Alright so before I get deep into character there's some background I need to give in this "episode" so that y'all have the info you'll need for the other "episodes." Basically, all of them will start like this one, and then I will tell the stories in first person. This will either be really boring or pretty neat, so let's find out together! Also, I used a different name for every game, until Scarlet and Legends Arceus, where I started consistently using Timtanoboa. A few of the names I use are really dumb. Also, these will be in the order I played them (Sh, Sw, LGE, Sc, LA) and I have (unfortunately) never been able to play a Pokémon game not on the Switch. Alright, now to the less boring stuff.
Region: Galar
Name: TJH
Date of Obtaining Game: December 25th, 2019
Part 1: The Gym Challenge
In the Galar region, in a small town called Postwick, I started my Pokémon journey with Scorcher the Scorbunny. On Route 1, I caught Flynn the Nickit and Dr. Insector the Blipbug. Then on Route 2, I caught Little Turtle (this name is over the character limit but I don't remember how exactly I got around that so I'll be referring to her as Little Turtle the whole time) the Chewtle and Mr. Karp the Magikarp. Heading into the Wild Area, I caught Jackie Chan the Tyrogue (who would not actually receive his name until he evolved into Hitmonchan). Then, onto Route 3, where I caught Flame Bug the Sizzlipede. In the first Galar Mine, I caught Diggy Piggy the Diglet, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I made the entire game for a reason you'll see later. Route 4 is the first location where I didn't get a new Pokémon (that I named).
On to fight Milo, where I Dynamaxed Scorcher on Turn 1 and used a strategy that worked here and nowhere else: Max Flare, Max Flare, Max Flare. If memory serves, Scorcher and Dr. Insector evolved after this battle.
On the Bridge, after kicking He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's rear, I caught Granny the Eldegoss. On to Hulbury!
Against Nessa, I used Granny and Dynamaxed Turn 1. I promise this is the last time I did this. But Max Overgrowth x3 worked here. Soon these battles get more interesting.
Through Galar Mine No. 2, I caught nothing. But in the Motostoke Outskirts, I caught Tox Hat the Koffing. Finally, I fought Kabu.
Here, I discovered that Dynamaxing Little Turtle and using Max Geyser three times wasn't going to work. So I had to train a bit. I don't remember the exact strategy I used, but I know that I got it on my second try, likely with help from Diggy Piggy. This marked the only time I struggled with Kabu.
In the Wild Area, I trained up many of my Pokémon, with Jackie Chan evolving into Hitmonchan. I know some other stuff happened, but I don't remember this playthrough well because it was a chaotic mess. Into and out of Hammerlocke in two shakes of a Wooloo's tail, and on to Route 6, where nothing happened. Time to fight Shy Guy Allister!
I remember nothing of this fight, other than that I completed it first try.
Before heading into the Glimwood Tangle, I sent many of my Pokémon on Poké Jobs, putting together a secondary team. If memory serves, this team included Mr. Karp, Tox Hat, Flynn, Diggy Piggy, and two other mons that I have forgotten about. Sad. This is where all of these mons evolved into their final forms, which I only remember because I sat through like three minutes of evolutions before challenging Opal.
The only information I remember about the Opal fight is that I failed the first two times because I didn't get the quiz questions right and every time included Tox Hat vs. her Weezing at some point. Badge 5, scored!
This next bit is where I started getting some real momentum before immediately dropping it. On Route 8, I caught Lots of Guys the Falinks.
Against Melony, I used Lots of Guys as my Ace, though I did get some great use of of Scorcher, who was now a Cinderace. At this point, assume all of my Pokémon are fully evolved unless I state otherwise.
Onto Route 9, where I got the funny water bike and Kar-Oct-E the Grapploct, who proved quite useful against Piers, who's fight went something along the lines of:
Kar-Oct-E used Close Combat. It's Super Effective!
Time to go back to Hammerlocke, where me catching Diggy Piggy comes back to be one of the best choices I made during this playthrough.
Against Raihan, I had a full team of six, including Diggy Piggy. I lost Scorcher after he Dynamaxed but was hit by Duraludon's Max Rockfall. So now, it was just Diggy Piggy vs. Duraludon. Diggy Piggy was at low health, and I only had one option: Fissure. And it worked! Heck yeah!
Then I lost all of this momentum and go hang out in the Wild Area for over a MONTH! I started progressing again when I went to a friend's house and he persuaded me to finish. He also helped by trading me Dreameater the Gengar. So I went to Wyndon, and caught nothing on the way. None of these battles are interesting. I won all of them first try and used nothing but brute force for them.
Part 2: The Past Game
Same goes for the post game. Onto the DLC!
Part 3: The Isle of Armor
I decided to reset my team and use new Pokémon for this. My "starter" was Sister, the Slowbro. Other team members include Mimikree the Zoroark, Armory the Urshifu, and No. 1 the Klefki, who was only named as such and only even mentioned because it was my first encounter on the Isle, after I closed my eyes and ran around until I bumped into something. There was also Titan the Wailord. Finally, there was Bulby the Venusaur. The Isle of Armor plot already isn't particularly anything, so nothing interesting happened. Maybe we should wait a few months for the next DLC...
Part 4: The Crown Tundra
Team Reset! Queen the Slowking was my "starter," and I used Pteranodon the Aerodactyl, Dinosawr the Tyrantrum, and other mons that I honestly don't care enough to look through the encounter rates of every CT area for. Legendaries caught, I began to do the Max Lair in hopes of finally having a challenge. This was where I caught two of my only three shinies on this file: Nimbus the Altaria and Cosmo the Starmie.
​
Alright that's all you can go home now.
Also no idea what to flair this as so... media?

I hope this is okay that I post here to ask a question as a potential employer!
We are hoping to add a third baby to our family but we have no nearby family (that is in good health) to help. We have a reliable sitter for dates etc. so long as they’re planned with enough notice and work within her off hours from her full time job.
So basically at some hypothetical point in the future I will go into labor with third baby and need last minute care for my two older kids. Since labor is super unpredictable this could be at 2am on a Tuesday and may last for 24 hours or 4 days (where my husband would be coming back and forth to help with kids).
I’m also thinking we could use the extra help for maybe 3 months after birth. Either full time or otherwise.
Would it make sense to create a position that’s active a month before my due date and 3 months postpartum for a total of 4 months? I think I would make it full time so our nanny wouldn’t have to worry about juggling another job especially since we would need that “on call” portion of care during labor. Is this a reasonable ask or is 4 months too short?
This is so hard to figure out without family and we have friends who would step in during an emergency but it’s a big ask.
Thank you all so much for reading.

Here's a link to either AO3 or Fanfictiondotnet if you wanted to read it over there.
Chapter 18
The ornate trimmings that lined the roof of the Iris dorms came into view as the two Battleships slowly made their way up the long path from the docks.
Long shadows stretched from the old worn out street lamps merging quickly with the surrounding darkness before disappearing completely as the lights flickered to life.
Lost in a daze, a ponytail danced in Massachusetts's eyes. Its ash-blonde sheen dimly glowed, glinting off the light of the old street lamps.
Somewhere in her heart she had hoped this slope would continue on forever, that the warmth around her hand would never disappear, but stopping in front of the marbled steps of the Iris dormitory, that warmth finally retreated.
"Why're you still following me around?" Jean spoke, looking down at Massachusetts from the corner of her eye as she made her way up the steps.
The Eagle Union Battleship hadn't moved from where they parted, staring down at the ground by her feet. Part of her grew anxious, waiting with false hope that she would be invited in.
"I-!" Her voice came out louder than she had intended.
"You've had a long voyage…" Jean interrupted, her words strangely soft, "go get some rest."
"...and besides…" the former Flagship continued, scratching at the back of her head, "I've caused enough trouble for my roommate already…"
"Okay then…" Massachusetts giggled, "goodnight!"
"Hmph!" Jean turned away with a huff, "good-", she went to say back, but peaking back around, the silver haired Battleship had already run off.
"-night… I swear," Jean disparaged,scratching at the back of her head, but unbeknownst to herself, the little smile on her face betrayed any sort of foul mood.
Stepping back into her shared room, Jean looked around for any sign of her Cruiser friend. The darkness that greeted her wasn't unusual as Le Malin was usually lying about asleep most of the time anyway, either on the couch or in her room, but a quick glance only revealed an empty sofa. Peeking her head into her companion's room she found it empty, just as it was earlier today.
"I'm back…" the door to the suite swung open.
The little Cruiser hobbled into the room looking more listless than normal. Richelieu did mention she was out doing something important, but whatever it was, it looked like it took a lot out of her.
"Le Malin! Where have you-" Jean quickly held her tongue as a look of fear crossed her companion's face, "n-nevermind… forget it."
"O-okay…" Le Malin released the breath she was holding, fully expecting a dressing down of some sort. She had been hiding out all day so a level of guilt did hang over her, but it was Lady Richelieu that suggested it to begin with. Plopping herself onto the sofa, Le Malin melted into its cushion as the fatigue of consuming a few pounds of brownies slowly washed away.
"Uwaahhh~" a sudden kneading at her shoulders elicited a sudden moan. These hands felt so good~, "yeah… r-right there~"
The Cruiser's relaxation was cut short as she stretched her neck upward, her eyes meeting those of her former Flagship's staring down at her from behind the couch.
"W-wha?!"
"Relax!", Jean commanded feeling the Cruiser's shoulders tense.
'Relax!? How can I relax?!', La Malin screamed in her head, 'why is she acting like this?! First she was super pissed, now she's being super nice! What's going on?!"
Her heart and her body were in conflict, on one hand Jean's hands were absolute magic, never has a massage ever felt this good. But on the other, this was still incredibly weird. For as long as she's served under her former leader, this level of skinship was unheard of.
"What?" Jean scoffed, still feeling a level of resistance in the little Cruiser's shoulders, "you don't appreciate this?"
"N-no!" Le Malin let out quickly, "I- I mean I do! Its- It's just that this is…kinda…" the Cruiser scrambled to come up with a word, "new… for you."
The little Cruiser chuckled nervously as a silence filled the room. The kneading at her shoulders became heavier. Jean's once delicate touch now much rougher.
"Ow ow ow!" Le Malin cried, "sorry sorry!"
It was only for a brief moment, but she could've sworn she saw a smile on her former leader's face as she squirmed underneath the Battleship's strong hands.
<><><>o7<><><>
"You don't have to come with me," Brooklyn said beside herself, continuing her pace down the hall.
"I-I know, but…" Val gulped down her anxiety, "It's your fault you know!"
"Mine!?"
"You just had to blurt out I was your advisor!" Val said in a harsh whisper, "now I have to keep up appearances with your sisters."
"W-well…" Brooklyn turned away with a look of guilt, "look, it's only for a few days, once my other sisters get here I'll tell them straight up, that…"
"That-" Val parroted after Brooklyn's pause.
"That, we are…"
"Uh-huh~"
"Thatwereengaged," Brooklyn rushed in a hushed voice looking around to make sure no one heard her.
"I still don't get why we have to be so hush-hush about it," Val said with a frown, "are you embarrassed about me or something?"
"W-what?! No!" Brooklyn denied vehemently.
With her head down, the blonde Cruiser says back in a quiet tone, "I just don't want my sisters finding out through hearsay."
"Fine~" Val let out an exasperated sigh before changing the subject to their task at hand, "so anyway… What should I be doing right now? How can I be more… advisor…y?"
"Don't talk like that for one," Brooklyn listed off, "y'know what? Don't even talk, just stand there and nod."
"Am I that unconvincing?" Val says, straightening up her clothes in vain attempt to look presentable.
"On second thought," Brooklyn pinched at the bridge of her nose, "I shouldn't have brought you here, these two are…"
"Huh?"
"Remember what Biloxi said back in Panama?" Brooklyn tries to jog Val's memory, "you have to be cautious around these two, they can be a bit… touchy"
The door to the main office swung open in front of them suddenly.
"Ah! Frau Brooklyn!"
Val stood in shock with her jaw hanging open, unable to turn her eyes away from the bombshell of a woman standing by the office threshold. The smile the woman wore was almost reminiscent of St. Louis' but there was something more behind it, Val thought, like some kind of unquenchable hunger.
"Prinz Eugen," swiftly recovering from her initial shock, Brooklyn greeted back with a curt nod.
"It has been far too long," the Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser stepped past Brooklyn's extended hand before wrapping her arms around the Light Cruiser suddenly.
Val blushed as the silver haired beauty, pressed up against her fiance, her hands roaming a but too close to her posterior.
Before Val could voice some sort of protest, Brooklyn had already pushed Eugen off, keeping the Heavy Cruiser at bay with a firm hand in her face.
"Always playing so hard to get~" Eugen pouted, muffled by Brooklyn's palm.
"And your skinship is as irrepressible as ever…"
Eugen let out an accepting chuckle, finally relenting her attempts at a hug.
"Brooklyn!" Another voice from inside the office greeted, "it's always a pleasure to have you!"
"Wales," Brooklyn dipped her head once again.
"You truly are a sight for sore eyes," Wales takes the Cruiser's hand into her own, before placing her lips upon it. The glint on Brooklyn's finger not entirely lost on the Battleship.
ahem Val audibly cleared her throat.
"Oh dear~,this one appears displeased with us," Eugen held her cheek with a playful smirk, "so~ who is this tasty little morsel?"
"Valentina," Val answered with a stern voice, but even she herself couldn't tell what kind of face she was making as Eugen politely shook her hand, "Valentina Hermosa."
"Ah! So you are miss Val-" Wales went to take her hand as well but Brooklyn quickly brought her lips close to the Battleship's ear.
"If you lay a single inappropriate finger on her," Brooklyn whispers, "I'll be sure to let Hood know the goings on in this office of yours…"
A shiver shot up the royal's spine heeding the Cruiser's words. Everything finally clicked into place as she shakily took Val's hand into her own, feeling the same cold metal band around the girl's finger.
"I-it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." An abnormally stiff Wales greeted, hoping that was enough to appease the Eagle Union Diplomat.
<><><>o7<><><>
Blocking out the sun with her palm, Massachusetts continued to look up. Not at the sky above but at her hand itself. She missed the warmth that had gripped it so tightly last night.
Closing her eyes, she could still see the slender shoulders of the Vichy privateer walking out ahead. To think such a small frame held such a vast amount of power and ferocity. With her thoughts turning back to their brief but intense fight back during war, Massachusetts couldn't help but shudder at the memory of Jean's blood soaked visage, her wavering posture as she struggled to even stand, but even being on the verge of sinking, the almost savage smile that she wore stuck out most to her.
"Oof!" A familiar voice let out as it bounced backwards on the floor.
Lost in her mind, Massachusetts barely felt the impact at her chest, but looking down she found Helena rubbing at her butt after her fall.
"S-sorry!" the girl cried, "I-I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"No. It's my fault too," the Battleship helped the Cruiser off the floor.
"Thanks," the youngest Brooklyn blushed with embarrassment as she dusted herself off, "I was trying to get a list together in my head…"
"A list?"
"Yeah," Helena nodded, "I was headed to Akashi's to pick up some ingredients for Brooklyn's party."
"I can help you out if you need a hand." Massachusetts offered, seeing as how she had nothing better to do today. The Battleship couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Helena rock her head side to side, contemplating if she should accept her offer or not.
"It'd be no big deal really," Massachusetts reassured.
"It is gonna be a lot of stuff…" Helena mulled to herself, "sure! If you don't mind."
It had been a long while since Massachusetts had been alone with the youngest Brooklyn but watching her from behind as she led the way, there was an air of confidence that wasn't there in the past. Like each step she took was infused with a level of certainty not unlike her eldest sister.
The bell over Akashi's door rang in Massachusetts's ears yet again as she followed the older Cruiser inside. She stood by the entrance watching Helena list off a bunch items at a nodding Akashi. Whatever the girl was planning seemed fairly extravagant just with the sheer amount of things she requisitioned. Massachusetts guessed it made sense, seeing as how this was the first time Helena will be seeing all her sisters in one place after a so long, she couldn't blame her for being a little excited.
"Massachusetts!" Helena called, "did you want anything while we're here?"
"Me?" The Battleship was caught off guard by the offer, "n-no its alright…"
"Aww~" the girl pouted, "I still wanna pay you back since you're helping me out'n all and we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Really I'm good so dont sweat it," Massachusetts smiled back. It wasn't a surprise to see this girl was still so concerned with ever body else and their wellbeing, it was nice to see somethings about her haven't changed.
"As the older one it's only right that I do something for you," Helena puffed out her chest in an attempt to look more authoritative to the much taller Battleship, "I'm going to be baking once I get these ingredients back, so why don't you join me in the mess hall later? I-if you aren't busy."
Helena's home made snacks? How long has it been she's had any? The thought echoed loudly in Massachusetts's head as an eager look crossed her face, "sure!"
After waiting for several minutes for Akashi and her Meowficers to return from the depths of the store, they came back carrying stacks of bags, one on top of the other.
"Sorry for the last minute request!" Helena bowed after seeing the mountain of supplies.
"Its no problem nyah! Anything for one of my best customers!" Akashi reassured.
Attempting to take the stacks of stuff into her arms, Helena starts to teeter along with the goods.
"Woah there," Massachusetts caught the Cruiser by her back, stabilizing her before taking several of the bags into her arms. "I'm here to help, remember."
"He he," Helena chuckled sticking her tongue out like she forgot.
She's still a klutz…
<><><>o7<><><>
"Don't be a stranger now~" Prinz Eugen sang into Brooklyn's ear, her goodbye hug seemed like it wouldn't end until Wales had pulled her off.
"Yes, my door will always be open to you," the royal bowed, nervous to make any sort of physical contact with her two guests, "and since you two are here on holiday, please relax and enjoy all that this base has to offer."
"Of course," Brooklyn smiled back, "I'd like to see where all the budget goes."
With that said Brooklyn and Val disappeared out the office doors leaving just the two prince's inside.
"Even when she's not working she's working," Wales chuckled, allowing herself to breathe now that Brooklyn was gone.
"Something's changed about her," Eugen said next to Wales' ear as she draped her arms over the Battleship's shoulders from behind.
"So you didn't notice it?" Wales brought her own hand up in front of herself, "the ring on their fingers."
"A ring? Oh dear…" The Iron Blood's eyes went wide, "...I fear I have to apologize to little miss Valentina when I get the chance."
"Oh~ So even you're capable of remorse," Wales said with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Hmph," Eugen pushed off the Battleship's back, making her way towards the door, "even I won't be as crass to take something someone has already claimed. Now…" Eugen placed her hand upon the door, staring at it for a bit, "if only someone here wasn't such a coward…"
"C-coward? What do you mean by that?!" Wales shot up from her seat, but her secretary had already left the room.
<><><>o7<><><>
Brooklyn craned her neck upwards, staring up at the team of Manjuu setting down the giant wooden crate she had delivered from Panama.
"So that's supposed to be a gift for Queen Elizabeth?" Val asked as the shadow of the crate passed over her.
"That's what Wales said, yeah."
"Any idea what it is?"
"Probably a statue of some sort," Brooklyn shrugged, "knowing that little Queen."
"Extravagant…"
"Quite…" the Light Cruiser disparaged the Royal Navy's callous use of funds.
With a thump, the large crate came to rest at the center of the circular path, kicking up some dust in the process.
"So this is what they had you carry?" Massachusetts said from behind the pair.
The Battleship had dozens of bags hanging of each arm as well as stacked above them, making it hard to see her face.
"That's what I was carrying," Brooklyn said back in surprise, "but what in the world is all that?!"
"Just some supplies!" Helena had poked her head around Massachusetts from behind, startling her older sister a bit.
"She was gonna carry them all herself," Massachusetts tried gesturing to the Cruiser behind her.
"I told you to let me carry some at least!" Helena pouted at the Battleship.
Brooklyn froze up for a second, as a memory of the old Helena overlayed itself into her mind. Whether or not there was an old Helena, Helena is still Helena and it wouldn't change the fact that the girl standing in front of her is her little sister.
But she wasn't expecting to run into her sister so suddenly. Of course she wanted to see her but her nerves weren't quite ready. Brooklyn did mean what she said the other day when she first saw Helena again after four long years, that she looked good. Too good for someone who could barely crack a smile at the time. Watching her banter with Massachusetts now, it's as if she hardly had any trouble at all. Helena has grown so much, and she didn't need the help of her older sister at all…
"One step at a time… remember?" A memory of Val's voice echoed in Brooklyn's mind.
If she wanted to be a part of her sister's life as she once was, it would have to begin right now. Missing this opportunity would be something she could come to regret for the rest of her life.
"H-how about this?" Brooklyn grabbed half of the stack from Massachusetts arms before distributing some to Helena and a few to Val, "we can all help carry some."
Helena pouted even further as she stomped her foot at her older sister. "Brooklyn~" she whined behind her stack, "this is supposed to be for you! So you should let us handle this."
"If that's the case," Brooklyn already started walking off, "then that's all the more reason I should be helping out."
"And besides," Brooklyn yells already a distance away, "I get to spend time with my little sister!"
"Geez~" Helena burrows her face in the bags she was carrying, the tips of her ears glowing red.
Val quietly laughed to herself, knowing Brooklyn was probably too embarrassed to say that to Helena directly.
"Brooklyn! Wait!" Helena shot her head back up.
"Uh uh!" Brooklyn refused from a distance, "I'm helping and that's that!"
"No! You're going the wrong way! Helena shouted again, "we're going to the mess hall!"
Massachusetts and Val broke out in a snicker as Brooklyn stopped in her tracks, laughing all the while as the off duty diplomat swiftly about faced, retracing her steps in a hurried fashion.
<><><>o7<><><>
"So~" Wichita said over the rhythmic clinking of whisks beating against the walls of several bowls, "Cleveland…"
"Hmm-" the Light Cruiser hummed, not looking up from what she was doing, "what's up?"
"Whatcha workin on?" Wichita poked at the blonde's cheek trying to get a reaction out of her, "Helena's got you helpin her again?"
"Helena hasn't got me doing anything," the Light Cruiser said with a huff, "I'm helping out because I want too."
"Okay okay…" Wichita backed off.
"Why are you even here?"
"Everyone's busy doing something and I'm bored."
"Then why don't you put on an apron and help me out?"
"Hahaha!" The Heavy Cruiser's boisterous laughter startled the Manjuu in the kitchen, "y'know me! I prefer eating my food to cooking it!"
"Then just go sit down and watch!" Cleveland said more than a little annoyed.
Wichita held her arms out in front of her to calm the Light Cruiser down as she did what she was told, but sitting around calmly fiddling with cooking utensils could only placate the Heavy Cruiser for so long.
"Pst… Cleveland…" a small smirk formed on Wichita's lips as she just thought of something that was for sure going to get Cleveland to react, "psstt…"
"What?!" The blonde snapped with a harsh whisper, matching the Heavy Cruiser's attempt at trying to be discreet.
Tugging at Cleveland's apron, Wichita's smirk only widened, "say~ why don't we surprise Helena?"
"And do what?"
"And by we, I mean you," the Heavy Cruiser spoke into Cleveland's ear from behind, playing with the hem of her apron, "you could try greeting her in nothing but this apron~ I'm sure that would totally make her day~"
Cleveland's brow furrowed trying to make sense of Wichita's words. Why would she greet her in nothing but an apron? Nothing… but… an apron. Nothing…
"W-w-why would I do that?!" Cleveland's face glowed a bright red finally catching on to Wichita's dirty joke.
"Hahaha! Oh man!" The Heavy Cruiser nearly doubled over in laughter, "the look on your face!"
Cleveland did her best to ignore Wichita's teasing but the bowl of cream she was working at was whisked way past its intended consistency.
"I bet Helena could pull the look off," Wichita wiggled her eyebrows at Cleveland, "she does have that rockin' body~"
No sooner she said that, the sound of a bowl clattering onto the countertop rang throughout the kitchen. Wichita's laughter had transcended past the audible seeing as how Cleveland's entire face lit up all the way to the tips of her ears like a beacon.
"W-w-what are you even saying?!" The Light Cruiser whipped the whisk in her hand at Wichita, flicking batter in her direction.
With an audible splat, the creamy batter dripped down the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"Oh~ you've done it now!" The chocolate covered lids of Wichita's eyes slowly cracked open. Scooping what she could in her hands, the Heavy Cruiser slung it straight back at a still flustered Cleveland.
Before long the Manjuu in the kitchen scrambled out for the sake of their own safety.
<><><>o7<><><>
The mess hall should have stayed the same as Helena left it, quiet and calm. With the busy chatter and commotion that came during lunch still a few hours away. But the panicked Manjuu huddling near the entrance to the kitchen and the loud clattering coming from within betrayed any sense of tranquility.
"What's going on?" Val had asked Helena who had been beside her the whole time, but when she turned her head, a gust of wind had blown in her eyes and the Light Cruiser was gone.
Val's eyes darted around, spotting Helena already by the kitchen's entrance. There was a good seven ~ eight meters from where they first entered and she couldn't recall Helena even moving in the first place.
"Ya can't hit me throwing like that!" A familiar voice can be heard yelling inside.
"Wichita…" Brooklyn shook her head, watching helplessly as Helena slammed the kitchen doors wide open.
The two sole occupants inside turned towards the door in shock. The heavy overwhelming pressure radiating from the kitchen's entrance freezing them in place.
"Y-yo~ H-Helena!" The hand full of chocolate batter had dripped off Wichita's fingers. The audible splat it made filled the silence that fell over the mess hall.
"I-I was just h-helpin out… y'know…" The color from Wichita's face had drained, stuttering her words as she forgot how to breathe.
"T-take it easy n-now…" the redhead tried to back away as Helena slowly approached, but her feet wouldn't budge.
"I-I'll help you guys clean up!" The Heavy Cruiser's voice sounded almost desperate as Helena closed the distance.
"W-wait! T-think about this!"
That was the last everyone heard from Wichita's mouth as a loud thud echoed from the kitchen.
Brooklyn and Massachusetts winced as Helena emerged back out, dragging an unconscious Wichita by her collar out of the kitchen.
"Looks like I have a little cleaning to do before we start," Helena sighed, dragging Wichita to a nearby wall, letting the Heavy Cruiser's body slump to the ground after letting go.
<><><>o7<><><>
Cleveland counted herself lucky she didn't end up like Wichita. For a second there, she thought, that she too was done for. Closing her eyes bracing for a knockout, all she got was a towel to the face as Helena tried to clean the mess that she found herself coated in.
"Geez~" Helena frowned at the blonde, "it's my fault for leaving you guys alone."
"N-no!" Cleveland let out, "it's my fau-"
"It's fine~" Helena giggled as she wiped a glob of chocolate batter off of the blonde's nose, "Just help me clean up!"
Cleveland's face grew a little red as she watched Helena lick her fingers clean.
"Mhmm~!" Helena beamed, "that's really good!"
"I-I was only following the recipe on the note…"
"Dunkerque really knows her stuff…" Helena rubbed at her chin as she tried to analyze the flavor in her mouth.
"Dunkerque?" Brooklyn asked as she plopped down the supplies on a clean spot on the counter, "I didn't realize she was at the Joint Base."
"No. She's not," Helena shook her head, "Richelieu gave me one of her recipes."
"That's rare…" Brooklyn said to herself, knowing that Battleship wasn't known to just hand out her treasured recipes so easily, "so what's the occasion?"
"It's probably not much of a secret, but…" Helena furrowed her brow deliberating whether or not she should say or not.
"It's fine~ whatever you say won't leave this room," Brooklyn smiled before turning to the other girls in the room for confirmation, "right girls?"
Val and Massachusetts both nod.
"They're for someone's launchday," Helena, still reluctant to give up all the info.
"Intel is power," Brooklyn held up her finger, "so if you've got some to share…"
"But…" saying it would be like betraying Richelieu's trust.
"Jean Bart…" Massachusetts spoke, coming to a sudden realization.
"H-how'd you know?!" Helena panicked.
"I-" the Battleship blushed, "I just happened to remember… just now…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn and Val shot a knowing look towards Massachusetts simultaneously.
"She's that girl you were with last night," Val said, "hand in hand…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn said louder in surprise, "you work fast."
"I-I was just walking her back to the dorms…" the normally aloof Battleship fidgeted in place staring a hole in the ground by her feet.
"I didn't know you guys were friends?" Helena asked, "but that's great! You could help us bake some Pain au Chocolat for her if you want."
"Y-yes!" Massachusetts agreed a little more enthusiastically than intended.
"I could help out too if you don't mind," Val raised her hand, "if you don't mind an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Sure! I didn't really want to bother anyone else but we do have a lot to prep for."
"Val is one of the best cooks I know~" Brooklyn vouched.
"Is that right?!" Helena enthused, happy to meet someone else who knows their way around the kitchen.
"Well~" Val chuckled, not used to the attention she was receiving, "I'm definitely better than your sister here."
"That's not saying much…" Massachusetts laughed.
Cleveland couldn't bring herself to join in on the conversation seeing as how she was largely responsible for the mess they currently cleaning. And now that they had to start from scratch that feeling just compounded itself.
"Hey Helena," Brooklyn called, "where do you keep the extra aprons?"
Aprons, Cleveland blushed, cursing Wichita for putting weird thoughts in her head. The younger Cruiser's cheeks darkened even further not even realizing she was staring at Helena as she carefully hung her apron around her neck. Watching intently as she deftly tied the knot behind her back, before pulling her long and beautiful hair out from underneath. The air in Cleveland's lungs grew thin, watching in slow motion as Helena's hair fell back down, like some kind of swan decending upon a lake, framing her body like an exquisite portrait.
Cleveland wasn't blind, she was always aware just how beautiful her best friend is but she always tried to push it into the back of her mind. An act she was almost always successful at, but Wichita's recent words did wonders to destroy that. The Brooklyn sister's uniforms were quite the sight to behold and Helena's was no exception. Cleveland thought she was used to it by now, given how often the two were together, but she was finding it difficult to pull her eyes away from her best friend's figure.
"Clevie?" Helena said a little worried, "what's wrong? Your face is all red."
"N-nothings wrong!" The shorter blonde let out a nervous laugh, "Just Wichita putting weird thoughts in my head!"
"Great… what'd she say this time?" Helena said, all too familiar with the Heavy Cruiser's antics.
Cleveland would sooner scuttle herself than reveal the whole truth of what Wichita said, "It's… just forget I said anything…"
"Alright…" Helena pouted, a little disappointed Cleveland wouldn't tell her.
<><><>o7<><><>
With the clean up done, the girls were finally able to start their prep work. With each of them in their own little station responsible for each step of the process.
Val stared at the little note Helena had shown her committing the directions listed to memory. It was a shame she couldn't tell anyone else about this apparent super secret recipe but she figured it wouldn't be a problem if she used it for herself every now and again.
Helena and Val moved about the kitchen like some kind of synchronized, well oiled machine, stunning the rest of the girls as they struggled to keep up the pace.
Brooklyn was always fascinated with the way her sister and fiance worked, but seeing them both at it together all at once was something else.
Cleveland at the best of times could barely keep up with Helena when she was in the zone, but now, with Val involved, there was absolutely no hope.
Massachusetts was off in her own little corner making almost as much of a mess as Wichita did, whisking her bowl with a little too much force.
The team of Manjuu worked like an assembly line, rolling the dough that would become the pastries base.
"Hey Helena," Val called to her newly found cooking partner, "you think you could give Brook a hand? She looks a little confused as to what to do next."
"Brooklyn?" Helena turned to her sister who had just begun pouring the molten chocolate into each mold.
"W-what? I'm good," Brooklyn answered back, slightly confused as to what Val was doing," I don't ne-"
"-Here like this," Helena cut in, guiding her sister's hand as she helped to evenly pour the chocolate.
Val smiled to herself, knowing her fiance didn't really need help, and if she did she herself could step in lend a hand, but if she could engineer a way to get Brooklyn to spend some quality time with her sister she would take any opportunity she saw.
<><><>o7<><><>
Denver and Colombia could barely contain a snicker as a red faced Wichita sat down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed, still coated in a fine layer of chocolate, doing her best to ignore the two Light Cruisers.
"For a second, we thought you just came from the Iron Blood dorms, pfftt" Colombia broke out into laughter.
"Oh, its only chocolate…" Denver said in relief as she swiped some from the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"What the hell did you think it was?!" Wichita lost her temper as the two ran for cover inside the kitchen.

TITLE: THE ETERNAL VOW Setting: Grim Hollow Platform: Foundry/discord System: Advanced 5th Edition Date/Time: Wed, Jun 14, 2023, 2:00 PM (GMT+11) (discord time stamp) Seats: 2/6 Experience required: None Age: 18+ Price per player-session: $20 USD
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Hey check out similar videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05uKspxQ89s&list=PLVduyMnVQjzNYPljUBqwgAXdMPQ9CEKWY

On the planet teeming with eight billion others, I was just another face in the crowd, navigating the tumultuous corridors of high school. Today, we were ticking off the second to last day of the school year, and we had the liberty of a half day, making lunchtime the closing bell.
At fifteen, I was awkwardly wading through the stormy seas of adolescence, complete with the scourge of hormonal surges and the unfortunate sprinkling of acne dotting my face. My world was wonderfully wrapped up in a corner of our high school cafeteria, a realm presided over by Emila. The dazzling subject of my dreams, she held me under her spell with her enchanting beauty. Her hair, a river of glistening platinum, formed a comforting canopy around me, filling my senses with a tantalizing mix of coconut-scented shampoo and the memorable reminder of our gym sessions.
“Alex, come back to Earth!”
My Emila-infused daydream was interrupted by Elijah, my only friend in a table full of acquaintances.
“Did you see the TikTok I sent?”
He asked, a twinkle of devilish delight dancing in his eyes. I fumbled for my phone, eager for a dose of Elijah’s promised comedy, only to find the video was no longer available with unsurprising speed.
“Man, it was comedy gold! Imagine Thanos, asscheeks and all, telling the most offensive Holocaust joke. Legendary stuff”
Elijah chuckled heartily, his laughter echoing around the room, amplified by his own creative narrative.
“Sure sounds like it”
I muttered, my gaze returning to Emila. Her attention was stolen by my older brother, the infamous Mikey, whose joke had her laughing. Mikey, a final year student with a solid record of academic underachievement and a proclivity for marijuana, was a walking, talking, stoner stereotype. What was unsettling was his inexplicable charm with the wide-eyed freshman girls, a twisted hobby that gave him an unusual sense of satisfaction.
As the bell shrilled, signaling the end of the school day, Mikey abruptly stood up, the metal chair beneath him screeching in protest. His next words, a slurred mix of colloquial slangs and contemporary cuss words, were aimed at summoning his freshman fan club, a motley crew of wide-eyed youngsters who clung onto his every word like bees to honey. At the same time, he bumbled out a half-hearted invitation for Emila to join their quest for illicit pleasures. Emila's reaction was a fusion of disgust and amusement, an expression I decided to commit to memory for my poetry. She gracefully declined his offer with a well-rehearsed flip of her hair and a disdainful wave of her hand, then she returned to her conversation, laughter pealing from her like sweet music, completely oblivious to my heart hammering in my chest.
Around me, chaos broke loose as the cafeteria, now released from the clutches of academic torture, transitioned into a war zone of wild whoops, boisterous laughter, and the smell of overly sweet cafeteria food. At the corner of my eye, I caught Elijah's failed attempt to record a TikTok, where he took on the guise of a chicken playing Mozart's fifth symphony on a battered keyboard. The sight of him clucking passionately amidst a cacophony of piano notes sent me into a fit of laughter, providing a much-needed dose of comedic relief after the annoyances of my school day. The last sight that graced my eyes as I exited the cafeteria, was the bewildered expression on the face of our school janitor, as he stood paralyzed amidst the storm, mop in hand. It was a fittingly ludicrous end to another thrillingly mundane school day. With that, I picked up my bag, donned my headphones, and began my solitary trek home.
The burden of unrequited love weighed heavily upon my weary shoulders as I trudged homeward. In dire need of a chill-out moment, I fumbled for my go-to vape, only to be met with the light show of a dead battery. Just another bump in the road that is the teenage rollercoaster ride. As I hit the 7-Eleven on my route, I was looking forward to seeing Antonio, the ageless dude who seemed more interested in cracking jokes than caring about checking IDs. But instead of Antonio's playful smirk, I came face-to-face with a new character, with wrinkles that told stories of time gone by. A wave of disappointment washed over me as I nabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and headed for the cash register.
"What happened to Antonio?"
I asked, putting my drink on the counter for the mystery guy.
"Who?"
He muttered, his focus on the soda can he was sliding under the scanner.
"Antonio, the guy who's usually here in the evenings"
I explained, a hint of irritation in my voice.
"Dunno. I only started here last week. I just know the young girl who takes over when my shift ends"
He responded, his words leaving a gap in my world, like a punch in the gut of my usual routine.
Taking a bubbly swig of my Dr. Pepper, I tried to swallow the truth of teenage life. It was like walking into my favorite cozy room, only to find the furniture rearranged haphazardly. The change was unexpected, and unwelcome.
Finally trekking my way home after sitting on a bench listening to music for what Must've been hours. I walked under a sky that seemed to be experimenting with shades of orange and purple, I felt a strange kind of solitude sneaking in. My thoughts kept playing a merry-go-round with Mikey, Emila, and now absent Antonio - the trio that had become the stars of my high school drama.
My front door protested loudly under my foot's frustrated kick, and a slurred
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
Bellowed from the living room. My mother, ensnared in an alcoholic haze, lounged over the couch, her shaking finger accusingly pointed in my direction.
"Did you forget that I get migraines?"
The smell of tequila permeated the air, filling my nostrils as soon as I crossed the threshold. I sighed, hoping for a lifeline.
"Is dad home?"
My mother sank back onto the couch, her voice a whisper
"No."
My father, the only one who occasionally lent an ear when I complained about Mikey, was perpetually chained to his cubicle, another cog in the corporate machine.
I ascended the stairs, each creaking step a harmony to the melancholic rhythm of the dark. The silent house held the weight of my unease, my chest tightening with an indescribable yearning. Tucked away in the solitude of my room, I pulled out my phone, the screen's glow illuminating my apprehensive features. I typed out a tentative message to Emilia, a small confession of the feelings that had long been gnawing at my insides.
"Hey, Emilia, I..."
First message sent. But before I could finish my second text, the dreaded words - 'Message Failed to Send' stared back at me. My heart sank. Was it a sign? Maybe the universe was intervening, telling me it wasn't the right time, or perhaps, it never would be. Disheartened, I slung my phone aside, letting the unsent feelings hover in the digital void. Slipping under the comforting shroud of my blanket, I drifted off into a sleep, with dreams tinted in hues of Emilia and unspoken words.
The next morning started out ordinary until it was splattered with the color of angst when I pleaded with Mikey that morning to stay away from Emila. His response?
"Amelia, the freshman? Didn't know you had a thing for her."
His nonchalance was maddening.
"Emila. As your brother, I'm asking you to back off"
I clarified, hoping it would penetrate his stubborn exterior.
His perplexed expression turned into a nonchalant shrug.
"Damn, been saying her name wrong the few times we spoke, and she never bothered to correct me."
Mikey shrugged and walked away, leaving me feeling dismissed and unheard.
Feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, I left for school and shook off the encounter with my brother and headed to my first-period class. As I stepped into the room, I expected to see my usual teacher, Ms. Thompson, waiting at her desk. However, to my surprise, it was someone else entirely—a teacher I had never seen before. I had really liked Ms. Thompson too so to see she got a substitute on the last day was dissapointing. Yet his resemblance to Ms. Thompson was uncanny, from the way he held himself to the tone of his voice. I knew something was off.
I glanced around the classroom, taking in the unfamiliar arrangement of notes and papers hanging on the walls. The subjects and diagrams were foreign to me, not matching the usual decor that adorned this space. It was as if I had entered an alternate dimension, where everything seemed the same yet completely different.
As the class went on, the new teacher droned on with the same monotony I had grown accustomed to, but it felt hollow, lacking the genuine concern and passion that Ms. Thompson always displayed. The other students seemed oblivious to the change, talking and cutting up as if nothing was amiss. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
Throughout the rest of class, my mind wandered, retracing the events of the past few days. Antonios unexpected absence, the failed text to Emila, Mikey's nonchalant reaction to my warning about Emila, the strange teacher in place of Ms. Thompson—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together. For the first time, I realized how little attention I had paid to the details of my daily routine. But now, with this subtle shift in my surroundings, I couldn't help but question everything.
As the class finally came to an end, I gathered my things and made my way out.
The unfolding of the remaining classes before lunch did nothing to alleviate the paranoia that was steadily creeping over me. In my second-period class, usually dedicated to cleaning out the science lab, I noticed a set of instruments that we'd never used before. My peers didn't bat an eyelid, but to me, the incongruity was unsettling. Then in English, our final class reading didn't correspond to the assigned book. The text seemed different, as though it had been subtly altered.
Physical education, typically a free play session on the last day, was different too. Coach Peters was blowing a whistle I'd never seen before, its pitch more grating than the usual. And just before lunch, during the end-of-year assembly, the principal's speech, usually so predictable, seemed off. It contained references to events and achievements that didn't match my memories.
As lunchtime arrived, a mix of anticipation and anxiety filled the air. Even with my world falling apart I found time to worry about Mikey's presence around Emila. However, Emila was nowhere to be found. When I mentioned this to the group as I took my seat, my words were met with silence, as if I had become invisible.
Sitting alone at the edge of the table, I sought solace in our group pictures, hoping to catch a glimpse of Emila. I opened Snapchat and scrolled through my camera roll until I found my favorite picture of her. But to my surprise, Emila was inexplicably absent from the image. I blinked in disbelief, rubbed my eyes, and questioned my own perception. How could she have vanished? In the photo, my arm had once embraced her, but now it hung empty at my side.
"Guys, where's Emila?"
I asked, passing my phone to Elijah. He stared at the screen for a long moment, as if emerging from a trance.
"Who?"
He finally responded absentmindedly, his attention quickly diverted by a video shared by another friend.
Taking back my phone, I desperately searched for more pictures, only to find that they had vanished—her Instagram, Snapchat, even her parents' Facebook profiles. Panic gripped me, and I screamed
"WHERE IS EMILA!?"
My voice resonating through the cafeteria, reverberating off the walls. The entire room fell into an eerie silence, and all eyes turned to me, their gazes fixed with a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Her social media is gone. I feel like I'm going insane, and none of you even acknowledge me!"
My voice cracked with desperation as I pleaded for answers.
Mikey and Elijah rose from their seats, their expressions filled with compassion, ready to console me. But I couldn't bear their pity, their feeble attempts to calm my tormented mind. Their words would be meaningless. With a surge of frantic energy, I pushed my chair back and fled the suffocating atmosphere of the cafeteria.
As I stumbled out of the school, my surroundings blurred in a whirlwind of confusion and distress. The world itself seemed to warp and twist, mocking my feeble attempts to comprehend the inexplicable. Thoughts tumbled through my mind, colliding and fragmenting like shattered glass. Where had Emila gone? How could she vanish so completely, leaving no trace behind? Was I losing my grip on reality?
A light drizzle began peppering the surroundings, setting a somber atmosphere. Hours slipped away as I aimlessly wandered, searching for answers. Maybe someone had slipped me acid-laced food, or perhaps I was crazy like my mother. The thought of my brother's affinity for drugs crossed my mind, but I had never dabbled. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to find a sense of respite in my vape once again.
Entering the 7-Eleven, a chilling sensation overcame me as I discovered the same elderly man behind the counter. Without uttering a word, I hopped over the counter, desperate to find any clue.
"Kid, you can't be back there!"
The man exclaimed, attempting to restrain me. Swiftly, I pushed him away, unearthing the work schedule from the wall.
"Where's Antonio?" I stammered.
The old man, seemed to recognize me.
"I asked about that. Antonio doesn't work here"
He said, struggling to regain his footing. Overwhelmed with a sense of paranoia, I bolted out of the gas station, gasping for breath only when I reached the safety of my home.
In the dim light of the early evening, I found myself sprawled on the unkempt grass of the front yard. The recent rain had left the ground sodden, but I barely noticed the wetness seeping into my clothes. As the rain mingled with my silent tears, I heard the familiar rumble of my older brother Mikey's truck pulling into the driveway.
"Hey pussy"
He exclaimed, pushing his rain-soaked hair back from his forehead. His voice carried a light-hearted jest that felt foreign amidst the somber atmosphere. He was always like this, quick to crack a joke even in the gloomiest of moments. It was his way of diffusing tension, I suppose. He reached out, pulling me up and leading me towards the house. Once inside and in his room, an aroma filled my nose – a peculiar mix of stale pizza and mildewy old books – that somehow comforted me in a strange, indescribable way. It was an olfactory reminder of a time before things got so complicated.
Catching my eye, Mikey reached into his drawer and withdrew an intricately designed glass bong. I had seen it before, on one of those rare occasions when Mikey would let me into his private world. Now, he was extending the invitation again. He passed me the bong, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I hesitated for a moment, my mind flashing back to times when mom would sit us down in front of the TV after school, her kind and comforting presence a strong reassurance of love and security. That was before the alcohol took over, before the comforting light in her eyes had been replaced by a glassy, distant look. The thought of her brought an odd sense of calmness, as if her spirit was there with me, guiding me through this haze.
Taking the bong from Mikey, I let out a nervous chuckle, matching his playful demeanor. As I took a hit, we fell into a comfortable laughter, punctuated only by the deafening theme song of Family Guy playing on the large TV in the corner of his room. The memory of our shared laughter resonated deeply within me, a balm to the churning unrest I had been feeling.
"It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and-"
Suddenly, the television vanished, replaced by a weathered dresser that had been stored in the attic.
Mikey's phone suddenly blared a familiar jingle.
"Ah, man. One sec, bro,"
"-sex on TV." My brother's phone blared at maximum volume.
"Sorry, bro, my friend texted me"
He explained, placing the phone between us.
"Where's the TV?"
I muttered, the words hardly audible. As the high intensified, the room started to spin, the familiar comfort of Mickey's presence fading away. I reached out in a futile attempt to steady myself but fell onto the cold, hardwood floor. The room seemed to swirl around me, familiar objects distorting into unrecognizable shapes and colors.
Pulling myself up, I lurched out of the room, navigating the labyrinthine house as fragments of memories flooded my mind. It felt like I was walking through a dream – a vivid, disorienting journey through time and space. Stepping outside, I saw the lawn had morphed into a neatly trimmed landscape, A new 'For Sale' sign swaying gently in the evening breeze, dissolved away as quickly as I noticed it.
The sounds of laughter drew my attention to the house. The windows were aglow with warm, inviting light, revealing an unfamiliar family engrossed in their game night. Their joy was a stark contrast to my growing desolation.
As days rolled on, my world reshaped, transforming from the familiar to an enigmatic panorama. Faces blurred, places mutated, my identity itself seemed to wane, fading into oblivion.
Caught in this mutating reality, I felt a quiet observer, my existence phasing out into the ether. Friends, family, Emila - all were melting away into the canvas of my evaporating memory.
Then, amidst the dissolving haze, clarity dawned, presenting a profound revelation. Our Earth was yearning for equilibrium, burdened with the weight of 8 billion souls, a possibly infinite and cruel humanity, now quickly seeking balance before it was too late.
We had pushed our home to her brink. Now, a beautiful transformation is underway. Smiling strangers began to color my world, their joy reflecting the Earth's newfound harmony. Merchandise, once an extravagant luxury, now seemed accessible to all. The battlefield in Ukraine had given way to peace, a testament to the world healing its wounds.
As I type this out in a clean and rather nicely lit alleyway. I find myself blending into the cosmic expanse, my hands and arms fading away before returning as if the universe wants me to finish. As I turn from a solid entity into an echo of existence. The world moves on, its stride unperturbed by my fading presence. Yet, in my diminishing, I realize my contribution to Earth's balance.
Earth is in the midst of achieving perfection. Many of you won't make it and will be gutted like myself, some of you will stay. The rest of you, I catch glimpses of as I fade, timeliness unaffected and left to die without God.
My final thoughts are not of sorrow, but of serene acceptance and profound understanding. As I phase into the ether, I became a cosmic whisper, a gentle reminder of the necessity for balance and respect for our fragile planet.

House is worth about 350k. but if the house was sold, due to loan on the house and what is owed, it would be around 180k. Its in my mothers will to be split between me, my dad, and dads sister.
My dad is cool with living here and me as well. She just wants the money. If sold roughly would be expecting 60k from her 1/3 in the will. I want to come to her willing to pay 60k and have her removed from the will so I don't have to worry about the house being sold.
My Girlfriend is willing to help me save for this goal, but she wants some sort of guarantee. She suggested be listed as one of the home owners. Were both early 20s so forgive me if I misunderstand the obvious at any point in the post.
I dont know what being considered one of the "owners" would entail. Lets say she helps me save 20k and then later down the line she wants the money back but I wouldn't think its fair for her to take lets say 1/3rd the worth of the entire house. when she only puts in 20k. Or lets say she lives here 5 years and something happens and wants to leave. Even getting the full 20k back wouldn't be very fair considering at that point there's no commitment and would of essentially get all of her money back and lived her for free the entire time.
What is a fair way to give her peace of mind, but also not give to much control of the equity of the home vs what she actually helps with/puts in?

Hello,
So lately I’ve been feeling displaced like I’m not even real and I’m just here I feel so out of touch I think my trauma has caused servere Disassociation I feel so scared to make the wrong move or say the wrong thing I also feel like I’m in the way and I take up space 😞 I been abused very badly and neglected now I’m on my own just trynna survive and figure this life thing out . I do rely on God Jesus is my healer and I just want to make him proud but sometimes I have my moments where I get frustrated and sometimes the anger comes out and I feel so bad I have no where else to go or talk to I’m 26 and just feel like I’m in a movie scene Life just feels really different from me everyone else seems to just get it but for me I feel very different

Its kind of a typical question but gonna ask anyway cause I m sacred. I m in 2nd yr of my CS degree and I cant' solve any of the easy problems in leetcode. I've seen people here saying they solved above 20 or something and they still feel that they cant solve or think and here I have just solved 3, most of them were solved with help of hints I can't come up with any solution or logic for any basic level problem I just approach every problem with simple array or if else not anything like stack or queue. I have watched numerous amount of tutorials by now but I just cant do no more I forget things. You cant believe that I got good marks in my DSA course but the moment I passed I stopped coding ( I wasn't good I just learned the codes ). If you talk about the concepts I know how a stacks, queue ,LL etc works but as soon as I see any question about which uses these data structures or algorithms my brain goes blank I just cant thing. I am terrified right now as my friends are doing all right and solving problems I know they get stuck too but the point is they usually come up with an solution. What should I do? I m lost at this point should i drop out?

Let's begin with the standard datamining reminders:

1. All datamined info of unreleased content counts as spoilers, so please do not discuss anything from this thread or any other datamining thread outside of clearly marked datamining threads. If it is necessary to bring something up outside of one of those threads, make to clearly mark the spoilers (and preferably indicate that it is a datamined spoiler). Not everyone is interested in datamined spoilers, and you should respect that.
2. All datamined content is unfinished (otherwise I'd probably be putting it in a guide), as such there is no guarantee that any content discussed in these threads will release in its current form or that it will even release at all. There is still content that I have datamined from 1.1, which may have been in the launch build, that is not available to players (e.g., Spirit Totem series and Sosiel Romance Follow Up Card Game), and anything I find now could potentially follow the same route.

Well this probably isn't as much content as last patch, but there are some eagerly awaited build options in here. And on that topic, I suddenly feel the urge to remind people I am just the messenger. No particular reason why, just felt like saying it. :P

DLC5

So I think I found the exchange for meeting Penta. Not going to spoil too much, but one of the translated lines made me laugh too much to not share: "My main specialization is music. The Tech League considered this area of work unproductive, and I was reprogrammed for research work in extreme conditions, as well as unquestioning obedience and respectful treatment. One of these three programs was installed correctly." Also I know this line will break a few hearts despite no one having seen her yet and her almost certainly being constrained to DLC5's stand alone campaign: "I offer mutually beneficial cooperation. Optional friendship. Romantic relationships - excluded."
More generally, I think I have the general flow for the DLC now. It looks like the goal is going to be to track down the seven shards of Sithhud so that you can kill/serve/usurp/w/e him. Honestly, the dialogue makes me think of Throne of Bhaal because it seems we'll be using portals to move in and out of our extraplanar home base to track down the bhaalsp... I mean missing shards and those who hold them.
I see some entries related to the Plane of Shadow, so I guess that we'll be making a trip there? No details at the moment beyond it exists.
And since it was a crowd pleaser last time, I'll mention that there are further mentions of goblins.

Archetypes

Hag Riven
Some new abilities from the entry last time

• Evil Eye - At 1st level, you can curse an opponent with a wicked glance. As a standard action, you can afflict one target within 30 feet that you can see, causing it to take a –2 penalty to AC and on attack rolls for 1 round per class level. A Will save reduces this to just 1 round (DC = 10 + half your bloodrager level + your Charisma modifier). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. At 8th level the penalty increases to –4.
• Hag Fortitude - At 4th level, you become immune to mundane and magical diseases. At 8th level, you also become immune to poison.
• Hag Transformation - At 12th level, your form grows more twisted and powerful while bloodraging, but clumsy, blind aggression clouds your mind. You assume the form of annis hag, gaining a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. Your morale bonus to Strength increases by 2, and you gain scent ability, but you take a –2 penalty to both Dexterity and Wisdom for the duration of your bloodrage.
  • At 16th level, you apply your morale bonus on Will saving throws while bloodraging to Fortitude and Reflex saving throws.
• Covenguard - At 16th level, you can cast bestow curse three times per day as a spell-like ability.
• Curse Conduit - At 20th level, you gain immunity to negative energy damage and all spells with the curse descriptor. Whenever you confirm a critical hit with a melee weapon, you can immediately target your opponent with a bestow curse spell-like ability with random curse effect.

Dark Sister
Dark Sisters are feared for their ability to bend minds and sow discord. Some say these witches can watch their enemies from afar and can even corrupt the minds of the most innocent or loyal, including newborn babes and cherished pets. Dark Sister can't have animal companion

• Dark Pact - Instead of choosing patron, dark sister forms a pact with specific Night Hag, this hag grants witch a familliar and bonus spells as patron feature does.
• Curdle Thoughts - At 2nd level, a Dark Sister can insert negative emotions into the mind of a single target.
  • She gains a +2 bonus on Persuasion checks due it's perfect ability to sow suspicion, hatred, or other forms of animosity. In addition, a Dark Sister increase the save DC of any spell with the fear descriptor she casts by 2.
  • This ability replaces the witch's 2nd-level hex.
• Sunder Hope - At 8th level, a Dark Sister can violently dismiss her curses to counter magical boons and impose her own capricious whims. Once per day, after the Dark Sister has successfully affected a creature within 30 feet with a mind-affecting spell, spell-like ability, or hex, she also affect creature with greater dispel magic. At 14th and 20th levels, a Dark Sister can use this ability an additional time per day.
• Hag Crony - At 12th level, a Dark Sister gains a blessing in the form of an alliance with a night hag special companion. This comanion progresses as dark sister gain more powers.
  • At 12-th level of Dark Sister, her Night Hag companion level is 12th and she gain following spells she can cast at will: Deep Slumber, Invisibility, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Missile
  • At 13-th level of Dark Sister, her Night Hag companion level is 13th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Blindness, Scare
  • At 14-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 14th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Hideous Laughter, Haste
  • At 15-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 16th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Dispel Magic, Vampiric Touch
  • At 16-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 18th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Slow, Contagion
  • At 17-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 19th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Crushing Despair, Fear
  • At 18-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 20th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Phantasmal Killer, Unholy Blight
  • At 19-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 21th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Enervation, Confusion
  • At 20-th level of Dark Sister her Night Hag companion level is 23th and she Night Hag gain following spells she can cast at will: Baleful Polymorph, Cone of Cold

Items

These are all probably DLC things.

• (draft) Belt of Lesser Shadowform - (draft) This belt grants its wearer a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity. Bonuses of the same type usually don't stack.
  • Furthermore, as a swift action, its wearer can become incorporeal. While incorporeal, he takes no damage from non-magic weapons, and takes only half damage from any source which deals neither ghost, holy, divine, or force damage. The wearer can remain incorporeal for up to 5 rounds per day. The rounds need not be consecutive.
• (draft) Dark Life Ring - (draft) A dark life ring grants its wearer a +2 profane bonus on Will saving throws against channeled negative energy and inflict spells (any spell with "inflict" in its name). In addition, ring grants the wearer resistance to negative energy 5.
• (draft) Sunless Shield - (draft) Whenever the wearer takes fire damage, the shield accumulates one energy charge. When the fifth charge accumulates, the shield casts a scorching ray, firing one ray at the creature that is the source of fire damage, as a level 10 caster.
• [Draft] Pearl of Power (variants exist for all spell levels) - [Draft] This seemingly normal pearl of average size and luster is a potent aid to all spellcasters who prepare spells (clerics, druids, rangers, paladins, and wizards). Once per day on command, a pearl of power enables the possessor to recall any one spell that she had prepared and then cast that day. The spell is then prepared again, just as if it had not been cast. The spell must be of a particular level, depending on the pearl.
• Quiver of Druchite Ammunition - The owner of this quiver can use it to shoot 50 units of druchite ammunition. Druchite ammunition grant their owner a 50% chance that the enemy will not notice the attack, as if the attacker were invisible.
• (draft) Aszite - (draft) The navy-blue ore known as aszite absorbs any light around itself.The wearer of aszite-veined armor gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. If the wearer uses a Druсhite weapon, the usual chance of an unnoticed attack with it, as if the attacker were invisible, increases to 20%.
• (draft) Absolute Darkness - (draft) Whenever the wearer of this +2 aszite full plate receives a critical hit, he gain partial concealment for 1 round.
• (draft) Dazzled Dagger - (draft) When this +2 bleed druchite dagger lands a hit on an enemy, the target becomes dazzled for 1 round.
• (draft) Midnight Flail - (draft) This +3 vicious druchite flail deals additional 1d6 unholy damage against enemies whose current number of HP is lower than the wielder's
• (draft) Ring of Shadow Stealing - (draft) Whenever the wearer of this ring kill an enemy, there is a 10% chance that it steal enemy`s shadow and use it to summon a CR9 Ravenous Greater Shadow to fight alongside the wearer for 5 rounds. When the shadow is stolen, this ability cannot be triggered for one minute.
• (draft) Dispelling Darkness - (draft) Each round, while the Dispelling Darkness is on, the stage of Shadow Madness decreases for you and your allies at 25 feet. It is impossible to use the Dispelling Darkness in areas of "full darkness".
  • Turning on the Dispelling Darkness can attract the attention of shadow demons.
• (draft) Dirgesinger's Choir - (draft) When the bard or skald using Dirgesinger's Choir and perform the Dirge of Doom, this performance has an additional effect. To be affected, an enemy must be able to hear the performance and be within 30 feet. Every round each enemy within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the carrier's level + the carrier's spellcasting ability modifier) to negate the effect. If the save succeeds, the creature is immune to this ability for 24 hours. If the save fails, the living target takes 1d6 points of negative damage, and the undead target is staggered for 1 round.
• (draft) Druchite - (draft) The black-and-violet ore known as druchite is so dark that creatures can have extreme difficulty perceiving it. Druchite-veined melee weapons grant their wielder a 10% chance that the enemy will not notice the attack, as if the attacker were invisible.
• (draft) Tangible Shadow - (draft) This +1 quarterstaff grants the wielder an ability to cast shadow evocation spell 3 times per day as 9th level wizard.\nIn addition, the staff increase the shadowy substance used to form shadow conjuration and shadow evocation spells, making it are 10% more real.
• Crushing Burden - Whenever the wielder of this +5 vicious gnome hooked hammer lands 3 consecutive hits on the same enemy, the enemy must pass a Fortitude saving throw DC 28) or become fatigued. Whenever the wielder lands 3 consecutive hits on a fatigued enemy, that enemy must pass a Fortitude saving throw (DC 31) or become exhausted.

Spells/Abilities

• Meteor Swarm - Meteor swarm is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to fireball in many aspects. When you cast it, you call for a rain of meteors withing the area, wich deals 8d6 points of blungeoning damage and 24d6 fire damage to every creature within the area.A successful Reflex save halves this . Meteor swarm ignores spell resistance.
• Repulsion - An invisible, mobile field 40 feet radius surrounds you and prevents creatures from movement. Any creature within or entering the field must attempt a save. If it fails, it becomes unable to move for the duration of the spell or untill it leaves the area. Repelled creatures' actions are not otherwise restricted. They can fight other creatures and can cast spells and attack you with ranged weapons. If you move closer to an affected creature, nothing happens. The creature is not forced back. The creature is free to make melee attacks against you if you come within reach.
• Symbol of Vulnerability - This rune is activated by any creatures. Once triggered, a symbol of vulnerability remains active for 10 minutes per caster level, it saps the defenses of all creatures within 30 feet. Affected creatures receive a –4 penalty to spell resistance and a –4 penalty on saving throws, and damage reduction (if any) are reduced by 10 each (to a minimum of 0) and any energy resistances are supressed. Once triggered, the symbol remains active for 10 minutes per level. The effects last as long as the creature is within area of effect, and for 1 round per caster level afterward.
• Symbol of Weakness - This rune is activated by any creatures. Once triggered, a symbol of vulnerability remains active for 10 minutes per caster level, every creature within 30 feet of a symbol of weakness suffers crippling weakness that deals 3d6 points of Strength damage. A creature can only be affected by this symbol once.

Build Options

I think most of these are mythic things, but not all of them are clearly marked as such so some could be normal build options. And we finally get mythic armor and poison support for all those asking for them!

• Armor Focus (Mythic)
  • Light
    • Assault - Your designed your light armor to ideally fit for your combat style. When you wearing light armor and finessable melee weapons, you gain attack bonus equal to your weared armor bonus to attack with finessable melee weapons.
    • Avoidance - When you wear light armor your max dex bonus increases to your myhic rank, also you gain 5% per mythic rank chance to dodge any attack, made against you
    • Endurance - "When you wear light armor you gain spell resistance equial to it's armor bonus, this spell resistance stacks with existing spell resistance
  • Medium
    • Assault - You master armor combat and midify your armor with spikes , when you successfully attack in melee combat while wearing medium armor you also deal additional 1d6+ armor bonus to AC piercing damage
    • Avoidance - When you wear medium armor your max dex bonus to AC is equial to your constitution modifier if it's hier
    • Endurance - When you wear medium armor you gain half of your weared armor AC bonus to AC and no longer reduce your speed
  • Heavy
    • Assault - You master armor combat and midify your armor with sharp blades , when you successfully attack in melee combat while wearing heavy armor you also deal additional 1d6+ armor bonus to AC slashing damage
    • Avoidance - When you wear heavy armor you loose your dexterity bonus to AC, making your character flat-footed in combat, but add half of your strength bonus to AC.
    • Endurance - When you wear heavy armor you gain special armor damage reduction wich stacks with existing damage reductions and equial to half armor AC + half Mythic rank (Both values are rounded UP)
• Dodge (Mythic) altered to - The bonus to AC from Dodge increases by 1. You gain +10 dodge bonus to AC against first attack every round.
• Caster Onslaught - After you cast a spell you get bonus equal to half you mythic rank to attack and damage roll on attack with a melee weapon until end of this round.
• Corrupter - Your poisons and diseases ignore immunities
• Explosive Expert - You master the art of explosion. When you using bombs you have 50% chance to immideatly restore reagents used to create this bomb. Also your bombs deal additional dice of damage.
• Mythic Inspire - Your music became more powerful and better inspire allies.
  • Benefit: Bonus of inspired abilities increases by half your mythic rank.
  • Bonus applied to Inspire Courage, Inspire Competence, Archaeologist's Luck, Inspire Ferosity, Inspire Tranquility, Inspired Rage, Insightful Contemplation
• Perfect Cavalry - When mounted and moving you and mount have immunity to attack of opportunity.
• School Tolerance - You no longer suffer penalty from opposite magic schools.

Assassin

So Assassin got some stuff. Not sure if any of it fixes the class's problems, but hey improvements! (I think)

• [Draft] Alter Ego - [Draft] Assassin can create copies of himself to distract the enemy. As long as at least one copy is present on the battlefield, all creatures attacked by the assassin take damage from the sneak attack. Otherwise, this ability works like a mirror image. An assassin can create one copy and one at a time for every three levels of assassin, counting from the 3rd, up to a maximum of 3 at 9th level, 1+Intelligence modifier per day.
• [Draft] Cold Minded - [Draft] Assasin is a soulless mechanism designed to kill without feelings or emotions. You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting, compulsion, fear and emotion effects. At 5th level and 8th level, this bonus increases by 1 to +4.
• (Poison Use improvement) - If the target is someone with the Mark of Death, she must make two saving throws when poisoning and choose the worst result" and "At 8th level, the duration of the poisons increases by 1 round.
  • At 9th level, the number of successful saving throws needed to remove the poison increases to 3.
  • At 10th level, an assassin's poison target takes poison damage on a success Fortitude save.
• [Draft] Master Assassin - [Draft] You've mastered the art of assassination to the point where you can deliver the killing blow before your target can react. Your \"Assassinate Target\" ability now use as a standard action. You also add sneak attack damage to all attacks against your \"Mark of Death\" target, even if you don't have an advantage in numbers or they aren't flat-footed.
• [Draft] Assassinate Target - [Draft] As a full-round action, you can special hit the target with your Mark of Death. You aim target that doesn't know about the assassin, at the weakest point , making a successful attack very difficult (the assassin suffers a -2 penalty to this attack). If it hits, the creature immediately makes a Fortitude saving throw with a DC 10 + assassin level + Int modifier. On a failed save, the target dies immediately. If the target succeeds, the assassin's attack damage is treated as a critical hit (the assassin still has to confirm the critical hit). The target also realizes that he was on the verge of death and gains the Shaken condition for 1d4 rounds. In either case, the target becomes immune to "Assassinate target" for 1 day.
• [Draft] Public Execution - Your art of killing shocks those around you, making them feel the fear of imminent death. Whenever an assassin reduces a target to 0 HP or kills it with a ability "Assassinate Target" , she immediately make a Persuasion (intimidate) check to demoralize all foes within 30 feet who can see that kill. If the victim was Mark Of Death, the assassin gains a +2 bonus to this action.

Silly Stuff

• (draft) Gollum
• (draft) Gollum`s Brother
• "...And they are tormenting me because I am sad because of the death of the magician."

About 2 months ago my car randomly wouldn’t start. Wouldn’t even attempt to turn over, all lights would come on on the dash for accessory mode, but made no attempt to start.
Thought maybe it was that dang negative terminal which I had previously had issues with corrosion so dealt with that, but it persisted randomly.
Moved on to testing battery/startealternator just in case even though no clicking cause you never know. All fine!
Then thought electrical, maybe a short in a fuse or relay. Tested them all, and all good there!
Went to YouTube and google, learned about neutral safety switch. Next time it didn’t start I shifted to neutral and it started right up! Thought ok maybe it’s that, let’s test it again next time.
Did that and didn’t work! Then when shifting back and forth between park and neutral I noticed on the dash PRNDLE that it wasn’t showing I was shifting. Tested to make sure it was actually shifting (attempting to move car in neutral vs park) and it was actually shifting, computer just didn’t know!
Googled that issue and… TCM. Now my focus is at 132k miles and I thought I was out of warranty at 100k. I was not looking forward to that bill for replacing!
Ended up here on ford focus subreddit and found that the warranty was extended further for the TCM! Only drawback is the back orders on the part, but hell at least it’s covered.
Got my car into ford this week, they took 2 days to recreate the problem/diagnose (I never had any engine light/codes pop up at all during the issues). And they came back with what I suspected that it is the TCM.
Got my loaner ford escape today and we shall see how long it takes to get my TCM.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences here and for the updates on the dang ford focus/fiesta transmission probs. I love my focus it’s a great car outside of the damn transmission issues. Has kept me moving for 7 years now, hoping to get a few more out of it!

hey.
here i am, your favourite superficial shitposter.
keep kids away from the screen.
i don't believe in meeting my dream guy online. why? because from the age of 14 i always pictured it like that:
i sit on a park bench, small and stooping in my usual defensive manner. the wind slightly touches my short brown hair. (with magnificent spiky self-styled bangs as always) there's a sketchbook on my lap, filled with cool images.
yeah, my imaginary self is in fact capable of making something different from self-portraits.
and then he comes into the picture, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (weird choice for a teenage girl but yeah). and he says something. something that i was missing all these years. not a pickup line, not a cheesy compliment. something that shows how unreal this crazy world is and how important it is to meet somebody who can forever accompany you in disliking it.
are you crazy, girl? if you say that you don't actually believe in meeting your soulmate online, why the hell are you posting this?
probably he doesn't believe in that either. he was just doomscrolling today and then (by some miracle) he run into my funny post and some inner urge of masochistic origin made him message me. (no, i didn't mean mr Cumberbatch, i meant my soulmate guy)
ok, dumbhonest enough but please tell us how your teenage dream story ended!
nothing radical, you know.
we smiled our misanthropic little smiles and run away.
the end.
please don't message me if you are married/in a relationship/have a beard; if you don't care enough to check on my previous posts to review my weekly shitposting evolution, if you don't like green colour, seventies' rock music or don't know who Rory Gallagher is
please message me if you are a CIA agent who's interested in my mental health, if you look like Christopher Reeve in 1978 or have American/British/Irish accent, blue/green/grey eyes + dark hair combo, if you are a musician and you think that sending cat pics is a great way of showing your affection.
bye-bye.
https://ibb.co/4tYBtdb https://ibb.co/ncjCb41 https://ibb.co/5M7TKBK
respectfully yours, me.

Γεια
Recently me(F24) and my fiance(M27) have been highly considering moving to Greece to start a new life, we are from Portugal and have been trying our best to learn the culture, costumes and learn the language but I have a few questions and would like to know the opinion from people native to Greece or even people that have migrated there.
We are finding it hard to learn the language, do you have any recommendation on how to learn it/where to start or how or some tips?
Any social cues we should know or any culture shock we may experience?
And how to Greek people feel about migrants? I know that in Portugal we don't really like when people come here without knowing the language, culture or costumes and don't show any intereste on learning, that's why we are trying to learn as much as possible before going so we can be respectful and fit in better and actually have a life there.

Hi I was on Lexapro 5mg for a month and it worked pretty well I just didn't like the sexual side effects and drowsiness. My doctor suggested I try Trintellix. So a few days later I stopped lexapro cold turkey and went straight onto Trintellix as she suggested. I've been having these weird side effects. I've been pretty out of it and confused at times along with some weird head pressure and chest pressure that will come and go through out the day. Anyone else have similar side effects? I smoke weed at night and have had to almost completely stop becuase it makes the head pressure worse. But if I don't smoke at night I can't sleep. My doctor is aware that I smoke every night and she didn't mention any adverse effects caused by cannabis. Also my sleep has just been way worse since I started. It's been 5 days on trintellix so far. I'm really hoping it's just some side effects of getting off lexapro. I'm going to contact my doctor about all this but I figured I'd post on here as well and see if anyone has had similar experiences. Sorry for the long post.

My family is coming over to the UK to celebrate Christmas with us. I know it’s quite far, but I am looking to plan the travel for them to Glasgow. I live in a very remote village that is 30 minutes away from Glasgow with a car. They will be coming over here and I am thinking of how to get them back to Glasgow. I’d like to accommodate them here but they would have to sleep on the floor, which is not ideal. They also don’t want to stay at my place overnight.
I was thinking of reserving an Uber in advance but don’t think this will work as there are no Ubers around.
If I call Glasgow Taxis, would they be willing to transport? I expect the price to be ridiculous.
I’ve been told that the 900 bus travels on this day and I live very close to a bus station on which the 900 stops.
Other than that, does anybody has any advice which might be a better option?
Many thanks.

I work at a job w high turnover due to poor pay. I’ve been at my job for close to 5 yrs. I have benefits and honestly think the pay is alright for me. The only con is that when people in my dept leave, their work falls on me until a replacement is hired.
I have a coworker (let’s call her C) who has been working here for a year. Lately my work environment in my office has become a bit toxic with most of my coworkers talking about quitting but keep my mouth shut.
C talks about quitting at the end of the summer, almost nonstop. They say it’s because they are going back to school. At first it didn’t affect me bc most of my coworkers quit. But they won’t stop talking.
For the last couple days it has just been me and C in the office alone. C will come to my cubicle and continuously tap me on the shoulder and be “hey, I’m leaving towards the end of the summer. No offense to you guys. I just don’t want to work here anymore because of when I start school.”
“When are you leaving the company?” (After I’ve told them I plan on staying because I need the insurance and flexible schedule, several times)
“It was great working with you.” (They haven’t even put in their two weeks yet, because they plan on staying for an additional two mos)
“I’m sorry you’re going to have to take on all my work. I wish you the best.”
“What are you going to do when I leave?” To which I reply “I’m not really sure because they’d have to hire someone else and I don’t know how long that’s going to take or how my schedules going to be like” to which she’ll reply “well…I’m so sorry” (it’s annoying af and not sincere at all)
“I feel bad for leaving you with all my work. But I need to do what’s right for me. Sorry.”
She repeatedly will tell me all of the above (and has been doing this all week. I’ve tried to sound as supportive as I can for her but over time it has gotten irritating and I’ve had to bite my tongue.
Yesterday we were alone in the office and I had a particularly rough night (my mom is sick, I have to have a couple medical procedures done soon among other things)
C goes “only about 1.5 mos till I’m quitting” while smiling, nodding and stretching their arms. I just nod and go “mhm”.
C goes “when are you thinking about leaving?” I explain to her again that I don’t plan on leaving right now.
C goes “well I’m so sorry”
A few minutes later C goes “I’m sorry you’re going to have to take on all my work when I quit. How are you going to manage? You’re probably going to have a lot of work.”
I go, “I’m not really sure. I’m sorry but I’d prefer if we stopped talking about this. I’m under a lot of stress right now and I’d prefer to deal with it when the time comes.”
C goes “sorry you’re jealous and can’t be happy for me. You’re choosing to work at this place and I can say whatever I want.”
When I went home last night, I spoke about it with my boyfriend who said I was being uptight and that I should just be happy for my coworker.
Was I the asshole?

I promised myself if I felt better I’d come back and tell you all because in the thick of it I was frantically on here looking for hope. History of anxiety and depression and was in remission for about 5 years. About 3 months ago I started Wegovy for weight loss, and my anxiety took a downward spiral from there. I took 3 shots of wegovy and finally made the connection so I stopped it. Even after stopping I felt terrible, like horrible anxiety that was debilitating. My Zoloft was increased from 50 mg to 75 mg and honestly things got a lot worse. My anxiety was thru the roof and I could barely function at home and at work. I’m a mom to a toddler so I was desperate to feel better. I told myself each week that it’ll get better but it didn’t. I cried a lot and even talked my mental health provider into switching me to Paxil. But…here’s where it all gets better. Week 7 started out blah and very minimal relief until bam I just woke up one morning close to week 8 and felt tremendously better. Like the dark cloud was gone, I felt happy and excited for the day. I was so close to giving up hope that the dosage increase on Zoloft was going to work, I’m glad I kept on taking it. This is definitely not any sort of medical advice, I just wanted to share my personal story and hopefully if you are struggling this helps knowing brighter days are ahead! Much love and may God bless you!

I'm not sure that this is the best place to ask but I've seen a lot of people ask about KVM switches here and I honestly haven't found a better place.
So in my home office I have a triple monitor setup. All three of my monitors are 4k. I probably don't really need that, but it's what I have. My personal computer is a Surface Laptop Studio. I have it connected to a Plugable triple monitor docking station. It works perfectly like that.
The thing is, I'll be working from home soon and I want to get set up for that. Now my wife recently transitioned to WFH and we got that set up pretty easily. She has two monitors. Her personal computer is a Surface Book 2. That's connected to a Plugable docking station. That works great. For her work computer, it's some sort of a Dell laptop with a Dell docking station. I ended up picking up a dual monitor KVM switch on Amazon that works pretty well.
I have a couple issues. For one, I'm not sure if I'll be coming home with a desktop computer or a laptop computer yet. If I get a laptop it will be exactly the same as what she has (since we work for the same hospital, it will be exactly the same). But they might send me home with the computer I currently use at work which is a desktop. I'm not sure how that's connected, I haven't looked too closely, but I think probably VGA or DVI or something? I'm sure there's adapters for that.
My other issue is this: I have tried a few triple monitor KVM switches I picked up on Amazon. They have all been much more expensive than the dual monitor KVM switch my wife has. She can get away with just two monitors because I've is a massive 43" monitor. Not only are the triple monitor KVM switches much more expensive than the dual monitor switches, all the ones I've tried are absolute trash. They just haven't worked. The next step up on Amazon is going into the $500+ range and that just seems way too much to spend from my personal funds.
What are my options here? Obviously a working KVM switch would be the best solution. I thought about some sort of USB switch that my keyboard and mouse would connect to so I can switch between computers and having the work setup connected to my monitors other inputs but of course that would require switching all three monitors each time. Is there something that exists that could help me here?

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March 22, 2019
After exiting the Sergeants office I headed to where mom and Miranda were waiting for me.
“Why did you stay?” asked mom who looked a fair bit and understandably concerned.
“Oh uh- just asking her something.” I said not wanting to worry them, which you could argue, how effective that was.
“Fucking aliens.” Miranda hissed while looking around there weren’t any of them around to hear her.
“Language!” mom said in a screaming whispering volume, not happy with the way her daughter was talking.
“Mom right now I don’t give three shits about my language, what I care is about those purple fucks invading our planet.” Said while pointing at the space surrounding us.
“Maybe you should lower your voice a little at least.” I said while looking at the people from the front desk starring our way even though she wasn't loud it was so quiet that you could hear a snail move.
“What about you huh? How many did you fuck already? Is that why you love talking to them so much?" Miranda said while making gestures with her head while having her arms crossed
“ENOUGH, WE ARE GOING TO THE ROOM.” mom screamed, it wasn’t unusual for her to scream, that was more of dad’s job.
After getting to the room the verbal brawl resumed.
“You shouldn’t even talk to those purple fucks, but maybe you already dipped the pen in the purple ink.”
“Can you shut the fuck up? At least once?” I said already fed up.
“Alright what in the God’s name is going on with your two, I have never heard y’all argue like this.” Mom said in a concerned tone but also mixed with her angry one.
“The problem is that the mister here present, is too bothered to hear me talking about those beasts outside, so it gets me to the conclusion that he’s been sleeping with them.”
Mom stared at her for a couple of seconds before looking at me with a phase that genuinely scared me, it was a mix of shock, anger, and disgust, I’ll never forget it that I’m sure.
“Jeriel Samuel Alvarez Mejia, please tell me that’s not true.” she said in the verge of tears.
“Of course I didn’t, she’s lying as always, every single fucking time she just either jumps straight to conclusions or straight up lies about everything, everything in order for her to be out of trouble, don’t let me remind you the time I was blamed and punished for breaking a window when I was at the summer camp 3 hours AWAY.”
“And if someone needs to be scolded for having sex SHE is the one that needs to be.” I said while pointing at her, I remember they would always put her first, unless it was for things that were not enjoyable, she could get not so great grades, while if I got anything under a B I had brought shame and disappointment to the family, I remember crying in my room when dad would take all my stuff away and then proceed to trauma dump on me retelling the story of the shitty life he had before becoming successful.
“What do you mean?” mom said while turning to her, adding tears to the mix “WHAT DOES HE MEAN?”
Miranda stayed quiet avoiding moms stare “Oh I’ll tell you what I mean, she’s been sneaking his boyfriend in for about 9 months now, I never said anything because I didn’t see point in it, it would somehow bounce back and be my fault somehow.” I said as I turned to be received by the room phone in the head.
“AHH FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” I screamed as I grabbed my head.
"COME HERE YOU LITTLE SH-" as I was going to pick up speed I was stopped by mom who did her best to try and hold me back
“You mad that your fucking lie fell apart?” I told her as she backed away.
“ENOUGH, ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU!” she still found a way to include me into this.
“Miranda sweetie what’s going on?” see what I mean?
“What’s going on is that we’ve been invaded by fucking aliens and this piece of shit in front of me wants to defend them and get mad when THEY ARE THE REASON THAT DAD IS DEAD!”
Then everything got quiet.
“You know what? As far as I remember the aliens didn’t kill dad, he was live and well before the navy decided to vaporize him into oblivion.”
“And that was in their damn right, it’s like judging a person for using their gun to defend their home against a robber.” Miranda bit back.
“More like the husband killing his wife because one he has shitty ass fucking aim and two because he used a fucking shotgun to shoot the robber despite his wife being right next to the robber.”
“And now we have to move fucking somewhere else because some damn General MacArthur wanted to be a hero and get a stupid little medal for saving earth?”
As Miranda prepared to answer back mom cut her short “I’M DONE WITH BOTH OF YOU, DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD HAS IT BEING FOR ME, NOT JUST YOUR DADS DEATH, BUT ALSO MY HUSBAND'S? THAT NOW I NEED TO CARE FOR YOU BOTH ON MY OWN? THAT WE DONT HAVE A HOUSE OR A PLACE TO LIVE ANYMORE THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD THEY ARE AT LEAST LETTING US GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND NOT HAVE US TRAPPED HERE? I DO AND ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY SO I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME COLLABORATION FROM YOU TWO AND STOP ARGUING FOR TEN MINUTES, TEN MINUTES IS ALL I ASK.”
As we were both heading out we heard mom say between tears “Miranda I need to talk to you.” We looked at each other before she turned back, I exited and entered my own room because even though it was 11:00 AM I needed a nap to allow my brain to process what had happened today, but before that I had to get a band aid for my bruise.
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March 22-30, 2019
Things had been well... Things, after the fight and talking to Miranda mom came into my room to talk to me about everything, guess it went relatively well, I guess we all just had that buried inside, this was actually kind of a usual thing you know? this kind of fights between us two, minus the phone to the head obviously, but I still love them would do anything for them, but yeah this time we cranked it up to a new level, my relationship with Miranda had been rocky at best, we hadn't really talked for the past week, under the umbrella of new and/or different things that happened this week, breakfast changed, I knew it was bound to happen, so we've been eating what I assume are alien MRE's, that to be honest are not that bad, needs more salt though, maybe I should expect alien food to be different, and that explains the love for maple syrup, but one question stuck with me, if this was their "food" then how sweet are their deserts? another option is that this is just how the MRE's taste, maybe homemade food was different.
But anyways, I had been also having small talks with Delara here and there nothing too serious, but today was the day we were supposed to see Sergeant Lyria to get our IDs, there were just some regular questions, got our photos taken that this time I made sure to look good, despite the bruise on my forehead, I had to give many explanations, if I didn't want them to arrest Miranda, they seem to be really protective of males, but all in all I looked good in the picture, way better than any other I had taken before, and the IDs themselves were purple as most things seemed to be, that got me wondering what if we made our things on the skin tone scale, like they do to purple, or maybe it was another reason that wasn't so weird, I'll have to ask that next chance I get, but yeah in general terms things were... ok.
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I was laying down in the sofa of the hotel lobby, again I was reading, then I sit up as I see Delara coming my way "Hey Jeriiel."
Well at least she says it properly now or at least close to it, "Hi Delara." I said as I raised my fist to fist bump her which she had explained to me that it was the equivalent of handshakes.
"How are you doing?" she asked, her pronunciation having a substantial improvement.
"I'm doing fine, what about you?"
"Doing well, but how about your mother and sister, are things ok now?" she asked while sitting in the chair in front of the sofa across from the little coffee table, she had been checking up on me whenever she had the chance.
"Doing better, though mom is a little stressed with the moving thing, understandably so." I responded
"How about you though? heard y'all were also moving?" I asked sipping from a bottle of water.
"Oh yeah they stablished base and we live in two weeks, just enough to say goodbye." Delara said maybe with a little bit of sadness in her voice.
"I guess." I said a little sad that I wouldn't see my friend anymore, maybe she was an alien invader but I still considered my friend, and believe me that is something a needed quite a bit
Then we saw Miranda and mom coming back from a walk, with the lockdown lifted the first thing we did was walk somewhere, we have never been in North Carolina, what we did notice was the atmosphere felt weird, not the atmosphere as in the actual gas surrounding the planet but more in the vibes people gave, there some sketchy characters for sure, and some other people who clearly didn't like the new people, there were arrests, shootings, and other things I can't remember at the moment, I didn't know how their government worked or what laws they had, but if they took away guns, I couldn't not feel bad for whoever was put in charge of the south, long days were ahead of them.
"Bendición ma." I said as they walked through the door, "How did it go?"
"Really good actually, the weather is cooler now." she said while looking at me then noticed Delara sitting down.
"Oh uh- h- hello, D- De- Delara."
"Hi Mrs. M- Me- Mejia." she said while waving, to which my mom waved back.
"I'm going to the room." said Miranda avoiding Delara as much as possible
"I think I should go with her." said mom as she waved goodbye
**sigh* "*Hope things can get better." I said while returning to my book.
"I'm sure they will, me and my siblings fight all the time, and in the worst cases we are back to normal after a week or two." Delara said trying to support me.
"Yeah, I don't think this falls under the same category but thanks." I said as the communicator in her helmet buzzed
\Buzz* *buzz**
"I have to go." Delara said as she stoop up and fist bumped me, putting her helmet on and heading out
'At least she knows how to use I now'
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First / Previous / Next
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WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER? TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO GET YOUR ANSWERS
Surprise chapter, I guess?
I was feeling inspired and couldn't wait to post it next week.
As always any suggestions and corrections are welcomed.
Thanks again.

Yeah, kind of a generic title, but hey, I never claimed to be good at writing titles xD I've always been a very introverted and shy person, and so have kind of struggled with making friends or being part of groups. But, I hope to be able to make some cool new friends on here, as I seem to be better at online communication as opposed to face-to-face communication. I'm looking forward to receiving messages from all kinds of different people, all I ask is that you be 18+. Not for any weird reasons, I'm just not comfortable chatting with people below that age. Anywho, here's some things I enjoy!
Photography is super epic, even though I'm far from being a professional photographer, even on a more amateur level I love being able to capture any moment in time and tell a story all without saying any words at all.
Speaking of stories, I love reading and writing, and tend to mostly right horror-fiction as horror is highly epical and my favorite genre in general. Hit me up if you have some cool spooky stories to share :0
Music is a huge part of my life, I always have a song playing in my head. My favorite genres are punk, post-punk, indie, alternative, gothic, and avant-garde. So yeah, my taste is kinda all over the place lol. Some of my favorite bands are The Pixies, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and Bauhaus. DM me if you need some new song suggestions or would like to share some music! I love sharing my favorite songs :)
I love nature (kinda generic I know LOL) but there's something so special being surrounded by the earth's natural beauties. Gazing upward toward the sky and seeing the tree's crowns brush up against the clouds, hearing the birds and all their beautiful melodies, it really is serene. I also love hiking!
So those are just a few things I enjoy, I don't want to blabber on too much so I don't bore people away before the even send me a message, haha. I also have a lot of free time as of late, so I'm usually pretty quick at responding and keeping the conversation going! And if you do message please say more that "hi" or "hello" xD I look forward to meeting you ;)