I discovered the combo of anise, orange, nuts, and dried fruit a few years ago. This is a very interesting, unique combination (anise and orange) which I've fallen in love with.
I'm looking for other interesting flavor combinations which could turn a boring pound cake into an exotic/interesting one. Perhaps something with almond extract? Apricot extract? Anise but with a different component (i.e. other than orange)?

Looking Thur the shop I saw MULTIPLE SKINS that I could have swear I spent time and money into unlocking in the beta for example the {Cake} Jake Skin variants or the Uncle Shagworthy variant for Shaggy. I feel like this where taking away and they thought “oh no one will notice” but the only reason I play Jake was for that skin. Like I get bugs and errors but how in the hell do you get giving the battle pass away to beta players just to take away all the skins they unlocked during the beta as while. I’ve never seen a game kill itself this quick before.

I’ve had two babies so I kind of know what might be happening. We did the deed two days ago during ovulation and I’m feeling different. Not like I usually do during this part of my cycle and that may be normal for some women but not for me. My period has always been predictable and I’m really in tune with my body so I know when something is off. I’m feeling physically tired but I can’t shut my brain off. I’m super emotional even when people at work are just talking to me about where paperwork is (I almost cried and laughed about crying) or when I was driving I raged out at a guy that cut me off out of nowhere. Then today I could not stop eating like I’m just not full at all. I ate two and a half pieces of lasagna tonight on top of my lunch of a sandwich fruit snacks cheezits cookies and cheese cake like this is a problem. At the beginning of my first pregnancy I remember being so hungry and tired but I just got my first real job in a warehouse and thought I was just over doing it. I also was super emotional but I chalked that up to breaking up with my longtime boyfriend and getting taken advantage of by an older guy. I really didn’t know what to think. My second pregnancy I was in an abusive relationship and was too scared of my boyfriend at the time to think about how I felt. But the past couple of days I just feel different and that makes me feel crazy because why would I start feeling like this this early? I’m completely open to thoughts. Through the book at me! Let me know your experience!

I'm (f26) not the jealous type typically. And I've been working on self improvement and unpacking emotions that I've buried away my whole life, the past couple of years. My boyfriend is a beautiful human and my friends are pretty great, but I'm jealous of most of them. I'm even jealous of my brother, he got put into foster care when he was 16 and got a new family. They all have big houses (middle class) (excluding my brother)and families who love them. When birthdays and Christmas comes around, they get gifts and taken out to dinner. If they were to lose everything, they could go home to their parents and they'd be ok. With that being said, I am very happy for them, but it makes me kind of sad for me. My birthday is coming up soon and I know I'll have a good time with my boyfriend and my friends, which I'm very very grateful for. But I'll probably just get a quick call from my dad (technically step dad, both bio parents died a few years ago, not that them being alive would make this much different tbh)(my dad lives 10 minutes away), a call from my siblings and some posts on fb from some friends and family. I won't have a birthday dinner with my family or a cake or any gifts from them. I probably won't even see them. My dad only really calls when he needs something. I don't go to him for literally anything as I'm more adult than he is. I know some of this may seem a bit childish, but this isn't a new issue. One that sticks out in my mind is my 16th birthday, my parents were both in jail and everyone else forgot about me existing. I've been working on giving myself the love that I need and working on my inner self and I'm doing a pretty good job... But that doesn't really replace having a supportive family. I'm happy for my friends and boyfriend for what they have. I'm happy for my brother for getting put into foster care and being given a nice family and government benefits. I wish I had all of that. And sometimes when special occasions happen, I see how their families celebrate them or just are normal and sweet to them and I just get incredibly jealous (they'll never know unless I tell them though, I don't want my sour emotions to ruin their special days/holidays). Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful for my friends and boyfriend and my siblings. But I want a family I can go to instead of being a drifter.
How do I get over the jealousy?
Tldr- I'm jealous of my friends and boyfriend for having supporting families.

Hey everyone,
I'm not usually into spiritual stuff, but the past few months have been so overwhelmingly challenging that I've started believing in energy and the universe. It feels like something negative has attached itself to me. I don’t know anyone else who has faced this much hardship despite constantly fighting to stay positive and resilient. For reference, I’m only 34. Here's a rundown of what's happened since September:
September: My soul dog died in front of me in a horrible way just an hour after being released from the vet ER. The grief and PTSD were so severe that I developed a stomach ulcer that lasted four months.
October: I caught COVID for the first time during a work trip in Europe, had it for a full month, and I'm still suffering from long COVID symptoms.
October-December: I lost, was betrayed, and abandoned by multiple friends who I knew for years and thought were close to me when I started struggling.
January: Both of my bosses and mentors were let go at work, destroying my job progression opportunities and disbanding the team I had been part of for two years.
February: My depression and health deteriorated so badly that I had to go on medical leave for three months. I also got severely injured at a chiropractor visit, resulting in burning pain and an inability to hold my head up.
March: The burning pain spread to my limbs, causing muscle aches, weakness, and no reflex response following a steroid shot in my neck. My car broke down, costing me $2k to fix.
April: My grandmother, who raised me, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and told she could die at any time. I discovered that my basement apartment had high levels of mold, which was likely making me sick and probably killed my dog. I had to turn down an MBA program at the University of Amsterdam due to health issues and I was diagnosed with cervical instability in five places.
May: I was diagnosed with long COVID reactivated Epstein-Barr virus, and mold toxicity. I had to leave my home immediately and purge everything I owned. During the move, a lot of my items were stolen. My car broke down again while moving for the same issues and I had to get a rental.
And these are just the big events. My days are filled with constant bad luck, I've been hemorrhaging money, and my health issues keep growing. Strangely, ever since this started, I keep seeing 11:11 twice a day whenever I happen to look at the clock. I thought that was supposed to be a positive thing!?
I’m at my wit’s end. What do I need to do or who should I see? Maybe a cleansing? Spiritual guide? At this point, I’m willing to try anything.

hey everyone im posting here cuz honestly i havent had that many friends over the years so i end up talking to the same people for a while (which isn't a bad thing) but i wanted to switch it up a bit by meeting new peeps to hang and chill with ^^
as for me im pretty introverted at first but will open up when i understand your humor and get to know you better, my humor is kinda dark sometimes but can get lighthearted so hope u don't mind some of my shitty jokes
as for my interests i mostly play games( league, ow , lethal) and pretty much anything u played before, also for the region i play in euw in most games but can play in na if needed
i also workout on most my freetime, been going to the gym for about 3 years now and also dabble in volleyball every so often and im looking to get into swimming more in the future
my music taste is pretty depressing atm but i listen to many genres, here's some of my fav's of all time (arctic monkeys,muse, gorillaz,soad,metallica,frank sinatra,cake,nirvana,radiohead,the strokes,eminem,tylerthecreator,freddie dredd,mike dimes,cigarettes after sex) and alot of video game osts
so basically im looking for someone to vc with whenever im free mby play a couple games or i can just play a game of your choice and stream it for you and have deep talks every now and then
if u think we could vibe hit me up on reddit chat so i can send u my discord ^^ and thank u for reading my poorly written intro ( im not really good at this fyi)
cheers

At the age of 10-11, I created a religion. Some context: I grew up in a religious household. As a kid, I was always obsessed with the Old Testament of the Bible. On my playground, different kids created different countries, and this religion is kind of based around the country that I created with about 20 other kids (who also “followed” the religion). I wrote the holy book for this religion in a notebook, although the original was destroyed by my mom after she found out about my escapades. This is from a copy I made about a week before that. Here is the holy book in full (with some fixed spelling and grammar):
“Zelmoni Testament to the Great One
Book of the Histories
Before all, there was only loose material, and The Great Dragon [1]. So, as he is supreme, The Great One commanded the loose material to form itself together. The surface created was the land. It was so. Next, He commanded a patch of that land to rise from among its brethren. It was so. The land became man. The Great One said unto him:

 “It is your duty to watch over my seed, my eggs, and protect them.” 

Man understood. And as a gift for his understanding, woman was brought upon him. It was at this point that conflict began to arise within The Great One, and he was split in two. The Red One emerged from the split, as he did not want there to be more than one Dragon. He vowed to fight The Great One every night, and as a result of this split The Great One wept for 12 years. Due to this, the world was granted the waters. “You must pray to me, and commit sacrifice to nourish me.”, said The Great One unto man and his children. They listened, and as a gift they were granted a permanent reminder of His presence, the clouds. Time was then also split in two, with the day being for The Great One and night for The Red One. From this were born the seasons, and in winter The Great One’s eggs are layered unto the ground. It was during the first winter that The Great One commanded:

 “Make prayer and make sacrifice, for the night is beginning to overtake the day.” 

Man complied. And as a gift for man’s compliance, The Holy Land [2] was opened up, and Man and his children could pass into it. By the 37th generation of man, they had given up on aiding The Great One. They turned to false prophets and idols, and slowly the Red One began to take hold. The world was plunged into infinite darkness in 3 generations, and the snow ceased. Man was miserable and thirsty, so they cried out:

 “Oh, Lord of our ancestors! Return the light to us, and return us to the light!” The Great One appeared to them, saying: “You have not known me, so I have become weak. I require a sacrifice of significant proportion to return to life, to ruling over it.” That week, many animals were sacrificed, and light returned on the face of the earth. It is due to this sacrifice that The Great One was able to live without worship for many years. 

The New Revelation
The nightly battles raged on, and as the source of energy was depleted, and the darkness began to set over the land once again. It was now 2017, and a new people inhabited His once-holy ground. On this ground now stood an elementary school, and it was time for his eggs to be caked upon the land once again. As it did, Ben, Devon, and I stood on a hill, watching the snowflakes fall. In grand sequence, The Great One appeared and warned them of the impending darkness.

 “Gather my eggs, compound and protect them. Make sacrifice, of souls or of material energy to your Lord.” 

We understood, and as a gift for our understanding the Holy Land was given to them. This land was dubbed Zelmon, although the name’s meaning is unknown. We began to tell our classmates about this revelation, and many came to Zelmon to worship. Upon the truth spreading, a group of heretics emerged from the Holy Land and split off on their own. They believed The Red One was right in his assertion that there should be only one Dragon. They formed the nation of Yaga, and they prayed to bring the darkness over the world once again. Upon learning about this, I commanded all followers to sneak their lunch in their pockets, and bring it to the altar of Zelmon. A large amount was sacrificed that day and Zelmon went to war with Yaga. The fighting was swift, as the sacrifice was so large, and Zelmon emerged victorious. The people of Yaga were brought back to Zelmon and forced to worship The Great One, but some escaped and continued to worship The Red One. In dedication to our victory, to His victory, the Great Temple at White Stream was built. There, eggs would be stored and an altar was built from ice. This temple did not last long, however, as the worshippers of The Red One destroyed the eggs, made sacrifice to The Red One, and then dismantled the temple. As a result, the land was tainted and the Zelmonis had to withdraw to The Holy Hills once again. The group who destroyed the temple were eternally cursed with failure in human institution. The last time The Great One spoke with us was in late 2018, when He ordered that the energy of human pain be delivered to Him. He needed this energy due to the recent curse, and no other kind would suffice. I walked to the Altar, washed, and cut the palm of my hand. I spread the blood across the top of the altar. The Great One then said to me:

 “Do not worry, for your great sacrifice will last for 20 more years.” 

The Afterlife
When we die, we are delivered back to The Great One. There, we will fight with him against The Red One until there is only light. When we are sent to The Great One, we are reborn within him and thus sent down in the season of the Lord as eggs. When we rise back to the sky above, we are born as Dragons, although not as powerful as The Great One. This is why the duty of sacrifice must not be forgotten, for if the darkness does take over the world and The Red One triumphs, then all souls will be destroyed due to his desire to be the only Dragon.
Sacrificial Instructions
You must build an altar. The altar does not have to be in any specific dimensions, but should stand at least 6 feet from any other object in the room or area. The altars of ice were platforms of about 2 feet in height, with the area around a few inches of the altar were cut about 1 inch inward on all sides, separating the bottom and top pieces. The top piece has an indent where the sacrifices are placed.
If sacrifice of the soul is being committed, the animal must be brought to the altar either alive or at the very least intact. The animal is to be rested upon the indent and it’s through cut, allowing the blood to run down the altar. If the animal is large, simply rest the head upon the indent and slit the throat.
If sacrifice of material energy is being committed, place the object(s) in the indent and pour water on the offering. Then, leave it.
If sacrifice of human pain is being committed, rest the limb upon the indent and make the prick so that the blood runs down the altar. If the sacrifice involves the breaking of a limb, you may break the limb prior to resting it on the altar, but if this is done blood must be drawn so it runs down the altar.
In 2038, another sacrifice will be required, lest we get plunged into eternal darkness once more. It is recommended that we start before then, though, because the consequences will be noticeable in the near future. Let’s just keep things as they should be: engulfed in light.
Also, you must wash your hands before sacrifice, so that it is accepted by The Great One.
Praise the Great One!”
Notes and references:
[1] “Dragon” in this context refers to a powerful being or deity.
[2] The Holy Land referred to here is in Maine.

I’m working on some shelf stable baked goods (cake/muffin/brownie) and am looking for about a 90 day shelf life, the challenge is they are meant to be “better for you” and lower in sugar so I’d like to avoid a long ingredient dec. What natural preservatives would you recommend for this type of product? What’s a safe Aw for this type of product?

When people talk about their family vacations, celebrating holidays, their schools years, siblings, grand parents I don't usually have anything to say. I actually have a lot to say, but my life for the most part is as appropriate to open up about as is violet farting at a reception. TW violence
Sometimes I find it very silly - one can say what their parents did for them on their birthday, another one can not. Because the first one got a cake and lego set, and the second one got grabbed by the hair and had their face beaten to a wall. Neither did anything wrong, but the second one would be judged for speaking about what they had for birthdays. The first one is being a nice person telling a wholesome story, another one is trauma dumping and borderline abusive, making people uncomfortable and enjoying being shocking. While both technically describe their birthday. The second one didn't ask for this, didn't orchestrate it for a "shocking" story, it's just a mundane thing that was their life, like cakes and legos for the first guy (though that one probably did ask for it).
I'm not stupid (ok, I am, but), I understand the concept of social norms and keeping sensitive information to yourself, not burdening other people, maintaining boundaries blah blah. And I get it, I really do. But sometimes I imagine how it could have been if there wasn't a stigma for at least childhood abuse. If it wasn't inappropriate or shameful just to be able to talk about my life and answer questions. "How did your family celebrate /winter holidays/?" "My dad got drunk and my mom beat me in the head for it, because it was my duty to be 'the cement of the family' but I didn't make them happy because I was mentally delayed and sick and they needed a normal child, then she beat me for a mess at home, lack of intelligence and effort and that stuff. I was terrified of gifting her a present, because I could only buy it with pocket money she gave me, but then beat me for buying something cheap, but there was no possibility to buy better gifts with child's pocket money. If dad gave her a bad present, she would, lol, beat me of course. Then we ate salad and watched tv, I love that salad and retro movies they used to circulate back then each new year." "Do I need to ask you about how your birthdays went on, or is it safe to assume you got beat in the head?" "Correct, that's basically it, but there were specials with twists and turns, like one time my parents came to visit me while I stayed with my grandma and found me unresponsive with a hand broken off at the elbow, I've been like that for days they said."
And all the people I ever talked to about myself would know me, where I come from, how this weird thing they see formed, they would know those experiences exist near them, they would probably even realise these things can happen around them right now. This transparency could affect loneliness epidemic, laws, education, career choices, health and help services, safety of children who would know they can talk about those things happening to them.

I have been looking for a cake decorating position for years now. Last week I sent in my video interview and today I received an invite for in person interview. I desperately want this job. Any tips to give me a better chance? Is it pretty easy to get hired in this position? I have experience in the industry and over 10 years of customer service, plus over 6 years in food service.
Appreciate any tips you can give me

Exfiltration

[A/N: This chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
[First] [Previous] [Next]
Mik
“Papa Juliet calling Mike Whiskey. I’m in. Guy says she’s in room one-zero-three-eight, do you copy?”
“I copy one zero three eight,” Mik replied quietly. She looked up at the room numbers and noted that she was at least on the correct floor. “Going there now, over.”
It was a good thing that even evil corporate secret facilities had their safety procedures. As she jogged along the corridor in what she thought was the right direction, she spotted an evacuation map of the facility, complete with room numbers. Studying the plan for a moment, she traced out a path, memorised it, then took off running.
Although people fresh from Earth often complained how hard it was to maintain a good running speed on Mars due to lack of traction, Mik had no such problems indoors. The floors weren’t the best for cornering on, but she saw no issue in running halfway up the wall to kick off in the direction she wanted to go. Her enhanced vestibular systems aided considerably in keeping her balance, no matter where her feet were placed at the time.
Now that she knew where she was going, she reached the corridor that she needed in less than a minute. But then she encountered something that wasn’t a barrier as such, but certainly caused her to think twice about what was going on.
At first glance, there was little to worry about. What she’d found was an airlock of a make and model ubiquitous to half the buildings on Mars. Given that the outside atmosphere of Mars could only be survived by one person currently on the surface of the planet, the presence of an airlock would normally have been easy to explain away as an essential safety precaution.
What gave Mik pause was the fact that the airlock was inside the building, and in fact was between her and the person she was here to rescue. This made her ask herself a very specific question:
Which side of this airlock is expected to be depressurised, and why?
There was only one logical answer, and it did nothing for her peace of mind. If she was reading the signs correctly, the person behind Dani’s abduction and subsequent imprisonment was willing to set up a lethal situation for their captive, as a last-ditch screw-you to Mik. They probably wouldn’t kill her immediately, but if Mik tried to get her out, it would go from zero to fatal in very little time indeed. And in fact, if the airlock was code-locked on the other side, it would also serve to lock Mik into the area, allowing Cyberon to simply walk in and scoop her up at their leisure.
If I keep going, I’ll be trapped and she dies no matter what. Cyberon security’s probably on the way, so Pete might not be able to get us both out in time. If we pull back, they might decide she’s no use as bait, and kill her anyway. Bad end, do not want.
Okay, so I’ve seen the trap. How do I turn it around?
*****
Dani
The cell was cold, the floor hard to sleep on, and the ration bars they’d been feeding her tasted like salted sawdust, but that wasn’t the worst part. Dani had been uncomfortable before; some of the places her father had worked had lacked many civilised creature comforts. But she’d had friendly company and she’d been able to keep track of what was going on in the larger world.
Here, she had neither.
She wasn’t sure if it was deliberate torture or just a total lack of caring about her wellbeing, but the lighting outside the Perspex panel that fronted her cell never varied. Neither dim nor overbright, it was just constant. They’d taken her watch at the same time as they’d sequestered the rest of her belongings and shoved her into an anonymous coverall, so she had no way of keeping track of time, except by way of her biological rhythms and the delivery of the food rations (which in itself was worryingly irregular, like they kept forgetting that she needed to eat).
Even the Suit, as she called him (she didn’t have a name for him, but she had a huge number of highly unflattering descriptors for him) hadn’t shown up in some time. At first, she’d been able to mark off the days in her mind by his visits, either gloating over how Mik was going to walk straight into his trap or attempting to interrogate her about Mik’s habits and potential actions. She’d done her best to give him no joy either way, which in hindsight was possibly a mistake, as he didn’t visit at all these days.
All she got was a guy walking past the cell every few hours and glancing in to make sure she hadn’t miraculously dismantled the lock and spirited herself out of the building. They didn’t talk to her, even when she called out and tried to open lines of communication. She knew they could hear her, but their faces just closed off and they walked on.
It had been days, maybe weeks, she was sure of that much. A month, even two? She couldn’t be sure. A couple of times she dreamed she’d been rescued, that the wall of the cell had just opened up and she’d walked out; the emotional crashes, when she woke and discovered the reality of the situation, had been devastating. Pretty soon, she figured, she’d be hallucinating even when she was awake, and it just wouldn’t matter anymore.
So, when she saw Mik herself step into view in front of the cell, wearing her usual t-shirt and jeans and heavy boots, along with a badass-looking long-coat, she didn’t even react at first. Either it was someone else and her eyes were playing tricks on her, or she was asleep and dreaming the whole thing, or her mind had finally cracked. Didn’t matter; Mik wasn’t there.
She waited for the apparition of her friend to morph into one of the guards or to evaporate altogether, or maybe rip the door off its runners, but none of that happened. Instead, Mik examined the lock and frowned. Then she pulled out a notebook and pencil—pens had a really hard time working in vacuum, so Mik always went old-school when it came to passing notes—and scribbled something.
Dani had never been able to read a damn thing in a dream. The words and letters always came jumbled up, probably because reading was a logical thing and dreams were by their nature illogical. So, she was fully prepared for whatever the note showed to be pure gibberish.
Instead, to her surprise, it was totally readable. NO AIR OUT HERE. NEED U TO PREP FOR DECOMPRESS, CLOSE EYES. WILL OPEN DOOR, GET U OUT. DO U TRUST ME?
She read it through several times, trying to make sense of it. Mik was still standing there, waiting, though she’d glanced from side to side a couple of times. The writing on the notepad was holding steady, not changing to something else.
Is this real? Is this actually happening?
Tears sprang to her eyes as she first began to allow herself to consider the concept. She tried to keep herself under control; every other time she’d believed she was getting out, her expectations had been cruelly dashed. But she could read the note. She could read the note.
Climbing painfully to her feet—there was little chance for exercise in the cell, and the nutrient bars didn’t leave her with much in the way of excess energy—she went over to the Perspex panel that served as a door. “Are you real?” she asked, putting her hand on the panel. “Are you really there?”
Mik nodded, then flipped a page and scribbled some more. IM REAL. IM GETTING U OUT OF THERE. DO U TRUST ME? Then she tore the page from the pad and dropped it.
Instead of fluttering lazily to the ground—under Martian gravity, it always took even longer than it did on Earth—it fell straight down, at the standard three point seven one metres per second per second.
Okay, that’s not something a hallucination would bring up. There’s only Martian air pressure out there. She’d had dreams of walking unprotected on the surface of Mars. The human brain couldn’t create the consequences of low air pressure out of whole cloth. That was a leap of logic that it couldn’t make.
Dani took a deep breath and nodded. “I trust you,” she said, aware that Mik was practised at reading lips. “I just don’t know how long I can go without air.” Attempting to hold one’s breath in vacuum or near-vacuum, she knew, was a recipe for ruptured lungs. “Should I hyperventilate?”
Instead of writing more notes, Mik made the hand gesture for ‘no time’, then pointed at her first note. Dani nodded, then stepped back. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth, working her jaw to allow her ear canals to connect to her sinus cavities.
She heard it when the door began to open, the thin high screech of escaping air, deepening to a rumble as the air pressure dropped. Her ears popped, then popped again as she kept working her jaw. Air flowed out of her lungs, then an involuntary belch joined it.
Her skin prickled and her eyes were uncomfortable behind her tightly closed eyelids, but she didn’t dare open them. Micro-pressure did nasty things to exposed eyeballs; they didn’t pop (that was something even the stupidest of space dramas didn’t do anymore), but the sheen of tears on the exterior surface had been known to freeze or evaporate, neither of which was good for the eye.
Pressure was building unpleasantly in her gut, and she did her best to relax her sphincters. Another burp was followed by a small frrrt, and she silently blessed the fact that the nutrient bars were designed for vacuum workers, who didn’t want to share their EVA suits with abdominal gases.
And then a mouthpiece was pressed over her face, and air flowed into her lungs. Reaching up, she grabbed the pony bottle, amazed that she’d actually forgotten how Mik carried it everywhere. Once she had it, Mik let go and grabbed her arm, urging her forward.
Under the guidance of her friend, she stumbled out of the cell then turned left. They moved as fast as she was able, though she had to keep her eyes closed. How Mik had even gotten there, and what the plan was to get her out, she wasn’t sure, but she trusted Mik implicitly.
They went down the length of one corridor and then another one, much farther than she would’ve been able to go with her eyes closed and no air. Alone, she would’ve stumbled aimlessly until she died. Then they entered what she figured was an airlock, the supposition borne out when a door closed behind them and the air pressure started rising again.
When she felt it was safe, she opened her eyes and handed the pony bottle back to Mik. “Th-thanks,” she rasped, her voice rusty from disuse. “You came back. I didn’t know if you would.”
“It’s been a month, let me tell you,” Mik said lightly. “I had to get reinforcements, but here I am.”
Something clanked at floor level, and Dani looked down to see that Mik had just knocked over a bucket. “Okay,” she asked. “What’s a bucket doing in an airlock?”
“Holding the inner door open so nobody can remotely shut it behind me,” Mik explained. The other airlock door opened, and she stepped out. “C’mon, we’ve got places to be.”
Dani followed along. Her joints still felt creaky and stiff, but she was damned if she was going to slow Mik down now. “Where’d you go for reinforcements? Tharsis? Wouldn’t they just send stern memos to Cyberon or something?”
“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t go to them.” As Mik and Dani turned a corner, Dani saw two of the guards on the ground, along with a third one in an EVA suit, and a fourth person in an EVA suit standing over them with a metal bar in his hand. “Hey, we’re ready to suit up and go.”
The standing man flipped up his faceplate. “Good. The suit’s just outside. I’ll keep watching these clowns while you go get it.”
“On it.” Mik tipped Dani a wink, then ducked out through the airlock. A moment later, she was back, bringing a suit in Dani’s size.
“I was wondering how you were going to get me out of here.” Dani didn’t waste time, starting to haul on the suit even as she addressed Mik. She didn’t know the guy, but if Mik trusted him, she was willing to as well.
“It was either this or terraform the whole planet so you could just walk out normally, and terraforming was taking too long.” Mik eyed the guards unfavourably. “How badly were these assholes treating you?”
“They didn’t hit me or anything,” Dani said. “Just fed me and watched me. It was their boss who said all the nasty stuff about how you were gonna fall in his trap.”
“Mm.” Mik looked like she didn’t want to drop the matter, but the guy put his hand on her shoulder and she subsided. “Okay, then. Ready to go?”
“Nearly.” Dani locked her helmet in place, then triggered the oxygen flow. The telltales showed up green, so she nodded and gave the thumb-to-forefinger all-good gesture.
The guy with Mik flipped down his faceplate, and all three of them stepped into the airlock. It was a tight squeeze but Mik was skinny, and Dani didn’t take up much room even in a suit. “We’re going to have to move fast,” the guy said over her radio. “I have a feeling Cyberon security is incoming with everything they’ve got.”
“Yeah, no crap.” That was definitely Mik. “Just by the way: Pete, meet Dani; Dani, meet Pete.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Pete added. “Lieutenant Pete Janssen, Orbital Rescue, at your service.”
Even while Dani was trying to figure out what an Orbital Rescue pilot was doing on the surface of Mars, the airlock opened and they hustled out. The surrounding terrain was the very opposite of flat, and Dani had no idea which way to go. And then Mik’s eyes opened wide and she turned her head, looking up into the sky.
“Lander,” she said. “I can hear it coming in.”
Dani had very little experience with matters like this, but she had an idea what was coming next anyway. “They’ll be bringing in ground troops, won’t they? Looking for us?”
“Got it in one.” Mik started off into the rocks. “We have to get to the ’hopper before they catch up with us.”
“Copy that, princess.” Pete hooked one arm under Dani’s. “Let’s get moving.”
Dani had thought the nightmare was over but as she discovered, it was just beginning. Even with Pete and Mik helping her up and over the obstacles in their way, she quickly ran out of energy. Fear-generated adrenaline was well and good, but it had its limits, and her arms and legs were soon powerless noodles.
“Leave me,” she begged. “They’ll catch you, and this’ll all be for nothing.”
“And if we leave you, it’ll also be for nothing,” Mik told her grimly. “I had to do it once. It’s not happening a second time.”
“Take her,” Pete said. “I’ll go and draw them off. Even if they catch me—”
Mik cut him off. “If they can’t use you to get us back, they’ll kill you. You take her, you’re stronger than me. If they’ve got guns, which I’m pretty sure they do, they’re less likely to shoot at me than you. I’ll meet you at the ’hopper.”
Not giving Pete the option to argue, she let go Dani’s arm and vanished into the chaotic terrain.
“Wait—” began Pete, then swore. “Dammit! Okay fine, she’s not giving us a choice. Let’s get you to the ’hopper.”
As they moved off, Dani had to ask the question. “Why did you call her princess, earlier?”
“Well, she’d just told us her story, and I made a joke …”
*****
Mik
The security troopers were good at moving in EVA suits, and they definitely had guns. There were also a lot of them, which was going to make this tricky as hell. Still, Mik had a few advantages on her side, some of which they hopefully didn’t know about.
She peered around a rocky outcrop at a bunch of them, who were conferring over some kind of digital map. If they wanted to use that thing to make any kind of straight path through this labyrinth of Martian terrain, they had to be dreaming. The trouble was, if they just pushed forward en masse, they could comb every last hiding place, no matter how tricky she was. Which was why she had to pull them away from the ‘logical thinking’ mindset and into the ‘chase me’ mindset.
Picking up a friable-looking rock, she stepped into view, then hurled her missile directly at the faceplate of one of the troopers facing her. It burst on impact, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Before they could bring their guns to bear, she ducked out of sight again, heading down a twisting, turning alleyway of rock. Her natural agility and balance made up for the uneven footing, allowing her to move much faster than the troopers behind her.
The call would be going out now, converging every security trooper in the area on that spot. This included any of them that might’ve been on course to discover the rille where she and Pete had hidden the rock-hopper. If they were chasing her, they weren’t going after anyone else.
She paused after a minute or so of movement, listening hard and with her hands on the rocks on either side. Sound didn’t travel well in this atmosphere, though her ears were attuned to pick up what little there was. Vibrations through the ground were sometimes more useful, and she fancied she could feel the security troops coming her way, just as much as she could hear the scuffing and stumbling among the chaotically tumbled boulders.
The next time she nailed someone in the faceplate with a rock, one of the troopers shot at her. It didn’t come close enough to worry her, though the whole experience of being shot at in general was a new and unpleasant one. She got her target, though, dusting the man plus his comrades with the ever-present fines. The fewer of her pursuers who could see properly, the better.
And then Pete’s voice crackled in her mastoid earpiece. “We’re at the ’hopper. Want a pickup?”
“No, don’t,” she replied, talking quietly into the mouthpiece even though she knew the troopers couldn’t hear her. “They’ll shoot you out of the sky. Hold tight, I’m coming to you.”
A dozen troopers looked around in surprise as she jumped out of concealment almost within arm’s reach. She was holding two large rocks that she’d selected carefully, each one with the consistency of chalk. Both left her hands even before her feet hit the ground; not aimed at the troopers, they instead hit the rocks on either side. A great cloud of fines billowed over all of the troopers, but she wasn’t waiting around for it to dissipate.
There was a nice straight pathway for her to retreat down, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she ducked into the first niche she found that was barely large enough to take her, and flipped up the hood of the long-coat so that it covered her head. Thus concealed, facing the rock and holding still, she hopefully looked like part of the landscape.
She both heard and felt the rush of booted feet behind her; yelling inside their helmets so loudly that she heard that too. Thirty seconds ticked by in her head, and there were no stragglers following along. Cautiously, she peered out from behind the coat. She was alone.
By now there would be enough troopers spread through the chaotic terrain for false sightings to be happening on the regular, and in fact she heard a few random shots here and there which bore out that idea. But that wasn’t her problem, so she slipped unseen through the dragnet until she came to the rille. Jumping from foothold to foothold, she descended to where Pete and Dani were just getting settled on the rock-hopper.
“Oh, good,” Pete said. “You’re here. I was starting to worry.”
“Can we go now?” asked Dani plaintively. “I just want to get out of here.”
“We can,” Mik confirmed, scrambling up onto the rock-hopper and strapping herself into the middle seat, which had been installed by the crusty McPherson. She flicked the wake-up switch on the flight control computer (also supplied by McPherson), then activated the controls and lit off the attitude rockets. Slowly, then with more power as she fed fuel to the main rocket, the rock-hopper climbed into the air.
“Straight back up to the ship?” asked Pete hopefully.
“Not quite,” Mik said. “They’ve almost certainly got ships up there that can shoot us down if they see us coming up out of their area of interest, so we’re going to have to stay low for the moment until we get out from under their umbrella. Our best chance for doing that is to leave their turf altogether.”
Angling the rock-hopper eastward, she applied more thrust, and they shot away across the tumbled landscape.
[First] [Previous] [Next]
[A/N: And we’re coming to a head. The next chapter or two should see the end of this run of the adventures of Mik Wallace, Martian Walker. That’s not to say it’ll be the end of the story, but it’ll be the end of the origin story.]

First off, I know I am a coward and should have had an adult conversation with this person, but I guess I let my hurt feelings about their behaviour get in the way and now it’s been too long and I don’t think I want them in my life anymore after how they behaved.
My husband and I wanted a small and non-traditional wedding. I hated the idea of a big wedding party as I’ve seen them play out in all the dramatic fashion and didn’t want that for my nearest and dearest. I also really don’t like asking for help and don’t want to be a burden to anyone and asking them to pay for stuff just for our wedding just didn’t sit right with me. I also have some close friends from overseas (I’m not from the country I got married in) and if I was doing a traditional bridal party, I would have asked them, but dealing with a global bridal party just seemed like too much hassle and I wanted everyone to enjoy the party without the “role” of a bridesmaid. I decided to just have my only sister (who is also my best friend) and my husband had his best friend from childhood.
I felt things started to go south from there.
My “so-called friend” couldn’t make time for a chill bachelorette party as she had too many holidays planned and it wouldn’t be fair to her husband to take a local weekend away (nothing major, maybe an hour away and just for the weekend). I even offered something local like going to high tea, but no so I didn’t bother trying anything with her for that again.
Then, when she promised she’d stay on-site for the wedding, then suddenly she couldn’t for work reasons. Even though she had known for a year and requested the nicest room which we booked and paid in advance for her. I didn’t even get a call, just a text saying that she couldn’t stay anymore because of work reasons. I had other friends stay the night and go to work the next day, but she just couldn’t make the effort and her excuse seemed super flimsy as she’s not a shift worker and quite senior so she would have flexibility.
Then, apparently, she was complaining about the food and things at the actual wedding even though I went above and beyond for her dietary requirements and my sister even paid for special cupcakes to suit her needs so she wouldn’t be left out with the wedding cake.
Lastly, we had cute wedding glasses as props at the wedding for guests to enjoy and we were fine with them taking them after the fact. But she stole a few pairs from another guest and then used them as props at a party the next week that I wasn’t even invited to!
She showed me her true colours and everything seems to have gone downhill after I didn’t ask her to be a bridesmaid. I could have understood if I had asked others and didn’t ask her, but I had my only sister and that was it. She was super excited about the wedding before and even made a Pinterest board (before we got engaged) so was excited to be a part of things up until she didn’t get her way of being a bridesmaid. Maybe it’s me, but I don’t hold being a bridesmaid as being a make-or-break thing, weddings have always seemed over the top to me and I wanted something simple.
In hindsight, I should have been braver and tried to have a conversation with her about all of this, but I guess I was just so shocked by her complete turnaround as a friend. I had gone above and beyond for her so many times and made sure I was always there for her big events, I just didn’t want to beg someone who clearly didn’t want to support me anymore. If there was something else going on, she didn’t say anything at all. I was also super conscious of not being one of those people that turns their wedding into their whole personality so I know it couldn’t have been that as I rarely brought it up.
Anyway, I’m glad I know who she really is now, but it’s still hard to lose someone who you thought really cared about you.

Hey, I'm planning my grad party right now, and I've planned a bunch of things I thought would be fun, but I'd like to get some input on if you guys would have fun or if you'd be bored. This is for a party of about 12 high school students.
Firstly, food: We're doing Cane's Chicken (nobody is vegetarian, I checked), and for dessert we're doing s'mores in a small campfire in my backyard. If it rains, we could do them in my fireplace. The party will be from 6-10pm and anyone can drop in whenever, so we'll probably just have it going.
Game-wise, my mom got a ton of gift-cards from teacher appreciation week, some for places she just never goes to. So, we were gonna do a cup-pong esque game where if you can bounce the ball into a cup, there will be some sort of gift card in it. I'm worried some parents might be upset because this one is emulating beer pong, but there is no alcohol, and it's just a bunch of gift cards (amounts ranging from $10-$25). My house doesn't have a large backyard, so we couldn't do many lawn games, but if you have any ideas for games, that'd be appreciated.
Then, I have a little map of the United States and some push-pins, and I'd have everyone put a pin where they're going to college? And then I have bags with everyone's names on them, and I'm probably gonna send them home with a handwritten letter about how they made high-school great for me and why I'm gonna miss them. Again, ideas of what to put in them other than the note would be appreciated.
I'm looking for something more low-key, so no big cake or anything, but I'm wondering if you think everyone would have fun or if you think it's lame.

I enjoy my work, mostly. Company treats me decent. Make 22$ an hour, but many other jobs offer 25-30 an hour. At least once a week I am hands on. "Senior" guard with the company. Everyone but myself and 2 people have been moved to a patrol section of our company. New hires getting hired on making more than me. What do I do?
Some stuff irritates me, because our patrol side of the job makes more money starting out, yet we have people who have no business being there. I.E. a female weighing 96 pounds being expected to handle someone 2-3 times her weight in a fight, "people" with extreme anger issues and no self control as well. Yet, people with a spotless record are not able to be promoted as the company hires someone brand new to fill in the spot for the promotion. A dollar raise each year, this just feels like a dead end job at this point. How would some of you try to address this with your boss?

First Previous
Matthew Sky is a cowboy at heart, seeking a life of fulfillment and adventure beneath the limitless horizon. Now he's been recruited by an ancient order of pan-universal defenders to help protect humanity from the countless horrors waiting in the dark. With his sentient A/I partner by his side and the limitless potential of his incredible forge ring at his command, Matt is THE LAW on a new world that has fallen to chaos...he is THE FORGE KNIGHT.
Previously on the Forge Knight.
I saved a few elves from a fate worse than death, killed an enforcer for a bunch of crazy mages because he was being an asshole, and then I got ATTACKED by the same dang elves I rescued! This sure is turning into a chore, isn't it?
Dying Light Part 6.
-An interlude.
Dressed in silken finery, the elven mage stepped fearlessly into the darkened tavern and approached its sole occupied table, where a man sat drinking alone. His features were difficult to make out in the gloom of the place, but he was tall. Tall enough to come up chest-high to her even while seated.
“Are you the one they call the mad wolf?” she asked him at once.
“Aya,” he said without interest.
Janthra Nightveil didn’t care for the tepidity of his response. She was the personal apprentice of a great magus and a powerful practitioner of the dark arts herself. She expected more than a drunkard's nod.
She deserved more than that.
“I am Janthra,” she said proudly. “You will refer to me as mistress.”
“I could, perhaps,” the big man spoke with a lifeless rasp as he continued drinking from his mug. “Probably won’t, though.”
“I speak for a lord of the Advocacy,” she said. “In this matter, my words are his words. For reasons that are beyond me, he has decided that he requires your services, dog. You should be honored.”
“I should, should I?” he asked. “Now why’s that?”
“BECAUSE I TOLD YOU SO!” she shouted angrily as her hand swept the pitcher of mead off the table and sent the glass crashing on the floor.
Through the tavern windows, feeble moonlight struggled to provide basic illumination to the room. It cut off just around the man’s neck, leaving his face encased in darkness as he leaned back lazily in his chair. Only his eyes remained visible; gleaming like sharp orbs of reddish hued gold that stared at her with evident amusement.
That was when he struck a match to light a pipe that Janthra hadn’t realized he’d reached for. In the moment of light provided by it, she learned that the tavern wasn’t empty at all.
Bodies had been tossed aside haphazardly, lying dead all around them. Each of them torn apart in a fashion that she found…
…memorable.
Why hadn’t she noticed that?
Why hadn’t she smelled any blood?
“Well, Miss. If you say so, then you say so. Mind putting him on the line for me?” he asked.
“W-What?” Janthra asked nervously.
“Call him up, girl,” he said, emphasizing the last word.
“It isn’t for the likes of me to—”
“He won’t mind. We’re old drinking buddies,” the man assured her. Then he reached to the center of the table and tapped it firmly with a single, bloodstained finger. “Now,” he said.
Janthra made a swift motion with her hands and then held them before the table. From her palms, traces of darkness extended outward and formed an ebony globe that slowly molded itself into the shape of a faceless figure sitting on a throne.
When Janthra was finished the man snapped his fingers and then pointed towards the exit.
“What?” she asked in surprise.
“L’il above your pay, darling. Don’t take it to heart, though. You’re doing a fine job,” he said as he waited for her to leave. Once she was gone, he turned to the image of the shadow and said, “Howdy.”
“Pandemia Lunatica,” the shadow said, speaking the hunter’s name.
“Been a while,” Pandemia said in acknowledgement.
“My servants have failed me,” the shadow said without preamble. “The princess has escaped their reach and successfully contacted a Forge Knight.”
“And Volm?” Pandemia asked curiously. “What happened to him?”
“Disgraced. Defeated. Dead. His soul burns with contrition. Do not speak of him again,” the shadow said tersely.
“Well, Mister, what can really be said?” asked the amused hunter. “You don’t send a virgin to a cathouse unless you want him to be fucked.”
“Quaint,” replied the shadow.
“Don’t be like that,” said Pandemia. “When you don’t invest in quality, what you get is what you get.”
“I did not contact you seeking your smug advice, hunter,” the shadow said with baleful displeasure. “I’ve come to you seeking a solution. Kill the princess. Kill her companions. Kill the hope of their kingdom. Do these things for me and you will enjoy a considerable reward.”
“And what about the Forge Knight?” Lunatica said mildly as he finished with his pipe. “You want him dead, too?”
“He's interfered in matters that do not concern him once too often,” the shadow said. “If the opportunity presents itself, then kill him as well.”
“Well, now, that does sound like extra work to me,” the big man said as he walked to the bar for more mead and a glass to fill it with. “I’ve never met a forge knight yet who ever died easy.”
“Only because you enjoy taking your time killing them,” the shadow said with an audible sneer. “Stop prevaricating, bounty hunter, and name your price.”
“You know what?” Pandemia said after some consideration. “Just get me a few crates of lager and I’ll call us even on the work. I’ll even take my payment in some goddamn Budweiser. Whatever you can find, hoss, I’m just so very fucking tired of drinkin’ mead.”
The harsh laughter of the shadow filled the dead tavern.
“That’s something I’ve always admired about you, Mad Wolf,” it chortled. “Your genuine appreciation of life’s simpler pleasures.”
“Well, ain’t no need to be fancy about things, Sir,” Pandemia said as he donned his duster and hat. “It’s life’s ephemerality that makes it as enjoyable as it is. Wanting too much from it just dilutes the sweetness of its many flavors.”
“Truly the wisdom of the gutter,” the shadow smirked.
“Truly,” Pandemia said with a smirk of his own. “Got a little bit of bad news for you, though,” he added.
“And that is?” asked the shadow.
“That cute little apprentice o’yers mouthed off to me somethin’ fierce,” Pandemia said regretfully. “I’m gonna have to say something to her about it.”
“I don’t bemoan the price of doing business,” the shadow snorted dismissively as it began to fade away. “Do as you wish.”
Pandemia’s lips curled up into a pleased smile. “Always a nice thing to hear them words.”
He then exited the tavern while whistling a cheerful tune. “Hey, girlie,” he said as he approached her, where she waited impatiently. “Got some news from the boss.”
“What? What is the will of my master?” Janthra asked him imperiously. “Go on, dog! Speak up!”
In response, Pandemia stepped into her personal space and grinned at her, doing it in such a way that truly showed her in that moment, the depths of his smile and the sharpness of his teeth. Then he leaned towards her ear and whispered. “He said this is going to be a solo job.”
The apprentice’s eyes widened as she took a step backward. She quickly began speaking, trying desperately to say something that would stop what she now knew was coming, but Pandemia silenced her when he raised his hand and cut off her words.
Among other things.
When he was finished, Pandemia Lunatica began his walk east. He was in no hurry.
Wherever he wished to be, he would eventually find himself.

Hello! I’d like to tell a story someday. It’s a story of how I met you, and every piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. Not that I expect a partner to fix everything, of course. But it’s like cream in coffee or frosting on cake, something that makes everything sweeter. I’m looking for someone to fall in love with, and eventually become my future partner. Someone I can go through all the ups and downs in life, someone who would be there at your side to support you and vice versa, someone to start a family with. Nowadays, such antiquated ideas are hard to come by.It’s discouraging to find a connection these days, especially for those who don’t fall into society’s norms. But the only thing we can control, the only thing we can do, is to keep trying. Here’s a little about me. My friends would describe me as an old soul. My hobbies include reading, writing, and drawing, and I adore lengthy, intellectually stimulating conversations about those subjects. I am an introvert, and prefer being in nature than with others. I’m not really into video games or shows, but I do enjoy learning about other people and their interests. Honesty, kindness, emotional maturity and communication are important to me.If you do reach out, please tell me a little something about yourself. I understand physical attraction is important, and a photo is greatly appreciated (I am willing to reciprocate). I value someone who is an active communicator, and capable of engaging in thought-provoking, meaningful conversations. I prefer a healthy figure, long, straight dark hair, and a pale complexion. I am not looking for long-distance. Thank you for your time, and I hope you find what you're looking for.