn't it?"
With the ladies' many remarkable weapon displays and archery displays, 18-year-old Jacqueline Faywether had been announced as the final volunteer to try her luck. She smiled at many nearby cameras as even one enthralled boy in the audience fainted seeing the rather extractive career girl.
She shot 10 arrows blindfolded and threw 8 knives in the letter J form, causing even more ripples of laughter sounded in the square. The mayor announced the two passing tributes. As for the two tributes, Jacqueline’s only remaining opponent, Jewel, had almost won the title of female tribute but had a stroke leading to Jacqueline to win the title of female tributes.
As for the guys, 18-year-old Facet Elixithorn had made himself a crowd and capital favorite by his spear-throwing display and to ending in a handstand with wild applause following. Three guys made it to the debate round with Realm this time asking the questions. With poise and dignity, Lance’s strong mind and less nerves had won him the title of male tribute for District 1.
After the pair were bathed and stylized, they were then brought out to the square as they then shook Winnow’s hand before she announced Jacqueline and Facet were announced as the tributes for District 1.
And after a brief meeting with their families and friends with not too much emotion, Jacqueline and Facet were then brought to the train as the train began their journey to the capital.
Narcissa, Realm, and Quintin then greeted their tributes with Jacqueline and Facet being surprised seeing their district's first victor’s mentor. Quintin soon brought the four to the table having a brief dinner with Narcissa asking the two if they had any skills besides their ‘weapons of choice.’ Quintin was pleased to hear of Jacqueline's diverse skills of weaponry before bragging to her district partner about her achievements at the Kobayashi self-defense center. However, instead of being jealous, Facet asked his district partner about her accomplishments.
Realm and Quintin were pleased with their tributes getting along with each other before showing the past reapings in the districts. Facet and Jacqueline laughed hysterically at the District 2 reaping games even Narcissa let out a smile. Quintin then asked the pair if there had been “Other commendable allies besides the non-dazzling loonies from 2 besides Jade and Hermina, they are dazzling.” Realm also chimed in adding that they should “Look for others.”
However, as Jacqueline was going to ask why Realm shushed her and said, “The career pack has their on and off years.” Jacqueline nodded before Quintin continued talking to the pair about the past reapings. Facet and Jacqueline even suggested the girl from 3 and the pair from 4 as potential allies. Realm appeared to consider this before Quintin added in that “He would see what he could do.”
As the pair nodded, the pair from 1’s train arrived in the outskirts of the capital. Narcissa soon styled the pair up, quietly complaining to Realm of how Jacqueline's red hair and Facet's long blonde curls were impossible to tame. The train then arrived in the capital with the usual excited capital crowd marveling scarlet couture. Jacqueline and Facet were both outstanding hits with the capital citizens maintaining proper etiquette. However, two capital lights had to be removed from the audience after heckling Facet about his district partner. Narcissa then wished Jacqueline and Facet luck before kissing Realm and Quintin on the cheek. Realm and Quintin then thanked the capital citizens for their time before bringing the pair from 1 to the limousine as it brought them to their accommodation tower.
Once they arrived at their accommodation tower apartment, they were greeted by their stylist, Aurelia Heavensbee. She smiled at the four of them before whisking them to the dining table showing them her designs for the parade. Jacqueline in particular was marveling at her long ruby dress as Facet jokingly told Jacqueline that they looked like a “walking jewel.” However, Aurelia frowned as Realm glared at Facet as the smile was wiped from his face. The pair then groaned in annoyance at their stylist's bland outfits.
Before the pair were then brought to the parade moments later, Facet and Jacqueline were immediately approached by Malona and Crane, both from 2 introducing themselves. However, Facet cut the pair off from further words, saying, “the career pack is gonna be different this year.” As Malona protested, Jacqueline said, ‘thanks but no thanks.” Both Jade Heath and Herminia Gold looked at the District 1 mentors in bewilderment as they also reciprocated. However, the pair from 1 then came over to the pair from 4 chatting with their mentor.
“Darling, you look stunning.”
“Oh, thank you, you dazzling ruby.”
Brook and Jacqueline seemed to obtain an instant connection. As Facet complemented Harbor’s outfit. Harbor smiled good-naturedly back before chatting away with him about lives in their districts. Facet soon asked the pair if they would be interested in an alliance in the arena; however, Sienna leaned in this conversation asking “Where are the 2s?”
Jacqueline then replied that they were “trying something new this year” before pointing at the pair making fun of Mateo from 10’s cow-themed parade outfit. Sienna shrugged as Brook and Harbor warmly accepted the offer as Facet and Jacqueline smiled saying “splendid see you soon.” When the pair from 1 got back, Realm popped up asking “You with the 4s this year.” As the pair nodded, Realm smiled and nodded with Quintin and Aurelia doing their touch-ups to their tributes' outfits. Sienna commended the pair for “making friends already,” she still urged caution before re-adding in “The 2 mentors there are my ride or dies but still keep your eyes on them if needed.”
The pair then nodded as the parade then began. Regal applause and cheers sounded for the pair from 1, but Nico Anderson lead editor of Anderson Fashion applauded for their strong impression but said the dress was “So Basic.” The pair from 4 were given a large amount of applause as Harbor and Brook waved at the audience even performing an old dance known as a “Jig”. The pair were also given a boatload of flowers and chocolate resulting in both Brook and Harbor sneezing uncontrollably at the end of the parade during President Mcaine's speech. Best dressed was ultimately awarded to the pair from 4 with their sailor-themed couture.
When the pair from 1 arrived back in their district apartment, they were glaring daggers from afar at Aurelia,
“How did it go.”
“How did it feel getting harshly criticized on live TV.”
Quintin shot Jacqueline a disapproving look as Realm asked if there other worthy allies. Both mentors were pleased hearing their success with the pair from 4 before Realm reassured them that they still looked “dazzling” before sending his tributes to bed. However, with the pair from 4, Sienna warmly embraced the two of her tributes on a best-dressed win. As Orville also joined in the group hug has the 4 of them partied till around 11:30 pm until Sienna sent her tributes to bed as she and Orville stayed up a while longer.
Bright and early the following morning, the mentors ushered their tributes to the training center with a very frustrated Apollo Price. Unfortunately, during his speech about the rules of the training center, he tasered Mateo from 10 after he tried to make a break for the door after Price’s speech concluded. Mateo’s mentor Bianca Jr Ramon rolled her eyes before dropping her mentee at the knife station.
The newly made career alliance between the District 1 and 4 tributes conquered most of the training stations with Facet and Harbor bonding over dropping and throwing large weights causing Fifi from 6 to wet herself earning a smirk from the boys. When Mateo awoke from his unconscious slumber, he immediately ran to Mateo asking him to spare. Since Mateo was no older than 14 and he was the youngest tribute the careers laughed before Facet told him to “Buzz off”. However, as Mateo continued to pester the career boys, Harbor gave Facet a knowing look before accepting Mateo’s sparing request.
A short crowd of tributes went to the jousting stations as Mateo and Harbor were briefed on the rules before being allowed to go at it. It was no surprise that Harbor won all 4 rounds.
“Easy”.
Harbor smiled warmly before being tackled to the ground by the 14-year-old boy from 10.
“You think you're better than me HA you rotten career boy.”
As Price Facet Brook and even Sienna tried to step in Harbor held his hand up to stay back. Harbor then threw the boy off him before pinching the nerve on Mateo’s neck knocking him clean out. As training master Price and Sienna looked at him in bewilderment before Price smiled saying
“Good job kid”.
Harbor smiled before Facet and he returned to the weight station and survival, knife and axe stations even giving advice to Amarylio from 7 with starting fires.
As for the girls they mainly gossiped to themselves and having “Girl talk” at the aquatic station sword station and archery stations. When any tribute tried to use the archery station both Jacqueline and Brook would melodicaly but fiercely slam there weapons into the targtes.
At the end of the traing head master price brought the tributes to the asscors room. Due to the request of the new head game maker the tributes assesment scores were kept strictly confidential. However tabloid reporters manage to scoop out that Jacqueline Facet Harbor and Malona from to managed to score at the top of the pack with a 11. Brook and Amarylio scored a 9 and at the bottom of the pack was Mateo and Hargree from 12 scoring a 3 each.
Both Sienna Quintin and Realm were beyond impressed with there tributes scores before they’re stylist sketched up potential outfits with there mentors soon quizing the pairs on interview educate.
Camilia Ravenstil welcomed the excited capital audience modeling a rather gothic dress that made her look like a ghost tree by the audience. The audience even laughed good naturedly as Camilia shook for a second as leaves fell of her costume as if wind had hit her. She then exictedly welcomed Jacqueline from 1. She was adorned in a stunning pink and red dress with her hair put up in braids. The two had some gossip before reavling to the audience that she was a decdent of Emarld Rivelta victor of the 34th hunher games. Camilia slapped her knee and laughed saying “Thats who you resmbl I guessed right I knew it!”
As the girls chatted the audience loved her regal responses to Camilas questions as even mentoning the carrer alliance brought the crowd into rapsous cheers,even when she talked about her allies from 4 openly. She then kissed Camilia on the hand before bowing which caused even more cheers before she was dismissed back stage. Facet was welcomed in next marveling a sleeveless pink suit with ruby jeans making many of the capital audience to swoon over his physeigue. Even Camilia was taken aback by his charm and confidence as he spoke about his training experience and the strength of his alliance with Jacqueline. His witty remarks and easygoing demeanor captivated the audience, earning him loud applause and admiration.
Later on into the night brook was welcomed in next with wild cheers and wolf whistles sounding. With her hair being dyed a pure yellow with a light brown dress resembling sand following her. She proceeded to have the same amount of banter with Camilia as Jacqueline did however Camilia cut her off as she was finshing up talking about her dads money saying “Honey this is the hunger games.”
“Yeah and Ill live how I like before the games.”
As a few jeers sounded the rest of her interview was rather dull the only light being Camilia shooing the “Regina George” of the stage. As Camila then called Harbor loud cheers sounded again as Harbor walked on to the stage with his curly black hair and brown eyes making him quite attrauctive to many even his pirate themed coustume became an over night sensation with many fashion designers stating that they wanted this fashionable suit.
As Camilia asked Harbor about the games becoming pleased with his short but sweet responses. Even cracking some good jokes about the other competitors mainly about Bloom from 7 and Mateo from 10 . To conclude Harbor’s inteviwed he tossed his waist coat to teh crowd as an excited gagle of captial ladies clammered for this waist coat. As his interview ended on a high. Finaly after the interview of the boy from 14 the new head game maker Natellia Swan was welcomed to the stage. Head game maker swan was adorned in a regal black gown also sporting garish make up making her resmble more of ghost then human. After introducing herself to the excited capital audience Camila smiled before shaking her hand saying that “Game maker swan has alot to accept from.” She laughed before giving hint out to teh audience by pointing to both of the laides dresses. Curious osund sof inteirgue soon followed as game maker swan smiled and bowed as she then left the stage as Camilia then ended the interviews there. The next morning tributes were given a breif breakefst before being brought to the arena’s holding room.
This years outfits consisted of black coats with black jeans and snakers with there distristicts nymbers stickered on the back of there coats. Realm visited Facet before reminding him to stick with Jacqueline and Harbor and Brook. However before Realm finished Facet replied “That girl Brook might be problem.” Realm nodded and agreed before reminding him to keep an eye on her before shaking his hand as he went into his tube. Jacqueline was visited by Quintin the pair had a similar conversation as Realm did with Facet before Jacqueline embraced Quintin and thanked him joking “District 1 needs more ladys.” Quintin laughed before hugging her back before walking Jacqueline to her tube. As for Brook she was not visited by Sienna nor Orvilve a fact that suprised her the most but shrugged before patiently puting her hair up in a bun and waiting for the tribute call to sound. As for Harbor Sienna visted him. She embacred Harbor before reminding him to “ Keep an eye on all of them.”
Harbor smiled before thanking Sienna for her mentor ship before Sienna walked Harbor to his tube his tube and at mid day the podiums then arose into the arena.
Arena Ghosty lake Game 114

A little background: Because of unexpected events, we're both exposed to the real world at the age of 10. (2014-2016) Familiar but not friends. (2017-2018) Got close. (2019-Mid 2020) Mutual Understanding. (Mid 2020-2022) Just friends. (2023-Now) On and off relationship. My mom personally knows him and his family since we were young. His family was able to witness our relationship grow, never knew about the break up and fully supports our relationship.
May 2020: I(15F) started to treat him(16M) coldly after he laughed off my vent of experiencing an awarding ceremony mishap where my name was mentioned but someone else's face was on the screen (this was my third time experiencing such mishap). So I finally decided to end the (1 year) mutual understanding. We still had little to no conversations. Until I slowly started to realize that breaking up with him was a wrong move.
First Week of December 2022: We had a group project, we (just friends 17F and 18M) originally planned to be grouped together, until his friend asked him to be grouped with him because his friend didn't want to be unfamiliar people. Without hesitation and consent, he tried fixing things by entrusting the rest of the members with his GBF to lead us. We ended up forming our own group, without him and his GBF. I asked him what happened and he never replied, ghosted me for a week.
Last Week of December 2022: I was doubting (because he has GBFs) but still tried to get back with him, he agreed and we've fallen for each other all over again. Fast forward to a few months, I opened up about being jealous of his GBFs. He tried lessening their interactions but felt guilty afterwards.
Additional detail: We go to school and home (15-20 min. ride) together. He revealed to me that after he walks me to my house, he goes home and goes back to school for his track and field trainings (as part of his routine, he also likes taking a 1.5km walk going to and coming back from school). After training, he's all sleepy and whole body hurts. I surprised him with a mini ice pack but he barely used it. I was unaware that my concerns became words and actions that downgraded him and he started to dread track and field trainings. Due to what happened and being busy in college, he barely joined trainings again.
He had a big competition where they had to get up early in the morning so they had a sleepover at his friend's house. My best friend was also there, she chatted me that she couldn't sleep and I told her she can ask him(my now BF) for help but she was still too shy to ask. I let him know about how my best friend felt uncomfortable around the other guys, so he volunteered to watch over her. Then he started to think how awkward things got and felt uncomfortable around my best friend. I used his GBFs against the situation, he admitted that compared to my best friend, he wouldn't feel uncomfortable if it was his GBFs. Now all he remembers is that I ruined his competition day.
May 2023: I wasn't allowed to attend prom because of my strict mom, she told me it was unnecessary. He also planned to not go, but during the very last minute, he was forced by his parents because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. My last chat to him was to enjoy and his last chat was a thank you for allowing him to go and a sorry for breaking his promise that he wouldn't go without me.
After a few days: I asked "Did you drank during prom?", he got all defensive, started avoiding my questions and took him a day before he admitted that he was invited to drink in a room with 1 guy friend, GBF and 4 other girls, without telling me (because he knew I would get mad at him for drinking with his GBF). His statements were "He knows his tolerance level." "He only went with them as a pay back because we're all going to college already."
June 2023: I wanted to invite him to my birthday celebration with my family but was prohibited. I asked my mom for permission to go out with him, still wasn't allowed and was shut off for asking why. I attempted to ask for another permission to go out with my other friends but ended up guilt tripped by my mom, she said "Are you not scared of the past incident when someone attempted to snatch your food?" I ended up not going.
Additional detail: I'm an only child, used to spend most of the time with mom, was never close to dad, and mostly had been laughed off when I tried to bring up things that bugged me, so I grew up not having much friends (my mom said it's because I was always grumpy), and I avoided over sharing. I slowly started to realize that I wasn't allowed to attend prom because my mom expected I wouldn't like people again, even kept asking me "You don't really want to attend prom right?" (but it felt like a knife was pointed at my neck and would be stabbed for saying I really wanted to go)
July 2023: To go out on his birthday, my aunt advised me to write a detailed letter to my mom. I placed it on right her table, it's impossible she never saw it. So he personally asked permission from my mom. I didn't want her worrying about me so I came up with an idea (he knew it was a bad idea from the start) to tell her we would be riding his family's car. My mom expected I would be picked up from our house. So we ended up saying his family was busy and went to a nearby mall instead. That's when my trauma started and resented my parents.
August 2023: We're enjoying our lunch and I randomly saw a notification popped up, it was his GBF. I asked him what he could do about it but he said "His GBFs came first before me and they were there during his hardest times, especially when we broke up (compared to his family, he's more open to his GBFs because they listen to his problems)"
November 2023: As a fight or flight response during our arguments, I would bring up the prom issue and he would start asking me "Just because of the past, are you really choosing to invalidate all the sacrifices and efforts I've made for us?", he even kept asking me to forgive and forget. Then we came up with the plan to tell my mom about our relationship.
Additional detail: We went out during November and I had a curfew to reach home by 5. He convinced me to stay longer, but I started worrying that I'll be scolded once I reach home. We were buying food, I really didn't know which one to choose and ended up giving the staff a silent treatment which I'm really ashamed of. I was also scolded for violating the curfew time. My mom even told me that I should be thankful for her effort of not letting my dad know that I went out. Now all he remembers from that day is my silent treatment.
December 2023: All was going according to his plan, he bought presents during their family trip. But I screwed up the very last minute, I was concerned that he's exhausted from the trip so I asked him if he's really prepared, because of my doubts he called off the confession.
May 2024: We're arguing over everything in a never ending cycle. He called me sexist for wanting him to be the one to face my mom. I had to convince him to come with me and I'll do the talking (we're planning to confess in the upcoming month). Now, he's still passing the responsibility to me, expects me to do it on my own.
Additional detail: He said I'm too emotional, and my vents had been draining him, so I had to promise that I'll stop sharing the littlest things that's happening in my life. But once I started sharing stories (turning into rants) again, he would break up with me, saying that the only way I can get back with him is to face my mom on my own.
TLDR: I(15F) broke up with him(16M), got back together after 2 years. Due to unresolved traumas, and having a hard time facing my strict mom(57F) to confess our(19F and 20M) relationship, we're now on and off and stuck in a never ending cycle of hurting each other. What strategies can help us gain courage to approach my strict mom to confess our relationship? Would appreciate all the thoughts and advices, thank you in advance!!

I'm not a professional by any means. I dont have any real equipment. I just like talking at the camera.
https://youtu.be/tZcwYksnMl8?si=xDPBiu3RpMGv6hyU
Now with the video portion out of the way comes the question. Something happened this year. I began to see everything breathing. I began to see energy waves, life, and auric fields. Although I have yet to see the color portion of the aura but I do see the transparent part around everything. I noticed that out of nowhere it seems I am very adept at feeling energy and I realized I am 100% an empath as we call it. Not everyone is being emotionally driven or having emotions inside but those that are if I am near them I feel how they feel on the inside and a few times I noticed they dont even have to interact with me at all and what's inside of them floods into me.
I've noticed that when I am seeing these energy waves that radiate and vibrate from everything if I lift my hands to them I can feel the palms of my hands move in and out and i've even noticed that after doing this I have a boost of energy. It's very similar to the energy that becomes apparent and/or forms between your hands when they are facing each other. With all of that out of the way what is this referred to as exactly? Is this a form of energy vampirism or what do we call this in these circles? Why am I able to do this so naturally? I also would like to train this and see where it goes although I think I should try to heal or help people with this.

This needs a little back story first. And this one is a bit long, sorry. My mil and I never really got along. She was an overbearing, passive aggressive Karen. That thought I wasn't good enough for her son. He was a bit older than me (13 yrs) and came from a better background. My family grew up rather on the poor side and his was solid upper middle class. My father-in-law was rather indifferent about most things and she wore the pants in the family, what she said goes, always.
That said here we go. Her and my father-in-law would go to Krispy Kreme at night to get a cup of coffee after supper. When my daughter was born, a few months after her birth they started taking her to Krispy Kreme with them to give me and my husband "a little time without the baby" her words, which was appreciated but we never asked them to do it. They're reasoning was they wanted to show off the baby, their first and only granddaughter.
I guess after having three grandsons from her daughter, it was a joy to have a female child in the family again and she wanted to show her off at every occasion she could think of. My husband and I never really minded I thought it was wonderful. I thought she was wonderful, she was going to be the perfect grandmother. She loved having her granddaughter around. She loved showing her granddaughter off even though she and I didn't get along she loved her granddaughter.
The problems started, after my only son was born. Now I know she had three other grandsons and I figured she'd treat them all the same. Boy was I wrong. Her daughter's Sons were treated like normal grandchildren wonderful presents at Christmas and birthdays she spent time with them she babysat them she was the same way with my daughter if not more so. But when it came to my son that was a completely different matter. She didn't want to hold, him she didn't want to feed him like she had my daughter. She didn't want to take him anywhere either. Remember she had been taking my daughter with her to Krispy Kreme every evening for 2 and 1/2 years before my son was born. But she didn't want to take my son anywhere, ever. I overlooked it at first. My son was still a baby my daughter a toddler handling both of them would have been a bit too much. So I figured when my son got older she would want to take him as well. She never did
When my son got old enough to ask, why granny didn't take him to Krispy Kreme in the evenings ever, I figured then we'd have a conversation. Well that day arrived and he asked the question that I knew he would and the only thing that I could tell the poor little guy was let me talk to Granny about it. So I talked to my mother-in-law about it and asked her why she never took my son to Krispy Kreme. And she explained that he was too much to handle. I asked her what she meant by that. She said I can't handle both of them. I told her that you don't have to handle both of them take my daughter one night and my son the next that way you won't be overwhelmed. She agreed to do this. My son was overjoyed he thought he was going to get to go to Krispy Kreme with Granny! So that night she took my daughter and I told her before they left that tomorrow night was my son's turn to get to go. She said "yeah yeah I know". So the next day after dinner she tells my daughter come on honey let's go to Krispy Kreme and I tell her wait just a moment you said you would take my son today. This is when she tells me again I can't handle him. And I again ask what do you mean by that. She says he's too rambunctious that she can't make him behave that my daughter is easier to handle.
Granted little boys can be a little harder to handle but he was no harder than his sister. This answer aggravated me to the point where I told her "you said that you would take him tonight, you promised him". And she again tells me "I can't handle him". So I tell her "if you can't take him tonight like you promised him, you can't take her anymore either. So instead of agreeing to take her grandson to Krispy Kreme she simply stops taking her granddaughter to spite me, or her grandson, I'm not sure which. She always treated my daughter much better than my son and this was just one example of the petty, small-minded, ignorant behavior she heaped on that child's head. My son was never cruel, loud,or entitled he never broke anything that belonged to someone else, he never had tantrums like most small children do, he was a well-behaved little boy and she already had three other grandsons and didn't need another one or that's the way I felt anyway, especially after all the other incidents but this one sticks in my head for the blatant disregard for either of her grandchildren. So I told her she was a horrible grandmother to my son . I never fought in front of the children with her. I never talked about her badly to them either. So am I the a******?
If you want to know more of what she did let me know.

Super long post so grab your tea and settle in.
I, (50f) have two kids; daughter (19) and son (18). My daughter has always been difficult. She would blame her brother for things she did, fight with him endlessly, lied continuously to me, stole from family and stores and was a hard teen to raise. She began seeing a boy (21m) 3 years ago and honestly I didn’t care for him from the start. He was rude, intitled, zero respect and already had quite the legal record.
My daughter ended up pregnant by him about 1 month into their relationship she was 16 he was 18. They lied to me and told me he was 16. They also lied about the pregnancy. She really didn’t get a pregnant belly and anytime I mentioned she was gaining some weight and could she possibly be pregnant she would accuse me of fat shaming her and being rude just for asking. Fast forward a few months and she said she was staying at her best friends for the weekend. Her friends mom even backed this story and lied to me saying, yes she is with us. When in fact she was at boyfriends recently acquired apartment ( I had no idea about and was told he lived with his grandparents). She went into labor that weekend, I still had no idea she was pregnant. When she finally called to say she was at the hospital and had a baby she insisted she had no idea she was pregnant and it was a suprise to all of them. I didn’t really buy that but didn’t argue, none of it mattered. She had a new baby and baby needed taken care of. With her story of not knowing I immediately went shopping. Bought everything you would need for a new baby. She let me know she was moving in with BF and would be raising the baby with him. When I dropped off the baby gear (literally an F250 truck load) to the apartment I notice quite a few items were already in place for a new baby, and realized they knew and had already gotten some stuff. None of that really mattered to me, I was a grandmother now and the how’s and why’s weren’t changeable so I just moved on. I tried really hard to accept her BF and invited him into our little family. He was always rude making snide comments about my son and their father. Father took his life a month before baby was born, whole other story. He would say how much better he was and would never leave his family, just a little turd. He wouldn’t let her visit without him. I couldn’t even talk to her on the phone without him listening and answering for her. He seemed extremely controlling and jealous of any relationship she had, even with her brother and I.
This kid could never hold a job for more than a month, sat around playing video games, didn’t help with baby, didn’t clean or cook. Just a waste of space, smoking weed and doing nothing. I tried not to say anything but the look on my face was telling whenever she would talk about him to me. They eventually got behind and lost their apartment and refused to move in with me because I wouldn’t allow him to stay, just her and the baby.
They were living in their cars and couch surfing. She had very little contact with me durning this time. At one point a friend of theirs called me to tell me BF was being abusive and I drove to where they were living to see if she would come home with me and leave an abusive relationship. She refused, actually became very angry I would even butt in to their relationship like that. I honestly just wanted my babygirl, my first born safe and not hurt. A little time goes by and eventually she reached out and I help her get into an apartment, he wasn’t on the lease. A couple months go by she tells me she is 5 months with number two. I am less than thrilled but it is what it is and I am just happy she is in an apartment.
Then, I get a phone call. She was just taken to the hospital because BF hit her in her pregnant belly and baby wasn’t moving. (Baby is fine).
Cops were called he is taken to jail. There was apparently an incident before this where he gave her a black eye. The police were called then but he ran and they didn’t find him but there was still a report filed. I was never told of the black eye story till later.
The time he is in jail (3 months), she is at my house daily. I am helping her with the baby and her pregnancy. I go to doctors appointments was even in her labor room. Things were actually good between us and her and her brother were getting along great. Brother is an amazing uncle and loves his niece to death. Buys her anything she wants and they are so close. She tells me she is done with BF, has a restraining order. Is moving forward and sees how in 3 short months her life is actually improving.
But sure enough as soon as he is released (2 felony charges) she takes him right back. She lies to me saying she won’t and isn’t but I don’t believe her at all. So I drive to her place and he is there. She screams at me to mind my own business and if she wants him it’s not up to me. Again I have been there everyday with both baby’s. Helping her and getting a chance to know my grandkids. At this point am very attached to my little angels and extremely frightened for her safety . She tells me, If I can’t get over the fact she will be with BF, then she never wants to see me again. I’m crushed but at the same time I am done. Done with all the lies, done with being told I can’t see the kids. With baby number one I have gotten to see her just a handful of times until the three months BF was in jail. Done with being treated like crap from my daughter. I feel like she was just using me while he was in jail. So I say fine.
That was in march. I haven’t spoken to her since. She hasn’t reached out at all and even changed her number. I feel guilt because I didn’t really fight the no contact. I mean I miss the babies something horrible but I am so done with lies. But I also feel guilty because what if he is still hurting her. A couple of her friends let me know how she and the kids are doing. And now that she isn’t pregnant I know she could kick his butt in a fight. I feel like I have abandoned her but she is the one who said no contact.
I’m I wrong for wanting no contact as a parent?

I’ll start this off where it’s relevant. Me and my partner were looking to buy a house and when we found the one we wanted of course my mom wanted to do a walk through with us. So we did the walk through and she thought it was nice and even joked about the basement being all set up for a mother in-law suite. To which my husband replied we don’t have any intention of renting it out and we don’t know if we will need that space yet.
Later I was at her house visiting getting some help doing out taxes and she was on the phone then asked my about giving her landlord notice. I was busy I didn’t really hear her or know what she was asking and just said “ya ya, give me a minute.” And she walked away and I figured she’d ask me again after think it was about lunch or something. She never brought it up again but we had talked about it in the past and I always told her the same thing my husband had. We don’t plan on rent out the basement and we will probably need the space.
Fast-ward we just finish moving our stuff not even unpacked yet and she needs to move out cus she’s given her notice and of course I felt terrible saying “ya ya” not know what I was saying yes to. I convinced my husband to let her move in and his wasn’t happy but we moved her into the basement. We did say a few rules not smoking in the house there is a detached heated garage for that. The upstairs was supposed to be our space. And don’t overstep boundaries or our parenting.
That’s when all the issues started. My mom would make plans for me with little notice and monopolies my and my kids time. At first it was fine to get to spend time out with her and the kids but it became an issues when she wouldn’t respect my boundaries. Like I need more notice cus I do make plans with my husband to do family stuff or friends. Or I don’t want certain people around my kids and she would bring us there or invite them over. If I invited friends over she’d come upstairs and take over the conversation and not let me talk and try to bring them downstairs to sell them stuff she’s made. She never respected the upstairs was our space rule.
She would talk down to me in front of my kids why isn’t the house spotless. Why are there dishes in the sink etc.. she would complain about everything but never help. She would not listen if I told hethe kids no to something ex. Candy before dinner. Me: No you can’t have candy before dinner, maybe after. Her: They are only kids once let them have it. And would give it to them. They need to eat lunch but “oh she was on a diet.” And so on
It got to the point where she would tell me she doesn’t have to listen to me cus she’s my mother. My kids started to throw fits and say I was mean and “they wanted nana cus she gave them anything they wanted.” Or “why do I have to listen to you when nana doesn’t have too?”
One Christmas I was working to afford a better Christmas and help pay off the line of credit we needed for the house. We hosted the Christmas dinner and had family and friends and everyone helped out. I cooked all day and then took a nap while everyone else was enjoying dinner as I had to work the night and was already going to be running on fumes. When I got up to my surprise everyone was still there. They were helping put the food away and had made me a plate for work. When I got home the house was clean and I was relieved as I was exhausted and just wanted to get some sleep. My mom told me she did all the dishes for me and cleaned to kitchen.
I worked for a few months before and after Christmas and during this time my mom was chain smoking in the basement. Her bedroom right below ours and our kids rooms. Me and the kids have asthma and my husband has crippling migraines that helped encourage him to quit smoking years ago. I didn’t notice the smell unless I was down stairs but he noticed it immediately. Saying he can’t sleeping and his crippling migraines had come back and the house smelled like cigarettes smoke. I confronted my mother and she said no of course she would smoke in the house but all her stuff clothes, furniture, smells that way cus she use to smoke in the house at her old place. (Mind you she was living with us for months now, and some of her future was new and we only just started having a problem suddenly after months with no issues related to smoke/smell)
Me and my husband fought over this as I really didn’t want to believe she would smoke in the house. First off it’s illegal here and second she knows off all our health issues. And you can get in trouble with child protective services if they thinking your smoking in the house which is considered endangering the health and safety of your children. And asthma can be considered the fault of the parents if they are smoking around them. You can’t even smoke in the car if a child is in the car with you
So my husband got a nicotine testing kit and when it finally came in we put it to use. The house was completely clean when we moved in. We found next to nothing upstairs but downstairs was a different story. My mom’s bedroom and kitchen being the worst. I was so mad that I decided I would look around to see if I could find an ashtray. Well I found it in her nightstand right beside the bed…. I was pissed. I can still remembered her fallling asleep with a cigarette in her hand on multiple occasions as a kid and how lucky we were that she never burned the house down back then
I confronted her when she got home and her instantly denied it till I showed her my proof and that I found her ashtray “your husband didn’t want her there always” was her response. I was floored. The whole time I stood up for her after confronting her the first time. she was lying saying “I’m so sick, I’m not even smoking right now, I’m quitting.”
He had bin upset at first but the first few months were great till all the issues started. But I quickly realized that no matter what I said I’d be wrong and she wouldn’t apologize. She had no remorse or sympathy not even when I mentioned the kids health or mine and my husbands. As she was my mother I felt it was my personal responsibility to hold her accountable for her actions we were going to give her till the spring as she is old but her response infuriated me.
She made it clear she didn’t have any level of respect for me or my husband and didn’t care about her grandchildren’s health…. I told her she had till the end of the month to move. She was pissed. She wanted to die here and how could I pick my husband over her and allow him to force her to move and in a month no less. I told her it was my choice to only give her a month and that I couldn’t stand to look at her. And this was the straw that back the camel’s back.
After that she avoided us and would hide in the basement when she wasn’t at work. A day or so later I woke up in the middle of the night to a noise only to find my mother in kitchen going through our cupboards…. I asked her what the H she was doing in my kitchen in the middle of the night? After that I started double checking the door separating the basement from the upstairs was locked at night.
She didn’t want to move so naturally I helped her looked for a place. Did the walk throughs with her till she settled for a place and of course she complained the whole time. How could I do this to her, look at the house I was forcing her into. (She picked it) and it was the nicest one we looked at. In her price range. And it was still close enough to visit and come help her if she needed it.
She refused to pack so I ended up packing everything for her and as I was packing her things I kept coming across things she had stolen from us. A can opener, canned goods, cereal, shopping bags, a blanket she had knitted for the family for Christmas and other things she had got the kids among many random things she must have wanted. I was growing more upset as the days passed and I told my husband everything I had come across while packing her things each day. He told me not to bother taking anything back because she would probably forget she stole it and claim we were stoking her things. He said she could have anything she wanted and hopefully with time she would remember that we still gave her whatever she wanted and there might be hope to fix the relationship with her in the future.
We called a couple friends to help us move here. We even put the furniture in the rooms/spots she asked for them to be put and we them up. As for the boxes I was going to help her empty them and put everything away but the first night she refused to let me touch anything and I just ended up sitting there while she berated me. “You’re a horrible daughter!” “A horrible mother!” “You’d let your own mother live in this dump!” “Who going to take care of me now? I might as well just die” “if I die it’s because of what you put me through” and those are only thing things a can remember
She keep my there in till 2 in the morning after that I said I couldn’t help her because I still had kids at home I had to get up with and she wouldn’t let me help anyway just berate me the whole time.
Me and my husband both agreed that we wouldn’t stop her from seeing the kids but she would have to respect our boundaries or we would have to put a stop to it. She refuses to see us or the kids. She refuses to apologize or admit to any wrong doing. She going around telling everyone I’m dead to her and take we took everything from her and we used her and abused her. We stopped talking to her all together and stopped trying to visit her.

Sorry, it’s a long read. I have an update to a boomer being a fool story to share that happened today! I wrote about it a couple months back on a different sub, in case this story seems familiar. But then I deleted it, as I shared a lot of info in the comments and I don’t know if the boomer has Reddit.
Anyway, so I have owned my own home for 5 years and the boomer has owned his home since the 1990’s. The way mailboxes work where I live is the post lady only delivers to one side of the road. It makes her route twice as efficient as I understand it. Everyone who lives on the opposite side of the street has two choices. Dig a hole and place the post in the ground on the opposite side of the road or place a post in a 5 gallon bucket on the opposite side of the road.
There are four mailboxes on the side of my property, as my property is an acre (my box and three more boxes that belong to people living across the street). For the last five years, not a single issue, everyone’s box was either in a bucket or in the ground on a pole.
For reasons I don’t understand, while I was outside, I see boomer across the street messing with his mailbox in my yard. I didn’t have my glasses on, and I can’t see very far without them. So he’s looking at me, but doesn’t say anything. I go on with my day, forgetting all about it. The next time I go outside, I notice that what he was doing was attaching his mailbox to a 75 foot tree on my property. Mailbox was on a pole, that was in a 5 gallon bucket and some cement keeping the bucket firmly standing upright. He put that entire thing in my yard by about 12 feet, attached it to my enormous tree with two tightly attached bungie cords at the top and the bottom. So he could have asked my permission first, but chose not to. I don’t know the guy, but we would cordially wave to each other in the past.
And in addition to this, I notice all the trees in that area (all on my property) have green x’s spray painted on them. Like six trees total. I looked up and noticed the main electrical line for the entire neighborhood goes right through all those trees, including the one he’s attached his mailbox on. The spray painted x’s mean that the electric company has those trees slated to be cut down. This is because I live in a high fire zone and so the electric company is going around cutting down all the trees that could be a danger. I can’t see if the tree he’s attached his mailbox to has an X or not, since he’s tightly got the entire thing covered.
So, I call the post master and file a complaint to have his post office box removed from my property, as in the United States, it’s against the law to tamper with other mailboxes, regardless of where they are located. Post master calls me back and explains that they’re no longer delivering his mail due to the box being located on my property. He tells me that if the post lady gets injured trying to deliver his mail, I would be liable for her medical bills because she was hurt on my property. The post master said when the boomer comes in bitching at the post office that he’s no longer receiving mail, he’ll be told that he must remove it from my property. The post master tells me not to touch the box, but says the sheriff can remove it if I call them.
So I wait a while, to see if it’ll resolve itself without escalating it. Weeks pass, he’s not receiving mail anymore, but doesn’t seem to care or notice. I finally decide to call the sheriff as the electric company had come out to remove all the trees with x’s on them, but left without doing any of it, which made me realize he possibly has his box connected to a tree that also needs to be removed.
So the sheriff comes out and she says she won’t remove the box, but that I’m allowed to remove it from my property while she watches (which I also recorded for my own documentation). The entire transaction is like 2-3 minutes. When I move it, I realize his entire setup stands on its own just fine, without being attached to the tree in my yard. So sheriff tells me she’s going to try and find the guy’s phone number so at least he’ll know why he’s not receiving mail anymore. I had actually tried to find his number too, before calling the sheriff, as I don’t feel comfortable going up to his door as a single woman. The tax assessor gave me his info, including his address, which is listed as a P.O. Box three miles away! Meaning he’s not even using his mailbox, which is likely why he hasn’t noticed no mail being delivered. Anyway, I leave a voicemail politely asking him to remove his box from my property before calling the sheriff, but I have no idea if it was actually his number.
So I thank the Sheriff for her help and go back inside. Then I see on cam, as soon as I went inside, he went running out to speak with the Sheriff. I can’t hear their conversation, but can see it perfectly and his arms are flaring as he’s losing his damn mind over having his box moved. He stands there yelling at the sheriff for exactly 12 minutes. She’s just politely nodding her head the whole time. And then as soon as she leaves, he goes over to another neighbor’s house and arms flaring with very angry body language and lots of pointing at the mailbox, he talks to that neighbor for another 20 minutes. Then he leaves, which I’m assuming was to go yell at the post office 3 miles away.
Oh, also wanted to mention that when I removed the mailbox from my tree, sure enough, he intentionally covered up the green spray painted X on the tree with his mailbox!
So that should have been the end of it. Instead, today I look outside my window and I see this idiot boomer reattaching his mailbox to my property again. This is all so ridiculous and annoying to me, that I just snapped at that point and so I opened my window and yelled out “get off my property, you and your mailbox, you’re trespassing.” And he starts yelling something with flailing arms again, but I can’t hear him from that far away…so I go, “I can’t hear you way up there, I don’t want to discuss it, just remove you property from my property right fucking now or I’ll call the police and file a trespassing report.” So then, I can see him on camera, he takes his mailbox on the pole back across to his side of the street, he digs a hole and places his mailbox at least 12 feet into his own yard. Meaning, they won’t deliver it there either of course, as now it’s on the wrong side of the road and it’s in the grass 12 feet inward on his property when it must be on the side of the road to be in compliance.
For the last five years, it was just fine in the bucket on a pole, on my side of the road, not on my property. And every other house does it properly, which he can see as well! And he’s lived here since the 90’s, knowing how things work. This is just so insane to me! All this drama over what?!? Like he’s so entitled that he gets to just use my property, without asking my permission, even with the post master telling him no? Even with the Sheriff involved? Guy is nearly 80, has to be long retired. Did he just get bored or what? I don’t understand boomers at all.
TLDR: Without asking me first, boomer (who lives across the street from me) decides to attach his mailbox to a tree on my property.

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91 Hours After the First Round of Interloper Interrogations. UNAFS Perseverance. Hangar Bay.
Evina
The stage was set, and my game face was on. It had to be, especially with what Vir had concocted over the course of his sleepless night.
The realization that AI didn’t exactly… sleep, was something I’d expected. But I’d at least thought the sleepless downtime would be used for something remotely related to downtime, something like maintenance, server repairs, or just anything at least remotely related to a decrease in productivity if only to relax.
I certainly wasn’t expecting that downtime to result in the creation of a literal sci-fi arsenal that now sat there, waiting for me just in front of the shuttle.
“A gift, Evina.” The AI spoke, gesturing to what could only be described as a small procession of bots, carts, and self-navigating cargo containers; all of which kept Eslan’s curiosities at a constant all-time high as he walked around the collection of bots, his eyes enamored by every little detail of each and every one of them.
But it was what was inside and within the containers that sat atop of those autonomous machines which was what I was really interested in. Moreover, it was a particular outfit currently sitting there on top of a felinor mannequin that really drew most of my attention.
Though the term outfit would definitely be underselling it. As what was being offered to me now was something that could no longer be found anywhere else on the continent, save for the odd military bunker and of course, the books and iterative memories belonging to that of the pre-war world.
To put it simply, it resembled advanced police armor, or maybe even military. Though its sleek design, metal pieces, and thinner silhouette put me in mind more of the former than the latter.
More to the point, it seemed to be capable of being fitted atop of my regular gear, instead of requiring me to swap it out entirely; consisting of three distinct pieces that resembled a pair of pants, a jacket, and a helmet.
I took a moment to stare at it intently, analyzing every last detail of it, from its space-age aesthetics of shiny plastics to matte metal chrome, to its soft interior that seemed to be gel-lined with some weird jelly-like fluid.
Moreover, I seized the moment to tease Eslan, as I turned towards him, then Vir, in rapid succession. “I’m assuming the gift isn’t for Eslan, right?” I snickered, prompting the smaller felinor to pout in a fit of resentful jealousy.
“I can arrange one for him if you’d like.” The AI responded casually, as if hinting at the fact that this wasn’t a one-off project, that this wasn’t just something pulled from storage and simply tailored down to my size.
“Let me guess, you have an entire factory deep within the ship somewhere?” I asked, half sarcastic, and half serious, knowing full well the answer could go either way given the track record of everything else on the ship I’d seen so far.
“Right on the money there, Evina.” Vir responded with an electronic chirp, prompting me to re-evaluate both the ship’s unfathomable capabilities, and the two dorks that were in charge of it all.
Nevertheless, it would seem as if Eslan was excited by the prospect, as he began pulling the armor pieces off of the mannequin, examining the finer details before handing them off for me to wear.
“I’m assuming the gel-like internal padding is a sort of passive heat regulator?” The felinor asked.
“Yes, but more than that, it acts as a layer of thermal insulation against energy-based attacks that manage to penetrate the ceramo-reflective plating lining the outside of the armor. This version’s passive since I don’t think you’ll be encountering anything like that on the surface but…” The AI shrugged ominously. “It’s lightweight, comfy, and there’s also ballistic-weave and kinetic-resistant properties embedded in the fabric. Along with some kinetic resistance that’ll help stop projectiles in their tracks if they penetrate the outer layers and somehow manage to make it through to the gel. Think non-newtonian fluid.” The AI’s platform shrugged. “Anyways, I thought it’d be a good, light-weight, adaptable, no-frills all rounder you could keep even after the mission’s end.” The AI explained, prompting me to more or less double-down on my re-evaluation of its seemingly conflicting personality matrix.
Vir was… complicated. In a good way. Seemingly practical, level-headed, tactical, and terrifyingly efficient on one hand, but also very much personable, surprisingly relatable, and most reassuring of all… self-reflective to the point of empathy and benevolence.
My first iteration was practically working overdrive trying to make heads or tails of him.
But my current mind was simply occupied with getting the armor on, which was more or less straightforward.
It was, surprisingly, lightweight. Like wearing a trimmed-down flak jacket that hugged and tightened to your form. The pants were the same story, which only left the helmet that I was hesitant to try on given its roundish shape and tight squeeze.
I examined it, looking inside as I noticed two little indents marking the recesses where my ears could actually comfortably fit.
“I’ve taken the liberty of creating a few modifications to the human baseline design in order to accommodate for your alien anatomy. I learned this the hard way when Lysara first donned a human helmet. It was… not fun, to say the very least.” The AI managed out with a nervous chuckle.
The idea of Lysara’s frills being squished inside a round helmet with no room for that sensitive looking extension of his head sent shivers up my spine. But then again, this made me even more curious as to just what these humans looked like if they lacked frills, ears, or anything else adorning their heads.
“I’m guessing the human-baseline must be really boring then.” I managed out unexpectedly, garnering a cock of the AI’s head. “You know what I mean right? What with having just a round space to shove their heads into. No frills, ears, or anything.”
“Ah, well, I can definitely see where you’re coming from with that.” Vir chuckled in response. “But honestly their appearance is not a big secret or anything. I can just pull up a-”
“Ah! Good morning, Evina!” Lysara announced brightly, cutting Vir off mid sentence as he jumped down from the shuttle and back onto the hangar bay proper. “I’ve been doing some final checks just to make sure we’re ready to go. Sorry I didn’t come out to greet you earlier.” The alien paused just before reaching me however, as he looked me up and down, then smiled. “I see Vir has been up to his usual work.”
“Seems so.” I shrugged. “In any case, I’m feeling more ready than I was just a few minutes ago, which I didn’t think was even possible, so thanks, Vir.” I gave Vir another nod of appreciation, before turning back to Lysara. “We're good to go, then?”
“As ready as ever.” Lysara responded promptly, surprising me with his register slowly shifting more towards something normal, rather than being entirely pulled from a university thesaurus.
Maybe I was starting to rub off of whatever translation software he was using.
“In any case, I don’t think I’ll be using your toys for the time being, Vir.” I gestured towards the rows upon rows of black and chrome weapons alike. Most of them resembled somewhat traditional looking firearms, whilst others were more or less pulled from the pages of science fiction, what with their tapered ‘muzzles’, and raygun-looking grips. “And it’s that I don’t trust that they could do some damage. It’s just a safer bet if I went with what I know. It’s better to use a gun you’ve trained and lived with, than a new one you’ve just messed around with the night prior.” I smiled, more or less alluding to the small escapade the AI and I went on for a short hour after the dinner. “Though I do thank you kindly for the ammo for my revolver, I’d say it’ll be helpful but… I’d rather not say anything at all until we get to our destination.”
The AI responded with a simple sharp dip of his head. “Chemically-derived combustion sluggers are always a solid choice. I wish you all the best, and I hope you don’t end up having to use that gun. I’ll make sure my boys take good care of you and Lysara.”
With a final exchange of nods, Lysara and I strode off and into the shuttle.
But just as we reached the precipice, I turned back, if only to give Eslan a reassuring hug. “I’ll be back sooner than you expect. So don’t get bored now.” I offered, prompting the smaller felinor to grin widely.
“Oh don’t you worry about getting bored.” He gestured to the space around him. “I probably won’t even be done with this room by the time you’re back.”
“Just make sure to save some mysteries for me. Oh, and Vir?” I turned to Vir for a moment, garnering a small cock of his head.
“Yes, Evina?”
“Do make sure that you tire him out some with your explanations. I’d rather come back to a quiet bedroom to pass out in, rather than one with an excitable Eslan ready to chew my ear out with his latest discoveries on the ship’s deep lore.” I jokingly ordered, prompting Eslan to give me his signature side-eye.
Following a dumb smile of my own signaling our temporary goodbyes, I soon found myself back within the bowels of the shuttle. Except this time, the backramp cargo bay seemed to be chock-full of those heavy-duty combat bots I caught glimpses of back in the forests.
In fact, every corner of the shuttle’s cargo bay seemed to be crammed to the brim with one or another form of combat drone. From flying drones, to clusters of those smaller insect-drones, to what looked to be oversized spiders ready to drop from the ceiling at a moment’s notice.
The whole space seemed to be decked out for combat.
Which gave me a lot of confidence about the outcome of this mission.
Lysara and I didn’t say much as we both made our way towards the cockpit, strapped into our respective seats, and began the nausea-inducing flight out of the ship’s hangar bay, and down towards the planet.
A whole minute passed in absolute silence as I tried to steady myself for what was to come.
“So, let’s go over a few of the key details for this mission.” Lysara suddenly broke the silence, bringing up a top-down map of the forests, with the facility in question highlighted in orange. “We’re going to be landing in a clearing made by Vir.” The map shifted, highlighting a very conspicuous open clearing of trees and a charred forest floor that made it very clear something big had happened here very recently.
If I’d seen that place from the ground? I’d have probably cited that aliens did it.
Which, ironically, would’ve been more on the money than I could’ve ever thought possible.
“From there, we march through the open clearing made by Vir, with drones taking point, up and towards the facility.” The map shifted once more, highlighting yet another clearing that more or less formed a clean path towards the entrance of the bunker. “From there, I assume you know your role?”
“Yup, if my prior iterations come through on this one, I’ll open the facility door, and from there… We head inside, and see what’s what.” I responded.
“The drones will make the first move, we’ll have two squads proceed inside and ascertain if it’s safe to enter. After confirming that all hazards are within a tolerable margin of safety, we’ll proceed.”
“Understood.” I acknowledged with a heavy sigh, my eyes trained on the continent that now took up most of our cockpit view.
“Whatever happens, I know for a fact we’ll be safe as long as we play it safe.” Lysara tried filling the silence with his own brand of reassurance.
“I know. But it’s not so much the physical dangers I’m worried about.” I managed out, before pausing, as my eyes once more strayed towards the top-down view of the mission map. “It’s what we’re going to find inside the facility that worries me.”
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​
(Author’s Note: Evina gets a cool new outfit for her mission, Eslan is promised an entire day of having his sci fi interests satiated, and we're now on our way with Lysara down towards the signal station! The next chapter is already out on Patreon as well if you want to check it out!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 96 of this story is already out on there!)]

14-minute read.

average monthly nominal salaries and YoY change in Q1 2024

Yerevan +8% to ֏324K/$836
Syunik +7% to ֏295K/$760
Shirak +7% to ֏142K/$366
Yerevan had the highest wages. Syunik had the highest wages among provinces, while Shirak had the lowest.
REPORT: While the average nominal monthly salary does not always show the level of economic prosperity in a region, its rise has made a tangible difference in Syunik.
SUREN PARSYAN (economist): Syunik has higher wages and strong employment. It is the most prosperous province with the lowest unemployment rate in Armenia: 24% in Armenia, 15% in Yerevan, and 2% in Syunik.
REPORT: Over the last 5 years, the average monthly nominal salaries have risen by 40% while the inflation was 21%.
source,

Armenian army launches command staff exercises

They will exercise the practical implementation of deployment and combat plans, evaluate the commanders' skills, improve the synchronized work between various groups, develop the officers' moral characteristics and practical skills during preparation and combat operations, etc.
They will use automated control systems and modern technologies during the exercises.
source,

Armenia and India will form a new working group for defense cooperation

Defense ministries of AM and IN held a meeting on Tuesday. They discussed the 2024-2025 cooperation plan and the creation of a new working group to coordinate the cooperation.
source,

from PM Pashinyan's speech at Copenhagen Democracy Summit:

PASHINYAN: Democracy has indeed become a reality in Armenia. Before the 2018 Velvet Revolution, massive electoral frauds were the usual companion of elections in Armenia. There was no trust among the citizens that there was a real chance for them to elect the government.
Now the situation is totally different; citizens know that they are powerful enough to decide. The two general elections that were held in Armenia after the Velvet Revolution have been acknowledged as democratic, free, and competitive both by the Armenian society and the international community.
Armenia made huge progress in strengthening the democratic institutions, an achievement reflected in reputable democracy indexes:
(a) Now we are the 43rd in the Reporters Without Borders’ Freedom of Speech index, compared to 79th place in 2017.
(b) Categorized as having partially free internet in 2017 by Freedom House, now we enjoy the status of a country with free internet.
(c) In Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Armenia is now 62nd instead of 107th in 2017.
(d) In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index we are 84th compared to 111th in 2017.
In order to assess this progress, it's essential to note that alongside democratic reforms, Armenia has been contending with external security challenges: the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenia in 2021 and 2022 and the occupation of over 200 km² amid inaction by [Russia's] CSTO, the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, have cast doubts among Armenian citizens weather democracy is the right choice. So, democracy needs to prove its efficiency while dealing with security, economic and humanitarian challenges.
We are pleased with the deployment of EU monitoring mission alongside the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and we welcome EU’s decision to expand its capacity. On the other hand, we hope for the inclusion of Armenia into the European Peace Facility and in this regard, we rely on the support of all EU member states [Hungary].
A new set of commitments aimed at strengthening Armenia’s economic resilience, state institutions, and addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees has been taken on by the European Union and United States during the high-level meeting on April 5 in Brussels. The rapid and effective implementation of those commitments is of utmost importance.
Despite all the challenges, we believe that the real and most aspiring companion for democracy is lasting and sustainable peace. My government took the share of its responsibility for this. Recently we reached an agreement with Azerbaijan to launch the delimitation of our interstate borders on the basis of the Almaty Declaration of 1991. That means that during the delimitation we should simply reproduce the Soviet-era administrative borders. This is the implementation of the agreement reached in Prague in 2022. Now it is time to incorporate and reflect those agreements in the peace treaty and have it signed.
Another key point for our regional stability is the «Crossroads of Peace», project, initiated by my government. This project implies that Armenia and Azerbaijan restore and open transport and other communications in accordance with the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass, and comply with the principles of equality and reciprocity. These elements of the concept were agreed upon during the July 2023 meeting with Ilham Aliyev and Charles Michel. //

... Politico reporter's Q&A with Pashinyan

REPORTER: [Ex-NATO leader] Anders Fogh Rasmussen called your neighbor an autocracy. You are in a very difficult geopolitical and geographical position. How do you solve the security problem in that environment?
PASHINYAN: I would not like to comment on the internal situation of our neighboring countries. Democracy fully corresponds to the mentality of our people. It is a strategy for our government, it is our political belief, it is also our political identity. The members of our political team have spent most of their lives fighting for democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech. Now we have the opportunity to realize all these values in our country.
The security situation was complicated because of the regional and global situation; the world order is collapsing at the moment. My assessment is, and I have had occasion to say this publicly, that the 2020 war was a prelude to further developments. And now the main issue is security.
What is our strategic point of view, how are we going to guarantee the security of our country? Recently, I gave a speech in our parliament, where I said that the most important tool for ensuring security is a foreign policy based on legitimacy. This is the reason why we so often speak about the 1991 Almaty Declaration.
It is very important that during the 2022 Prague meeting, two very important agreements were reached. Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the Almaty Declaration and will use it as the basis for the border demarcation. This is the reason why I said that we are not drawing a new border, we just need to reproduce the existing one on the ground. This process is happening right now, and I hope that we will continue it steadfastly.
REPORTER: The border conflict that has occurred in recent years has had a negative impact on relations with Russia and Russia's role for Armenia. What would you say about this?
PASHINYAN: Armenia is a member of CSTO. We are officially a CSTO member, but I have announced that we have frozen our participation.
REPORTER: So are you still a member or...?
PASHINYAN: It is a matter for further discussion, but it is very important to record the current situation. A crisis arose in our relations after Azerbaijani troops invaded Armenia, and according to CSTO procedures, the Organization and its member states had to support Armenia in this situation. But even after the formal application, the CSTO refused to take any concrete steps, and in fact, that is the main reason for freezing our participation in the CSTO at all levels.
REPORTER: Do you expect the West to occupy the current vacuum and ensure your security?
PASHINYAN: We are diversifying our foreign relations in all spheres. Now we are developing defense cooperation with India, France, and other countries. We have a certain cooperation with the European Union because as I mentioned, we are happy about the deployment of the EU Civilian Observation Mission on the border. It is a civilian mission but in a way, it is a new factor for the security of our region. This is the first time that the European Union participates in the security agenda of Armenia.
REPORTER: Would you like to become an EU member?
PASHINYAN: We are waiting for the EU's decision to include Armenia in the European Peace Facility. We also hope to start visa liberalization negotiations, and last year I announced in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be as close to the European Union as the European Union deems it possible. This is our position.
REPORTER: Can you elaborate on what initiatives Armenia is taking in the fight against corruption?
PASHINYAN: We have made huge progress but have not eradicated corruption from Armenia. We must continue to be persistent in the agenda of democratic reforms. This is the reason why cooperation with the European Union is of utmost importance for us because today the European Union is our main partner in the implementation of our democratic reform agenda. We hope that the European Union, as well as the USA, will increase their support to Armenia in the implementation of democratic reforms, because, as I said, democracy is a strategy for us.
By the way, in 2019 we started a Strategic Dialogue with the USA, and today we see the strengthening of our cooperation with the European Union. We recently had a tripartite meeting with the participation of the USA, EU, and Armenia. It was an unprecedented format, where we adopted a huge agenda of institutional and economic reforms. It is also very important that we receive more tangible support from the EU and the US to address the humanitarian needs of the Nagorno Karabakh refugees because it is a very sensitive and emotional issue for us.
REPORTER: In which year would you like Armenia to become a member of the EU?
PASHINYAN: This year [as soon as possible]. //
Pashinyan met Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The latter emphasized the importance of the “Crossroads of Peace” project in the context of unblocking the regional infrastructure.
Pashinyan discussed various topics with the PM of Denmark. The latter accepted his invitation to visit Armenia.
full video, source, video, other, other, source, video,

former regime continues to hold protests and briefly shut down roads in Yerevan with demands for PM Pashinyan's resignation

ԳԼՈՒԽ 1
Dozens of participants were detained and released the same day for blocking roads. The detentions decreased from 170 on Monday to ~63 on Tuesday. They want Pashinyan to resign or to be impeached. The protest organizers visited universities to gather student supporters, some of whom joined them with a dance. The organizers also stopped by at a bakery where they were given free food.
A felony investigation was launched after a police vehicle, "with the sirens on", struck a reporter on the street. In another instance, an investigation was launched against a protester who brought a long sword. One other case was launched over alleged threats made on Facebook by a Galstanyan fan who wants scores of people to be beaten in dalans and exiled from Armenia, "մենակ էտ դեպքում էս սրբազան հողը կմաքրվի էս տեսակ շան ծնունդներից, ուրիշ ձև չկա!!!!"
ԳԼՈՒԽ 2
A ruling faction member of Yerevan City Council complained about "harassment" by opposition figures who are attempting to convince ruling party members to join the protests and the impeachment.
RULING MEMBER: That is not how it works. No one will join you with that conduct. People will join if they see you have a legitimate agenda with trustworthy leaders. Instead, you are "ethnically cleansing" the citizens of Armenia [referring to one opposition speaker telling non-Armenians to leave] և հեռու չէ են օրը երբ դուք գուցե ասեք որ հայ լինելու համար պետք է Հայկ նահապետից տեղեկանք բերել: //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 3
Yesterday the protest co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan said he received a report suggesting that the Deputy Rector of Yerevan State University supposedly urged deans and others to retaliate against students who joined the protests. Galstanyan said he was unsure whether the report was true, but decided to read it out loud anyway. On Tuesday he rallied his supporters to the backyard of the University where he demanded to speak with the Deputy Rector for clarification.
The Deputy Rector went downstairs and greeted Galstanyan, who shook her hand but wouldn't let it go for an uncomfortably long period, prompting her to ask him to let go of her hand. The Deputy Rector declared that whatever Galstanyan read about her was a defamatory lie.
GALSTANYAN: I never believed it myself.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Then you should not have said out loud something you did not believe.
GALSTANYAN: Listen, there is a recorded fact...
DEPUTY RECTOR: Where is that "recorded fact"?
GALSTANYAN: It was on the media. As I said yesterday, I had no verification that it was true, which is why we came here to clarify it. If it's false, then I apologize.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Thank you. //
The Deputy Rector urged the protest organizers not to enter the building or disrupt the classes, and that "anyone who wants to follow you can follow you, anyone who wants to stay in classrooms should stay in classrooms".
The angry Deputy Rector left. Another university official criticized Galstanyan for not checking the information before reading it to his followers. Galstanyan said he stands behind his words, and that he was "just reading what was on the media", but reiterated that he had no intention to insult the Deputy Rector.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 4
Galstanyan and his supporters visited the monument dedicated to Operation Nemesis. He praised the figures behind Nemesis for "assuming personal responsibility". In front of the crowd, Galstanyan introduced Hambig Sassounian who recently joined his movement. He pointed to the Nemesis monument and said Sassounian is "one of the successors, one of the brightest people." In related news, on Sunday a ruling faction MP complained about receiving death threats with reference to Operation Nemesis.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 5
DANIEL IOANNESIAN (NGO chief): When this protest dies down, we need to discuss the following: (1) The transparency of political and media funding. There are some regulations in place, but they are incomplete and easily bypassed. For example, I'd like to know who paid for Archbishop Galstanyan's giant stage in Republic Square. In 2018 Pashinyan organized a fundraising for it and disclosed a detailed report. (2) Should the media organizations that do not respect the rules of financial transparency enjoy all the mechanisms for the protection of journalists? (3) Are the customs authorities confident that the church is not facilitating the business activities of certain figures disguised as donations? (4) Is it fair for the church and clergy members not to pay taxes? Should they be able to have a Bently and LX570 without paying taxes? [The "Bentley" is based on a true story.]
ԳԼՈՒԽ 6
Archbishop's fans spotted Miss Armenia 2003 and a H1 host Lusine Tovmasyan drinking a coffee at a Yerevan café and approached her.
PROTESTER: (unintelligable)
LUSINE: I was here drinking coffee yesterday, and a year before that.
PROTESTER: Why have you not joined the holy struggle?
LUSINE: Լավ եկեք թարգեք, շատ զզվելի ա, էնքան զզվելի ա․ //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 7
Pro-Kremlin propagandist Alexander Dugin praised the pro-Russian forces' protests in Armenia and criticized the pro-EU protests in Georgia.
Pro-Kremlin Russian politician Semyon Baghdasarov praised Archbishop Bagrat and the ongoing "uprising" in Armenia against the "traitor" [Nikol] who "rigged" the elections with the help of "Turkey, UK, and US". Nikol is a Turkish MI6 agent. video,
ԳԼՈՒԽ 8
Video of a protest recorded from above: video
source, video, video, video, video, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, video,

Armenian government has upgraded other diplomatic channels to reduce reliance on ARF's diaspora structures in the US, says pro-West NGO chief

KHURSHUDYAN: The status of the Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. [Lilith Makunts] has been significantly upgraded. I won't go into specifics because it's tied to our neighbors, but she plays an interesting role there. We have great conditions for the U.S. Congress to pressure Azerbaijan. This is outside of ARF's lobbyist groups in the U.S.
REPORTER: ARF Hay Dat's recent conduct has been shameful.
KHURSHUDYAN: And its influence on the Lemkin Institute was obvious. //
Yesterday Kurshudyan accused the Lemkin Institute of caving to ARF's pressure and meddling into Armenia's internal affairs to assist the protests by the pro-Russian former regime.
KHURSHUDYAN: Lemkin Institute accused Pashinyan's April 24 genocide remembrance day statement of containing "victim blaming". Lemkin did not comment on Pashinyan's statement for several weeks, waited 15 days, and as soon as these pro-Russian protests began in Armenia, they gave them a պաս:
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Armenia's four most prominent pro-West opposition parties announce the formation of a unified platform

Republic Party, led by ex-PM Aram Sargsyan.
Hanun Republic Party, led by Arman Babajanyan.
European Party of Armenia, led by Tigran Khzmalyan.
Christian-Democratic Party, led by Levon Shirinyan.
Have the following agenda...
(1) Promotion of Western values in Armenia and Armenia's membership in EU and NATO.
(2) United front against threats and risks of destabilization coming from Russia.
(3) Vetting judges to clean up the courts, and resolution of issues left unaddressed by the Pashinyan administration.
(4) Continuation of border demarcation based on 1991 Almaty.
(5) The use of international law to achieve a fair resolution for Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
The platform is open for like-minded forces to join.
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Armenian army chief denies being a Russian citizen

A statement released by the defense ministry denies media reports that CoGS LtGen Edward Asryan is a dual citizen of Russia. His wife is an ethnic Russian with Armenian citizenship and his kids are dual citizens, but Asryan only has citizenship in Armenia. The whole family has resided in Armenia since 2006, said the statement.
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Georgia passes controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill despite widespread opposition

The law will require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines.
The bill will be sent to the President who is expected to veto it, but her veto is expected to be overruled by the parliamentary majority later.
Georgian PM Kobakhidze had an "honest conversation" with U.S. deputy foreign minister James O'Brien, telling him that the Georgian government is interested in deepening the partnership with the U.S., "which requires mutual efforts and relations based on fairness."
James O'Brien demanded to speak with the manager - Bidza Ivanishvili. The latter refused to meet O'Brien, saying he won't hold any meetings under "blackmail".
The White House said the U.S. will review its relations with Georgia if the bill becomes law.
source, source, source,

how many of the 101,000 Nagorno-Karabakh refugees have left Armenia and haven't returned yet?

As of...
Dec: 6.6K
Jan: 6.9K
Mar: 8.0K
Apr: 9.1K
May: 9.9K
The former Ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh said many of them have family members and friends in Russia who invite them to move.
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temperatures are rising rapidly in Armenia

REPORTER: The rainy May is not going to be enough to alleviate the negative consequences of the rapidly rising temperatures in Armenia. With a ~3 Celsius anomaly, Armenia had the second-highest increase in temperature over the last 6 months among a group of monitored countries.
WEATHER CENTER: High temperatures increase the evaporation of water and reduce the amount of snow in the winter. In December and January, we recorded rain instead of snow in certain mountainous regions, which is bad for water resources.
REPORTER: A conference was recently held in Yerevan within the framework of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
UN official: Around 40% of global soils are degraded. Millions of people will be forced to migrate from their communities by 2050 as a result of climate problems. Emergency action is needed to reduce the rate of rising temperatures. //
Armenia joined the Convention three decades ago and has assumed the responsibility to restore degraded soil by 2030. The government is promoting drip irrigation systems for farming and wants to plant more trees.
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is the decline of Lake Sevan levels finally slowing down?

see the YoY chart

Yerevan Municipality to receive a €25 million loan from European Investment Bank to raise energy efficiency

It's part of the implementation of Eastern Partnership programs. The Armenian government and the EU are co-financing it.
The goal is to raise energy efficiency and carry out seismic retrofitting in 6 medical clinics and 32 kindergartens run by the municipality. The length of the program is 4 years.
video, video,

Gagik Tsarukyan is inside you

there is a bit of Tsarukyan inside all of you
see it to believe it

Gagik Tsarukyan says the new Jesus statue is ready and will be installed by the end of 2025

It will be a tourist attraction site. There will be a ropeway. Also, Tsarukyan needs you to know that he is a man of God and an avid believer.
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Armenia and Slovakia discussed AM-EU visa liberalization

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Lithuania will help retrain Armenian law enforcement agents to combat cybercrime, analyze crimes, etc.

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Armenia's Economy Minister Papoyan met the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt

In a Washington meeting participated by the Armenian Ministry delegation and Armenia's Ambassador, they spoke about the Crossroads of Peace logistics project proposed by Armenia, several topics relating to Armenia's energy and economic security, and the Armenian government's ongoing efforts to classify Armenia as a "market economy".
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Armenia and Iran discussed the construction of a second bridge over the River Araks

The first bridge began operating in 1996. It came to replace the floating bridges on the river.
Iran says the AM-IR traffic through the Meghri checkpoint significantly increased last year. Coupled with the fact that Armenia is building a modern North-South highway, they believe it's necessary to have a second AM-IR bridge to handle the rising traffic.
The parties are currently discussing the formation of a working group consisting of experts to discuss the topic.
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a new study on mice indicates that more exercise might be better than more sleep for clearing brain of toxins

They injected a dye into a brain and tracked the speed of its movement during sleep and exercise.
The findings show that the clearance of the dye was reduced by 30% in sleeping mice compared with mice that were kept awake. This has not been confirmed on humans yet.
Previous research has suggested that sleep is important for preventing dementia as it is during this time that toxic proteins are cleared from the brain.
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