Immediately hiring near me

After playing SCN a couple times on different routes I noticed something strange. Every time the 'Red Land' is mentioned it's in an ominous sense. From google I found out that the Egyptians called the desert the "red land", distinguishing it from the flood plain around the Nile River, called the "black land". It's also ,mentioned that they feared the red land and were reluctant to actually travel there. It was a barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides, and was a source of precious metals and stones. Due to this, I'm guessing some people were brave enough to venture there.
Now onto what I noticed, initially Eva and Rame were eavesdropping on the merchants and customers. This is what they had to say about the red land.
Eva is shocked by this, but before she comments on anything there is a disruption with Agnia and Eva doesn't ponder on the topic again.
Fast forward to the last chapter 5. We get a prompt that says choosing to drink the rest of the alcohol with Rame will affect the plot.
​
If Eva drinks the rest of the alcohol she immediately falls asleep.
However, If she declines she finds out more information about the red land.
Based on everything so far, the red land is definitely a dangerous place. There are mentions of a 'dweller of the red land' a so called beautiful young man lures travelers and apparently tries to kill them.
I definitely do not think any of this is a coincidence and something tells me we will eventually meet this 'dweller of the red land.' He could be somehow connected to the curse that plagues Egypt, or maybe somehow connected to Dia.
​

My coworker thought it would be really funny to push me, and I ended up not being able to work. I've been on physical therapy and medications for a while, and music wise I've been focusing on production, since it's like about the only thing I can do. I just feel really frustrated because I'm not able to sing much, and I get so tired and in pain that I end up resting for several days to weeks, not doing any music.
My current place is nice, but it doesn't contain noise well. My study area is in front of a fridge as well and I'm really tired of hearing it hum periodically. I have a bedroom, but I can't practice there because I got complaints. I also thought about moving the fridge there, but that means I have to sleep with it. I'm not really open to turning it off and not using it either. My neighbours downstairs also moved their living room, which is directly below my study area, to the bedroom area because they can hear me play music upstairs. The neighbours and landlord are all really nice people btw.
There are sometimes constructions and my ears hurt from the noise. I've also put off getting furniture, because I don't know where to put them. Sound seems to travel everywhere and I can even feel the vibrations of the washing machines two floors down, hot air from showers, and smell their shampoo and perfume.
I don't have any complaints about it, and it's one the nicest place I've lived in so far, but I'd really like to find a place where I can fully relax, put furniture and not think about other people. I refuse to live with roommates or flatmates or people in general, it's just never worked out for me and sometimes I end up being Cinderella (without the fairy godmother and prince), and I also got accused of stealing and being abusive towards them, when it's been the other way around (I've also had one roommate place her items or other people's items she stole into my bags and room/space and tell people that I stole shit from her), and male roommates creep me out and always try make the roommate relationship into something else that I don't want.
I found a place built with solid brick, but it's at the bottom of a steep hill that leads out to a fenced grassy area. It was quite painful after walking there. In regards to noise, the real estate agent said that too much noise will make anyone complain, but then he also said that he doesn't think anyone will hear anything because the place is fully sealed. (He said that when I asked him about rats, since there was a box with a rat symbol marked with X.) There is also little to no sun. I tried knocking the door of the neighbours to ask about the noise, but no one opened their door lol. Since the building is at the near bottom of a steep hill, what happens when it rains?
I don't have that much money to spend on rent, it's already taking up 50%. I would aim to spend a third, but it's just impossible to find a place to yourself in that range. I also worry that the move would be too much stress and I still won't be able to spend time on music, or there's another problem with the apartment, etc.
Should I move? Wait till I find a better place? Wait till I get better? What do I do about the fridge?

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?

19 yr old female here. I posted a few weeks ago about my chronic panic attacks, having to squirt lime juice into my mouth to stop me from having these irregular and unorthodox panic attacks, up to 6 times a day for absolutely no reason. I would punch myself very hard at times to try to think of anything else and always felt like I was just going to fade away. I had to find my only sibling passed away, and ever since then I've always been in fear of a heart attack. I started buspirone for anxiety, Zoloft for depression, and Seroquel for sleep and some extra peace. A few weeks ago as well as promethazine for nausea (I was worrying myself so bad I would convince myself I have to throw up to get a feeling of relief.) The day I started taking it I immediately felt relief. I can function normally again and haven't had a panic attack since. Medicine truly is a godsend.

I live in New Zealand and am fluent in English and want to learn another language as a hobby i love how the Russian language sounds but have no desire to travel anywhere near there, im interested in traveling abroad to Europe Africa and south america, but i have 0 interest in learning French Italian Portuguese or Spanish (i studied spanish for 2 years in high school but don't enjoy it) is there any language that would be beneficial for me to learn that has that same kind of harsh yet beautiful sound as russian? Any help is greatly appreciated

Pops up in fanfics constantly but to me it sounds about as useful as telling someone to dodge bullets.
Is there a canon answer for how fast spells move? Im drawing a blank on that.
Assuming spells are instantaneous or near instant you would probably have better luck trying to dodge rain.
​

Hey fellow Redditors!
I'm an aspiring content creator who's passionate about anime. I recently had this amazing idea of turning myself into anime characters. For example turning me into Eren Yaeger of Attack on Titan, and I think it would take my content to a whole new level. That's where you come in!
What I'm looking for:
I'm searching for talented artists who can help me bring my videos to life by transforming me into anime characters. If you're skilled in anime art and have experience in character design, this might be a perfect opportunity for you!
Requirements:

1. Proficiency in anime-style art and character design.
2. Ability to capture the essence of my videos and translate them into captivating anime characters.
3. Creativity and a keen eye for detail.
4. Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively.

Compensation:
I believe in fair compensation for creative work, so I'm willing to pay a competitive rate for your services. We can discuss the details further based on your experience and the scope of the project.

Im a veteran living in california and when I got out in 2017, I lied about the purchase price of a second hand vehicle…. (The back of the title, a lower amount was written down) And dmv ended up filing against me in 2022.
Long story short I got a no contest vehicle code misdemeanor and got on informal probation last year. Next month probation will be finished and will be getting it expunged.
The supervisor I currently do clinical at (veterans affairs hospital) really likes me and wants to hire me prior to finishing the program as a paid intern.
I passed the background check at my school but this was a couple months prior before officially getting a letter that they were going to charge me. (No arrests were made and I wasn’t booked). Immediately fought the case and that’s how I got the no-contest misd (cvc 20).
When I went to get my PIV card as a student, I filled out forms for the background check and I was already 2-3 months into my informal probation. They never asked me any questions about it nor did anyone call me or anything to ask any questions.
So my worry is, now that they want to hire me, will the freshly off probation and expunge process started, hinder me from getting hired? (Or if the process starts sooner where I’ll have literally a couple weeks before probation ends)
I’ve had a clean record my whole life, 100% permanent and total disabled vet, honorable discharge, top of my class currently, letter of recommendations from any previous employers, you name it. Just really stupid decisions not thinking about the severity of something I took lightly in the past.

Introduction
The short story you are about to read was created/inspired/based on a variety of sources related to or about Aniara. Aniara rock opera (Seventh Wonder) - The Great Escape, the Aniara wikipedia page, the Aniara film, poem etc. So if you read something and it sounds familiar, it's probably because it comes from or is based on, one of those sources. I have also tried to incorporate some of the thoughts and ideas expressed here on aniara, so some of you may see that reflected. I have not read everything that has to do with the Aniara universe, but I have found many of the resources listed on aniara very helpful in creating this short story. Thank you for those. I have also included a couple alternate endings.
Also, this story belongs to everyone, so everyone should feel free to to fill in the blanks, add to, subtract, or change any part of the story, in anyway they see fit.
I dedicate this short story to all the fans of Aniara, this story is for you and of course the late Harry Martinson.
Like many people who watched the film 'Aniara', I was mesmerized/traumatized by it. It really had a profound effect on me. So much so that I decided to write this fan fiction short story. I am not a writer. The short story that you are about to read is my (very) amateurish tribute to the film. I apologize in advance for all of the grammaspelling and other errors. Despite the (many) flaws of this short work, I hope that you can see what I was attempting to do. Anyway without further or do, I present to you:
​
The Lost Voices of Aniara: A Space Saga
WE CROWN THE SKIES WITH OUR TIARA, THE LIFE AND FATE OF ANIARA
​
Note: The following represents the most complete (so far) chronicle of events that happened onboard the Aniara.
​
Year 18 - Song of Melancholy - My name is Benjamin Jenkins, but everyone calls me "Benny", I am proud to announce that I am the new "Captain" of the mighty space "cruise ship" Aniara. Of course, my title could just as easily be the Admiral of Mars or the Conquer of the Universe, or some other ridiculous sounding grandiose title. Sometimes you must laugh in the face of despair otherwise you will go insane. It's all just for fun of course. I was given the title "Captain" by the crew because I was able to restore the communications transmitter. At least I think I was able to retore it? The lights show green for transmitting, so yeah I bet it works, and besides, all of this is being recorded for posterity and it will be placed in a time/memorial capsule. After that the capsule will be sent in the (general) direction of Mars/Home, where hopefully someone finds it. I'm also the Senior Maintenance Tech in charge of repairing/prolonging various ship systems, etc. There are now only a few remaining livable areas of the ship so it's not as much work as one might imagine. And to think 18 years ago, I was just an ordinary passenger, how far through the ranks I've come! As the "Captain" I will now recount the entire history of the Aniara, the various events, the everyday happenings, from the awe inspiring and amazing, to the boring and mundane, great triumphs and crushing defeats, all the feelings of happiness and joy that come with new life and all of the sorrows and despair that come from (too) many deaths and (too) many hardships. All of our great accomplishments, setbacks and everything in between will be laid bare before the entire universe to witness. Our love, our hate, our dreams, our wants and desires, disappointments, anger and fear but above all our HOPE. Our precious HOPE, the only thing we have left, which has kept us alive for so long. Our HOPE that this message will be received, that someone, somewhere will know our story and our struggle, our HOPE that Mars will be successfully terraformed into the paradise that we all know it can be and our HOPE that Earth will be restored to the paradise that it once was. It's all here, it's all being recorded for the future. I will start our saga from the very beginning of our trip all those years ago...
​
Hour 1 - Routine Voyage - Well, this is it! Soon I and many others will make a new home on Mars... of course if we hadn't ruined the first one...
​
Week 3 - Without a Map/A Slight Detour - Today the Captain made an announcement that there would be a slight detour in our trip. In order to avoid a collision with space debris, (which would have destroyed the ship) we had to veer off course. Some of the debris hit the nuclear reactor (a very rare event), which forced the crew to eject all of the ship's fuel. The Captain told everyone that we will be able to resume our trip to Mars once the ship passes a celestial body, which should (probably) happen in about two years. Everyone is (understandably) disgruntled by this unfortunate news. As for me I have no one waiting for me on Mars so it's not as bad.
​
Year 2 - Wait and See - After several long months of trying out all of the various amusements and other distractions, I was starting to get bored, so I spoke with one of the senior crew members and asked if I could volunteer to do something, anything. Also a job would help keep my mind off our current situation.
Today, my request to work was approved and now I'm part of the crew. My job is to do general maintenance tasks around the ship. I also help take care of the algae, which are used to supply the ship with oxygen and food. It's not a very challenging task, in fact I find it very tedious, but the algae are crucial for the ship's survival, so it gives me a sense of purpose and on top of that I also earn extra points.
Eventually, because of my (part time) job in maintenance, I would come to know every nook and cranny of the Aniara. On one particular day I noticed a slight problem (Electrostatic Diffusion Impaction or EDI) with the ship's air filtration mechanism. I was quick to inform my supervisor about the issue and together we fixed it immediately. If I hadn't spotted the problem, it could have gotten much worse and that would have been catastrophic for the crew and passengers. Afterwards my supervisor bought me a shot of (rationed) Dutch brandy. Other than that, nothing of note has really happened. Everyone is basically in a holding pattern.
One last thing. I've heard a disturbing rumor that there is no celestial body for us to turn around at... If this is true then, that would mean... But for now all we can do now is wait and see...
​
Year 3 - The Yurg/The Passing of Mima - A memorial was set up to honor the end of Mima. So much joy had she given us. On the wall among the thousands of drawings, pictures, and sad goodbye letters was a poem that went like this:
We sit and stare at all the marvels that she brings us.
Mima lead the way.
Shine your light!
Be the beacon of hope at night.
Perfect grace in the barren house of space.
Shine your light!
Blind us when reality bites.
We so need the magic she does.
Many rumors are going around about what happened to Mima. People say that the Mimarobe (MR) was the one that ended up causing Mima to die. As for me, personally, I don't believe it. The Mimarobe just didn't seem like the type. A few times after I got off from work, when I walked to the end of the long line of people waiting to see Mima, the Mimarobe would come out and say "Ok, everyone that's it that's enough for today, you have to leave now, sorry." My own personal opinion is that she was just trying to give Mima a break, so even though I was of course disappointed, I completely understood. Sometimes we all just need a break. Sometimes things just get to you and you start to feel overwhelmed. I understood the feeling. Mima was like us in that way. Anyway, Rightly or wrongly the Mimarobe was locked up in the ships brig, her and another woman, I think she was one of the pilots, Isabella\, I think was her name but I might be wrong. Oh well, our lives must go on, much sadder of course, but that's life, I guess. ****Isagel, the pilots name was Isagel, her and the Mimarobe would later become a couple.
​
Year 4 - The Cults - Strange things have started happening. Various cults have sprung up all over the ship with bizarre and strange names. One of these (that I am a member of) is called the ゴールデンサンライト・フォーエバー・クラブ - Gōrudensanraito Fōeba Kurabu - which roughly means the Golden Sunlight Forever Club. Some of these phony cults are/were created as a disguise to have outrageous sex orgies. The cult that I am part of is one of these. (HELL YEAH!). The other cults are very boring, stare out the window and worship the stars or something like that, types. (Glad I'm not a member of those!).
​
Year 5 - The Calculation - A few weeks ago I met someone special (Carmen) at one of the "worship" services. I've seen her before a few times, but this is the first time that we "connected" and it was amazing. I'm glad that she accepts my physical imperfections (burns scars). Now we are a couple and have left the cult.
Fantastic news! The Captain has announced that an Emergency Refuel Rescue Probe is on its way! The news of the rescue probe has had an electrifying effect on the crew and passengers. Everyone is so excited that no one even cares that we will have to wait just over a year for it to get to us. People are starting to clean and pick up trash again, and the sex clubs and other cults are starting to go away (in anticipation of a return to proper civilization). Now we have hope again! Thank GOD!
​
Year 6 - The Spear - The rescue probe is almost here. (Only one week away!) I also have even more great news! My girlfriend fiancée is pregnant!, now I will be a Father just like I always wanted! I have spoken to Captain Chefone and he has agreed that he will marry us on the day that the Aniara turns around and heads (finally) back to Mars/our new HOME! Even though it will take us several more years to get back, it will have been worth it to me. I am grateful for the "slight detour" we had to endure, because it allowed me to meet the love of my life! Now with our precious child on the way, I am truly happy. PURE JOY - beyond all words...
Something is wrong... After an entire year of training and preparation, the crew has successfully grappled the refuel probe and brought it on board. Everyone expected that within a few days, (a week at most) that we would turn around, but it's been three weeks and nothing. Every day the passengers ask the crew what's going on? When will we turn around? and every day we get the same answer: "Soon, everything is going according to plan, just be patient." People are starting to doubt and lose hope. I even walked right up to Captain Chefone but he knew what I was going to ask and he brushed me aside very angrily saying "Not now, I'm busy!". Now I don't know what to think. One minute I have a future and the next nothing. How can this be? I don't understand! WHY?
Catastrophe! After work I went straight to my quarters to sleep, it had been an exhausting day. Just after I fell asleep, I was awakened by a rumbling. Then, over the speaker came the announcement: Return immediately to your cabins and fasten your seat belts! Since I was already in bed, and had no idea what was going on, I quickly fastened my belt. When it was all over [missing] passengers and crew left. I was told that it happened because of something called "bow shock", which [missing] kind of like a shock wave. The bow shock had badly damaged many systems. [missing] so now I've been "promoted" to Senior Maintenance Tech. Repairs must [missing] don't have any more spare parts for [missing] so many are dead...
Today the Mimarobe completed her beam-screen project. So now when you look outside you can see beautiful waterfalls and green fields etc. I try not to look at it too much. For me its just too painful...
Year 7 - The Fall of Heaven - Today marks the one year anniversary of the arrival of the so-called "Emergency Refuel Rescue Probe". What a very official and grand sounding name for a giant stupid looking dart or as some call it "The Spear". I've even heard some people refer to it as the "Devil's Javelin", but whatever you call it, it's of no use to us. The Astronomer had once told me before she died "supposedly" from a heart attack, (rumors say she was murdered by the captain, I don't doubt it) that all the work and tests they had done on the probe were useless and that even the hardest drills were simply ground into dust without even making so much as a scratch on the probe. Despite a literal barrage of tests and every possible experiment known, even using our most advanced lasers, they had achieved NOTHING! That was the moment I realized that we would never make it home. I even visted "The Spear" once, it was years after all the experiments had ended. There was a time when the area was heavily guarded by the crew and only authorized personnel were allowed in. Of course when I went to see it nobody was around, nobody cared, everyone had given up on it long ago. I saw all of the black marks from what must have been hundreds, if not thousands of desperate attempts to get inside it, or just to figure out what the damn thing was supposed to be. On the floor all around it were small heaps of black and silver metalic dust, remnants of our strongest and hardest drills, remnants of our hope. Our best and brightest couldn't even figure out what it was made of, let alone figure out how to use it to take us home.
I beat my hands against it over and over and I cried out my pain and anger at it. "You were supposed to save us!" "You were supposed to take us home!" You Damn! stupid thing, help us! save us!" But of course it was all useless my cries went unanswered, all I did was injure my hands and hurt my soul, assuming I even have one. After that I (I'm ashamed to admit it)... in complete and total desperation... I got down on my hands and knees in front of it and begged it to save us. "Oh, great magic spear, please save us and I will do anything, anything..."
After I had exhausted and humiliated myself I got up and went back to my quarters broken and alone. All hope was lost before my visit with "the spear" and afterwords it didn't even exist, not even as a word, as though there had never even been such a thing or concept as "hope".
I had been struck by the spear, just like everyone else, head on. My now ex-fiancée and I have split up. Things just weren't the same after the procedure. I don't blame her at all for our break-up, after talking about it, we agreed that if there was now no chance for us to make it home then... what was the point? I went with her when she had the procedure done. But before we went I secretly met with the doctor who would perform the operation and told her what I wanted done after. She told me that I was sick... that it was "disgusting", and what did I plan on doing with "it". I told her that it shouldn't matter, none of this matters, then I pulled out an EFR (emergency food ration). EFRs could remain edible for an indefinite period of time. (In theory they could last for hundreds of years.) Here I said, "one now and one when I get what I want". The doctor was stunned, I knew what she was going to say and I interrupted her and said,"Unlike everyone else I saved my emergency rations." "I only have the two left (I was lying) so don't try to extort me for more." After years of eating only algae, EFRs were (almost) more valuable than oxygen. Of course the doctor agreed and I got what I wanted. It might sound crazy but I had a plan. Fate had taken my family away, but I was prepared to defy even the gods themselves. I was determined that I would have my FAMILY! No matter what! Nothing and no one, no force of nature, no power in all the universe would take that from me. NO! NEVER!
I asked me a question, no reply.
I dreamt me a life and live a lie.
Dream me a nightmare...
I traveled the stars but passed them by.
For trapped on Aniara, here was I.
...always been leaving.
​
Year 8 - [missing]
​
Year 9 - The Daily Grind - I have now returned to reality. I have stopped all of the sick and sad mind games that I have being torturing myself with. I once created a "plan" to do the impossible, but no more, no more. Everyday now seems like an endless pointless, struggle. Sometimes [missing] and hours. Some of my co-workers stopped [missing] for now that's all any of us can do...
​
Year 10 - The Jubilee - Tonight at the Light-Year Hall, those of us that are still left are going to "celebrate" the 10th anniversary of our 3 week voyage to Mars or as I like to call it the "never ending space adventure" Ha!
Captain Chefone gave the Mimarobe a medal for her creation of the beam-screen device. I sat in the front row and couldn't help but notice that one of the Captains wrists was bandaged, probably from another suicide attempt...
​
Year 11 - Hope Restored - My ex-fiancée is dead. She commited suicide like so many others before. I was hard at work trying to revive the algae (they had been neglected for some time) when my assistant rushed in and told me the news. "They were about to send her body into space, you have to hurry if you want to see her". I immediately and literally dropped everything I was doing. The algae pack I had been working on fell and splashed on the floor as I ran out the door as fast as I could. As luck would have it, I made it just in time to see her, and I even had time to cut a lock of her hair. I then kissed her one last time and said "Goodbye my love... but, goodbye is not forever."
Then that was it, off she went into the empty, endless, void. She was gone I told myself, but not dead. I squeezed the lock of hair in my hand and vowed that I would bring her back to life, somehow, someway, I would make things right, we would live the life we were supposed to have. I would make it happen. It would happen. Suddenly, I felt a force deep inside me rushing to the surface. It had been years but I knew what it was, It had returned to me, a feeling of exuberation, of joy and the certainty of knowing that everything would be okay. I now resurrected my "plan" and now I had a reason to live again, I had a purpose, and now I had......HOPE! And this time I was determined that I would never lose hope again. NEVER!
​
Year 12 - Return of the Cults - Some of the old cults have started making a come back... However this time they are no longer sex/fun cults, because after so many years of eating just algae, almost everyone has lost their sex drive/ability to reproduce... I think because the type algae on board was genetically modified to produce the maximum amount of oxygen possible, so it was never intended to be used as a permanent main source of nutrition. If we had access to more than just the one type, things might be different...
​
Year 13 - Foward, Foward into the cold empty night! We ride! - Captain Chefone is dead. Suicide. I knew he had been on the brink the past few years so it's not much of a surprise. I would often hear him say to himself "We should have been home by now." Of course he was right, we should have, but instead here we are stuck on this eternal "voyage of the damned".
A week after Captain Chefone died, I found myself walking by his quarters. I had the sudden impulse to go inside. I don't know what it was (probably just morbid curiosity), but I think I just wanted to find some answers...
I was surprised to find that his quarters were just as much of a mess as mine. (And everyone else's.) I think because he was the Captain, I expected a lot more. (He was only human.) After looking around the room, I went over to his desk and inside I found the Aniara's Offical Ships Log, but the electronic notepad was damaged beyond repair (on purpose). However, underneath it was a small paper notebook. "Ah, I said out loud, now this should be interesting." When I opened the notebook I was immediately disappointed. Most of the pages were torn out and those few that remained had been harshly scribbled over.
On one of the few pages not missing or completely marked over was written this: Today, we almost lost the entire ship, were it not for my quick and decisive actions as Captain. [illegible] an incredibly rare occurrence [illegible] critically damaged our main nuclear reactor. [illegible] only seconds [illegible] forcing me to [illegible] off course [illegible] have power for some time. This evening I will break the news to the passengers in such a way that will cause the least amount of panic and at the same time not destroy their hope. If they knew the real situation, it would only cause unnecessary chaos. In this way, I will maintain order and keep the passengers safe. Fear and [illegible] as Captain of Aniara [illegible] that is now my primary job. [illegible] now like a Shepherd Father and the passengers my sheep children. In many ways we are very lucky, [illegible] this trip, Aniara's sister ship crashed into Jupiter heading towards the Orion belt colony. Everyone on onboard was killed.
On another page was written this: The rescue refuel probe is here. [illegible] turned out to be [illegible] not what I expected. I have [illegible] for clarification, [illegible] Mars [illegible] -----cation. Testing will continue. I still remain confident that [illegible] the project called "[illegible] ---elin" can still be used in someway to turn the ship around and resume course.
The last two pages were so scribbled over that I could barely make out any words let alone a full sentence. I did however, notice what looked like the word "Devil" written over and over. Very strange. I left the Captain's quarters with more questions than answers...
​
Year 14 - [missing]
​
Year 15 - The Light Show Ends - Today the projection device created by MR, (Everyone still calls her the 'Mimarobe' as a sign of respect.) had to be shut down to conserve power. The Mimarobe often expressed to me her regret at not being more forceful with Captain Chefone in explaining the problem with Mima. She told me that if she could back in time she would say to the Captain:
"Just imagine what it will be like if Mima isn't here... do you understand how hellish the situation will become? My life is dedicated to this program and I'M TELLING YOU, IT WILL BURN OUT AND DIE! Imagine if people can temporarily go back to earth by turning on a light switch, now imagine if the bulb blows up, and there's no replacement..." "I know how important Mima is and you don't get it!"
The beam-screen seemed like a great idea at the time to keep everyone's spirits up, but in many ways it may have done more harm than good. People lost their minds staring all the time at something they knew they would never have...
​
Year 16 - [missing]
​
Year 17 - [missing]
​
Year 18 - The Time/Memorial Capsule - The Mimarobe was the one that came up with the idea for a time/memorial capsule. She (like all of us) has suffered greatly, but from time to time she would show a small spark of her old self. The idea, while slow to catch on, would eventually give those of us still left a renewed sense of purpose. (People now had a reason to get out of bed.) But, it was I who would take the idea and transform it into something greater. Our first attempt at creating the capsule was successful (it was little more than a metal box) but at the same time, as the Mimarobe pointed out it looked too much like a large coffin. I agreed. We could do better. We had to do better. But we had to be careful [missing] effecting power systems. I asked the Mimarobe if she could sketch a better design. After two days the Mimarobe presented me with a new design, it was beautiful, but simple, yet elegant. Above the sketch was were the words, "Heart of Aniara." The name was perfect. We would fill the "Heart of Aniara", with our art and our poetry, with our hopes, dreams and wedding rings. We would pour into it our stories, our struggles, our trials and tribulations, we would fill it with the tear drops from our very souls.
The "Heart of Aniara" is almost complete. It has taken an entire [missing] solid effort to build and everyone took turns polishing it, so now it shines like the golden sun. We also wrote [missing] and painted two large red hearts on the sides. It [missing] long and on the inside are different [missing] created using metal partitions. [missing] was instrumental in its consruction...
​
Year 19 - A Slight Delay - Disaster! Several Power systems, including all emergency back up systems across the ship have begun failing for some unknown reason. [missing] working around the clock to figure out what is wrong... I don't know how much longer we can hold on...
We finally found the [missing] will work for the time being, but [missing] restored power [missing] will do for now...
​
Year 20 - The Heart of Aniara - At last the time has come for our send off. Everything is ready. As the "Captain" of Aniara it is my great honor to commision this new vessel "Heart of Aniara". Behind me I heard someone whisper "vessel?". I continued, "It is my firm belief that the "Heart of Aniara" will make it back home to Mars and everyone will know our stories..."
A moment before send off, I told everyone to wait. Theres one more thing left. I then slid open a hatch on the side and told everyone that I hated to do this to them, but I was going to Mars with my family. The Mimarobe approached me with a half smile on her face and said in a very serious tone "Good Luck, Captain Benny", "tell everyone on Mars hi for us and that we wish we were there." I smiled and promised that I would. Then to my suprise all the others came up to me, with some shaking my hand and congratulating me, asking me to say hi to their family and friends as well. I then ducked down into the newly christened "Heart of Aniara." Then the hatch was sealed. A small rechargable electric candle that I brought with me, provided the only light. Knowing that we would be leaving in a moment I opened a small box, took Carmen (lock of ex-fiancée's hair) and Sarah Ann (small jar with dead fetus) and held them together in my left hand against my chest. I could feel my heart beating with a mixture of fear and excitement. I took out a small children's book with my right hand and began reading it from the beginning. It was my daughter's favorite. It was called "The Duck and the Noodle." "Daddy are we there yet?" I laughed as tears ran down my face and said "Yes, my little princess noodle were almost there."
The Memorial Capsule lauched into space with a loud whoosh...
(Mimarobe, MR) - When everyone had just got through waving goodbye and were getting ready to leave, the view screen turned on and with it a pre-recorded message from Captain Benny. "To celebrate this great day, I have arranged for you a "Grand Feast", then he paused. A few people exchanged questioning looks. Then the Captain spoke again. "You see", he said with a smile, "Unlike all of you, I saved my emergency rations. You will find them hidden inside the mattress in my quarters, enjoy!" "Also, you will find two bottles of wine, yes! real wine!" Before the video even finished several people had started shuffling as fast as the could to Captain Benny's quarters. The Captain wasn't lying, it appeared that he had indeed saved almost all of his emergency rations for some special occasion(s).
What a feast it was! To make it fair for everyone we took all of the rations and put them together to create a kind of giant stew. Each of us not only savored each precious spoonful, we cherished it as though it was a long lost loved one. It is not an exaggeration to say that each bite was chewed one hundred times or more and then held in the mouth for ten minutes or longer, swishing the pulpy liquid around and around. I even saw one person spit the food back into their bowl and then put it back into their mouth, over and over again. That seemed a little bit unusual to me, but everyone should enjoy their last real meal the way they want. As for the wine their was enough for everyone to have a shot glass filled to the brim. We talked about the "Great Feast" for months afterword...
​
Year 21 - [missing]
​
Year 22 - The Living Dead - (Mimarobe, MR) We've had to abandon almost the entire ship to conserve power, but basically were still good alive... I still dream about Isagel and our son from time to time...
​
Year 23 - [missing]
​
Year 24 - The Sarcophagus - A few remaining survivors, including the Mimarobe, sit cross-legged in a dimly lit room. One of the few survivors speaks in a rhapsodic manner about the divine power of sunlight on Earth.
The Aniara slowly descends into final darkness...
​
Note: Years 25 through 5,981,406 are missing.
​
Year 5,981,407 - Lyra Constellation - The Aniara, derelict, frozen and devoid of human life - reaches the Lyra constellation and approaches a planet as verdant and welcoming as Earth was formerly. It quickly passes by continuing on into the endless void of space...
​
Date Unknown - The Warm Embrace - Ages come, Ages gone, Aniara soon embraced, engulfed by warmth and shine, newest born crimson light, Aniara far from home, aflame, not even ashes remain.
​
Epilogue: Year 100 - The Triumph of Hope - Despite the faliure of many valiant rescue attempts, including all attempts at communication, we remain confident that those onboard the Aniara knew that they were not forgotten. It is difficult to imagine (the speaker momentarily shuttered), the impossible challenges they endured. The story of their lives will remain in the collective hearts of humanity for all time. It is our hope that we will do right by them, now and in the future. We vow to never repeat the mistakes of the past... and that is why today, on the one hundredth anniversary since the Aniara was lost, we reach across time and space to bring their souls back home, home to this sacred place... We hereby consecrate this new park as the "Aniara Memorial Park and Museum Complex." As you walk through these doors, one of the first things you will notice is the "Heart of Aniara" on display. Along the walls are the names and pictures of the passengers and crew, their artwork, poetry, and most importantly, the stories of their lives, their hopes, dreams and wedding rings...
Aniara Memorial Plaque: We ourselves are the sorrow, we are also the joy, everything human is rooted in humanity, and no human being can escape humanity, not her hatred and her self-degradation, nor the joy she spreads, nor the love she forms.
​
Date [redacted] - Project "Devil's Javelin" - Status report #[redacted] - As of today's date we are aware of a total of four "spear-like objects" [redacted] and has contextualized that there are many more as yet discovered. Because of [redacted] we now know they are made of [redacted] and probably come from [redacted] the first was found on Earth 86 years ago, at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The second one was discovered by the crew of the Aniara [redacted] years ago. The third was found here on Mars, near [redacted] and moved to its present secure location. The fourth and newest one was found when [redacted] the far side of the Moon. [redacted] buried inside the [redacted] impact crater. We have yet to discover the purpose of these "spear-like objects."
After [redacted] to prevent another type of incident. [redacted] have been able to gain access to the inside of the one here on Mars. [redacted] only after [redacted] and the entire team. [redacted] using the most advanced technology and research methods. Dr. [redacted] found [redacted] which is impossible and should not exist. However, we must now come to grips with the horror that this new revelation about humanity has [redacted] general public must never find out...
THE END?
​
Alternate ending 1
Year 5,981,407 - The Sarcophagus World Destroyer - As the ship Aniara descended towards the lush and green planet, the crew rejoiced. Or at least they would have if they hadn't all been dead. After thousands of millennia wandering through space, they had found a planet that was almost identical to Earth.
The planet's gravity was very strong, and the ship had become trapped in the planet's gravitational pull and started hurtling towards the surface.
The Aniara crashed into the planet with a deafening roar, causing massive destruction and sending out shockwaves that rippled across the surface.
As the dust settled, it became clear that the landing had been catastrophic. Plant and animal life had been completely obliterated, and the once green planet was now a barren wasteland. Soon not a single living thing was left to witness the horror and the devastation that had been caused.
Another beautiful, thriving, planet, a blue and green jewel, once teeming with life has been turned into a lifeless barren wasteland...
​
Alternate ending 2
Year 5,981,407 - The Second Chance Sarcophagus - As the ship Aniara descended towards the lush and green planet, the crew rejoiced. Or at least they would have if they hadn't all been dead. After thousands of millennia wandering through space, they had found a planet that was almost identical to Earth.
The planet's gravity was very strong, and the ship had become trapped in the planet's gravitational pull and started hurtling towards the surface.
One one-trillionth of a second after the Aniara crashed into the planet the mysterious spear-like probe on board finally awakened. A God-Like Power. In that one one-trillionth of a second the Aniara was scanned by the powerful probe and the events and lives of the crew had become known to it. At the same time, both the ship and the planet were saved by a force field of immense power. The ship was now resting safely on the surface of the lush, green planet. The probe had determined that the primitive life forms on board were worthy of a second chance at life and it was able to resurrect the entire crew and all the passengers from microscopic DNA that had been left. The Aniara was perfectly restored and even the Mima had been brought back. The crew and passengers awoke to find themselves in a veritable Garden of Eden, a paradise. Maybe this time things would go better and the mistakes from the past would not be repeated...
​
​
​
​
​

I have nearly 24/7 nausea that i havent been able to get releif from and my doctors havent found the cause yest, but yesterday i decided to try pepto and it severly lessens my nausea, so what I want to know is if i take it multiple times a day every day is it going to cause me any harm? Im following the directions which say take 2 every half hour im taking 2 every 5 ish hours only when my nausea is at like a 3 or higher. So im taking 4 a day on average.
Im afab 19 about 95 lbs and 5'2
Meds: plaquenil, buspirone, bupoprion, birth control, allergy med, cephalexin, zofran as needed (i was given 9 tabs because i have a kidney infection im not normally on it)
Edit: i vape nicotine and weed, no alcohol

Hope I can find some answers here. I'm looking for a game board shop near Makati/BGC/Mandaluyong that I can visit. I tried checking out gaming library website but wasn't able to find the game I'm looking for. I'm looking for Splendor (the base game) btw. Want it to be brand new since I'm buying it as a gift. If you have recommendations, feel free to comment/DM me.

Recently (Apr last wk) got selected for a lead role sa company on my 4th yr! (Yay)
Pero nakakabwiset lang kase: 1. Tinolerate ng 4yrs yung dating manager 2. Di itatapat sa kanya yung pay ko (so entitled of me pero PUT****) 3. lahat ng iniwan nya ay kalat at ako magaayos (which I like, pero nakakawalanggana given the first 2points) 4. Nakakademotivate na it's been lampas a month na at wala pa ring papel (dependency sya malala kase di ako makakilos maayos; I'm talking timesheet, access, etc.) 5. Nauubos na yung gana ko, naiisip ko di ako priority. Naiisip ko pag external hire yan mas mataas pay at nagkukumahog sila dyan kase *business need.
I don't believe that the grass is greener on the other side. I believe that the grass is greener when you water it. So andito pa rin ako. Lol. Kainis. Parang lahat sila walang magawa tas parang nagrerestructure (walang official announcement or anything), my only hint is tinanggal mga counterpart namin sa US. Paksh#)#(+#(@#+#-#-$)t. Gets naman yung due process, gets naman na need approval, gets naman na icocover yung dates from when it was effective. Gets ko naman and willing naman ako sumabay sa fucked up nilang timeline, PERO MAY TIMELINE DIN AKO AT NAKAKAUNDERWHELM NA I HAVE TO WAIT THIS MUCH PARA SA PAPEL AT SA SAHOD NA HINDI NAMAN ATA AABOT NG 6 DIGITS. Di naman sila nagheads up na hey aabutin 2mos tong process ha. My only explanation for it to be taking this long is for it to be that much amount of money, umaasa ako, pero hindi naman yon ang pinagusapan (informal na usap yon). Should've asked about it more when I had the chance. Pero kase ugh. Can't wait to leave this place on my 5th or 6th yr. Hahahaha (I intended to stay for 5yrs, di ko inakalang mappromote ako up to this point kaya may extension na 1yr. Lol)
Share stories and uplift my spirits. Lol pls I'm begging. Tips? Tricks? Kahit ano pls give me ideas, di ako magaling maghintay.

I'm so sorry this is a novel, kudos to anyone who reads it. Venting.
I (29f) have been with my med SO (39m) for 4 years. Given the age gap, he is significantly further on in his career than I am. In saying that, he's only been fully qualified (consultant/attending) for the last 6 months. At my age he was graduating med school without a dime to his name.
I'm an allied health clinician of 8 years. I have specialist postgrad qualifications in my field of practice, and I am in my final year of a PhD. I am doing my PhD "full time" on stipend, but realistically I work about 30 hours extra/week in a mix of clinical, other paid research work and teaching work. So I earn a little less than I would if I was a full time clinician of my level, but still earn a decent wage (above the median). I have around 50k in savings. Financially we split everything 50/50. For context he earns x3 as much as me, and has around 180k in savings.
It's been a repeat issue (especially since he finished training) where I feel like he discredits my career and my earnings. Sometimes he makes rude comments about me being 'just a student', and he often severely overstates his financial role in our relationship. We split rent, bills, holidays etc. I am very good at tracking expenses and am very careful to pay my way. He is not so much. I do most of the cooking/cleaning/shopping, organise bills etc, so it's not uncommon I'll pay bills or buy groceries multiple times a week for both of us and he won't follow it up to pay me back. He buys groceries? I transfer him half immediately. It seems like since he's finished training he's surrounded himself with consultants earning huge cash and suddenly he is extremely attentive to his own money. Because he earns more, in his head he seems to think he supports me. Which is absolutely ridiculous, as I am so meticulous about ensuring I pay my way. He seems to conveniently forget all of the out of sight things I pay for, and take credit for the things he'll pay for when we're physically together. It actually annoys me because despite how much less I earn I am still far more generous. I have also made significant career sacrifices to support him - including two interstate and one international move in that last 4 years. These moves caused significant delays to my PhD and completely flipped my career on its head, so multiple times I've had to battle to make a career work around his work.
He's studying for an additional exam and it's caused tension between us because I am at the pointy end of my PhD and very time stretched. I'm still working a lot of hours. My mum died 6 weeks ago and I took a few weeks off work, which was costly with funeral costs etc and time off my casual work. As such I feel pressured to work more hours. I also feel pressure from him that I'm never earning enough, so work more than I'm comfortable with both from a workload perspective and a grief perspective.
We got in a fight today over the use of the stupid study. We actually have two study spaces, but one has two monitors set up that I use as my WFH desk. He doesn't use additional monitors, just his laptop. I'm spending my Saturday working on PhD deadlines because I picked up extra shifts this week. I'm 3 hours in, he comes home from shopping and demands to use the desk. I reasonably asked if he could use the other one, given I'm set up, in a zone and using the monitors. Concentrating the last few weeks has been an absolute bitch and I am really struggling to work through my grief. Something as small as maintaining a 'safe' work space is really important to me. Nope. Absolutely not. He has an exam in two weeks. He needs to study. It must be this desk etc etc. I cave and pack up all my stuff to move to the next room. As I'm doing this he starts making comments about how I have no idea how much stress he's under and how important this exam is etc etc. I say I wish he was more supportive of my PhD and that I am also working very hard right now. We have a dumb consultant dinner thing this weekend and I childishly say I'm not going anymore, and he says "Good, you're an embarrassment anyways, I don't want you there".
I feel like that statement sums up all of these issues around money and my career that bubble under the surface. He doesn't respect where I am in my career - he thinks I'm just a student and my career is insignificant. I get it, I do know how important his job is. Sure, in comparison my job isn't that important. But realistically I would support him to do whatever he wanted - barista, mechanic, gardener. Toilet cleaner. I would never discredit his career, irrespective of what it was. I value my career and that's what matters to me. I get great feedback from my students. I get to help people learn to walk again. My research is all about improving patient care. I am genuinely passionate about what I do. I know I'm small fish, but I also am the first in my family to go to university. I'm proud that I finished university at all, let alone now about to finish a PhD. I recognise my privilege, and am very grateful I am so educated.
Despite this, I feel like my career will never compare to his. I feel like he will always think and believe my career is worthless and he is more important. I do feel he is embarrassed of me and my career because I'm 'just a student' to him.
Our relationship is not all bad, but these key issues around my career and finances feel monumental. Both of my parents are dead now. I feel like I really need a partner who is in my corner and cheering me on, not someone who tells me I'm not enough. My fourth paper was published recently - one that took 3 years. I cried and cried because although it was really nice the support I got from work colleagues, I felt like I had no one to actually celebrate with. It's a soft spot I guess adjusting to not having parents to call and share this kind of stuff with. When I told him he sent me a text saying congrats and we never spoke of it again.
Is this a phase where his head is big on the back of finally finishing training? Is this unsurpassable? Have you experienced something similar with your med SO?

I have been looking for a new job for a few months, and when asked about salary expectations, I tell them that I would like to stay around where I am now at $70k. This typically has been in the range that the recruiter says they were looking for.
However, I am trying to switch career paths and am more concerned about getting a job in the right field than I am about a starting salary.
Just wondering if it would make a big difference if I were to ask for around $60k instead.
Do companies care that much if one candidate would cost slightly more or less than another one? Would a company hire me if I am slightly cheaper than a better candidate?
Just trying to get an idea of how much of a deciding factor this may be, and if it would be worth it to ask for a slightly lower salary to improve my odds.

I've tried twice with miserable results, both times a failure. Once, I tried to bundle to save on shipping but it forced me to make an offer (even though I was willing to pay asking price). Reached out to the seller to ask for a custom bundle instead (their profile said to ask) and got no response. Today I bundled three items but instead of accepting my bundle, the seller immediately offered $1 off one of the items, someone else bought it and my bundle was canceled. I give up - do sellers not get a notification when a bundle offer is made?

For the last 4 or 5 years, I had been out of the industry. I made it pretty far, and got absolutely crushed once the lights got bright, so to speak. I was devastated. I decided to take on another career for a while maintaining airplanes. It was FUCKING AWESOME and so much fun but then a bunch of major life changes happened including a mild brain injury, which left me unable to do anything but cook. So, cooking I did.
​
Back in March I applied at a restaurant job on a whim and was hired. Fast forward 3 months and I work off and on at a bar my friend runs, while also working at 2 of the nicest restaurants in my area. On top of that, tomorrow I do my first completely private gig. I've done countless contracting gigs working at events, weddings, for caterers, and things like that, but never just going to someone's house as my own private business entity, with my own rules and recipes.
​
I am beyond excited. Not only is this going to be my chance to lay my dick on the table and establish myself as a serious chef in my area, but the money is noice. $40/hr, and I charge for every hour I spend buying and prepping, as well as being in the home and cooking/presenting/entertaining/cleaning.
​
I was told to make the food well but to not go too crazy, as the guest of honor is picky. So, the menu is...
​
cocktail hour - marrow and bruschetta with crostini. Also stole a gin/champagne/pom cocktail recipe from my wife. Also, mussels and chorizo
1st course - frisee, chevre, blood orange, roasted cashew, champagne vin
main course - honey mustard grilled chicken breast (guest of honors request), Moroccan style roasted baby carrots, cooper sharp gemelli and cheese
dessert - cranachan

Hi, for the better part of 2 years now l've been taking care of my mental health and taking sertraline. It has worked tremendously well for my overall mental health improvement, I have accomplished so many personal achievements since taking it, anyways i digress. The other day I had an appointment regarding starting up my prescription again due to me running out. Now the clinic that I go to recently got a new doctor, no biggie.
I got checked in like usual and went into a room to meet my dr and go over my current prescription.Now heres the thing I am a fairly large woman, I have always struggled with my weight and have gone through many ED's ones where I've lost 60 pounds in 3 months and ones where I've gained weight equally as rapidly.
From the immediate get-go my dr made it seem like my main and overall reason for the appointment was for my weight and yes I am unhealthy in the weight sense and I have considered talking to my dr about it but that appointment was for my depression/anxiety meds.
I know she is a doctor and wants the best for her patients but it would be one thing if she mentioned it once but she kept going about it from beginning to end. She even asked me about counseling and how if I can't afford that, that church was also a good idea.
She also made some very what I consider "out of pocket comments". In our small talk I mentioned how I am getting my ged and thinking of going to college to be a teacher. As she looked at my weight chart she asked me "now what are we going to do about this weight, because with this weight you are not going to be a teacher.
This is the comment that broke me, after many degrading comments this one hit hard I am a high school dropout and I have struggled with my education immensely and hope to in the future help other struggling young students, It felt like a personal dig at me.
I was already feeling super emotional as I had gone a couple weeks without a refill on my sertraline and I started to cry after that comment. We talked about my weight more and she left the room and when she came back she had brought me a sample bottle of weight loss medication. I did some blood work to check my thyroid and shortly left to pick up my prescriptions.
The doctor was overall profesional and kept a "cordial" tone but I left feeling absolutely terrible about myself.I've struggled with my weight all my life and although I am not happy at all about my current weight, it does not negatively impact my mental health to the extreme that it once did.
I have considered talking to my dr about weight loss medication or just overall health advice but I planned to do that on my own time in it's own appointment that didn't involve my mental health. I have also been thinking of the fact how I went there as my mental health was doing bad, this situation could've easily brought me or any other person in a similar position over the edge.
I'm left feeling conflicted about the overall situation, I understand my doctor was just fulfilling her job and making sure her patients are healthy but after talking to family and friends about the situation they seemed extremely offended and livid for me.
Has anyone ever been in a Similar situation? How would you have felt in my shoes?

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

Saaid my neighbor to me this morning when we stopped to chat a moment as she headed out to do something somewhere, I didn’t ask.
My auntie had asked, “what’s ‘my’ baby doing?” when we chatted on the phone an hour earlier.
And I feel SO grateful to be surrounded by people who already love him. My baby. Our baby. The new baby in the community. His paternal grandma refers to him as her baby, too, and he’s nearly the double of his father as he appears in his baby photos.
I know some (a lot, it seems, from what I read on this site but who knows) moms do feel an array of emotions, including protective and annoyed and weirded out and perhaps defensive of their IMHO truly sacred and incredible (and obviously possibly traumatic) efforts and experiences through pregnancy and birthing and beyond. And I have to acknowledge that it must hit different to be hearing it from someone who isn’t trusted.
But I just have to say how happy it makes me, to hear people who I love and trust say that because I see it as an endearment and I love that my baby has that. I know I had that, and that it must be a trip for my auntie to hold him the way she held me.

I begun my journey back when the game was roughly new (or came out I don't remember) all the way in 2012 and I got no farther than Hermit (he was much harder back then), then back near the end of 2021 I begun my journey once again, and I kept going on this journey on and off till I finished sf 2 on February 14th of this year. And on that same day I begun my dive into sf 3, at first it felt too different and I didn't like it nearly as much... But I stuck with it and I'm glad I did, I began to like and eventually even love the game like I did sf 2 and today I finally beat sf3 and completed my journey through this amazing and wonderful series that I now now hold dear to me. (Now I just gotta wait who knows how long till shades releases in the USA).