Crabtree and evelyn stores near me
Statement demo #3 - An unnamed statement
2023.06.08 14:45 Clockwork-isntaclock Statement demo #3 - An unnamed statement
Statement of Robert Sews regarding unknown meat packages. Statement taken directly from subjet 23th may 2017.
I can recall it staring all the way back in 2011, somewhere in September. Not so sure about the exact day but it might've been somewhere trought the end of it. The cold was starting to set in at this time in Canada, so did the Halloween spirit. I was preparing in order to go help my friend set the decorations on. I know, it's early but she's always been the kind to celebrate every holiday a month before. I was just near the front door, picking up my coat for the visit when I've heard a quiet, gentle knocking from behind. Barely audible, as quiet as a small sight. I hadn't planned anyone to come neither was I waiting for a delivery, I can just remember too well this fact. I opened the door only to find a single cardboard box sitting there. No delivery man like it is usually the case for packages too big for the complex's mailbox, as I lived in an apartment. It simply sat there, alone and without informations. It even was so quiet on it's delivery that if I hadn't heard the ever so slight knocking I probably wouldn't have noticed the arrival of a package. I picked it up to place it somewhere inside then went over to go do what I had planned for the afternoon, telling myself I must've had ordered something but just not remembering, as it was a rather usual habit of mine. When I came back to my small 2-rooms apartment in the evening, the package was still sitting on the table. Where I had put it, obviously. Nothing stroke me as particularly odd with the package just glancing at it. Dry, unmoving, which is as a box should be. There is few, very few things I regretted more than opening this stranger package. It contained meat. It wasn't filled with it, nor did the meat looked odd in any way, it was just fresh, raw meat. In a package. At my door. It... definitely wasn't something I had been expecting to find inside. I brushed it off as a simple delivery mistake. After all, we can command meat to get it delivered. Especially that the local butcher shop was offering this service. Yet, it still stuck with me for a while. I never had a great relation with meat and it's industry, as far as I can remember. I threw it away. Seeing these pink, bleedy lumps have always disgusted me to my core. The butcher shop has always freaked me out with the meat hanging like that. I didn't think much about it after a month, after a year and half I had just forgotten about it. Until half a year later, two years after the strange packaged meat, there came another. Another neatly arranged package was there. On the top of it... was an enveloppe, attached with a thin, white string finely set into a gentle loop like a old-fashionned gift. I didn't pick it up right away. It reminded me vaguely too much of the weird, gross package of meat I had received 2 years before. And this time. I was certain I hadn't ordered anything. And the knocking announcing it's arrival had gotten quite louder, as I could hear it from the kitchen. It was still quiet thought, so that I would barely hear it. Despite my resilience to take the package, the envy and morbid curiosity grew bigger and became hard to stand. In the end, I left it out for almost a whole week, before I just couldn't stand knowing it was outside my door anyone. So I let it inside my flat. It was left on the table in my bedroom for quite a while, actually. About a month. Yet when it was opened, the meat was still fresh. The enveloppe contained meat as well, althought it seemed like a different one. It was... spongier than the other. I mean of course, it wasn't the usual kind of spongy meat. The second package was the exact same as the first one thought. And I brushed it off too, however trying to find who was meant to receive them this time. Then the year after, it's the same thing. Same package, same foolish mistake of opening it. All of this, these 3 strange packages, all of it began to form a morbid obsession in me. All of it felt so unreal to even be true. Unfortunately all of it was, and I've learned that the hard way. I won't go on about it for too long I think you understand. The delays between these deliveries atrociously shrinked with the time. And you know what's the worst of it? I couldn't do anything about it. I moved out, for unrelated reasons, from Canada to London, in the hope of finding a new job -which was the reason and also the need of change- but also in the slight hope that the boxes wouldn't get to me again. They found me. I had a nice, stable job, as a librarian in a town near London at the time, when the boxes came again. When they started appearing in bigger quantities, I tried getting rid of them, but no hope, if it was trown away or burned, new ones appeared, with the same infernal and endless knocking, I was on the verge of snapping at this point, couldn't stand the knocking getting louder and louder. So. I was left with no choice but to stock it. Of course it was useless, but I couldn't get myself to try and consume it, the circonstances I got them in were just so strange. The meat took all over my fridge, they just arrived so fast, it couldn't contain any more and was full after a week. Couldn't find the space to buy a bigger fridge, and either way it'll fill just as quick with how the packages started containing more, and they arrived faster over. Over and over and over again. So I empiled them around the fridge, into neat piles, but they kept falling off with the bottom row rotting at an alarming rate. The smell wasn't an issue at first, kept in the fridge, it took over a month to decay. But an hot day or two to three regurarly tempered days were enought for it to become all lumpy and gross. All of it. And I still couldn't throw it away, the rotten wasn't going away either, I just received new boxes of the same decaying meat. So more and more kept coming to that spot of my house. And gradually, very, it ended up covering the whole floor, spilled all over but stomped on so often by myself it kind of became a... meaty carpet. It is as gross as it sound. But the deliveries didn't stop. They just went faster, as my floor was full. I... don't know what kind of thought crossed my mind that day but I picked up the package, I took the tender out of it and slowly, I was hanging it on the walls. And so more, same thing happened, they got full too. I'm not too sure why even to this day but, almost hypnotized, I began to put it on the furnitures. The fridge, the sink, the drawers, the tv, even my bed. All of them were -and still are- covered in that God-awful flesh. this happened over a year ago, I've been sleeping on this for over a year. Then it came to the ceiling, it filled so much faster, as the delays of the meat got so, so much closer. Then over the last year I've just been... mindlessly repeating the same patern. A layer of floor, one of the walls, for furniture and for the ceiling. I... lost my job. I've became so obsessed with the stranger meat I didn't went in over 2 months. Quickly enought, I couldn't afford any food to substain myself, leaving no choice but to try and substain off the flesh that was sent to me. All of this started a year ago. I remember the last time I went outside, the tip of my fingers were.. starting to chip off. I had started eating the meat a few days before only. And that was the indication that I was done. And yes, I haven't came out of my apartment for a whole year. I was trying to avoid eating as much as I could once I realized it was the meat who did this to my poor hand, covering them in a gross, bloody flesh. But I just couldn't help but do it, I felt so strangely compelled to take it and swallow it all the way. And there was more of this thick, bleedish-pink flesh growing on my body as the time went by and I consumed more. Look at me. Look at my hands, my deeply infected hands and arms, the flesh spreading like a virus over my very own being. Look at my neck. Bending too much, covered in a thick, bleedy flesh. But I can't not eat it anymore, I just- depend on it now. I can't get rid of eating it. When I try to, it never ends up well, I feel incredibly nauseous, energiless, and oh so irritable. I get angry at so little when sobering from the meat. Just so you know, it usually takes a lot to irritate me in a regular state. But I just feel so compelled toward it, like an obssession. If you want a level for irritability, there was the smell. I got used to it over time, but that moment, I was sobering from this Flesh, but it came to me, the smell made me so, so terribly angry. Such that I tried to rip off my very own nose to try and get rid of it. I almost succeeded. They keep coming at my door. I can't help it, I need your help, I gotta get rid of them. It's method is ever so cruel, the package meat is so low on nutriments and fat to make you unable to rely on your own body to not consume it. I used to be a rather chubby dude, but look at my face, see how you can feel the bones by just looking at it. So, that's about it.
submitted by Clockwork-isntaclock to TheMagnusArchives [link] [comments]
I can recall it staring all the way back in 2011, somewhere in September. Not so sure about the exact day but it might've been somewhere trought the end of it. The cold was starting to set in at this time in Canada, so did the Halloween spirit. I was preparing in order to go help my friend set the decorations on. I know, it's early but she's always been the kind to celebrate every holiday a month before. I was just near the front door, picking up my coat for the visit when I've heard a quiet, gentle knocking from behind. Barely audible, as quiet as a small sight. I hadn't planned anyone to come neither was I waiting for a delivery, I can just remember too well this fact. I opened the door only to find a single cardboard box sitting there. No delivery man like it is usually the case for packages too big for the complex's mailbox, as I lived in an apartment. It simply sat there, alone and without informations. It even was so quiet on it's delivery that if I hadn't heard the ever so slight knocking I probably wouldn't have noticed the arrival of a package. I picked it up to place it somewhere inside then went over to go do what I had planned for the afternoon, telling myself I must've had ordered something but just not remembering, as it was a rather usual habit of mine. When I came back to my small 2-rooms apartment in the evening, the package was still sitting on the table. Where I had put it, obviously. Nothing stroke me as particularly odd with the package just glancing at it. Dry, unmoving, which is as a box should be. There is few, very few things I regretted more than opening this stranger package. It contained meat. It wasn't filled with it, nor did the meat looked odd in any way, it was just fresh, raw meat. In a package. At my door. It... definitely wasn't something I had been expecting to find inside. I brushed it off as a simple delivery mistake. After all, we can command meat to get it delivered. Especially that the local butcher shop was offering this service. Yet, it still stuck with me for a while. I never had a great relation with meat and it's industry, as far as I can remember. I threw it away. Seeing these pink, bleedy lumps have always disgusted me to my core. The butcher shop has always freaked me out with the meat hanging like that. I didn't think much about it after a month, after a year and half I had just forgotten about it. Until half a year later, two years after the strange packaged meat, there came another. Another neatly arranged package was there. On the top of it... was an enveloppe, attached with a thin, white string finely set into a gentle loop like a old-fashionned gift. I didn't pick it up right away. It reminded me vaguely too much of the weird, gross package of meat I had received 2 years before. And this time. I was certain I hadn't ordered anything. And the knocking announcing it's arrival had gotten quite louder, as I could hear it from the kitchen. It was still quiet thought, so that I would barely hear it. Despite my resilience to take the package, the envy and morbid curiosity grew bigger and became hard to stand. In the end, I left it out for almost a whole week, before I just couldn't stand knowing it was outside my door anyone. So I let it inside my flat. It was left on the table in my bedroom for quite a while, actually. About a month. Yet when it was opened, the meat was still fresh. The enveloppe contained meat as well, althought it seemed like a different one. It was... spongier than the other. I mean of course, it wasn't the usual kind of spongy meat. The second package was the exact same as the first one thought. And I brushed it off too, however trying to find who was meant to receive them this time. Then the year after, it's the same thing. Same package, same foolish mistake of opening it. All of this, these 3 strange packages, all of it began to form a morbid obsession in me. All of it felt so unreal to even be true. Unfortunately all of it was, and I've learned that the hard way. I won't go on about it for too long I think you understand. The delays between these deliveries atrociously shrinked with the time. And you know what's the worst of it? I couldn't do anything about it. I moved out, for unrelated reasons, from Canada to London, in the hope of finding a new job -which was the reason and also the need of change- but also in the slight hope that the boxes wouldn't get to me again. They found me. I had a nice, stable job, as a librarian in a town near London at the time, when the boxes came again. When they started appearing in bigger quantities, I tried getting rid of them, but no hope, if it was trown away or burned, new ones appeared, with the same infernal and endless knocking, I was on the verge of snapping at this point, couldn't stand the knocking getting louder and louder. So. I was left with no choice but to stock it. Of course it was useless, but I couldn't get myself to try and consume it, the circonstances I got them in were just so strange. The meat took all over my fridge, they just arrived so fast, it couldn't contain any more and was full after a week. Couldn't find the space to buy a bigger fridge, and either way it'll fill just as quick with how the packages started containing more, and they arrived faster over. Over and over and over again. So I empiled them around the fridge, into neat piles, but they kept falling off with the bottom row rotting at an alarming rate. The smell wasn't an issue at first, kept in the fridge, it took over a month to decay. But an hot day or two to three regurarly tempered days were enought for it to become all lumpy and gross. All of it. And I still couldn't throw it away, the rotten wasn't going away either, I just received new boxes of the same decaying meat. So more and more kept coming to that spot of my house. And gradually, very, it ended up covering the whole floor, spilled all over but stomped on so often by myself it kind of became a... meaty carpet. It is as gross as it sound. But the deliveries didn't stop. They just went faster, as my floor was full. I... don't know what kind of thought crossed my mind that day but I picked up the package, I took the tender out of it and slowly, I was hanging it on the walls. And so more, same thing happened, they got full too. I'm not too sure why even to this day but, almost hypnotized, I began to put it on the furnitures. The fridge, the sink, the drawers, the tv, even my bed. All of them were -and still are- covered in that God-awful flesh. this happened over a year ago, I've been sleeping on this for over a year. Then it came to the ceiling, it filled so much faster, as the delays of the meat got so, so much closer. Then over the last year I've just been... mindlessly repeating the same patern. A layer of floor, one of the walls, for furniture and for the ceiling. I... lost my job. I've became so obsessed with the stranger meat I didn't went in over 2 months. Quickly enought, I couldn't afford any food to substain myself, leaving no choice but to try and substain off the flesh that was sent to me. All of this started a year ago. I remember the last time I went outside, the tip of my fingers were.. starting to chip off. I had started eating the meat a few days before only. And that was the indication that I was done. And yes, I haven't came out of my apartment for a whole year. I was trying to avoid eating as much as I could once I realized it was the meat who did this to my poor hand, covering them in a gross, bloody flesh. But I just couldn't help but do it, I felt so strangely compelled to take it and swallow it all the way. And there was more of this thick, bleedish-pink flesh growing on my body as the time went by and I consumed more. Look at me. Look at my hands, my deeply infected hands and arms, the flesh spreading like a virus over my very own being. Look at my neck. Bending too much, covered in a thick, bleedy flesh. But I can't not eat it anymore, I just- depend on it now. I can't get rid of eating it. When I try to, it never ends up well, I feel incredibly nauseous, energiless, and oh so irritable. I get angry at so little when sobering from the meat. Just so you know, it usually takes a lot to irritate me in a regular state. But I just feel so compelled toward it, like an obssession. If you want a level for irritability, there was the smell. I got used to it over time, but that moment, I was sobering from this Flesh, but it came to me, the smell made me so, so terribly angry. Such that I tried to rip off my very own nose to try and get rid of it. I almost succeeded. They keep coming at my door. I can't help it, I need your help, I gotta get rid of them. It's method is ever so cruel, the package meat is so low on nutriments and fat to make you unable to rely on your own body to not consume it. I used to be a rather chubby dude, but look at my face, see how you can feel the bones by just looking at it. So, that's about it.
2023.06.08 14:45 ThreeChonkyCats As a Dev, I am astounded.
ChatGPT has officially blown my socks off.
I thought as a hoot, to put it though its paces and try something quite hard.
The previous versions were curious oddities, but essentially useless to me as an advanced Developer. So I left it alone and went on with things.
Today I spent a few hours with it. We made a skeleton for a complex desktop program.
None of it was trivial.
It uses secure VPN encryption, shows the status, reports statistics, connects into a 3rd party service and runs on Linux Desktop as a Qt5 Applet, also runs in the toolbar as a service and shows a visual indicator of status. Its stores the configs in a file and also logs.
We did this in Python and Qt5.
I specified it out chunk by chunk extending each part of the inital skeleton/framework.
It works, very very VERY well. In fact, I was hard-pressed to find any fault at all.
I needed to advise it of a few things, like I would have a student or new programmer, but otherwise we did about two weeks work in a single day... by MYSELF.
THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING IN THE WORKPLACE.
Everything.
My mind is reeling at the opportunities.
submitted by ThreeChonkyCats to ChatGPT [link] [comments]
I thought as a hoot, to put it though its paces and try something quite hard.
The previous versions were curious oddities, but essentially useless to me as an advanced Developer. So I left it alone and went on with things.
Today I spent a few hours with it. We made a skeleton for a complex desktop program.
None of it was trivial.
It uses secure VPN encryption, shows the status, reports statistics, connects into a 3rd party service and runs on Linux Desktop as a Qt5 Applet, also runs in the toolbar as a service and shows a visual indicator of status. Its stores the configs in a file and also logs.
We did this in Python and Qt5.
I specified it out chunk by chunk extending each part of the inital skeleton/framework.
It works, very very VERY well. In fact, I was hard-pressed to find any fault at all.
I needed to advise it of a few things, like I would have a student or new programmer, but otherwise we did about two weeks work in a single day... by MYSELF.
THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING IN THE WORKPLACE.
Everything.
My mind is reeling at the opportunities.
2023.06.08 14:44 ShelleBelle777 No, I’m not a corporate troll; I’m a partner who follows standards. It’s not that hard.
In response to (too many) customer posts about partners not shaking teas or refreshers, or cutting corners with other drinks:
Starbucks training explicitly states QUALITY over SPEED, (many can do both). They emphasise it over and over again in Barista First 30. If your store is short-staffed, you’re just not going to meet window times. 🤷🏻♀️
As a customer, I will make the barista remake the drink for me and then let’s see whose focused on time at the window. Your attitude/eye rolling isn’t going to phase me when I ask why you’re making my refresher in my cup instead of the shaker, or why you’re “eye-balling” the measurements. (And, btw, it’s wasn’t even peak.)
We use shakers to distribute flavours and create an even, cold temp throughout.
Customers: we are trained to make the moment right, to focus on quality, and ensure you leave us happy/satisfied with your order. Please don’t abuse this and use it as a reason to treat us with disrespect and an attitude of superiority. No, we can’t please all of the people all of the time - we have learned this, despite us being kind and courteous to you).
Yes, we do get miserable, nasty customers who are unhappy with their lives, or having a bad day and take it out on us and everyone around them, and will complain about everything (including blaming us when they didn’t order correctly), but we are here for … NUMBER 1 … customer connection/satisfaction.
(I had a customer ask me if we ate the bacon on her Bacon Gouda because there wasn’t a lot of meat on it and complained that we didn’t make her venti pike (black, unsweetened) correctly). —- I had a customer (from out of state) go off at me (and I was on warming, called to the window by the DTO) because no one in our store knew what a “black eye” was, including our manager. I told her I knew what a “red eye” was, and that I thought her drink might be 2 shots in the dark (roast). (Turns out, SHE had no idea what it was either), and said she’s been to all the Starbucks and “everyone” knows what it is, that it IS a standard drink and there IS a button for it (after I told her it/there wasn’t). She said she was going to call corporate about it 🤷🏻♀️
(I even Googled it and she got mad that I was doing that). “Ma’am, I’m just trying to make sure you leave with the drink you want, we want you to leave satisfied, so if you tell me what goes in it…. (she wanted milk, syrups, etc).” Nothing. Nothing worked. She just had no idea that it was 2 shots in a brewed coffee. You can’t win ‘em all). —- Partners are human, so they might also be having a bad day, and coupled with the negative energy of the customer, it can be doubly unpleasant. However, we are also trained how to handle difficult customers, and it’s NOT with “attitude”.
We cannot and will not tolerate abusive customers. Partners, if you’re being triggered, call another partner or your supervisomanager to take over.
I will always be a customer first because I was one for 13 years before becoming a partner. I didn’t want to be “that customer” who kept asking for a remake, but if I ask for a cappuccino, I don’t want a latte - I want milk with my coffee, not coffee with my milk. So I decided to join Starbucks and make my own. 😊
Let me tell you, I appreciate what Starbucks partners do so much more now that I am one - and I’m focused on quality and standards because I see everything from a customer’s perspective. I won’t get mad if they order a “vintage coffee” or a “tall grande iced coffee” or 50.000 pumps of 25 different syrups upside down blonde Ristretto, sub [milk] with whip and extra foam and extra extra extra caramel drizzle. It will take a while, but I have 2 hands and can only go as fast as I can (once I read and re-read your order).
So, customers - we work REALLY hard to give you what you want. It takes a lot of teamwork (and if we’re short staffed, a lot of stress) to get you your order.
Partners, take a deep breath, do your best and make it fun. If you hate your job, or your store, there are many resources available - or find another one somewhere else, perhaps at another store. I’ve learned that some of you have bad leaders and don’t know that working at Starbucks doesn’t have to be what you’re experiencing. It also could just be you 🤷🏻♀️ and what YOU bring to the table.
Our world is us pushed out.
submitted by ShelleBelle777 to starbucks [link] [comments]
Starbucks training explicitly states QUALITY over SPEED, (many can do both). They emphasise it over and over again in Barista First 30. If your store is short-staffed, you’re just not going to meet window times. 🤷🏻♀️
As a customer, I will make the barista remake the drink for me and then let’s see whose focused on time at the window. Your attitude/eye rolling isn’t going to phase me when I ask why you’re making my refresher in my cup instead of the shaker, or why you’re “eye-balling” the measurements. (And, btw, it’s wasn’t even peak.)
We use shakers to distribute flavours and create an even, cold temp throughout.
Customers: we are trained to make the moment right, to focus on quality, and ensure you leave us happy/satisfied with your order. Please don’t abuse this and use it as a reason to treat us with disrespect and an attitude of superiority. No, we can’t please all of the people all of the time - we have learned this, despite us being kind and courteous to you).
Yes, we do get miserable, nasty customers who are unhappy with their lives, or having a bad day and take it out on us and everyone around them, and will complain about everything (including blaming us when they didn’t order correctly), but we are here for … NUMBER 1 … customer connection/satisfaction.
(I had a customer ask me if we ate the bacon on her Bacon Gouda because there wasn’t a lot of meat on it and complained that we didn’t make her venti pike (black, unsweetened) correctly). —- I had a customer (from out of state) go off at me (and I was on warming, called to the window by the DTO) because no one in our store knew what a “black eye” was, including our manager. I told her I knew what a “red eye” was, and that I thought her drink might be 2 shots in the dark (roast). (Turns out, SHE had no idea what it was either), and said she’s been to all the Starbucks and “everyone” knows what it is, that it IS a standard drink and there IS a button for it (after I told her it/there wasn’t). She said she was going to call corporate about it 🤷🏻♀️
(I even Googled it and she got mad that I was doing that). “Ma’am, I’m just trying to make sure you leave with the drink you want, we want you to leave satisfied, so if you tell me what goes in it…. (she wanted milk, syrups, etc).” Nothing. Nothing worked. She just had no idea that it was 2 shots in a brewed coffee. You can’t win ‘em all). —- Partners are human, so they might also be having a bad day, and coupled with the negative energy of the customer, it can be doubly unpleasant. However, we are also trained how to handle difficult customers, and it’s NOT with “attitude”.
We cannot and will not tolerate abusive customers. Partners, if you’re being triggered, call another partner or your supervisomanager to take over.
I will always be a customer first because I was one for 13 years before becoming a partner. I didn’t want to be “that customer” who kept asking for a remake, but if I ask for a cappuccino, I don’t want a latte - I want milk with my coffee, not coffee with my milk. So I decided to join Starbucks and make my own. 😊
Let me tell you, I appreciate what Starbucks partners do so much more now that I am one - and I’m focused on quality and standards because I see everything from a customer’s perspective. I won’t get mad if they order a “vintage coffee” or a “tall grande iced coffee” or 50.000 pumps of 25 different syrups upside down blonde Ristretto, sub [milk] with whip and extra foam and extra extra extra caramel drizzle. It will take a while, but I have 2 hands and can only go as fast as I can (once I read and re-read your order).
So, customers - we work REALLY hard to give you what you want. It takes a lot of teamwork (and if we’re short staffed, a lot of stress) to get you your order.
Partners, take a deep breath, do your best and make it fun. If you hate your job, or your store, there are many resources available - or find another one somewhere else, perhaps at another store. I’ve learned that some of you have bad leaders and don’t know that working at Starbucks doesn’t have to be what you’re experiencing. It also could just be you 🤷🏻♀️ and what YOU bring to the table.
Our world is us pushed out.
2023.06.08 14:43 Mysterious_Chapter65 What needs to be done to this skillet?
 | My parents passed me down this skillet, as they don’t cook nearly as often as I do. I’ve had it for a year or so and use it frequently. I am just worried I’m not cleaning/seasoning it correctly. Does this look okay? I know the oil is a little heavy on the one side of it in that photo. After cooking while still warm, I take a scraper and scrape all the food off, then add a little water and run the scraper back over it. (Rubber scrapesqueegee thingy) I then take a paper towel and dry it completely, add a little oil and spread it across the surface, then heat it until it begins to smoke. Am I doing everything correct? I want to take good care of this skillet and pass it down to my (future) kids one day submitted by Mysterious_Chapter65 to castiron [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 14:43 jpitha Just A Little Further 23/40
First / Previous / Next
It's still early, so we go and find a cafe and have lunch. Once again, I don't have to use my voice, they just give us our meal for free. I really should get an idea about money though. I know they are called Skys, I know at least part of them are small green metallic coins - actually they look like the same metal the Throne and Chairs are made out of, I wonder if they are - and I know that everyone uses them here to buy stuff. I should ask about banks. We should pay a visit to one. I'm sure they'd be... happy to explain it to me.
That's for later though. For now, we work our way to the dock, and find the internal docking bay that Omar found.
Walking in, it becomes clear that we have a lot of work ahead. High Line is in here thanks to Omar earlier and it's...
It's junk.
Even when it was operating, it was clearly made up of a hodgepodge of between three and five different starships. This thing has been limping along on patches and ad hoc repairs for centuries it looks like.
Human ships from our side of the galaxy tend to be very personalized. Riots of color, patterns, little flourishes here and there that speak to the tastes and preferences of the operator. It's probably a function of the fact that all our ships are AI operated. It's their body, and they decorate and personalize it.
High Line is... downright drab in comparison.
Grey on grey with streaks of soot and... is that rust? It looks like rust. What would rust on a spacecraft hull? High Line is all boxes and blocks stuck together where they fit or where a need was found. I'm much more used to the sweeping, flowing shapes the Starjumpers have. In addition to looking fast, they look much more elegant. Even our smaller ships, the Frigates and Destroyers tend towards looking more like living creatures than... a box.
As I walk around staring at things and - apparently - making a sour face, Starlight, Ocean and River are standing there, looking nervous and worried. "So Empress... Here is High Line. We admit, it's a little more worse for wear than the ship you came to us on, but.." Starlight stands a little taller. "It got my forebears here all those years ago and through all that time put many light-years on it shuttling people around the system and still held air and gravity. It's not much to look at, but it was ours."
I mean, they're right. Maybe I'm being too hard on it. They got centuries of use out of with with barely any maintenance. All the more reason to refit it right and make it soar once again.
Omar seems like he's having a great time. Walking around, taking measurements going in and out. "Melody, it might not be much to look at now, but it's actually a pretty good foundation! We can add some improved thrusters, beef up the armor, add a wormhole generator and some laser batteries and while we won't be able to take on a dreadnought or even a Starjumper, we'll be able to hold our own against anything local we've seen. It's got plenty of room inside too. You won't have a suite of rooms like at the Royal Dawn, but I should be able to make you an... appropriately royal room.
"At this point a starship is better than no starship so I'll take what I can get. How long will the refit take, Omar?"
He looks at the ship, at the Aviens and then at me. "It will depend on their printer and how well we can integrate the designs from my copy of the database but maybe a month? Hopefully less?"
"Well then, you had better get started Omar. You spend your time getting High Line up to your satisfaction, and let me know about your progress. For now, we will be staying at the Royal Dawn. I don't know if there's other royal quarters that we just haven't found or if the hotel is made out of the original royal quarters, but I'm satisfied with our current accommodations. Make your own schedule and if you need something or someone, just let me know. Starlight" - I look pointedly at them - "can help you with any personnel needs you have." Starlight bobs their head eagerly. "If you need to speak to me or the others, you should be able to though the Reach. Just... concentrate and it should work."
"Okay Melody, I'll get on it. Come on Starlight, show me the printer. Ocean, go see what kind of help you can find for us. River, go see about the condition of the other starships. Some of them have to be operable, how else is food getting here?" Omar looks up at us as the Aviens run off in different directions to obey Omar. "What happened to Ottarn, that Mariens who took their ship and tried to run? If nothing else, we could use that ship."
"They went with FarReach. They told me that they scooped up Ottarn and their ship and were going to take them where they wanted to go."
"Hmm, do you think that means back to human space?" Um'reli asks and she's looking at the ship.
"I have no idea, I don't think so? I'm not sure what they'd find out there to benefit them."
This time Ava puts her hands on her hips and stares at us. "You mean, other that some sympathetic ears to listen to their story about a human who has installed herself as Empress in their space and might be willing to lend a hand with a couple of Starjumpers and their assorted lasers and missiles? You did lock the Gate after FarReach left, right?"
Uh oh. I forgot.
"Uh, sure thing Ava, let me just go... double check that it's locked. I reach out and I can feel the Gate from here though it's faint and... fuzzy. The lock was simple enough though I push here... pull that... and...
"Okay, yes, it's locked."
"Good. We don't want Ottarn coming back with reinforcements or something just yet. Later though... let them come. We'll show them." Ava's grin is worrying me a little bit. She seems much too excited about showing off.
I grab Ava and Um'reli "Come on, let's leave Omar to his work. We have other things to take care of. I think we're going to have to hire on some help, but before that we're going to have to figure out money."
Ava scoffs as we walk "You're still going on about money? Just make people help us out."
"Ava we're looking to help out here, not be overthrown in a couple weeks. If I make people help us, the moment we walk away people will start to wonder why they're helping us at all."
"Melody has a point Ava. What is it that we do here?" Um'reli is really good at throwing cold water on Ava's plans. I'm glad she came. Without her I have a hunch that Ava would be talking me into all kinds of bad ideas.
"Builders seem to work like the AIs on Starbases back home. So it's not like we have no job."
"Well then, let's go back to the Throne and do some work. I'm tired of walking around trying to mooch free stuff from people because they're scared of Melody." Um'reli stars walking back towards the Throne. I really don't have anything else to do, so I follow. "You coming, Ava?"
"I guess. I don't have anything else to do." Ava looks around somewhat wistfully and follows. I wonder what she was hoping to do instead. Probably have me order people to give her something.
As we walk into the entryway to the Throne - there's still no back door, I really need to find one or make one - something catches my eye. I walk over and... "It's a shrine"
"What?" Ava peeks over my shoulder "Oh, it's beautiful."
It really is. Someone made a drawing of us in some kind of pastel medium, like pencils or chalk. It's... me at the top, my wings spread wide and I'm glowing. Below that, it's Um'reli, Ava and Omar standing tall and proud looking up. Under that is a decent representation of hundreds of people bowing before us. Written on the bottom in the same local script I see all over it says "May They Protect Us." The drawing is on a little easel and there are flowers and candles all around it in a semicircle.
Protect them from what though?
"These flowers are amazing! I've never seen ones like this before" Um'reli bends down to get a closer look. She takes a deep breath "And they smell so good, Ava, Melody, you should smell them!"
Well if Um'reli, a K'laxi can smell them and not immediately break out in allergic hives, it's probably fine for us to smell too. I bend down low and... they smell... familiar? Why is that?
Ava straightens "These were grown. We need to find out where the gardens are and visit it!"
Um'reli stands as well. "After we get some work done Ava. We need to show everyone that we do something and aren't a drain on resources because Melody can order them around and they can't say no."
"What's the point of all this power if we don't use it!"
"Ava, we 'use it' like you want to and people will come after us with guns and knives. Who was the Empress before Melody?" Um'reli is looking hard at Ava.
"We have no idea."
"Exactly." Um'reli continues up the stairs to the Throne itself. I follow and Ava pouts but doesn't say anything further.
In the Builder room, Um'reli and Ava sit down. Their bodies go distant and they are integrating. "Okay Ava, Um'reli. You get down to work, I'm going to see about finding a bank and talking to them. Any idea where one is?"
"One moment Melody..." Ava is searching. "Okay, looks like a bank is down the street from the Administration building. It's not far."
"Thanks! Just reach out to me if you need anything." I head back out and down the stairs of the throne, passing by the little shine again. It really is cute, though I wish they put something a little more specific about what they wanted us to protect them from. Oh well, with our luck we'll find out soon enough.
It's not actually a long walk to the bank, Ava was right, it was just down the street from the Administration building. As I walk past I see that a couple people are cleaning up the barricades finally. I wave as I walk by, and they stand smartly and bow. Nice.
Soon enough, I come across what I assume is the bank. It's a large building, made out of the same material as the Administration building, marking it as very old. There is a large double door in the front made of what looks like the same metal as the coins everyone uses. The doors stand open with two people (an Azurian and a Mariens) standing out front. With a little wave to them, I walk in.
It's... a bank. Really. Tellers, little booths where people can discuss finance, even a little table before you get in line to fill out small slips of paper. I walk over to an Aviens who is sitting at a desk by the front door. They look up and do a double take when they see me. I'm not wearing my wings and crown anymore, but I still have on the gown from earlier.
"Uh, good day Holy One, what may this one help you with?" Holy One. Interesting.
"I would like to speak to the Bank Manager, please."
They rush to stand and their chair slides back with a squawk. "Of course, Holy One. Please, wait right here." The gesture over to a small group of chairs up against the wall. I can't really think of a reason why not, so I go over and sit.
Next to me is one of the pressure suited people. Up close, I can see how their suits are segmented metal colored bronze and completely decorated in elaborate carvings. They really are quite beautiful. Their helmets are almost completely featureless except for a bar where human eyes would be and there is what looks like a speaker on their neck.
I clear my throat. "Pardon me, I'm so sorry, but I haven't met one of you yet. Can you tell me your name and the name of your people?"
With just the most subtle clank and whir, they turn their head. "I am known as Vaaqo, and here, people call us Falor in your tongue." His head inclines slightly. "That is to say, the language that most people here speak call us Falor. I do not know your word for us in your Builder tongue."
"Falor is fine with me." I say brightly, and then stop. "Unless it is insulting to you or something."
They make a gesture with their hands. The Nanites indicate that they are indicating no. Oh, that makes sense! If they're suited all the time, most body language markers are lost. Hand gestures could take over for a bunch of nonspeaking conversation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Vaaqo, thank you so much for the information. I have so many questions, but I will only ask one for now. Do you have to stay in your suit all the time?"
The same gesture meaning no. "We are fortunate that the upper sunward lobe of the Reach has a pressure door. We're able to maintain our helium methane atmosphere and higher ambient pressure and live suit free. The remains of our starship are installed up there, and we use it to control our own breathing gas."
They took their ship apart to survive? "Oh but that means you're trapped here! Once we open the gates and build more ships, we can send a message to your people."
Another gesture. The Nanites say it might be a smile "That is kind of you to offer, Empress. Before... well before, we were in the middle of a war. We were offered refuge here and so we do not know if any others of our kind remain. It will be... nice to find out for sure."
They're holding something back. I think they don't want to insult you.
It's fine. I see no need to compel them to tell me what they're hiding. It's probably something embarrassing to them or they think to me.
Luckily for all of us, you have no shame.
Ha ha.
As I argue with my Nanites, a Mariens walks up, looking nervous. "Hol-Empress, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you for taking the time to visit our fine financial establishment! My name is Utaid and I am at your service." He bows elaborately.
I stand and try to tower only slightly. I want to impress, not intimidate. "The pleasure is all mine Utaid, I am happy to have met you. I wish to open an account so that I will be able to pay people for services they render me."
They look shocked. "E-Empress, of course. We will do everything in our power to help. Since... all here is yours that of course includes all the money stored in the different banks across the Reach."
I nod. "While this is true, I am not a tyrant. I wish to make sure that people are paid and that operations continue as closely to before as possible. Please accept payment requests that come in from people in my name and keep records. We will do our utmost to make sure that the money going in is equal to or greater than the money coming out... in the long term."
They visibly relax. I wonder if they thought I was just going to come in and demand all the currency?
"It will be our most sincere pleasure Empress. We are proud that you have selected us to carry out your financial orders in Your name. We shall set up everything and dispatch a runner to you when it has been completed. I assume you are residing at the Royal Dawn hotel?"
"Yes, that's correct. How did you know?"
They look smug and embarrassed? How did they manage that? "Even though Reach of the Might of Vzzx is a very large starbase, rumors still seem to fly faster than light."
"Ah, thank you Utaid for all your help. I await your runners." They bow low again and I walk out.
Huh, that was easy. I guess people are starting to realize that I really am Empress and I really am trying to help everyone. Feeling very happy, I begin to walk back to the Throne.
"Uh, Melody there might be a problem." Um'reli's voice sounds worried in my head. She figured out how to contact me directly, very nice!
"What is it Um'reli?"
"Just a minute ago, I saw what looked like an alert. Ava and I checked it out and there's something going on at the main transit hub station. We either don't understand the alert or can't ready it yet. Can you check it out please?"
"Oh neat! I haven't been there yet. Sure, I'll go down and check it out. You two stay up there and be my eyes and ears."
The transit station is right around the corner from the bank. It reminds me a lot of photos of transit stations back on Earth. platforms, people milling about, advertising. But I see no crowds or anything worrying. I connect to the Starbase and think to Ava and Um'reli "I don't see any problem here, what's going on?"
"It's not here, it's at the main station. Get on the next train and ride two stops, you'll see it."
Oh, okay. Just as Ava finished speaking, a train rolls up. Like a lot of this place, it clearly was very fancy a long long time ago. The fact that it's still working is pretty impressive, even if it looks a bit run down. I walk on, and look around. There are seats all along the walls of the train car and poles along the middle to hang on to. Mentally I shrug and sit down near the door. After a moment, there's a trilling chime and the doors close.
With a lurch and a hiss of brakes, we get moving. I wonder if this train is automated, or if someone drives it. I should ask later. I'm lost in thought for the ride through the first station stop, but then I look around and realize everyone is staring at me.
"Oh, Hello!" I say brightly.
Immediately, the people closest to me drop to the ground, bowing their heads. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to do that right now, please just sit. I'm just riding the train over to the hub station. My Builders tell me there's some kind of issue and I'm going to check it out."
"But, Empress... Surely you have people that you can send to do that for you?" It's a Mariens sitting across from me. They look amused.
"Oh not right now. I'm... between retainers and assistants right now. One of my Builders, Omar is helping to repair the High Line, that Aviens ship, and my other two, Ava and Um'reli are sitting in their Chairs, assisting with the operation of the Reach." Oh wait. "Do you want a job? I do find myself needing more people to help out with-" I gesture "-all this. I'm not sure how much to pay yet but I did just come back from the bank, so I'll be able to pay you; I'm sure I'll work all the rest out soon enough."
The Mariens chuckles "Thank you for the generous offer Empress, but I quite like my job. If you so order it... of course I'd help. If you're just asking though, no thank you."
"Oh, that's quite all right. I don't want to order you. But, if you know anyone that would like to help, have them come to the Throne chamber tomorrow, we'll see what we can do!" I look around at everyone trying very hard to look like they're not listening in. "That goes for anyone here too! If you want a job, come see us, if you know someone that does, send them. I need help, and I would love for it to be you!"
And with that same trilling chime, the doors open and I'm at the hub station.
Ah. Okay. I see what Ava and Um'reli are talking about.
There's a riot.
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It's still early, so we go and find a cafe and have lunch. Once again, I don't have to use my voice, they just give us our meal for free. I really should get an idea about money though. I know they are called Skys, I know at least part of them are small green metallic coins - actually they look like the same metal the Throne and Chairs are made out of, I wonder if they are - and I know that everyone uses them here to buy stuff. I should ask about banks. We should pay a visit to one. I'm sure they'd be... happy to explain it to me.
That's for later though. For now, we work our way to the dock, and find the internal docking bay that Omar found.
Walking in, it becomes clear that we have a lot of work ahead. High Line is in here thanks to Omar earlier and it's...
It's junk.
Even when it was operating, it was clearly made up of a hodgepodge of between three and five different starships. This thing has been limping along on patches and ad hoc repairs for centuries it looks like.
Human ships from our side of the galaxy tend to be very personalized. Riots of color, patterns, little flourishes here and there that speak to the tastes and preferences of the operator. It's probably a function of the fact that all our ships are AI operated. It's their body, and they decorate and personalize it.
High Line is... downright drab in comparison.
Grey on grey with streaks of soot and... is that rust? It looks like rust. What would rust on a spacecraft hull? High Line is all boxes and blocks stuck together where they fit or where a need was found. I'm much more used to the sweeping, flowing shapes the Starjumpers have. In addition to looking fast, they look much more elegant. Even our smaller ships, the Frigates and Destroyers tend towards looking more like living creatures than... a box.
As I walk around staring at things and - apparently - making a sour face, Starlight, Ocean and River are standing there, looking nervous and worried. "So Empress... Here is High Line. We admit, it's a little more worse for wear than the ship you came to us on, but.." Starlight stands a little taller. "It got my forebears here all those years ago and through all that time put many light-years on it shuttling people around the system and still held air and gravity. It's not much to look at, but it was ours."
I mean, they're right. Maybe I'm being too hard on it. They got centuries of use out of with with barely any maintenance. All the more reason to refit it right and make it soar once again.
Omar seems like he's having a great time. Walking around, taking measurements going in and out. "Melody, it might not be much to look at now, but it's actually a pretty good foundation! We can add some improved thrusters, beef up the armor, add a wormhole generator and some laser batteries and while we won't be able to take on a dreadnought or even a Starjumper, we'll be able to hold our own against anything local we've seen. It's got plenty of room inside too. You won't have a suite of rooms like at the Royal Dawn, but I should be able to make you an... appropriately royal room.
"At this point a starship is better than no starship so I'll take what I can get. How long will the refit take, Omar?"
He looks at the ship, at the Aviens and then at me. "It will depend on their printer and how well we can integrate the designs from my copy of the database but maybe a month? Hopefully less?"
"Well then, you had better get started Omar. You spend your time getting High Line up to your satisfaction, and let me know about your progress. For now, we will be staying at the Royal Dawn. I don't know if there's other royal quarters that we just haven't found or if the hotel is made out of the original royal quarters, but I'm satisfied with our current accommodations. Make your own schedule and if you need something or someone, just let me know. Starlight" - I look pointedly at them - "can help you with any personnel needs you have." Starlight bobs their head eagerly. "If you need to speak to me or the others, you should be able to though the Reach. Just... concentrate and it should work."
"Okay Melody, I'll get on it. Come on Starlight, show me the printer. Ocean, go see what kind of help you can find for us. River, go see about the condition of the other starships. Some of them have to be operable, how else is food getting here?" Omar looks up at us as the Aviens run off in different directions to obey Omar. "What happened to Ottarn, that Mariens who took their ship and tried to run? If nothing else, we could use that ship."
"They went with FarReach. They told me that they scooped up Ottarn and their ship and were going to take them where they wanted to go."
"Hmm, do you think that means back to human space?" Um'reli asks and she's looking at the ship.
"I have no idea, I don't think so? I'm not sure what they'd find out there to benefit them."
This time Ava puts her hands on her hips and stares at us. "You mean, other that some sympathetic ears to listen to their story about a human who has installed herself as Empress in their space and might be willing to lend a hand with a couple of Starjumpers and their assorted lasers and missiles? You did lock the Gate after FarReach left, right?"
Uh oh. I forgot.
"Uh, sure thing Ava, let me just go... double check that it's locked. I reach out and I can feel the Gate from here though it's faint and... fuzzy. The lock was simple enough though I push here... pull that... and...
"Okay, yes, it's locked."
"Good. We don't want Ottarn coming back with reinforcements or something just yet. Later though... let them come. We'll show them." Ava's grin is worrying me a little bit. She seems much too excited about showing off.
I grab Ava and Um'reli "Come on, let's leave Omar to his work. We have other things to take care of. I think we're going to have to hire on some help, but before that we're going to have to figure out money."
Ava scoffs as we walk "You're still going on about money? Just make people help us out."
"Ava we're looking to help out here, not be overthrown in a couple weeks. If I make people help us, the moment we walk away people will start to wonder why they're helping us at all."
"Melody has a point Ava. What is it that we do here?" Um'reli is really good at throwing cold water on Ava's plans. I'm glad she came. Without her I have a hunch that Ava would be talking me into all kinds of bad ideas.
"Builders seem to work like the AIs on Starbases back home. So it's not like we have no job."
"Well then, let's go back to the Throne and do some work. I'm tired of walking around trying to mooch free stuff from people because they're scared of Melody." Um'reli stars walking back towards the Throne. I really don't have anything else to do, so I follow. "You coming, Ava?"
"I guess. I don't have anything else to do." Ava looks around somewhat wistfully and follows. I wonder what she was hoping to do instead. Probably have me order people to give her something.
As we walk into the entryway to the Throne - there's still no back door, I really need to find one or make one - something catches my eye. I walk over and... "It's a shrine"
"What?" Ava peeks over my shoulder "Oh, it's beautiful."
It really is. Someone made a drawing of us in some kind of pastel medium, like pencils or chalk. It's... me at the top, my wings spread wide and I'm glowing. Below that, it's Um'reli, Ava and Omar standing tall and proud looking up. Under that is a decent representation of hundreds of people bowing before us. Written on the bottom in the same local script I see all over it says "May They Protect Us." The drawing is on a little easel and there are flowers and candles all around it in a semicircle.
Protect them from what though?
"These flowers are amazing! I've never seen ones like this before" Um'reli bends down to get a closer look. She takes a deep breath "And they smell so good, Ava, Melody, you should smell them!"
Well if Um'reli, a K'laxi can smell them and not immediately break out in allergic hives, it's probably fine for us to smell too. I bend down low and... they smell... familiar? Why is that?
Ava straightens "These were grown. We need to find out where the gardens are and visit it!"
Um'reli stands as well. "After we get some work done Ava. We need to show everyone that we do something and aren't a drain on resources because Melody can order them around and they can't say no."
"What's the point of all this power if we don't use it!"
"Ava, we 'use it' like you want to and people will come after us with guns and knives. Who was the Empress before Melody?" Um'reli is looking hard at Ava.
"We have no idea."
"Exactly." Um'reli continues up the stairs to the Throne itself. I follow and Ava pouts but doesn't say anything further.
In the Builder room, Um'reli and Ava sit down. Their bodies go distant and they are integrating. "Okay Ava, Um'reli. You get down to work, I'm going to see about finding a bank and talking to them. Any idea where one is?"
"One moment Melody..." Ava is searching. "Okay, looks like a bank is down the street from the Administration building. It's not far."
"Thanks! Just reach out to me if you need anything." I head back out and down the stairs of the throne, passing by the little shine again. It really is cute, though I wish they put something a little more specific about what they wanted us to protect them from. Oh well, with our luck we'll find out soon enough.
It's not actually a long walk to the bank, Ava was right, it was just down the street from the Administration building. As I walk past I see that a couple people are cleaning up the barricades finally. I wave as I walk by, and they stand smartly and bow. Nice.
Soon enough, I come across what I assume is the bank. It's a large building, made out of the same material as the Administration building, marking it as very old. There is a large double door in the front made of what looks like the same metal as the coins everyone uses. The doors stand open with two people (an Azurian and a Mariens) standing out front. With a little wave to them, I walk in.
It's... a bank. Really. Tellers, little booths where people can discuss finance, even a little table before you get in line to fill out small slips of paper. I walk over to an Aviens who is sitting at a desk by the front door. They look up and do a double take when they see me. I'm not wearing my wings and crown anymore, but I still have on the gown from earlier.
"Uh, good day Holy One, what may this one help you with?" Holy One. Interesting.
"I would like to speak to the Bank Manager, please."
They rush to stand and their chair slides back with a squawk. "Of course, Holy One. Please, wait right here." The gesture over to a small group of chairs up against the wall. I can't really think of a reason why not, so I go over and sit.
Next to me is one of the pressure suited people. Up close, I can see how their suits are segmented metal colored bronze and completely decorated in elaborate carvings. They really are quite beautiful. Their helmets are almost completely featureless except for a bar where human eyes would be and there is what looks like a speaker on their neck.
I clear my throat. "Pardon me, I'm so sorry, but I haven't met one of you yet. Can you tell me your name and the name of your people?"
With just the most subtle clank and whir, they turn their head. "I am known as Vaaqo, and here, people call us Falor in your tongue." His head inclines slightly. "That is to say, the language that most people here speak call us Falor. I do not know your word for us in your Builder tongue."
"Falor is fine with me." I say brightly, and then stop. "Unless it is insulting to you or something."
They make a gesture with their hands. The Nanites indicate that they are indicating no. Oh, that makes sense! If they're suited all the time, most body language markers are lost. Hand gestures could take over for a bunch of nonspeaking conversation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Vaaqo, thank you so much for the information. I have so many questions, but I will only ask one for now. Do you have to stay in your suit all the time?"
The same gesture meaning no. "We are fortunate that the upper sunward lobe of the Reach has a pressure door. We're able to maintain our helium methane atmosphere and higher ambient pressure and live suit free. The remains of our starship are installed up there, and we use it to control our own breathing gas."
They took their ship apart to survive? "Oh but that means you're trapped here! Once we open the gates and build more ships, we can send a message to your people."
Another gesture. The Nanites say it might be a smile "That is kind of you to offer, Empress. Before... well before, we were in the middle of a war. We were offered refuge here and so we do not know if any others of our kind remain. It will be... nice to find out for sure."
They're holding something back. I think they don't want to insult you.
It's fine. I see no need to compel them to tell me what they're hiding. It's probably something embarrassing to them or they think to me.
Luckily for all of us, you have no shame.
Ha ha.
As I argue with my Nanites, a Mariens walks up, looking nervous. "Hol-Empress, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you for taking the time to visit our fine financial establishment! My name is Utaid and I am at your service." He bows elaborately.
I stand and try to tower only slightly. I want to impress, not intimidate. "The pleasure is all mine Utaid, I am happy to have met you. I wish to open an account so that I will be able to pay people for services they render me."
They look shocked. "E-Empress, of course. We will do everything in our power to help. Since... all here is yours that of course includes all the money stored in the different banks across the Reach."
I nod. "While this is true, I am not a tyrant. I wish to make sure that people are paid and that operations continue as closely to before as possible. Please accept payment requests that come in from people in my name and keep records. We will do our utmost to make sure that the money going in is equal to or greater than the money coming out... in the long term."
They visibly relax. I wonder if they thought I was just going to come in and demand all the currency?
"It will be our most sincere pleasure Empress. We are proud that you have selected us to carry out your financial orders in Your name. We shall set up everything and dispatch a runner to you when it has been completed. I assume you are residing at the Royal Dawn hotel?"
"Yes, that's correct. How did you know?"
They look smug and embarrassed? How did they manage that? "Even though Reach of the Might of Vzzx is a very large starbase, rumors still seem to fly faster than light."
"Ah, thank you Utaid for all your help. I await your runners." They bow low again and I walk out.
Huh, that was easy. I guess people are starting to realize that I really am Empress and I really am trying to help everyone. Feeling very happy, I begin to walk back to the Throne.
"Uh, Melody there might be a problem." Um'reli's voice sounds worried in my head. She figured out how to contact me directly, very nice!
"What is it Um'reli?"
"Just a minute ago, I saw what looked like an alert. Ava and I checked it out and there's something going on at the main transit hub station. We either don't understand the alert or can't ready it yet. Can you check it out please?"
"Oh neat! I haven't been there yet. Sure, I'll go down and check it out. You two stay up there and be my eyes and ears."
The transit station is right around the corner from the bank. It reminds me a lot of photos of transit stations back on Earth. platforms, people milling about, advertising. But I see no crowds or anything worrying. I connect to the Starbase and think to Ava and Um'reli "I don't see any problem here, what's going on?"
"It's not here, it's at the main station. Get on the next train and ride two stops, you'll see it."
Oh, okay. Just as Ava finished speaking, a train rolls up. Like a lot of this place, it clearly was very fancy a long long time ago. The fact that it's still working is pretty impressive, even if it looks a bit run down. I walk on, and look around. There are seats all along the walls of the train car and poles along the middle to hang on to. Mentally I shrug and sit down near the door. After a moment, there's a trilling chime and the doors close.
With a lurch and a hiss of brakes, we get moving. I wonder if this train is automated, or if someone drives it. I should ask later. I'm lost in thought for the ride through the first station stop, but then I look around and realize everyone is staring at me.
"Oh, Hello!" I say brightly.
Immediately, the people closest to me drop to the ground, bowing their heads. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to do that right now, please just sit. I'm just riding the train over to the hub station. My Builders tell me there's some kind of issue and I'm going to check it out."
"But, Empress... Surely you have people that you can send to do that for you?" It's a Mariens sitting across from me. They look amused.
"Oh not right now. I'm... between retainers and assistants right now. One of my Builders, Omar is helping to repair the High Line, that Aviens ship, and my other two, Ava and Um'reli are sitting in their Chairs, assisting with the operation of the Reach." Oh wait. "Do you want a job? I do find myself needing more people to help out with-" I gesture "-all this. I'm not sure how much to pay yet but I did just come back from the bank, so I'll be able to pay you; I'm sure I'll work all the rest out soon enough."
The Mariens chuckles "Thank you for the generous offer Empress, but I quite like my job. If you so order it... of course I'd help. If you're just asking though, no thank you."
"Oh, that's quite all right. I don't want to order you. But, if you know anyone that would like to help, have them come to the Throne chamber tomorrow, we'll see what we can do!" I look around at everyone trying very hard to look like they're not listening in. "That goes for anyone here too! If you want a job, come see us, if you know someone that does, send them. I need help, and I would love for it to be you!"
And with that same trilling chime, the doors open and I'm at the hub station.
Ah. Okay. I see what Ava and Um'reli are talking about.
There's a riot.
First / Previous / Next
2023.06.08 14:43 Virendrapadam Weekend Digital Marketing Course in Mumbai The BW School
 | With 90% practicals, classroom training, & 100% job assistance, we offer the best digital marketing course in Mumbai for beginners and experts alike. Enroll Now! https://thebwschool.com/batches/ submitted by Virendrapadam to u/Virendrapadam [link] [comments] digital marketing weekend course, digital marketing course in kandivali, digital marketing training mumbai, digital marketing training institute, digital marketing classes near me |
2023.06.08 14:43 Emergency-One2476 The differences in our [34M] [28F] sex drives is becoming a deal breaker. What should we do?
I read and was told online that men in Muslim countries commonly have sex with other men due to sexual repression and gender segregation, where women are unavailable
I was also told the women in those situations don't have sex with other women anywhere near as commonly
This made me think that male sexuality depends almost solely on the sexual availability of women while female sexuality depends on so much more than the sexual availability of men
I asked my psychologist, parents and sister. They said that it would be a minority of men who would do that and that in most cases (like prisons) women do it with other women as often, even more. My psychologist said she worked in both men's and women's prisons and that the women do that with each other much more than the men do it
What do you think?
Because if it's not somewhat equal between men and women and if it is so one sided, then that puts me off men as a gender completely because it would show that women like men more, in a more well rounded way and that take sex away and men turn to men. So their attraction and interest in women is paper thin.
submitted by Emergency-One2476 to MuslimNoFap [link] [comments]
I was also told the women in those situations don't have sex with other women anywhere near as commonly
This made me think that male sexuality depends almost solely on the sexual availability of women while female sexuality depends on so much more than the sexual availability of men
I asked my psychologist, parents and sister. They said that it would be a minority of men who would do that and that in most cases (like prisons) women do it with other women as often, even more. My psychologist said she worked in both men's and women's prisons and that the women do that with each other much more than the men do it
What do you think?
Because if it's not somewhat equal between men and women and if it is so one sided, then that puts me off men as a gender completely because it would show that women like men more, in a more well rounded way and that take sex away and men turn to men. So their attraction and interest in women is paper thin.
2023.06.08 14:42 GSHealth How Can Chiropractic Adjustment Be a Major Turning Point?
When was the last time you really gave thought to your health as well as lifestyle? With stress somewhat becoming a major compulsion in our lives, it is increasingly difficult to lead a stress-free lifestyle. A Chiropractor would rather point out that the major reason behind this crucially depends on two factors. On the one hand, people go through major issues at their workplace, while on the other hand, they have frequent issues back home. In this connection, you must actually seek decent enough and equally reasonable Chiropractic Treatment. Dr Chris Garner at the Grand Strand Health and Wellness center can truly come to your rescue, to say the least.
#Chiropractor
#Chiropractor Near Me
#Chiropractic Adjustment
#Chiropractic Treatment
#SC
#USA
submitted by GSHealth to u/GSHealth [link] [comments]
#Chiropractor
#Chiropractor Near Me
#Chiropractic Adjustment
#Chiropractic Treatment
#SC
#USA
2023.06.08 14:42 Caplockd From Leeds but stranded in the Philippines
I'm a British citizen from Leeds who has been basically stranded in the Philippines for two months now. In that timespan, i've slept in a convenience store and just managed to secure myself accommodation for the month. I have a lack of funds therefore struggling to provide myself with food, only just getting by.
I have tried contacting the embassy and they've been no help! not only that, but my bank account has closed down because Emirates charged me TWICE for my plane ticket, sending my account into overdraft, therefore I can't even access any funds going into that account. I don't have any family that can help (they're all struggling financially) nor any friends that could help out. I don't think I'd be able to get a loan, lacking the credit to do so, otherwise I would have taken a loan no matter the interest and reaped the consequences of taking one.
I'm desperate and I miss home.
I'm not sure what to do, I'm exhausting all of my options at this point.
If you need proof on my current situation I can provide you with what ever you need to know.
Thanks for hearing me out, have a good day.
submitted by Caplockd to Leeds [link] [comments]
I have tried contacting the embassy and they've been no help! not only that, but my bank account has closed down because Emirates charged me TWICE for my plane ticket, sending my account into overdraft, therefore I can't even access any funds going into that account. I don't have any family that can help (they're all struggling financially) nor any friends that could help out. I don't think I'd be able to get a loan, lacking the credit to do so, otherwise I would have taken a loan no matter the interest and reaped the consequences of taking one.
I'm desperate and I miss home.
I'm not sure what to do, I'm exhausting all of my options at this point.
If you need proof on my current situation I can provide you with what ever you need to know.
Thanks for hearing me out, have a good day.
2023.06.08 14:42 username12490 Not sure what friend means
16F, high school sophomore, has ADHD.
At school during PE class, we have to play volleyball with another person, meaning hitting the ball to your partner and they hit back again. This is a “test” and we should hit 50 times without any mistakes.
I am the worst in class and I know it. I already accepted the fact.
I have a friend 17F in my class, I’ll call her S. S was the first friend I met in my class. I teamed up with S to practice volleyball at first, but one day she suddenly stopped. And she called two other students and smiled at them and said “would you rescue us?” And S walked away with one of them, leaving the other with me. I think she was being weird and I don’t understand what S meant by doing that.
Today another classmate practiced volleyball with me. She was one of the top of my class, and she already passed the test. She was just there to help me practice, and I appreciate it. She was very tired running around to hit the ball, and I asked if she needed some rest. So another person came, and then another, and then another. All of them are on the volleyball team. And all of them were tired because of me. At last nearly the whole class passed the test, and some classmates started sitting around and watch me do my shitty work, and some laughed, but I’m not sure what that means. I noticed S never came to help.
I was confused and tired and guilty at last and started sobbing during break time and S didn’t say anything. I said sorry to another classmate who helped me.
I don’t understand what’s going on with S, what should I do? And how can I not feel guilty for making them so tired?
submitted by username12490 to Advice [link] [comments]
At school during PE class, we have to play volleyball with another person, meaning hitting the ball to your partner and they hit back again. This is a “test” and we should hit 50 times without any mistakes.
I am the worst in class and I know it. I already accepted the fact.
I have a friend 17F in my class, I’ll call her S. S was the first friend I met in my class. I teamed up with S to practice volleyball at first, but one day she suddenly stopped. And she called two other students and smiled at them and said “would you rescue us?” And S walked away with one of them, leaving the other with me. I think she was being weird and I don’t understand what S meant by doing that.
Today another classmate practiced volleyball with me. She was one of the top of my class, and she already passed the test. She was just there to help me practice, and I appreciate it. She was very tired running around to hit the ball, and I asked if she needed some rest. So another person came, and then another, and then another. All of them are on the volleyball team. And all of them were tired because of me. At last nearly the whole class passed the test, and some classmates started sitting around and watch me do my shitty work, and some laughed, but I’m not sure what that means. I noticed S never came to help.
I was confused and tired and guilty at last and started sobbing during break time and S didn’t say anything. I said sorry to another classmate who helped me.
I don’t understand what’s going on with S, what should I do? And how can I not feel guilty for making them so tired?
2023.06.08 14:42 ComposerPresent9985 Right. Genuine question.
Sick of this. This game. Certain aspects of the community. The awful gameplay that rewards being toxic.
The devastatingly disappointing stream yesterday has made sure that I have been playing less and playing without the same level of investment and commitment.
Since the Devs have shown categorically that they do /not/ want to answer questions (this was shown by one Staff member physically deleting people's comments and saying that because people were asking similar questions, they must be "Multiple accounts signed in, and spamming"), and ironically one of them pointed towards the Reddit I have decided to come here and ask truly
New players are asking why Plans are being removed and they "aren't";
'well where are they?' "They'll be moved to Shelter upgrades" 'when is that happening?' "Not right now" 'so where can we get plans?' "Legacy packs"
'okay when will you be releasing Season 10?' "Actually never." (This was a genuine real answer given). "Because of the Shelter upgrade..." blah blah another circular vague response.
Played another game today and found myself ambushed by a...you guessed it, a jumping player with an LMG who rad-grenaded the entire area, AT THE ONLY AVAILABLE EXIT GATE.
Now you'll tell me, 'why didn't you go to another gate?' because they're locked. You need resources to open them. "Well go loot the resources, surely can't be that hard?". It is. The loot levels have dropped.
It has been a subject raised to the Devs from the last stream who said they'd "look into it' regarding boosting loot and the jumping LMG "meta" as well.
For new players this is ridiculous. They won't put plans into the store, they won't implement basic functionality into the game, and definitely don't want to connect with their playerbase.
I played this for a long time and have been trying to help new players and it's just been made harder for them, with barely a care in sight.
What are some genuine reasons to continue (?) as any game without new players will wither away.
[Edit. Autocorrect changed some words]
submitted by ComposerPresent9985 to vigorgame [link] [comments]
The devastatingly disappointing stream yesterday has made sure that I have been playing less and playing without the same level of investment and commitment.
Since the Devs have shown categorically that they do /not/ want to answer questions (this was shown by one Staff member physically deleting people's comments and saying that because people were asking similar questions, they must be "Multiple accounts signed in, and spamming"), and ironically one of them pointed towards the Reddit I have decided to come here and ask truly
- Why are you putting up with this? +
New players are asking why Plans are being removed and they "aren't";
'well where are they?' "They'll be moved to Shelter upgrades" 'when is that happening?' "Not right now" 'so where can we get plans?' "Legacy packs"
'okay when will you be releasing Season 10?' "Actually never." (This was a genuine real answer given). "Because of the Shelter upgrade..." blah blah another circular vague response.
Played another game today and found myself ambushed by a...you guessed it, a jumping player with an LMG who rad-grenaded the entire area, AT THE ONLY AVAILABLE EXIT GATE.
Now you'll tell me, 'why didn't you go to another gate?' because they're locked. You need resources to open them. "Well go loot the resources, surely can't be that hard?". It is. The loot levels have dropped.
It has been a subject raised to the Devs from the last stream who said they'd "look into it' regarding boosting loot and the jumping LMG "meta" as well.
For new players this is ridiculous. They won't put plans into the store, they won't implement basic functionality into the game, and definitely don't want to connect with their playerbase.
I played this for a long time and have been trying to help new players and it's just been made harder for them, with barely a care in sight.
What are some genuine reasons to continue (?) as any game without new players will wither away.
[Edit. Autocorrect changed some words]
2023.06.08 14:41 fantafruitblast Help! My 12 month old does not eat solids
I am literally losing hope, my son is going to turn 1 in a few days and he still refuses to eat at meal times.
I try to feed my son 3x a day so 3 meals a day and he probably will take a few nibbles of it before hes “done” and starts throwing it all on the floor. Even when I try to feed him myself he wont let me put anything in his mouth whether its a spoon or just a bite size piece of food he will refuse it want to hold it himself. The only thing he likes to drink is milk and the snacks such as baby crisp, biscuits etc.. (but only then its a few bites before hes done) He also doesn’t drink water, he’s only interested in milk.
I’ve offered food before milk in case the milk might be filling him up but he still eats the same, its a few bites and thats it and so thats why I give him milk because he’s literally eaten nothing.
I’m trying to cut down on his milk as he was having 4 bottles a day, ive now cut to 3x a day and only giving him milk after I’ve tried to feed him food but he still does the same drama and he is eating no where near enough for me to drop a milk feed as all the nutrients are coming from formula.
He had his 9-12 month review a month ago and the health visitor said his weight is OK and to just keep trying but honestly its so exhausting constantly picking food from the floor, planning meals only for him not to eat it and to bear in mind im currently pregnant with my second child so im just really burnt out with no hope!! I dont know what to do, i’ve been trying for months but to no avail, will this get better? I know he will have to eat eventually one day lol
submitted by fantafruitblast to beyondthebump [link] [comments]
I try to feed my son 3x a day so 3 meals a day and he probably will take a few nibbles of it before hes “done” and starts throwing it all on the floor. Even when I try to feed him myself he wont let me put anything in his mouth whether its a spoon or just a bite size piece of food he will refuse it want to hold it himself. The only thing he likes to drink is milk and the snacks such as baby crisp, biscuits etc.. (but only then its a few bites before hes done) He also doesn’t drink water, he’s only interested in milk.
I’ve offered food before milk in case the milk might be filling him up but he still eats the same, its a few bites and thats it and so thats why I give him milk because he’s literally eaten nothing.
I’m trying to cut down on his milk as he was having 4 bottles a day, ive now cut to 3x a day and only giving him milk after I’ve tried to feed him food but he still does the same drama and he is eating no where near enough for me to drop a milk feed as all the nutrients are coming from formula.
He had his 9-12 month review a month ago and the health visitor said his weight is OK and to just keep trying but honestly its so exhausting constantly picking food from the floor, planning meals only for him not to eat it and to bear in mind im currently pregnant with my second child so im just really burnt out with no hope!! I dont know what to do, i’ve been trying for months but to no avail, will this get better? I know he will have to eat eventually one day lol
2023.06.08 14:39 Ok-Discipline-8726 Will progestin only birth control feminize me?
For context, I am taking birth control to hopefully make my periods less noticeable or bad. I am NOT having sex and will never have sex that includes my vagina, so please don't recommend I use condoms or something. My worry is just that my boobs will grow or something or that I'll look more feminine, is this something that happens commonly? Or is this more likely to happen with the combined pill. I really wanna try the mini pill to see if it works on me but I'm so scared for any feminization ..
I'm 16 so I'm still kind of going through puberty but I started at 9 so I'm definitely nearing the end now if that makes any difference!
submitted by Ok-Discipline-8726 to ftm [link] [comments]
I'm 16 so I'm still kind of going through puberty but I started at 9 so I'm definitely nearing the end now if that makes any difference!
2023.06.08 14:39 zack17092003 Please help me find a good and reasonable pet shop near Tollygunj area to buy a Siamese Cat or a Persian.
 | submitted by zack17092003 to Watchit_India [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 14:39 Fantastic-Fudge-3888 Is it possible that my eating/self esteem issue stem from parental abuse?
23 year old guy. Ever since 2018 I’ve been wary about what I eat, for example over a year ago I wouldn’t eat dinner just a sandwich a day from the store
I’ve started to eat a bit more, but depending on the day, I can feel more fat in my face area, and the next day I feel great and so on and so on
I feel really guilty for eating. Try my best to avoid eating with others. Me and a few friends went out for a dinner, I just ordered a drink
Idk what it is, some sort of self hatred? I was never bullied for my appearance by anyone. Except my mother, when I stopped giving her £500 a month (more than half of my salary per month at 17) because I got fired from my call centre job, she called me a fat lazy sack of shit, and you are going to bust out of that shirt
I think that was the point that started this crap. I am really healthy and my bmi is 22.5 and exercise a lot, when I was 17 I was probably more depressed due to living there and was probably 6kg heavier
submitted by Fantastic-Fudge-3888 to CPTSD [link] [comments]
I’ve started to eat a bit more, but depending on the day, I can feel more fat in my face area, and the next day I feel great and so on and so on
I feel really guilty for eating. Try my best to avoid eating with others. Me and a few friends went out for a dinner, I just ordered a drink
Idk what it is, some sort of self hatred? I was never bullied for my appearance by anyone. Except my mother, when I stopped giving her £500 a month (more than half of my salary per month at 17) because I got fired from my call centre job, she called me a fat lazy sack of shit, and you are going to bust out of that shirt
I think that was the point that started this crap. I am really healthy and my bmi is 22.5 and exercise a lot, when I was 17 I was probably more depressed due to living there and was probably 6kg heavier
2023.06.08 14:39 kzingo *LEAGUE OF LIFE* - Combination auction / salary / contract dynasty league. Mega Auction begins after we are filled / paid. 20 teams, 4 divisions, 2 conferences. Custom-built web app by the commish. $30 dues per year, full payouts via LeagueSafe. [JUST OPENED — 14 spots left]
Bylaws are a must-read — this highly innovative contract league format is over a decade in making, finally ready to make its debut: https://leagueoflife.app/bylaws
Home — https://leagueoflife.app
Up to 5 year veteran contracts, rookie contracts up to 3 years with restricted free agent eligibility, options, signing bonuses, extensions, franchise tags, restructuring contracts, renegotiating contracts, buyouts, IR cap relief, retirement / disaster clauses, waivers, trades, silent bidding in free agency, open bidding in the summer mega auctions, prolific (& balanced) high scoring system -- all in a competitive format to the end that de-incentivizes tanking.
The league will be hosted on the Sleeper app, and we will use the League Tycoon app (download from App Store) 1 month per year (in July) for increased “slow” auction functionality, including max bids (eBay style) and multiple players up for auction at once. League Tycoon does not begin charging $ to use it until September, so it will be free for us to use.
Give it a read, you won’t be sorry you did!
Contact Kzingo on Sleeper if interested, or DM me here on Reddit.
submitted by kzingo to SalaryCapFantasy [link] [comments]
Home — https://leagueoflife.app
Up to 5 year veteran contracts, rookie contracts up to 3 years with restricted free agent eligibility, options, signing bonuses, extensions, franchise tags, restructuring contracts, renegotiating contracts, buyouts, IR cap relief, retirement / disaster clauses, waivers, trades, silent bidding in free agency, open bidding in the summer mega auctions, prolific (& balanced) high scoring system -- all in a competitive format to the end that de-incentivizes tanking.
The league will be hosted on the Sleeper app, and we will use the League Tycoon app (download from App Store) 1 month per year (in July) for increased “slow” auction functionality, including max bids (eBay style) and multiple players up for auction at once. League Tycoon does not begin charging $ to use it until September, so it will be free for us to use.
Give it a read, you won’t be sorry you did!
Contact Kzingo on Sleeper if interested, or DM me here on Reddit.
2023.06.08 14:39 wintermuteprime Am I deluding myself?
I (48M) need some advice here, so I’m turning to the hivemind.
The past – Dated a woman (we’ll call her “A” 38F) for over a year and a half. Intense, romantic affair. Perfect match. Strife in the friends circle, drama with exes, and external factors contributed to our parting. We mailed a little here and there, but I ultimately married someone else, and asked her to stop contacting me.
The near past – My mother was murdered. “A” reaches out to me, and expresses her condolences. I thank her for the kindness (we were not talking at the time) and life goes on.
The most recent past – I ended up being in a position to help a lot of my closest friends. As I did so, I thought of “A”, and how things had ended. We had both done and said some hateful things at the end, and even though we had ended communication after the fact on good terms, I still felt bad for how horribly I had behaved. She had forgiven me, but I had not forgiven myself.
I reached out to her, and offered to help on her student loans (this was before Biden started the movement to payoff some balances). I also offered to just let her have the money I was going to apply to her loans, so she could manage it best (in the time between, she had a daughter, and I knew she was a single mother…so not knowing her finances, it was better for HER to decide what to do).
She balked for a long time. I promised her, flatly, that I had no ulterior motives (which I did not), and I would literally just send her the money and go away. She resisted for a bit, but ultimately accepted my aid. I called it asshole tax, thanked her for being so gracious and that was the end of that.
Fast-forward to now, three years later. My health failed, and I was in a situation where I could spontaneously die at any moment (no exaggeration) from a number of health issues. Things looked particularly grim, and I was faced with my own mortality. On Christmas Eve, my wife decided to tell me she couldn’t live like this anymore, and she was leaving me.
I wasn’t really affected by her implied departure, because I was facing the realistic possibility I simply wouldn’t be alive long enough for it to matter. Even more recently, I had to have a procedure performed that had a nonzero risk of outright killing me. The scheduling was rushed, and I had only a few days to prepare myself for it. And I thought of “A”.
I mailed her, explaining that I hadn’t ever wanted to bother her again, but given the situation, I had taken a greater inventory of the things in my life, and I regreted all my actions toward her, and I wanted to be sure things were right, and reach out to her again before the procedure, just in case. She was happy to hear from me, and insisted that if everything went well, we should get together.
I survived (obviously). Suddenly, things were looking up for me. I shed 60 lbs, my health started to improve dramatically, and I was feeling much better than I had, so I arranged to go to lunch with “A”, just to reconnect.
The present dilemma – When “A” and I arranged to interact, she specified ‘No romance, no sex’. That was fine with me. While I missed her, I had no intention of anything more than seeing how she was, catching up on her life, and formally apologizing to her for all the things I had done to her in the past. I had never done it in person, and it was important to me that she saw I was sincere. Reading all of our correspondence from that time period, I cringe…and my heart hurt from the callous way I behaved and tossed her love around. She forgave me, but I couldn’t forgive myself, still.
We met at a restaurant, and it flowed. We sat there for 3 hours, laughing, talking, reminiscing and enjoying each other’s company. I knew the moment we sat down, when she looked at me and smiled, that I was in trouble. When she laughed, and I remembered how magical that sound was, my heart broke, because I knew I had never stopped loving her, and I stood no chance of ever being special in her eyes again.
She has a sometimes on and off fling with her child’s father, and a more regular man (we’ll call him “B”). “B” and she have been ‘dating’ on and off for five years. She has an attachment to him, and wants something more, but he tells her no. He doesn’t get jealous of her doing anything else, which she views as a positive, but it says to me he just doesn’t care enough about her to mind who she sees. She said that his words don’t always match his actions. She wants to go out to dinner sometimes, and do things with their kids together. Maybe go away once in a while.
She’s optimistic now because “B” gave her a Christmas gift for the first time ever this Christmas. She wrote him a letter, professing her desire for something deeper and more, and he responded ‘This did not fall on deaf ears’. She had movie tickets for them to go out as a collective family this weekend, but he cancelled on her last minute.
Let me loop back now. After we spent 3 hours in the restaurant, she invited me back to her house. I went there and spent another 5 hours with her, until she was finally sleepy and we parted ways. Never mentioned “B” once. She called me the very next day and talked to me for about an hour, just about random things. Was she just glad to have a familiar friend to chat with? Perhaps.
The next Friday, she spontaneously reached out to me, and asked me to go out to Karaoke with her and her grandfather. We were out until midnight, having a blast. We rode around and sang songs to each other. She came back to my house (in the process of my soon-to-be-ex-wife moving out) and checked everything out, then went home. Her grandfather asked if we were rekindling the flame, and she said “No,” but then hesitated, and added: “I like to keep my options open.”
I mailed her the next day thanking her for a good night, and telling her I wished it could’ve gone on for hours. She said she had a lot of fun and enjoyed it too. I was able to hold back until Monday, where I asked her to go out to a higher-end waterfront place where some of my co-workers coalesce, only a few minutes from her house. She replied as soon as she saw it that she wanted to.
I am trying to temper my expectations, because I don’t want to read too much into things. But it’s hard. Just when I thought I had it under control, she would text me again, just about everything and nothing. I thought I was going to be okay just pining away in silence, while I get my new life sorted (the divorce was signed last week and the STBXW moves out in 15 days)…but then, again, she calls me out of the blue, and we talked for FOUR hours. It was a ‘how was your day’ call that you normally make to your significant other, but she made it to me. Then proceeded to tell me the whole story of how she had her daughter, the story of her daughter’s father, and how she met “B” and how she’s just going to pine away in silence for him, and grind him down until he relents.
She specified that she doesn’t know what someone feels toward her, until they say so, but she’s going to read into his actions some, because they don’t match his ‘I don’t want anything more’ speeches.
I think that she’s sunk 5 years into “B”, who is glad to take advantage of her convenience. She comes over, they have sex, then goes home. He doesn’t have to talk to her or listen to her, and he doesn’t have to go out anywhere with her, so it’s completely on her to do all of this stuff. At this point, she would lose all of this time spent if she cut him off, and she’s just not willing to do that.
If I look at what she’s done, I see that’s she’s invested a huge amount of time into me as of late. I also see that she’s thought about me a lot, because she will text me at random about all these little things we talked about, as if we JUST talked about them. We have seen each other 3 times (4 if you include this upcoming Friday) in about 2 weeks. She texts and emails me as soon as she’s done with work for the day (she is extremely busy at this time period in the office), and calls me to talk and talk for hours.
Is it just the newness of a renewed friendship that makes her devote so much time to me? Because one might expect all of this time would be invested in her closer friends, or “B”, and not just random old me, popping back up out of nowhere.
Part of me thinks her deciding to drop into the long story time about her recent exes (and current male love interest) was a sort of test to make sure I wasn’t going to react childishly and bail at the first sign of competition or resistance. While my heart certainly sank while she described this other man, I’ve become more patient over the years, and I stayed calm. My feelings are my own problem, not hers. I’m the stranger re-entering her world after years of estrangement. I have no right to expect anything, and I absolutely must respect her relationships and entanglements.
I’m picking her up after work to take her out for the night on Friday. I’m excited for the prospect, and just even being able to see her again (when we’ve been together, I feel like the weight in my heart lifted). I’ll ALSO gladly take whatever time she will give me. I’m looking forward to the time I can meet her daughter, and spend time with both of them.
So please, reddit, fact-check me. Am I seeing things that aren’t there? How should I proceed now?
Another female acquaintance of mine thinks that it’s all about the sunk-cost fallacy, and that if I just keep being me and being there for her, that will be enough. She warns it may spark “B” into taking action to devote himself to her further, because he will feel his good time is threatened.
“A” is investing time and thought into me, and initiating us going out at pretty regular intervals. She’s also receptive to all of my communication, and accepts my invitations thus far when offered. “A” is obviously still into “B”, but aside from last night’s conversation, she had never mentioned him to me.
My intended course of action is to continue to see her, and just be me. Stay the course. See what happens.
Thanks for your time.
submitted by wintermuteprime to dating_advice [link] [comments]
The past – Dated a woman (we’ll call her “A” 38F) for over a year and a half. Intense, romantic affair. Perfect match. Strife in the friends circle, drama with exes, and external factors contributed to our parting. We mailed a little here and there, but I ultimately married someone else, and asked her to stop contacting me.
The near past – My mother was murdered. “A” reaches out to me, and expresses her condolences. I thank her for the kindness (we were not talking at the time) and life goes on.
The most recent past – I ended up being in a position to help a lot of my closest friends. As I did so, I thought of “A”, and how things had ended. We had both done and said some hateful things at the end, and even though we had ended communication after the fact on good terms, I still felt bad for how horribly I had behaved. She had forgiven me, but I had not forgiven myself.
I reached out to her, and offered to help on her student loans (this was before Biden started the movement to payoff some balances). I also offered to just let her have the money I was going to apply to her loans, so she could manage it best (in the time between, she had a daughter, and I knew she was a single mother…so not knowing her finances, it was better for HER to decide what to do).
She balked for a long time. I promised her, flatly, that I had no ulterior motives (which I did not), and I would literally just send her the money and go away. She resisted for a bit, but ultimately accepted my aid. I called it asshole tax, thanked her for being so gracious and that was the end of that.
Fast-forward to now, three years later. My health failed, and I was in a situation where I could spontaneously die at any moment (no exaggeration) from a number of health issues. Things looked particularly grim, and I was faced with my own mortality. On Christmas Eve, my wife decided to tell me she couldn’t live like this anymore, and she was leaving me.
I wasn’t really affected by her implied departure, because I was facing the realistic possibility I simply wouldn’t be alive long enough for it to matter. Even more recently, I had to have a procedure performed that had a nonzero risk of outright killing me. The scheduling was rushed, and I had only a few days to prepare myself for it. And I thought of “A”.
I mailed her, explaining that I hadn’t ever wanted to bother her again, but given the situation, I had taken a greater inventory of the things in my life, and I regreted all my actions toward her, and I wanted to be sure things were right, and reach out to her again before the procedure, just in case. She was happy to hear from me, and insisted that if everything went well, we should get together.
I survived (obviously). Suddenly, things were looking up for me. I shed 60 lbs, my health started to improve dramatically, and I was feeling much better than I had, so I arranged to go to lunch with “A”, just to reconnect.
The present dilemma – When “A” and I arranged to interact, she specified ‘No romance, no sex’. That was fine with me. While I missed her, I had no intention of anything more than seeing how she was, catching up on her life, and formally apologizing to her for all the things I had done to her in the past. I had never done it in person, and it was important to me that she saw I was sincere. Reading all of our correspondence from that time period, I cringe…and my heart hurt from the callous way I behaved and tossed her love around. She forgave me, but I couldn’t forgive myself, still.
We met at a restaurant, and it flowed. We sat there for 3 hours, laughing, talking, reminiscing and enjoying each other’s company. I knew the moment we sat down, when she looked at me and smiled, that I was in trouble. When she laughed, and I remembered how magical that sound was, my heart broke, because I knew I had never stopped loving her, and I stood no chance of ever being special in her eyes again.
She has a sometimes on and off fling with her child’s father, and a more regular man (we’ll call him “B”). “B” and she have been ‘dating’ on and off for five years. She has an attachment to him, and wants something more, but he tells her no. He doesn’t get jealous of her doing anything else, which she views as a positive, but it says to me he just doesn’t care enough about her to mind who she sees. She said that his words don’t always match his actions. She wants to go out to dinner sometimes, and do things with their kids together. Maybe go away once in a while.
She’s optimistic now because “B” gave her a Christmas gift for the first time ever this Christmas. She wrote him a letter, professing her desire for something deeper and more, and he responded ‘This did not fall on deaf ears’. She had movie tickets for them to go out as a collective family this weekend, but he cancelled on her last minute.
Let me loop back now. After we spent 3 hours in the restaurant, she invited me back to her house. I went there and spent another 5 hours with her, until she was finally sleepy and we parted ways. Never mentioned “B” once. She called me the very next day and talked to me for about an hour, just about random things. Was she just glad to have a familiar friend to chat with? Perhaps.
The next Friday, she spontaneously reached out to me, and asked me to go out to Karaoke with her and her grandfather. We were out until midnight, having a blast. We rode around and sang songs to each other. She came back to my house (in the process of my soon-to-be-ex-wife moving out) and checked everything out, then went home. Her grandfather asked if we were rekindling the flame, and she said “No,” but then hesitated, and added: “I like to keep my options open.”
I mailed her the next day thanking her for a good night, and telling her I wished it could’ve gone on for hours. She said she had a lot of fun and enjoyed it too. I was able to hold back until Monday, where I asked her to go out to a higher-end waterfront place where some of my co-workers coalesce, only a few minutes from her house. She replied as soon as she saw it that she wanted to.
I am trying to temper my expectations, because I don’t want to read too much into things. But it’s hard. Just when I thought I had it under control, she would text me again, just about everything and nothing. I thought I was going to be okay just pining away in silence, while I get my new life sorted (the divorce was signed last week and the STBXW moves out in 15 days)…but then, again, she calls me out of the blue, and we talked for FOUR hours. It was a ‘how was your day’ call that you normally make to your significant other, but she made it to me. Then proceeded to tell me the whole story of how she had her daughter, the story of her daughter’s father, and how she met “B” and how she’s just going to pine away in silence for him, and grind him down until he relents.
She specified that she doesn’t know what someone feels toward her, until they say so, but she’s going to read into his actions some, because they don’t match his ‘I don’t want anything more’ speeches.
I think that she’s sunk 5 years into “B”, who is glad to take advantage of her convenience. She comes over, they have sex, then goes home. He doesn’t have to talk to her or listen to her, and he doesn’t have to go out anywhere with her, so it’s completely on her to do all of this stuff. At this point, she would lose all of this time spent if she cut him off, and she’s just not willing to do that.
If I look at what she’s done, I see that’s she’s invested a huge amount of time into me as of late. I also see that she’s thought about me a lot, because she will text me at random about all these little things we talked about, as if we JUST talked about them. We have seen each other 3 times (4 if you include this upcoming Friday) in about 2 weeks. She texts and emails me as soon as she’s done with work for the day (she is extremely busy at this time period in the office), and calls me to talk and talk for hours.
Is it just the newness of a renewed friendship that makes her devote so much time to me? Because one might expect all of this time would be invested in her closer friends, or “B”, and not just random old me, popping back up out of nowhere.
Part of me thinks her deciding to drop into the long story time about her recent exes (and current male love interest) was a sort of test to make sure I wasn’t going to react childishly and bail at the first sign of competition or resistance. While my heart certainly sank while she described this other man, I’ve become more patient over the years, and I stayed calm. My feelings are my own problem, not hers. I’m the stranger re-entering her world after years of estrangement. I have no right to expect anything, and I absolutely must respect her relationships and entanglements.
I’m picking her up after work to take her out for the night on Friday. I’m excited for the prospect, and just even being able to see her again (when we’ve been together, I feel like the weight in my heart lifted). I’ll ALSO gladly take whatever time she will give me. I’m looking forward to the time I can meet her daughter, and spend time with both of them.
So please, reddit, fact-check me. Am I seeing things that aren’t there? How should I proceed now?
Another female acquaintance of mine thinks that it’s all about the sunk-cost fallacy, and that if I just keep being me and being there for her, that will be enough. She warns it may spark “B” into taking action to devote himself to her further, because he will feel his good time is threatened.
“A” is investing time and thought into me, and initiating us going out at pretty regular intervals. She’s also receptive to all of my communication, and accepts my invitations thus far when offered. “A” is obviously still into “B”, but aside from last night’s conversation, she had never mentioned him to me.
My intended course of action is to continue to see her, and just be me. Stay the course. See what happens.
Thanks for your time.
2023.06.08 14:39 hazekuramikitaka Loser stuck being unemployed; no interests, no friends, and burnt out, what do I do?
I graduated last year and moved out of my parents' house during the summer to room with a relative. I was doing relatively fine financially for an 18 year old, I did digital art commissions and had a "side hustle" captioning job. Long story short, there were some emergencies with my parents and I had to move back in with them. Because of the emergencies, I also lost the captioning job. I am having a difficult time finding a job, and the job hunting process has been taking a toll on my mental health as well as my general energy during the day. I would like to move out of my parents' place as soon as possible, but I cannot find jobs that will reach back. I am unable to soley live on commissions, and I would lose interest in this hobby if I were to take it up as a career. Outside of digital art, I do not have interest in any other field. I do not have it in me to go back to school, at least not any time soon. None of the places of business near me will hire me (and I am too afraid to work at these places, so it is not as much as a loss). Is it possible for someone like me to find a career to pursue, or, at the least, a job? I do not have much experience or skills, and I have very little friends. My mother thinks I am a loser. I do not want to wind up homeless and without a job in this climate and environment.
submitted by hazekuramikitaka to findapath [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 14:39 Salty_Map_9085 How do I scale on Defect
I just lost another run to the Champ because I could do nowhere near enough damage in phase 2 and got executed. This basically never happens to me on other characters, only the defect, because have a good scaling plan for the other characters, but I feel like the scaling pieces in Defect are worse and also harder to get (except for claw, can’t claw all the time tho).
When I look at other discussions, I see people say that you scale defect by stacking focus and orb slots. I fucking wish I could stack focus and orb slots, but it seems like I have to find specifically capacitor or an orb slot relic, and specifically defrag or sometimes consume, and I just don’t see any of this in many of my games.
The other stacking options in an orb comp are Thunder Strike and Blizzard, both of which feel like they scale insanely slowly. Thunder strike is probably something I should scoop up more to beat stuff like the champ, but it just feels like a curse in so many fights, and blizzard is even worse.
What are the good, standard scaling solutions for defect? Am I like missing out on something like consume, and the strat is to just eat all of your orb slots to immediately evoke every orb or something? Help me out, I would love to win a run on defect with a deck that isn’t like snecko eye double meteor.
submitted by Salty_Map_9085 to slaythespire [link] [comments]
When I look at other discussions, I see people say that you scale defect by stacking focus and orb slots. I fucking wish I could stack focus and orb slots, but it seems like I have to find specifically capacitor or an orb slot relic, and specifically defrag or sometimes consume, and I just don’t see any of this in many of my games.
The other stacking options in an orb comp are Thunder Strike and Blizzard, both of which feel like they scale insanely slowly. Thunder strike is probably something I should scoop up more to beat stuff like the champ, but it just feels like a curse in so many fights, and blizzard is even worse.
What are the good, standard scaling solutions for defect? Am I like missing out on something like consume, and the strat is to just eat all of your orb slots to immediately evoke every orb or something? Help me out, I would love to win a run on defect with a deck that isn’t like snecko eye double meteor.
2023.06.08 14:37 hopetonailcosto No Sternum pain for weeks but constant chest pain on ribs going towards my nipples. Backpod has freed my thoracic spine up but no change to the pain around the front.
 | I have been using the backpod for nearly 5 months alongside all the essentials to free up my frozen thoracic spine. I can use the backpod without pillars whilst lifting my butt of the ground and moving my arms up & down without any discomfort. Its done a great job and now i have a lot more mobility in my back thanks to the backpod, physiotherapist & osteopath submitted by hopetonailcosto to costochondritis [link] [comments] BUT i’m still getting constant pain/discomfort in both chest pecs and occasionally the odd stabbing pain but i have no tenderness to touch in my sternum and chest pecs anymore. I have been doing all the massages, stretches etc I also get a dull ache in both sides of my ribcage (under my arm pit) Don’t get me wrong i have made good progress but this chest pain just doesn’t want to go. I know my body is hypersensitive towards chest pain in general now with it going on for nearly 3 years My Question is……. Even when the back is free and ribcage is moving fine, is it common for the chest pain to still feel the same pain at the front? Hopefully Steve August or maaze could answer this. Thank you Video above, still a little tight on my left side |
2023.06.08 14:36 SamSweet Opinions on Dossier?
Just received Dossier’s Floral Marshmallow in the mail. I was eager to try this one, i did lots of research about Dossier but decided, ultimately, that the only way to really decide was to make a purchase. Having reached nearly the end of my Kilian LDBS, I was curious to see how this compared, for a fraction of the cost. It’s pretty good. definitely smells very close. The first few seconds after spraying (while it’s still wet) are pretty alcohol-y, after that it dries down into that familiar blend of warm sweet caramel, Neroli, & Bergamot (the marshmallow works well with the amber and musk to replicate that caramel in LDBS). Then the florals come out, and the amber pokes through quite a bit. It’s sadly lacking the pink pepper and coriander notes present in LDBS, i think the presence of even just pink pepper would’ve made this even better. It smells similar, but not as soft and not as diverse in it’s floral choices. I think the Floral Mushroom smells more syrupy, and its way warmer than LDBS. After a while (4ish hours after spray) it really narrows down to the amber, with the musk being more present than vanilla. I do wish it stayed a little sweeter in the drydown, but not bad. Close enough for me to still enjoy and wear in place of LDBS. 7.5/10 How are the others? Are any worth the money?
submitted by SamSweet to fragrance [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 14:35 YourMuscleShop-2023 Injection procedures
Injection procedures:
Supplies: -alcohol wipes or cotton balls and alcohol -zip lock bags(to store vials) -container to store used needles. (Sharps container)
Quick tip to help reduce P.I.P: After pulling the desired dose for injection, run Hot water on the syringe with the needle facing upwards. Only allow water to run in the middle of the syringe for about 15-20sec. It will help warm/thin the oil and make it easier to inject.
submitted by YourMuscleShop-2023 to u/YourMuscleShop-2023 [link] [comments]
Supplies: -alcohol wipes or cotton balls and alcohol -zip lock bags(to store vials) -container to store used needles. (Sharps container)
Quick tip to help reduce P.I.P: After pulling the desired dose for injection, run Hot water on the syringe with the needle facing upwards. Only allow water to run in the middle of the syringe for about 15-20sec. It will help warm/thin the oil and make it easier to inject.
- Attach 18-20g needle tip
- Disinfect the top of the vial with alcohol
- Insert the needle straight (not angled), hold the vial upside down, and pull the desired amount.
- Cap your needle and switch to 23-30g 1/2inch-1inch
- Wipe the injection site with alcohol and allow it to dry.
- Insert the needle straight, not angled.
- Hold the base of a syringe with your index and thumb if you don't have a steady hand. Inject slow and steady.
- Cap and discard the syringe and needle.
- Hold the injection site with a cotton ball for any bleeding