Pumpkin patches in columbia mo

Hey everyone! So I finished round 1 of IVF and got 13 eggs, 12 mature, 6 fertilized, 1 blast, 0 euploid. I’m going into my second cycle next month (taking this month off cus of scheduled vacation). My protocol for this cycle was Cetrotide and estradiol patches to prime, then 300 IU Gonal F, Menopur 75 IU, and Cetrotide for the last few days. I triggered with luprolide and novarel. I meet with my ER in 2 weeks to discuss our protocol and what changes she may recommend. I wanted to see what changes your RE had made for you, or what meds you noticed made a difference. Id just like to be able to do my research and go to that next meeting with thoughts, suggestions and questions, so that we can make this next cycle better. I also added 300mg a day of CoQ10, and fish oil w/DHA. I already take my multivitamin and vitamin D (I had low vit D levels). Thanks!

$20. Not a “yard sale shadowless binder” haul but a score is a score!
TTAR and Lucario have a couple dings but the rest are super solid.

Lately, it seems like increasingly more powerful hardware is needed to run poorly optimised ports from consoles in a somewhat acceptable manner.
I miss the days were a new mid-price graphics card would be enough to max out two year old games.
I’m not happy with the current crop of power hungry and expensive GPUs, but the real problem is that so many video games run poorly on powerful hardware.
At least some games get patched to the point where there is a noticeable improvement, but that shows that porting games is often an afterthought.

Hey everyone,
I'm currently working in this energy storage project and need some advice. The goal is to connect a range of different devices, all using various protocols, and then funnel all that data onto a web dashboard in the cloud. I've tried a bit of everything so far - Raspberry Pi, Arduino-based micro-controller boards, x86 boxes with USB to serial etc..
Here are the protocols I'm using

• RS232
• UART
• RS485
• Wi-Fi
• CANBUS
• MQTT

The next step is finding some compact, cost-effective hardware that can handle all these protocols and connect multiple devices. It's got to be capable of future firmware upgrades that we'll push, and it needs to do some local computations.
At first, I was leaning towards something like the Raspberry Pi CM or another ARM-based SBC with Linux. But now I'm wondering if that's too much. I'm trying to keep the software stack as light as possible. Adding a Raspberry Pi CM might mean a steep cost, and there's the added hassle of managing all the Linux OS components and doing security patching.
So, I'm turning to you guys for your thoughts. Should I go with a micro-controller board like a NodeMCU or stick with a more heavyweight solution like a full-on Linux SBC like Raspberry Pi?
And if I choose micro-controller boards, what are some potential pitfalls or issues I might face with future upgrades and improvements?
Finally, I'm thinking about creating a custom hardware solution for this project with all the necessary ports, potentially housing a micro-controller or a Raspberry Pi CM. Anyone out there have any experience or insight on how difficult that would be?
Any advice or insights you have would be super helpful!
​

Looking for someone to talk to.. this can be a long term thing if we click.. Everyone needs someone to rant to, chat or just plainly to listen. I can be that someome for you and maybe, you can be that someone for me too..its much easier to talk to a stranger at times and be yourself no judgement please ✌️.
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄:
💋32 yrs old originally from South (Cavite) but currently here in Bicol (Naga)
💋A mom already (yes i have 3kids already going 2mos un youngest) (im still with the father of my kiddos so if ur not comfortable talking with someone into it dont give a try na)
💋Chubby/PlusSize frame (yes malaman po, thicc curvy ganern)
💋Can rate myself (face) maybe 5/10 well depende nalang dn sa paningin, 5'5" in height,fair skin.
💋I'm a ᴠɪʀɢᴏ ♍
💋Clingy, Sweet, Moody, Mataray, may Topak minsan.
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔:
💋Can tolerate above INTRO . plus kung may tattoo ka ♥️ (kinikilig ang lola mo sa may mga tattoo)
💋𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄𝐍 .. And ᴀᴜᴛᴏ ᴘᴀss ᴛᴏ ғᴏʀᴇɪɢɴᴇʀs.
💋Fun to talk and can carry conversation 😊
💋PASS AGAD sa hambog , kupal at masyadong bilib sa sarili, MASUNGIT at discriminative . Pass nalang sa nanggghost 👻👻 at NANGGHOST SA AKIN tanda ko kayo 😒😠 .
Please introduce yourself and let's check if we vibe 😉.

Before you say anything, I know this is a very mundane issue for Reddit, but I'd still appreciate some advice here.
My dad is a very volatile person. The classic gets annoyed/angry/frustrated easily type; I love him, but trying to handle his personality can be a nightmare! He pays for my current phone contract, (as he always has done) but I intend to take it over when the contract ends.
I got the phone I currently have a little over a year ago when my old one broke. I have a three year contract so it won't be for another two years until I'm able to get my own contract/pick my own phone etc. This wouldn't be a problem, but my current phone is (for lack of a better word) shit. It takes over a minute to open any app, sometimes it just lags so badly it gives up and restarts itself, the charging port is now fucked over and it takes 10+ hours to get a full charge, bad camera, etc. So I've been researching and considering buying myself a secondhand refurb phone and putting my current sim card (with the contract my dad pays for) into it.
I just don't know how to bring this up with him. I don't want to seem ungrateful for the money he's spent/spending on my current phone, but it's becoming unusable even though I've only had it for a little while. Likely because it wasn't really a good phone to begin with (he wasn't willing to spend over £15/mo, which is fair, but I just mean I'm not surprised it's given up so quickly). I wouldn't mind completely cancelling the contract early and taking the whole thing under my name and paying for my own contract now, but IDK if there'll be cancellation fees etc. I've been considering just buying the new phone and not saying anything until later, but he'd definitely notice (Samsung > iPhone switch) and I also don't want to lie to him.
Any advice on how to approach him with this? Again, sorry for the silly ask, I'm just kinda stressed about this right now. Thank you in advance.

This is some feedback for Specter support. I also posted it on the forums but I'd really like if Anet would consider some things, so posting here for more visibility. I'll be talking a lot about PvE Shadow Arts changes and Specter's hampered potential for healing. I tried to highlight in bold some main issues. I'm not great with reddit formatting sorry!
Starting with the June 28th patch in 2022.
Shadow Arts' healing capabilities were significantly nerfed in last years June 28th balance patch. Merciful ambush had the revive % boost removed. Even though it heals when entering and exiting stealth, Shadow Arts also had stealth access removed in the very same patch. ie. Heal skill no longer grants stealth. This gives less options for burst healing eg. with a well of sorrow + shadow squall combo. But potentially more importantly, stealth was indirectly nerfed through the removal of Hidden Thief's deception skill cd reduction. (this is regarding PvE only). This nerfed blinding powder and shadow refuge as group stealth utility options in PvE due to long cooldowns. Not only that but this change trickles down and nerfs any trait that would grant a benefit to stealthing allies (Panaku's Ambition, Cover of Shadows).
Usually when Anet removes utility cooldown reduction traits, the classes have those cooldown reductions baked into the skill type iteself. eg. Thief signets, Tricks, etc. Why are Deception skills an exception?(that rhymed hehe). Deception skill cooldown reduction was completely removed and received 0 compensation in PvE. Meaning shadow refuge and shadow step(with shadow saviour and traversing dusk) are not a good option with their long cooldowns. Do deception skills REALLY need such a long cd in PvE? Even Druid's glyph of the stars is only 48 seconds nowadays and is effectively far stronger with stability worked in, in comparison to Thief's shadow refuge.
Upcoming June 27th Patch
Now the trait Shadestep is having the siphon rez removed through a trait rework. This was an incredibly fun ability, making you something like a lesser heal scourge and was a fantastic supporting option at the cost of some overall dps loss. I wish there was an explanation for this or some reasoning behind it because it makes no sense. Not that what we get with the Shadestep rework is bad, but did the siphon rez really need to be deleted?
I'm pumped for the alacrity and scepter targeting changes, though comedically according to the patch notes Specter apparently no longer grants alac lol, but I'm really not sure why Specter can't have solid trait synergy with Shadow Arts as a more heal focussed build or even have more healing options. All Specter effectively gets is consume shadows and healing from shadow steps. Honestly feels like since the EoD beta, healing options keep being taken away from SpecteThief and it's a real shame as this class has a lot of potential.

I'm sure this has been asked a million times here but every time I click on a thread, the comments with the answers have seemingly been deleted or nobody really answers it.
I just bought TEW 2020, and it immediately told me to get the patch. I downloaded the patch, I followed the instructions. Now, there's two TEW 2020s in the folder on my desktop. One, when I go to open it says it can't be run (it was already extracted) and the other will open but it immediately pops up saying that I need to get the patch.
What gives?

I see many people on this sub saying they have zero plans to live in their first home for longer than 7-10 years, yet they still say they’re using a conventional loan.
Do people not realize ARM loans are normal 30 year loans, but with lower rates, but just might go up after 10 or so years?
In my case, I am saving 1.5% ($350/mo) by just choosing a 10 year ARM loan because I know I will not be sending my future kids to school where I am that I plan to have in 5 or so years. I just want to stop renting for the next decade and build equity.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/128-Bertha-St-Pittsburgh-PA-15211/11363499_zpid/

Gun glitch got patched in this recent update. If you didn't know what it was, you could shoot in vehiclrs as the driver. What are your thoughts personally? Imo, it was a bad idea to patch it since it was fair and either team could do it. Even then, I've only seen two people using it and both were last year. Idk maybe I'm biased since I was a frequent user of it and basically cooked every cop/crim that went after me.

Have a few items i'm trying to clear out all in great condition, noted if games are loose or CIB. Open to Offers on bigger bundles for some discounts.
Shipping starts at $5.00 with Free Shipping on Bundles over $75 with Pics upon request.

PS4

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir Storybook Edition SEALED $140
Metro Redux CIB $15
Rise of the Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary Extras Only No Game $10
COD : Infinite Warfare Legacy Edition CIB $10
Plants vs Zombies 2 : Garden Warfare $10
Has Been Heroes CIB $10
The Division $5
Deus Ex MD $10

XBox One

One Lords of the Fallen $10
Phantom Black Controller CIB USED $30 (Controller is 7/10 cosmetic wise with bottom back bumpers having heavy scuffs & 9/10 overall function wise)

PS Vita

Toukiden: Kiwami $35
The Walking Dead: Season 2 $30
Hot Shots Golf World Invitational $30
Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 1 $60
Dynasty Warriors Next $25
Stranger Of Sword City $30
Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space $30
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace $45
Shantae Half-Genie Hero [Risky Beats Edition] $60
UnEpic SEALED $130
Risk Of Rain SEALED $45
Aqua Kitty SEALED $60
Grand Kingdom Case $10
Toukiden : Kiwami Case $15
Reverie $40
Sir Eatsalot $50

3DS

Legend Of Legacy Launch Edition SEALED $65
Crush 3D Loose in 3DS Case $10
Cubic Ninja Loose in 3DS Case $10
Codename S.T.E.A.M $5
Warioware D.I.Y Loose in 3DS Case $30
Smash Bros 3DS CIB $17
Steel Diver CIB $8
Rodea the Sky Soldier Launch Edition CIB $30
OEM Charging Base for original 3DS $20

PS1

Fighter Maker Loose $10
FF Tactics GH CIB $30
FF9 CIB (Case damaged) $15
Crash Bandicoot 2 Loose in Twisted Metal GH Case $15
Sim City 2000 Game+Case (damaged) $10
Oddworld Abes Oddysee CIB $20

DS

Intec DS Case $10
Score 6x Game Cartridge Case $10
Bleach Blade Of Fate Loose $15
Advance Wars 2 Days of Ruin Loose $30

N64

N64 Console with hookups and 1x OEM Grey Controller (Controller is in good condition 8/10 and analog stick is 8/10, console was painted with black acrylic spray paint from previous owner and cartridge slot has been modded to play Japanese N64 carts so doesn't include the slot flaps) $70 shipped - https://imgur.com/a/d83hiHu
007 GoldenEye Loose $35
Beetle Adventure Racing Loose $20
Snowboard Kids 1 Loose $50
007 The World is Not Enough $20
Quake 2 $20
Rush 2049 (damaged label) $40
Armorines Project SWARM $15
Pokemon Puzzle League $30
WCW vs NWO Revenge $15

PS3 $6 Each unless Noted

Final Fantasy X/X2 Remaster Limited Edition CIB $15
NiNoKuni 1 Steelbook CIB $30
Tales Of Symphonia Chronicles CIB $20
Zone Of The Enders HD Collection CIB $15
Yakuza 3 Loose $15
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Loose $15
Genji Days Of The Blade $20
Genji Days Of The Blade Loose $10
South Park : The Stick of Truth SEALED $10
Need for Speed Most Wanted CIB $10
Infamous
Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty Ghost
Need for Speed Pro Street
Call of Duty Modern Warfare
Red Faction Guerilla x2
Battlefield 3
MoH Warfighter LE Loose
Darksiders
Darksiders 2
Crysis 2
Deus Ex HR
Call of Duty 2 Steelbook
Mercenaries 2 in Generic Case
Warhawk
Call of Duty MW3 x2
Assassins Creed 4 BF
Beyond Steelbook Bad shape broken at spine
Uncharted Dual Pack in Custom generic case

PS2 $6 Each Unless Noted

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec $10
Soul Caliber 2 CIB $15
ATV Offroad Fury 4 $10
MDK 2 Armageddon Loose $10
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 $10
The Getaway $10
Samurai Showdown Anthology $30
007 Agent Under Fire Loose $10
Test Drive GH $10
FIFA 2001 CIB $10
Star Wars The Force Unleashed CIB
Army Men Soldiers of Misfortune
Welcome to Jumpack Demo Disc
Metal Arms in Generic Case
MX vs ATX
Army Men
Rocky
NCAA Football 2004
Army Men : Sarges Hero
Full Spectrum Warrior
FIFA 2001 MLS
NCAA Football 2003
NCAA Football 2004
Eye Toy Antigrav with Eye Camera $20
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2
Wheel of Fortune
Motorcross Mania 3
Seaworld Deep Sea Adventures
Socom US Navy Seal
Red Faction Case $5
Final Fantasy X-2
ThrillVille
Call of Duty 2 The Big Red One in generic Case

Snes Games

Mortal Kombat 2 (label is damaged) $10

XB360 $7 Each unless Noted

Zone Of The Enders HD Collection Limited Edition SEALED $60
The Evil Within
BF3 Limited Edition
Kinect Adventures
Motionsports
Call of Duty Ghosts
3rd Party Controller $10
Darksiders 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance in Gamestop Case $10
OEM Black Controller with Battery Pack $20

OG Xbox $7 Each unless Noted

Fable The Lost Chapters PH $15
TRON 2.0 Killer App $15
Testdrive
Call of Duty 2 $10
Need for Speed Underground $10
Midnight Club 3 Case with Burnout 3 Disc
Wreckless
Unreal Championship 1
Mace Griffon
Cabelas Deer Hunt 2005
Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball
Chase : Hollywood Stunt Driver
Star Wars : Obi-Wan CIB $10

Gamecube

GB Player OEM Case Holder *Missing outer cardboard and Manual $25
NFL2k3 CIB $8
Monopoly Party+Manual in Blockbuster Case $10
Star Wars Rogue Leader+Manual in DVD Case $15
Spiderman 2 Player's Choice (Missing Manual) $15
Megaman Anniversary Collection (Missing Manual) $20
MC Groovez Dance Craze$10
Fifa Soccer 2002 $10
Spiderman 1 Case $5
007 NightFire Case with Fantastic Four Games $5

Switch

TechKen Switch Pro Wireless Controller Purple $20
Ys VIII Lacrimosa Of DANA (PAL Version) CIB $40

Wii

Nights Journey of Dreams in Gamestop Case & Manual $10
Generic Dual Wiimote Charging Dock $10

Covers, Cases and Manuals

8x Universal Game Cases (N64,SNES,Genesis,etc) $8 Each
3DS Persona Q : Shadow of the Labyrinth Case $15
Wii Dragon Quest Swords Manual $7
Wii Monster Hunter 3 Manual $5
Wii Elebits Manual $5
GC Ghost Recon Case & Manual $7
GC True Crime Streets of LA Case & Manual $10
GC Spiderman 1 Case Only $7
GC Dead to Rights Case & Manual $10
GC Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Case & Manual $10
GC Hitman 2 Case & Manual $10
GC MoH Frontline Case & Manual $7
GC Rainbow Six 3 Case & Manual $7
PS2 Call of Duty FH Case & Manual $7
GC NFL 2K3 Case $5
GC Turok Evolution Case & Manual $5
PS4 Nioh Case $5
PS Vita Exist Archive Case $5
PS3 Zone of Enders HD Collection Case & Manual $10
PS2 Dragon Quest 8 Case & Manual $10
PS2 Onimusha 2 Case & Manual $10
PS2 Tekken 5 Case & Manual $10
PS2 Kingdom Hearts 1 GH Case & Manual $10
PS2 Kingdom Hearts 2 GH Case & Manual $10
PS2 Area 51 Case PAL version $5
GC NBA 2K2 Case & Manual $10
PS2 Final Fantasy X-2 Case $ Manual $10
PS2 Starwars Battlefront Case & Manual $10
GC Prince of Persia Cover & Manual $10
GC Viewtiful Joe 1 Manual $20
PS2 Katamari Damacy Cover & Manual $10
GC Burnout 3 Takedown $5
PS2 Nightmare before Christmas Oogies Revenge Cover & Manual $15
PS2 GTA San Andreas Cover & Manual $10
PS2 Capcom Classic Collection Cover & Manual $15
PS2 Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution Manual $5
PS2 Megaman X Collection Cover & Manual $15
PS2 Star Ocean Till the End of Time Cover & Manual $10
PS2 R-Type Final Cover & Manual $15
PS2 Soul Caliber 2 Cover $7
XB Panzer Dragoon Orta Cover & Manual $30
XB Ninja Gaiden Black Cover & Manual $10
PS2 Mad Maestro Cover & Manual $10
PS2 007 Everything or Nothing Manual $5
PS2 Half Life 2 Cover $10
PS2 Devil May Cry 3 Cover & Manual $10
PS2 FF X-2 Cover & Manual $10
PS2 REZ Cover & Manual $15
PS2 Rygar Cover & Manual $10
PS2 Chaos Legion Manual $7
PS2 Zone of Enders 1 Cover & Manual $10
PS2 Final Fantasy 12 Manual $7
PS2 Front Mission 4 Cover & Manual $10
PS2 Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Cover $7
PS2 Escape from Monkey Island Cover $7
PS1 Final Fantasy Chronicles GH Back/Front Cover & Manual $10
PS1 Tenchu 1 Cover & Manual $15
PS1 Final Fantasy 7 GH Front/Back Cover & Manual $15
PS1 Buster Bros Collection Cover & Manual $20
GC Zelda Master Quest Manual + Windwaker Promotional Paperwork $30
PS2 Black Case & Manual $10

I just hope that people see this post, that they might start spreading the news before it’s too late. Something big is coming, something ancient, something older than any of us could have ever imagined. It might be too late. I don’t know what will become of me, of the people I love that I might never see again, by the time you are reading this. But I implore you to listen and take this story seriously, because it could save your life. Or not. I don’t know yet how deep this goes. If it’s true, if what I think is true…God help us. Nothing can save us now.
I’ll start at the beginning, because you need to understand how long this has been happening, and the implications of what is possible now that it’s getting worse. Over winter break, I went to visit my friend from high school, Jackson, in Vermont. He goes to Bennington College, studies Social Sciences with a minor in Linguistics. Smart guy. He used to write my papers for me in English class, and I would pay him back in six packs. That’s always how it was: him, studious and put together, and me itching to get outside. I was constantly on the move, biking through the forests behind my house, trail-running, building a treehouse for my little brothers, you name it. I wanted to get my hands dirty, get into nature. I guess that’s why I opted out of college, and went for camp counselor positions and summer gigs until I secured a conservation job with a park near home. Nature is important to me, and I want to do my part as the generation that has a responsibility to heal the world.
The outside was what called me to Bennington, aside from the fact that I missed my best buddy. I don’t remember when it was first brought to my attention, but I became aware of murmurings of Bennington’s rocky past online about a few months before I was set to visit Jackson. Being an experienced outdoorsman, I wasn’t afraid; on the contrary, I was rather excited to get out there and prove my worth to Jackson and his college buddies, who were far less athletic than I am. Looking back, I’m kicking myself for being so cocky. I can’t believe I ever thought of my best friend in that way.
From what I could see on the internet, Bennington College’s history was a long and often sinister one. There were videos about people vanishing into thin air: a girl wearing a red parka went for a hike alone and was never found, an experienced man leading an outdoor expedition disappeared in the woods, a woman fell into a stream, doubled back to the campsite to change her clothes, but never made it to the site, a man on a bus disappeared from the vehicle at a stop but left all of his luggage, a teenage boy was waiting in his mother’s truck and when she came back, he was mysteriously gone…I wish I could say these stories deterred me from poking my head somewhere where it didn’t belong.
Instead, I only grew more curious. What was going on in this so-called “Bennington Triangle?” I was in a unique position to investigate this phenomenon for myself. Many people hear about strange occurrences and the intrigue piques their interest, but they never have the chance to see it for themselves. But I could. I knew I could hold my own out in the wilderness—it was literally my job! Besides, I was a strong, slightly stubborn young man, built steadily, and I could protect myself well. What could possibly happen to me out in those woods, much less to a group of young college-aged men? The people who went missing most likely made one fatal mistake that cost them their lives, or maybe it was all just a big coincidence. Either way, I was about to find out for myself.
It was halfway through December when I left to meet up with Jackson. I got there on the last day of classes, and Jackson told me he would be busy until later in the day. I assumed he was cramming for a final, and I told him it was no big deal, I would meet up with him and maybe meet some of his buddies later. Besides, I had some plans of my own.
The most famous missing persons case in Bennington went cold, and is still unsolved to this day. The case is a tragic one, and I didn’t want to be insensitive by going around asking for information or throwing around names. Everything I needed, I found online. Paula Welden was the name of the girl in the red parka that went missing. Allegedly, she left campus one day to go on a hike by herself. She left the campus around 3pm and hitchhiked to an entrance to the Long Trail, a trail that runs for almost 300 miles from Massachusetts all the way to the Canadian Border. She wasn’t dressed to be outside for long, but as the story goes, she never made it back from the trail.
There was one sighting of her, however, that particularly interested me. A man reported that he had seen her running around, rather erratically, in the bottom of a gravel pit near the entrance to campus, and I wanted to see if there was anything left of the pit. Because I’m experienced with many different kinds of natural phenomena, I initially wondered if there wasn’t a natural explanation for her distressed behavior. I thought maybe there might be an insect nest or an infestation of small animals at the bottom of the pit that she might have disturbed, so I decided to check it out in my free time.
After the RA checked me in and I tossed my luggage into Jackson’s dorm, I packed a small backpack with essentials: water, sunscreen, energy bars, mini first aid kit, some rope, a utility tool, a flashlight, and a lightweight jacket. Then I headed out towards the pit.
The first thing I noticed was how much smaller the pit seemed. According to the eyewitness description of the incident, Paula was running up and down the side of a deep gravel pit, but what lay in front of me now was something much more shallow. I walked down into the center of what was left of the pit, but I could easily see over the edges. The small, dark fragments of rock crunched and ground together under my hiking boots, and the slowly sinking midday sun bounced off of the remnants of white snow around me. It was an unusually sunny day for winter, and the snow was, curiously, letting up for my visit. But the good luck for me ran out here—there seemed to be nothing to investigate at this location. My hopes of finding any evidence of insect or pest infestation that could have disturbed the girl were dashed, maybe buried several feet underground.
I lingered awhile, kicking at the bits of gravel in the small pit. I watched the small rocks scatter over the rest of the gravel, hitting up against the edge of the pit and rolling back down a few inches. I turned to go, but stopped. Maybe it was a trick of my eye, the sun reflecting harshly off of the snow and glinting in my sunglasses, causing me to not see clearly. I walked to the edge of the pit and kicked some more gravel at the side. The small rocks skipped across the uneven surface of the gravel pile, and scattered up the edge of the pit, farther than gravity should allow them to travel. I kicked more, and it happened again. My heart started beating faster.
I crouched down and picked up a small stone. I rolled it gently across the gravel, softly enough that it started to slow when it reached the incline of the side of the pit. I watched, astounded, as the rock slowly rolled uphill about a foot before coming to a stop. I gave a shout of excitement and jumped to my feet.
As I stood up straight I nearly fell back down. In an instant, my hearing seemed to go and I felt an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. I spun around, thinking someone must be behind me, messing with me, but the sensation of closeness stayed pressing at my back. I spun around again, searching for an explanation. My head was fuzzy. I heard my footsteps, overwhelmingly loud, and I couldn’t hear anything else, almost as if my range of hearing was limited to my immediate surroundings. Like I was trapped in the pit. As soon as those words flashed through my head, the claustrophobia overwhelmed me, pushing up against the very air around my body. The silence built up inside my ears until all I could hear was my muffled footsteps, my desperate breathing, and the blood rushing faster and faster through my body.
I lunged for the edge, clambering up the side as fast as I could. Instantly upon passing over the edge the sounds of the late afternoon bore down on my ears. I stumbled and covered my ears, the chirping of the birds and rustling leaves almost too loud for me to bear.
It’s not that I was scared. Obviously, I was a little shaken up. As I hastened back towards Jackson’s dorm, I tried to rationalize what had just happened to me. Maybe I hadn’t drank enough water and I simply became dizzy. Maybe it was altitude sickness. Maybe a strange bug had bitten me and I temporarily lost my bearings. Nothing quite made sense. I tried to push it from my mind and focus on having a good first day, because soon I would be meeting Jackson’s college buddies.
When I got back to the dorm, Jackson was waiting for me. Fresh from the shower, his hair was damp and he was putting on a clean t-shirt. Pulling me into a hug, he expressed his excitement over my visit, asked me about my flight, what I thought about the campus—all the preliminary niceties. Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. Even if he noticed, he didn’t pry and try to ask me about my slightly shaking hands, my pale face, or the vague disconnectedness with which I answered his questions.
That night eased my worries slightly. I ended up meeting Jackson’s group of friends and, together, we ventured into downtown Bennington. We hit a few bars and chilled at some of the many breweries in town. Live music, good company, and many, many beers did wonders on my nerves. By the end of the night, I had completely forgotten all about my encounter in the gravel pit. Jackson’s friends were nice guys, and I was too busy feeling proud about my best friend coming out of his shell in college. When he left, I had my doubts, but it was crystal clear that Jackson was really coming into himself at this school.
The festivities continued for the next few days: the guys were stoked to be done with their final exams and excited to connect with Jackson’s old friend, so we spent our time drinking and hanging out, bumping music and generally having a blast. It was almost enough for me to forget about one of the very reasons I was excited to be in Bennington in the first place.
It’s been a few days since that incident. I had even almost started to feel better about the whole thing. Maybe it was a mistake to poke around in old history, and maybe I should just focus on living my own life and fulfilling my own passions, working to heal nature as best as I can. But now Jackson and his friends want to go on a hike, and I’m starting to feel that same claustrophobia creeping back in. What the hell is out there, and why do I feel like I shouldn’t be messing with it?
Jackson chose the hike, not me. It was like him; he was the researcher, he was the one who looked at details, so he suggested we hike on the Long Trail. It intersected with the Appalachian Trail, and maybe I wasn’t paying attention when Jackson explained this to me, because it didn’t raise any alarms about the missing persons cases. Paula Welden went missing on the Long Trail, sure—but she wasn’t with a group of capable college guys like I was.
We packed some backpacks, crushed a beer or two for celebratory sakes, and set off on the trail. I let myself feel excited as we stomped through the trees, Jackson and his friends decked out in their matching red Bennington shirts from graduation. The hike was long. It was tedious. I don’t know when I first started noticing the weird aspects around us until about an hour in. The others didn’t pay any mind to these things, but I saw them: leaves drifting in the air with no breeze, snowflakes trapped in patches of sunlight, floating but unmoving, and that tree. It was a towering douglas fir, half-dead and reaching for the afternoon sun with bare branches. Each time I looked over my shoulder to check for hikers behind us or glanced ahead to see what awaited us, it was there. At first I assumed my eyes were playing tricks on me. After all, we had been hiking for a few hours.
Only when we stopped for a breather and Jackson pointed at a nearby stream did the weird things become too much for me. We were hiking on an incline, and we were exhausted, but when Jackson knelt beside this stream, it was flowing uphill. By then I was a little panicked. I freaked out, telling them that we needed to head back. Who cares if we hadn’t reached the halfway point yet? Was there even a halfway point? It felt like we had been walking for miles!
One of Jackson’s buddies opened up a map of the trail on his phone, and it was blank. He had service and bars, but the map was just…gone. Shocked with sudden fear, we immediately turned and headed back down the path. The sky darkened within minutes of us retracing our steps. Somehow, night was falling, despite us beginning the hike only a few hours prior. I tried to point it out, pulling Jackson aside when we slowed our pace to pass around a bottle of water. But Jackson was terrified and unfocused, and when I asked him what was wrong, we realized that one member of our five-person group was missing. How had we not noticed?
So, we made a U-turn and headed back up the mountain. Twenty minutes later, we found his torn university shirt. I turned the red fabric over in my hands, panicked and bewildered. When I looked up to scan our surroundings, I saw that same Douglas fir directly to my left. I was shocked, and the rest of the group must have noticed. We looked at each other and saw the panic rising on our faces. What the hell was happening?
I only had one goal at this point: we had to get down the mountain to call for help.
We decided to do our best to follow the trail on the way we came up, but only once daylight broke; it was difficult to make out the trail in the dark cover of the night, so I insisted it would be too dangerous. Someone could fall and get seriously injured, we could all get separated in the dark, or worse. So we did our best to hunker down and build a makeshift shelter to wait out the night, but it wasn’t easy. I can only describe the sounds we heard as otherworldly. Despite the lack of animals in the woods, nature seemed to be alive around us. The clicking of bugs kept me wide awake, but the noises were louder and deeper than I had ever heard. The baying of giant wolves, so close I imagined them coming up directly behind us. The snuffling of something in the underbrush, but from a cavernous creature larger than any moose could ever be.
Where had these animals been in the daytime? Why did it feel like they were surrounding us now?
I don’t know how I ever fell asleep, but when I awoke in the morning, the sun was beating down on us. From the sheen of sweat on my forehead to the dreadful pit in my stomach, I could tell something was horribly wrong.
When I scrambled to my feet and glanced around the area, I realized that only Jackson and I remained at our site. It was us, the clothes on our backs, and the demure amount of leftover supplies in our pockets: keys, gum wrappers, half-eaten power bars, and anything else that was ultimately unhelpful. We had been stranded on the forest floor, us against nature, as if something had swooped in from above and whisked Jackson’s friends under the pitch-black cover of the night.
I frantically took in our surroundings, peering into the bushes and pushing through thorny shrubbery. There were no tracks, no drag marks. Not even broken branches. I told Jackson we had to get out of there, and fast. I knew we needed to find the closest trailhead and book it down the mountain. Jackson ran so fast he nearly chipped a tooth on a steep hill. He was trying to keep up with me since I was faster by a long shot. All that sports stuff in high school paid off in the moment, so I almost felt bad leaving him in the dust. I called back over my shoulder to him every minute or so, making sure he was there.
He stuck with me for the most part. His t-shirt got torn by overhanging branches at one point, leaving a nasty scrape almost as red as the decimated fabric. I found myself struggling to remember if he was wearing that shirt to begin with, back when we started.
Then I decided I was losing it. It was like a fight against nature, Jackson and me against the blaring sun and sloping trail. Eventually, Jackson starts glaring menacingly at the passing scenery, cursing loudly and deliriously at everything surrounding us.
When we stumbled upon a trail marker, we barely had enough energy to celebrate. While we caught our breath, I tried to calm Jackson down. Something told me that cursing out Mother Nature wasn’t the best idea right now. Whatever was sicking the elements on us wouldn’t appreciate the nasty things he was saying about them. But he was terrified, and nothing I said could slap any reason into him. I had to lead us to safety, get us out of here.
Suddenly, I heard a sound in the distance. But unlike everything else we had heard so far, this one was man made. Jackson heard it too, and started yelling about a helicopter. He made a break off to the left, towards the sound, and I bolted after him. Somehow, he burst out into a tiny clearing.
Ripping off his red Bennington shirt, he started calling out and waving it in the air like a rescue flag. He jumped and shouted, but as the helicopter got closer, the unbelievable happened. The clearing started shrinking, tree branches reaching from either side to close the gap and obscure us from the view of the pilot. Jackson screamed in fury, cursing the forest like never before.
Then the chopper must have been lowering down towards the treelike because the wind picked up, blowing in circles around us like the blades were inches from our heads, faster and faster, more violent by the second.
The brush beneath our feet blew up in the air along with the topsoil and dead leaves, obscuring our vision. We could hear each other gasping for breath, trying to keep the debris out of our eyes and coughing. I flung my arms out into the space around me, calling for my best friend and reaching out for his hands. But then I felt something shift. The decaying leaves around me smelled stronger. The wind became more vicious. The earth trembled beneath my feet, and I thought I felt something looming above me, breathing down my neck but also looking straight into my unseeing eyes.
Then it clicked. Jackson's red shirt, the gravel pit, Paula's erratic behavior, the other missing hikers...something was picking these people off, luring them deeper into the woods where they were sure to never be seen again. Did the color red cause whatever it was to literally see red, like a sick, twisted joke? Like a giant bull in front of a matador? What kind of creature could it be? Such a stealthy hunter, a commanding presence that made man tremble at the sensation of its mere aura...I couldn't even think about it without snapping my mind.
Before the flurry of leaves and moist earth settled back onto the ground, I knew Jackson was gone. I knew the chopper hadn’t seen us and that I was on my own now. I tried not to panic as I felt like every hidden eye in the forest was staring me down, sizing me up. I took off blindly, but where to, I didn’t know. After what seemed like hours of desperately sprinting, I saw a pile of rocks in the distance. Shelter, I thought, and decided to rest there for a minute to get my wits back about me.
Then I had an idea. With what little juice I had in my phone and whatever cell service luck would afford me, I knew I had to send out a warning. For some reason, I didn’t think about myself. I didn’t think about dying, disappearing, or whatever had happened to my friends. If the nature around me would be the thing to end my life, so be it. I had decided to dedicate my life to nature long ago: to save it from my fellow man, to preserve its beauty, and to keep it out of the wrong hands, the people that wanted to use its power for evil and to bring about the harm of those around them. I know it sounds ridiculous to be thinking about when my life was at stake, but I knew it was what I needed to do.
From my makeshift hiding spot in the rocks, I began furiously typing my story with what little battery I had left on my phone. When my hands started cramping, I used the voice option. I didn’t care. I just had to get my story out there.
For an hour , I’d been trying to put it all down in words. I couldn't believe my luck, that my battery hadn’t run out yet.
I had almost gone to the end when I felt the same creeping silence begin to close in on me. It was as if the forest was falling silent around me, and that silence was racing in on all sides, but it was different from when I was in the gravel pit. There was more to the sensation this time, not just the sinking, breathless feeling and the loss of hearing.
Somewhere deep within the forest, but at the same time, only miles away, I heard an awful rumbling sound, something I’ve never heard before. Nothing like the helicopter, not even the giant animals I was convinced I had heard in the night. I can't even think of a word to describe it, but it filled me with a frantic kind of dread that I’ve never felt before. I feel it in the ground. My entire body wants to run as fast as I can, but it’s like I’m glued to the ground. I taste metal in my mouth like maybe I bit my cheek or the dirt from the wind or I bit on a rock, I spit and I can’t get it out. I’m going to open an app and copy and paste it so people can know while I still can type I’m shaking so hard they have to know.
And the smell I’m smelling it’s like fruit that’s gone ripe, but it keeps getting more ripe, a sickly sweetness that keeps building mixed with the smell of the richest earth imaginable.
This is happening now, I’m smelling this now and It’s it’s like I’m trapped under the shadow of some thing bigger something that’s taking the shadow away from the trees and I can’t see the shadow of the trees anymore and the ground around me is trembling. It’s like I can hear the trees calling out to whatever it is, that’s walking towards me or flying I can’t tell, everything is stretching and growing out towards me. No behind me above me something is coming. I’m I feel better right I feel better than I have in days or however long I’ve been out here I’m not thirsty anymore. I’m not hungry anymore. I feel fuller stronger smarter. My mind is overloading. I’m thinking of 1 million things like I don’t know if I can speak anymore it’s like, it’s like I’m fruit like I’m a ripening on the vine and this giant wings beating above me and the smell is too much I

(1) He’s disappointing. Sa umpisa lang talaga maganda ang lahat kahit sa mga fubu relationships na yan. When I first met this guy, god he was a beast in bed. He made sure that he pleasured me until I was overstimulated. Lately though, we just fuck for convenience sake. Which is good naman except yung needs lang nya yung namemeet. Puta, eh paano naman ako. He cums so fast, nakakabitin. Hindi rin sya available at all times tulad ng kahapon. Oh eh paano naman ako na may sexual needs? It feels like talking to a wall when I reach out to him saying na gusto ko ng sex. Aba, eh pag sya naman yung horny, puta ako pa naghohost. Gago talaga. Hindi lang pala sa mga romantic relationships naaapply yung “know your worth”…. Pati din pala sa mga fubu relationships.
(2) I feel like I’m not meant for the fubu system As mentioned earlier, I usually crave for sex. But the truth is, your fubu partner wouldn’t be available for you at all times. And worse, hindi ka rin nya ippriority to meet your needs kasi hindi ka naman nya jowa. Unlike if jowa, there’s feelings involved so kusa talagang immeet yung sexual demands ng partner mo bec you care about that person. So I think mas bagay lang ako sa system of the latter. Sucks, wala nga lang akong jowa so realistically speaking, I’ll probably go back and find another fubu or like one night stand lang.
Idk im still trying to figure it out.🤷🏻‍♀️

So recently, I sold things out to get a capital. i gained 3,000 and now I have 3,900 because of reselling headphones. But my friend who is my supplier, i asked if i could go with him if he will ever go restock so I could meet his supplier too, so the main objective here was to lessen cost he was buying it for 2,500 and I’m buying it for 2850 from him
He then said “Di mo pwede tanunging kung sino supplier ng supplier mo Negats sa ganyan boy haha Di pa ba sapat yung tinutulong ko sayo para kumita? Haha”
I’m new to business. I want to know what went wrong here so I wanna know if it’s a bad thing to ask about who the supplier is.
By the way i asked him in a nice way tho and last time he invited me to come join him to the suppliers location but now idk what’s up to him.

There's a pressing matter that needs to be discussed. I had hoped to make a video showcasing what I mean.
With the new Soul Surge mechanic, supports will be asked to kill themselves to provide farm for their team mates or any players they deem not useful to the team. The process would involve the support being asked to die to Goldfury or the team's jungle camps to spawn a Soul Surge in that location. The gold and xp given is meaningful enough to warrant it. I ask the community to nip this in the bud before this launches in the new patch.