Kevin gates 19 year old daughter

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded. The rest? Cultural differences can be interesting and I am open to converting (nominally?) to most world religions.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

I don't even know where to start with this. I am reparenting myself and have been for the last 4 years. I am 35, exhausted, and still feel heartbroken frequently.
I am my family's scapegoat. The oldest of 3 girls, all 4.5 years apart. My dad was (and still currently is after nearly 40 years) the district prosecutor in my community. He is a recovering alcoholic who drank heavily throughout my childhood. My mom went back to school to be a social worker when I was 8ish years old, and continued going through two masters degrees. This was the 90's, and online college wasn't a thing; she was frequently gone at school, when I was in middle school she split her time at home half of the week and at school in married housing three hours away the other half. We were kids at home with our alcoholic dad, who was also drunk on his own power. He was abusive verbally and physically, though not in the traditional hitting way. He would grab and push and squeeze my face while pushing me up against the wall. When I was 14, he told me I was his greatest mistake in life and that I should have never been born. I would call my mom at school, and she would side with his lies and that I was a "hysterical and dramatic child".
I started "acting out" in high school around 16. I experimented with alcohol in high school, which still feels like a really fucking normal thing for a kid to do. I had a boyfriend. I lost my virginity at 15. When my mom found out that I had had sex 3 weeks later, a huge fight ensued. Screaming, calling me a 'ho", etc. . My 15 year old brain screamed that I was leaving and my hormonal teenage brain said "I am leaving this house on my own, or you will carry me out." My mom packed me up in the car, drove me to a hospital an hour away, took me to the ER and told them that I was having unprotected sex, needed a pregnancy test, an STD test, and that I should be admitted to a psych facility as I was a "danger to myself". She dropped me off at a psych facility 2 hours from home, and I didn't see them or hear from them for a week. When I got home, my punishment was to never speak to my boyfriend again. I wasn't even allowed to tell the poor kid why, he just never heard from me again. The psych facility had me sign a "contract" that I would never contact him again.
This continued on and on for years. I turned 18 in November of my senior year and I moved out. The next 6 months were nuts. I was arrested twice. Once for minor in consumption, once for minor in possession, and my mom's sister sued me to teach me a lesson over $600 I borrowed to fix my car at 17. Each time I had an interaction with the law, the police told me my mom and dad had called me in to teach me a lesson. When I was grown, the police told me that they were always instructed to bust me first to make an example out of me. Their marriage was a mess, they were unfaithful to each other, hated each other, and the only thing they could agree on and bond over was controlling me.
It has been almost 20 years. I have put myself through college and therapy. I have been married, divorced, ignored for months on end by my family over the years. I have had my own struggles with alcohol and feeling loved. I got a DUI at age 22. I now have 3 college degrees and am a pediatric nurse practitioner. Everyday I want to be the person I needed as a teen for my patients.
I accepted a new job two weeks ago, and in applying for my state licensure, an MIP that I got at age 18 came up on my background check. An MIP that I got from my mom and dad calling me in. I was the sober driver that night, and when I was pulled over I blew 0.00 BAC. I wasn't holding any alcohol, but a person in my backseat had a case of beer. I got an MIP because it was my car and I was the driver, and my DA father set the rules.
17 years later, I have to explain to the board of nursing and my employer why I left high school with a criminal record.
So what did I do? I call my mom. My mom, who I believe has spent years "working on herself". The woman is a goddamned family therapist, and was learning techniques and skills through all of those years. My dad was lenient to everyone in town except me. I think the term was "throw the book at her" growing up.
My mom last night:
"I’m saying that you blame everything on us when you were the one out making decisions that affected your future as well. You were an adult at 18 as well."
"We had no control over your actions at that time. You need to take some responsibility for all you did that got you in trouble."
Me: "I am 35. Don't you think I have taken enough responsibility over the last 17 years?"
They deny it. All of it. I am still being gaslit.
I was a kid. A fucking kid. And now I am an adult, and I am still answering for normal kid things and my parents not being there for me.
What the fuck. What in the absolute fuck. My dad prosecuted me. They both abused their power in our town, and used it to try to control me. Who makes sure their teenager leaves high school with a criminal record to "teach them a lesson" about drinking at 18?!
There is so much else that goes with this story that includes being thrown out with my stuff in trash bags x3 growing up. Once in the rain, I was dropped off at my parent's by a friend, and my stuff was outside in trash bags and the doors were locked. I lived on a friend's couch for 6 months at 19. All the while, my upper middle class family was using ME as their scapegoat for why our family was so fucked. If I threatened to call child services, my dad would say "go ahead, call them. Who do you think prosecutes those cases? Me. Who do you think the police or going to believe? You or me? Me."
I respond like I am told to: "I appreciate that you have your truth, but please respect that I have mine too. I feel like I am owed an apology from you, Dad and my aunt, and I feel like it is time that I get that without being shamed at the same time. We are all adults. If we are going to talk about how I was an adult when I was drinking at age 18, then we should talk about how you all parented at age 45. It’s not okay to look at me at 18 under a microscope and escape any responsibility you had as my parents and aunt."
I am angry, embarrassed, sad, and so so so so so so tired of being gaslit. When I bring up my pain, they deny those things happened and/or tell me that it was all my fault as a teenager and I should hbe thought about my future at the time. My younger sisters learned from an early age that I was "a mess" and "had problems", and that is they way our relationships still play out, even though I am far more successful and driven than either one of them. I no longer have a relationship with alcohol, but by choice. I don't like how it makes me feel physically or emotionally.
Where were my parents? And why can't they see that they were the grown-ups? My heart hurts, and I am beyond embarrassed and exhausted that 17 years later, I still have to answer for an MIP at age 18 because my parents couldn't regulate their own emotions.
That's all. That is my story. I just want to feel loved and normal and have a support system in my family. I operate as an only child now and treat my sisters like cousins. But FFS, I just want someone to acknowledge they didn't make the right decisions as parents. I need the gaslighting to stop.
These things aren't okay. They weren't okay then, and they aren't okay now. I know they are different people 17 years later, but Jesus, can't they objectively look at their parenting choices by this point?
I was just a kid.
Edited to add: I questioned all of this and my reality in my late 20's. I requested my medical records from the psych facility and my criminal background from the state. When you read it, it is even more absurd and nearly identical to how I remember it.

<< FIRST
< PREVIOUS
Hello, spacers!
On this episode, the group takes a stab at historical reenactments, the author takes some… “subtle” comedic jabs at certain contemporary events, and we find out where they’ve been hoarding the post-apocalyptic Twinkies.™
As always, I hope you enjoy. :)
——
As the group exited the Air Force base and began heading towards their destination, Kate looked at the surroundings as they walked. The area looked relatively untouched by the chaos of the past few weeks. The only evidence of it was an enormous pillar of smoke in the distance.
As Jack noticed Kate and a few others in the group staring at it, he nodded in understanding.
“That’s downtown Saint Paul, or at least the remains of it. From what we’ve been able to gather, the nuke we couldn’t stop in time exploded almost directly above the Capitol building. We only managed to put out the last of the fires in what little remains of downtown earlier today.”
“…How many people-“
Anticipating the question, Jack cut her off.
“We don’t know. …We may never know. We can only speculate.”
Kate’s face fell.
“Yeah, I figured that’d be the answer…”
Kate remained morosely silent as they approached the fort. Jack turned to address the crowd.
“Welcome to historic Fort Snelling. …Well, historic to us humans, anyway. Having a fort two centuries old is probably chump change to all of you from a time perspective, eh?”
Kate’s brow furrowed in confusion as she looked up at the stone walls of the fort, its stone tower chock-full of early-1800’s firearm loopholes meant for muskets.
“Wait, what?! …When they said we were going to “Fort Snelling,” I figured it’d be an active military base. Why’re we using a historic site…?”
Jack chuckled.
“It wasn’t actually the military’s decision to do that. A couple days after the bombs fell, a group of survivors moved into the fort. When questioned, I believe the leader of the initial group was quoted as saying “EMPs can’t knock out a big damn wall.” She was right; the stone walls of the fort are a great deterrent to looters and other kinds of people looking for trouble, and it’s easily defensible. Given that we obviously had way bigger things to worry about at the time, we just let them be.
Then, as more and more people showed up to our Air Force base looking for help, we decided the fort would make a good site for a refugee camp. The original group didn’t object; they actually welcomed the security having others around brought, especially once we started the organized armed patrols a few days ago.”
Y’ggdrasog piped up from beside Kate, a bit of indignation in his tone.
<“That’s all well and good, but what about respecting its historic significance? …Preserving the past, and all that?”>
“Relax. The only truly historic things here are a few of the buildings. The vast majority of what was on display inside said buildings- antique-looking tin cups, butter churns, muskets, that sort of thing- were just modern-made replicas, to give visitors an idea of what the fort used to look like back when it was still in use.
…We’ve actually thrown the vast majority of that junk into those “assimilator” thingies you Collective types brought along with you. It was either that, or burn them to keep warm. …Way I figure it, we can always just make more fake “historic” tchotchkes when we’re not fighting for the survival of our species, eh?”
Y’ggdrasog crossed his arms, and while he was clearly still unhappy about it, relented.
<“…Alright, fair enough...”>
As the group finally passed through the fort’s front gate, Kate could see a veritable sea of tents in the center of the area. They had passed plenty of tents on the way there in parking lots, boulevards and so on, but not nearly to this level of density.
Kate marveled at the sight, leaning toward Y’ggdrasog to murmur.
“People must have fought to get placed in here until there was literally no room left, and the tents were packed in like sardines.”
Y’ggdrasog gave her a quizzical look.
<“…What’s a “sardine?””>
“It's just a- …nevermind, it’s not important…”
Migtryl began to speak as the rest of the group filed through the gate.
<“Here and a few spots outside the fort are where you’ll be working for the most part. We reserved several tents for you to use both in and outside the fort, customized with your biologies in mind. I’ll start by giving you all a tour of the premises, so you can familiarize yourself with the different areas you might be needed.
…Starting off, over there you’ll see the impromptu medical center we’ve constructed. If you have any prior medical experience in your work history, you will be placed there. Next, we’ll be moving to…”>
Migtryl began walking off, talking and occasionally pointing with a wing or leg as they went and the group trailed behind them. As Kate tried her best to keep pace with Y’ggdrasog’s long strides, she could see that the crowds of humans inside the fort were parting like a sea around them, just like they behaved at the runway. Many looked at them with fear in their eyes, others with disgusted sneers.
Kate’s shoulders slumped as she finally realized:
Almost no one trusts them yet.
She was so lost in thought over the implications of this that she bumped into Y’ggdrasog, who had abruptly stopped walking. She glanced up at him to see him staring toward a group of humans near the edge of the medical center. His glow was crimson, his eyes haunted. She followed his gaze to see-
Her eyes widened.
Oh no…
The man he was staring at lay on a cot under an improvised tarp-tent. They were being tended to by several medical personnel, both human and alien, that were changing the bandages covering their body, and little wonder; they were absolutely covered in burns.
Before Kate could think of what to do to help her friend, she saw J’Ffrane almost literally materialize between Y’ggdrasog and the bandaged burn victim. Their voice was warm and soothing as they spoke.
<“Feel this moment, accept it, then let it pass. Remember? …Don’t let yourself drown in it.”>
It was like Y’ggdrasog was awakened from a dream as he blinked a few times and glanced at J’Ffrane.
<“Y-yes, I- …I remember...”>
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out in a shaky exhale as he turned to Kate, opening his eyes once more to meet her concerned gaze.
<“Come on, let’s not fall too far behind.”>
“…Are you alright?”
Y’ggdrasog gave her a weak smile, though the crimson of his stressful glow remained.
<“Of course I’m not. …But that’s not going to stop me from helping your people.”>
He took one last glance at the burn victim before turning and setting off once more towards the tour group.
J’Ffrane gave an approving nod as he walked away, leaning towards Kate and whispering.
<“He’s come so far... Half a cycle ago, he likely would have been nearly catatonic for the rest of the day.”>
Despite the encouraging words, Kate’s shoulders fell as she started walking after Y’ggdrasog.
“I should have thought of this... There have to be thousands- no, tens of thousands, maybe even six figures worth of burn victims from the bombs, in these two cities alone!”
<“And we will be with him to hold out a limb to grasp when he needs it. Just as he and I will be there for you, and you two for I, should the need arise.”>
Kate looked up at J’Ffrane, surprised.
“How would we help you?”
J’Ffrane smiled down at her.
<“You already have. Every person who asks for my assistance helps me immensely just by doing so. It helps me remember that I have a place in the world, and that place is giving the help they so desperately need. …Now then, let’s catch back up to the crowd and find out how we can best do that here, hm?”>
And with that, J’Ffrane’s dissipated as they flew forward towards Y’ggdrasog and the rest of the group trailing along behind Migtryl.
“Hey, wait up!”
——
Despite the brief interruption, Kate hadn’t missed much by the time she caught back up, and she was soon learning more and more of the facilities and service centers the Collective had constructed around the fort.
While the local military stationed in the fort were (rather fittingly) occupying the fort’s centuries-old barracks, they were actually the main supplier of the vast majority of the tents around the compound.
“More tents are being constructed every day for use in the surrounding area,” said Jack. “We ran our own supply of military-grade tents dry a few days ago, but we’ve been able to scavenge more from places like camping supply stores, alongside manufacturing our own from tarps and the like. Not exactly comfortable to live in, but we have to take what we can get.”
Kate put her good hand up to ask a question, shivering a bit as she did so in the crisp, late-autumn air.
“How well do they retain heat in all this cold?”
“A very good question. Normally it would be quite the problem, doubly so given just how damned cold Minnesota can get in fall weather alone. Luckily, however, the Collective came up with a solution. …Migtryl?”
<“We used a few of the fabricators we have at our disposal to create solar-powered heating units. …It’s a bit inefficient given the cloud cover, but on even the cloudiest of days they’re able to achieve over 150% of the solar exposure needed to get a full, week-long charge in a matter of hours.”>
Jack chimed in with a smile.
“It certainly beats the bonfires we filled with whatever we could lay our hands on to burn before you all got here, that’s for sure!”
From there, they moved on to the camp’s utilities.
As the water purification plants of the area had been rendered mostly inoperable by the EMPs and cyberwarfare attacks, the Collective had repurposed a few industrial sump pumps to direct water from the Mississippi River into an assimilator system. The assimilator broke it down and removed all the pollutants in the river water until all that remained was potable water, and distributed to locals to drink-
<“…or at least, to those who don’t refuse to drink it, that is.”> Migtryl said.
An alien of a species Kate didn’t recognize (one that almost resembled a snake if not for their arms and upright stature, who was strapped to a mechanical walker to get around the terrain) piped up, beating her to the punch.
<“Why wouldn’t they drink it?”>
Migtryl paused, glancing at Jack and weighing their words carefully before speaking.
<“…A small, but nonetheless very vocal portion of the local population seem to be under the mistaken impression we’re putting chemicals, nanites and so on in the water to do things such as influence their actions, up to and including controlling their sexuality, for some reason. …Anyway, such people often choose to simply boil and drink water taken directly from the river itself, instead of taking the purified water rations we offer.”>
In contrast to the shocked and horrified reactions of the aliens around her, Kate merely sighed and rolled her eyes.
Yeah, that sounds about right…
Another alien, this time a kentzaré, timidly raised one of their manipulation tendrils.
<“...Have many people gotten sick from doing that?”>
<“Unfortunately, yes. Even boiling the water sometimes wasn’t enough to prevent many such individuals from developing symptoms of several waterborne-based diseases, and that’s not even going into the possible long-term effects of the various pollutants in the water.
We also have individuals here and there who even refuse the fallout-proof masks we offer. …Something about “not using them before, not using them now” and “not living in fear”…?”>
As Kate facepalmed hard enough to leave a handprint mark on her forehead for a minute or two, Migtryl shook his head in frustration.
<“…We must make an effort to always remember that the majority of these people are hurt, scared, and in all likelihood grieving the death of at least one loved one, friend, or what have you. Most do not trust us. We must simply be patient with them, help those willing to receive it, and not give those who are unwilling any further cause for suspicion or hostility. …Now, come along; we have much more to look at.”>
With that, they both turned and began walking towards a long but narrow stone building. As they reached it, Jack turned to the group.
“This is the commissary. It’s where we keep the supplies we distribute to the civilians. It may look small, but looks can be deceiving. …C’mon, let’s step inside. Just remember to dust yourself off first!”
Y’ggdrasog glanced at the door clearly made for human proportions and shook his head, sighing as he turned to Kate.
<“You two go on ahead. I have no desire to work out the kink in my back later from having to be hunched over inside.”>
Kate smiled in amusement as several other taller species of aliens nodded, muttered their agreement and so on.
“Well, sorry on behalf of humanity for us being so short. …Anyway, see you in a bit, Yiggy!”
He winced.
<“…Kate, please, not in front of others…”>
Kate’s smile only widened as she turned and followed J’Ffrane with the rest of the group as they entered the building.
As they descended a set of stairs, Kate was surprised to see that despite its outer appearances, the building went several stories underground. As she descended down the first flight of stairs, a feeling of unease began to eat away at her. Her hairs began to stand on end, goosebumps rising despite the heaters inside the building.
Jack continued his explanation as they continued descending.
“The ground where this building stands was where they initially quarried out a lot of the stone necessary for building the majority of the fort’s walls and buildings back in the 1800’s. When they finished, the line of thinking was “well, we’ve made a really big hole, may as well use it for something.” So they built this commissary to act as a mega-cellar of sorts; it could store enough food to last the initial inhabitants of the fort an entire year.”
As they descended to the final level, Kate looked out across a sizable collection of boxes of various shapes and sizes stacked upon pallets. As she gazed at them, an eerie feeling of familiarity and something being inexplicably, terribly wrong settled onto her, and she only barely heard Jack continuing to speak.
“Most of the supplies that don’t belong to anyone in particular are either stored here, or wherever we can stuff them in what little free space there is left in the other buildings of the fort. Groups go out every day to scavenge for more food, general supplies, raw materials to put into your “assimilators” to make things like our filtered masks-“
150 spare air filters-
<“-as the assimilators and fabricators can only do so much at one time, we scavenge as much food as possible due to most of their time being taken up purifying the polluted water-“>
75 spare half-year water filters-
“It’s important to keep track of everything else we store here, so a lot of the work is just tallying everything up. It’s tedious, but very important; we need to know what we have to give those with very specific dietary needs-“
500 cans of spinach, 300 cans of olives, 700 cans of baked beans-
“Members of our species still have occasional issues with allergies, diabetes, that sort of thing. I’m told we likely will continue to have those for at least a decade or so before you Collective folks can develop those “immunity implants” necessary to sort them out. …Assuming the average Joe is willing to work with them, when the most advanced tech they had before was-“
3 spare radios, 50 packs of AAA batteries-
Kate only just barely managed to drag herself back to the present as she felt J’Ffrane metallic hand gently tugging at her sleeve. She turned to see them wordlessly gazing at her, a concerned expression on their face. Only after their intervention did she notice she had begun to start breathing erratically as Migtryl kept talking.
<“…Beyond moving the supplies where they need to go, the job’s not very physical. For the most part, it’s just counting how much of any one item we have and writing down the results. We usually give the job to people who are injured or otherwise not at their best, but still want to contribute.”>
Migtryl glanced over at Kate, who unbeknownst to him was having a desperate internal struggle to try and keep herself calm.
<“You’d be a perfect fit here, heh!”>
Kate sunk into herself a bit at his words, and found herself wishing she could turn invisible as the group turned to stare at her. Her voice was barely audible as she felt obligated to murmur out a response.
“…I, uh- pant …d-don’t think that- pant …would be a good idea…”
Not again, not again… Just stay cool, don’t keep hyperventilating, just move on, just- stop it. Stop stop STOP oh god why can’t I just breathe normally?! Just k-keep cool, just- …OH DON’T YOU START CRYING YOU WORTHLESS BI-
She felt the touch of J’Ffrane’s metallic hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to herself.
<“Come on, Stardust; let’s take a walk.”>
Kate hesitantly nodded and let herself be walked away from the group by J’Ffrane’s gentle leading hand, wiping her tears away as she went. Migtryl glanced at Jack, who was staring after the pair, his expression worried.
<“…Was it something I said?”>

​
https://reddit.com/link/142dfjg/video/mdj7kiyeyd4b1/player

Hello everyone!
I thought I'd share a write up of my aviation journey based around the decisions I made throughout my career progression. I think as aviators we tend to share common struggles and questions ranging from how to choose a flight school to which legacy airline to work for.
I do not present this as an exemplary footstep for anyone to follow (please don't do that - looking back, I shudder at some of my decision making), but just as a fun read and compare what you would have done / had done vs how it unfolded for me.
​
October of 2019: I decided to be a pilot. 30 years old with 0 experience.
Problem: I didn't have money. Options: Work and fly as I go or take out $80,000 loan at 8.99% interest rate. Decision: The loan. Reason: I thought getting into the airlines faster by taking the loan and focusing on flying would pay off more in the end. Hindsight: I probably should have done some intro flights first before signing up for 80k loan. lol
Problem: Which flight school? Option: Local flying club 61 or fancy 141 flight school. Decision: 141 '0 to hero.' Reason: I wanted to get everything done as fast as possible. I drank the kool aid often and in large quantities. Hindsight: I think I would have been just fine at the flying club. For some parts of my training, I paid $575/hr for DA-42. I shouldn't have done that. But at the same time, the 141 school did finish everything in a very timely manner. It was expensive, but it delivered.
November of 2019: things weren't going well.
Problem: Airsickness. I kept throwing up. Heavy doubts about career in flying. Options: Quit now and salvage what I can on that 80k loan or keep flying. Decision: Kept flying. Reason: I asked here on Reddit and you guys told me that it should go away. "Don't quit!" Hindsight: I am VERY glad that I didn't quit. Airsickness was a bitch - but it did indeed go away after about 25 hours.
March of 2020: Finished training. Took me about 5 months to go from 0 to CFII. 3 failed checkrides.
Problem: COVID 19. Industry came to a halt. Not many flying jobs to be had. Option: Live with my father and work another job or move to middle of nowhere Midwest to fly. Decision: Moved to Midwest to flight instruct. Reason: It would have saved a lot of money by living with my father, but I wanted to keep flying. Hindsight: This was a good decision. CFI jobs were very scarce and I decided to go where the opportunity was. I was able to build my hours while a lot of my classmates weren't so fortunate.
February of 2021: Adventure
Problem: I got fired from my flight school. Option: Look for another flight instructing job vs YOLO Alaska Decision: Drove to Alaska with 0 plans and started knocking on doors asking for a job. Reason: I was fired from my flight school over severe disagreement regarding forcing flights on students in bad weather. I didn't want to work at another flight school after that and it was impossible to find an instructor job in the middle of COVID. So I drove to Alaska in hopes of finding a job. Hindsight: What an adventure! I was just about ready to hop on a crabbing/fishing ship because I couldn't find a flying job but it worked out somehow! I became a bush pilot in a small village in Western Alaska. This was the best time of my life. I flew A LOT.
October of 2021: Regionals
Problem: Multiple offers from regionals - which one to go? Option: Envoy, Skywest, Republic, Endeavor (Piedmont rejected me - bastards!) Decision: Endeavor Reason: Earliest class date. Hindsight: Endeavor was a great regional. Training was excellent and I loved the people there. I did hate flying out of LGA/JFK though. Back then Endeavor pay was still $53/hr and I couldn't afford to live in NYC. So I lived in a camper van in Long Island area.
May of 2022: ACMI?
Problem: Job offer from Amerijet and ATI and Atlas Option: Stay at Endeavor or go fly 767 cargo Decision: Amerijet Reason: I thought 767 type rating and international wide body flying will be a better addition to my resume than flying in/out of LGA 3x a day in a CRJ. I chose Amerijet based on their very fast upgrade time and promise of a new contract soon. (lol) Hindsight: This was a very difficult decision. My mentors were absolutely torn on how to advise me on this one. Some thought staying with Endeavor and keeping the Delta flow was the safest path. Others thought that 767 is an upward movement and I shouldn't miss out on a widebody opportunity. I think I would have been fine either way, but Amerijet worked out wonderfully. I truly enjoyed my time flying long-haul cargo over the Pacific. I was able to spend a lot of time with my parents in Korea. At the legacy airline interviews, the interviewers all really liked that I had that experience on my resume.
May of 2023: Legacy - 2350 TT, 512 SIC. 3.5 years from my first flight.
Problem: Which airline to choose as my final career destination? Option: Delta, Hawaiian, Alaska, American, and Southwest. (United never called.... :( cry Decision: Hawaiian
Reason: This was perhaps the toughest decision that I had to make in my aviation journey. I lost a lot of sleep over it. Ultimately it came down to choosing between Delta and Hawaiian.
Delta was everything that I expected. Money, glory, hats, sense of elitism and pride of being part of what is now widely considered the best airline in the world. With little doubt, I was looking at years of fine successful career and accomplished life with Delta.
With that said, I was also looking at being at the bottom of 16,000 pilot group with over 50% of the seniority list being new hires since 2014 and life in one of the mainland Gotham cities. But despite all that, Delta has the best benefits and compensation package in the industry and it is hard to turn away the top legacy carrier - or so I thought.
Hawaiian ambushed me in so many pleasant ways. My interview at Hawaiian was my first time going to Hawaii and I was just blown away. It was wonderful. I felt sincere excitement of possibility of living there that I never felt about any of Delta bases. As a 34 year old single guy moving to live in base, I have no doubt that the quality of life is going to be much more desirable at Hawaiian than Delta.
Looking at seniority progression and % of widebody fleet at each company - I am intrigued by the possibility of being a widebody captain at Hawaiian many years faster than at Delta (excluding the 76 fleet on narrowbody pay at Delta). And I would have such easy access to Korea to see my parents since Hawaiian goes to Asia frequently.
The decision making process here was different from my previous decision points. Up until here, I always jumped on first opportunities that gave me better career outlook and progression. But as I was looking into my final career jump - I prioritized quality of life over everything. Money and glory was with Delta, but the life I wanted was with Hawaiian. And I want to be happy!
Hindsight: I don't know - I'll update later I guess. :)
​
Well Reddit - my chase is over. But my journey begins! I can only hope that I can keep up with my health to keep flying at my final destination for the next 30 years with a smile.
I cannot thank you all enough for the help and guidance you have given me over the years. Special thanks to the guys that messaged me and called me to give insightful advice whenever I posted here. You guys REALLY helped me to make those decisions.
The U.S. has a very unique and supportive aviation community that is unlike anywhere else in the world. Thank you again. I hope I can continue to grow as a pilot and as an individual to be in a position to give good advice to future pilots to keep the culture going.

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded. The rest? Cultural differences can be interesting and I am open to converting (nominally?) to most world religions.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

Hello! I'm a 21-year-old guy, and I've been on a search for a genuine and lasting connection. I believe that true friendships have the potential to blossom into beautiful love stories. I'm looking for someone who values daily conversations about our lives, someone who prioritizes our connection and understands me, inspiring the best version of myself. Mutual effort is crucial to make this work, with prompt responses and not leaving each other hanging for hours. Rest assured, I'll be equally committed to you, making you my top priority and brightening your day. Let's build a special bond, connecting emotionally and taking things slow. Who knows, we might just fall in love and see where our journey leads. I'm open to a long-distance relationship with plans to meet in person at some point. give me a short intro about yourself not just a hey
Please only reach out if you're genuinely interested in forming a meaningful connection and can commit to LDR.Please don't come and waste my time. When you message me, please include the word 'ocean' Let's keep our conversations sfw and respectful and only get to the other side when we have atleast something established. If I don't respond immediately, I might be offline, but I'll do my best to reply promptly when I'm available.
A little about me:
I'm a final year student who finds solace in music. Genres like pop, indie, rock, and dance are my daily companions. I don't watch movies that much but i do like watching horror and romantic movies. I enjoy immersing myself in nature and have a great affinity for the outdoors. Despite being introverted, I'm always up for an outdoor adventure that energizes me. Shyness has been a part of me since childhood. I can say i am clingy and i easily get attached to people.
We can exchange pictures but give me sometime to be comfortable to send, don't pressure me into doing it please i just hope you understand. I know i am not the best looking or that bad looking so.
About you:
I'm interested in connecting with any females between the ages of 19 and 24. Please don't be from the USA because our time differences are going to be a horrible mess. You must put effort into responding quickly and keeping the conversation flowing. Your physical appearance doesn't matter to me; having a good soul and being understanding are what truly count.

This may be a bit long, forgive me. I need some clarity on a situation that happened yesterday with my mother.
I am a recovering codependent, and I'm working on setting boundaries with my family. We live very close to each other, and we share a big property that we work on.
My mother wanted to drive an hour away to see some very old family friends that we haven't seen for a long time in order to pick up a couple of twin beds from them. I was scheduled to provide child care for my sister for her two toddler girls, and my teenager(F) and my own toddler(M) were home as well. My mom asked that I asked my teenager to take care of my son, and we decided to take my nieces with us. Earlier in the week, I had asked if we could leave around 11:00 so I could put my son down for a nap to make me leaving easier on him and my daughter. She agreed to that.
The morning that we're supposed to go get the beds, I was drinking a coffee on the porch before the baby woke up, and she approached me. she tells me that she wants to leave at 10:00. I reminded her of our agreement. She starts going back and forth with me about traffic, and that we might not get home until 3:00. I was a little taken aback by that because I feel like if we left by 11:00 we would have plenty of time to get home by maybe 2:30 at the latest. I guess I had a confused look on my face, and I told her that three seemed kind of late. She shifted into a defensive stance, took a step back and put both of her hands up even though we were meters apart from each other, and said " whoa whoa whoa, you agreed to this! " I told her yes, but that three seems late to me, but that everything would be okay and we would continuous planned. She then looked defeated, told me I had a bad attitude, and exasperatedly started walking away. I was very confused by the interaction.
A few minutes later, I had gone inside my house to get myself together, my husband was packing up his work truck, and my kids were awake, I had my son on my couch. My mom comes in, sits down on the couch next to my son, and proceeds to tell me that she felt attacked out there and that she wants to know what's going on with me. I told her there's nothing going on with me, I just had a little bit of a surprise to the 3:00 time estimate, and I needed some time to process and get going. She then starts crying, and telling me that she feels like she can't do anything right in my eyes, and that she's afraid to talk to me because I might be offended or start arguing with her. So I started trying to walk us through the conversation we just had to see where it was that I made her feel that way or what actions I might have taken to trigger such a strong emotional response in her. But as we're walking through the conversation, she can't tell me what it is that I did. Basically just me having any sort of negative feeling about the whole situation was incredibly offensive to her and made her feel attacked. She kept telling me that I wasn't saying what I meant, and that she didn't understand. I told her that I am not passive aggressive, I know my brother is like that a lot with her and doesn't say things he means, but that I'm not like that. She took my bringing up my brother really hard and told me that I was bringing up some of the worst pain of her life. ( literally the only reason I brought it up and use that as an example was because the day prior, he had gone through my mother to tell me and my siblings that he wanted us to stop inviting him to go to church because it bothered him. He has a really difficult time being Direct with people, and he is a very passive aggressive person, sometimes just aggressive.) She told me that I accused her of being manipulative and passive aggressive, but couldn't tell me when I had said those things about her. The only time I can think of that that would have ever come up would be when I've been sitting boundaries this past year about ways that we interact with each other. My mother is a very passive aggressive person, and has difficulties being direct sometimes about how she feels. Now that I've been going to therapy for a couple of years, it feels like I'm starting to get to the root of why me and my siblings all have difficulties expressing our emotions in a healthy way sometimes.
Anyway, after a lot of back and forth that I really didn't understand, after her having a meltdown in front of my toddler, which did upset him, she basically tells me that if I can't be nice then I shouldn't talk to her, and I told her that expecting me to never have a negative emotion about anything is unreasonable, and that I'm allowed to express a negative emotion as long as I'm not lashing out at her or behaving aggressively or inappropriately. She told me it basically overwhelms her, and at this point things had gotten so dramatic and silly that I looked at her and was pretty short and said " I can't manage your emotions for you, I'm trying to be as kind as I can be, but you need to talk to someone if you're having a hard time." She just yells " oh my God!" and storms out the door. (All of this in front of my son.) I ended up calling my husband over and having him mediate for a few minutes, and he didn't get anywhere either. At the end of the conversation, my mom just starts going on about how she feels taken for granted and she gives and gives and gives, and she feels underappreciated, and she dissolved into tears and stomped up the driveway. My husband and I looked at each other, incredulous.
I'm trying to give her some Grace, our entire family has really been through the ringer in the last few years as we have helped take care of my sister and her children as they've escaped a abusive person, my brother suffers from mental health issues and is absolutely miserable to be around most of the time and I know it's a great source of pain for her. She and I have gotten along and have been pretty close almost my whole life, but I'm realizing as an adult that a lot of that was because I've always been very codependent and people pleasing, and now that I'm asserting myself as the matriarch of my own home, even having slight disagreements with her upsets her greatly. And for the most part been able to manage this, but in situations like what happened today, I don't even know how to properly respond. If I'm trying to be logical in a conversation with someone and they continue to have an emotional meltdown like a child, what am I supposed to do? We live in close proximity so it's not like I am going to go to low contact or something. But I just wanted to get people's opinions of this situation, and make sure there's nothing I'm missing.

I'm only 7 weeks along. We decided to try again after several medical terminations. Mostly for my husband, and so we could close this chapter of our lives. We have a 5 year old daughter. I'm so worried about all the testing to come, and how I will cope for the next few months. I'm worried about reaction of family and friends if it goes wrong again. I'm worried about how I will look after my daughter and the house. I dont even know if I'm happy or excited at all at this point. And I'm also angry and impatient with everyone, all the time. I feel like I've turned into another person. Is this hormones? Or am I using it as an excuse? And if it is hormones, how do I pull myself together? Because I cant keep this up for the next few months. Nope. Nope. Nope.

I originally wrote this in year 3 of this rollercoaster. I didn’t post it then. But decided to post an update now. If 2018-2019 was year 1, 2023-2025 is now year 6. I can’t quite keep my years straight now). I edited pieces. So the now year 3 part is because I originally wrote this back then and I’m not fully re-editing it)
Year 1- started about end of Feb 2018- took me a year to unearth everything and to figure it/ me out and for him to “be at full truth” (which I now know now was not the final truth- no more lies)
Year 2- he quit cold turkey. One possible search (about 2 months in) but I caught him quickly. As far as I know he had no other relapses. Again thought we had truth this year...
Year 3- our old dog died, (que the big trigger), he began looking and deleting... that started end of Jan 2020- until I found it - probably through mid April. He didn’t tell me- I found it. Thought we could get on track to move forward like last year. (- I found it during a Covid furlough. My daughter and I were home 24/7 except for when we went grocery shopping and brought groceries to my parents house).
Still year 3- July 2020- while on the computer, he found an old download (in his download program) and loaded it, watched some, and deleted it. I found it the next day... he “was going to tell me that weekend... when the time was right”. I don’t really believe that to be true.
Still year 3- October 2020- I found over 100 movie posters with naked women on them on IMDb and Tubi. I confronted him. He says it was about a week... (and this was after he had downloaded a Tubi app to watch movies etc... and I let him know I was worried about the images I saw there)
So... here we are now (somewhere in 2020/2021?) He’s started listening to the podcast - the betrayed, the addicted, and the expert. It’s hitting home with him. He’s realizing his diverting his attention versus facing the problem hasn’t been working. (Edit to add- he didn’t watch all the time… just sporadically)
At one point, he actually came to me- for the first time! He was tempted. He used what he’s heard on the podcast and faced it. (Like I said in the last sentence). I think we (he) has seen his trigger- sad about situation for our daughter with college/Covid. And empty house (she had been home for a few days and had just left).
Somewhere in year 3- So here we are now. Maybe at truth? (I’m hindsite, not completely. And still not really in recovery. And with knowing now about scanning and objectifying, not completely sober either)
Year 5?- looked at porn end of May 2022- 2 days. I found it and when I asked to see his phone just because I do that every so often, he said we need to talk. He tells me he had looked that day and the day before. He thinks he was telling me before I found it… and that he knew he needed to tell me because I looked at his phone and he was worried I could find it (and after the last time… he knew he needed to tell me…) BUT, he didn’t reach out before looking… for 2 days in a row. This was right about when our son was talking and making real plans to travel and move across the country.
He began pbse podcasts everyday. He was “hearing” them now. We began talking daily. It was resonating more-( more than in year 3). In mid Dec 2022, we began daretoconnectnow (D2C) and he is listening to all their sessions and participates in their weekly addict only session (a 12 step type group). He is actually working recovery now. It’s made a world of difference. He is addressing his scanning and objectification (lusting) of women that he’s done forever. He is talking and communicating now. (So this is the Dec 2023 is the start of year 6)
This has been a long journey. And it’s a forever journey.
Even though I pretty much found “everything” in year 1, I didn’t fully know the level of objectifying (which was still feeding his addiction) until now, year 5/6 of this rollercoaster.
True recovery and recovery work is better than sobriety. Sobriety does not equal recovery. There is so much under the surface that needs to be worked on. 12 step groups help to figure out character flaws that need with. Without doing that, the cycle will continue.
Edit- here’s my 2020 “truth” post https://www.reddit.com/loveafterporn/comments/k3iadb/my_2020_story_be_careful_of_his_full_truth_finally/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

NRA executive and major Republican donor said her daughter and granddaughter were killed alongside the 2-year-old girl's nanny and the pilot of a private Cessna plane that crashed in Virginia and sparked a sonic boom from responding military jets.
"My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter," Barbara Rumpel posted on Facebook Sunday evening.
Her husband, John Rumpel, who runs the Encore Motors of Melbourne, the Florida-based company that the private jet was registered to, confirmed the crash to The New York Times.
"It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed," he said. He also speculated that the plane may have lost pressurization, causing the pilot and passengers to lose consciousness.
Rumpel has held several prominent positions at the NRA and is currently a member of the organization's Women's Leadership Council, per her Linkedin.
Both John and Barbara Rumpel have donated thousands of dollars to Republican candidates such as former President Donald Trump, former Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, former Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka, former Florida House candidate Laura Loomer, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and others, according to OpenSecrets.org, a website that tracks campaign donations.

Cover Art <<Previous Start Next >>
It took a little while to gather the family again, and when they were all present everyone rose and faced Moriko, smiling or looking eager, or in Gou’s case looking a little nervous. Moriko had to keep herself from fidgeting under all that attention, finding it harder to stay calm than when she was performing a demonstration for a master. But out on the sands, she knew what she was doing at an almost instinctive level. This was all new.
“Ambassador Moriko of The Azeria Mountain Dungeon,” King Yoshihiro began, “My wife and I would like to present you with a personal gift. We would be honored if at the end of this evening you were to keep the opal necklace you currently wear.”
A sharp thrill went through her at the words. She knew that it had been possible, but hadn’t wanted to assume or to be greedy. Moriko truly adored this necklace, but she also had been coached about this sort of verbal dance. “Oh, your majesties, I appreciate the gesture, truly, but I couldn’t possibly accept such a precious piece of jewelry.”
Queen Phaedra tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. “Hmm, the words are right, but the flow isn’t quite there. Being advised by voices in your head dear?” She smiled and leaned closer to briefly put a finger on Moriko’s lips. “Let’s skip that ritual, you need a bit more practice, and it’s clearly making you uncomfortable. We can see that you mean well, and you even almost managed to keep that light of desire from your eyes when you were offered the necklace. We are glad to see that you will appreciate it however. And you will be keeping it.”
“Yes Ma’am, er, Your Majesty.” However gentle it had been, Moriko had recognized an order and slipped slightly in her habits.
Yoshihiro chuckled softly, his voice deep and rich. “You’ll find my wife quite perceptive as well as strong-willed. I’m just glad she puts up with the formalities of court as much as she does.” The king eyed his children with faux severity. “And it’s clear that she’s influenced the attitudes of our children.” The royals in question looked back at their father with varying degrees of pure innocence, not one of which was to be believed. “Hah, incorrigible kids.” He waved a hand toward Princess Kagami. “Your turn my dear.”
Princess Kagami curtsied toward her father in an extremely formal manner before breaking the charade with a grin as she looked back to Moriko. “Well, I have been able to do even better than I hoped for you and yours. As eldest, I am presenting this gift to our newly allied Dungeon on behalf of our Kingdom.” She opened a cupboard under one of the sideboards to pull out an old-fashioned gyosho bako, a wooden box backpack. “This was the only spatially-expanded container we could spare that also had the capacity we needed.” Kagami’s grin widened. “I think your husband and wife will find the container to be a decent gift as well, but it contains a lot of books and scrolls. It turns out the archivists were very excited at the prospect of preserving all their oldest materials in perpetuity at a reasonably distant but secure location, and have carefully crammed this full of every single work of knowledge or fiction that they have at least two more clean copies of.” She paused for a moment. “Well, I suspect there are works they have not included. The leadership of the archivists belongs to a branch family that keeps a bit of distance from the throne.”
“Mmm, I forgot to bring them up earlier.” King Yoshihiro rumbled. “Your family has expressed interest in the details of the origin of our kingdom, and I expect that despite all the written works we have available, they will not quite be satisfied. While one might blame the fog of time for the lack of certain details, there are too many clear records from the same period. It has become obvious that something has been obfuscated, and my family has been certain for a long time that the branch family has the knowledge that was obfuscated, but we are also fairly certain that the separation of knowledge from the ruling power was deliberately done early on. People, including other royals, marry into the archivist family, but they take oaths when they do so, and only the archivists know exactly what those oaths are.”
“It’s a shame too.” Princess Bridgette sighed. “Whatever secrets they hold are only revealed to those who have taken the oaths, which generally only means people leave the family before they have accepted duties as an archivist. And, well, I am not certain I feel like marrying into them.”
Princess Tiriana smiled at her younger sister. “Bridgette thinks a particular young archivist is cute and charming, and he seems to be having trouble keeping his eyes off of her. But he’s already taken his oaths, so that complicates matters.”
Moriko chose to not notice a young princess making a face at her older sister and focused back on Kagami. “Thank you for helping with this Your Highness.” She said, then hesitate, uncertain if she should take the box right now.
The princess noticed her hesitation and shook her head slightly. “We’ll have everything put on the carriage when you leave. Now, my sisters and I have already put our personal touches on gifts the other day, but our brothers have a couple more gifts for you as well. Ailwin?”
The older prince had moved to a covered side table and now motioned Moriko over before revealing what was under the covering. There were three unglazed but elegantly crafted off-white clay teapots and a dragon sculpture of vermilion-red clay, though the dragon was sitting in a small bowl of water. “I thought you and your family might enjoy this particular tea pet.” He said as he moved the dragon out of the bowl, shaking it briefly to empty some water out of the hole in its mouth, and onto a tray. “This style is certainly one of mine.” The prince then lifted one of the teapots, which had still steaming water in it, and poured it over the clay dragon.
As the hot water poured over the little dragon, a stream of water jetted out of its mouth. In Moriko’s head Kazue squealed. The monk couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden joy in Kazue’s emotions. “I think my wife already loves it. They are a beautiful set. My master has a similar set, though his choice of tea pet is a touch more, well, juvenile. I guess he’s old enough to not worry about what people think of his little entertainments.”
Prince Ailwin smiled as he continued his demonstration by pouring a small stream of water into the bowl the dragon had come out of. The water flowed so smoothly that there was no splash, only a light ripple across the surface. While magic could easily make either of these things happen, it was more impressive to create the effects with pure craftsmanship. “I believe that is part of why my father is looking forward to retiring after his sixtieth Birthday, once he abdicates and I have been running things for a few years, the public eye won’t be on him so much and he can run off and do as he likes. I do believe grandfather is currently running a shop somewhere on the eastern coast, in one of the merchant states. He seems to move about the Alliance Nations a fair amount, so it's hard to keep track.”
Moriko wasn’t sure of the previous king’s exact age, but he had to be at least in his 90s. And this line of conversation caught Mordecai’s interest, prompting her to ask the prince “How did the tradition of our Kings abdicating early begin? I never gave it much thought, but I don’t think it’s common anywhere else that has a kingship.”
“Ah, it’s not so much tradition as part of our laws, though there is little reason to bring it up. The legal requirement is seventy, but the recommendation is sixty, and most do choose to do so then. This is part of the balance of power; where the eldest son inherits the throne, the clan claims a portion of the daughters, who eventually return as advisors.” While they talked, Ailwin emptied the teapot and laid everything out to dry so it can be packed later. There was a velvet-lined box nearby that also held a tea brush for taking care of the tea pet. “And should it be required, they are authorized to ensure the restrictions on the royal family are adhered to, by the means they find necessary. Such actions have only proven necessary a few times, as far as I know.”
A few things fell into place then, when including the observations Mordecai had made about Orchid. The clan representative was an advisor to the throne, tutor and bodyguard to the children, and potential assassin of the king should the corruption of power settle in. An assassin who would probably be able to bypass any wards protecting the king. “Ah. Um,” Moriko said thoughtfully, “What if it’s not clear who should inherit the throne?” It hadn’t seemed odd to her before now that she’d never heard of any sort of succession war in Kuiccihan before.
Ailwin gave a slight shrug. “The power to make a decision lies in the hands of the current Matriarch. It has been a long time since the clan has had to intervene.” He smiled at her then. “The details are all in the works my sister has arraigned. It’s all technically public knowledge, but few care to look that information up. Now, let us see what my little brother has for you.”
Prince Gou had approached with a small box in his hands, which he now held toward her. “I hope you like this.” Moriko took the box and opened it curiously. Inside was a large brooch in the form of a five-inch tall crystal vase. She lifted it out carefully and held it up to watch the multitude of tiny facets scintillate in the light.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She said, though Moriko thought Kazue might appreciate it more. She certainly wasn’t going to say anything about re-gifting it to her wife however.
“It was crafted from a gifted scale, given by a visiting crystal dragon. It bears a minor enchantment, enabling it to keep one cut flower alive without need for water. For you, I was thinking it might do well in your hair. May I?” Gou asked, and Moriko nodded, handing the brooch to him. The prince might be young, but he was still taller than her, making it easy for him to find a place to carefully clip it into her hair. “There. It will look better with a flower of course, but I thought it might be better to let you or one of your spouses decide on a flower.”
Oh, she was definitely going to give it to Kazue, but Moriko would happily wear it for now. That was quite a delightful gift. “That’s wonderful. If I ever get a chance, I’d love to give thanks to that dragon as well.”
“Well, if I ever have a chance to introduce you, I will, but honestly I was rather young when he came visiting, so I don’t know if it will be possible.” Gou responded.
“We will see if we can at least pass on your thanks.” Queen Phaedra said. “However, it is now time to wrap up for the evening. It was a delight having you here Lady Moriko, but we do have a bit of a schedule to maintain and can not be rising too late in the morning. Would you like a chance to change before you get into the carriage?”
“Yes, I would appreciate that a lot, Your Majesty.” Moriko wasn’t going to try and carry everything while wearing her fancy dress through the compound. Nor was she going to ask for any help getting everything to her room if she could help it. Fortunately, the simpler dress she’d worn to the clothier would fit over her underlayers, so only the outermost layers would need to be packed into the carriage. Though if that backpack still had more room … by the time her ride had gotten her back to the compound, Moriko had found that she could indeed fit the rest of her presents into the gyosho bako, though there did not seem to be a lot more room in the expanded space. There were a lot of books and scrolls in there. Her nerds were going to be in heaven when she got home.
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Greetings everyone.
I'll have to move for three months (maybe more), and I can bring my desktop PC with me. I have an old ASUS laptop, and I'm going later today to see if it could be fixed, since its battery died long ago and has serious heating issues.
In case my old laptop can't be fixed I'll have to buy a new one. My budget is €500, I'll need it for regular office and house use (docs, sheets, videos, voice chats, etc.), and I'd also like to use it to play some games (nothing too heavy: stuff like Civilization VI, Vermintide 2, and old games like Bladur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, etc.). I don't care for high graphic settings or "4k 144fps", If I'd be able to play games from 5 years ago with medium graphic setting it'll be okay.
Thank you in advance for your help and time.

Hello! I'm a 21-year-old guy, and I've been on a search for a genuine and lasting connection. I believe that true friendships have the potential to blossom into beautiful love stories. I'm looking for someone who values daily conversations about our lives, someone who prioritizes our connection and understands me, inspiring the best version of myself. Mutual effort is crucial to make this work, with prompt responses and not leaving each other hanging for hours. Rest assured, I'll be equally committed to you, making you my top priority and brightening your day. Let's build a special bond, connecting emotionally and taking things slow. Who knows, we might just fall in love and see where our journey leads. I'm open to a long-distance relationship with plans to meet in person at some point. give me a short intro about yourself not just a hey
Please only reach out if you're genuinely interested in forming a meaningful connection and can commit to LDR.Please don't come and waste my time. When you message me, please include the word 'ocean' Let's keep our conversations sfw and respectful and only get to the other side when we have atleast something established. If I don't respond immediately, I might be offline, but I'll do my best to reply promptly when I'm available.
A little about me:
I'm a final year student who finds solace in music. Genres like pop, indie, rock, and dance are my daily companions. I don't watch movies that much but i do like watching horror and romantic movies. I enjoy immersing myself in nature and have a great affinity for the outdoors. Despite being introverted, I'm always up for an outdoor adventure that energizes me. Shyness has been a part of me since childhood. I can say i am clingy and i easily get attached to people.
We can exchange pictures but give me sometime to be comfortable to send, don't pressure me into doing it please i just hope you understand. I know i am not the best looking or that bad looking so.
About you:
I'm interested in connecting with any females between the ages of 19 and 24. Please don't be from the USA because our time differences are going to be a horrible mess. You must put effort into responding quickly and keeping the conversation flowing. Your physical appearance doesn't matter to me; having a good soul and being understanding are what truly count.

Hi all, I have an odd issue. My daughter and i both started playing Pokemon Go 2 days ago. My account is years old, I stopped playing for a while but restarted and her account is brand new as of two days ago. We both use Google to log in.
Last night, for no reason, her account forced her to relog in. Ever since then she's had authentication issues, she can't play the game at all now because it just won't authenticate her log in. When we used her phone to try and make a customer service ticket it failed to send to niantic but when I made it on my phone it went through. So out of interest I went to the Pokemon Trainer's Club page and tried to make her an account there and I can't even get into it, I get Error 403 and blocked. Yet my account works just fine?
What on earth is going on? I never had any issues with Niantic before. My daughter hasn't done anything to her account, no mods or cheats, she's just been sitting in the house for the most part since we live between two pokestops so we can play from home half the time.
Has anyone encountered this issue and is there a fix? I saw some very old (5y) posts here about this and there didn't seem to be any workaround other than never use your wifi but even when I tried to use data her account wouldn't log in.