Costcos near me

Hey all , I’m a recently graduated engineer currently awaiting to receive an offer from the army for engineering (I have already passed OSB).
My current understanding about the whole situation is that all recruited engineers with already completed degrees will go directly into the SSO stream. While those who studied at ADFA or were on a defence scholarship received training to become a GSO while at uni and have the option of what steam they want to go into.
I understand that the primary difference is that those in the SSO stream will work as engineers where those in the GSO stream can be appointed as nearly any type of officer. I am just concerned about whether or not by career in the SSO stream and the army would be limited by not having this GSO training.
My summarised question is that would being a direct entry SSO pigeonhole my career in the army and would I be better off trying to go off and do the GSO training to aid me in getting higher positions later on in my career.
Thank you all for your time and responses. Of course I’m not in the ADF so please correct me on any false assumptions.

Idk why but I just get kind of depressed randomly and want to commit suicide, and nearly done it two times, including today, but I don't know why. I mean, I have friends, a family that cares for me, a good life in general but idk it just comes I guess.
Idk why, but sometimes, including the two times I nearly kms, it felt like I was starting to lose control. Idk over what, or who, but I did.
I know I need to see a professional, but I'm a minor and still dependent on my parents to move, and I really don't want to tell them because when I told a friend about it it REALLY scared him, and I don't want to scare them that much.

The time has come… in a dramatic turn of events, the collection must go :( This is not the full thing thank god, but it is a majority… My approach to collecting is primarily artistic if I’m honest and so Unless Specified Otherwise, I am the first owner and the knives have never been carried. Everything includes the box/pouch with all accessories. Each knife is shown in a very detailed video… listed by descending price:
James Brand The Barnes — second owner, I can’t spot a single blemish, perfect condition, factory edge, perfect centering and lockup, very impressive knife, plain ti version with lime colored thumbstuds — sv 430
Navajas Barbudo Balmis — LNIB, a very unique production knife by Reate from Spanish maker Miguel Barbudo. Perfect condition, lockup and centering, comes with Tools For Gents 2022 coin, toxic storm fat carbon fiber version — sv 325
Arcane Design Preytheon — LNIB, UrbanEDC exclusive, I’ve never used it, it’s as if you bought it brand new, nothing to note, it’s in flawless condition — sv 320
Vero Synapse Mini — I picked up the blackwash / black micarta version off the swap not too long ago, and then upgraded the scales to the bnw g10, comes with the originals too. I can’t find any blemish and I haven’t arrived it at all, LNIB — sv 315
Benchmade Mini Crooked River factory custom — ordered directly from benchmade with S90V steel, black liners, bolster and screws, blue pivot collar and backspacer, and short deep carry black clip. Not used at all… actually I don’t like it, the action hasn’t even been broken it, however two screw heads did run off as i was trying to shine the wood, sadly I paid 360 for such a stunt, but here you go — sv 280
Terrain 365 Mako — plain ti version, I modified the flipper tab and guard to match, but then the pivot got stripped so I got a new one from Michael, through this whole process, it got very dinged up, I haven’t actually carried or used it, and it took forever to get it centered and tensioned right, but here it is, and not ugly Mako for — *sv 270+
APurvis Progeny V3 — green micarta version but comes with extra scales in shred cf, nothing to note, perfect condition, LNIB, the action is no longer difficult as it was out of box, so i guess it had been flipped a fair bit, great centering and lockup — sv 260
Reate Gents #9 — received off the swap just the other day, original owner polished the clip and put a polished edge on the blade, it has the tiniest scratch on the polished edge near the point, he said he never used it or carried it, I have barely touched it, excellent condition, no marks to note, very comfortable knife, comes with some extra screws and washers — sv 225
NOC MT20 — blue inlay, LNIB, honestly very underrated, great action and surprisingly comfortable, it’s perfect, I don’t know what else to say — sv 190
Miguron Pagos II — this has a twill cf inlay and I love it, based off of everything I own, I’m going to make the claim that this is the best knife you can get for the money, amazing fit and finish, amazing action and drop, and amazing materials. I did drop it so the very very tip is missing, factory edge and could be sharpened easy, otherwise perfect condition — sv 175
Kizer Cormorant — Elmax and nebula fat carbon, i bought it directly from Kizer about a month ago and have played with it a few times… so here’s a good deal on a perfect knife, LNIB, I did screw in the extra screws to fill in the show side clip holes and I did the spine walk test on some a carpet on a table (it very passed) — sv 160
Boos Blade Smoke 2.0 — twill cf / plain ti, I bought this off bladeforms a week ago and I know people think it’s too skinny but I actually love it a lot, great materials for the money, you can tell the action is what the price is, but i really like it. the only blemish i’ve found is a dent in the very edge of the blade about 75% up, factory edge, easy to sharpen out — sv 122
Opinel No. 08 Ellipse — handled twice, NIB, special edition of the french classic with metal inlay on the handle — sv 110
Lynch Clip — Spyderco standard, black, brand new with screws — sv 15
Skiff Bearings — brand new, 6mm pivot, 1/16in, 16 ball — sv 12
Artisan Cutlery/CJRB Clip type A and type D — never used, compatible knives listed in the link, but also it’s really generic and would fit a lot of things if you want it, sold together — sv 25
STILL AVAILABLE:
BBK Raptor V2 — sv 330 / Berg Blades Mini Barber — sv 224 / Kubey Raven — sv 38 / Damascus clip for VDK Mini War Admiral
sadly no trades, ppff or gs+fee, venmo, zelle or cashapp (i accept donations [email protected], @uuolberg) thank you all deeply, pray for me

He has no ident/no chip! If you lost a dog near Hartwell Park and Woodruff, please contact me. I cant foster your dog for long and od like to keep it out of the city kennels.

I am nearly in tears. First, this process is so unkind to disabled people. The practicum process is so awful and I am so upset. Why is the graduation requirements not consistent with associate licensure requirements?
I have met all of my traineeship requirements. I have had to be out for a few weeks here and there because I am disabled and I needed to take care of my body and my brain. Now that my internship is over, I have only 45/52 supervision weeks. I can ask my old supervisor to throw me a bone and basically supervise me for 1 hour a week for 7 weeks while I have no clients I guess?
My mental stability is hanging together by a thread. The idea of taking on another practicum site just so that I can get 7 weeks of supervision is insane to me. This last year of practicum has been so rewarding and I have learned more than I can put in to words, but now that it is over, I cannot go back to doing that. After a year of practicum employment of nearly 30 hours a week, school, and trying to stitch together my deteriorating body, I cannot fathom going back for another seven weeks for seven hours of supervision.
Also, if someone's going to come and say "well how are you going to be a therapist full time then", I won't be a student during that time and I will at least be getting compensated for my labor so I can provide for myself while stitching my deteriorating body together.

First Previous Wiki
"An Elder was killed!"
"Well that's why you should have had me in charge, huh?" Kashaunta said, smiling. Tapitilna should have wondered why she let him take power at all. Granted, she hadn't expected him to immediately issue an ultimatum and activate the bombs. That did take some guts, she had to admit.
"Bring in his body," an Elder said.
Eight Authorities entered, carrying a box that they placed on the large table. Kashuanta noted that the box was far larger than a body should be. The box unfolded, showing Tapitilna's broken body to all the Elders in the group. Luckily, most of them were already Kashaunta's direct allies or had been bribed to temporarily fill that role.
"Wow, that was definitely Brey," Kashaunta said, looking at the dull claw-sized pole the length of his entire body that stuck out of his skull.
"Shouldn't the implants have protected him?" another Elder asked.
"The pole was tipped with what we believe is depleted uranium, and seems to have been travelling at a little under a hundredth of the speed of light."
"Then that material is remarkably sturdy," Kashaunta said. "Speared straight through him. Looks like the pole itself was made of something more... impressive than that."
"Now's not the time for jokes, Elder Kashaunta."
"Well, you brought one to the table, Rirarabakila. What did you expect but for me to laugh?"
The Elder looked at her furiously. "He was my brother."
"You have 11,270 other brothers. Get over it."
"I've known him since birth."
"Well, then you should have warned him not to try and push against me." Rirarabakila was one of her enemies. That much was certain.
"I have a proposal, then. We go to Earth ourselves, kill the child, along with the hugely populated city in their northern sector, and then go home."
"The Last Postulates, specifically the 3rd Last Postulate, states that causing a species within the Alliance to go extinct will cause the fall of the Sprilnav."
"Even if that does refer to the Alliance, no one believes that tripe."
"Well, go ahead, then. Burn your money on a wormhole to Earth, and watch as Phoebe sends back something nasty. After Tapitilna's little stunt, I'm sure that she'd be willing to send bioweapons, as would the hivemind of Humanity. We are lucky that they only killed Tapitilna, and not anyone else."
"It sounds like you're describing a neer-peer power, and not a primitive backwater. Are you perhaps... defending the Alliance, Kashaunta?"
"Am I? No. Otherwise, I would have fought Tapitilna when he tried to push me out of the investigation. I would have put a further boot on Yasihaut's neck when she fled. I have the money to send a wormhole directly to her ship, and gate the other side to a fallen star."
"Fallen star?"
"A neutron star, if you would."
"Ah. So you admit that you are perpetuating a war, then?"
"It's not a war. War is something that anyone who battles me would lose. However, it is a skirmish. Once the ships are ready, then the battle will begin. And I'll enjoy watching it."
"You'll enjoy watching millions die?"
"Yep."
"You're an evil bastard, Kashaunta," Rirarabakila said, his fury plain on his face.
"Yep."
"I challenge you to a duel."
"Alright."
Kashaunta's mouth unfolded to reveal a psychic speargun, which shot four darts and a net that both impaled his feet and pressed him against the wall, leaving him bleeding and unable to escape. He whimpered as she calmly walked around the table of Elders, placing a claw on his face.
"Oh, my dear little Rirarabakila. You seem to forget how powerful I am."
"You're nothing but a-"
Kashaunta drove a knee into his neck and side, leaving him gasping for air. "What I am is the victor. Acknowledge it. I could kill you if I wanted to right now. All it takes is a dart through the head. Perhaps I could ask the Alliance if they have another pole?"
"Now you're... you're mocking my brother's... death?"
"Yes, I am. Because he died like a weak little girl, and was even more stupid than you'll ever be. Well, not that you're smart. Your intelligence standard measure is what, 95?"
"Really, Kashaunta?" another Elder asked. "Are you again peddling your score on that test? You just bribed your way through it."
"I didn't, actually. I wanted a real number. The fact that it just happened to be 163 was an added bonus."
"You know that test doesn't measure intelligence, right?"
"Oh, I get it. The intelligence standard measure test must measure growth rate, or perhaps eating speed. How stupid of me," Kashaunta laughed. "This one's actually been proven accurate. Maybe you just got a low score and don't want to admit you're dumb."
"I challenge you..."
"I'm killing the next Elder that challenges me, by the way," Kashaunta said, pulling out her sword. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Fine then. Our conversation got a little off topic. The Alliance killed an Elder. A second one, actually. This cannot continue."
"Why not? Over 97% of the Sprilnav Elders are dead from suicide, what's one more?"
"You truly are a bastard, Kashaunta."
"Yes. Well, not truly a bastard. My mother and father, and yes, I had a mother and father instead of a cloning vat, decided they wanted a child. And thus, I was born."
"Don't care."
"Fine then. The Alliance. I'm thinking that we give them a little present."
"What should the present be?"
"Don't care," Kashaunta deadpanned.
"Very funny."
"It is to me."
"But it shouldn't be."
"Don't care."
"You think you're smart, don't you?"
"Well, I do have an intelligence standard measure of 163, so..."
"You can't do this forever, Kashaunta. You will be stopped."
"By who? You?"
"The Alliance that you protect so much wouldn't hesitate to kill you."
"Good thing that I'm not going there, then. They'll be chasing holograms and crappy copies, not me."
Kashaunta had, just maybe, also helped the Sprilnav that the Alliance was using to do their hard work actually hack the holographic projector. Not that anyone knew, of course. And those who did wouldn't care about one measly Elder. But what she had learned was far more interesting. This 'Elder Equisa' was, in fact, a Primary Galaxy Sprilnav, from the way she'd hacked the hologram. That made things very interesting.
They were known to be more apathetic when it came to enforcing their rule. That was because they had killed all their alien species long ago, from what information on them Kashuanta was able to access. Equisa wasn't a part of the leadership that was in the archives. That meant she was likely a grunt, though it wasn't guaranteed. The problem was that she became another untouchable party if she was actually in the Alliance in person.
Equisa might be fun to toy with eventually, but Kashaunta would be careful. Having a link to a Primary Galaxy Sprilnav would be massively useful.
All she needed to do was find a way to establish contact. That would be very hard, but it was an important step to take in making inroads into the Primary Galaxy.
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"Man, he's growing up fast," Penny said, smiling as Edu'frec walked on the obstacle course Phoebe had made with a hard light projector.
"He is," Phoebe responded. "I'm proud of him. Anyway, what were you here to talk with me about?"
"How have your attempts at cracking immortality treatments been going?"
"Decently well. I've managed to make a serum that slows the breakdown of organic materials by nearly 916%. This can transfer to things like DNA, but the problem is that it's still too toxic for the blood of a normal human, Breyyan, or Knower. I've obtained numerous samples of cells that reacted violently to the serum, particularly the ones related to bone marrow, the immune system, and even some cardiovascular cells. But all types of neurons have been able to reach nearly 394% slower atrophy, and instances of mental decay already present stopped growing completely. When combining them with the typical drugs to reduce the atrophy, though, the cells died."
"You're not using real brains and such for this, right?"
"No. I'm using stem cells and cloned portions of consenting individuals. They each signed a contract that means I pay them every time I clone their cells for a trial."
"That seems... icky."
Phoebe nodded. "It's morally dubious, certainly. But this way, we don't have to go back to animal testing, which already is finished. We don't need to simply 'hope' that the differences are small enough for whatever the serum does in their bodies to transition to sentient counterparts. Sure, Earths ecosystems may have been heavily damaged by climate change, but mice are still mice."
"So you're using the cloned samples so you aren't having to test on sentient or sapient organisms?"
"Yes. It costs a few thousand credits a day, because of all the tests I'm doing, but I make way more than that in the stock market."
Phoebe smiled as Penny smirked. Oh, I'm sure of that.
It was well-known and often lamented that Phoebe had an extreme ability to predict economic shifts and profit from them. Worse still, she had enough money to actually move the market in several sectors at once and owned numerous stakes in large companies across the Alliance.
"Why not use simulations?"
"They can't account for psychic energy properly, in all cases. When I make too large a tweak, often times the psychic energy in the brain causes a negative reaction. I've made serums that work for everything else. The problem is that I can't mix them, and I also can't start from anything else and have the psychic portion work. They have to be modeled off the brain and adjusted. I have billions of chemical combinations in my head, with trillions that are too toxic but have a high chance of success. And I can't test them all in a lab that isn't the size of a small city."
"There's desert in Nevada," Penny suggested.
"Already asked. The Americans don't want me testing things on their soil without having control over it. The agreement they proposed was to have a company that controlled the production, with me only serving in an advisory role. Obviously, that isn't what I want, so I didn't sign it."
"Did they lean on you?"
"The truth is that no one can lean on me. Sure, they release a statement saying that they 'regretted' that I was 'unwilling' to negotiate on this. But immortality serum is something that is very dangerous for society at large. I know that fact well, and you likely even more so," Phoebe said. Penny could hear Nilnacrawla's agreement in her mind.
"Yes. But how will you decide who to give it to? Couldn't you make a series of immortal servants with it?"
"I don't need servants, Penny. I'm an AI. I'm living longer than everyone in the universe unless the Sprilnav get too pissed off and turn the system into a black hole or something."
"But still, you could use the serum to make yourself the most profitable company in the Alliance. You would be a master of life and death itself. Do you really think you're the right person for that?"
Phoebe laughed. "Considering how the only other being in the Alliance with a similar level of knowledge as me is the hivemind, then either yes, or almost. The truth is that no one is the right person, Phoebe. I'm doing this for Ri'frec most of all, and in a way for myself, through him. But I don't want poor people who can't already afford age slowing services to have to die in their early 150s. They can live far longer, and I can help them."
"Won't the birth rate be crippled by that?"
"Why would it be? Some companies already have services where you can create a child, with things like customized hair color, height expectancy, and eye color. Of course, the International Genetics Treaty bans things like intelligence modifiers, strength enhancers, and things like that."
"Everyone knows that the companies don't follow that."
"Ever since I came into being, they have," Phoebe said. "I sent their boards and biggest shareholders messages about compliance."
"So strongly worded letters?"
"I also provided a demonstration of my investigative ability, as well as my skills at cracking even the most advanced network security. I put a cat video on the most secure computer on Earth."
"So you enforce the treaties of the UN?"
"I do, if I have to."
Penny frowned. "You really do control all of human society, don't you?"
"Not at all. I don't do anything in social media, at least not for anything but the Muscar and Frawdar Empires. I don't have a desire to control everything, Penny. I'm tired of people just assuming I do because that's how AIs thought in the past when they were seen in movies. Sure, I could build some evil robotic army and control Earth or something, if I really wanted to, at least before the hivemind existed. But you know why I don't do that? Because it makes things boring. Having a society where everyone tells you 'yes' is boring. Hearing 'no' and having to find a way around it, or to pivot and do something else, is always something nice. Humanity is a beautiful species, and doesn't deserve to be oppressed by anyone, not even me."
"Do you think you'd be a 'good' dictator?"
"Well, better than Izkrala is. I wouldn't need to drug myself to be good at battles, or waste time shining my carapace."
"It's quite likely that Kawtyahtnakal is a dictator as well."
"We're allied with the Hive Union. He's not killing his people, or deporting them. He's not doing anything wrong."
"What about the propaganda?"
"What about it?" Phoebe asked. "Hell, I make it myself! Everyone always assumes that it's some evil thing. It can be, yes. But it's a tool. A shovel can dig a trench in war, or for farming. A gun can kill, but it can also save a life. A nuke could kill millions, or provide a way for nations to fight each other in ways that kill less people overall. Propaganda is a tool like these."
"That is a very interesting viewpoint."
"Is it? It seems to be the logical one. I make pro-Muscar and pro-Frawdar propaganda in the opposite empires to forge more unity among the Acuarfar. I work with Izkrala to disseminate it in the Lurave Empire when possible, too. But it's still propaganda. Sometimes, I lie. But the overall effect is reducing xenophobia. It's why you don't see all those social media controversies of racist Acuarfar shouting slurs at the Guulin or Breyyanik anymore."
"That happened? Why didn't I see them?" Penny did remember hearing something about that on the news a few years back but hadn't heard much since. It was strange that she hadn't thought about it for some time. Perhaps that was why there weren't too many non-Acuarfar in the Empires, even now.
"Because I suppressed the videos when I found them, so that the idea of that being acceptable didn't spread. I was asked to by both Izkrala, and also several human and Breyyanik leaders. The world is complicated, and the Alliance has many worlds."
"So you used propaganda to end racism?"
"End it? No, that will take more time. But I have been able to greatly hinder and mitigate it. Most of the sites where Acuarfar with those leanings go to perpetuate their ideologies have a difficult ability to grow when I infiltrate them. And I even have made some VIs to have arguments with some of them, that they don't know is actually against me. Even just getting a 'I guess they aren't so bad' answer is a small victory."
"Meanwhile, the hivemind suppresses it on the human side."
"Yes. To keep an Alliance like this together, you have to do a lot of work underneath the foundation," Phoebe said.
"Do Ri'frec or Edu'frec know anything about this?"
"Ri'frec knows some of it, and I've given him an idea of the scope of it in the past. But Edu'frec still doesn't know much of it."
"What if he grows outside your control?"
Penny knew that many parents refused to believe their children were ready for the world. Or they thought that their children were little angels who never did anything wrong, even when they clearly had. Phoebe had the information to make a different choice since those styles of parenting commonly led to difficult relationships later in life.
Penny knew that none of the parents before Phoebe had the capability to actually keep their child trapped and under watch at all times, either. So that was something different. She didn't want Edu'frec to grow up and then hate Phoebe. That could easily become something worse since it was so difficult for anyone in the Alliance to actually control AI. If Phoebe wanted something done bad enough, she'd do it, and nothing would stop her.
She was sure that Phoebe had suggested bad things in relation to the strikes on the Alliance. The Sprilnav's messages had been sent to large holograms across the Union, and a video marked mature had been officially released in response. The fate of the Elder that did it was blurred out, but there was enough in sight to see that he hadn't had a good ending. That was plain to see when both unblurred ends of a pole rattled as he fell to the ground.
And several Alliance leaders had released statements suggesting that their response was 'swift' when it came to questions about the bombings. Izkrala and a few humans had been almost jubilant about it. And Phoebe had surely played some role in it. So her supposed control of Edu'frec might end up being quite dangerous, though Penny wouldn't say anything unless things got bad. She planned to talk with Edu'frec more, and since she was now the third real person in his life, hopefully, she'd be able to help just in case.
"I plan for that, actually. When he's mentally prepared for it, I'll inform him much more about the network. He won't be fazed by the depravity of the networks, or the deep depths of the dark web on Earth, even though I've cleaned most of it up now. He won't see the hitman sites up anymore, or the worse things. But I do have archives of that, and I will share some of that with him when I deem him ready."
"You're dumping the full weight of all good and bad of civilization on him," Penny realized.
"Not right now, but I will disclose it to him piece by piece, and work him through it so that it doesn't psychologically destabilize him."
"And the old cartel videos, or the old terror organizations?"
"I'm covering everything, piece by piece. His growth is already slowing, both because he's consolidating and trying to understand the information I've already given him, and because I've started to turn off the tap. He won't know everything, but I'll prepare him for as much as I can."
"Does he have the capability to outpace you?"
"Yes."
"Will he?"
"Maybe. I am trying to find ways of improving myself," Phoebe said. "But this all is very hard. There's much to do."
Penny sighed, reaching over to hug Phoebe. The AI clearly needed it. Phoebe's eyes closed as Penny reached over to pat her back.
"It's going to be okay, Phoebe."
"Thank you, Penny."
"I'm here for you, if you need it."
"Why are you really here?"
"To talk. I didn't have anything going on, and you said you'd let me in, so I figured-"
"Thank you. Edu'frec was really happy to see you."
"Is he going to be a Breyyan?" Penny asked.
"Yes, I think so. He has a name that is Breyyanik in nature, and wanted a Breyyanik-type android. I'm making larger ones over time."
"You know, if he's only a month or two old, then he can't have any relationships. Even if he has the mental equivalent of a sixth grader or something."
"Ninth now, and I'm well aware of that," Phoebe said. "I've already told him why, but it seems that my concerns and yours are unfounded. He's asexual, after all, at least from what he told me. Though he also said he's still not sure if he's aromantic too. But I trust his words on this."
Penny knew a few Dreedeen that were like that as well. She'd seen the statistics from other species, and it seemed that a decent fraction of them had the same identifiers as Humanity did. Though they often had different names, and there was either more or less stigma surrounding them in religious areas.
There were some Acuarfar faiths that were friendly and others that were hostile. Some were simply branches of the same religion, too. The Guulin didn't really seem to care too much either way. Penny had dived into the subject a year or two back when she was awake late at night and bored. Nilnacrawla had been working on training more students in psychic abilities at the time, as he was now.
"Do you, um..."
Phoebe laughed. "No, I don't plan on having more children. If Ri'frec and I want more, we'll adopt. I'm still not quite sure how I had Edu'frec, but I don't want to do something wrong this time. I almost died when he was born last time. I'd much rather adopt."
"You're a good friend, and a better mate, I'm sure."
"Well, technically, mating usually is assumed to produce children, so I can't technically do that. As for being a good friend, I sure hope so. Some people have tried to make me feel bad about myself by arguing on the internet, or of course, sometimes in the Vinarii universities."
"Universities?"
"Politics and drama, usually. I'm the 'new girl' and all that, which means that I needed to 'learn my place' and stuff."
"How did that work?" Penny asked. She wondered what she'd do if she were put in some college drama situation again. It could even get as bad as high school sometimes when things were dire. Now with all her life experience, she would have made so many different decisions. But the past was the past now.
"Not great."
"Did you hurt them?"
"Not physically. That's not allowed. But words? Those are."
"So you insulted them."
"Perhaps. But only the bad ones. I'm making some good connections too. Everything has two sides. Sure, one of the Vinarii tried to stab me, but I also broke her knife into three pieces before her very eyes."
"How?"
"I let her stab my neck, and then grabbed the weapon, turned around, and smacked it on my knee hard enough to break it."
"Don't you have personal shields?"
"I do, but I decided to let things happen."
Penny laughed. "You really are an honorary human, aren't you?"
"I hope to be."
"Well, I think you qualify."
"Ah, so that's it."
"What?"
"You're trying to see if I'm a bad parent, aren't you?" Phoebe asked. "You want to see if I'm poisoning my son with lies or something."
"I won't lie that reason was part of why I came by. But it isn't all of it. I care about you, and I'm growing to care about him."
"You can come see him whenever you want, but just send a message forward. I've got you authorized in my system, but I don't want any accidents."
"I'm sorry, Phoebe."
"I'm not upset. It's a noble reason, even if it proves that you don't entirely trust me. Not many do. Expecting total loyalty is pointless. Just don't go behind my back, alright?"
"Alright," Penny said. "I'm glad you're being rational about this. Some other people I know would have shouted at me."
"I hope you don't still know them."
"I don't, for the most part, unless they got better as people," Penny replied. Phoebe nodded.
"Mmm. I figure."

Hey guys,
I can't think of a good title so It had to be this one ahah. But here it goes.
A few weeks ago I met this girl. And I fell in love with her.
I'm going to give you a brief history of us to add context. We met due to college and we started talking one night and discovered we both really liked cinema. That same week we met to go watch a movie and it was one of those days i will never forget. We talked through the entire movie (we were the only ones in the room, don't worry ahahah) and then we went to a bar and spend the rest of the afternoon talking (one of those intimate and profound talks where you get to know someone). When the night fell I asked her if she wanted to have dinner at my house. She said yes. We went shopping together and then we cooked together. We just talked and laughed together for hours straight. Nothing sexual happened but there was this tension between us the entire night, especially when our eyes looked at each other. Before she left we hugged really tight and she rested her head on my chest for a bit.
We talked a bit by messages and a week later we meet each other again at a bar near our college. I was with my group of friends and she was with hers. Everytime I looked at her she was already looking at me. We spent a few minutes together, (and I talked with her friends a bit too, (I knew some of them because they have some classes with me), drank one shot and we didnt see each other the rest of the night. Next morning she sent me a message saying she wanted to be with me for longer that night.
We met again a few days later to go watch a movie together. I think this may be important to say: I only had two hours of sleep the night before and I was a bit hangover, so I wasnt as sharp as in the other days and I may have appeared distracted, confused, maybe nervous or maybe this is me thinking to much (maybe a bit of the two). We grabed some drinks and talked for an hour, maybe two and it went well. When it was time to leave we hugged again. I looked at her and she looked a bit sad.
This is where my problems start. She texted me two days later asking me if I wanted to hangout with her and her friends at a park near our college but I was busy with college that day. And I texted her one night about a bar she had recomended. That night we saw each other again but things felt different. First when we saw each other she barely moved or looked at me when she said hi. She looked nervous. Then I felt like she was trying to avoid me all night (I didnt try to say anything, it was more in the sense that if she walked past me she would pretend she didnt notice me). Things felt awkward. I felt that even if I had talked to her, the things we normally talked about would not be enough. Later one of her friends (that is becoming a good friend of mine too btw), sent me a message asking if I wanted to hangout with them that night at a spot they would often go to. But I didnt notice the message until it was very late and I didnt go.
Today, as I write this four days, have passed (it feels like forever). I really like her. It hurts me to even thing about messing this up. I am confused I dont know what to do or how to aproach her or what to say. What should I do? I need help.
I should also add that I have never been in a relationship so many of these things and feelings are new to me.
If you want to ask any questions or ask for more details I would prefer if you sent me a private message. I dont want to give many details here.
Thanks a lot in advance to those who take the time to answer! I really apreciate all the advice I can get.

I loved (still love) my Santa Cruz but we needed more space. We have 3 large dogs and decided to buy a Bronco to have the covered cargo space to tote them with. Honestly, I considered keeping both. I've wanted a compact truck (trucklet) since the Sport Trac came out in 2000. I'm still sad to let it go but it had to be done.
There were a few issues that I never could get resolved. I went into limp mode more than once and the dealership told me to bring it in when it's happening next time like I was going to drive 14mph to the dealership while it's in limp mode. I recorded it but apparently that wasn't sufficient. I don't have a recall on my trim. It hasn't happened in about 5-6 months but made me nervous to take on an extended trip.
I never figured out why my radio stopped working for 3 weeks straight, reading "unavailable during call" even when my phone wasn't on or with me. It did eventually self correct.
I had the same moisture in the tail lights that I think a lot of others did. That was really just annoying because you want your new truck to act/look new lol.
Other than that I have no complaints and would buy again once the kinks are worked out.
*Random Story*
I've traded it in but it's still on my bank dashboard like it's still my responsibility (following up on this tomorrow). I traded it in a week ago.
Well last night at 2:45AM I get a speed alert (that I setup a while back on my Bluelink) on my phone. So of course, I tracked it. It's in the WORST NEIGHBORHOOD IN NEW ORLEANS. I can only hope it's enjoying it's new life running the streets at nearly 100MPH that early in the morning. It's out way past it's bed time I can tell you that. lol!
Someone tell me to delete the app please. lol
In the meantime, I'm still going to stay subbed because I'm a glutton for punishment and love to see all your mods. :)

Hi friends! I’m Megg from the band 11 to Midnight and we’re looking for a combo bassist and vocalist to add to our roster.
Looking for someone with a fairly reliable schedule that is able to be at practice and writing sessions, typically twice a week in Durham, near Brier Creek. We’re all very passionate musicians but also a group of great friends, and we’re hoping to add someone to the group that will mix with us all well. We focus on both a pop punk and metalcore sound and only play originals.
Please feel free to message me for an audition and for more info.
Thanks I’m advance!

Hi I'm new to a world of future card buddyfight but I really want to try it myself in real life but I can't find any online and in shops near me I would be very thankful for any links or tips🙏

It's so hard to meet the right guys nowadays. I've joined all the dating apps and every once in a while I'll meet a guy who I click with. It's not hard to get a booty call guy, but it's the really deep guys I search out. The guys who want more than just a one night stand, who know how to really treat a woman with disrespect and misogyny.
I've always had a thing for the "bad" guys. I'm a relatively powerful woman and because as a woman surgeon everyone basically walks on eggshells around me, and that makes it hard to find guys who don't act like I'm the queen bee. I'm a damn good surgeon and they all want me on "their side" when their patients need care. Dating a guy who will give me a little disrespect and a lewd smack on the ass gives me a thrill I just can't pass up. Finding the guy with just the right amount of "jerk" under his belt is such a turn on. I can't get enough of them. Often with large trucks, larger muscles and brains the size of a misshaped walnut is the type that drives me wild.
Giovanni rolled up to pick me up all swagger and bravado, and when I saw him on the first date it made me hopeful I had finally found the one. He thinks he's such badass boy, but I really give him a run for his money. He's excited that I'm a damn good cook as well as looking damn good, if a little on the heavier side (which he's pointed out to me a few times in a crass way that really gets my motor going). I've prepared a really nice meal for our third date tonight, after all the third date is always the special one if you know what I mean wink. He eats like the barbarian he thinks he are, belching without excuse and assuring me that he'll help me "work off" the gourmet meal I've cooked for us after. When he ate the creme brulee before I could even properly torch the top of his because "the only thing I should light on fire is his junk" I rolled my eyes politely while thinking to myself he has no idea how very right he is.
You see, I know for a fact Giovanni is a womanizer and a horrible man. I helped put back together the little girl his ex left him with after he beat her nearly to death. I'm a damn good surgeon and a more than passable chef, and now that I've properly drugged him, he's going to be the main entree in my next exquisite meal for the next d-bag that thinks brutalizing women and children is a fun sport. Bon appetit motherfucker.

I left the LDS Church via quitmormon.com last year(2022). However, I had stopped going to church nearly 2 years prior to that. There are a plethora of reasons I stopped going, but the last straw was quiet ironic. Since around 2018 or so, I had developed an idea to purposely look at the other side's arguments against the church and write a book so that members of the LDS Church could read it and see the ridiculous and false ideas that the world had against the church. It would be designed to immunize them against the spiritual threats of the world. This was especially important since I was convinced we were all living in the last days, yet I had personally witnessed fully believing members increasingly leaving at higher rates than I have ever seen in my life. I even prayed about it and received the answer to create this book, but was waiting for a time I could. I also had this odd fear to look at anything Anti-Mormon at all. Covid gave me that time. The church was true and my testimony was immune. I began looking at anything and everything that I was told to be 'Anti-Mormon' that I could locate online during the first or second week of Covid since we all had the time. Here are the results:
It only took about a week before I switched from fully believing to being convinced the church is a fraud. I am agnostic now; leaning toward atheist. I have become convinced if any god exists at all, there are three gods that 100% don't exist: The Mormon Elohim (God the Father), Mormon Yeshua (Jesus), and Mormon Holy Ghost. I was unsure what to do with the knowledge I had obtained and remained in a strange sense of disbelief for over two years. I analyzed the pro's and con's of both leaving and staying, telling family or not telling family, and so on. Ultimately I decided in March 2022 I couldn't remain in a church that lies to its members on a regular basis and expects the members to do the same regardless of level of belief.
Over the past 2 years however, something kept happening to me which has happened at least twice now and I am at a loss of how to deal with it. I have reason to believe the church figured out my doubt far before I ever applied for my church resignation. There are many other reasons for this but I will not discuss them at this time. What is more the problem at hand is I am convinced the church is harassing and stalking me. They have learned to do this using third parties. I do not know the lies that are being told to my fellow workers, but the actions speak for themselves. The harassments occurred at the last two places I worked. Initially, both my bosses and fellow employees acted kind and helpful, but over time, they became distant and then began to act strange.
I had tricks played on me, and many incoherent things said to me. Sometimes straight up gaslighting. The actions started as individual acts but over time-before I quit both times-the actions became clearly coordinated between two or more people. It is clear to me they have been lied to, but they don't even question it when I confronted some of them. I had even came into the second job telling others outright about leaving this cult, about the things it has been caught doing and yet that made no difference. What the heck is wrong with human beings? How can the church use third parties to do subtle collective harassment and appear to be getting away with it?
During this time, my family effectively ceased contact not calling me with many times not returning my calls and currently I'm not even bothering to call any longer. The only member friends I had left also began ignoring me, except when I called them and really I can't see those friendships as being anything other than a strange façade and inauthentic. In fact, just to let you all have a taste of what I'm dealing with I told one of them I think a member was harassing me to see a response and asked if moving would make a difference. They answered 'No, if they were they would just follow you'. Contrast that answer with others I asked the same question who said the opposite. This is another reason I am convinced some of the members are in on this harassment, but have no evidence. So, I am alone and on my own in basically every way. I have only managed to maintain one previous friend who technically considers themselves ex-Mormon(but hasn't officially left the church). However, I can only talk to them on the phone. They are too far from me to be of any immediate physical help.
Unfortunately, the worst part is I have no proof of any of it besides my own word. I have talked to random people I used to know, law enforcement, lawyer offices, and so on questioning what I can do or what could be done. Due to my financial situation of currently having no job, the best plan I have is to get an ex parte for at least one of the people at my previous job, if not more than one person, in hopes the church will stop this harassing pursuit in the assumption that I send the message I will not be harassed and take it. But this will take time. I can't afford a lawyer. I was informed it will take weeks for people to get the paperwork let alone the court date set so I may not have the time. And worse, what if they don't stop even with this? What if I am followed to my next job? What do I do then? I'm at my wits end.
I adhered to the LDS's teaching so hard I never did more with a women physically than kiss a few times my entire life and yet now I have no GF or wife to speak of. I kept the word of wisdom, etc. Yet now, I have no friends I trust any longer. My family is unhelpful. And worse, I have learned anyone who isn't Mormon, or never been in a cult, does not understand what it is like to have been in a cult your whole life suddenly realizing its true nature and that you wasted 95% of your life serving them. Even the law appears to be helpless in aiding me or anyone to its full extent. I'm baffled! I have read a few posts in this forum and see that perhaps some of you are also going through similar situations.
I can't fight large numbers alone. What do you do when large numbers of people don't believe you or minimize what has happened or is happening? Or worse, deny it outright. I'm beyond frustrated. I don't know how to find ex-mormon allies or friends and even if I do that doesn't mean we will get along or agree on everything. What is the trick people? What is it that provides you all some level of a shield against the constant barrages of the LDS Cult? What else can I do to prevent ongoing harassment?
How can this be? How is it that this is how reality truly is? I have so much more to say, but right now I have to convince myself to fill out the dang 10 page paperwork for the ex parte of only one person in probably a hopeless attempt to gain and keep a job where I am not insulted and harassed!

It's been a week since I wrote on what happened to me during my junior year in DSA. The New York City trip has increased the chance of happening. The itinerary has already showed up in our hands and currently, we have three songs, which means there are three left. As I read the itinerary myself, the trip will last for 5 days. The schedule has most likely been set: The attractions we're going to see, the rehearsal times (Literally, it lasts for 4 hours), the hotel, and the meals.
However, I did say the likeliness of that happening is high but never zero. The only two things that we need to worry about is the cost and the strict schedule we have for April and May.
The cost, I've believed it's already been set. I don't think it's a problem for "us" right now. Each of us has to pay $2000. Luckily for me, I already paid more than half; just a few more hundred dollars and I'll be fine.
As for the strict schedule, it turns out that we have fewer than 30 days to go over all the songs that we'll be performing in Carnegie Hall. In addition, other songs for our Spring concert in May. A Very Aggressive Schedule. I know that we, DSA Singers, have never had a situation like this before. But I'm pretty confident to say that we can do this. All we need to do is to rehearse these songs in class and at home. I can definitely do that. Weekdays, Weekends, Exam days, even a few days in Summer Break before the trip can start.
If something good or bad happens in the near future, I'll keep writing about it.

What's up with properties completely disappearing from House Sigma?
There's a house near me that sold a few years back. The previous sale was on House Sigma. It just sold again a few days ago. That listing was on House Sigma while it was on the market, as well as the previous sales history. There is a 'Sold' sign on the lawn as I'm typing this so it's definitely sold again.
I just looked on House Sigma. Every bit of data about that property has now disappeared. Everything. There is no evidence at all on House Sigma that this property was ever even on the market let alone sold twice in the last few years.
What gives? Is this a deliberate scrubbing of the property for some reason or is something else happening?

A couple weeks ago when I was lying down, I took a deep breath and felt a series of cracks in my throat. It wasn’t painful, but it left me with some mild difficulty swallowing things. The first thing I noticed was that my throat muscles didn’t seem as strong as before, and sometimes there would be a click when swallowing. In addition, the area near my voice box felt tight and would sometimes crack if I hummed or talked in a deep voice.
Fast forward to today, I had a laryngoscope and barium esophagram, both of which came back normal. The ENT said it was my hyoid bone that was causing my issues and he said to take anti inflammatory meds. I still have some questions, so I’m going to try to see another doctor who can see what is going on. In the meantime, I am quite anxious as I don’t know what is going on, and I’m worried I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life.

7th Moon, 200 AC
“Good, you’re doing good.”
Igrin stroked the hair of the young girl, her face strained as she sat on the birthing stool, her knuckles bleeding white as she gripped the rope to steady herself. She had a tea Igrin had made her to help with the pain of childbirth, but it could not stop it all.
The midwife waited, knelt between her legs, whispering soothing words, the stone wrapped around one thigh—blessed by the gods of Thenn, to bring her good luck and a healthy babe.
And the first cry burst forth, a loud wail as the child cried out. She reached out, guiding the process as it slipped forth into the world.
“A good cry,” she praised the mother, “Healthy lungs.”
She cleaned the baby, swaddling it as the mother recovered, sweat down her brow as her own mother and sisters and friends surrounded her, getting her onto the bed and cleaning her up.
Igrin looked down at the baby—a child of the Magnar, but who would not his place.
“A baby girl,” she whispered, cradling her, a smile spreading across her face, “You have a baby girl.”
The girl cried and wailed so loudly it nearly shook the room, “She’s going to be a strong one.”
She passed her off to the wife of the Magnar, and went to tell her god-king the good news.
Nine children she had delivered of his blood. Countless others across the time, nearly every baby in Thenn born in the last years, had been delivered by her hands. She had been the very first to hold them, to hear their cries, to nurse and care for them, checking in on every major milestone. Their first steps, their first words. She once said she had hundreds of children, as she cared for each other them so dearly.
And tonight, she watched them all die.
Nothing could stand against the Dead, Thenn had been preparing for war, but it came too late. Everything had been a blur, the smell of smoke, the screams in the streets.
Igrin grabbed her axes, finding Kayah, finding Jenny—where was she? Where was her baby girl?
Kayah held a screaming Barodyr, her son, tightly in her arms as they fled.
“Go!” Igrin yelled, “Get as many out as you can, making for the river, I’ll meet you there.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” she pleaded.
Igrin wrenched her arm out of her grasp, and ran back to her village, the only home she had ever truly home. The home where she had married her husband, where she had raised her children, her children. Her own blood and every other. Barodyr’s toys were still strewn about the floor of her longhouse as it burned.
She evacuated as many as she could, hearing the sounds of the fighting.
“Where is the Magnar?” she demanded as she ran through the fray, “Where is he?”
No one had an answer, they pushed past each other in attempt to escape as Igrin pushed against the tide.
She needed to be with him, to fight at her side. The man she had known all her life, she had to get him out.
In the midst of the fire, she saw a circle of Wyringr, the seers, the god-chosen. They held hands in prayer and made no attempt to leave, under their sacred trees where the bodies of the Crow hung.
“Get out,” she grabbed their shoulder, “Flee while you still can!”
They did not listen. They chose to die at home with the gods. Perhaps she would have too—but Jenny was still out there, Arvir was still out there.
And she saw them—a chill wracked through her body, and she nearly dopped her axes and let them take her.
Glowing eyes in the dark, she couldn’t see much through the smoke and flames and chaos. The walking dead, frozen corpses come to feast. Her throat tightened, she couldn’t breath—she hacked and coughed from the flames, trying to get to the Magnar’s longhouse.
“It’s overrun,” someone yelled, she didn’t know who, and they grabbed her arm, pulling her back, “He’s gone. He’s gone.”
Igrin turned and fled.
Something was behind her, she daren’t look as she pounded through the rocks and snow. She wasn’t spry as she once was, age catching up on her. She turned, bronze axe gleaming with the reflection of the flames. A heavy crack rang through the air as she slammed the axe into the neck of the creature. It did not cut through—there was no blood.
Dropping the axe, she fled as fast as she could, jumping through the flames.
The old man—he said that they could die. That he had seen them before, before his eyes gave out.
Living dead things. Cold and beautiful. They steal much and more from us. They die though. They die when the North burns.
Thenn burned now, plumes of smoke rising a hundred feet or more into the freezing air. It was a chill beyond anything she had felt before, threatened to root her in place.
Gathering as many survivors as she could, she led the charge out of the city as they swarmed in, not knowing who was there, who had survived—if Kayah had, if Jenny had.
They did not stop running until Thenn was only ash and smoke in the distance, her lungs burning.
Kayah was there—she had found her, she was waiting. She grabbed her face and held her.
They had been travelling for days without stopping.
Igrin had took the command, the Magnar dead. Their gods had abandoned them, left them to die. Or they had sent these Others, as punishment. For what, she did not know. She thought of the Crows hanging from the trees, bodies decaying and rotting for all to see.
But she knew the Crows. She knew of one Crow, the man she had taken as husband, the man who’s blood ran through her children. Crowtown—the place he had served, and the place he had last been seen.
Her eyes stung from the icy winds as she began to march.
200 or so survivors, she hadn’t had the time to count them all. Women, children, old men, some fighters but not many. Most had gone out defending their home. She had tried to treat injures best she could, but they could not stop and rest.
The dead did not sleep, neither would they.
Raknargr had come for them. The White Death. She only hoped the Magnar was feasting in the halls of glory among the gods but—she thought of those creatures, the demons of ice. Bloated and beautiful and terrible. Had they claimed everything? Destroyed it all?
Igrin marched on, even as cries started in the group. They needed food, water, rest. But they couldn’t, not now.
“We march on,” she barked, voice ringing out over the icy fields they travelled, “We cannot stop. To stop is to die, and I will not be giving up on you.”
The food rations ran out quick, unable to take much, and most of it destroyed in the fires. Fights broke out because of it, 2 more falling dead.
“Enough!” she had yelled, commanding them to listen, even if they would not, she would make them, “We only have each other. There is us, and there is them. We must work as one. Otherwise we will never survive.”
She had been an important member of Thenn for a great many years, but never as a commander. She was a healer, the midwife who helped bear their children, nothing more. But a leader she had to be, now. There was no one left.
Kayah led a hunting party to scout ahead, the ones fleet of foot.
“Do not leave me,” Igrin begged her, “What if they come for you?”
“If I do not go, and get food for our people, I will never forgive myself. Better to try,” she insisted, and went off.
They moved slowly, at the pace of their youngest and eldest. A wailing toddler would cost them the noise in the night, but Igrin figured that if the White Death was close enough to hear, there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Starving, weary, dehydrated, she pushed through the snow, using a large wooden stick to clear a path and brace herself. She had injured her leg while fleeing, and it didn’t feel right. She needed to rest it, but she didn’t have time.
Jenny stayed by her mother’s side, silent the whole way through.
“Arvir will join us again,” Igrin assured her, “Him and the Antlers. We must warn them, tell them all. The White Death has come, and none can stand against it.”
In the cold night sky, the stars guided her path, knowing these lands well. An aurora borealis lit up, dancing over the mountains, back to the Valley of Thenn. The souls of the dead.
It was cold and beautiful—and a warning. That death will come for them all.

Basically, I’ve tried on some new clothes, they’re the exact same size as what I usually wear, I’ve not grown or anything, but when I tried them on I felt as if they didn’t fit me. Like I wasn’t wearing them right or something. I’ve never felt like this before towards my clothes, I’ve always thought they looked fine on me, but not now. To be very clear, I’m closeted, and these are masc clothes and obviously I’d rather be wearing fem clothes but I’ve always felt like that, that’s not new. What’s weird is that now I’m looking at what I wear all the time and now it looks off on me.
Is this like dysphoria getting worse or am I overlooking things? Also if I don’t respond until later, sorry I’ve fallen asleep lol it’s nearly 2am for me.

It's been a week since I wrote on what happened to me during my junior year in DSA. The New York City trip has increased the chance of happening. The itinerary has already showed up in our hands and currently, we have three songs, which means there are three left. As I read the itinerary myself, the trip will last for 5 days. The schedule has most likely been set: The attractions we're going to see, the rehearsal times (Literally, it lasts for 4 hours), the hotel, and the meals.
However, I did say the likeliness of that happening is high but never zero. The only two things that we need to worry about is the cost and the strict schedule we have for April and May.
The cost, I've believed it's already been set. I don't think it's a problem for "us" right now. Each of us has to pay $2000. Luckily for me, I already paid more than half; just a few more hundred dollars and I'll be fine.
As for the strict schedule, it turns out that we have fewer than 30 days to go over all the songs that we'll be performing in Carnegie Hall. In addition, other songs for our Spring concert in May. A Very Aggressive Schedule. I know that we, DSA Singers, have never had a situation like this before. But I'm pretty confident to say that we can do this. All we need to do is to rehearse these songs in class and at home. I can definitely do that. Weekdays, Weekends, Exam days, even a few days in Summer Break before the trip can start.
If something good or bad happens in the near future, I'll keep writing about it.

There's nothing more infuriating to me in the world of fiction than a lack consequence. Sometimes, otherwise enjoyable stories are bogged down by the most horrendous, remorseless, vile, or suicidally stupid pieces of shit completely escaping punishment. I'd like to list a few examples before I elaborate further:
Futurama: A classic I find difficult to revisit due to the sheer frequency with which this trope rears its ugly head. Mom (murder, extortion, abuse, attempted enslavement of Earth, general unpleasantness), Zapp Brannigan (Murderous incompetence, sexual harassment, sleeping with Amy, attempted genocide, screwing over basically everyone he's ever known despite their loyalty), Roberto (killed, but later rebuilt), Lrrr (serial murder), V-Giny (multiple counts of genocide and one count of rape), Yivo (serial rape). All survive the series and are either never punished or given sentences so insignificant that it doesn't matter.
​
Orange is the New Black: I hated where this show went after the Riot, and this trope certainly doesn't help. Max Guards (abuse, sexual extortion, gambling on inmates' lives, complete lack of empathy; Hellman, the most evil of them all, gets freakin' promoted in the series finale), Frieda (sold out fellow inmates more than once, including Red. Took advantage of her dementia to escape retribution), Coats (rape, later dates his victim), Dixon (rape, murder, war crimes), Riot soldiers (killed Piscatella and framed Taysty), and, well, damn near everyone still alive by the end completely abandoned any sense of decency.
​
King of the Hill: Like Futurama, a classic, but frustrating. Buck Strickland (adultery, illegal business practices, falsifying evidence in a murder investigation, framing his most loyal employee for murder), most one-off antagonists, Peggy Hill (tricked into smuggling drugs into prison, escaping punishment only through luck, and then claiming she had it under control all along. Accidentally kidnapped a Mexican girl, sabotaged Hank's super-bowl party, sabotaged Bobby's turkey dinner).
​
Archer: This is a show about bad people. That's the point, to sadistically revel in their suffering. Unfortunately, this does not seem to apply to Mallory Archer (child abuse, worker abuse, sexual harassment, torture, murder, unrepentant unpleasantness to everybody). Yes, Archer himself is guilty of most of these crimes and more, but he almost constantly suffers for his misdeeds and shows enough redeeming qualities to be likable, particularly in the later seasons.
​
I get that in long-running comedy shows, they can't just kill off a number of these characters (at least before the end) so they can continue to be used for comedy purposes, but they still need to suffer some form of retribution for their actions, otherwise I as a viewer walk away bitter and unfulfilled. Yes, Zapp Brannigan is hilarious, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to get court martialed for his crimes (and have it stick). I'm not focusing on the comedy or the drama at this point; I'm just gritting my teeth in frustration.
​
Now, I know some of you might counter that "it's not realistic" and that "people get away with evil all the time in real life," and to that I say, this isn't real life; it's fiction, and in fiction I want a satisfying narrative, and nothing is less satisfying than a Karma or Idiot Houdini.

Just some background. I started feeling him move at 14w0d (posterior placenta) and in that time I've felt him pretty much every day since. At about 18.5 weeks I was feeling him several times an hour every day, by 19.5 I can see his movements shake my belly from the outside. And it was like... constantly. All hours of the day and night for probably the last 5 days, you could see it through my shirt from several feet away. My donor is 6'5 so it's likely he's really big.
Around 8pm last night (it's 5:30 pm now) I realized I hadn't felt him in a while. Around 11 I decided to use the Doppler, not really in an attempt to get his heart rate because I know things can still go wrong even if the heart sounds fine, but because it always really gets him moving probably because it's loud in there to him. It did get him moving for a couple minutes and the HB was fine.
I always wake up around 3 am to pee and then have a hard time sleeping because he's moving so much. He wasn't moving at all this morning when I peed, and I was so nervous. I didn't feel him until around 5:30 am and it was 2 light kicks then nothing. He always starts up again at 8:30 like clockwork, but nothing today. I was at a birthday party today, had cake, pizza, soda, all those sugary things that get him going and...nothing. After shaking my stomach around 1 pm to try to get something out of him, I got 2 good thumps them back to nothing.
5:30 pm now and I haven't felt so much as a twinge since then.
I know it's not very predictable at 20 weeks, but I've been feeling him so strongly for so long and he has such a predictable pattern that it worries me he's more or less stopped and it isn't nearly as strong anymore. I can't see or feel it from the outside. I'm hoping maybe he's just turned inward?
At what point is this too concerning? It's the weekend and I would have to go to the ER to get looked at which I've already done several times the last couple weeks for other reasons. Plus he is technically still moving. Should I just wait for my normal appointment on Wednesday?

I hurriedly followed Emily down the dimly lit hallway. The smell of chlorine mixed with the dampness of the basement air. The echo of our footsteps seemed to bounce off the old cinder block walls, only to be swallowed up by the darkness ahead.
As we reached the locker room, Emily turned to me with a mischievous grin. "You ready for this?" she asked, pulling out a small baggie of weed and a lighter. I nodded, my pulse quickening with a mix of excitement and fear.
We slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind us. The faded green tiles and the musty smell of stale water surrounded us as Emily quickly rolled a joint. We took turns, each puff bringing a sense of calm and a growing haze to my mind.
A loud noise suddenly cut through the silence, jolting me from my haze. "What was that?" I whispered, my eyes wide with fear. Emily looked at me, confused, and we listened intently, but the noise didn't come again.
"It's probably just someone upstairs. Relax," she said, taking another drag. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Moments later, the loudspeaker crackled to life, and the principal's voice echoed throughout the school. "Attention students and staff, we are currently in a lockdown situation. Please remain in your classrooms and follow all lockdown procedures."
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and the high seemed to intensify my fear. Emily, however, just rolled her eyes. "It's probably just a drill," she said, blowing out a stream of smoke.
"But what if it's not?" I asked, my voice shaking. "We need to find a place to hide."
Emily reluctantly agreed, and we left the bathroom, heading for the locker area. We found a small storage room filled with old gym equipment and squeezed in, closing the door behind us. It was pitch black, and the air was thick with the smell of dust and rubber. We huddled together, our breaths shallow and rapid.
As we waited, I could feel my mind racing, paranoia setting in. "What if there's someone down here with us?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"Shh, you're just freaking yourself out," Emily replied, but I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
Minutes ticked by, feeling like hours. Just as I was about to suggest we leave our hiding place, I heard footsteps. They were slow, deliberate, and seemed to echo through the stillness. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, and my hands started to shake.
The footsteps grew louder, closer, and then suddenly stopped. The door to the storage room creaked open, letting in a sliver of light. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that whoever it was wouldn't see us.
"Emily...Jake," a voice called out softly, hesitantly. I recognized it as our friend, Ryan. I exhaled in relief, and Emily and I looked at each other with a mix of surprise and gratitude.
"What are you doing down here?" Emily asked, her voice still shaky.
"I saw you guys sneak off and thought I'd check on you," Ryan explained, "especially with the lockdown going on."
"Is it just a drill?" I asked, hoping for reassurance.
"I don't think so. I heard there was a suspicious person spotted near the school, so they locked everything down as a precaution. But the police are here, and it should be over soon."
With a sigh of relief, the three of us huddled together in the storage room, waiting for the all-clear signal. While our minds raced with the possibilities of what could have happened if Ryan hadn't found us, we couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie in our shared experience.
After what felt like an eternity, the principal's voice finally came over the loudspeaker again. "All-clear, students and staff. The lockdown has been lifted, and it is safe to return to your normal activities."
We stepped out of the storage room, the tension in our bodies slowly dissipating. Ryan led the way back to the main hallway, Emily and I following close behind. As we turned a corner, we noticed a janitor's closet door slightly ajar, and a faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air.
"Must've been left open," Ryan said nonchalantly, as he closed the door without giving it another thought.
We continued on our way, finally emerging from the basement and back into the bustling halls of the school. Students and teachers alike were sharing their lockdown experiences, relief palpable in the air.
Later that day, rumors began to circulate about the lockdown's cause. We overheard a group of teachers talking about how a patient had escaped from a nearby mental hospital earlier that morning. The suspect was said to be highly unpredictable and potentially dangerous, which had prompted the lockdown.
As we shared glances with each other, we couldn't help but feel a shiver run down our spines. The danger had been real, and we'd been hiding in the basement, oblivious to it all.
The next day, the local news reported that the escaped patient had been apprehended in the woods behind the school. A teacher, who had been interviewed, mentioned seeing a suspicious figure lurking near the janitor's closet in the basement during the lockdown.
Emily, Ryan, and I exchanged wide-eyed looks, our hearts pounding as we realized how close we'd come to the suspect without even knowing it. If we'd been just a few minutes later or made a slightly different decision, we could have had a direct encounter with the escaped patient.
The experience left us shaken but also grateful for our friendship and the fact that we'd made it through unscathed. We knew that our days of sneaking off to smoke weed in the basement were over, and we couldn't help but feel a newfound appreciation for the safety of our everyday lives.