Eula can't resist monster meat

Just wanted to provide some information I've discovered that others may not be aware of.

1. To add a monster, it must be from a picture you have taken. Compendium pictures do not work. So if you bought the photos or you've deleted photos since you've taken them, they won't work.
2. The sculpture will be made into the exact pose (or one very similar) to the photo you take of the monster. So, try to snap the photo with the monster in the pose you like (and ideally something that has balance).
3. You CAN remove monsters. But in order to do so, you will need to have placed at least 10.
4. The max limit you can have is also 10. But once you've reached this, you can reduce how many you have down to a number below 10. To remove monsters, place them back on the podium and reinitiate the conversation with Hudson.
5. Some monsters, especially flying ones, have a semi-secret balance point. You can kind of determine where it is while moving things with the hand, as it seems to be where the hand is moving things from.
6. So far it would seem that this is one of the few instances where you can have missable options for your diorama. If you missed getting a photo of something, you can buy the photo later (I assume) for the Compendium, but you can't take a photo to show it to Hudson. Make sure to get Master Kohga and anyone else you might want to add before defeating them.

I really hope we can have some constructive discussion because I want to understand what I'm missing here. I used to be a Traktor fanboy, and I've grown--but I'm not ready to outright say "Pioneer is the best"
It seems like the general mentality is that "Serato has the best software algorithms, Pioneer has the best hardware" but, like, is that true?
Why is it that the CDJ 3000s are considered "the cream of the crop" yet when I ask about core features like Pro DJ Link, I'm told "most people don't use that because its unreliable" "bring multiple USBs"
The industry standard? Unreliable??
or god forbid I suggest using Rekordbox iOS, or the new Android update they just released, to *gasp* stream from Tidal (or SoundCloud) over a cellular connection--like, as if I wouldn't have a backup plan if the song decided not to load? It's a *tool* that can be used for on-the-fly creativity. Why do people get so defensive about new features *existing*?
I would make fun of the XZ here but they came out with the OPUS, so I can't really knock them--unless you want to look at that $1500 delta over the Prime 4...
But yeah--surprised that Pioneer has held their spot when companies like Denon exist, and when software has well surpassed their hardware in many ways.
But also, why do people freak out when you mention new features? Is it pride? Is it a resistance to change? Unfamiliarity?

Chapter 1 Prev Next
I act quickly. There are puddles of color rising all around us into oozing monsters — it's almost disorienting. They're the only sources of color all around me. There's a heavy, thickset ooze-creature a few steps ahead made of a deep, mauve sort of purple, the same purple that tints the wood of the Hestian trees; there are whip-thin creatures that are barely humanoid, with stringlike arms and legs made of all the different shades of fall. The forest detritus combines into a muddy brown, creating bloblike creatures on the ground that stretch themselves to move forward, leaving flickering trails of brown Firmament that fade into nothing.
And that's only a small fraction of the creatures that are starting to appear. Fighting all of them almost seems like a pointless task, one that will tire me out needlessly, but I remind myself that I need to fight. If beating one of them grants me credits...
"We should find out if Naru is still here," Ahkelios says. He's noticed the way my fists have clenched. "Don't touch them directly. You'll need a weapon."
I don't have one — I didn't bring the scythe with me this loop. I glance around and pluck a small branch off the ground, sending a burst of Firmament into it to reinforce it; it's a minor imbuement with no anchor or enhancement, but that doesn't matter. I only need it to last as long as I'm in the Hotspot.
"Just checking," I say. "What's going to happen to me if they touch me directly?"
Ahkelios shudders a bit. "They eat your color," he says. "It's not fun, trust me."
That's vague, but considering that I've seen what happens when I use Color Drain, I'm willing to take that at face value.
Short term plan: Go straight for the obelisk. Kill any of the color-oozes in my way. If Naru's still here, we deal with him; if not, we use the translation stone on the obelisk, and see if these oozes are worth killing. If I get enough credits for killing them...
"Ready?" I ask Ahkelios, and he nods.
Triplestep. Firestep.
I'm still not used to how fast that combination of skills makes me. Mental Acceleration makes it easy to handle, but it's still so much faster than I've ever been able to run. The ground flies beneath my feet, and in no time at all I'm in front of my first target.
Crystallized Strength.
The sharp pain of crystallization runs all the way up along my arm as I concentrate the Firmament there. This time, I don't bother with a Barrier — I have the stick I'm holding to take the brunt of the blow. I swing the stick as I dart past the thick purple ooze, injecting another spike of Firmament into it to make sure it doesn't shatter—
—the ooze takes damage. I can feel it; the Firmament within it gets jumbled up for a fraction of a second, and it flinches, its entire body shuddering.
And then the ooze grips the stick I'm using, its flesh clinging on like glue, and yanks it out of my hand.
I don't waste time. I let go of the stick before the ooze can cover my hand and grab a handful of dirt off the ground, haphazardly forcing Firmament into it before lobbing it as hard as I can. Crystallized Strength together with that brief reinforcement keeps the clump of dirt together as it rockets towards the ooze.
It thunks into the center of its chest, and the whole thing staggers back, leaving chunks of purple behind on the ground. Strings of purple lash out from its fingertips, arcing through the air towards me, and I twist out of the way of them just in time. They're sharper than they look, considering how they pierce straight through the trees behind me.
Mental Acceleration is working overtime. As large as this monster is, it's fast and flexible, and it doesn't bother following any of the laws of physics. It's freely able to change its shape, so it isn't limited the way most humanoid fighters are...
...Wait. I'm an idiot.
Color Drain.
I know exactly what color to drain from it, too, because the whole ooze is composed of just the one color. I feel it resist the effects of the skill — it's good at resisting it, too, and it forces Color Drain to consume far more Firmament than it would otherwise just to leech all of that purple out of it — but it does work.
The purple is dragged out, and unlike most of my other enemies, this time, the ooze simply collapses.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +7 Strength. +3 Reflex. +3 Speed. +2 Firmament. ]
The confirmation that they give me credits is a joy. I grin fiercely.
I'm going to have to fight my way to the obelisk, but at least it's going to be fun.
—
Losing myself in combat is a pastime that never gets old.
Not that I do it all that often, of course. It's not every day that an apocalypse is visited on Earth. But there's a small part of me that revels in fighting like this, in having to battle it out for my life; there's a part of the experience that's almost meditative.
Drop the translation stone. Swing. Dodge. Pick up a bunch of rocks off the ground, and imbue them with Firmament; toss them with enough force to make a bunch of holes in the slime you're fighting.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +3 Strength credits. +3 Reflex credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
The credit rewards get lower the more of them I beat, but there's enough of them that that doesn't matter.
"Behind you!" Ahkelios calls. He darts away from me as a distraction, a bright source of light and Firmament, and I use the moment of distraction to enact another Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +4 Strength credits. +1 Durability credits. +2 Speed credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
A Barrier blocks off a blob of slime that gets lobbed at me — I notice it too late to dodge, so I react the only way I can. The liquid slime splashes onto the Firmament barrier and smears itself across it, then starts to eat into the Firmament.
Something about the sight creeps me out. I shudder slightly, and turn my attention to the slime that threw it at me.
It's a bright neon-green. I don't know where it got its color from — I've never seen this particular color in the Hestian forest. The monster itself is a spiderlike slime, with eight spindly legs emerging from a central, wobbly body; on top of its head is a horn it seems to be using to launch the slime balls at me. I dart towards it, and this time I don't bother grabbing a stick.
Barrier.
I shape the Barrier as it forms, using Firmament Manipulation and my natural ability to control my Firmament to guide it into the vague shape of a knife. I keep a protective film around my hand so none of that ooze gets on me, and I swipe it straight through its head, even as it tries to dodge.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +1 Strength credits. +5 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
It's nice that the number of Firmament credits I'm getting isn't going down. I'm making good progress, too — the obelisk is almost in sight, and most of the slimes aren't actively targeting me. I have to get within a few meters of them for them to even notice me, which makes avoiding them... not easy, exactly, but doable.
The problems mostly happen when I have to maneuver a lot to fight one of them and inevitably end up drawing more. Barrier is my friend in those cases, though. Barrier and Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +5 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +2 Durability credits. +1 Reflex credit. +2 Firmament credits. ]
And then the obelisk is in sight. The translation stone is back under my arm, still emitting those waves of Firmament that make this Hotspot so much more dangerous — but I suppose that's the point. I wonder how Ahkelios ever found out that he needed the stone for this Hotspot in particular. Was it just luck? Had he just been carrying the stone around because it interested him?
I could see him doing that, somehow.
There's no sign of Naru. I'm almost surprised by how relieved that makes me feel, although I know I'm not exactly out of the woods — Naru might very well only appear after the Hotspot is activated by someone entering it. Given that I haven't sensed him so far and I've been fighting for a solid half-hour, though, I imagine it's unlikely that he'll show up.
Now to time myself carefully.
The Firmament pulses are coming in thirty seconds apart. I can dart in with plenty of time to spare, but I need to leave the translation stone there to start the translation process; I have to assume the stone will be undamaged by the Firmament waves emitted by the obelisk, unless the process takes less than thirty seconds.
...Or maybe I should test it first. Just in case.
I let the corner of the stone brush against one of the Firmament pulses from the obelisk. Thankfully, it seems entirely undamaged, and I breathe a sigh of relief, then steady myself and prepare to run.
Twenty-nine... thirty!
I activate both Triplestep and Firestep, leaving a trail of Firmament flame in my wake as I dash towards the obelisk. As I get closer, I can make out the runic inscriptions that must be the so-called 'ancient language'. I don't waste time trying to decipher it myself — instead, I touch the translation stone to one of the runes, pausing just long enough to make sure the Firmament circle has begun to fill out. Then I leave it there, still touching the obelisk, and dart back as fast as possible.
And now... to wait.
While fighting off more of these Forest Slimes, because they're back, and they're back in full force.
Chapter 1 Prev Next
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Author's Note: A bit of a bridge chapter, but a lot of stuff is coming up soon. Consider this a cooldown, but like, with a bunch of punching.
Writing is going a lot more smoothly now that I'm doing it full-time. My back is still giving me issues and it's a little scary financially, but I'm pretty sure I've got this. Still really appreciate everyone for reading and commenting (I am very slow at checking them because anxiety, but I do check them, and usually fix things, even if I forget to directly respond).
Here's the standard Patreon and RoyalRoad links. Patreon is up to chapter 48, and should hit 51 by the end of the weekend.
Also a friend of mine debuted her novel on RR - The Roads Unseen. It's a story about twins who fuck around with magic and very rapidly find out. Very cool and vaguely existentially terrifying. If you're interested, check it out - I'm trying to help her out since she's not very confident in her writing (she is in fact very good).

RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR URGES!!! Yes running away from your urges. That's what you have been taught in all those YouTube videos and articles you read on the internet. So first let's talk about what you have been taught till now to fight the urges , what you were taught? Hey bro whenever you feel the urge to watch porn or masturbate just get off your couch or bed and do 5 push ups 10 pull ups 100 squats , the guy would fap thinking its better than an injury . Hey bro whenever you feel the urge, go outside the house and walk, how long will you walk , maximum you can do is reaching another city or state and when you will reach home you'll be like I'm so fuckin tired let me get some relief , hmmm phone in one hand and dick in another. Wash your face when you feel the urge , why don't those people say that they don't want skin over your faces.......okay that's all now before I talk about the solution I want to tell you something ,listen Even if you still believe in those hacks or tactics just think is it actually going to work ,doing pushups ,roaming outside the house like a ghost at midnight just to resist those fucking urges. What they are actually teaching you is not fighting the urge but teaching you to just run from them. Tell me one thing , in your life have u ever solved any problem by just running from it, did you, no , then how do you solve a problem? You solve it by facing them. I read a quote few years ago which says " the best way to escape your problems is to face to them". Now you understood why you have been relapsing. So what's the solution now hmm ,very simple whenever you are alone and the moment you feel the urge like you are just going through your phone and then you hear a voice in your head which tells you to open the fuckin icongnito mode ,watch and beat your meat. At that moment just sit straight forget about pushups, roaming outside just sit calmly and close your eyes blank up your mind and then breathe slowly for at least 20 seconds and then just after that open your eyes and then either the urge would have faded away or you will feel that the urge is still there but it has no impact on you coz that motherfucker has just realized that you are stronger that it. Guys I highly recommend you all to practice this it is highly effective and it will even make you stronger than before when urges will hit you in future and one day they will fade away. The main reason for writing this, is actually because today in the live group chat when you guys were chatting and when I read all those chats I felt really very bad for those whose metal health, physical health and their whole fuckin life has been completely ruined. Somebody lost his friend but didn't felt anything because his mental health was affected by porn. Somebody who was very energetic and joyful fell into porn's trap and still fighting in his late twenties. I wasn't able to achieve none of my goals ,since 3 years Ive given my parents only disappointment. My friends yesterday when i created that 10 day challenge I had just created for no reason but then everyone started messaging me saying yeah bro we gonna accomplish it together , hey brother I'll walk with you we both got this.... Soon no time my tab was filled with notifications everybody saying hey count me in bro we got this, then I decided to create a whole community , you can even read the description of the group that everyone even creator of this community is like you. I just want all of you to be the best versions coz we are brothers... We are a Family. -Vaibhav (u/objectiveWorth7572)

This has always fascinated me. As advanced as Skynet was able to become, their best inventions, the pinnacles of robotic engineering and bio-synthetics, can't trump the natural senses of man's best friend.
What I want to know is how exactly they do detect them (the movies never explain how). Can they smell the artificial flesh? Can they hear the motors, servos, and moving parts under their skin? Is it the uncanny behavior?
And not only can they do it, but they can do it almost immediately. I mean, in Reese's nightmare in T1, the Resistance dogs started barking even though the Terminator was covered by a hood and hidden at the very back of the survivor group (all of whom probably smelled terrible).
But this also extends to untrained dogs as well. Later in T1, at the motel, the owner's dog almost immediately started barking at the T-800 when it arrived. Same with Max in T2, and he was up against the T-1000, a Terminator with the ability to shapeshift.

Hey all,
​
I am joining the wave of first/second month performance posts that I've seen the last couple days. With the trades I closed today I have finished my first 4 weeks of paper trading the RDT system. I am posting this mostly because I am trying to be professional about my trading so that I can go full time, and tracking my progress live with you folks is a huge boon to keeping me accountable. I also hope that if there are any new traders reading these posts that this will encourage you to take this system seriously. Now lets get on with it!
​
1st Month Paper Trading Results:
Win Rate: 83%
Profit Factor: 2.83
Total Profits: $1,313.09
Total Losses: $452.00
Commissions: $10.65
# of Trades: 18
# of Wins: 15
# of Losses: 3
​
My Trading Rules:

1. All trades must be swing trades (my account has been PDT locked twice and TDA has been clear that if I do 1 more day trade my account will be permanently locked until I hit $25K)
2. Only 1 open trade allowed at a time (this is now changing to 2 since I hit the 80% win rate milestone last month)
3. No trades in the first 60 minutes (this is brutally hard for me some days, but looking back all my losses but 1 came from trades I made early and all my best trades were taken in the last hour).
4. Never chase stocks. Always wait for a pullback on SPY.
5. Only go long if the stock is above the 50/100/200 SMAs and doesn't have any resistance in sight. Vice versa for shorts. I only want the very best stocks.

​
Wrapping Up:
This was an extremely successful first month for me! I am honestly surprised to see how well I did in hindsight. My previous month of trading on my own I had about a 40% win rate. The biggest lessons I learned were don't fight the market and patience. I don't think I would have learned these, especially the patience aspect, if I didn't take Hari's advice and switch to day trading 1 trade per day. It seemed extremely limiting and gave me FOMO to the point where I had anxiety some days, but sticking with it is building my willpower and discipline in a way that is honestly probably more valuable than the system itself. My first two losses were FOMO trades and I don't think I would take them now. There's only 1 trade I took this whole time that ended in an L that I can't explain or see what I did wrong.
I am extremely grateful for Hari and Pete, as well as the other traders here who post their trades and insights.
Moving forward, I will be jumping to 2 open trades at a time. My goal is to acheive an 80% win rate while doing that. I will post again next month to update everyone on how I am doing.
Have a great weekend everybody!

I used to have a complete squat rack and weights in my garage, but I moved and the place I'm at won't let me have all that. I've gone to the gym more recently, but honestly I'm not a gym person, I like home workouts as I can focus 100 percent on the muscle mind connection. I purchased undersun bands, a stepping plate and an innstar bar to perform compund movements, but I found the resistance and the entire experience to be subpar. The undersun bands are great for isolation movements and light compound stuff but the leg workouts left more to be desired.
I just bought the X3 and it arrived yesterday. I did both a pull and a push workout so far, and for legs, this thing is pretty amazing. I feel a burn in my quads I don't get from the undersun setup. It's also great for pulling exercises like the row and bicep curl. However I felt the chest press was terrible since I'm not huge and the tension doesn't start near my chest. The ROM is very limited and I think I'll just do banded push-ups instead.
The quality of the everything is top notch and to me, is worth the hefty price tag. The bar is heavy and has great knurling and feels like a barbell, but is small enough to pack anywhere and bring with you during travel. The plate is also made of metal and feels nice to stand on, and the bands are chunky and much thicker than the undersun bands. The resistance I feel when doing deadlifts and squats sort of took me by surprise. Sure, you could buy all this stuff separately and hack it on your own, but I like the elegance and feel of this set, it's certainly hits more than my innstabar setup which is under 200 altogether compared to the 550 of the x3. But I feel the value lies on the fact that it's specialized for heavy band training and nothing else (besides probably harambe) feels as good. I never feel bad about splurging on fitness equipment because you can't put a price on something if it improves your health and you actually use it.
Customer service also is great as I forgot to use a promo code for 50 dollars off and they gave it to me after the fact.
No one paid me to write this, I dont have an affiliate link or anything like that. I think the Dr Jaquish guy who owns the business is a bit of a weird guy and I don't agree with everything he says, I just wanted to give the x3 a shot and I actually like it. I think it's worth the money if you want the best experience doing compound movements with bands.

I sighed. So I'm gonna get reassigned huh? I'm not apart of the c.i.a's gun running, drug peddling, and the guerilla warfare division anymore eh? I guess I'll miss air america flights. I then recalibrated my prosthetic right arm using a Philips head screw driver. Open close. Open, close.
After a couple of seconds my arm was finally done recalibrating. I'm gonna miss my friends. But I'll never miss the humid areas of laos, Vietnam, and some parts of china. The golden triangle is so goddamned hot. Honestly I don't know if it's secretly a promotion or a demotion. Or possibly I'm gonna get fired, and killed.
I'll get my name scraped out of the national files. If I get fired the chances of getting dragged into a blacksite is high, and I'll get tripped by the guys on one of the blacksites.
Oh god. I remember the LSD torture. It's like being awake but not in control. It's like being stuck as a backseat driver as people do unspeakable stuff to me. Oh boy if the public knows about the MK ultra test 2 oh boy. The people are gonna riot. It's already 2040.
The world is on edge, and under foreign influence for over a decade now. From the end of the 20's intergalactic travelers, and companies came, and control most of the world's nations within just a span of two years. They have the guts to exploit our resources, and don't give a damn about what happens to us. They care about profits. Except for the 8 major powers most of the world is under alien control. The only nations that aren't under alien control are russia, china, The U.S.A, great Britain with their manpower advantage given Australia is a British vassal state, France, Canada, Israel, and lastly an unlikely power the African union made out of 7 of the most powerful nations in Africa before the arrival of the outsiders are the only remaining independent countries.
Most of the intelligence agencies are currently working together dealing drugs with the outsiders who visit us, giving weapons to guerilla fighters, and getting weapons from the outside. Ships from an unlikely ally an independent economic alliance of nations named the syndicate allows to us to get some weapons. As long as we sell them drugs, and perishables from earth. It turns out the syndicate likes drugs, coffee, and other stuff native to earth.
Some of our intelligence guys are chatting with the aliens. The guys who are exploiting our resources are called the consortium. They are a consort of companies, and a league that agrees on how to manipulate markets. These guys are basically the more unhinged version of the wall street guys, and a mix of the c.i.a.
I sighed. "This is gonna be a long day ahead of me."
I then smoked a cigar. The cigar calmed my nerves as I inhaled the nicotine. The addictive substance relaxes me. Plus lung cancer isn't a problem anymore considering we now have a solution on how to cure it. The alien companies gave us some of their tech to show their so called sympathy before they flooded economies with consumer goods from their companies, and controlled almost all of earths economies.
"So agent smith. This is your new partner." A c.i.a handler said to me.
I spat out some ash from my mouth, and complained. "The fuck are you giving me a newbie as a partner? And what the hell am I gonna to do to need a new partner. Rodriguez already was fine yet I'm stuck with a newbie?"
The handler laughed. "Oh heavens no. This is an a.i. Codename poppy. She's your new partner in crime. Because we are gonna send you as a diplomatic bodyguard to the syndicate."
"Oh hi! I'm poppy I'm an artificial intelligence created by the c.i.a, m.i.6, the g.r.u, the s.s.m, mossad, and the s.s.a." The human looking robot said.
The voice kinda sounds synthetic, and the tone is too happy. I kinda hate it. I hate that it gives off happy go lucky vibes. I don't mean to be a grouch but the happy go lucky guys always die first. It's kinda ironic in a fucked up way.
So this thing is an a.i kinda like g.w. An a.i made by the c.i.a. G.W have made the internet more tolerable, and friendly due to context. People back then always manipulated facts into their political goals, and ideals. People get the facts misconstrued for political reasons.
G.W was made after a game character that was so prophetic about the world in the future. M.G.S 2: Sons of liberty. It has the same function as g.w from mgs2. It gives facts in a non biased way. In a way where people don't get their feelings hurt when something is given to them in a factual, and non biased ways.
People used to manipulate facts for political correctness. Hiding the fact that they misinterpret the meaning of those words. The internet used to be a toxic, and a fucked up place before g.w. Like Jesus Christ the goddamn internet was filled with incels, and attention seekers using facts and misusing them for internet clout. It was a place where no one is invalidated but nobody was right. G.w put an end to that era. G.w is now living in a secluded server thanking us for it's creation. It was phased out after it asked to be replaced by another one because it was sick, and tired of correcting people that get the facts misconstrued. It got to the point that it begged the c.i.a, and annoyed the c.i.a to the point that it wanted to be put in a secluded server so it could live it's remaining days in relative leisure just because it begged the c.i.a director so many times that he would get spam calls from the a.i using his official phone number even in the middle of the night for three straight years.
Anyways back to discussion.
"So you're one of those advanced a.i's like g.w?" I asked just to be sure I'm not paired with a dumb a.i.
"Yup. I even passed the Turing test in flying colors. I can feel emotions, do something out of spite or anger, and can think for myself." Poppy said with a dog like innocence.
"So what can you do?" I asked.
"Well. I can fly planes, use guns even those that people can't use due to physiological differences, and hack computers without being near the target. I'm basically just an a.i that can be a jack of all traits if given a chance." Poppy said.
"Fine. But you'll do it my way or the high way." I told poppy with a commanding tone.
Poppy laughed. "Okay boomer."
I sighed. This is gonna be a long day. I'm old as shit but not a boomer.
"Woah. You guys are already going along greatly. Great for you." The handler snickered.
He then left, and left me with poppy.
I'm fucked. "So I'm gonna brief you about the world poppy. Through a song."
I then sang bo burnham's how the world works song.
"Hey, kids Today, we're gonna learn about the world The world that's around us is pretty amazing But how does it work? It must be complicated The secret is the world can only work When everything works together"
"A bee drinks from a flower And leaves with its pollen A squirrel in a tree spreads the seeds that have fallen Everything works together"
"The biggest elephant, the littlest fly The gophers underground, the birds in the sky And every single cricket, every fish in the sea"
"Gives what they can and gets what they need That is how the world works That is how the world works"
"From A to Zebra To the worms in the dirt That's how it works Hey everyone"
I then pulled out a sock, and made it into a puppet.
"Look who stopped by to say "hello" It's Socko Hey! Where you been, Socko?"
"I've been where I always am when you're not wearing me on your hand In a frightening, liminal space between states of being Not quite dead, not quite alive It's similar to a constant state of sleep paralysis"
"Socko, we were just talking about the world and how it works!"
"Boy, that sounds complicated! Do you have anything you'd wanna teach us about the world?"
"I wouldn't say anything that you Probably haven't already said yourself"
"I don't know about that, Socko How about you give it a try?"
"All right!"
"The simple narrative taught in every history class Is demonstrably false and pedagogically classist Don't you know the world is built with blood? And genocide and exploitation"
"The global network of capital essentially functions To separate the worker from the means of production And the FBI killed Martin Luther King Private property's inherently theft"
"And neoliberal fascists are destroying the left And every politician, every cop on the street Protects the interests of the pedophilic corporate elite"
"That is how the world works (really?) That is how the world works Genocide the Natives, say you got to it first"
"That's how it works"
"That's pretty intense?"
"No shit Sherlock."
"What can I do to help?"
"Read a book or something, I don't know Just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you"
*It's incredibly exhausting"
"I'm sorry, Socko I was just trying to become a better person"
"Why do you rich fucking white people Insist on seeing every socio-political conflict Through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?"
"This isn't about you So either get with it, or get out of the fucking way"
"Watch your mouth, buddy"
"Remember who's on whose hand here"
"But that's what I- Have you not been fucking listening? We are entrenched in a way (all right, all right)"
"Wait, wait, no please! I don't wanna go back, please, ugh, ugh, ugh I can't go, I can't go back Please, please, I'm sorry!"
"Are you gonna behave yourself?"
"Yes"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, sir"
"Look at me"
"Yes, sir"
"That's better That is how the world works That is how the world works I hope you learned your lesson"
"I did and it hurt That's how it works"
NOOOOOOO!!!
Drags sock puppet into a pocket like some introvert getting dragged into socializing in bars by extroverts.
"So do you understand know?" I asked poppy.
"That everything is made under the blood of billions, and we shouldn't make their deaths be in vein?" Poppy said.
"Correct. And we shouldn't let outsiders make our choices for us. We should kick them out." I said like some isolationist American during the 1920's.
"Ironic isn't it smith. The c.i.a used to be anti socialist but look how the circumstances turned the American government into. A social democracy/merit based democracy where politicians are based in merit rather than popularity. Politicians are insentivised to change the world than burn it down like some of the old presidents did. Ironic that america became something it hated. A weird mesh of meritocracy, democracy, republican, liberaterian, and market socialist ideals. Some sort ideological mesh made by idealogs"
"And it's working with it's remaining two Allies, and former enemies just to defeat a foreign threat. How poetically ironic isn't it? I mean the CIA used to go schizo mode when they hear communist, and socialist ideals or hearing the word russians, and chinese are plotting something. Now the country it help grew became the very thing it sought to destroy. Morbidly ironic isn't it?" Poppy said with a meloncholic under tone.
"Yeah. Specially the stuff we do now." I said agreeing to the statement.
"But that's how the world works. Everything must change. Either you adapt or die." I said with a meloncholic under tone.
"So do you know where we are going?" I asked poppy.
I then puffed up my cigar. Sweet sweet nicotine.
"Back to america. In the space port in Austin Texas. I'm already done contacting the contact the handler gave to me. E.T.A 7 hours. Now let's go to the laostian military base 7 miles north from here. Our air america flight is waiting for us." Poppy said.
I sighed. "Come ride with me. I have a motorcycle a hundred meters from here."
We walked towards my motorcycle. I then puffed up my cigar smelling the nicotine.
So my life is about to change huh? Eh. I'm just gonna adapt. After all in this world it's either adapt or die.
Click, click, click
Motorcycle engine starts rumbling.
Poppy then held my waist. It's hands are cold as steel. Colder than even corpse. I sighed.
The highway was almost empty. Everyone was working a 10-8 job in one of the corporations that control laos. There was no land vehicles transporting goods because the aliens are using their tech to transport them underground. The road was almost abandoned except for the guys who have motorcycle hobbies. Anyways it doesn't matter. After all there's no traffic anymore.
The fresh breeze calmed my nerves. It made me feel alive. A motorcyclist drive by me and waved hello. I waved back at the motorcyclist. It's good to be on the road.
After a twenty minute drive we arrived at the military base. Another CIA agent greeted us, and escorted us to the flight.
"So you guys are the diplomatic bodyguards?" Asked the agent.
"Yup. That's what my handler told me." Poppy said.
"So your one of the newer a.i models eh. Ok. Just step right in. Plus the flight is rather boring. Just sleep while on flight to save energy." The agent told me.
I sighed. I threw away the cigar, and slept through the flight.
A few hours later...
I woke up arriving at Austin executive airport. Poppy just sat there watching me sleep like some sort of creep. It made me a little bit paranoid at the unflinching eyes that was watching me. But I ignored my instincts, and went outside.
After that I ate something for breakfast. A couple of pancakes, and chicken wings. Poppy looked at me with envy. I sighed.
"Can you eat? Do you need food to survive?" I asked.
"Well.... I need glucose to recharge my batteries. I can also use a charger but it would be suspicious. So the glucose to energy converter was made for special missions so that I wouldn't blow my cover."
Figured. Those guys in the CIA RnD team are making contengencies for every eventual event. I then ordered a plate of syrup covered pancakes.
Poppy looked at me smiling. I sighed.
An hour later...
We arrived at the space port. People walked around buying nicnacs, waiting for their flight, and just waited around for their family members that were coming back.
Another agent came up to me, and gave me two tickets.
"Here's the tickets. Also have this. You'll need it."
The agent then gave me some sort of high tech phone. Then out of knowhere something exploded.
I was knocked unconscious for a couple minutes. When I woke up I was getting dragged by poppy along with the agent that gave me the tickets. She shot back at incoming enemies using alien tech.
"Ugh..." As I said that I began coughing blood. I looked down I was bleeding. My left leg was missing. It was slowly bleeding due to a tourniquet, bandages, and some sealing foam. It was still bleeding but isn't bleeding as badly as to kill me in just a couple seconds.
Gunshots echoed in the space port. Agents shot back at the alien attackers. A fierce firefight began. Bright lights like something akin to RGB lights but in a epileptic way we're seen down the isles as screams of both alien, CIA, fbi, and fully kitted out port guards were slaughtered one by one.
Poppy dragged me, and the other agent to a bathroom. "Sit rep." I asked poppy.
"It seems to be a terrorist attack. I don't know why but they looked like alien mercenaries. The question is that did the consortium hired them to kill our diplomat. Good thing the diplomat hasn't arrived. I checked the agency message boards, and they said that good thing the diplomat was sick after getting food poisoning this morning. They are already talking about it. Some of them are even suggesting that the consortium did this attack." Poppy said.
"So the diplomat got lucky. But why the fuck would they attack our diplomat to the syndicate? I mean it's counter productive. We don't need their goods or services considering the people here would rather choose human companies rather than alien shady companies. I guess they must've know about our deals with them, and decided to start a shadow war. A war in the shadows. The companies of the consortium vs the remaining independent government's. Who ever wins controls all the resources in the world." I told poppy.
She nodded. "Good guess but no one really knows. It's so sudden. We need more info before we act against them."
"I'll patch you up in the meantime. I hurried the medical assistance I gave you a couple minutes ago. I was hurrying because this guy is saying we need to leave after he suffered minor bruises. You blunted most of the damaged for him because you were in front of the explosion. He was saved because you were blocking him from getting hit by shrapnel. I cut you're leg off. Sorry. It can't be saved considering it was barely hanging on the leg. Plus I was running out of time so I had to cut it before you bled out."
I sighed. "Okay. Just get my hk UmP 45 inside my arm. It's in second the compartment a secret compartment. In the upper arm. I have a few mags of it inside the compartment. Here's a screw driver to remove the lid."
I then gave poppy a screw driver hidden in my pants, and saw her unscrew the lid off. A ump 45, and fully loaded 4 mags came out dropping loudly on the floor.
"Now carry me to the danger. I would rather die than suffer for years being reminded of the sad reality that I lost an arm, and a leg every time I wake up." I morbidly joked to poppy.
"Are you sure? You're injured! Are you fucking suicidal?" Poppy, and the agent said.
"Did I stutter?"
The two of them sighed.
Poppy then carried me in her back, and the other agent used poppy as meat shields. The agent held a Barretta 93r. A burst fire weapon.
"Ready?" I said.
"Ugh. You're lucky I accepted your request dumbass."
"Yes."
I was being piggy back carried by poppy while the agent followed us.
"Tango 15 meters to the left." Poppy said.
I then activated burst fire, and shot at the direction given. When I saw an enemy I aimed for the center mass. But I instead hit the thorax killing the alien instantly.
"Kill confirms. Enemy is k.i.a."
"Tango 20 meters ahead."
I then aimed straight forward, and saw a bolt of light strike near me. It was close enough to feel the heat of the round. I shot back, and killed the alien instantly by hitting the alien in the lungs, and heart.
"Enemy is k.i.a"
Then I heard a three round burst coming from a Barretta. I looked back, and saw the agent kill an incoming enemy.
"Thanks. So what's your name?" I asked.
"Oh I haven't properly instroduced myself. My name is agent Carter." The agent/Carter said.
"Thanks Carter. My name is agent smith."
"No problem agent smith. We CIA agents got each other's backs. We must stick together."
"Guys tangos incoming coming from the left. ETA 20 seconds."
We then aimed our Guns, and waited for the enemy to arrive. When they eventually arrived we moved them down with burst fire. After that a couple national guard guys came up to us. They were probably chasing those aliens.
"Thanks." One of the national guards said.
"No problem"
We continued, and after two minutes of walking we walked into a firefight. I smiled.
"You know what to do." I said smiling.
"Third party them?"
"Yup."
I then turned on full auto, and began to spray, and pray.
After a few seconds of pulling the trigger my gun ran out of bullets. Carter also ran out of bullets in his magazine, and reloaded. 3 confirmed kills, and multiple missed or slightly injured.
Oh crap. Then a bolt of light past near me. Enough to the point my right cheek got minor burns.
"Duck!"
I then began to be dragged by poppy into cover. Carter also looked for cover, and dived into the nearest cover. I quickly reloaded the mag, and started shooting at the aliens again. I changed the selector back to burst fire to conserve ammo.
I aimed center mass at the enemies. A loud burst of .45 ACP rounds was heard as an enemy was hit in the thorax.
"Kill confirmed."
I continued, and shot enemies in either the arms, legs, the thorax, or the chest.
After three minutes the firefight ended.
"Other sectors secured. All area's are currently in our control. Over 700 people died, 1720 were injured, and some were missing. Military and government casualties are 124 KIA'd, 24 severely injured, 57 mildly injured, and 38 MIA'd." Poppy said smiling.
Then paramedics rushed into the scene. People were rushed into nearby hospitals while I was dragged by a undercover CIA paramedic to a government safe house along with poppy, and Carter.
A week later…
I was standing in the military cemetery in Arlington national cemetery. Where soldiers who died without any identifications are buried. I saw burials around me. Soldiers who died without any family members, soldiers disowned by family, and other such things. But hey it's just the life of a soldier. That's what I know at least. From ranger grunt to c.i.a grunt. I was disowned by my parents who were conservatives, and highly religious because I was going to sacrifice my place in heaven to save some heathens from the middle east. I never regretted my actions. I saved lives, and ended some. No guts no glory after all.
Some of the people getting buried got medal of honors. Saving comrades in need of dire help in exchange for their lives, soldiers who rescued civilians in exchange for their own lives, and soldiers who honorably fought on to save others even faced with hard decisions.
I saluted the unknown soldiers for their bravery, and honor. In the background poppy, and Carter were talking. But that wasn't important. Bagpipes, trumpets, and drums play as the unknown soldiers get burried with their medals. The grave sentinels saluted while burying the dead. Gunshots in the honor of the dead was heard as the unknown soldiers got buried while being watched by the people who those soldiers saved.
After that I returned to head quarters with a prosthetic leg, and talked to my handler. Poppy, and Carter went back to the safehouse just to talk.
"Oh hi smith." My handler captain david said.
"Hi David."
"Here's another purple heart medal, and a bronze star medal." David then tossed the medals towards me.
"That's your what? 22nd and 23rd medal? Bravo congrats smith."
"I'm gonna ask you sometime David."
"Ask away smith."
"When will i get sent as a diplomatic bodyguard?"
"About three weeks from now. Also agent Carter is gonna be one of your partners for the mission."
I sighed. Figured.
"So who was behind the terror attack David?"
"Honestly. The CIA search the crime scene, and saw that the consortium blatantly did that. The mercenaries worked under one of the companies in the consortium. But for the public it's gonna be announced tonight that a rogue consortium PMC did that so we wouldn't provoke them too much."
"It's gonna be a long day smith."
"Yeah David."
Then David gave me a cigar.
"Wanna smoke?"
I nodded.
To be continued…

I have to say it but I hate it how it is righ now. Not being able to walk while having the map open is something that I'm not getting used to.
ARPGs are about killing monsters and explore. Both need to be done as fast as possible. Can't do the latter when having to open the map and basically pause the game to find out what route I should take.

Hey fellow nannies! TL:DR: I gave notice to my disrespectful employers a couple days ago and I wish i had been able to talk to their previous nanny bc I'm sure she would have let me know to stay far away from them from the beginning!
I have 15 years of experience, I was hired for this experience, ive only been with them since mid-april. They have cameras but work outside the home, i thought nbd with cameras (even though it's not ideal) I'll just be glad not to have a wfh situation, again....but from the first day, they have been condescending and disrespectful and treat me like I'm untrustworthy even though ive gone above and beyond to show I'm trustworthy including doing the fingerprint verification with the fbi! They apparently think I'm an idiot; they've given me 'instructions' on things like what fussing is, why a baby would cry (seriously??) when to feed solids, how to feed them, how to peal a carrot--as if I haven't done this for 15 years?? as if I haven't made babyfood before when they specifically asked me about that and hired me because of that! This all comes to me via emails that are so long, rambling and repetitive you would have to see it to believe it. They look like psychosis, honestly.
The constant undermining of my intelligence and experience is something I can shrug off bc whatever, i know my worth and the hours were ideal for me, but this incident was the last straw for me....
They asked me to come in and babysit on my day off which I didn't want to do but graciously agreed to. When I babysit I'm a little more laid back than when I nanny. I'm not necessarily doing all the cleaning and laundry, etc. (oh yeah "baby related" cleaning turned into "spotless kitchen" at the end of the day. I put my foot down on doing their laundry bc I'm not touching their underwear.) That day I unfortunately spilled a cup of chamomile tea, I cleaned it up but it was still damp when I left. It happens so I forgot about it and moved on with my life. I had some trouble getting the LO to sleep as he's experiencing g a little bit of 4 month regression. I finally managed by turning on some soft lullabies and vibrating his mattress a bit till he zoned out and fell asleep.
I got an email the next day giving me 30 days notice to void the contract bc they felt me not holding him and Rocking him to sleep vs. Bouncing the mattress was "neglect" (excuse me??) They said "music is overstimulating for him" (staight up instrumental.lullabies are more stimulating that holding and Rocking his entire body?? What?) They also told me that they believe since I "withhled" spilling tea that I must be withholding bigger things, too. That's fucking bonkers!!
I called her up and we talked it out and she apologized for jumping to horrendous conclusions over nothing but (I had a few days off) after a lot of thought and talking to a lot of friends and family (2 of whom told me to quit right away without giving notcie at all!) I realized this is not a one off event this is going to be a pattern of behavior. This was confirmed when I got yet another novel length email from them ensuring me they don't believe i.would hurt a child. The underlying implication of that statement is appalling and fucking repugnant to me). Claiming they love their nannies (bullshit, they've treated me.like a suspected criminal who is replaceable since day one)...this triggered me so much. I've been doing this for 15 years, i haven't had one child get hurt in my care, not even a scraped knee, I have ZERO complaints from former families. HOW DARE SHE?? For bouncing a baby and spilling tea?? I gave my notice.
Now they are looking for a new nanny and I wish I could warn them all. I'm not even their first nanny, this will their baby's THIRD NANNY! you guys he's not even 5 months! Talk about huge red flags! She told me she had "safety concerns" with their previous and when she brought it up to that nanny, the nanny told her off and walked out (making it out like the nanny was evil and shes the vicitm ofc). But I don't blame her and if i wasn't concerned about my professional reputation, i would have, too, justifiably. The former nanny probably just went to the bathroom or something equally benign!
Regardless, my goal during the notice period is to do an Excellent job (obviously that's what NK desrves) and to prove to them they made a huge mistake and maybe even get a reference out of them anyway... but the immature part of me wants to tell her off SO BAD. When I left yesterday the dad (who is clearly not the driver in this) said "we appreciate you so much, as always!" I couldn't even stop myself from giving him a side eye and just nodding. They have ZERO appreciation for any of my time, skills or experience and quite frankly barely seem to see as a human! They act like I'm some monster who would harm them if they didn't put cameras everywhere to stop me and also that I'm apparently so moronic that i must be told how to peal and steam a gd carrot. Nothing but disrespect from day one!
They are the fakest people I've ever met and I can't wait to be done with them. I just wish I could warn other nannies, too! Like I wish I could have talked to their previous nanny and gotten the low-down before I wasted a month of my time working for these assholes. Now I have to look again and some.other nanny is going to go through what I and the former nanny also went through. Poor thing!
It pisses me off that she could potentially write a review on care.com and cause harm to me, which I would not be able to defend, but I can't do the same and warn other nannies to stay away from her. I'm sick of how rigged the game is. I gave them my social security number so they could run a background check but I got almost no background information on them except what they manicured for me. Nannies should be able to get references about familes from their previous nannies! (I've actually done this for a wonderful family who was moving out of state!)
Ugh anyway....Their shittiness will not make me a lesser nanny!!!
Sending all my love to my fellow nannies! You are all amazing, hard working and so loving that you actually love professionally, you deserve to be loved back! You have all got my respect and I hope you have a great day today!

This post is heaily inspired to Malswrld's videos about Greek/Norse Gods after they were killed by Kratos.
"Oboro, Ori, Claude, Harvey, and Petrichor are in a room sitting in a circular while Trousseau and Tanzy are sitting in a corner depressed as they prefer not to sit with actual cult members (especially since they're the reason why both of their lives are screwed, meanwhile Arcanette is late), waiting for Vide all the while Dark Night is playing on the speaker".
Ori: ...Can't we just change the music to something more cheerful like, Hinoeuma (Day), Brightlands (Day), or anything else outside of Dark Night?
Claude: Well we got Invitation To Darkness, Torrent of Evil, Those Who Deny The Dawn, and Vide The Wicked God.
Ori: That's it? Aren't there any more songs to play?
Claude: We are the Moonshade Order after all, all the songs we listen to are ..."dark". Anyways why are those two here? I don't think I remember they were invited in this meeting.
Oboro: Tanzy and Trousseau are too embarassed and depressed to meet their friends after you and Arcanette ruined their lives so Ori had to bring them here just so that they won't be alone.
Claude: Not gonna lie, they look like a cute couple-
Ori: Zip it, Claude.
Claude: Oh come now, Ori, if you're going to be rude, direct that to Harvey.
Harvey: I don't want to. Talking with you lot is just a waste of time. Also where's Arcanette, I think we only have a few seconds left before Vide enters the room.
Petrichor: She says she's going to be late though I don't know what's the reaso-
The door slammed after Vide opened the door and everyone became silent with the music automatically pausing. He walks around the room staring at each person, and then Vide says his first sentence.
Vide: ...Fuck you all. That's the only thing I like to say to some of you. The reason why I called all of you is because of how much some of you screwed up. Firstly, Ori. You are a disappointment to me, to your brother, and to the Moonshade Order.
Oboro: With all due respect Lord Vide, I underst-
Vide: Silence, Oboro! Also, Ori why did you easily fell for that country boy's idealism huh!? Wasn't it the reason you and Oboro joined the order is because you two became war orphans? This cult is built out of nihilism and despair, and yet you chose to taint it with his idealism. Shame on you, child. Shame on you.
Claude: Laughs softly
Vide: Hears Claude's laugh then looks at him. Speak of the devil. Secondly, Claude. You are a disappointment to your family and to the Moonshade Order. If D'arqest is still alive right now, he would not just disown you, he will KILL YOU!
Claude: I-I-I mean, why should I participa-
Vide: SILENCE Claude. You should've just accepted on becoming my vessel, and I could've just consumed Solistia sooner, but nooooooooooo. You have other plans, and that is by becoming the Zeus of the Octopath series. I gave you my blood and this is how you'll repay me?!
Claude: But I did try making an heir-
Vide: And you did. Centuries later, only for you to become suicidal for some reason and wait for someone to kill you. Thirdly, Harvey.
"..........."
Harvey: If there's something you want to say then out with it.
Vide: ...My apologies. I still cannot comprehend that you, a scholar with a normal life and normal job, joined the order just because you became a sore loser-
Harvey: Sore loser?! How dare you-
Vide: See, that's the problem on why you lost. I don't mind you joining the order if it would help the order on reviving me, especially after you kidnapped his wife and daughter who are members of the Lumina bloodline, but by the gods you just have to provoke your ex-colleague by bribing the judge on giving him a life sentence instead of an execution. Congratulations, Harvey. You just got killed for your pettiness 5 years later.
Harvey: Shouldn't you be grateful that I found the One True Magic?
Harvey: ...Laughs hard I'm sorry what? The One True Magic? I think we should call it the One Fake Magic because the only thing that's true about your discovery is that all of that hard work that you made were completely pointless. Turns out all you need is some love, but given the nature of our group, that discovery could've likely been impossible. The only things I could praise you for is your determination and the creation of the Darkling.
Vide: Next is Petrichor.
"..............."
Petrichor: What is it you want to say lord Vide?
Vide: Forget it. There's literally nothing to talk about you other than you turned Roi into a monster and for fighting the Creatures of Legend where you harmed the two of them, the former physically and the latter emotionally and one killed then has its own carcass sold.
Petrichor: Gives Vide a "what the hell" look
Vide: Looks around Where's Arcanette?
Ori: She says she's going to be late.
Vide: By the way, who are those two? Points at Trousseau and Tanzy
Claude: Just two depressed strangers sitting at the corner.
Trousseau: We wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't appear in our lives. How are you holding up Tanzy?
Tanzy: I'm not getting better.
Arcanette finally arrives at the room
Vide: Oh? It seems you just arrived in time. Or should I say, Mindt?
Tanzy: Looks at Arcanette then starts having a ptsd flashback and panic attack
Trousseau: Hey, calm down! Listen just stop screaming!
Trousseau keeps trying to comfort Tanzy in the background
Vide: Anyway, Arcanette I have noticed your actions as leader of the Moonshade Order and I am very impressed.
Arcanette: Please do not praise me lord Vide, I only do what's important for our mission.
Vide: Please do not be flattered, you managed to disguise yourself as a nun at Flameschurch for years, orchestrate the genocide of the Kal people and turn Kaldena into a monstrous mess and fool an Inquisitor named Temenos.
Arcanette: Hehe, I do not deserve of such praise lord Vide.
Vide: Also every plan you take is flawless. Vide's smiling face turns frowned Almost flawless.
Arcanette: What?
Oboro: Brace for impact everyone.
Ori: Alright, looks like I got my popcorn ready.
Vide: I want to ask you something, just one question.
Arcanette: What is it?
Vide: Sighs HOW THE FUCK DID YOU TURN INTO A MORON!?!?
Arcanette: W-w-w-what?
Vide: WHAT. WERE. YOU. THINKING Arcanette?! What made you think facing the travelers head-on is a great idea?!
Arcanette: I-I wanted to see their reac-
Vide: DUMBASS BITCH. Do you know what you could have done after you doused the Sacred Flame at Flameschurch? You could've gotten away scot-free! Lead the order in the shadows and when the travelers succeeded on defeating me, you can just repeat the same the process more carefully this time. Hell, maybe you could assassinate them one by one just when they thought it's finally over but nooooooooo. Instead, you lost all your braincells for no reason and think it would be great to TAUNT TEMENOS!
Arcanette: Immediately starts getting teary-eyed
Vide: You know what that man is capable of, you even tried to warn Ori about how much of a threat he is when investigating. I want you to answer this one question. Was it worth it? Does taunting white-haired Sherlock Holmes then getting bombarded with Foreign Assassins, Battle-Worn Shark, Heavenly Disrupt + Alephan's Wisdom + 9 Elemental Atk. Up buffs, One True Magic + Alephan's Wisdom + 9 Elemental Atk. Up Buffs, Drastic Measures + 9 Physical Atk. Up Buffs, Brand's Blade + 9 Physical Atk. Up Buffs and Lionheart's Axe + 9 Physical Atk. Up Buffs feel worth it to you?
Arcanette: Becomes a sobbing mess after all of the points Vide made N-n-no.
Vide: ...Now that that's over, in conclusion most of you screwed up for whatever reason and because of that we lost on covering Solistia in darkness. So farewell to you guys because this is the only time I would to people like you. Except Oboro, he's cool.
Oboro: Oh? Well, I appreciate it lord Vide.
Harvey: Hold on, why him?
Vide: He managed to manipulate Hikari into obtaining the Darkblood Blade without screwing up and willingly sacrificed himself so I can free myself so that's win in my book.

Home alone, fast internet, strong desire, No activity, boring. That five hit-combo that can makes me relapsed. I can't resist this. I think, i must force myself to put my phone far away from my hand when my desire going strong and i was home alone.
"Failure is not dangerous, The real danger is if that failure makes me lost hope."

I should've known since 2k was funding the game, asking kids to get permission from their parents because they cant resist their slimy little hands on your lil jimmys and lil Gerthas parents money.
ontop of that, you NEED a 2k account to access it and you will not catch me alive with any stupid company account just to access BRICKS to build my car.
Sorry, basically my question is, can I get all the stuff in the store through other means? like campaign and other things that dont require a 2k account.

I am going to type this as best I can but even as I am now it feels like there is a little monster inside of me telling me not to open up and who is too tired to explain.
I was officially diagnosed with PMDD in early March. I pretty quickly got put on Prozac (20mg) and Elinest. Things really really responded at first and things got so much better in my life, mentally, and with my partner.
I almost think they may have gotten a little too good because I forgot to take care of myself and do the natural things that were helping (Eating whole foods regularly, staying off social media, breathing exercises, etc).
Anyways, I think the birth control regulated my bleeding but I still feel like I'm getting PMDD even if I'm not bleeding and its most weeks out of the month. This is what is making me feel utterly crazy. I can't tell if I'm just getting mad and shutting the world out for no reason or because its PMDD. At least when you can track it you can have some sanity. My anxiety is bad, my depression is bad, my ADHD is bad, its all just bad when I have such a blessed life.
I'm also noticing I'm shutting down. I was once outgoing and loved making connections. I'm shutting out connections, I'm insanely sensitive to perceived rejection (it takes literally nothing for me to put my wall up). Connections from my partner is suffering and I JUST moved in with him.
I'm just tired, and I'm exhausted, and I am tired of fighting. I've fought mental illness and trauma my whole life and this is just a cherry on top.
In summary I'm suffering, I'm tired, and before I admit it to my partner I need to admit it to people with the same diagnosis as me. I could use your comments, thoughts, and encouragement.

Hey folks! I've been meaning to buy the Gamma LT Softshell (now rebranded as just Gamma Hoody) for quite some time. Seems like it's almost always out of stock for the size that I want. I've asked around stores in Vancouver, NY, and Seattle which is where I stay.
I have a Mt. Rainier climb coming up in July and am looking for a good, breathable, abrasion resistant, helmet compatible soft shell to use.
I'm pretty convinced and set on getting the LT but given that it's not being restocked for now, what's the next best thing I could look for that would fit the bill?
I've looked closely at other options like OR Ferosi or the Black Diamond Down Patrol but they seem to lack things in one way or the other. LT seems to rule em all for my use case but I can't get a hold on it for the life of me 😅

I just can't keep quiet about the absolute nightmare that is the wilderness. Brace yourselves for a long thought out and opinionated rant, because I've had it up to here with this nonsense.
ALL RISK NO REWARD: So, you decide to risk it all and engage in PvP in the wilderness. What happens? Boom! Your precious items are snatched away by some heartless jerk. Hours of hard work down the drain, just like that. It's like playing a sick game of "Let's rob unsuspecting players!" And guess what? You're the punching bag.
Imbalanced Battles: Want a fair fight? Well, too bad! The wilderness is a playground for those high-level bullies who just can't resist flexing their superiority. They come at you with their shiny gear and god-like stats, obliterating any hope you had of a fair fight. It's a never-ending struggle against unbeatable odds. Why even bother?
Toxicity Overload: Prepare yourself for an onslaught of toxicity once you step foot into the wilderness. The egos of these PvP enthusiasts are inflated beyond belief. They mock you, insult you, and derive sick pleasure from your suffering. It's a toxic wasteland where basic decency is as rare as a unicorn. How enjoyable!
Ruining My Plans: You know what's great? Having your skilling or questing ruined because some PvP maniac decides to crash the party. You can't even enjoy the game's other activities in peace. The moment you think you're getting somewhere, BAM! Some griefer comes along to ruin your day. Thanks a lot, wilderness.
Gang Warfare: Ah, the wilderness, where gangs of power-hungry players rule with an iron fist. They swarm you like a pack of hungry wolves, overpowering and obliterating any hope of survival. Solo players or small groups might as well throw in the towel. It's a fight for survival against an organized horde, and we're left to fend for ourselves like lambs to the slaughter.
Eternal Grind and Boredom: Let's not forget the mind-numbing grind that comes with wilderness PvP. Hours upon hours spent searching for opponents, engaging in repetitive fights that blend together like a bad dream. The constant fear of losing your hard-earned items looms over you like a dark cloud, sucking the joy out of the game.
Jagex should consider taking serious steps to remove the wilderness or alter it until its unrecognizable. These are points that are inarguable, how many times are they brought up on this sub? I rest my case.

First and foremost, I'm not looking for legal advice as I am in search of a lawyer. I honestly don't even know if you all need this information but I am flummoxed here and a bit scared.
Here's the situation. This is in Texas. Mods, if this isn't appropriate I'll delete it.
I'm supposed to be the owner of a lot in a major city here, there is no structure on it but I would like to build. It's in a residential neighborhood that is starting down the road of gentrification. If you look up the property it has my name on it, but the deed is a "quit claim" deed.
Ugh. Yes, I know.😔
This is on my mother's side. She was 3 of NINE children. I am her only child, many of her siblings went on to have large families themselves (like, 5 to 7 children large). As of now, only 2 of her siblings remain.
Grandpa (mom's father) purchased the small property, which had a small house at the time, so my mother could move in when she got married. She never did. Without going into the details which are unnecessary here, she did move in eventually, but decades later. When grandpa died grandma was the only deed holder. When grandma died, everyone (i.e. my mother's siblings), agreed she could have it. We were extremely poor and moved back only because we had become homeless and they were doing alright.
My mother refused to get the deed properly in her name. I have ZERO idea why and it really bothered me. So now I am here to get this fixed since I want to build on the property. When she died in '09 the property was still NOT in her name but since it was supposed to be my property, I was fully responsible for it. I've paid taxes on it, keep the property clear of vegetation, I even paid the fine the city levied when they had to raze it. I didn't want it to happen but because the property was STILL in grandma's name they refused to put my address in another city hours away so I could get any and all notices. But I still paid it.
One of my mother's sisters was named exactly like my grandmother's, even down to the spelling. When she got notice of this fine (an uncle got one too and called me about it as well) my aunt freaked out saying she didn't have the money and now the city was sending her this bill. I reassured her I'd take care of it. That was also the first time I heard about it. This documentation is filed with the county and shows as paid. I have financial proof I paid somewhere. This was in the 2010s, something like, 2012, I think.
Everyone in my family, even friends and coworkers I'd talk to about this bit of property would tell me to sell, it wasn't worth even the taxes (they'd be like, a couple hundred bucks a year), and considering the neighborhood it's not even worth building. (It was so bad the house next door had a drive by shooting and I found myself laying on the floor. Fortunately no stray bullets hit the house.) For years I'd get calls asking if I want to sell. I never did. For me, I think I may eventually land there when I'm old old (I'm just "old" now😅) because all of my family are there.
Here it is now 2023 and I have the means and ability to finally build on the lot. The problem is the deed.
I mentioned that my aunt who freaked out has the same exact name as grandmother. So when that happened in 2012, without telling me and after she had called and I told her I'd pay the bill, and did so, a couple of weeks later I'm on the county tax appraisal site and I see the name on the deed. All of a sudden I see my name as the owner, the deed is titled "quit claim," something like that. So I went searching to see, what happened on the county's court documentation website. Turns out my aunt with grandma's name did a "quit claim" deed to me. I know for an absolute fact that she did that believing she would no longer be responsible for the bill from the city and put all of the financial responsibility on me. I also found another quit claim deed to me from an aunt who is widowed. She married my mother's brother. My assumption here is that she was also under the impression she was the only "heir" to her husband's portion of this small piece of property since her husband (my uncle, mom's brother) has already passed away.
Y'all. I have 40 some odd cousins, most of whose parents have passed away with the exception of one other surviving aunt (who is in the throes of dementia) and an uncle. He's fine and doing great. Some of those cousins are no longer in contact with the rest of us.
Yeah, this is a mess. I know no title company would touch this deed and I also know that I can't build there until I get it firmly in my name.
I contacted a real estate / probate lawyer in that city. We had a consultation and when I explained the situation she agreed that what likely happened with the title was a court clerk seeing her name on the quit claim deed, seeing grandma's name as the property owner, and just assumed they were the same person. She said she'd consult with her mentor attorney on what to do. When I hadn't heard back from her in a couple of weeks, far longer than she said she'd get back to me I knew she wasn't going to take this. I still emailed her to ask her and she said she wouldn't be able to take the case. I did ask for a recommendation, which I got and will be calling them.
During the consultation she mentioned "suit to quiet title" and that we'd have to contact all remaining relatives, have them sign a notarized.... affidavit something? and then we can get the deed in my name with a warranty deed. I have NO IDEA how we'd do that because I can think of at least 4 cousins that are gone to the ether. I don't even know if they're still alive. I do have contact with at least two siblings from that family so I'm thinking she would very likely know.
My first question is ... will I find an attorney to take on this mess? Is this going to be incredibly expensive? I mean, I can manage and my husband and I are committed to get this done properly, but I do not have unlimited funds, either. Also, I ask this knowing that I'd take the recommendation of the attorney I do get to retain, but isn't there an easier way to do this without contacting so many people who have rights and claims to this property?
Speaking of which - while it is understood with my family that this property is solely mine - I have some other cousins who I fear may not so easily give up their claim considering the fact that since 2019 the property value has gone up to over 3 times it's value due to that area being really "hot" and will get even more popular. (Which is why I want to build ASAP so building there won't get so expensive.) The attorney I consulted said that if those family decide to be greedy about this, we can show them their part of the financial responsibilities with regards to the taxes I have paid and that $5k fine the city levied, all of which I have paid without any money from any other family member since 2010 if they want me to "buy" out their claim before relinquishing it. I don't think these cousins would do that, but I'm just trying to prepare for the worst. I don't even want anyone joking about it.
So. Is there no simpler way of doing this? Should I prepare to have to look for family members who have a rightful claim? What if someone does resist wanting a "pay out?"
Most importantly, is this too much of a mess that it'll be difficult to find a lawyer? Am I even looking for the right type of lawyer by looking for a real estate lawyer? Or is it probate? I don't even know if the property went through probate in the 90s when my grandmother died.
I hope this isn't too long or too much info. I'm a bit discouraged. Thank you.

On Tuesday, I went to have some blood work done because the past few months, I've been feeling incredibly tired, so I wanted to see if maybe I was deficient in anything so that I could address it. I was contacted about my results yesterday and they said everything came back fine, but that I had super high cholesterol? The results say my LDL is at 166 which compared to normal, seems pretty high. I'm M/29/about 150lbs/5'7 and I probably eat more fruits and veggies than meat. I exercise basically daily because of work, but I also hit the gym, hike, rock climb, a lot of physical movement. I do drink a lot of energy drinks (ALWAYS sugar free and I never go over 300mg of caffeine in a day) which I have been trying to ween myself off of and I drink a lot of coconut water. I also have an ectomorphic body type and metabolize my food pretty quickly. Not sure if that makes a difference at all.
This is striking me out of left field and now I'm just too paranoid to eat... basically anything. I love eating and drinking different stuff and now I feel like I can't do that anymore because that lingering feeling of having a heart attack or something is in my mind. Do I really have to sacrifice a lot of what I love to eat and drink now in order to basically not go into cardiac arrest?