Hanging picture reinforcement plate

I posted this as a reply to another thread, but thought (thot?) I would share here, too. Please to enjoy my recap of S3 Episode 3. Spoilers (obviously).

1. Starting off in LA. Kim's body guard/ stylist puts them both in black coats and camo pants so she can go meet Scott for pizza and pre-planned gossip. They're both single, so they have lots to talk about. Like how it's too hard for Kim to go on first dates with guys and also too hard for Kim to break up with guys. She did go out with a guy in NYC, but wasn't smart enough to not go to the same place where she used to hang out with Pete, so everyone thought she was getting back together with Pete. Scott recommends she go for an older Italian businessman, but only if he's hot. Kim's not into it. So they talk about Cher and her much younger boyfriend AE. It's the best. But also probably the worst because Cher must be too old to bang him with the lights on. Kim only bangs with the lights off now. You know, because she's shy.

Two. Kourtney is doing a photo shoot for Lemme "Fall in Love" with Travis. Their love was not the result of a Potion No.9, but for people without their chemistry, who have $30, these supplements containing the essence of flowers will open your heart. Domineco Dolce and his dudes stop by so Kourtney can remind everyone she knew them way before her wedding. Also, Kourtney is shy and didn't speak as a child. Until she was a teenager. The stylist puts Travis in no shirt and they roll around together taking pictures very similar to all the other pictures they've taken before.

1. Kris stops by to see Khloe and Rob. I mean Tate. I mean Tatum. Khloe and Tristan are doing great because they are never ever getting back together ever again. They have very good boundaries and Khloe does not want to fall into old habits. Khloe feels guilty she isn't connecting with her second baby -- that she had in secret via surrogate while her ex-fiancee was having his fourth baby with his side chick -- the same as True. So we have to talk about the difficulties of surrogacy/ miracle of being a mother again. Tatem is now on goat milk formula. He might, but does not puke on Kris.
   
2. In NYC, Kendall is getting ready to attend a Marni show at Fashion Week. This is much more fun and relaxing than when she used to walk the shows because now she is good and healthy and has good boundaries. Kris calls and tells Kendall she's the favorite daughter. But we all know it's really Kylie. Kris said so yesterday while taking a lie detector test on TV.
   
3. Back in LA, it's 6 days before the D&G show and Kim's glam team is getting her ready for a pre-show photo shoot. Her role as Kreative Director of the show has involved creating looks. Well, looks D&G originally created in the 90s. They are so cool and Kim-esque. Crystals from head to toe. Kim is worried about how Kourtney will feel about this whole thing. She probably wouldn't mind at all if it was just a little bit later. (Because time heals all wounds?)
   
4. It's stormy in NYC. Kourtney is in town for fashion shows and Lemme press. She has anxiety and PTSD and needs drugs. Or maybe Lemme matcha. Kourtney wants to show how passionate she is about vitamins. She used to hate press because of the criticism and pressure from the family to earn her keep. But now she's married and confident, so she was able to decide on flavors for her vitamins. Kris watched the Today Show interview and gave it a thumbs up, because Kourtney looked beautiful. Simon thinks that's amazing. The team thinks Kourtney did a great job of organically talking about Lemme during the interview about Lemme.
   
5. Still in NYC, Kourtney is making rounds of the magazines, handing out Lemme pills like Halloween candy. Kourtney loves Lemme Focus, but can't remember why. Travis wore no shirt to perform at a Tommy Hilfiger fashion show. Kris and Kendall show up. Kris tries out a few tag lines for the next campaign like "Lemme get the hell out of here and get a drink." They talk about Khloe's good test results from her melanoma situation. Which Kendall has diagnosed as a result of Khloe being too tired and stressed. Kourtney is a perfectionist and Kendall is a control freak both because of pressure from Kris. Kris thinks thats hilarious. Kendall suggests if they can channel the baggage of their dysfunctional childhoods into productive work, it's all good. Kris will take the blame for any anxiety she has caused, as long as it results in a successful product release.
   
6. Back to LA. Kim is spending quality time with North by allowing her to do her makeup with special effects makeup while she talks to Scott. Scott pitches an idea for an episode where they pretend to be normies. According to Kim, Kris is sad that she has pushed everyone into being so famous they have no sense of actual reality. But Kim can handle it. She's never been depressed. While her daughter continues to work on turning her into an old lady, Kim talks about being fine when her dad died. North farts. It smelled bad. North walks Kim around the house introducing her to the staff as Anika the Art Teacher. The staff helps Kim make her alone time with North fun by playing along. Kim loves making North happy by playing pranks and hanging out with Scott.
   
7. Kourtney and Trav are walking around NYC. Kourtney's outfit choice -- an oversized Blink-182 shirt and over the knee boots -- can't survive the 12 minute walk because the boots are falling down. Trav thinks she should take them off (And walk around barefoot in the rat feces and period blood covered sidewalk? Khloe would never let her set foot in her house ever again!) They make it to the Matcha shop without Travis needing to carry Kourtney like last time. NYC was a whirlwind, but Kourtney will always put family and husband ahead of work.
   
8. Kim arrives in Milan. However, her stylist does not because she forgot her passport. How is Kim supposed to do her job as Fashion Show Kreative Director without a stylist? How is Kim supposed to know what she likes and doesn't like without Danielle there to tell her? Someone needs to fly to Milan with her passport. There are 3 days left and they have no looks. Kim arrives at the D&G studio where 10 people are there ready to get a room full of D&G pieces into looks. Domineco tells Kim, "Your opinion in this case is very great for us." Kim wants people to think this show of rehashed 90s fashions is "Fresh" and "Cool." But it's going to be problematic for Kreative Director Kim to pull this off without her stylist. She always needs someone to confirm that something looks good. Kim doesn't want to do veils (Because Kourtney?). Kim wants more bedazzles, but also needs to check with Danielle. Domineco isn't crazy about bedazzled glasses with a corset dress, but Kim doesn't know without talking to Danielle. There's that fear people won't like it. (Is Danielle supposed to be the scape goat in case this whole show sucks?) A bad show could hurt Kim's brand. People might say Kim doesn't know how to work on the creative side. (Um... they're sure going to say that now, after she is such a floundering mess without her stylist!). She just doesn't know how she's going to do this without Danielle.
   

Scenes: Kim thinks Danielle not being there happened for a reason. Kendall takes Kylie horseback riding and tries to kill her. Kourtney wants to kill Kim for kopying her wedding. Kim is taken completely off guard by Kourtney's reaction. The producers try to pretend there's going to be a "Kendall is pregnant" story line.

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WK Vertex Arcane Arc60 Keyboard - $310 shipped CONUS

• 1x Hotswap PCB
• 1x Solder PCB (never used)
• 1x Aluminum Plate

I bought this keyboard a few days ago from another user in mm. I sent it to a proxy in Delaware (I'm from South America), but other things came up and I won't keep the keyboard.
I paid $310 for it, shipped. I'm asking the same price. Shipping costs included.
If you have any questions, you can either send me a PM or a chat message, whatever is easier for you. I can also send you detailed pictures of the keyboard that the seller sent to me. Thanks!

Be me, long ass time ago, but after DADT got axed, BCT Fort Jackson.
I figured for safety sake I was never going to let my battles know that I was a dude married to another dude. However, after a few weeks of life sucking I needed the pick me up and decided to hang pictures up of my husband in my locker. Within the hour the vibe seemed to change. A few guys asked if that was my brother or some variation of relative. I said "Nope" and clarified, as the DS's had robbed me of all the fucks I had left to give.
If I could beer math/guesstimate the reception from my fellow trainees I'd say about 50% didn't give a shit, 30% were cool, 10% were weird (one asked me what I get out of "docking" and "Doesn't poop get up in your hole?") and the final 10% REALLY gave a shit.
So for the next week or so I'd get the stink eye or guys mad dogging me in the latrine and the whispered underbreath "F*ggot". I'm from Kentucky, nothing new there. This all came to a head at one point after a hard day of being smoked because a DS lost a harness he signed for and was convinced one of us had it. I was heading to the showers when one of the guys in there was getting undressed and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw me. I asked if he was ok and he just responded asking if I can wait until later to shower. I asked "Why? You shy or something?" I genuinely didn't know what the deal was, forgetting that I was gay for a moment; it was a particularly arduous smoke session. (These weren't communal showers, for the record) He just looked at me slack jawed, grabbed his stuff and scurried away.
Next day, the mad dogging seemed to be ramped up, but it was w/e. Towards the end of the day a couple guys approached and told me I need to start showering at a separate time. "Why?" "Come on, man. You know why." "No, please. Elaborate." The rest of them were just staring in different directions in probably the most awkward intimidation attempt you ever did see. "Just do it, alright?" "Or what?" (As previously stated, the fucks I had left to give had run out and at this point were a negative integer.)
The awkward posse began to dissipate as the leader just turned around and walked towards his bunk where they convened as I was walking back from the shower. Tomorrow was Sunday, and I wasn't letting them ruin my only day to chill.
Tomorrow after morning chow I overheard the awkward posse and a few others, about 7 in total, getting together to "go talk to the drills" I see this weird committee go to the DS's office, knock, go in, mumble something, Drill leads them outside and closes the door. An hour later all of them come rushing in drenched in sweat, furiously filling water sources and grabbing battle buddies before running back outside. Hours pass, lunch chow passes, more hours pass, Dinner chow passes, then all 7 and their battle buddies come shuffling in. Those 7 looked ready for the grave and didn't want to talk to anybody, and their battle buddies weren't sharing either.
I'm not totally sure where they went or what happened to them, but I never heard a peep out of them or got the side-eye once for the rest of that cycle. It a wholesome Schadenfreude type of way, I felt a sense of relief. It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like the DS's were nicer to me too. The problems from home weren't gone, but I felt like I still had someone watching out for me, and this organization was going to be ok. It did end up sucking, mind you, but not because I was gay.
Yeah, can I get the Chick-fil-A sandwich meal? What do you mean I'm not allowed back here?

I am NOT OP. Original post by u/lazybear90 in tifu
Hi all. This is my first time posting here, please let me know if I made any mistakes.
Trigger warnings: none I think
Mood spoiler: overwhelmingly wholesome
Original post: May 26, 2023
This happened in February of last year, but my friends have been telling me I need to post this story online … so here goes nothing:
My wife and I (both 31 years old, at the time) moved into a new three-unit apartment building in San Francisco. One of our neighbors is a 70-something year old retired veteran, we’ll call him Joe. For context, Joe is a white American guy and he’s also a devout Hindu priest. One day I run into Joe in my hallway, and he tells me about this charity he manages for a community in Bangladesh. I wanted to support my neighbor and the charity, so I ask Joe to send me the GoFundMe link.
The next day at work, I go on the GoFundMe page and donate $150. Or so I thought. Moments later, I get a text on my phone warning me of an unusually large transaction on my credit card. I’m confused and swipe to open the text message. It says I have made a payment of $15,041 to GoFundMe. Immediately I’m sweating. How could I have donated FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS? I spend the next 10-15 minutes retracing my steps, and finally I realize my credit card starts with the numbers 4 and 1. It seems I had accidentally started typing my credit card information while my cursor was still in the donation box, and just like that 150 became 15041. Yikes.
I call GoFundMe’s support line in a panic, and when I finally connect with a human I explain what happened. “No need to worry”, he tells me, they will initiate a refund of the transaction which should process in 3-7 business days. That’s a huge relief. But then I ask the agent if the charity will be able to see the donation on the GoFundMe page until it is refunded. “What do you mean?” the agent asks me. “What do YOU mean what do I mean?” was my response. “Will they be able to see the $15,041 donation?!” Unfortunately, yes, the agent tells me. They will be able to see it until the refund process is complete. I tell him that’s a big problem, as the entire GoFundMe had hardly raised that much at that point. Surely they will notice their fundraiser doubling overnight?
My plan was to knock on Joe’s door the following morning to give him the full story, so that he could pass it along to his contacts in Bangladesh. But when I woke up the next morning, I looked at my phone and saw I had 40+ notifications on Facebook. Someone had sent me a friend request, had liked many of my old posts, and had sent me many messages. Immediately I was concerned when I saw that the individual messaging me had a Hindu name, but I never could have imagined what I saw when I opened his first message…
The man had sent me a video of himself from Bangladesh, surrounded by dozens of impoverished and hungry people holding bags of food, thanking me BY NAME (Michael) for my generous donation. A big round of applause for Michael. At this point, I’ve leapt out of my bed and I’m pacing. Part of me wants to scream, part of me wants to crack up laughing. I start swiping through the man’s messages, and it is picture after picture after picture of poor Bangladeshis thanking me for my kind donation. Literally hundreds of photos of frail, elderly, disabled, and malnourished individuals holding signs with my name. Thank you, Michael. Thank you, Michael. I've uploaded a portion of the video, and a few photos, for you guys to see here: https://imgur.com/gallery/tROXniV
Editor's note: Photo descriptions
1: a screenshot of the GoFundMe page with Michael's $15,041 donation made and highligted.
2: a video of people holding food bags, and a man in the middle saying thank you to Michael.
3: two men with their food bags, with a sign that says "Thank you dear Michael for your kind help".
4: eight people with their food bags and a sign that says "Thanks dear Michael for your kind".
5: a lot of people gatherered, holding their hands in the air with their food bags at their feet.
6 through 11 contain different people with their food bags and one of the previous signs.
12: several people gathered for a selfie taken by the man from the video who thanks Michael.
13: same picture as 5.
14 and 15: more people with their food bags and the same signs.
Needless to say, I couldn’t live with myself just donating $150 after seeing how the community responded to the $15,041. I decided the least I could do was to add a zero, and so I donated $1,500 once the original donation was refunded. The charity’s host was incredibly gracious and understanding, and he explained to me that $1,500 goes very far in Bangladesh for urgent food relief. Here is the charity’s new GoFundMe link if you want to check it out: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-food-relief-assistance-in-bangladesh
Ultimately I think the whole experience was a win-win. I helped a great cause, and I got a funny story out of it.
TL;DR: Some impoverished folks in Bangladesh thought I had sent them $15,041 but it was an accident and I had to request a refund for most of it.
EDIT: Many are asking why there is no $1,500 donation listed in the fund’s donation history. I donated to an old campaign link for the same charity. It is readily findable online, if you feel compelled to search for it.
Update post: June 2nd, 2023 (one week later)
PHOTO Updates: https://imgur.com/a/8Rv1LoZ (I assume the first of many photos to come in the following months)
Editor's note: Photo descriptions
1: Several Bangladeshi children holding plates waiting to get food, some are holding signs that say "Thanks Reddit". Caption: Thank you Reddit! These are just the first few photos I've received from the team leader, I'm sure there's so much more to come.
2: Similar to 1.
3: Similar, but with a sign that says "All this thanks to Reddit".
4: Similar to 3.
5: Women holding a sing that says "All this thanks to Reddit" with bags filled with fruit at their feet.
6: Same as 2.
7: A screenshot of the GoFundMe showing the number of donations prior to the Reddit post (26). Caption: Donations prior to my Reddit post ($12,500 or so, at that time)
8: A screenshot of the GoFundMe after the post. $63,301 were raised by 2.1K donations!
Caption: Donations as of this posting.
9: It's a conversation between Michael and the Team Leader (TL for short) in Bangladesh (named Shohag Chandra Das). The conversation is as follows:
Michael: I posted the story of my accidental donation on Reddit, when I donated 15,041 when I meant to donate $150.
TL: If I would know by your kindness what is the full form of Reddit.
Michael: People thought it was so funny and it went viral. Reddit is a community social media website. The story got 30,000 views, and the GoFundMe link was shared with everyone.
TL: Yes we 17 team members of Bangladesh realief Are now can hope to see a new future streagth We were hoping our program will be closed due to fund lacking
Caption: Messages from the local team leader in Bangladesh.
10th photo to 13th photo: More screenshots. I'll transcribe them here:
TL: Four emojis with a sad face and a tear. I have no words to praise you that what results your little gesture has brought for millions of needy boldest people in Bangladesh. AND DEAR SIR MILLIONS OF THANKS FOR YOUR KIND EFFORTS BY SHARING THiS FOOD DISTRIBUTION POST IN rebbit.com ,,its a strenghts for thousands of needy people and hungry children even we are seeking permanent sponsor to bear the cost of 20 accurate orphanage children for their rejoining into the school because they have lost their father now they are unable to manage the cost of educationg fooding ect ,,but no one was agreeing for this educational projects. Rebbit.com
TL: millions of thanks for your kindness dear sir i saw you have done it Michael sends a link to Reddit.com.
TL: Then this results has come. And million of thanks to you dear sir, to message me after looking this greatest news.
Then TL proceeds to send Michael lots of other photos of Bangladeshi people containing them eating, them holding their food bags and selfies.
TL: 17 total team members working in 4 districts under BR. But I have sent some pictures we are working in Bogura Office. But in 4 districts 17 young boys and girls doing part time jobs in our institute. Dear Sir. I am informing you because our institute getting a strong shape world wide.
14: A screenshot of the original GoFundMe page showing the $1,500 donation Michael ended up doing. With this text "My original $1,500 in donations on the old campaign page, since a lot of people were looking for this".
Caption: Some people were looking in the donation history on the campaign's new link to verify I actually made the $1,500 donation I claimed to have made in my story. The $1,500 donation (pictured) was made via the OLD campaign link
Last week, I posted one of my life's most embarrassing stories on TIFU, about the typo that caused me to donate $15,041 to a Bangladesh charity instead of the $150 donation I intended. At the time of my Reddit post, the charity’s latest campaign had approximately $12,500 from 26 total donations. My neighbor, the organizer of the charity, had told me the charity was running on fumes and looking to cancel some of its programs.
Of course I had hoped some Redditors might read my story and decide to help the charity, but I NEVER could have expected the overwhelming reaction nor the incredible generosity of the Reddit community. “Watch this post blow up, and a shit ton of Redditors donate” was one of the first comments the post received on Reddit. And that is exactly what happened. Over Memorial Day Weekend, the charity raised over $55,000 from over 2,100 new donations.
On Saturday, I had to explain Reddit to my 77-year-old neighbor and to the charity’s team leader in Bangladesh (he called it Rebbit, as you can see in my pics). They were absolutely blown away by the reaction – truly they view it as a miracle. I received the following message from my neighbor: “Without a doubt, this is the biggest wave of support to arrive since we started! Doors that were closed can now be opened. Plans that were parked can now be put in motion. There is much we can now accomplish. All due to your idea to post (in a funny way) on what happened a while ago. Abundant resources require an equal level of responsibility. No less. I am committed to see that these funds are applied carefully and continue to make a difference to those who need it most.”
Sometimes things just seem to work out for a reason. One Reddit donor commented, “Michael may have screwed up his donation, but hopefully his TIFU on Reddit has fixed that somewhat.” Thanks to Reddit, the Bangladesh community will receive roughly 4x the amount of the original donation I had refunded.
TL;DR: My embarrassing story of an accidental $15,041 donation (and refund of $13,541) goes viral on Reddit, Redditors raise over $55,000 for needy in Bangladesh!
EDIT: Holy cow someone just donated $5,000! Thank you, Anonymous!! Hopefully you didn’t mean to donate $500… it could happen to anyone. Charity link in comments and original post, if anyone else is interested!
​
Editor's note: If this gets posted I will be really happy that my first BORU post was this level of wholesome.
Reminder - I am not the original poster.

Green at the lights Seeing everyone unable to see the wood for the trees in between a forming human nature tanks taking concrete Amongst the traffic fights and Rome moans bliss in envy
Jaded residuals reside at the homage of the home of me In orange fields Picking the fruit in me I feel Picking up broken parts Holographic mess I guess I died In the picture in my mind on the bedside Humanoid shadow up against himself floorboards cast aside recycled family fragment of tree where I hang out The mastery of fine woodwork up rooted beyond doubt my mind a screen door re booted carved nothing into everything semaphore Like a picture developing in a dark room I'm awaiting the process As I crack a light appearance shed awakening frost mournings A hideaway in the distance Seen through the window frame of Dionysus hibernation with apotheosis

Just to give some background, my bf and I have been together for almost 6 years and we have a child (1m) together. As the years go on, it feels like he becomes more jealous and possessive of me. He often accuses me of cheating on him, he has for years. It feels like it’s getting worse though. For example, it started by him messaging me when I’m out and about, accusing me of cheating when I was just hanging with a friend or with my family. I would send him a picture to prove I wasn’t lying and that was it. Now though, he never believes me even when I prove I’m not cheating. When I leave to go somewhere without him, sometimes he will say “don’t go cheat on me!” Even when I’m leaving to go somewhere with our son. Sometimes he tries to say he was joking but I know he’s not. He also hates my best friend(28f) because he thinks we are in love with each other. I love her, but as a friend. I’m also never allowed over to her house if her bf is home because he is convinced that they are trying to “steal me away and become a weird throuple” I have never understood this but I respect his boundary. I almost broke up with him for the accusations and other reasons, but he promised he would stop. Anyway, yesterday really bothered me. I’m a sahm mom and I finally made some time to do some much needed self care. It’s a hassle sometimes having a 1 year old that’s very clingy and interested in everything you’re doing. I took a shower and shaved my whole body. While doing so, I had this looming anxiety but I wasn’t sure why at the time. When my bf got home from work I showed him the cut on the back on my leg I got from shaving. It was like a switch flipped inside of him. He asked if I shaved EVERYTHING and I said yes. He was angry. Said that I must be cheating on him because I don’t care about my appearance around him. He said the only reason I would shave is if I’m having sex with someone else. Told me I ruined his whole night and hurt his feelings. I tried telling him it wasn’t about appearances. Shaving makes me feel good and clean. I felt really gross for a while and shaving literally made me feel better. I really don’t understand this and I don’t know what to do! It’s very hard to leave him because I’m attached in a lot of ways. Is it silly to leave over this? No matter how hard I try he never believes me, even when the truth is right in front of him. TLDR: my(24f) boyfriend (26m) of 6 years accused me of cheating because I shaved my whole body.

This is gonna be a long and probably confusing post, trying to get my thoughts on paper or write them out just seems impossible at this point
My ex gf(34) and I M(29) broke up just under 5 weeks ago. We were in a LDR for 8 months and I fell hard in love with her
She was married and I was single, I never pursued her because of this. Until one night we were hanging out on a discord call with friends and she messaged me telling me how attractive she thinks I am, I at first thought she was messing around and thought nothing of it until a few more messages, then she came on very hard sexually. So I decided to say fuck it and go along with it cause i always found her attractive and we vibed. (I regret it everyday, at the time I didn't care about her marriage and I know how shitty I am for it, karma has well and truly done what it needed to do to me) this continued for a couple weeks, it was highly sexual, the messages, voice notes, videos, pictures and calls. This goes on for a couple weeks and then she started to talk about how she was feeling towards me, she would call me her twin flame, say things like she's never connected with anyone the way she does me etc. I always rejected the talk of feelings because I didn't want to go there. I didn't want to catch feelings as this was purely sexual to me. Fast forward a couple more weeks and at this point we have been talking a fuck ton, about very personal things, our childhoods, our life, bonded over music, games and whatnot. She continued to push her feelings for me and I continued to keep my guard up because I didn't want to end up in this position I am now in. She told me she was going to divorce her husband, I never commented or gave advice on it because lt was not my place to do so. I did tell her to heal from her divorce, take time for herself and find herself again. She agreed and wanted to do so, so she could be fully available to me. I know at this point we had already cheated and destroyed another man but I atleast respected her for wanting to heal. She filed for divorce and we continued to talk but then the subject of love came up. I told her I will not go there until me and her are in person and know how it really feels, she agreed but then one week goes by and she tells me she is in love with me. I was falling for her and knew how I felt but wanted us to do so in person. We then became a couple... I know how fucked up it is, I really do.
She would tell me weird things like men always hitting on her, always trying to get with her, send me screenshot of guys non stop bothering her. I never asked for these things, so It made me feel weird but I never communicated it, which I know is my fault and something I've learnt. At this point we were dating and she would complain of this one guy non stop bothering her and she can't get rid of him. I told her just tell the dude you're with your bf and he will probably back off, I was not happy with her over this because it felt like she was hiding me. She apologised and we moved forward with it, then she started lying about being in other guys streams. I called her out on her lies and she would always proceed to call me jealous and insecure, the thing that hurt the most was after our blowup she would go back into that guys stream and give him money. Felt like a kick in the gut. Was there jealousy there? Yes? I sat with it for a while to understand why I was being jealous and all I could think about was the amount of times she would tell me about different men trying to get with her and the little lies she would come up with, i could never prove she was lying and i know it made me sounds crqzy and possesive but i know what i saw and i know what my gut was telling me. I'm normally not a jealous man. This would happen a few times and it hurt me but I bottled it up and it came out in the wrong way. That's on me... another example is when she mentioned this man messaging her just after her divorce, wanting to take her out etc. She would shit talk this guy to me, call him creepy and whatnot. One day we were laying down and I look over to her, I glanced at her phone and here is the same guy she is calling a creep messaging her. I was furious, instead of confronting her I gave the silent treatment, immature of me I know but I just didn't know how to deal with what my gut was telling me, I rejected it all and refused to believe that this person I'm in love with is lying to me and God knows what else.
She also told me about a time her best friends husband tried to kiss her. Again, I dont know why she told me this but hey ho. She also told me how they both cheated on one another many times. She brought me to that house, I remember the four of us chilling in their garage having a drink, laughs and a smoke. Her friend showed me photos of a lake they all go to in the summer. As we left to head back home my gf goes on to tell me how she isn't happy with her friend, she didn't like the way she leaned over me to show photos. Then went on to say how I am her friends type and all this bullshit. I told her to take that up with her friend and leave me the fuck out of this cause I did nothing nore even notice something like that. We had a massive argument over it. Wasn't the first time she got jealous over another woman. I dont mind jealousy, i think its a normal reaction to have but as long as it doesnt become unhealthy and controlling, the other ones were minor but questions were asked about certain women liking photos on my Instagram. One I went on a date with once and the other who I worked with. That's it, I was happy to say who these people were and what they meant to me. I had nothing to hide. Time goes on and she flew over to me (London) for my birthday. We argued that night too and she threatened to leave me, I told her if she ever threatens to do so again, I will leave her as I found it cruel to put that one someone. Writing this out I realise how toxic this all was. Which hits me hard because I felt like I was in love and we connected so well. I wish I communicated how I felt better, I wish I didn't do what I did and I wish I was given a fair chance to be in love. I am also at fault for this I'm fully aware.
Fast forward to few weeks ago we have a massive row again because I called her out on her lies, she called me a psycho and too possessive. I tried to explain its not that you are in another man's stream, it's the fact that you lie about it and I don't know why, she then goes on to tell me im only ever comfortable when she goes to a her other best friends house, i said yes because she seemed level headed and honest, the reason i felt uncomfortable with her going to her other friends house was because of them doing cocaine in there, which she had told me about but it was all made out to be like i was jealous because the husband tried to kiss her. It had fuck all to do with that, its drugs and she knew how i felt about drugs. But I was starting to feel like I may genuinely be highly jealous and insecure. I dont know if that's because she has made me feel that way or I am like that. I've worked hard these last 2 months to make sure that's not the case. Anyway she forgave me and we moved forward, until 3 weeks later she said this isn't working. I begged, I pleaded and I didn't understand why I was given this chance and then had it snatched from me when I was doing everything I can to work on myself
She went on to say she wants to heal because she had just gotten out of an 11 year relationship, and be by herself. I found it hard to believe considering that's what she should've done 8 months ago, like we said. Then she proceeds to tell me its because of the hurt I caused her that night a few weeks ago when we argued. I accused her of lying, which she was.i didn't verbally assault or call her names I just asked her to tell me what is going on. We were intoxicated and I just had enough of the little lies. I know that is for me to work on and put right, I will accept anything and everything I've done wrong these last 8 months. I realise I'm a shitty person and whatever came from this relationship I deserved. But I feel like I was never given a chance considering how we started. I know I never should've got with a person that was married. The trust was not there because of it but still i pushed how i felt aside and rejected my gut feelings. I tried everything to make sure we didn't do that but words and time spent together. I fell in love
Not even two weeks went by and I found out she is already dating. I knew this would happen cause she done it to her husband, who the fuck am I right? I aint special. But I'm hurting so much, my confidence is shattered and I'm lost. She said she wanted space but keeps reaching out to me, told me she will always love me and how a piece of her heart will always belong to me. Its been 5 weeks and she still reaches out, not as frequent but will send me a message saying I really do want you yo be happy, I ignored her cause seeing her face just brings me to tears, she brought up how i am ignoring her messages and i told her if she wants to talk then let me know. She then messaged me saying she hopes I'm alright, I replied saying I'm alright thanks, yourself? My heart tells me to let her go, remove her from my socials and really start to heal but I can't let go and it's killing me
I know I deserve to feel how her husband felt when she moved on straight away. I get that but I don't think I deserved the emotional abuse here, I think its emotional abuse. I'm just so confused and trying to figure it out so I can learn from this
There will be things I have forgotten or not put in because the post is long enough but if there are any questions I will answer them. I dont want this to come across as me shitting on her and blaming her for everything. I know I had my part in this and I fucked up in so many ways but I cant escape the feeling of being emotionally abused here

Hello, I am visiting Jersey on the 17-19th this month. I collect car licence number plates from around the world from every place I visit. Does anyone know if there are any antique shops that sell them? Or if not is there anyone willing to meet me next week somewhere to sell me one off of an old car or one that you have hanging around. Thanks!

I wish to be more specific and add context to an earlier post I deleted. Many in the comments made HUGE assumptions and frankly, it was infuriating.
A person who is merely a former co-worker was traveling through my state on her way to another destination. She texted me, saying she'd be in my area on a certain date, and would like to "catch up, hang out, maybe stay the night." It has been five years since we last worked together, but since I know what it's like to travel with limited funds, I acquiesced.
The date she was supposed to arrive, I texted, asking if she needed my address, thinking she'd be on the road. "I hurt my back and got a late start, so it will be tomorrow before I can be there," her text came back. "Also, I hope it's okay, I'm traveling with my cat."
I don't keep pets, but, I saw no way to say, "No. Your cat is not welcome."
Does anyone see where this is leading?
So, she arrives a day later, cat in tow. No problem. Except she keeps me awake the entire night getting up and making noise and generally disturbing the peace. The next morning, over coffee, she starts in with crocodile tears and complaining about getting old and out of shape (she's 39, I'm 52. Call me in 13 years about your age, and see if I'm still here). She proceeded to tell me her weight gain was the result of a long drinking binge because she was depressed by the death of one of our co-workers, and was THUS the cause of her hurting her back. Bullshit. She was the same exact size last time I saw her. She hurt her back trying to move heavy base plates by herself. That had NOTHING to do with binge drinking or Jake's death. I had enough, by then. It was a case of pure narcissistic manipulation. Unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own actions is textbook narcissism. So, when I pointed out Jake dying had nothing to do with her pulling base plates by herself, she started yelling at me about how I wasn't listening.
I am gravely ill with stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver. I have PCM (protein calorie malnutrition) and am literally starving to death. I accommodated both her and her pet, when my instinct told me not to. Then, here she was, bemoaning weight gain to a starving person. That's like showing an ingrown toenail to an amputee, in my book. Tone deaf as fuck.
The lessons here are:
1) Listen to your intuition. Yes, I know, we often think we are somehow gaslighting ourselves, but REALLY, we have to trust our instincts.
2) Set boundaries early and adjust as needed. DO NOT let people walk all over you.
3) "No" is a complete sentence. You are under no obligation to explain why you are not interested or willing to do a thing. One of the things this visitor had the nerve to tell me is, "I never put myself in a position where I have to take 'no' for an answer." True dat, honey.
I know everyone is the hero in their own story, but really?
She left without apologizing for yelling at me in my own home. I bet she thinks I'm just awful, but the door is no longer open for her.
I will work harder to set boundaries in the future, but my short-term fix is going to be a "no visitors" policy. The stress of chronic illness and the uncertainty of cirrhosis is enough to keep my peace out of balance. No need inviting more stress.
If you read this far, thanks for following along.
Vent over.

I have my collection of Nightstrike 1's and Nightstrike 2's for sale. Price listed includes shipping. Single discs will be shipped out in a bubble mailer with a cardboard backer, doubles and up will ship in a box. Unfortunately I do not have a scale to check disc weights for you guys. If you want/need better or more specific pictures please feel free to reach out. I take PayPal and Venmo, but I prefer Paypal. Add 2% to purchase price if paying PayPal G&S. First come, first serve.
BIN the lot for $330, otherwise discs can be purchased individually. Small discounts will be applied to multiple disc purchases.

1. Pink Nightstrike 1 Color Glow FD. 6/10. The disc has some scuffs on the flight plate, some stamp fade, and some marks on the rim. There is one phone number on the rim. I purchased this as a backup and never actually threw it. 175g. $75
   
2. Orange Nightstrike 1 Color Glow FD. 6/10. This disc has some stamp fade and some scuffs and minor scratches on the rim and flight plate. There are either 3 or 4 numbers written in the rim, not quite sure based off of spacing. This was in my bag for 2 years, it flies like an NS1 is expected to fly. It was edged out by an essence after I got tired of throwing expensive discs on every hole. No weight listed. $75
   
3. Green Nightstrike 1 Color Glow FD. 6/10. Some scuffs on the rim and flight plate, stamp is in good condition. There are 3 numbers written on the back, 2 on the flight plate and 1 on the rim. This was purchased as a backup as well, I have not thrown it. No weight listed. $75
   
4. Peach Nightstrike 2 Color Glow FD. 6/10. Some scratches on the rim, scuffs on the flight plate, and some stamp wear. I originally thought this was unthrown, but upon inspection it does not appear to be that way. I don't remember much about the listed condition when I first purchased it, I do not remember if I have thrown it. No numbers written. No weight listed. $50
   
5. White? Yellow? Not sure what color to call it. Nightstrike 2 Color Glow FD. 6/10. Scuffs on the rim and flight plate. 2 numbers written on the rim and somebody's fish stamp on the flight plate. This made its way in to my bag for a bit before being swapped out for an S-line FD, it has a pretty stable flight. No weight listed. $40
   
6. Green Nightstrike 2 Color Glow FD. 10/10. Unthrown, no damage to flight plate or rim. This disc has been bag kept since the day I purchased it. 175g. $75
   

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/NewspaperAny2212
AITAH for not letting my niece call me “mom”?
Originally posted to AITAH
TRIGGER WARNING death of a parent
Original Post May 23, 2023
Ok so I (35f) have a bit of a story. When I was 19, I got pregnant and was extremely irresponsible and decided to keep the baby with my at the time boyfriend. We passed the window to get the baby aborted and as the due date grew closer, we realized just how unsustainable having a baby was at the time and he ran out on me. I have no idea what to do, but my absolutely wonderful brother and his wife we’re having trouble conceiving so they proposed that they raised my child like their own. I said yes, and I am so thankful they allowed me to have a part in her life because she is a MAGNIFICENT person. My brother suddenly passed away a few years ago but he was the greatest man who ever walked on this planet. She began living with me after her father died (her mother isn’t in the picture anymore. Long story but it’s not happy) and a few months ago she found out I’m actually her biological mother. She’s been coming to terms with it and she tells me she loves hanging out with me and does see a lot of herself in me.
This morning she called me “mom” and I immediately stopped her and told her not to call me that. She told me that I am literally her mother so she should be allowed to call me “mom” and then I told her I am her aunt, not her mom. Then after she continued to push I said “so does that mean you should call dad “uncle [name]”?” That made her stop dead in her tracks and she stopped and then just slowly left the room. Maybe that was a little bit of a cheap shot considering how fucking close she was with him before he passed, but yeah.
AITAH for not letting her call me mom?
tl;dr: I’m my niece’s biological mom (my brother raised her as his own) and she tried to call me “mom” today and I told her not to.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
ON WHY SHE DOESN'T BELIEVE SHE DERSERVES TO BE CALLED MOM

She is my brothers child. He was a better parent than I ever could have been and for the first few years of her life I thought I had made the biggest mistake I ever could’ve made but when I saw how much patience and grace he had with her, I knew I made the right decision. He was a better parent for her than I ever could’ve been. I was never her mother, I was always her fun aunt who she had sleepovers with.
I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about how he raised her for ME, but he raised her for HER

ThrowRA-crayons

You can feel that your brother was a better parent if you’d like, but she’s still YOUR DAUGHTER. Again, setting a boundary is one thing but straight up trying to lie to your own kid is another. Get it together OP.

OOP replied

I’m not lying to her. I’m not her mom. There’s a difference between being someone’s biological mother and being someone’s mom

Update May 31, 2023
Ok so last week I made a post about my niece which can be seen here: /AITAH/comments/13pdlm5/aitah_for_not_letting_my_niece_call_me_mom/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
Basically, when I was 19 I got pregnant and couldn’t raise a baby so I agreed to have my brother and his wife raised her as their own and I’ve been her aunt for her whole life. My brother passed away suddenly and she’s been living with me for the past three years, and she found out I was her biological mom a few months ago. Last week she called me “mom” and I told her not to because I wasn’t her mom and I was her aunt.
After reading some of the comments and engaging with them, I decided to talk to her and I told her I was very sorry for my low comment about her father and I miss him terribly too and I didn’t feel comfortable being called “mom” because I felt I hadn’t earned it yet. She was just kind of like “yeah ok.” and we moved on.
Then last night night she randomly asked if she could sleep in my bed with me. I was kind of unsure what to do so I just said ok, and then she got in and snuggled up next to me. This is going to sound cheesy as hell but when she put herself in my arms, I had this surreal flashback to when she was sleeping in my arms on the day she was born. I had a wave of emotions and started feeling like I was an idiot for giving her up even though my brother was a better parent than I ever could be, and I had this realization that I’ve been a fucking idiot this whole time because I didn’t see I now have an opportunity to actually be her mom after so many years of feeling like I missed out on that. I embraced her in my arms and started to cry. She asked if everything was ok and I told her “everything is perfect.”
I sincerely hope I didn’t screw myself and make her never want to call me “mom” ever again after my response last time. Either way, I couldn’t be more proud of this young woman and I’m so happy I get to have this role in her life.
Anyway, yeah. Sorry for the long winded response. If you made it to the end thank you I appreciate it :)
RELEVANT COMMENTS
kiwanyuh

That’s really sweet. If it were a movie, she’d remember what you said about “not earning to be called mom” so when she calls you mom next time, it’s gonna be a special moment of you somehow “earning it” I made myself cry now, I hope that’s how it goes ❤️‍🔥 And I’m so happy you connected with her 💖

OOP replied

istg I’m gonna full on ugly cry if that ever happens lol

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP

So I guess newsreaders can hide their emotions really well on TV. I’ve never seen Mary Markov in any state of heightened temper. The time she came down to help after I’d burned down the FunFlair building with Frankie was definitely a first in that regard. Then again, I’d never committed arson before either, so there were a lot of firsts that night. It’s been two days, but I can still see her angry face before me when I close my eyes. It frightened me a little.
After the fire had been doused by her staff, she gave Fran and me a look unlike anything I’d ever seen before. There was a homicidal rage in her eyes, her mouth had turned into a thin, steely line and the vein on her forehead threatened to pop. To my surprise (and admittedly relief), she turned the entirety of that wrath against Frankie Preston. “What in the world were you thinking?” she thundered, looming dangerously over the shorter man. “You committed a goddamn crime! If you were a normal person, I’d have to get you behind bars now!”
“Wait, I’m the privileged one here?” he snapped. “That woman tortured me! She brought me into this world by fault and proceeded to make me wish I’d never been born! And there was nothing I could ever do about it, because, oh, that’s right, I’m not a normal person! As you so endearingly put it. No one has a fucking clue what I am, so it’s okay for me to suffer, isn’t it?”
Mary opened her mouth to respond, but only ended up shutting it again. Then she focused her scrutiny onto me. “I thought you’d have known better.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I knew what I was getting myself into. This was a contemplated decision.”
“Was it ever.”
I motioned for her to step aside with me, bringing a bit of distance between ourselves and my waiter. “I’ll make it up to you,” I began. “I will, but please, please drop this.”
“Did he force you to come?”
“You don’t actually believe he could force me into anything, do you?”
Mary Markov sighed. “I guess not. Look, it’s not like I don’t understand his grudge. And from what I know of Ms Wallis, she won’t be missed by many. I just wish it didn’t have to come to this. This means a ton of work for me.”
“It means so much more to him.”
Another sorrowful moan. Then, “Alright. I have your back. But don’t, um… encourage this kind of behavior in him, please.”
“I won’t,” I promised. “What are you going to do about the other doll?”
“She’s in bad shape—”
“Trash shape,” Fran chimed in from behind, having inconspicuously strayed closer.
“She’s in bad shape,” Mary repeated, pointedly ignoring him, “and currently unresponsive, but since you said she’s shown signs of sentience, I guess we’ll have to look into her. It prompts a very interesting question, after all.”
“Being?” I offered.
“Think about it. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the other two living dolls, Zion Boyd and Bunny Martell, but they came alive after Frank tinkered with them. And now there’s this one. Maybe your little boyfriend has some kind of yet to be explored ability, seeing as he was the first to gain awareness.” She fell silent for a pregnant pause, glancing between the two of us. “Something to ponder on your drive home. Which you will be starting now.” She made a shooing motion with both her hands.
The message being quite clear, Frankie and I got back into his car. The ride was quiet at first, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable stillness. It felt like a weight I didn’t know I’d been carrying had been lifted. I stared at the server’s profile, alternately framed by nightly darkness and moonlight, drinking in every little detail about it. It was hard to believe that someone as cruel as Philomena Wallis had created something this breathtaking.
“So you’ll probably wanna talk about all of this, huh. About what I am, I mean.” Frankie’s voice was light and relaxed with only a hint of uncertainty gnawing at it.
“What’s there to talk about?”
“Aren’t you surprised? A little… disgusted, maybe?”
“I always knew you weren’t human. Beyond that, it doesn’t really matter to me what you are.” I shrugged. “I mean, I’d be fine if you were human, too. I’d be fine if you were a squonk.”
“What’s a squonk?”
“I don’t know, I just made that up. Anyways, did you actually think I would be grossed out? Did you?”
He smiled. “I guess not. This’ll sound crazy, and it’s hard to explain, but it’s like I got a voice in the back of my head constantly telling me that… that I should wash myself again or that I ought not to touch you. I suppose it’s not really a voice; it’s only these thoughts that kind of keep pushing into my mind even though I should know better. And I do know better. But that doesn’t stop the thoughts.”
I nodded slowly. “I think I understand. I can’t tell you how much I disagree with that voice, though. You’re the cleanest person I’ve ever met and if I could, I’d live in your hair like a cootie."
"That's how close you want me?"
"Yup.”
He let out a soft laugh. “I’m really, really glad you came with me. If there’s ever anything you need, I’ll do it. No matter what. If you want to bury a body, I’ll dig the hole.” He paused. “Actually, we should sell any corpses you might have. It’s wonderfully lucrative.”
I shot him a quick smile before turning to stare out the window with knitted brows. “What do you think about what Mary Markov said? About you being able to make the dolls come alive somehow.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything to it. I don’t remember doing anything special with them. Zion and Bunny were just standing around when I turned them on, and they came to within minutes. I figured they were sentient before, and it was simply repressed. I woke up randomly, too, after all.”
I hummed pensively. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Well, if you’re implying it’s some kinda superpower, then that’s probably the most useless one ever.”
“We don’t have to talk about this now,” I told him, to which he gave me a grateful half-grin.
Per my request, he dropped me off at Nettie’s place. I kissed him goodbye on the crown of his head and told him we’d text the following day. He thanked me again and I watched him drive off before going up to ring the doorbell, mentally preparing an apology for showing up at five-thirty in the morning. My savior human was surprisingly quick to answer, giving me an indulgent wave as soon as I stumbled over my first “I’m sorry”.
“It’s fine,” she muttered. “I hadn’t gone to bed yet.”
I gave her an incredulous look and she sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her normally soft, rounded cheeks were sunken, her eyes oddly dull. Judging from the angry red marks, she’d apparently been chewing on her lower lip with some force. It was only then that I took note of the sweater she was wearing. A faded, shaggy piece of fabric that clearly hadn’t been washed since Kit Sutton had given it to her on the cliff that day. I felt a sharp pang in my chest and pulled her into a hug as soon as I’d stepped inside with her.
She stifled a sob when she wrapped her arms around me in return. “It’s hit or miss with me when it comes to sleep lately,” she confessed in a brittle voice.
I swallowed. “I’m working on it. I’ll get her back for you, I have a lead. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?”
“Not really. I just gotta distract myself ‘til the morning comes, I’ll be fine then.”
“Then I’ll stay up with you.”
It was thus decided. We sat down in the living room for a while, then went out into the garden to watch the sunrise. My savior human had taken her place in her mother’s chair while I whipped up some chocolate chip pancakes (one of her favorites) for her for breakfast. I carried them out to her on a little plate with a cup of tea, and for a moment, her expression cleared up for a beam of happiness to shine through. “We should do something productive,” she remarked, and I gave her a questioning tilt of the head. “I’ve been thinking,” she went on. “Isn’t it weird how all these years, you didn’t hop dimensions once, and now all of a sudden it keeps happening?”
“Don’t worry about that right now.”
“I always worry, baby girl. It’s my natural state of being.”
“It shouldn’t be,” I insisted. “It feels wrong. You have your own problems, I don’t want to add to that.”
“Seriously, that’s not what’s happening here. This is just how I keep my mind off… things.”
I rolled my lips together. Blue-haired things, probably. “You deserve so much better. You deserve this to be way, way easier,” I stated.
“That’s a nice thought. But it doesn’t change anything right now. You can control your body, can’t you? Your teeth and tentacles?”
“Yes. It happens automatically when I get scared sometimes, but for the most part, I’m actively doing it.”
“Then how about if we could somehow start getting you on top of your dimension jumping, too? It would be a tad risky and I’m not sure how to go about it exactly, but it would be far better if you could toggle it. You’d be able to stop yourself from hopping when you don’t want to, but maybe you could venture into these other spaces for exploration purposes, too.” The words spilled out of her like a babbling little waterfall as she plucked apart one of her pancakes and stuffed them into her mouth. “Because there has to be more to this. I just have that feeling. So I reckon we try and find a way to work with this. What do you think?”
“Sure. I guess I’d be… open to that.”
“Really? I-I don’t want to pressure you…”
“No, no, it sounds fine! I wanna try!”
“Okay!” She set aside her plate, rubbing her hands in blatant excitement. “So it happens when your flight instinct kicks in, correct? How about we get you in that headspace on purpose?”
“How would we do that?” I asked cautiously.
When I was sitting cross-legged on the ground among my savior human’s countless flowers with my eyes closed and her hand in mine, that question had pretty much answered itself. Nettie Peterson was leading me in a “guided meditation” consisting of several intrusive queries about my first ever jump—the most terrifying moment of my entire life.
“The thing, that floating maw, what did it look like?” she began, referring to the creature that had ended it all.
I furrowed my brows. “It didn’t look like anything,” I replied meekly. “Mostly, it was just… really big and dark.”
“Dark? What color dark?”
“Black, I guess. It swallowed the light.” A pulsating pain began to flare up behind my forehead. “It was nothing. It was like a giant ball of nothing.”
“You told me once that it made a noise,” my best friend went on, her fingers grasping mine a little tighter. “Do you remember that sound?”
I winced. “Yes.”
“Describe it.”
“It was more like a vibration that went through everything,” I mumbled. “The ground was shaking. And then we all screamed.”
“Did you see inside its mouth?”
“No. There was nothing inside of its mouth. There was nothing inside of it. Just emptiness.” I shifted my weight. Images were flashing in front of my inner eye, filling the darkness behind my closed lids. My breath had caught in my throat and it felt like ants were crawling beneath my skin. “And then all of us were suddenly… nothing, everything was gone and at that last moment, everyone was so terrified. They all knew it was over. All of them.”
At first, I thought Nettie Peterson’s hand was trembling. Then I realized it was my own, shaking hers through the contact. For a moment, my body felt feather-light, but not in a relaxing or comfortable way. It was as though I was afloat, out of control and weightless. I didn’t like it. “Can we stop?” I choked out.
“Of course,” my best friend replied, gently squeezing my fingers.
I let go of a deep breath, blinking my eyes open. Across from me, Nettie was giving me a soft but deeply apologetic smile. “Did I push you too far?”
“It’s not your fault. I think I simply wasn’t ready for this.”
“I understand. Let’s go inside and make some more of those—” She stopped mid-sentence. She’d been pointing her chin at the plate of pancakes resting on her chair, only to see that it had changed.
The food I had just served her half an hour ago had turned into a moldy, rotten mess. A couple flies were circling it, emitting a low, almost melodic buzz. My savior human and I traded wide-eyed glances, disbelief, fear and excitement mirrored in our eyes. We then got up to take in our surroundings. The flowers surrounding us weren’t the same anymore. They were either withered or deathly pale; formerly pink, yellow and red petals had become either light gray or iridescently white. Thick, soupy fog was hanging over everything, it was denser and heavier than any we’d ever had in town before. The mist seemed to have consumed all the noise and color in the world, leaving only cold, oppressive silence.
Nettie was the first to regain speech. “It worked! Oh my Lord, it actually worked.”
I clasped her arm and she immediately fell silent. Wordlessly, I pointed at the rolling fog on the other side of the garden fence. There was something moving within. An enormous, caterpillar-like shape soundlessly dragged itself through the air, its long body slowly moving along across the street. My savior human’s jaw had dropped, her mouth wide open as she followed my gaze. Neither of us moved a muscle as we waited for the creature to pass by. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to take note of us at all. I didn’t want to imagine what could happen if one were to draw its attention.
“This is… I don’t believe this,” Nettie breathed, running a hand over her mussed coils. “You did it. We’re not home anymore.”
“What do you propose to do now?”
“Keep our heads low and try to find out anything useful, I’d say.”
I nodded and she folded her hand into the crook of my arm. Together, we proceeded through the open door back into the house. Wammawink and Nettie’s old convertible were standing in their garage, a pool of motor fluid surrounding each vehicle. The paint was peeling from the car doors, matching the way the pictures and photographs around her house had faded.
The food in her kitchen had morphed into a self-contained ecosystem. Bugs were crawling up and down the walls and ghostly white mice scuttled across the floor with shocking brazenness. There was no trace of human life anywhere in sight. We stepped out the front door and into the street only for Nettie to grab me and fling me to the ground next to her. We flattened ourselves against the curb as another one of the gigantic caterpillar-figures snaked its way along just a couple feet above our heads. I craned my neck to give my best friend a sidelong glance out of terrified, saucer-sized eyes. I could see my reflection in hers as she pressed a finger to her lips. I gave her a tiny nod.
Finally, it was gone again and we helped each other to our feet. Nettie brushed down her sweater with great care before tilting her head at me as though asking if I was alright. I gave a reassuring, albeit wavering smile which she returned with a slight strain to her brow. We linked arms again and started walking down the street. The whole dimension seemed to be a mirror image of our hometown, only deader. Aside from the flies and vermin, there seemed to be very little life. All of the houses we were so familiar with looked decrepit, old and empty. Walls were crumbling down, roofs looked to be seconds away from caving in and most windows were shattered. It was impossible to see ahead through the mist, but we managed to hide from the flying worm-things everytime they came up.
We were starting to become a little frustrated seeing as our exploration yielded nothing of note. There was hardly anything to be seen safe from the depressing alternate version of our neighborhood. On top of that, the clammy chill that hung in the air along with the fog was making us increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, we decided we should try and get back home. We returned to Nettie’s garden where we crouched down once again, hand in hand. Before my savior human could begin her questioning though, the ground beneath us suddenly began to shudder, heaving as if moved by some kind of subterranean pulse.
Nettie Peterson and I snapped our eyes open at the exact same time, mouths agape in bewilderment. And then we saw it. It was in the sky, partially veiled by the thick fog yet impossible to overlook. It became darker and darker as it neared, its indescribably large form seemed to envelop the entirety of the heavens. It had been five years since I had last seen it, but I recognized it immediately. Not that it had any features I could have recognized. I remembered though, and in that moment, it all came flooding back to me. The breeders that threw themselves in front of their young, the cries that echoed across the plains together with the stones and soil sent rolling by the earthquake. I caught my best friend’s gaze, read the terror in it and knew that it was just as immense as my own. Her lips were parted in an ear-piercing scream that ended up being drowned out by the hovering roar of the Devourer Of Worlds.
I squeezed her hand so tightly I feared I’d snap her fingers. And suddenly, before I knew it, all was silent again. The air was warmer, filled with the fragrances of countless different flowers. The early morning sun was shining down on us, and it felt like it was heating up my very core. We were back. In the blink of an eye, Nettie had thrown her arms around me, pulling me close to her chest.
“Baby girl,” she whispered.
“That was it,” I rasped out. “That was it.”
“I know.” Withdrawing just an inch, she wiped a thumb over my eye, careful not to scrape me with her nail. It was only then that I realized I was crying. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, noiseless and hot, dripping from my chin and wetting my chest.
"You're not hurt, are you? Look, it's going to be alright. You just take it easy now. We'll go inside, have some tea or coffee or whatever and calm down, a-and then we can figure this all out. Come on. Get up. Easy, easy now." She hugged me even as she pulled me to my feet and into the house alongside her. "So tea. How about strawberry? Or Turkish apple? Or classic chamomile? Something for the nerves, at any rate."
"Wait," I stammered, interrupting her monologue. "What about you? Are you okay?"
"Oh, no. No, no, no, far from it. I'll sign us both up for therapy once I find the time, but for now, tea! Tea."
"Nettie, please don't strain yourse—"
"Listen here, I'm gonna make you some goddamn tea and we'll sit down with it and it's gonna be warm and nice and we'll forget all about this. I'm here. I can take care of you. You do not need to be scared." She pressed her face close up to mine, her voice sharp and a mite threatening.
"I'm sort of scared of you right now."
"Oh." She drew back. "Pardon. I'll put on the tea." A forced, crooked tune tumbled from her lips as she went ahead into the kitchen.
We've both simmered down a little since the incident. It's been two days now. I used most of that time to unwind and recover from what had to be the single most eventful night of my time here on earth. Keep in mind, this happened the morning after the fire. The calm is not going to last much longer, though. I don't mind that, I just need to brace myself.
Rhonda's been in touch.
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work
18: something in the caves
19: shopping cart
20: olms and Jewels
21: long hair
22: recruitment
23: waitresses
24: dollhouse
25: burning plastic

My startup is downsizing into an incubator, and we're selling our equipment. Buy from us instead of a middleman, and we can both save money. In some cases we can offer preventative maintenance/inspection from the manufacturer prior to transfer and continued service. Link to Google sheet (first column is a hyperlink to a picture of the item). We're located in Cambridge, MA if you'd like to view equipment in person or virtually.
Highlights: Meso Quickplex SQ 120MM, Keyence BZ-X810 automated fluorescence microscope, Buchi B-290 Mini spray dryer, Agilent Fragment Analyzer, Agilent Synergy H1 plate reader, Quantstudio 3, Opentrons workstation, CTL immunospot, Milli-q system, BSCs, shaking incubators, -80/-20 freezers, avanti J-25 floor centrifuge
mod approved

Only Europe Please - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will permanently be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone interested in being my friend - not the whole world which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me avice better block me
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Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make any time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give you one word answer and ask you another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different🙂What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me
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What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and without partners..Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them ( which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (Acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation .
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I also want to talk to others on a daily basis mainly because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..Why I'd rather talk to people from my continent? Well..Mainly because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - Especially given most people are always available on social media sites & keep their phones in a pocket.Once you receive & open my message - get back to me (If you're as serious as I am & really need a true friend) waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough
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I'm by no means criticising people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have non important conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason.All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people really are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message Don't let anyone lie to you.
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Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk daily? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionallyI'm not trying to sound rude - I just don't want to meet new people and get emotionally attached - only to end up being left alone after weeks or months of daily conversations.I'm sick of that never ending story and always meeting people who ghost me without a single word (even if everything seems to be ok) or people who "change priorities" over time & become like strangers…I don't want to go through this ever again.Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :)It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make time for you.
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I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you. 🙂
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I'm not really interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life
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• I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on some question or? Start talking only about themselves.. I love conversations with people refering to every part of my messages - not just some question.
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• No dirty messages PLEASE.I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. No NSWF profiles..I always check people's profiles (Even comment history) - To avoid guys,trying to get inappropriate photos from adult women or? flirt with them & If your comment history is full of rude comments - you and I wouldn't get along! I can't stand people who judge other people and use vulgar words to describe them or? Make fun of them.Respect is very important
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• If both (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country ) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just simply don't want to talk to a person from the same country - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to practice your english
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• Please only adult people 18-36 age range (I'm 27)
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• I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even though It is a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - I think it's ok to not respond to someone's first or second message If people think they wouldn't get along! I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversation and seeing people changing priorities but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real If I'm really interested in someone's message - I respond within a matter of minutes - max 6 hours (If I'm in bed - just sleeping) you won't even hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I really was too busy to make time for others - I wouldn't be here. I either want to talk to someone..or not.I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike some people)
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• Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book.
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• It would be better If you guys were into emojis - just like me - just to describe your emotions through text. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough I just don't like emotionless messages.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively.
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• I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you ) before moving to Discord or some other app
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• Time response matters to me a lot! It matters to me whether I get a message back after one hour,three hours,6 hours or..12 hours and even..after a couple of days..And If you're another person just looking for one day conversation and then? "Disappear" for some amount of time longer than one day to come back and apologize me for being busy - don't even leave me a message.I just want to be honest with you from the start.I'm interested only in daily conversations
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Why can’t you see any of my interests listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest,talkative,understanding,caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but in my personal opinion,common interests are important mainly when you want to find a gaming buddy (for example) or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's interests – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life– way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you!I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced.
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Both people wanting to be friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I higly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk everyday to be friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations with someone also interested in talking dailyIf you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night)I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully.
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If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new.You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that's something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance. But others see it as false hope. Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future.
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You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're only responsible for ourselves - not for others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on,forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because a therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you.Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out & feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else"Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others.Empathy is everything
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Our world needs more peace 🤗 I've seen a lot of rude comments on reddit.If you don't agree with me - OK but please don't criticize me + Not everyone is here to ask for advice.Listen people - I know how different my post is & I know It won't be easy for me to find what or rather who - I'm looking for BUT I always want to be myself instead of pretending someone I'm not and lying to others.I know It would be easier if (like others) I had less expectations but I I know what I want and honestly? If my post was different..I wouldn't be me.Even If I won't meet a person I'd get along with - that's ok! but don't give me any unsolicited advice because I wouldn't change for someone who doesn't even know me pretty much as I wouldn't want to change anyone else.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.I'm not here to argue with anyone and to make fun of others.
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Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abrreviations,If you don't need an emotional connection,If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship,to be natural which is why I want you to contact me If your needs are the same - I don't want you to try to change yourself only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I know It's possible to find what I'm looking for as I had conversations with people looking for exactly the same thing and being nice to me - I want to believe in my luck again as I had it a few times on reddit - I've recently lost someone I thought could be a friend of mine (such a perfect match) and I'm sad but I want to finally be happy again & find someone always wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals and what is the most important to me? To find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side
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No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests.I don't really like public conversations and I also do not respond to comments so If you want to send me a message just do it without saying "You can DM me" + I'm online almost all the time and yes - I am very selective but If I had to choose between having another (new) acquaintance and being in the same situation as I currently am - I'd always choose second option.I don't need more people to talk to every now and then and any chit chat so please think twice before you decide to send me a message

My 13 month old cries/whines/protests everything. EVERYTHING. And it’s not even like he’s just whining — many times it’s full on screaming as if he’s in pain (he’s not). Put him in his car seat, he cries; set him down, he cries; walk out of sight, he cries. He screams when you change his diaper or clothes. He used to love going for walks but now screams after 5-10 min in the stroller. He screams the second his eyes open after a nap or in the morning. He cries and screams just hanging out on the floor.
I’m losing my mind. It’s been like this for months. He’s developmentally on track and hasn’t had any delays so far. He attends daycare. He eats well. He sleeps well. He’s perfectly healthy as far as we/doctors can tell. He’s starting to talk but only has a few words so far.
Is this just how it is sometimes? I have a few friends with children ranging in age from 12-18 months and no one else’s kid is perpetually crying and unpleasant. Is this normal? Can I do anything to help him get over this? Are we reinforcing his crying behavior by picking him up/holding him/doing what he wants when he cries?

Only Europe Please - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will permanently be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone interested in being my friend - not the whole world which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me avice better block me
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Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make any time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give you one word answer and ask you another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different🙂What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me
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What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and without partners..Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them ( which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (Acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation .
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I also want to talk to others on a daily basis mainly because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..Why I'd rather talk to people from my continent? Well..Mainly because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - Especially given most people are always available on social media sites & keep their phones in a pocket.Once you receive & open my message - get back to me (If you're as serious as I am & really need a true friend) waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough
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I'm by no means criticising people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have non important conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason.All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people really are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message Don't let anyone lie to you.
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Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk daily? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionally I'm not trying to sound rude - I just don't want to meet new people and get emotionally attached - only to end up being left alone after weeks or months of daily conversations.I'm sick of that never ending story and always meeting people who ghost me without a single word (even if everything seems to be ok) or people who "change priorities" over time & become like strangers…I don't want to go through this ever again.Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :)It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make time for you.
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I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you. 🙂
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I'm not really interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life
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• I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on some question or? Start talking only about themselves.. I love conversations with people refering to every part of my messages - not just some question.
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• No dirty messages PLEASE.I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. No NSWF profiles..I always check people's profiles (Even comment history) - To avoid guys,trying to get inappropriate photos from adult women or? flirt with them & If your comment history is full of rude comments - you and I wouldn't get along! I can't stand people who judge other people and use vulgar words to describe them or? Make fun of them.Respect is very important
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• If both (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country ) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just simply don't want to talk to a person from the same country - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to practice your english
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• Please only adult people 18-36 age range (I'm 27)
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• I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even though It is a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - I think it's ok to not respond to someone's first or second message If people think they wouldn't get along! I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversation and seeing people changing priorities but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real If I'm really interested in someone's message - I respond within a matter of minutes - max 6 hours (If I'm in bed - just sleeping) you won't even hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I really was too busy to make time for others - I wouldn't be here. I either want to talk to someone..or not.I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike some people)
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• Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book.
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• It would be better If you guys were into emojis - just like me - just to describe your emotions through text. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough I just don't like emotionless messages.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively.
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• I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you ) before moving to Discord or some other app
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• Time response matters to me a lot! It matters to me whether I get a message back after one hour,three hours,6 hours or..12 hours and even..after a couple of days..And If you're another person just looking for one day conversation and then? "Disappear" for some amount of time longer than one day to come back and apologize me for being busy - don't even leave me a message.I just want to be honest with you from the start.I'm interested only in daily conversations
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Why can’t you see any of my interests listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest,talkative,understanding,caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but in my personal opinion,common interests are important mainly when you want to find a gaming buddy (for example) or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's interests – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life– way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you!I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced.
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Both people wanting to be friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I highly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk everyday to be friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations with someone also interested in talking Daily If you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night)I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully.
★ ★
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If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new.You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that's something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance. But others see it as false hope. Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future. ★ ★
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You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're only responsible for ourselves - not for others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on,forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because a therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you.Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out & feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else"Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others.Empathy is everything
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Our world needs more peace 🤗 I've seen a lot of rude comments on reddit.If you don't agree with me - OK but please don't criticize me + Not everyone is here to ask for advice.Listen people - I know how different my post is & I know It won't be easy for me to find what or rather who - I'm looking for BUT I always want to be myself instead of pretending someone I'm not and lying to others.I know It would be easier if (like others) I had less expectations but I I know what I want and honestly? If my post was different..I wouldn't be me.Even If I won't meet a person I'd get along with - that's ok! but don't give me any unsolicited advice because I wouldn't change for someone who doesn't even know me pretty much as I wouldn't want to change anyone else.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.I'm not here to argue with anyone and to make fun of others.
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Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abbreviations,If you don't need an emotional connection,If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship,to be natural which is why I want you to contact me If your needs are the same - I don't want you to try to change yourself only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I know It's possible to find what I'm looking for as I had conversations with people looking for exactly the same thing and being nice to me - I want to believe in my luck again as I had it a few times on reddit - I've recently lost someone I thought could be a friend of mine (such a perfect match) and I'm sad but I want to finally be happy again & find someone always wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals and what is the most important to me? To find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side
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No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests.I don't really like public conversations and I also do not respond to comments so If you want to send me a message just do it without saying "You can DM me" + I'm online almost all the time and yes - I am very selective but If I had to choose between having another (new) acquaintance and being in the same situation as I currently am - I'd always choose second option.I don't need more people to talk to every now and then and any chit chat so please think twice before you decide to send me a message

As always, thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe that is NoP
Thank you to u/cruisingNW for proof reading and helping me out of some hang ups, you're the man! Honestly LoM wouldn't have gone very far without him! If you haven't you should absolutely go read Foundations of Humanity! It's very good.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Sailor, Venlil-Human Exchange Participant
Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 29th, 2136, Very Early Morning.
We got a message an hour ago from Videk, ordering us to report to Hangar-08 to start On-Stick training; and to bring our bags! I guess the guy had wanted to get as much out of the day as he could. That or he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Videk met us at the doors to the hangar, a small travel bag sitting on the floor by his side, tail swaying slowly as he watched us approach. “Good Waking, Taisa. Good Waking… Christopher.” An improvement, I’ll have to ask Taisa about that talk they had.
“This,” He continued, motioning to the shuttle parked in the hangar behind him with his tail. “Is your training shuttle: registration C1-0V3R-HR-EX.Your first On-Stick training assignment will be to follow appropriate lift off and departure procedures, plot and follow a course to The Capitol on Venlil Prime, seek permission to land from the proper authorities, and land safely and legally following those permissions. All of this, while following proper procedure and regulations. All of this will be graded.”
As he speaks the door behind him slides open, revealing a broad hangar bay, heavy clamshell doors dominate the far wall. At the center of the bay sits a stout craft painted white and black, a pair of stubby wings jutting from its sides flowing into a pair of engines flanking a singular tail. Venlil script is painted at the root of the tail and on the top of the rear ramp.
“Upon arrival in the Capitol you will have some paperwork to do at the U.N. offices with regards to your habitation. I will need to pick up some equipment from the training facility at the landing fields. After our respective errands, let’s say half a claw, we will meet up back at the shuttle and from there you will be plotting an in-atmosphere route to Shadetree, Sunward of the Capitol, to drop me off and wait for me to install and calibrate the remote instructing equipment. Once that is completed, you will plot another in-atmosphere course to Heartwood River, concluding this paws evaluations. Do you have any questions?”
I shook my head, and Taisa flicked her ears, in what I believed was a negative. “Very good, load your stuff and we’ll begin immediately.”
After a few minutes of finding places to tie off our belongings and get everything situated, I sat in the pilot’s seat and ran through the pre-flight check with Taisa. We caught a pair of faults in the starboard fuel delivery units. Videk seemed pleased we had caught them, and that he hadn’t had to tell us they were there. I could feel a slight smile tug at the corner of my mouth.
Devious little bastard makes for a damn good instructor.
Once the preflight was complete I closed the rear ramp and hailed the flight control tower. “Tower this is shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for departure, place us enroute to Venlil Prime with planned landing zone of Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo.” A Human voice came back over the line, a bit of mirth in their voice. “Shuttle, Tower, you are clear for departure, opening bay doors now. Good luck and Godspeed.”
The doors to the station hangar yawned open, filling the viewport with the void and all its stars beyond as I slowly brought the shuttle off the hangar floor, easing it out through the opening. I reached over to the nearest display and opened the Nav-computer interface, plotting our course to VP, and then on to the Capitol landing fields. Once I was confident I had the proper navigation commands and sequences set I called over Videk to have him review my work.
He gave me a quick flick of his tail before saying “Looks good, Christopher. Feel free to spool and jump when you’re ready.”
Videk’s approval given, I reached over and pushed forward on the throttles, engaging the drive and hurtling the shuttle into subspace.
It. Was. Beautiful. Everything seemed to stretch, stars in the distance turning from pinpricks of light into brilliant colorful streaks, lengthening as we bounded through the void. Lines of light far off in my periphery zip past like tracers as the ones before me feel as if they’re pulling me in with their kaleidoscope of color. The hum of the shuttle fell into the background while I became entranced by the light show in front me, picturing myself on the set of one of those old sci-fi shows I would watch with Pa on the weekends. The Future my ancestors had imagined was Here, right before my eyes and at the tips of my fingers! This view was… Hypnotic. The simulator couldn’t hope to do it justice.
Two hours. That was it.
Two hours to travel what, until very recently, would have been considered an insurmountable distance for Humanity. Dropping from Sub-space into the proximity of Venlil Prime was another astoundingly brilliant view. Scorched white deserts flowing into massive swathes of golden sands cut by the occasional streak of blue before blending into a beautiful verdant mix of turquoise and green fields, with vast lakes and rivers dotting the forests, flowing into wide marshy wetlands. Before finally, the curve of the planet fell away from its star, allowing the fading sunlight to showcase glittering city lights dotting the countryside.
The thrusters burn to life, crackling and thrumming with power as they drive us forward through the void to the beautiful marble before us. I flip two switches on the overhead, tapping the leftmost display to call up the local channel list and place a hail to the Capitol’s landing fields to request clearance and pad assignment. A quick ping, signifying my hail had been acknowledged, chimed over the console speaker.
“Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo this is Shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for landing at an available pad of convenience.” “C1-0V3R-HR-EX, you are cleared for landing, 13-Bravo, direct to pad Charlie-5.”
The Flight through the Void may have had some feeling of familiarity and nostalgia to the old Sci-fi shows at home; but in-atmo had the far better view! Rolling turquoise fields and towering thick trees, with their canopies tilted greedily towards that unmoving sun, falling away to a gargantuan metropolitan area, its architecture entirely alien yet still somehow familiar. Massive skyscrapers soar to touch the sky, reflecting light in brilliant angles and colors, the space below them populated by squat sturdy buildings and deep black roads. The Venlil going about their lives below look like ants as I ease off the throttle, taking the speed down to prepare for the final approach. The display on the viewport flags my landing area with a small pip guiding me in, slow and easy.
The cabin jostles slightly as the ship settles onto its landing gear. Videk seemed impressed; his ears up as he tapped away at his data pad! Taisa’s tail sways happily back and forth as she runs through the diagnostics of the landing, checking system status reports.
“Looks like we’re all clear. Videk do you have a time we should try and be back by?” Taisa beeps, showing the flight instructor the console in front of her.
“I just need to pick up the equipment and get it linked up, that should only take about a half a claw. Walking to and from the landing field and the U.N. Offices should put you at about the right time.” Videk turned away and made for the ramp; Taisa’s talk helped, and he was clearly trying, but he was still a bundle of nerves around me. His fur was so puffed out it looked like he was holding more static than a thunderhead.
As we stepped out of the artificial gravity of the shuttle I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. My first step faltered making me stumble down the ramp and bounce off the… soft pavement? “Oh, forgot about that.” Videk winced sympathetically, “Our gravity is about twenty percent more than earth’s, so be careful. Falls are likely to hurt a little bit more here.”
“Would’ve been nice to know first, Videk.” I groaned, rolling myself over and sitting up, luckily the visor hadn’t fallen off; I would need to add one of those new back braces and some knee compressors to that order of stuff from home. “Do you know where the U.N. Offices are? Or should we just ask around to find our way there?”
“I do not, but you should be able to get directions on your pad. I trust the two of you can figure it out, so I’m going to go get the equipment I need. I will wait for the two of you with the shuttle once I am ready.” With a parting flap of his ears, Videk turned and walked away; flicking the tip of his tail back and forth as he did.
“Alright then,” I grumbled, forcing myself up off the pavement, swaying as I found my new equilibrium. “let’s get going. Can you pull up those directions?” She nodded slightly, flicking her ears forward. “Got them up already! You alright there?”
“I’m fine.” I grunted, rolling out my shoulder a little. “Feels like I weigh a quarter ton, but I’ll get over it with time. Lead the way.”
After a few minutes of walking we were off the landing fields and into the streets of the city. My boots sinking into the pavement a little with each step, just like on the landing field. “Taisa, what is this stuff? I figured it was just to make landings a little softer on shuttles but it’s everywhere! Looks like pavement but it gives like rubber; why are your roads like this?” “Anti-stampede concrete.” She stated, matter of factly, like that meant literally anything to me. My silence must have tipped her off that I wasn’t getting it as she focused one eye on my visor. “Oh… I guess Humans wouldn’t need that. It’s to help reduce stampede fatalities, it’s the same reason the roads and buildings have gentle curves, no sharp angles.” Looking around at the way the groups of Venlil flowed through the streets I realized she was right, what I had thought was a futuristic aesthetic design was just to keep people from killing each other against walls or trampling them into the ground when they got scared. How strange… and slightly worrying.
“Weird, that sounds like some crazy wonder material. Bet we’d have a bunch of uses for it back on earth.” My eyes watched the tips of skyscrapers towering above us, “How far out does it say we are?”
“Only a little further, about one and a half kilometers.” She responded, a slight pant in her voice. I wasn’t in the best shape, cardio wise, but I couldn’t imagine getting winded after 10 minutes of walking; guess all that talk about the Venlil having less stamina than us was right.
The U.N. Office complex was a series of giant flowing buildings built on a large park area. It wasn’t any design I had ever seen so I figured it had to have been an existing complex that just got turned over to the U.N. for their uses.
Passing through the heavy glass front doors we found a wide receptionist's desk, with several Humans sitting behind it, answering questions and directing people where they needed to go. One of the receptionists, a short dark haired woman with a visor obscuring her face, beckons us over. “Hello! How can I help you today?” “H-Hi!” Taisa beeps excitedly, her tail swaying behind her confidently as she takes a deep breath and straightens her back. “We’re part of the ‘integration’ experiments, we were told we need to fill out some forms for habitation. Where do we go to do that?” “Oh! Congratulations! That would be Suite 216-B” The receptionist answered, excitement in her voice as she pointed to a room on the map infront of her.
“Thank you!” Taisa responded, turning to head up the stairs behind the receptionist's desk. Halfway up the stairs she swiveled her ears over to me before saying. “Sorry, I figure if I’m probably going to have to work with Humans other than you for this I should try and at least work on being able to talk to them.” “It’s alright,” I chuckle, patting her shoulder. “That’s a great idea and you’re doing alright!” Walking down the hallways we saw prints of landscapes from Earth, Machu Picchu, the Uyuni Salt Flats, The Grand Canyon, YellowStone, Hạ Long Bay, The Zhangye Mountains and Plitvice Lakes. I pointed out the places I had been to as we walked past them, finally stopping at suite 216-B.
The door was open so we knocked, getting a quick ‘enter’, before stepping in. A man sits behind a desk, the top covered in organized files and folders, a placard on his desk declares his name as ‘Obediah Kamara’ with a small Liberian flag stamped beside it.
His visor obscures his face as he looks between the two of us before beginning. “I presume you are…” He sorts through a couple of the files and folders before stopping on one and opening it, pulling out a document packet. “Christopher Dewey and Taisa. Correct?”
We both respond in the affirmative as he gestures for us to take the seats across from him, sliding the documents across the table as Taisa’s pad pings on her belt. “These are agreements to ensure that you,” He starts, looking at me. “Understand the rules in regards to your habitation here on Venlil Prime. I understand that part of your integration will be taking you off world to and from Earth, these rules primarily apply to your time here. We ask that you remain considerate of the provided rules and guidelines on the ship if you are carrying Venlil passengers. Taisa, those are the terms, conditions, compensations and requirements for your family to house a human when the two of you are present. Virtual signature of that document is required within the next 3 of your ‘paws’.” Taisa stiffened a little bit, likely thinking about her Mother’s response to my arrival; that was something we were probably going to have to have a talk about later. I had an idea for the short term, at least. I ran through the paperwork real quick and it was all pretty simple: don’t be without the visor or some kind of face covering in settings where you couldn’t guarantee that an unprepared Venlil wouldn’t see you, avoid aggression, speak quietly, no eating meat, animal products or byproducts, no hunting local wildlife; bit odd considering I didn’t even have a bow or a gun but rules are rules, I suppose.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, signing the indicated portions of the document. “When are my items supposed to get here?”
“We don’t expect your requested items to arrive for another week or so, for now you’ll have to make do with what you brought with you.” Obediah responded, shuffling the packet of papers back into the folder they had come from. “With that complete you are free to go. I understand you have training to complete, so I wish you good luck with your endeavor. If you have any questions or needs with regards to your habitation you can contact Sam, their details will be forwarded to your communication devices.”
I caught Taisa’s tail twitching as her ears swiveled nervously out of the corner of my eye; even with her attempts to push through it I think the amount of Humans around was starting to get to her. Still, she was doing better than I think a lot of Venlil would be able to manage. I reached over, gently tapping my hand against her paw, trying to ground her a little before motioning to go, she nodded slightly as she flicked her ears.
“Thank you, Obediah, we’ll be sure to get into touch with them once we get their contact. Have a good day!”
Taisa and I stood, exiting the room and making our way out of the building, stopping to look at another picture or two along the way. Something needed to be done about possibly not having a place to stay to put my, and more so Taisa’s, mind at ease. I figured I could sleep in the shuttle, if I had to. It wouldn’t be particularly comfortable but I could certainly do it; I’d need a mat, maybe a sleeping bag or some blankets and a pillow.
I had no clue where I was going to get my hands on those, or at least a set of them big enough for me to actually use.
Then I saw the temporary units in the field near the offices. Men and Women in U.N. fatigues were milling about the area. Barracks? That could solve the problem, if they’re willing to help out a man in need, of course.
“Hey, Taisa, I need to make a stop real quick.” I state, walking briskly towards the largest of the buildings. “What’s up?” She asks, ears focused on me as she tilts her head a little.
“Well, I was thinking, I don’t think your parents, your Mom especially, won’t, uh… won’t want me around. At least not for a little while until she gets to know me better.”
“I think you can get past it, she’s not that bad… It’ll just be tough.”
“Oh I’m sure I can get past it, but I’d rather not just sleep in the grass in the meantime.” “I don’t think she’d make you sleep in the grass…” “I like being prepared, if she doesn’t want me in her house I’m not going to push the issue.”
“I just… I hope it doesn’t come to that, I’m not going to let her toss you outside like an animal.” She sighs quietly as we push through the front door of the barrack building.
A desk manned by a napping U.N. Marine with Private ranks stuck to his shoulders filled the space beyond the doors. He stirs as the doors clank shut behind us before scrambling to throw on his Visor as he notices Taisa.
“Hello, Uh… Can I help you? This area is for active U.N. personnel only.” He starts, his voice finding its authority only about halfway through the statement.
I stand straight, trying to muster the stern demeanor I’d found in my father and his friends so often when they tried to get something on base after their retirements. “Easy, Private. It has come to my attention that my accommodations lack proper bedding.” “O-Oh, uh, I apologize…” He stammers out, searching for something to say, likely looking to find a way out of trouble for sleeping on duty.
“Sir.” I state. “What’s your name, Private?”
“A-Alvarez, Sir.”
“Alvarez. I’ll remember that, Alvarez, how about we make this quick, you get me a wrap of blankets, 3 pillows and a bedroll and I don’t find your commander to report your… lack of enthusiasm.”
The private snaps to attention before firmly stating. “Yes Sir! I’ll be right back, Sir!”
As the private turns and walks away crisply I hear Taisa whistle with laughter a little beside me. “I’m surprised that worked.”
“You’d be surprised what a hard voice, straight back and the right slacking Private can get you if you just don’t go pushin' it too far in your story.” I whispered with a wink.
After a few minutes of waiting Private Alvarez returned with a duffle bag, stuffed full with blankets and pillows, as well as an inflatable bedroll under the other arm. “Here you go, Sir. Will this be ok?” He asked, passing the items over to me.
“Perfect, thank you Private.” I took the bundle of bedding and turned to the door, before turning my head back over my shoulder, “Oh, and Private? Do try and get proper rest before duty.”
A shaking “Y-Yes, Sir.” followed Taisa and I out of the door.
The first half of the walk back to the landing field was quiet, I was scanning the skyline again, I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was on another planet. Taisa however had her ears pinned back, her paws lightly holding her tail tuft as we walked.
“What’s got ya down?” I asked, watching the herd of Venlil glide around us as we came, trying their best not to get too close to me.
“I’m… concerned.” She sighed, the tip of her tail twitching between her paws.
“About?”
“My mother, what she’ll say… What she’ll do.”
“I can’t exactly say I know what her reaction’ll be… But, whatever it is we’ll just have to deal with it. It’ll probably take time, but we’ll get by.” I soothed. She let go of her tail, placing the tip of it on my back, but her ears didn’t let up at all.
The rest of the walk to the shuttle was quiet as she fidgeted with her paws, trying to take her mind off of the subject. Videk was there waiting for us, a few crates secured to the cargo area of the shuttle that weren’t present before.
“You two ready?” He asked, flicking his tail at us.
“I think so.” I responded, stowing the bedding in an empty compartment as Taisa flicked her ears.
We ran through our preflight checklist again, finding another pre-placed failure from Videk waiting for us, this time in the starboard control surfaces. Once the check was done we radioed the tower for clearance to take off and set an in-atmo course for Shadetree to drop off Videk. It was a short hop, about a half hour of flying or so before I had to call ahead for clearance to land again.
Most of the flight from the Capitol to Shadetree had been rolling turquoise and green hills or open fields of produce growing in the everpresent light. A sudden dense forest rose from the fields, thick dark brown trees with fluttering golden leaves stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. A sudden break in the forest revealed a clearing for the Landing field, much smaller than the one at the Capitol. The city was built under the canopy of the trees, giving it a constant filtered light casting down through the shifting leaves. It was certainly a beautiful town, I’d have to come back to visit some day. Maybe once Videk had warmed up to me a little bit more.
As the ramp fell ,a small cargo truck arrived alongside the shuttle to collect Videk and his equipment. I offered to help but the Venlil driver just about ran when I started talking so I figured it was probably best to just keep out of it. Once the cargo truck departed, Taisa came back up to the cockpit, plopping down in her seat, and looked through the viewscreen at the trees beyond. The soft hiss of the ramp closing marked the finality of Videk’s departure.
“So, how are you feeling about Venlil Prime so far?” She asked, one eye on my face as I finally slipped the visor off.
“I like it! Between the beautiful scenery, interesting architecture and hanging out with you and Shamrock, here I’m having a great time!” I responded, rubbing my hand on what amounted to the shuttle's dashboard.
“... Shamrock?” She asked, her tail swaying in what I figured for amusement.
“Yea! Remember how I told you Humans like looking for patterns? Well it works on words and numbers as well. The tail number for the shuttle could be taken to spell ‘Clover-HR-EX’, or just clover for short. Clovers are a type of plant on earth that a few cultures believed to be lucky, one way or another. One of the nicknames for them was a Shamrock!”
She laughed at me.
“You are such a dork.” She said, wiping a tear from her eye as her tail whipped back and forth. “It’s a good name, usually shuttles don’t get one. I think it fits.”
I chuckled, a thought crossing my mind. “Think we could get any shuttle-grade paint? Preferably green, yellow and black?” She raised an eyebrow at me as her ears cocked at different elevations. “Oh? Someone feeling a little artistic?”
“Well, I could always paint a Shamro-” I was interrupted as the ping signifying we were being hailed sounded off. “We’ll finish this later.” I said, pointing at her as I accepted the hail.
Videk’s voice bled through the speakers. “Ok, looks like the connection is secure. Let’s go ahead and run through getting you familiar with the software, it should be quick and easy.”
It was not.
It took two hours. After a lot of trial and error, stop and go flights to test the connection and a few near misses with an especially tall tree we had gotten the system setup such that Videk was confident it would work in an emergency if he needed to step in. With that all squared away Taisa and I settled in to get on our way to Heartwood River. Sleeping on the blow up mattress or on a real bed hardly mattered at this point, I just wanted to sleep.
The overall flight time was set to be about an hour and a half, not too bad and man was the view beautiful: rolling fields, roaring rivers, pristine skies and alien forests abounded across the countryside. We had just passed over Hidden Plains when Taisa and I were just settling back into talking about her parents and our best route to try and handle them, when the hail system chimed and immediately spat out a harsh tone without acknowledgement, the same one the simulator used for distress calls.
“Mayday Mayday Mayday. Report of shots fired at residence housing humans. Need immediate medical evac at The Berrypatch Farm in The Grove, 11 minutes Night-ward from Hidden Plains. Hailing all airborn craft, we need a medical evac immediately!”
I immediately returned the hail. “This is cargo shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX. Responding to Mayday from the Grove. We are en-route to render aid. Hold tight, we’ll be there.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Taisa tighten her flight harness as I reached for the throttle.
---
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Hello, all! I've recently wanted to do a fun Star Wars roleplay with lots of action, drama and, of course, romance! Probably. Okay, the romance is not exactly necessary, but that's up to you! Below, I have compiled a bunch of plots with suggested Canon characters as examples, although others and OCs work!
I'm looking to do a roleplay including one of these: Padmé Amidala, Leia Organa, Aayla Secura, Ahsoka Tano, Cara Dune, Bo-Katan Kryze, Qi'ra, Jyn Erso, Mon Mothma, Shaak Ti, Luminara Unduli, Fennec Shand, Dedra Meero, The Armorer, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla and probably some that I am forgetting! Remember, OCs are always welcome!
UNDER SIEGE
After the Battle of Endor and the death of the Sith, the Rebellion launches an assault to conquer the final frontier: Coruscant. Imperial loyalists rush to fortify the planet, bringing with them legions of stormtroopers, mercenaries, thugs and more to hang onto the last bit of power they have. General Hera Syndulla is tasked with leading an attack to knock out their aerial defenses. She's shot down, though, and a ground team rushes to her position. Among them is a young soldier who catches her eye, but not just because of his combat skills...
THE RIGHT PRICE
Known for her incredible skill with a blaster and in hand-to-hand combat, Fennec Shand is a feared and revered assassin. She is, however, not as young as she used to be and is left with two choices: find someone to work with her or go on doing her job until someone younger comes along and relieves her of her duties. With a high-paying job on the horizon and rumours of a bounty hunter on her tail, she'll have to make the decision sooner rather than later.
THE SENATOR'S SUFFERING
As the Clone War rages on, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo grows increasingly desperate to stop it, but the Seperatists' war machine and the Grand Army of the Republic go at one another regardless of her efforts. Her relationship with Anakin never got past Geonosis and she's lonely, but her quest is more important. Going on a diplomatic mission to a planet which the CIS is trying to win over, Padmé realises that they succeeded. She's in a fight for her life, backed only by a single guard.
INTO THE TRENCHES
Luminara Unduli and the 41st Elite Corps have dug themselves into a Kashyyyk beach and must hold the line against the oncoming waves of Seperatist battle droids. With their artillery pieces and vehicular support suffering heavy losses, the esteemed Mirialan general requests reinforcements from other positions on the planet and the GAR, but the only help that can be spared is a single Commando, either a Clone or a Wookie or something else. His main duty is keeping her alive.
THE STRIKE TEAM - VADER
After surviving the Battle of Scarif - just barely - Sergeant Jyn Erso is chosen to lead a strike team on Darth Vader's fortress. They know very few, if any, of them will survive the ordeal, but that doesn't stop one of her subordinates from falling for her...
THE STRIKE TEAM - GRIEVOUS
Jedi Master Shaak Ti is chosen to lead an anti-Grievous taskforce to end his tyrannical command of the CIS's armies. This taskforce consists of hardened ARC troopers and Clone Commandos, one of which is her second-in-command. He's gruff, broken and guarded, but love might change all of that. If he survives the mission, of course.
THE RETURN OF MANDALORE
Lady Bo-Katan Kryze must retake her homeworld at all costs. The Empire's incessant bombing runs damaged the planet's surface, but did not leave it uninhabitable. She's formed a small group of Mandalorians to help her in her mission, but once they land, their quest seems compromised: a young, injured man who was born after the fall of Mandalore shows up, begging for help. He needs medical attention and food, Bo-Katan needs someone to help her navigate the ruined planet and both need comfort. Seems like a win-win situation...
FOR THE REBELLION
As the Galactic Civil War rages on, the Empire continues to crush what little forces Rebellion can muster. Leia Organa is at her wits' end and scrambles to find a planet or faction who would be willing to give them manpower and ships to aid in the fight. The leader of a powerful pirate fleet - as the Empire calls the group of ragtag merchants - gives her a proposition: she need ships and manpower, which he has. His son needs a bride, which she is. It's for the greater good, after all.
These are just some plots! I hope to hear from someone soon. Have a lovely day!