Tech n9ne face off lyrics

TL;DR: Got forced into a shitty job and my Nmom stole money from me.
First off, thank you all for the outpouring of support I had on my first post here. I was honestly not sure what to expect but hearing so many people know what it's like to grow up and be subjected to the torture that are NParents made me both sad, because I wish no one has to deal with this, but happy to know I was not alone.
I wanted to post this because the other post was so cathartic, I wanted to share another story.
My mother put me to work in the summers, full time, when I was ten years old. It wasn't some small job or anything, I was doing a full time job. The job in question I won't actually name because it's a more uncommon job, and I don't want someone to connect the dots. Let's just say it's one of the jobs with the highest mortality rates in the USA.
Anyways, the company I worked for was owned by a family friend. The hours were from 3 AM to 2 PM every day of the week. For a ten year old that was brutal. The job itself was also incredibly physically demanding and beyond the set hours of 3 AM to 2PM there were also many days in which my employer would have me come back and do extra work to get ready for the next day. For all of this work, they paid me 50$ a day. Of that 50$ I was entitled to 5 of it. The rest went to the "bank" that my mother put aside for me. Not that it was much of a bank as, strangely enough, the money I put in there never matched what it should have been.
I worked this job, at this pay, until I was a junior in high school. I never thought of the bad pay until two events happened. I had a friend who was working a babysitting job, nothing crazy as far as I can tell. But she told me that she made something like 6k over the summer. I was floored by that because after my mother's "tax" as I've taken to calling it I had about 1k left in the "bank".
The next event that happened was what really opened my eyes. A friend in the same field as me, who was a freshman in high school at this point, and I were talking about how much we were paid. Same job. I did more work than him, and had longer hours, and he was making double what I did. I figured he was just overpaid until I spoke to other people and I came to find out HE WAS UNDERPAID AS WELL! The average daily rate for the job I was doing was about 150 a day, the highest being about 250 and the lowest, yours truly, at 50.
I accosted my employer about this and he shrugged it off saying to speak to my nmom. So I did, and I came to find out that she was farming me out for basically free childcare while she relaxed at home all summer My job was literally just to get me out of the house. I told her I was asking for more money since I was greatly underpaid and she laughed in my face and then got really REALLY pissed. Claimed I was taking food away from my family(don't know how, but whatever), that I was ungrateful for a job(I never missed a day of work, too scared to deal with consequences from her), and that above all I simply wasn't worth any more than what I was paid.
I told her that I would be looking for a different employer that would pay me more and now she REALLY freaked out. Screaming in my face, getting spit all over me, threatening to kick me out, saying that I would never amount to anything, that my sister is so much better than me(unsure why that was said, but it was), and so much more.
At the end of the day I was so terrified of being kicked out before I could escape this hell with a diploma I ended up just taking the shitty job with shitty pay. I even had a job lined up in the same field that wanted to pay me more, but my nmom refused and said I had to help family. I worked this awful job until I got out from under her thumb, and the summer I tried to change employers my banked money mysteriously went missing at an even higher rate. This was also the summer that she quit her cushy government job, but im sure there is no relation.
Years later I actually confronted her over this and she actually laughed at my face again, Deja vu I know, and then got mad all over again. She said I should have been happy to just have a job. I told her that it really fucked up my self-worth and I had issues with negotiating better pay because I never saw myself as worthy of it. I'm still dealing with that today actually. But I'm getting better. But she said, "Oh yes. All your problems are my fault, just blame me for everything. I never did anything wrong, that was a good work experience for you." That's when I really came to understand how far of an Nmom she really was.
Anyways, thanks for reading if you got this far. Writing this has made me a lot more emotional than I thought it would, but I think it's for the better. I hope you all have a great day.

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Mommy Krill strikes again!
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Intergalactic Journal of Biology and Medicine
Humans have one of the most resilient digestive tracts in the known universe. As an Omnivorous predatory species, humans are capable of digesting muscle, fat, carbohydrates (simple and complex), proteins and fibers, taking many nutrients and extreme energy from them. Their use of carbs gives us an explanation as to why humans are so powerful, because they require a lot of energy to use their bodies. Additionally, the stomach acid of a human is capable of digesting, non-food items though no nutrients can be pulled from it.
Generally speaking, the rule is that if you can eat it, a human can eat it, though, whether it is to their taste or not is questionable.
Furthermore, the human body reactively ejects toxic substances once detected, so within reason, humans are capable of trying many foods without the negative consequences many of us would associate with sticking foreign substances in our mouth.
[…]
The Galactic Assemblies intergalactic summit was held, on what was Earth time, November 5th, 4022. All members of the GA council were expected to attend, or at least a representative for every species in the known universe. At this time that would include the Rundi, Gibb, Tesraki, Bran, Vrul, Drev, etc. but worst of all… the humans.
The Rundi steward, a class of government official, who was specifically tasked with dealing with the drudgery of bureaucracy, was not pleased in the slightest. It was primarily his job to put everything together, and depending on how well he did, it could either make or break him in social hierarchy of his species. The Rundi were a primarily governmental planet, everything they did was based upon a structure of hierarchy and rule. Government was the greatest form of service, and Anarchy wasn't even an afterthought in philosophical debate.
The Rundi were not capable of anarchy.
It was a planet of politicians in some form or another, every interaction had political underleanings, and their speech was always heavily guarded. For this reason, the Rundi had been the first in suggesting an intergalactic system of government. The Tesraki had agreed only upon realizing they would be tasked with overseeing economics, but had benefited from the Rundi system of government, seeing as they tended a bit towards social anarchy, a thought that the Rundi had seen as horribly barbaric, especially since their system was based primarily on the equal distribution of goods to support government structure.
The Vrul had only agreed to join based on their own personal interest in survival.
Generally, they wanted nothing to do with intergalactic politics and would have been happy to maintain their own peaceful homeworld, but the introduction of other species into the galaxy had offered a great threat to them, and they had decided, out of necessity, to join the GA as being friends with the other species was in their own self-interest. In turn that had meant sending their very, very skilled workers to help the rest of the galaxy, and that included their scientists and their doctors, and their mechanics.
And then of course there was the issue of the Drev and the humans, both scarily similar in social hierarchy and temperament. The Drev were warlike, and honor bound, but once choosing a leader, they had been surprisingly willing to join in, as long as they were given the opportunity to participate in any and all armed conflict that happened to take place across the galaxy.
The humans...
The humans were another story.
There was no one characteristic that helped to identify their motivations. The humans themselves were well versed in war, politics, economics, and science, but they did everything to the extreme.
Where the Drev practiced war for honor, when humans waged war, they did it to kill, while the Rundi maintained government and played games within their own circles, the humans played against each other, often mixing war and government into one. Their economic practices varied widely, but their current system played for keeps and focused on the greatest accumulation of wealth possible far beyond what the Tesraki did.
Then when it came to science, they never considered WHETHER they should do something, but only if they COULD do something.
And now here the steward was forced into the position of setting up this summit for all the different types of species. The catering alone had been a complete nightmare, and he had been forced to ship different sorts of food for thousands of miles, in order to feed everyone in the proper manner. There were some species he did not have to worry about, like the Vrul, who were more plant based and so did not eat, but there were others, and that included the Rundi and the Tesraki, who had a very strict diet consisting of only very specific foods to eat. He found that he could tack the Drev onto some other species, seeing as their bodies were capable of metabolizing almost any plant as long as it retained a similar structure to human plants and fruit.
However, the humans themselves were the hardest part, because the range of food was so wide, he could hardly determine what was going to work and what was going to be a massive disaster. He honestly didn't know, different sources said different things, and he couldn't bear to think about putting MEAT on the table... That was just against his constitutions.
In fact, he was scrambling right up until the council had convened for the evening, and the mass tide of bodies came pouring into the room, filling the vaulted ceiling with ruckus chatter in dozens of different languages.
He could hear the humans coming a mile off.
The humans and the Rundi had a similar register when it came to hearing, and humans were known to be able to mimic Rundi vocalizations to some degree, simply because they generally tended to communicate in deep grunts, hums and guttural vocalizations. The humans, well their language was just as varied as their culture, clicking, hissing, snapping, humming and grunting filling the air with discordant and somehow, rhythmic quality.
Their presence turned heads.
They walked with the Drev delegation, which was no surprise to anyone. The humans had been unable to send their usual representative due to a social disagreement between earth and its neighboring sister, Mars.
So who had they gone and sent?
No not just anyone…
The bane of all rules and regulations
And his crew…
They had sent…
THEM...
The Rundi Steward knew all about them... Crewmembers of the legendary UNSC Stabby, the widest ranging vessel in the entire galaxy, and home to a crew that was indisputably certifiable.
They were the most reckless, most dangerous, and most terrifying amalgamation of creatures in the galaxy, somehow including one Drev, and a rather out of place Vrul whose behavior suggested he had caught whatever brain malady had overcome the humans, and was just as insane as they were.
He cringed horrifically at the sight of them.
Humans were a destructive force, and were known to cause chaos and mayhem wherever they went, even at the best of times, so this was bound to get interesting.
The delegates were seated, and the steward welcomed them with gracious words of introduction he had spent months preparing. It was a very political thing for him to do, and included subtle compliments to all delegations involved, laid down some ground rules but made sure not to undermine the authority of the people he was speaking to.
However, to the humans, the attempt was obviously heavy-handed brown nosing, though none of the other delegations seemed to notice.
He invited them in for refreshments and encouraged discussion between the parties.
Of course, the humans weren't exactly ones to pass up the idea of food and were some of the first to the table examining the contents with great interest, even the food that was not theirs. They seemed very amused, watching the other delegations pick up their specific food and then move away to sit.
"What is this?”
One of the humans commented, holding up a rather stringy green tube that wriggled and squirmed in his hand,
"Are these worms?"
One of the Tesraki looked over,
"No, it's a Cavestalk, a kind of plant. Probably not to your taste, they are known to be poisonous to other species. In other words, not human food."
The human raised an eyebrow,
"Buddy, humans are the sharks... Or wait... Maybe that's the goats of the universe, we can eat anything within reason, and even a couple of things outside of reason if given enough time."
The Tesraki made a sort of shrug and wave with its large ears and then walked away. The steward watched the humans with a worried expression. It wouldn't do to allow the humans to make themselves sick on his watch, but it seemed as if that idea was only becoming more and more likely as the humans poked and prodded at the leftovers of other species, hardly bothering with the food that had been laid out for them... Mostly strange fibrous plant materials.
And that is when it came,
"I dare you to eat it."
The two humans locked eyes, one still holding the wriggling Cavestalk,
"What?”
"I said, I dare you to eat it."
The human stuck out his chin at the other human in a primitive position of posturing,
"How much do I get if I do?”
There was a moment of thought before,
"Twenty credits. I'll give you twenty credits to eat it."
"What happens if it poisons me?"
There was a hand wave,
"We have a doctor on board, he can just pump your stomach.... Chicken."
”Oh you did not just fucking back to the future me did you? How DARE you!”
”Trying to change the subject chicken?”
A moment of silence passed between them, and the Rundi steward began moving towards them to stop something horrible he felt was about to happen.
He wasn't fast enough.
Before he knew it, the human had thrown back his head and dropped the wriggly green thing into his mouth, swallowing it whole, like an alligator or a snake would.
People around looked on in somewhat fascinated disgust as the predator's throat bobbed and he smacked his lips making a face,
"Eh, I can still feel it moving.... Eh."
He paused,
"Though, taste wise it isn't so bad, kind of like a wiggly asparagus."
After a moment his eyes narrowed, and he smacked his lips again,
"Spicy asparagus, uh, that's really really weird."
He reached the table, just as the Vrul came running up, shoulders squared in a very un-Vrul way,
"HE LITERALLY JUST SAID IT WAS POISONOUS TO OTHER SPECIES, AND NOW YOU'RE EATING IT! AND YOU OVER THERE!"
A human looked up at him, from where it had been prodding the Drev coiltree berries,
"GET THOSE OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!"
”But Kriiillllll….”
”What did I say young man!?”
They had attracted the attention of some of the closer tables now, who were looking on in entertained confusion and worry.
A human waved a hand,
"It's alright Doc, we have you don't we?"
"I AM NOT THE MAGIC CURE FOR NEUROTOXIN!!!”
Another shrug,
”Well it's a good thing that I'll throw up before anything really bad happens."
The Rundi steward tried to intervene as the humans began prodding through the other food,
"Drev can eat human fruit, so I bet these things are like fruit…”
One of them pointed out, popping the berries into his mouth and chewing with a contemplative look on his face,
"Not bad."
"Please, please, if you would remain within your own food groups."
The Rundi begged. He was now realizing he should have written up some legal documents to avoid litigation if the humans were to be damaged on their property, but now was too late.
A human waved him off,
"Don't worry, everyone else is done eating, besides…"
He Pointed towards the human food,
"That's literally a pile of lettuce, I am a man, not a horse."
"Horses don't eat lettuce, also that's not lettuce, it's spinach."
”POtato, potAto…”
Another human piped up, prodding at a strange squishy red ball, sloshing with a strange pink nectar,
"This looks like candy."
"Please don't put that in your mouth human.”
The humans swarmed away from the two dissenting voices. One of them picked up the strange pink orb and licked it. Its eyes lit up and it bit into the piece wiping pink juice from its face as it did,
"Ok, this, this is good 10/10 would try again."
And that only caused all the other humans to move over to try one.
"I SAID GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!"
The Vrul demanded. The Rundi steward looked on in horror and worry. Vrul didn't behave that way, everything here was just wrong.
A blue Drev joined the party just then, pointing to the pink orb,
"I love those, but you should definitely try these too."
"No, no they should not!"
He was ignored, and the humans scooted over to look. It was a strange spiral plant in a light-yellow color that made a distinctive crunching sound as the humans bit down. They shrugged,
"Sort of just like space celery if you ask me."
Did these creatures have no sense of self-preservation!?
A group had gathered around the table, strangely amused at the humans, who just ate... Everything.
The Rundi steward almost keeled over, watching his future go down the drain as other species began offering humans food. Whatever it was, they seemed unable to resist putting it in their mouths. A human made a face, spitting something back out into his hand,
"Ax bleh, tastes like Satan's feet."
"Quick question. When was the last time you licked Satan's feet?”
"The last time I was at your mom's house."
”OOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!”
The humans made strange noises at each other, as the Rundi stepped in and began grabbing things from the humans, only to find the Vrul to be doing the same,
"Stop it! Stop it all of you!"
The human's paused, as did the other delegates in surprise.
"STOP PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE."
”But its fun!”
”Fun my ass. I swear if one of you gets food poisoning I’ll put you under house arrest for at least a week!”
”But Kriiilllll….”
”No but! Now behave and put the things back! No one eats anything they don’t know.”
”…”
”…”
The intervening silence was broken as one of the humans loudly crunched on one of the pink orbs.
Everyone turned to look at her and she just glanced around the group.
"What? That’s my second one, I know them now…"
She wondered past a mouth full of food. If the Rundi steward could have a panic attack, he would have had one then.
”Please, this is all dangerous! There is a reason every species has its own food!”
A human waved a hand at him,
"Keep your shorts on, we promise you won't get in trouble if one of us dies."
The Rundi stared on incredulous.
They were going to kill themselves, they were really going to kill themselves.
Maybe it was best if he resigned before being fired, at least he would be able to keep his dignity
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Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart? [Here is the link to the master-post.](under construction sorry)
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

Hey all! Four weeks from now, my players are going to be facing off with the forces of the BBEG as he tries to destroy a town and the temple atop it.
I know Matt Colville released his “Kingdoms and Warfare” and if I understand, the Dragonlance book included warfare rules as well? I have not purchased either and was hoping to hear from someone who has used eitheboth and can say if it works really well or not!
Also if you have any other recommendations, I’d love to hear them! 5e doesn’t seem like it has the greatest mechanics for warfare, so I want something better that could still fit with 5e. Thanks!

Comparing 2023 Audi S3 (premium plus with tech package) v. BMW M240i xDrive. Looking for an upgrade from the 2018 VW GTI SE. Looking for something with much better handling, acceleration, comfort, suspension, power overall, and luxury. I don't have kids, but am concerned about the 2-door aspect of M240i and how that might not be convenient. It's also much harder to find M240i's right now, whereas S3s are easier, enabling me to get $4K off MSRP.
I love the S3 and it has a fantastic interior, but read about the M240i and now feel it may have a much more powerful engine and handling (similar to the RS3, stiffer chassis, etc.), plus things like blind spot. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Dear any activity with Subtle Foes modifier, you do not exist to me. I'm having flashbacks to the mini screebs.
It started off small, oh some enemies are invisible, that's cute.
Then it was the invisible exploder thrall on the Disgraced strike
Then on Battle ground Behemoth, half the enemies were invisible. The corpses can stay invisible too, so you have to wait until it moves to know if you should shoot. Then before I realised it, I was 25 minutes in, without any teammates, facing an invisible boss.

Basically, I'd keep the scene the same right up until the moment where Steve menacingly gets in her face and dares her to "finish the sentence" in a threatening tone.
Instead of being at a loss for words, I'd have Nancy divulge the truth about what happened. "Jonathan and I were out hunting a monster in the woods. I crawled through this weird portal in a tree, and the monster that took Barb came after me and almost killed me. Fortunately, Jonathan rescued me, and he took me home and decided to spend the night in the room looking after me."
Steve and his friends, being the assholes they are, proceed to laugh and mock her. So in turn, Nancy proceeds to call Steve out for being a creep and spying on her and Jonathan through her bedroom window.
Then there's the question, how would Steve react to Nancy throwing accurate accusations at him? Would he get physical? I mean, with his disturbing demeanor, and the way he's in her face, towering over her, and speaking in a low steely voice, it's possible he probably would. In which case, the alleyway altercation plays out like this: Nancy rightfully calls Steve out for being a stalker and a creep. Steve, already acting menacingly, punches her. Jonathan's vision goes red with rage, and he yells at Steve, "Hey, get your hands off her, asshole!" And then Steve proceeds to say the same despicable things about Jonathan's family that he says in the show, prompting Jonathan to lose his shit and start wailing on him. And Jonathan gets arrested when he accidentally hits one of the police officers who arrive and try to break up the fight.
Subsequently, at the police station, Jonathan, Joyce, and (maybe) Hopper persuade Nancy to pursue criminal charges against Steve.

The ones you get from the beauty store to blot the oil off your face. My friend doesn't wanna drive an hour to the nearest shop and I have dozens of those little things.

Hello. Please Chat or PM! Thanks for looking!
-1913 $2.5 Gold Indian PCGS MS61 AND $1 Face Dateless SLQs. Price $495 shipped FC.
Shipping: CONUS only. First Class $5 and Priority $10.
Payment: Zelle, PPFF no notes (G and S +3%), and Venmo.
**Once the package is dropped off at the post office, I can no longer be responsible for it, but I will help in any way with issues. I package securely and discretely. I will send you the tracking number. Once we have agreed on the sale, the package will ship no later than the following business day (Friday sales will be dropped off at post office on Saturday) once payment is received. Happy to accommodate additional shipping needs at buyers expense.
https://imgur.com/a/kUHvoXp

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
Book 2 is out! :D
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BTFY44MG
Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Leveling-Up-the-World-2-Audiobook/B0BXYB7DMR
Hope you enjoy! :)
 
MAJOR HEAL
Your health has been increased by 50%
​
Dallion thought he saw a red rectangle hover before his eyes. After he blinked, it was gone. Still, he was starting to feel a lot better. The dartblade was on his chest, surrounded by a layer of blue flames.
Are you okay, boss? Lux asked from within his realm.
This wasn’t a question that could be answered right away. For several seconds he lay there, trying to figure out if all the pain had left his body. Then and only then he stood up. The door remained open a few steps away. It was pointless closing it at this point, so Dallion didn’t. Rather, he proceeded to collect all his gear and belongings.
Back into the fray? The armadil shield asked. I have to hand it to you. You manage to make even school life dangerous and exciting.
“Go me,” Dallion replied. He would have very much liked to say it had been fun. Sadly, he’d be half lying. “Is Ruby okay?”
Dallion looked at his shoulder. The shardfly was there, as usual, only now the chips on its wings were gone. On the surface, all the damage seemed to have been healed, and yet there was an unmistakable feeling of bitterness emanating from him.
“Nil, where’s the nearest exit?” Dallion asked.
Nearby, the echo replied.
“Is there one close to the novice administration building?”
Yes, I supposed there is.
“Good.”
Running the corridor, along with a bit of combat splitting, Dallion made his way to the administration building. On two occasions he was briefly stopped by an apprentice, determined to send him back to the “safety” of his room. A bit of music skills, and the situation was quickly resolved in Dallion’s favor.
“Lock,” Dallion whispered at the building’s door. “Is anyone inside?”
Naa, the lock guardian replied. Everyone rushed out somewhere. No one’s here now. Want inside?
“Sure.”
Yaa. A faint click followed.
Making sure no one was looking his way, Dallion entered.
Creature cages are near the entrance, Nil said as Dallion went up the wooden staircase. Riddles are further away.
Good advice. Dallion intended to deal with creatures—they were quick to deal with, especially now that he’d obtained some practical spellcrafting experience.
The warehouse room was just as packed as before. One had to admire the amount of vortex cages the Academy had. The question where they were getting them remained, but for another time.
“I can only boost up to level twenty?” Dallion asked as he picked up a purple cube.
That is the general idea. From twenty onwards, you’ll need the real thing.
Dallion moved a cube to an empty area of the room and put it on the floor. Done, he placed his hand on top and extended his magic.
​
VORTEX CAGE – LEVEL 1
​
The cube extended, surrounding him with glowing purple.
​
You are in a VORTEX CAGE.
Defeat the guardian to ABSORB the vortex.
You have 20 minutes before the VORTEX becomes too weak to absorb.
​
A smaller version of the aether lion emerged a short distance away. Last when Dallion had faced such a creature, it had taken the combined effort of four people to defeat the monster. Of course, that guardian was linked to the realm of a Moon.
The harpsisword appeared in Dallion’s right hand. Without hesitation, he slashed the air, letting out a series of spark infused line attacks. The fingers of his left hand blurred as he cast the Iksa’s aether projectile spell.
​
COMBAT INITIATED
​
The vortex guardian barely had time to react. Its fur glowed with symbols, casting a series of aether shields in an attempt to save it from the savage attacks.
The first two line attacks sliced through the protective barriers as fast as they appeared. The third one passed through, striking the creature.
​
FATAL STRIKE
Dealt damage is increased by 500%
​
A red rectangle emerged. It was shortly followed by half a dozen more as projectiles bombarded the unfortunate lion. By rough calculations, the damage was supposed to be sufficient to earn Dallion the win. However, he didn’t take the chance, dashing forward and engaging in a multi-attack. Dozens of strikes pierced through the lion’s fir.
​
AGGRAVATED STRIKE
Dealt damage is increased by 100%
​
More rectangles stacked up, joined shortly by a purple one.
​
AETHER LION has been defeated.
​
For half a second, Dallion continued attacking until his conscious self told him it was time to stop. The guardian had been defeated. The only reason it hadn’t vanished was because of the exception magic granted.
“Nothing personal.” Dallion took a step back.
The lion growled before unraveling into a cluster of magic threads. The rest of the vortex cage followed, streaming towards Dallion. All that was left not was for him to consume them.
​
MAGIC ABSORBED
Your magic trait is now 19
​
A wave of warmth and strength filled Dallion, as the new magic merged with his. There was no amount of energy drinks back on Earth that could come anywhere close to what he was experiencing now. In the back of his mind, there remained a voice warning him not to get used to the high. It was quickly ignored, as Dallion rushed to grab the next vortex cage by the door.
Suddenly, the room shook violently. More than a rumble, it felt as if an outside force was trying to tear the Learning hall apart. Dallion’s first thought was that he might have caused this. Logic and rationality quickly expunged the thought. More likely than not, the shardflies in the area had started attacking everything in sight. The learning hall, despite its magic defenses, remained a building, and as such was a prime target.
You better hurry up, Nil stated the obvious.
“How long does the building have?” Dallion leapt to the empty spot.
The Hall is fine, but if things get any worse outside, you won’t be able to escape even if you leave the building.
Dallion activated the second artifact.
​
VORTEX CAGE – LEVEL 1
​
You are in a VORTEX CAGE.
Defeat the guardian to ABSORB the vortex.
You have 20 minutes before the VORTEX becomes too weak to absorb.
​
Initially, when the vortex formed, there was nothing inside. A sense of dread swept through Dallion. He had no time for riddle challenges, and waiting twenty minutes for the trial to be over was out of the question. Thankfully, a guardian soon appeared in the form of an aether shardfly.
“Gleam?” Dallion asked, unable to proceed with the attack.
The creature was hiding its info box, adding just enough doubt that it could be a version of Dallion’s former familiar. The seed of doubt kept Dallion from attacking. Splitting, he approached it with one instance. The shardfly didn’t react, flapping its wings gently in the air, waiting. Its appearance was a lot more delicate than the standard shardfly, as if it were created from fine layers of purple light. Eight wings slapped in a complicated sequence, just enough to keep it in the air.
It’s not her, Ruby said from Dallion’s shoulder.
“I know.” Dallion reached for the creature. But I need to be certain.
Just before his finger came into contact with the being, the aether shadfly sprung into action. One of its wings grew ten times its usual size, then slashed through an instance of Dallion, cleanly severing his fingers, arm, and head as if it were a laser beam.
​
COMBAT INITIATED
​
The pain only lasted for a moment, but it made it perfectly clear that this wasn’t the creature he hoped it would be.
Splitting again, Dallion charged forward. Using the approach of his previous fight, he cast a projectile spell, while slashing through the creature with a spark attack.
To his astonishment, the attack succeeded, slicing the shardfly in two. However, no red rectangle emerged.
Illusion, Ruby said, darting off Dallion’s shoulder.
Another two instances of Dallion were shredded to pieces before Ruby engaged in the invisible enemy. Red and purple sparks filled the air.
One moment Ruby was fighting nothing, the next, a second shardfly with amethyst wings appeared. No longer the aethereal Dallion had initially seen, the creature resembled Ruby, though with slightly prolonged wings. Looking closely, Dallion could see hundreds of minuscule mana threads all over its wings. While engaged in a wing fight with Ruby, the guardian constantly attempted to create a spell, only to have the symbols systematically slashed midair.
Holy crap! Dallion thought.
Despite all his skills, spells, and experience, he remained hopeless against creatures capable of creating high-level illusions. If it weren’t for Ruby, there was a very real possibility that he would have lost the fight. That wasn’t the case, but now Dallion was presented with a new problem. During the fight, the guardian had changed appearance, becoming a copy of Ruby.
“Just great,” Dallion hissed.
He didn’t think he’d have an issue killing any one of the shardflies, or even both of them. However, there was no way of telling which was Ruby and which not. If he were able to maintain combat splitting for more than a few seconds, maybe he could try killing either and then waiting to see which was which. In theory, it was possible he found out before that, but Dallion had no intention of taking the risk.
It was an interesting stalemate. Neither Ruby nor the guardian had any advantage. Meanwhile, Dallion was free to perform any attack he wished, but could do so; to top it all, if he were to order Ruby to disengage, that would give the aether shardfly the chance to cast spells again.
Of all the creatures, why did it have to be this one, Dallion clenched his fist.
In his mind, he went through dozens of options. Filling the vortex cage with water was risky, since it could affect Ruby as well. In equal fashion, using Raven’s magic draining spell was also dangerous. Using Cheska’s chain magic sounded like a passable option, but shardflies were the last creatures that would capture.
That remains one of your great weaknesses, Nil said. You have no way of fighting illusions on your own. It was fine while Gleam was with you. Without her, though…
“What about the spell you taught me?”
Try it f you like. It won’t work. The creature’s spell is too intricate. If your magic trait was a dozen levels more, I could teach you a spell that would help you out, but not at your current level.
“Harp?” Dallion asked, only to get no answer. He didn’t feel her being mad or even upset at him. Her silence, rather, suggested that she agreed with Nil on this point: Dallion had to figure out a way to shield his vulnerability and do so on his own.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became he’d never be able to distinguish between the creatures. Illusions at this level changed reality itself. Although, there was one thing that the vortex guardian was unable to change.
Nox, I’ll need your help, buddy, Dallion thought. I won’t lie to you. It’s going to hurt a lot. Will you help me out?
Okay, the crackling replied. There was no trace of annoyance or rebellion in his voice. When it came down to important things, Nox remained unwavering, just as he was back when Dallion had first obtained him.
“Thanks.” Dallion pulled out the Nox dagger and struck the floor.
The entire vortex cage trembled as black cracks formed around the point of impact. Simultaneously, flickers ran up the dagger, inflicting an equal amount of pain and damage to the crackling as well. Dallion felt the pain pulse within his realm, and yet Nox didn’t make a sound.
Gritting his teeth, Dallion struck the floor again. The cracks spread until an entire quarter of the floor was affected.
“Can you handle one more?” Dallion asked. “It’ll be the last.”
Hey, it’s me, the crackling said with his typical confidence.
“That’s what I thought. Thanks, Nox.” Dallion struck the floor.
Beneath the cracks, several strands of magic snapped.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)

Hello all,
This is pretty long. I've been with this girl for 7 months, and I ended up moving in with her like 4 months ago because I was homeless. It was supposed to be temporary but we both just went along with it afterwards, and she's made it very clear she wants me to stay.
Anyway, she has a 2 year old pittie who's very sweet and loving. She can be annoying sometimes, but overall she's a good dog. From the beginning, she's always had some lack of restraint with her. Usually, it's not out of anger, but more on that later.
She loves to "bully" this dog, for lack of a better term. I think it can be okay to pester a dog for shits and giggles, but only a little bit. Maybe poke them and such. But she takes it pretty far. She does a lot of things that are somewhat mean, but in particular she antagonizes the dog until she's snarling and biting at her, almost like the dog is about to lose control because she's so stressed. It's not a playful sort of snarl. Meanwhile, my GF is always cackling the whole time. She does a few things to anger the dog like this, such as hitting her with a pillow in the face, blowing air in her face with an air pump, shoving her off the bed repeatedly with her feet (almost kicking), and smacking the sides of her face lightly (again, not full on slaps, but it probably hurts somewhat). Meanwhile I'm usually on the bed with them, and the dog is jumping on me and clawing me because I'm right next to them. Eventually my GF decides the dog is being too rough with her and scolds the dog.
She also has wrapped her up in blankets to watch her try to get out, and one particular time I stepped in and said "Hey GF, that's mean. It's stressing her out, and she could run into something and hurt herself". She just mocked me for saying that (as she tends to do), and 5 seconds later the dog runs straight into the bed frame pretty hard. She thought that was funny but stopped after that. I basically said "See what I mean???" and she just shrugged it off.
She's since wrapped her in blankets many more times.
My GF is pretty quick to anger too, and when the dog does something worthy of correction, she loses her temper and gets rough with her. She peed on the carpeted stairs on the way to go outside in our apartment building, and she said she kicked her in the vagina. No idea what "kick" really meant in that context, but not the sort of thing you want to hear someone say.
She also has made a point to bring up several times since I've known her (completely unprompted) that she "must not hit her dog" because she doesn't wince when she raises her hand like she's going to hit her. Almost like she's bragging about it?? Very weird.
Yesterday she also (completely unprompted) brought up my comments about her being mean to the dog, and mocking me for saying it, laughing about it. I never said it was abuse, but she worded it that way as if I said she abused the dog. It's the sort of thing that reminds me of a Freudian slip. Why does she get so defensive and dismissive about it, especially when I never brought it up?
Some of this bullying happens to me too. She's just as big as I am, and might even be stronger than me. Similar sort of thing, physically getting rough with me and such to make me uncomfortable. I have plenty of instances, but one recently stands out. She found my 13 year old brother on Instagram and started messaging him, sending him weird messages. They were jokes but they bordered on inappropriate for a 13 year old. I tried getting my phone to explain to him that it was my GF and she was just being weird, but she wouldn't let me get my phone. She was very rough and was hurting me to get my phone back, which I had to say "stop" to 5 times before she listened.
She's had a rough life and has gone through some heinous shit from her family, long story short. Definitely abused. So I wasn't surprised when she had weird behavior like that, but I'm realizing it's much worse than I thought.
So what do you think? I'm at wit's end, I'm stuck in this apartment in a tiny town in Oregon and I want to leave. Should I just run away from this situation, or do I owe her a face to face breakup? Either way I want out. I'm very bad at communication and bringing up stuff like this, and as much as I think that's important, I'm realizing this situation might be one I need to get out of sooner rather than later.
TL;DR
My GF bullies her dog to the point of losing control on a daily basis. She does things that border on abuse to this dog, and makes unprompted comments that seem like she's aware she's doing it, but wants to dismiss it.
She also bullies me in a similar way. She continues to be rough with me even after 5 or 6 times telling her to stop.
I've raised concerns with these thing while they're happening, but she laughs them off.
I want to leave, but do I owe her a proper breakup? Or should I GTFO?
Thanks everyone.

Now that my second child is 10 weeks old and started sleeping through the night I feel like we might be doing something right. I could just have to beautiful unicorn children or maybe there is something here that can help someone else get some sleep so here we go and good luck finding the time to read it all 😅 1. Feed feed feed that baby.. the first 2 months esp is just survival so it's hard to have the baby on any kind of schedule but we found by 10 weeks it was easy to adapt them to a sleep/feed schedule. Anyway babies are constantly hungry at first and if you see those clenched fists or the baby chewing on their hand they want more food! I breast fed, combo fed and formula fed both my kids. Fed is best! My kids eat more than what is typical for their age group but I just keep on feeding until the hands came unclenched and they pushed it away. We call this tanking up because they need to eat a certain amount of calories a day and you want them to tank up during the day and not need that middle of the night feeding. Burp often and spitting up doesn't mean right away that they are done. Don't let baby fall asleep while eating. Make little kissing/ clicky noises, rub their cheeks or get them naked because if they fall asleep while eating they'll just graze all day instead of finishing a meal. Be sure to feed every 2.5-3 hours. 2. Sleep schedule is a must. Wake windows are super important (you can Google some common schedules/wake windows). Your baby may need a lot of help to get down but it's worth it. Overtired and undertired are both bad for sleep. We used huckleberry app for both kids and it was a great tracker. We tracked everything with our first for a long time and it helped us keep an eye on wake windows. Sleep schedule does mean I wake up my sleeping baby. I know it sounds insane but hey like I said both kids started sleeping through the night around 10 weeks. My first is 2.5 she is a fantastic sleeper who still naps every day for 2 hours. My youngest is always all smiles when I wake him in the morning at 7 am. 3. Right from birth- Baby naps in a room with light, normal noise around and no sleep sack. Bed time routine with diaper change, sleep sack, sound machine, dark room and sleeping alone in crib/bassinet will help baby learn day and night. This is maybe incidental but we did not swaddle either child. They both slept with their arms above their heads. This is how we knew when they are really asleep. Also, get baby used to crib right away. We would sometimes have them sleep in the crib instead of the bassinet and we took them out of the bassinet very early since they were massive kids anyway. Contact naps are fine but from birth try to transfer baby to bed once they fall asleep. This gets baby used to transferring and it's super important that from birth they aren't just sleeping on you all the time. 4. We used pacifiers for both kids. They definitely help calm the baby down when needed. There was a study that said walking a baby around for 5 min, sitting for 5-8 min and then transfering can help them stay asleep. We also shush and rock the baby. I hold baby really close and squeeze a bit so they feel that big hug. Sometimes I will really rub babies face or hair. 5. Transfering- keep baby as close to you as possible and lower your body into the crib. Slowly place feet first and last the head. This is supposed to help prevent morrow reflex. The baby will move a bit but you can place your hand on their belly and rock them gently and shush. If baby starts wigging a ton and making lots of noise chances are it's a burp stuck in there. You can give them a minute to see if they settle but, you may have to burp baby and start the process over. 6. Gas- important for sleep too. Upper wigging is typically a burp. If you see baby pulling legs up, turning red, bearing down and more lower wiggling it's lower gas/poop. I recommend googling best ways to burp a baby and also some massages/exercises that help with lower gas/poop. There are also gas drops, probotics and special bottles (like Dr brown's) that help with gas. Be sure to let a shaken formula bottle sit for a bit to let bubbles out before feeding. (Side note: if baby is super fussy always verify any allergies. Both my kids had cow milk protein and egg. They can develop at anytime.) 7. Once a baby is old enough to sleep through the night, if they wake up off schedule be sure to try everything else before feeding. Sooth back down, diaper change, burp, check for anything else that could be causing discomfort. When all else falls they are probably hungry. 8. Google baby sleeping cues. Red eyebrows and looking away from you are just 2 I can think of but every baby is different. 9. Pay attention for reflux symptoms: hold baby upright for 20 min after feeding if needed. Also, talk to doc about symptoms, baby may need medicine or to thicken bottles (gelmix works great). Paced bottle feeding can help if you are bottle feeding.
I did get a lot of this info from taking Cara babies and various other apps/google and their doctor. I don't recommend purchasing taking Cara babies as you can just Google pretty much all of it.
If you have done all this and your baby just sucks at sleeping I am sorry. No sleep is very serious and really messes with your mental health. There is a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torcher. I felt more depressed and dissociated when I did not sleep in the first few weeks. Parents deserve more help and I wish you all the best of luck.
Bonus tip- Oprah had a lady that decoded babies cries. Sounds like horse ish but I really try to pay attention and I can sometimes really tell the sound and it helps me figure out what's wrong. You have to listen to the sound examples not just read the words. They are really sound the same. 🤣

Now that my second child is 10 weeks old and started sleeping through the night I feel like we might be doing something right. I could just have to beautiful unicorn children or maybe there is something here that can help someone else get some sleep so here we go and good luck finding the time to read it all 😅 1. Feed feed feed that baby.. the first 2 months esp is just survival so it's hard to have the baby on any kind of schedule but we found by 10 weeks it was easy to adapt them to a sleep/feed schedule. Anyway babies are constantly hungry at first and if you see those clenched fists or the baby chewing on their hand they want more food! I breast fed, combo fed and formula fed both my kids. Fed is best! My kids eat more than what is typical for their age group but I just keep on feeding until the hands came unclenched and they pushed it away. We call this tanking up because they need to eat a certain amount of calories a day and you want them to tank up during the day and not need that middle of the night feeding. Burp often and spitting up doesn't mean right away that they are done. Don't let baby fall asleep while eating. Make little kissing/ clicky noises, rub their cheeks or get them naked because if they fall asleep while eating they'll just graze all day instead of finishing a meal. Be sure to feed every 2.5-3 hours. 2. Sleep schedule is a must. Wake windows are super important (you can Google some common schedules/wake windows). Your baby may need a lot of help to get down but it's worth it. Overtired and undertired are both bad for sleep. We used huckleberry app for both kids and it was a great tracker. We tracked everything with our first for a long time and it helped us keep an eye on wake windows. Sleep schedule does mean I wake up my sleeping baby. I know it sounds insane but hey like I said both kids started sleeping through the night around 10 weeks. My first is 2.5 she is a fantastic sleeper who still naps every day for 2 hours. My youngest is always all smiles when I wake him in the morning at 7 am. 3. Right from birth- Baby naps in a room with light, normal noise around and no sleep sack. Bed time routine with diaper change, sleep sack, sound machine, dark room and sleeping alone in crib/bassinet will help baby learn day and night. This is maybe incidental but we did not swaddle either child. They both slept with their arms above their heads. This is how we knew when they are really asleep. Also, get baby used to crib right away. We would sometimes have them sleep in the crib instead of the bassinet and we took them out of the bassinet very early since they were massive kids anyway. Contact naps are fine but from birth try to transfer baby to bed once they fall asleep. This gets baby used to transferring and it's super important that from birth they aren't just sleeping on you all the time. 4. We used pacifiers for both kids. They definitely help calm the baby down when needed. There was a study that said walking a baby around for 5 min, sitting for 5-8 min and then transfering can help them stay asleep. We also shush and rock the baby. I hold baby really close and squeeze a bit so they feel that big hug. Sometimes I will really rub babies face or hair. 5. Transfering- keep baby as close to you as possible and lower your body into the crib. Slowly place feet first and last the head. This is supposed to help prevent morrow reflex. The baby will move a bit but you can place your hand on their belly and rock them gently and shush. If baby starts wigging a ton and making lots of noise chances are it's a burp stuck in there. You can give them a minute to see if they settle but, you may have to burp baby and start the process over. 6. Gas- important for sleep too. Upper wigging is typically a burp. If you see baby pulling legs up, turning red, bearing down and more lower wiggling it's lower gas/poop. I recommend googling best ways to burp a baby and also some massages/exercises that help with lower gas/poop. There are also gas drops, probotics and special bottles (like Dr brown's) that help with gas. Be sure to let a shaken formula bottle sit for a bit to let bubbles out before feeding. (Side note: if baby is super fussy always verify any allergies. Both my kids had cow milk protein and egg. They can develop at anytime.) 7. Once a baby is old enough to sleep through the night, if they wake up off schedule be sure to try everything else before feeding. Sooth back down, diaper change, burp, check for anything else that could be causing discomfort. When all else falls they are probably hungry. 8. Google baby sleeping cues. Red eyebrows and looking away from you are just 2 I can think of but every baby is different. 9. Pay attention for reflux symptoms: hold baby upright for 20 min after feeding if needed. Also, talk to doc about symptoms, baby may need medicine or to thicken bottles (gelmix works great). Paced bottle feeding can help if you are bottle feeding.
I did get a lot of this info from taking Cara babies and various other apps/google and their doctor. I don't recommend purchasing taking Cara babies as you can just Google pretty much all of it.
If you have done all this and your baby just sucks at sleeping I am sorry. No sleep is very serious and really messes with your mental health. There is a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torcher. I felt more depressed and dissociated when I did not sleep in the first few weeks. Parents deserve more help and I wish you all the best of luck.
Bonus tip- Oprah had a lady that decoded babies cries. Sounds like horse ish but I really try to pay attention and I can sometimes really tell the sound and it helps me figure out what's wrong. You have to listen to the sound examples not just read the words. They are really sound the same. 🤣

Hi all!
I often have to send files to family and friends, and I have been looking for a solution that fits all the following criteria, but I haven't had luck so far so I figured I'd ask you :) (I had a look at all of the projects listed here but none seem to tick all the boxes, please correct me if I'm missing something!)
- Has a very clean looking download page with not much more than a "download" button, because I'd use it to send files to my very non tech-savvy mum (kind of like Gokapi for instance)
- Needs to be able to serve files from the local filesystem, this is the most important - files are stored on the machine.
- Has an admin interface that I could reverse-proxy to with an internal hostname (like https://filemanager.internal.mysite.com), and serve files to another virtual hostname or a subdomain that is public facing (i.e. https://dl.mysite.com/fileuuid or https://mysite.com/dl/fileuuid)
- Looks good :)
Thank you very much <3

Unknown Date, Unknown location
*Unknown*
The spacecraft were traveling at no faster than eighteen and three-quarters percent of the speed of light and were no bigger than several hundred meters in length. What little crew they had were all put under cryostasis and all systems were completely shut down, producing no more than a few dozen watts of waste heat for the entire fleet in total, rendering the vehicles almost invisible to anyone, if there were anyone, who was not looking hard enough.
The spacecraft continued on their journey of millennia, sent by their creators with a less-than-benevolent intent.
Standard Year 3275, Day 321, V2 Draconis, Control Center of Laser Highway Station 7G-S
*Sensors and Trajectory Officer Xyvan Karvyk*
Nu Draconis, a binary star system consisting of V1 Draconis and V2 Draconis, was probably the most boring system owned by humanity, having been colonized only recently almost a century ago. The system was barely populated even for its immense volume. It was very unlike Sol, which Xyvan Karvyk departed from, more than 500 years ago, on a ship zipping by at a leisurely twenty percent the speed of light, due to the lack of a laser deceleration system on the then untouched system, save for a few probes sent for fly-bys throughout the centuries.
If Xyvan remembered correctly, the population back on Sol was so high that there were millions of deaths every few seconds. Despite that, death itself, was not problem most folks had to deal with nowadays. Nu Draconis itself was very sparse, with a population of a few billion at most, though this was increasing extremely rapidly and steadily due to incoming immigration from some of the more developed systems humanity has already colonized, though the term “humanity” here is disputed, because this includes uploaded minds, true AI, and genetically engineered humans and animals…
Xyvan himself was a product of a bygone era. He was a baseline human, unmodified by the countless advancements that had been made in the centuries since he was born. It was a rare sight these days to see someone like him, who looked like they could have walked straight out of a history book. While gene editing had become a ubiquitous technology, allowing individuals to modify their genetic code to enhance their physical and mental capabilities, Xyvan had chosen to eschew these enhancements in favor of maintaining his original genetic makeup.
Pick any two people randomly from even the same star system and they would look as alien to each other as an actual hypothetical alien. Some have artificial enhancements, like bionic limbs and computer brains, making them essentially cyborgs. There are also those with animal DNA spliced into their own, resulting in strange new forms of life. And then there are those with completely artificial bodies, where their consciousness is uploaded into a machine. It's even possible for one person to exist in multiple copies or clones. The possibilities are endless, and the distinction between humans and non-human is now almost non-existent.
Xyvan, on the other hand, decided that he wasn’t gonna have any of them newfangled robot arms and computer brains so he decided to stick with his original layout, though with millions of nanomachines loaded inside his bloodstream, keeping him well-maintained and alive, possibly for millennia.
The 7G-S, nicknamed “The Golden Sunbeam” affectionately by its occupants, was of the standard dual-use medium-sized O’Neill cylinder and laser station variety designed to both keep areas traveled by spacecraft traveling at high fractions of the speed of light clear of dangerous debris and to either decelerate or accelerate those spacecraft to those speeds.
Most people on the station chose to remain baseline humans, though some opted for cybernetic enhancements to improve their physical abilities or to supplement their jobs. The residents all came together to Nu Draconis and were part of an interstellar colonization fleet, looking to escape Sol’s relatively cramped conditions, where they felt that they were no longer needed there. As much as they would not like to admit it, the baselines knew that they were no match for the other human variants. The uploaded minds could process information at lightning speeds, the AIs could analyze data with unparalleled precision, and the genetically-engineered humans and animals possessed physical and cognitive abilities that far surpassed their own.
So, they had set forth, on a centuries-long trip to a pristine star system untouched by anything intelligent, so that they’d be of use once again. At least that was the plan anyway. The company that had funded the colonization mission promised not to send anyone else with them for a few millennia, in exchange for developing the system. However, this promise did not stop other non-baselines from coming in much sooner, as they were able to fund their fleets and make their way to Nu Draconis by themselves. Though on the bright side, Nu Draconis is still very undeveloped as a system, especially compared to the inner-volume systems like Alpha Centauri and 40 Eridani, and may take several more millennia to catch up to them.
Xyvan sank into the plush, leather-like cushions of his chair, savoring the way they molded to his body. As he reclined further and further back, the chair let out a soft, high-pitched chirp of protest. He could feel the barely imperceptible vibration of the 1G spin-gravity that kept him comfortably grounded. The faint smell of recycled air and sterilized surfaces filled his nostrils, and the soft glow of the control panels cast a warm light on his face. His actual residence was on the 0.2G spin-gravity level of The Golden Sunbeam, which he complained that he felt too weightless at lower gravities, having grown up on Earth, where he was used to the constant pull of its gravity. Since leaving, he had been stationed on different planets and space stations with varying levels of gravity. While he could adjust to lower gravities after a while, it never felt quite right to him, and he always longed to return to the familiar 1G of Earth. He’d rather spend his time at his workplace, rather than at his residential room because it is at the 1G level, in addition to the Coriolis effect being significantly lesser this far out from the center of spin.
“Heads up, dirtballer,” his colleague Astrogation Officer Fejka Azmah said, jolting Xyvan out of his daydreaming.
“Dirtballer? Didn’t ya come from Mars yerself eh, dustballer,” Xyvan retorted.
“Umm…akshually, I grew up in a rotating drum AROUND Mars, not on it”, Fejka replied half-jokingly, pushing up her glasses for effect, the servos in her arms whirring softly.
“Why’d’ya even have those, yer basically a robot now,” Xyvan remarked.
“Well apparently, glasses are the ‘in thing’ in Sol right now, or at least a century ago, considering light lag. Also, I believe the correct term nowadays is ‘Cybernetically Enhanced Biological Lifeforms’,” Fejka said, smirking a bit.
“Huh? What is ya even talkin’ about? Anyhoo, why the hell is starin’ at screens for ‘ours on end even a job? What’d I even see ‘ere? Hell, these ships and trash floatin’ in space follow a ballistic trajectory, and ‘eir paths should be predictable out for light years, so why can’t the computer just do it itself?” Xyvan grumbled, looking begrudgingly at the screens showing the trajectories of various incoming and outgoing ships and numerous debris.
“Beats me. I guess that these jobs give people like us an excuse to be employed,” Fejka said. “I mean, it's not like anything exciting happens around here. Those VR-addicted slackers might have the right idea, but I’d rather be doing something productive. That being said, I totally agree. We just babysit these silly interstellar ships that come in, which is fine, but it's not exactly thrilling work,”
“True reality,” Xyvan said, nodding. “We're basically glorified security guards for ‘em ships. What’s worse is that we ain’t seeing any of ‘em interstellars passin’ by for years. Even the company stopped sendin’ us extra fusion fuel shipments for the laser, so even the laser’s useless for vaporizin’ debris. Kinda ironic, don’t ya think? ‘Cause we call this spinnin’ bucket the ‘The Golden Sunbeam’, yet the sunbeam’s never gettin’ any use,”
“Yeah, it's pretty disappointing,” Fejka agreed. “But hey, speaking of upgrades, when are you going to get around to it? We might as well make the most of our time here,”
“Upgrade? Um, yuck, no thanks! I’d like to keep me arms and guts until the Iron Star era, thank you. Kinda a waste of perfectly good limbs eh? There’s a reason why I’m in this bucket and not back in Sol!” Xyvan replied in disgust, sticking his tongue out for comical effect.
Xyvan continued, “Heck, ain’t those robo-eyes of yers only good for watching movies and shows all day. Ya sure ye ain’t a VR-addicted slacker yerself?”
Fejka laughed. “Well, you got me there. Though, I still look at the console every so often, so at least it’s considered as ‘working’. Anyway, have you heard that some guy on Epsilon Eridani apparently discovered a ‘cut and paste’ version of mind uploading, instead of simply creating a digital clone?”
“Yer considerin’ to do that?”
“Nah, it’s not worth the risk,” Fejka said with a shrug. “For all we know, it actually kills the user’s original consciousness in the process and replaces it with a digital imposter, with all the memories of the original, thinking that it is the original,”
Xyvan nodded in agreement “Yeah. To an outsider, it ain’t really makin’ a difference, but to the original…Well, it’s safe to say that the original is no longer with us,”
As they continued their conversation, the alarm on Xyvan's station suddenly blared, and red lights filled the room. Both of them jumped up from their seats and rushed over to the screen.
“Ughh…what is it now? Better not be some delivery freighter accidentally shining their thrusters directly at us again” Fejka murmured in annoyance.
“Huh? That's weird. There ain't supposed to be anyone passin’ round these parts—but looksy, a few dozen drive plumes just happened to appear out of nowhere,” Xyvan said, pointing to the infrared view of several blobs on the screen.
“They're decelerating hard too, 7Gs,” Fejka pointed out.
“Ain't that supposed to be rather soft for ya, Fejka? Anyhoo, why are they usin’ their thrusters to decelerate from that velocity, when the system already has lasers to do that for 'em?”
“I only got my limbs and eyes replaced!—Really wouldn't wanna be inside those ships for long. Back to the point, well, they DID seem to want to hide in the first place. Also, their current trajectory puts them on a relatively close fly-by,”
*Captain of 7G-S, Vong Zan’ir*
“Oh come on, why now‽ Why the fuck can’t it happen later!” Vong Zan’ir grumbled irritably, disturbed from his sleep by blaring sirens to a crimson-lit room.
“Hell, I should replace these shitty alarms with some Zen meditation chants,” Zan’ir snarled under his breath as he was putting on his clothing while cursing up a storm, the remaining remnants of sleep washing away as he injected himself with an anti-fatigue stimulant. Since he was a baseline human like the rest of the crew on The Golden Sunbeam, he was still entitled to some damn sleep.
Being the captain of The Golden Sunbeam, his living quarters were right next to the control center, should he be needed on short notice. Zan’ir dragged himself to the control center next door and entered.
“Captain Vong on deck!”, an officer announced.
Everyone in the room stood up and bowed.
“Damnit! What in the hell is happening‽” Zan’ir asked, to no one in particular.
“Cap’n, I think somebody just solved stealth in space,” Officer Xyvan Karvyk answered.
“Holy shit, really? That’s just what we needed today,” Zan’ir replied, rolling his eyes. He strode towards the sensors and navigation stations, and looked at the displays.
“Wha—what the absolute fuck is this?”
Displayed on the screen were the current positions of the ships and their calculated future trajectories. Each ship staggered from each other at varying distances, with some having a separation as far as a few light-seconds.
Zan'ir opened a telescopic view of the nearest spacecraft, located a few light-hours away. A new window on the screen appeared, depicting a view of the nearest spacecraft, displaying an infrared image of it. The drive plume appeared as an extremely bright steep cone, shaded in various hues of yellowish-white, indicating its intense heat. The actual spacecraft was a barely visible dot on top of the long exhaust stretching thousands of kilometers. Zan'ir couldn't help but notice that it resembled a pencil tip, reminiscent of the days when people used to write manually on paper.
Zan’ir further increased the magnification to reveal more details. The ship itself looked like a long needle, except for what seemed to be numerous glowing patches and a pair of huge glowing wings sticking out of its smooth surface. “Radiators”, Zan’ir said out loud. “Looks like they can’t wish away the laws of thermodynamics after all, even though they could somehow manage to sneak past the sensors from whatever place they come from, hmm?” Officer Fejka Azmah commented.
“What in the flaming hell is this crap? Are these jokers lost on their way to a fucking picnic‽ Nobody’s due to drop by for years!”, Zan'ir asked, spit flying everywhere, bewildered at the sight.
“Dunno, cap’n, all we were just here doin’ our thing then suddenly all of these ships appeared in the infrared. What’s funnier is that the LIDAR can’t even detect them on all of the frequencies, even though their RCS should’ve been visible to us at that range and beyond. Though if we used the main laser, we’d see them better,” Xyvan replied.
“Well, since they’ve revealed themselves, they can’t do the same trick they used to hide again,” Fejka mused.
Xyvan nodded in agreement. “Yup, it's the old ‘There ain’t no stealth in space’ problem. Even if they shut off their heat-producin' activities, we already know their velocity, so it's easy enough to extrapolate their current location. Changing direction would require another burn, and that's gonna produce heat, so they're screwed,”
“Well, the fact that they showed up suddenly without a trajectory plan being sent means this is already solid ground for us to blow them up—”
“Captain! We’ve got a message from DC-23-G!”, shouted Communications Officer Kallax Eket.
“DC? Oh, right, Dense Cloud Inc.—the uploaded minds,” Zan’ir sneered, rolling his eyes. “Oh joy. Our robotic overlords have graced us with their presence. What do they want?”
“Seems like they just sent the bogeys a message—it’s gonna take a while to arrive and any replies would similarly take a while to come back due to light lag, anyway, they asked the ‘stealth’ ships what they are doing, and what their purpose is—so, we don’t really need to do anything, for now. Also, they told us to extrapolate the direction they came from?”
Zan’ir groaned. “What a bunch of smug pricks. They don't trust us baselines to make the right decisions, so they send us a message to tell us to find out what the hell these jackasses are doing,” Zan'ir scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Yeah…the recipients’ list shows that the message is addressed to nearby baseline-human controlled ships and stations,” Kallax said.
"Typical. Bet they're just tickled pink that they get to sit back and watch us scramble to solve this mess," Zan’ir sighed. “Anyway, let’s backtrack their origins,”
“Already did it. Captain, but you probably need to wait a while, the computer’s crunching trying to account for thousands of years of stellar drift, because as of now, it basically traces to the void,” Fejka replied.
“Ah, the joys of interstellar travel. It's like waiting for a snail to crawl across the desert, only slower,” Zan'ir grumbled.
After several dozen seconds of loading, it was ready. Zan’ir took a look at the display and traced the stealth fleet’s velocity line from their current location to their origin. “Wait, that can’t be right…” Zan’ir took a look at the display again. It didn’t change. The label on top of the star system showed “V Puppis”.
“V Puppis? That’s hundreds of light-years away! A round trip to and from there at their velocity would literally take a longer time than we had spaceflight—” Zan’ir eyes widened as he began to put the pieces together.
“Aww…they noticed this first though we’re the nearest and the first to see this?” Xyvan said, finally breaking the silence. “Y’know, due to light lag, those DC guys are what, a light minute further away from the stealth bogeys?”
“Well, that’s the silicon shitheads for you. Fuckers could just hog like a few hundred times more of the electricity and suddenly time slows down a shit ton for them,” Zan’ir said.
“I guess it turns out aliens actually exist, eh?” Fejka commented.
“Yeah, aliens exist, and they're about as subtle as a ferret down your pants. Looks like it's gonna be a fun ride from here on out, folks. Space is too fucking big,"
“What’s a ferret?” Fejka asked, confused.
“Have you been to a zoo bef—actually never mind, you are from Mars,” Sensing that Fejka was about to tell him about her past visits to O’neill cylinder habitat preserves around Mars, Zan’ir quickly changed the topic.
“Egghead!” Zan’ir called out to The Golden Sunbeam’s resident Science Officer, Saikor Qorvan, who somehow managed to sleep through the commotion earlier on. Though Slumber Officer is probably a more accurate description. Nowadays, with nothing to do, and no exploration and research being done, he simply sleeps in the office. Zan’ir, seeing that Saikor has not awoken from his deep sleep, sauntered over to Saikor’s station opposite Xyvan’s and Fejka’s, smirking as he took in the sight of the science officer snoring away.
“Wakey wakey, Egghead,” he drawled, shaking Saikor’s shoulder until the man groggily opened his eyes.
“Wha—what happened,” Saikor asked groggily, barely awake, the last remnants of sleep still holding his eyes shut.
“Wow, you sure are working hard. Someday you might actually get a promotion!” Zan’ir said sarcastically, clapping his hand on Saikor’s shoulder.
“Really?”
“Yeah, someday, millions of years later,” Zan'ir replied, with a wry smile on his face.
“Aww…”
Zan’ir didn’t have time for pity parties. He had more pressing concerns. “Anyway, any guesses on what the cloudbrains mean by ‘sending the bogies a message’? I assume they mean first contact protocols or some other shit. How are they gonna expect little green men from outer space to even understand our message protocols and reply back?”
“Uhh…” Saikor paused, thinking for a while to fully infer the situation. “Oh, first contact protocols! I studied that at university! Hmm, I think first you start with integers like 1, 2, 3, and so on, then universal constants, like Pi or prime numbers, or whatever. Something they can easily distinguish from natural nois—”
“Ah, yes, because that's exactly what aliens are looking for when they encounter an unknown civilization. A lesson in mathematics. Brilliant,” Zan'ir interrupted, shaking his head.
Saikor frowned. “You just told me to explain—”
“Yeah, I told you to explain, not to put me back to sleep! Try concision, Mr. Qorvan!”
“Umm…Start with a radio message by defining natural numbers and then universal constants. And throw in some radio trickery to display an image, if they analyzed the message correctly, so on and so forth until you can finally set up a basic language both parties can understand,”
Saikor, still confused about the whole ordeal, scratched his bald head. “So uh…what’s all this about with aliens and first contact?”
Zan’ir turned to Xyvan, who had been listening in on their conversation. “Tell him, Xyvan. Our poor Saikor here seemed to be sleeping in class and can’t seem to remember the lecture now,”
After a few minutes of Xyvan retelling the events in his slow drawl typical of those who grew up in the then-developing West Asian arcology on Earth back in the 22nd century, Saikor finally got the gist of it. “V Puppis? That system contains a binary pair orbiting a black hole, if I so remember correctly. Well, my guess is they’re dumping their waste heat into the black hole, so that explains the lack of infrared waste heat coming from there. Though that doesn’t really explain the lack of radio waves and other…”
As Saikor continued droning on, Xyvan, who was not listening and instead was going through the infrared images of the stealth ships, noticed something strange. “Hey cap’n, this seems weird,” Xyvan squinted at the display and replayed the stored footage of the stealthcraft for each of them.
Saikor stopped his droning and went over to Xyvan’s station, and so did Zan’ir, thankful that Saikor finally stopped talking.
“Huh. Right before the ships started their deceleration burn, there seemed to be a short heat spike happenin’...”
Saikor suggested, “Maybe they’re restarting the reactors?”
Xyvan shook his head. “Nay, the heat blobs appeared kilometers out from the ships, so it ain’t the ships themselves,”
“Captain!” Kallax called out suddenly. “This just in from DC-23-G again! This time it’s a general alert to watch for relativistic kinetic kill vehicles,”
Zan’ir snorted. “What? RKKVs? Wow, the first thing alien bastards do when they meet us is to shoot. How diplomatic of them,”
Kallax pressed a few buttons and then on the screen in front of Zan’ir a few hundred new velocity lines appeared. “I’ve just sent over the attached trajectories they’ve given out,” Kallax explained.
Suddenly, an alarm rang out. On the screen, hundreds of the kill vehicles changed their directions, as well as new velocity lines appeared.
“They’re course correcting! From the looks of it, sixteen of them will probably hit us!” Saikor exclaimed, a hint of panic evident in his voice.
“No shit, Einstein,” Zan’ir said. “Anything useful for the kill vehicles though?”
“They’re all stealth-coated cap’n. Can’t check the hull materials, though we can assume stuff based on their drive plumes…uhh—” Xyvan said, his characteristic slow drawl being replaced by a more urgent tone.
“From their exhaust velocity and acceleration, the computer thinks they all mass ‘round 350 kilos each…so if any of those hit somebody, at 18.75% c, half-em-vee squared, no relativistic calcs—” Xyvan paused to think. “—it‘d be an excruciatin’ 130 megaton-TNT’s worth of energy. Let’s just say it’d be a very bad day for those unfortunate enough to be in front of these things,” he said grimly.
Zan’ir could feel a headache forming in the deep recesses of his head.
I hate people who throw rocks, he thought.
``` A/N
Hello there, I hope you all enjoyed reading all that.
Feedback would be much appreciated ;)
BTW, do note that this is actually a chapter for a story idea I had originally, but along the way, I thought of another plan, which is something like this story, but modified such that the antagonists are your Soft-Scifi folks you normally see in space opera (so essentially, a Hard Sci-Fi vs Soft-Scifi story instead of purely HSF vs HSF as in the above chapter)
I honestly don't really plan to continue this story and instead go on to the newer idea, but if more people wanted, I might consider going on this route instead.
So yeah, I posted this because I wanted feedback on how I could improve the writing style, things to avoid, what I did great, etc, so that I could implement it in the other route. Also, damn, writing characters are a bit difficult, so I'd like some advice there too.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing this. Thank you, and have a great day! ```

So I'll spare you the conversation about Vivint or ADT etc. I have decided to build my own system. I have 13 windows, 3 doors. I have the desire to have 1 outdoor camera spotlight above the garage, and 2 in the back yard. I also would like 4 indoor cameras to see inside my house.
​
I don't care about protecting my stuff when Im away. I simply want something that is bulletproof to rely on that will tell me when I'm asleep, to alert me if someone has broken in, and where exactly they are, a TV in my room that lets me look quickly at all of my inside and outside cameras to verify if someone has broken in or if it appears the house is empty and its a false alarm, I will take care of the rest how I was trained in the military.
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I know I will need:
device as a hub
software that integrates with the hardware
cameras that preferably can see someones in a user set perimeter and makes a wistle or some noise to let people know there being watched as a deterrent.
sensors on every window, every door
Glass break sensors to cover all windows ( like 5 or 6)
I don't need too much automation or bells and whistles
Deadbolts that work in sync with the system. I'd like to be able to disarm the system by putting in my code to unlock the door disarms the system
accurate notifications of lingering people in the cameras
A system that can be monitored by more than just 1 company. This way if I learn a company is unreliable or untrustworthy I can switch without having to invest in equipment all over again.
Phone notifications that tell me when an alarm goes off, allows me to disarm the system but is done in such a way I have the chance to input a duress word or code.
I can turn the screaming part of the siren off without signalling its a false alarm. I want to disarm the screaming noise, have someone call or come over the panel and be with me when I am looking at my cameras to see if something happened, and will stay with me while I walk through my house.
I have a no-joke button that will with 1 click (maybe you have to hold it down for 10 seconds to prevent accidentally hitting it) that says I have been broken into, send police ASAP.
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I want to be able to prevent 1 scenario only. I am asleep and my alarm goes off. I want to be able to find out very quickly if its a threat or not (looking at camera coverage). If it is a threat I have a way to get help quickly. If it looks like its not a threat, I will still have someone with me while I double check. When I use my code to stop the alarm, that won't be a signal I have said everything is safe. I want contact to be made to ensure it was a false alarm or not.
​
I'm looking to stay under $2500 for equipment, $60 monthly for monitoring, minimal use of technicians like electricians etc to set it up, but I will use them if needed but it will come from the $2500 total budget. I am not tech savvy with wired products. wireless I could set up easy.

So some background context here. My (29F) husband (29M) has always been a big martial arts enthusiast. He used to get into a lot of fights and enter tournaments as a teenager and is still super-close with his buddies from back then, who to be frank are all pretty weird. It was kind of cool when we were young but nowadays he’s still putting it before holding down a proper job, which is frustrating; my dad is pretty rich so we’re not in financial peril but it’s embarrassing to have to keep going to him for money.
Anyway, our son (11M) is an interesting case. I’ve always wanted him to focus on his studies; pushy parent, I know, but he does genuinely enjoy education when he knuckles down at it and his grades are fantastic. But, my husband has this idea that he’s gonna be his successor; he puts loads of pressure on him to be a martial artist, and unfortunately for me my son is a natural at it, but I know it’s not really what he wants to do with his life.
Anyway. So a few days ago my husband (who has just recovered from a heart problem that nearly KILLED him, no less) takes the kid and disappears for the day. When he shows up again, my son’s cut his hair and my husband announces that him and his buddies are entering this fighting challenge tournament against some green freak guy who has already kicked most of their asses to hell and back, and that OUR SON is entering too. Aged 11! Of course, I said ‘no way’. He’s a kid, he can’t fight in a tournament alongside grown men.
What really wound me up is that of course, all his buddies took his side, insisting that he had to enter. Have I mentioned also just how WEIRD these guys all are? Most of them apparently had real beef with my husband in the past but now they all hang out together. One of them is an ex-con who now plays baseball, one’s a homeless guy who wears a turban and a cape (who, incidentally, ran off with my son for like a year when he was like five years old; dear God that’s another story), and one’s this short angry guy who just showed up out of the blue a few years ago and now lives with some tech empire heiress who he knocked up. They all seem to think my son entering is totally normal, and even that he might actually win.
Now, 99% of me thinks they’re flat-out crazy, but when everyone is against you sometimes you start doubting yourself. So, am I right to be worried, or should I put my foot down and say my son can’t enter and has to focus on his studies?

To preface, a ton of people want RDR3 to be a prequel, but a lot of people also don’t. The arguments against it, which I support, are that we already know how everything goes so they can’t re-contextualize things the way 2 did because in 1 we know so little about the gang’s days before the game, and that it just wouldn’t be that interesting.
But I think they could pull off a prequel in a way that wouldn’t be redundant or uneventful, and this is why I think the protagonist of a third game should be…
Uncle.
The reasons why I think his character can perfectly be set up as the protagonist of the third game follow, but I’ll get the most obvious one out of the way
We don’t even know his real name. And for the entire duration of the game until the end of the final chapter, they do not reveal this. So the entire game we’ll think we’re just playing as a completely new character with no correlation to the story of the first 2 games, and throughout the game we only get subtle hints as to who this new character actually is.
Which leads into my next point, all we know about him is the vague stories of his past that he tells throughout the game that never really matter at all in the bigger picture. Beating up 6 Englishman in a bar, becoming some sort of national hero in Africa, being the “one shot kid” that he was bragging about to Arthur and others. They could subtly hint at who he is throughout the game without making it obvious and only in retrospect it makes sense. Have the bar fight with the Englishman just happen as a random occurrence with no one making a big deal about it, at one point you kill multiple men with a single shot and without throwing it in your face, that’s where his nickname originates, maybe at some point in the story you get hit really hard in the back and that’s where he got his lUmBAgO from, but it only becomes a big deal when he gets older. So much they could do to subtly hint at who he really is without giving it away abruptly. And some argue that if we did play as another gang member that never appears or is even mentioned in 2, it would just never make sense for continuity. But if we play as Uncle we won’t have that to worry about and the same problem wouldn’t occur, because of my next point.
And a common argument against playing as any other gang member present in 1/2 is that we know their stories. Lenny, Sean, Javier etc we know didn’t have much of a life outside of the gang, but Uncle did from what we know. He’s the oldest member by a decent margin and he could’ve had an entire life outside of the gang that we’re yet to see. The game could just end with him joining the gang. And it could also tie into the theme of redemption which is what the game would need. Maybe joining was some kind of new beginning for him after his story which we never saw. He has over Lenny’s entire lifetime of his own story to work with which involved much much more than just the gang. I think it would also be refreshing if not for the third time in a row, we die at the end of the game or before the epilogue. And just imagine the shock of finding out you were Uncle the entire time, and hearing Dutch/Hosea or young Arthur’s voice out of nowhere. I trust R* could give us a story that doesn’t feel redundant or predictable as another prequel while completely reinventing the character.
And his story would take place at the height of the Wild West, which I think is a plus.
That’s all I’ve got

Ok so after the finale I have a few thoughts/theories on s3.
First of all they've set it up so well with the gang essentially being split up into cross hair omega, and new girl / hunter, wrecker, echo. Like the cross hair episode have always been good but it seems like s3 will have a fully split narrative between the two halves leading to a really good reunion in the season or mid-season finale.
Secondly am I think only who wants a time jump? Like I think aging up omega would be nice and just giving the added context of even a few years spent searching would help the dynamic we left off on. At the very least we should have a small jump, even if it's a few months.
I don't think tech is dead, narratively it's stronger if he is but the possibility of a reveal is too strong and when's the last time a death stuck in this franchise? Especially with the cloning it just seems like tech is gonna show up next season.
Evil bad batch clones. In the room with cross hair we see three cats, I think these are clones of tech, hunter and wrecker that were meant to be lead by cross hair at some point. An evil version of the gang would be cool serve as good sub-antagonists for crosshair omega and the new girl.

I hooked up with a guy I met online twice within the past few weeks. However, it didn’t go very far, because I am inexperienced and was nervous. He has now asked me to go for drinks with him. He has previously said he isn’t looking for a relationship, so it’s not like this is a date, it’s just casual, but I am freaking out over the idea of it.
I have bad social anxiety and up until last year, I was barely leaving the house at all, so this is a big step for me. I also have a lot of insecurity around my body image and looks. We’ve only seen each other in his car, hooking up at night. I’m worried that when he sees me in a different setting, he’ll be analysing me and suddenly find me unattractive or the fact I’m overweight will be more noticeable (I have never taken my clothes off around him).
He has asked me to stay at his for the night and told me he wants to go down on me, and as much as I want him to, I’m really nervous. I feel like he isn’t actually attracted to me, is out of my league and only being nice until someone better comes along. I can’t help but wonder why he would even show any interest in me at all. I even feel awkward when he starts getting sexual through texts and don’t have the confidence to sext back. My lack of sexual experience is adding to the stress, making me feel really out of my depth.
How do I overcome the nerves? My usual response to anxiety is avoidance, having to face it is really difficult for me. I don’t want to miss an opportunity. I could be honest with him about it but I feel really embarrassed and don’t want to scare him off. He’s been texting me about how excited he is to see me and I feel guilty.

So today was treatment 8/30 for me. The three doctors I spoke to about rTMS before starting all said that headaches are common but the treatment will cause only mild discomfort at most. I get 4 min and 40 sec of intermittent bursts on the left and then 40 seconds of constant bursts on the right. My first session I would say the pain was a 3 or 4 out of 10 on both sides but they said it would be less painful as I built a tolerance.
They could not have been more wrong. The left side is probably only a 5/10 but the right side has been getting increasingly more painful and today I could barely get through the measly 40 seconds. My tech just said “everyone has different pain responses” and brushed me off. Like I’m just being a wimp? I would have said before this my pain tolerance was average-high.
Also, on my 4th day of treatment I got a nosebleed about an hour after I finished. I’m mid twenties and have never had a nosebleed in my life. I called the clinic and the tech seemed concerned so she called the head doctor. She called me back and said the head doctor said there is no possible way the TMS caused the nosebleed. I can accept that I guess but it just seems like a weird coincidence and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this??
I don’t think I can make it through another 4 weeks of this. I feel like they’re drilling spikes into my head and my eye is going to pop out. Is there something wrong with me? I don’t know how to get them to listen to me telling them I can’t handle it.
All advice appreciated :)

Pretty soon drivers throughout Georgia and South Carolina should be getting quests for the Master’s Tournament. Some of y’all will be asking about whether it is worth it, and some of y’all will be asking about strategies for working the tournament, so I’ll try to cover both in this post. For reference, I have been an Uber driver in Augusta since 2017. I did two Master’s Tournaments as an X driver pre-pandemic and one Master’s Tournament as an XL driver last year (the two tournaments during the pandemic were closed to the public and were for members only). Sorry to the Uber Black drivers who are looking at this post, I don’t really have much experience to share with you about your platform, but hopefully some of this guide will still be helpful. I don’t do Eats, but they should do well here, too.
Market basics:
Augusta is a rate-card market. It pays UberX $0.60/min and $0.09/mile and pays UberXL $1.45/min and $0.22/mile. Those who are coming from an upfront market (and new drivers who decide to start during The Master’s) will be accepting trips blind (unless Uber goes upfront within the next week). You have to have a SC vehicle inspection to pick up rides in North Augusta, SC, so unless you are a SC driver, or you come from a border town and did the SC vehicle inspection, you might want to avoid that side of town (near downtown, Augusta). Alternatively, if you do have a SC vehicle inspection done, this is a great location to get trips that other drivers (including most taxi drivers) cannot get. Outside of the tournament, the Augusta market only has UberX and UberXL. The platforms that I remember from last year during tournament week included UberX, UberX Diamond, Uber Comfort, UberXL, Uber Black, and Uber SUV. I know Lyft (which normally only does Lyft and LyftXL) also has Lyft Lux, but I’m not sure of their other platforms.
Tournament basics:
The rideshare waiting lot for the Augusta Nationals (the name of the golf course which hosts the Master’s Tournament) is on Washington Rd about a mile East from Exit 199 of I-20. Most tickets can only be used twice for entry into the tournament. The entrance to the rideshare lot is just after the taxi lot entrance which is just after the Olive Garden restaurant if you are coming from I-20. The tournament starts at 8 am and ends when all the players are done on the course, typically around 5pm-ish. Those who attend to watch the tournament but are not members are called patrons. A lot of patrons will only come to see a particular golfer (Tiger Woods draws a lot of attention) and will leave when their golfer leaves (especially during practice rounds). Some patrons will sit at a single hole and will leave when all the players that they want to see for the day have come across that hole.
The women’s amateur tournament already began on Wed March 29, 2023, at Champion’s Retreat. The women’s tournament players get a practice day on Fri March 31 and will compete on Sat April 1 at the Augusta Nationals. Mon, Tues, and Wed April 3-5 will be the practice rounds. A lot of your middle-class fans will be here on one of these days as they will have a hard time getting tickets to the actual tournament; most of these patrons will only be here for a single day. Thu-Sun April 6-9 is the actual tournament. Most of your better-off patrons (and very lucky patrons) will be here during the actual tournament. They will often be here all four days. April 6-9 will be, by far, the busiest times of the tournament.
A lot of businesses arrange for tickets. Outside of C-suite employees, most of these tickets will be given out to customers and awarded to employees for a half-day visit (as they can be used twice) to get the most bang for the buck. This is good for UberX & UberXL drivers as a lot of these patrons who are there for half-day help fill up some of the time between the start time rush and the end of the day rush and are more likely to use Uber (or taxis) to get around.
Try to get along with the law enforcement and the workers at and around the Augusta Nationals. The Augusta Nationals has a reputation for banning and trespassing those who don’t follow their fairly stringent rules, although most of the workers there just work for the week. The Augusta Nationals have stripped members of their membership for things we might feel are small infractions; they certainly don’t care about trespassing a random Uber driver.
Airports:
Augusta has two airports:

• The regional airport (AGS) will be mad crazy during tournament week, but many, many, many drivers will be hanging around the airport, including taxis, Uber Black, limos, hired drivers, shuttles for the master’s, hotel shuttles, etc. Unless you are Uber Black, I honestly don’t recommend hanging out at AGS (but do what you feel is best), although I personally would accept any requests that I got from the airport if I were outside the queue as there could be a hidden surge attached to it. AGS also closes their cellphone waiting lot to rideshare during tournament week. Be wary of picking up at AGS. There are six whole legal spots to pick up at AGS (six more spots at departures), and the Marshalls (GA’s police department responsible for airport operations at AGS) will probably take up two of them for some stupid reason. One of those six spots is also technically a shuttle pickup spot that the Marshalls may or may not be enforcing. Speaking of enforcement, the Marshalls will come out with a new policy several times a day during the tournament, so be polite, follow their immediate instructions, but don’t count on it being the same the next day. Also, the pickup spot in the app is the pedestrian crosswalk that goes between arrivals and departures (smack dab in the middle of the front of the airport). Make sure you pause for several seconds at that spot to start the cancelation timer before driving down towards the exits for arrivals. If you don’t, you have to go all the way around the airport to start the timer. Many knuckleheads will be ordering Ubers while sitting on the tarmac, so you might be collecting a few cancelation fees. A side note: you can always turn left into the rental parking lot and park along the sidewalk if necessary…this includes if you need to run into the airport to use the restroom or when there are not enough places to wait for your rider. This is about the only other place that the Marshalls will not harass you for stopping besides the designated pickup area and the cellphone waiting lot (when not closed). You technically need Uber stickers displayed to pick up at the airport, but I’ve never seen this enforced. If you want to see arrivals and departures, go to flyags.com and certainly don’t rely on the Uber app.
• At AGS, there is also an FBO (some riders will call it “Aviation Services” or “The private terminal” or “The executive terminal” or “The civil part of the airport” or something similar). Unfortunately, passenger auto-pins from here gets lumped into the general commercial pickup location. You will get mostly pilots coming from here as anyone who can charter a private plane will likely have a private ride already scheduled. You can legally pick up from the FBO (and also drop off). When you enter AGS, you’ll see a blue sign pointing to the cell phone waiting lot. Turn right into that lot and then turn left at the next street. Try to pick up under the awning, although you might have a line of grey Mercedes Sprinter vans in the way as those drivers feel they get special privilege (which they kinda’ do because the Augusta Nationals has a TON of political clout in Augusta).
• The other airport is the civil airport in the middle of the city named Daniel Field. Unlike AGS, this airport is typically underserved by Uber but is also extremely busy during the tournament. Despite there likely being a huge line of taxis there, you’ll likely get rides from here if the riders order the Uber before they see the taxis. These riders will likely leave their phone in their plane, so you might not see their blue location dot update. If you see them not have their phone with them (phones are not allowed in the tournament), let them know that there is an Uber representative that can order them a ride back on their account in the parking lot that you drop them off. (You probably won’t get their return trip, but they’ll help contribute to any surges later that you’ll benefit from.)

Quests:
Last year, the quests were for $15/trip originating from the rideshare parking lot at the Augusta Nationals between 3pm and 7pm. This sounds great, but I only got a total of 7 trips during that quest time for the entire four days of the quest (and one of those trips was a “high priority” return after a very short trip). The big issues are that the tournament might end before 3pm for bad weather or might go beyond 7pm (usually because of weather delays). Also, every driver is trying to cram into the rideshare lot to get in the queue for that quest. Even if the tournament gets out during the quest hours, you will be fighting traffic out of and back into the rideshare lot. The lot seems to be designed for about 20 vehicles, but there were at least 60 vehicles crammed in most of the time last year. Drivers can also park at the Publix parking lot near the Augusta Nationals to get in the queue, but then you must crawl through traffic to get to the pickup. As a strategy, it might be worth it to jump into the Publix lot, though, to get your position in the queue to get one more quest for the night. The quest is what brings drivers to Augusta, but it isn’t really where drivers make their money….
Tips:
Stories abound in and around Augusta about $100 tips that patrons give out during their visit to the Master’s Tournament. In the three years that I drove for the tournament, I only got some of these tips one year (last year) and none the other two years, but I received four of them last year for the following reasons: (1) being a military veteran, (2) returning binoculars that were left in my vehicle, (3) going through a Chick-Fil-A drive thru, and (4) making a half-dozen stops for one rider for cigars and alcohol and ice and other items. The first two tips were easy money; the second two tips cost a lot of time during high surges (although I would have still had a hard time doing better than the $100 during that time). If you are a young lady that is easy on the eyes (not sure of a better way to put it), you will have a much easier time getting the $100 tips, but you’ll likely also face some very stereotypical frat-guy behavior from the mostly older male crowd. Most people giving out these types of tips are not taking UberX or UberXL, though.
Surges:
As an upfront market, real surges are hidden, but you’ll still be able to see sticky surges. The best time for surges (aka, the times when riders exceed drivers) are in the early hours of the morning, the closing hours of the tournament, and during late night. The event starts at 8am (watch out for weather delays), but the rides easily start before 5am. There are a lot of moving parts to get the tournament started, and a lot of the rides that you’ll give as an UberX or UberXL are to those who support the tournament rather than the patrons. Parking lot attendants, traffic control, hospitality, camera crews, etc., are all heading to work. Uber shines at this time as the other modes of transportation have a hard time capturing this traffic unless prescheduled. A lot of patrons will start coming in soon after the workers to try to get the “ultimate” spot, and patrons will keep coming in for several hours. At the end of the tournament, there is no magical place to be except as close to the Augusta Nationals as possible. Patrons, workers, etc. are all streaming out of the same location.
Hot Spots:

• The rideshare lot for the Augusta Nationals: obviously
• Hooter’s: I swear a third of my mid-day trips went between Hooters and the Augusta Nationals. A very short trip.
• Other common restaurants that I would sit at (most of these have other restaurants close by that will be busy, too, but not necessarily as busy): Twin Peaks, T Bonz Steakhouse (in Augusta, not so much the one in Evans), Abel Brown, Beck’s, Cork and Flame (in Evans) and Frog Hollow (and other downtown Augusta restaurants).
• Hotel Clusters: For patrons, these hotels include those on Steven’s Creek Rd (aka Claussen Rd), Gordon Highway off of Exit 3 of I-520, downtown Augusta (one of which is in North Augusta, SC), Wheeler Rd off of Exit 2 of I-520, Jimmie Dyess Pkwy off of Exit 194 of I-20, and Lewiston Rd off of Exit 190 of I-20. Workers will primarily stay at the “cheaper” hotels (which will still be relatively mad expensive) throughout the city, especially around Washington Rd, Wrightsboro Rd near the Augusta Mall, and all the old hotels that litter the rest of Gordon Highway (good locations to pick up 5-7am).
• Underserved house rental clusters:

1. Don’t bother around Washington Rd as patrons will be primarily walking (not worth fighting the traffic for such low fares to the tournament either, imho, unless you are very, very close already).
2. West Lake is a huge location for pickups. It is a gated community, but if you tell the guards you are picking up at 3556 W Lake Dr (the Club House), they should let you right through the gate. You can even type this address in your app to get directions to it (without using your precious destination filters) and have your app look like you are actually going to there for a pickup.
3. There are several subdivisions near Washington Rd and William Few Pkwy in Evans, GA, that are commonly underserved.
4. Whole blocks within River Island Pkwy are rented out by Mercedes Benz and other corporations and is a good source of rides.
5. River North Dr in North Augusta, SC, is a great source of rides for patrons for those drivers who have submitted a completed a SC vehicle inspection to Uber.
6. Otherwise, workers and patrons will be staying in housing all over the city.

Roads to Avoid:

• Traveling down John C. Calhoun Expy/Washington Rd between downtown Augusta and the Augusta Nationals when patrons are going to/from the tournament. If coming from downtown or traveling to downtown, take Riverwatch Pkwy (erroneously labeled River Watch Pkwy on some GPS apps). Both Greene St and Reynolds St become Riverwatch Pkwy if you travel West on them long enough. At Alexander Dr, you will turn left, and then turn left again on Washington Rd (about ½ block from the rideshare entrance). To go downtown, turn left from the rideshare parking lot (not technically allowed, but most people still do so), turn right on Alexander Dr (the next light), and then turn right on Riverwatch Pkwy.
• Berkmans Rd (which becomes Alexander Dr at Washington Rd and becomes Highland Ave at Walton Way) will be closed by the Sherriff when the tournament ends. Until then, feel free to use it although it will be congested at the start of the tournament. The best way to avoid it is a long way around which is to take Walton Way to Walton Way Ext (a right turn), turn left onto Wheeler Rd, and then turn left on Marks Church Rd, to go West onto I-520, then to go East onto I-20, then get off at Exit 200 to Riverwatch, then turn right onto Riverwatch, and then turn left onto Alexander. If you do this with a rider in the car though, they might get really upset for all the extra miles they are paying for although it is much, much faster.
• Boy Scout Rd, which is technically the alternate route for Berkmans Rd when Berkmans Rd is closed. Just about all northbound traffic heading toward the tournament (or to Hooter’s or other nearby restaurants/hotels) that do not use the expressway will be stuck on this road when Berkmans Rd is closed. If Berkmans Rd is closed, you’ll likely regret taking Boy Scout Rd. Otherwise, Berkmans Rd is almost always better.

Law Enforcement:
The LE that you come across in Augusta are overworked outside of the tournament and will have had some really long hours by the time the tournament even starts. If you do something stupid enough to warrant the LE to actually bother going after you, expect at least a ticket. Be polite to LE because their fuses are already short. If you screw up, the best thing to do is to just apologize and accept the chew out if they are yelling at you from the road. Arguing will likely get you swarmed by police in Augusta.
Some notable things to point out:

• The North Augusta Police (in SC) have a reputation for giving out tickets for minor speeding infractions (and North Augusta has some of the lowest speed limits in the market). If you cross the bridges, stay at the speed limit until you get back to GA.
• Georgia State Police (GSP) have a reputation for giving you a ticket if they pull you over, even during non-tournament weeks. Most of their cars are the telltale grey on blue, but they do have a few stealth cars in the Augusta Market (black writing on black paint).
• Speaking of stealth cars, the Richmond County sheriff also have stealth SUVs and a TON of unmarked police cars.
• Georgia Public Safety (GPS) officers come out in numbers and single out a lot of commercial vehicles during tournament week (along with GSP). Note that Ubers are technically commercial vehicles. This is especially true on Doug Bernard Pkwy (the road going to/from the regional airport) and on I-520 and I-20. Doug Bernard Pkwy is easy hunting for GSP & GPS as the road is built like a 65-mph highway but only has a 45-mph speed limit. Everyone I’ve seen pulled over were exceeding 60 (I believe), but that is all the choice of the officers.

Competition:

• Other rideshare drivers: Not as bad as you would think. During the big money-making times, it won’t really matter. The market is flooded with rideshare drivers, though, which means that the surges are less common. Uber Black and UberX/XL surge separately, so there were times that Black was cheaper than X/XL according to several locals. Any stories about the Master’s Tournament driving the surges up to massive amounts all day long comes from 2016, which was the first time that Uber came to Augusta. The subsequent years have been much milder.
• Taxis: Taxi drivers come from all over GA and SC to drive during the tournament. I saw more taxis sitting at Daniel Airfield (our small civil airport in the middle of the city) during a slow time during tournament week last year than I’ve seen in all of Augusta during the rest of the year! At the Augusta Nationals, the taxi lot is next to the rideshare lot (but with a separate entrance), and patrons will have to walk past the Ubers to get to the taxis. At AGS, the taxi lot has its own beautiful exit coming out of the terminal, so the taxis often get riders before riders resort to Uber.
• Limos: Limos come from even further out. I saw limos from Myrtle Beach, Tampa, Kentucky…. LOTS of them all over the place. They are moving around the Daddy Warbucks type patrons and are getting most of those $100 bill tips. =P Limos and shuttles share a lot on Berckmans Rd.
• Hotel vans: Every decent hotel has at least a shuttle or two that they run during the tournament. Many of these hotels park their shuttles for the other 51 weeks out of the year. >.> These shuttles are not supposed to be in the rideshare lot, but some of them were last year.
• Private shuttles: A ton of companies, home-rental companies, and even the Augusta Nationals hire private drivers and use the grey Mercedes Benz Sprinter shuttles to get around. These shuttles are moving around the players, the CEOs, the big sponsor employees, etc. They are getting the rest of those $100 bill tips (many of them get a much higher single tip at the end of the tournament as a percentage of the shuttle cost).
• Public transportation: public transportation (the buses) suck in Augusta and are not really very relevant during the tournament.

Traveling from Other Markets:
One of the mistakes many drivers make is not recouping the costs of traveling from/to their market and missing the surges that result from other drivers leaving their market. I assume that a driver is not going to stay overnight in Augusta as the hotel costs are prohibitive. I also don’t recommend sleeping in your car because the local LE already have short fuses with the extra hours and the extra work brought on from patrons during the tournament (patrons routinely include heads of states and billionaires). If you are over 2 ½ hours away and don’t have a place to crash in Augusta, I wouldn’t bother.
Here is what I would do if I were in these other markets (but your reasoning or circumstances might be different):

• Aiken, SC: Technically the same metro although Augusta & Aiken drivers rarely overlap trips. I’d definitely be outside the Wilcox early to get one of the many patrons needing a ride.
• Athens: I might as well come to Augusta if I didn’t have a game going on. Still a four-hour round trip that I’d have to overcome. Brownie points if I could finagle a ride from the Thompson civil airport on the way to or from Augusta. Sadly, I know more about Atlanta than I know about Athens, but I would guess there are some (relatively) cheapskate patrons staying at hotels in Athens that would need a trip to Augusta early in morning. If so, I’d jump on that if I came across one (probably give them my number to get their return trip, too).
• Atlanta: A five-hour roundtrip is nothing to take lightly. I would only come to Augusta if I had a long-distance trip here (which many patrons will go straight from ATL or even a hotel). Atlanta does well during the tournament as a lot of drivers go to Augusta deadheading both ways, some drivers get pulled to Augusta thanks to long-distance trips, and Augusta ends up sucking up all the rental cars in the SE. A combination that is really, really good for drivers in ATL during tournament week and especially for airport drivers. If I got a long-distance trip back to ATL at any point (likely mid-day or at/near the end of the tournament), I’d take it in a heartbeat and call it a great day while finishing up in Atlanta if I had any more hours to burn.
• Columbia, SC: As I’d only be about an hour away, I’d definitely head over to Augusta. I’d also sit downtown Augusta during the few times that I would sit. I’d try to begin the day with a trip from the hotels in downtown Columbia as lots of international travelers will stay in Columbia (last year a lot of patrons from Ireland stayed in Columbia as the Augusta hotels were full, international travel to Columbia was easier, and the patrons came for a specific Irish player that qualified for the tournament fairly close to the tournament date).
• Macon: I don’t think that I would bother. Very unlikely to find trips along the way either way. To head directly to Augusta takes lots of state highways through small towns, too.
• Savannah: Even worse than coming from Atlanta. No interstates to travel up/down. I’d only do it if I got a patron staying at a hotel in Savannah (and give them my number to get their return trip, too).
• Statesboro: Quite a bit closer to Augusta than Savannah, but still traveling down state highways with little chances of getting a ride between the two metros. I would be surprised if any patrons stayed in Statesboro and ubered back and forth, but I’d accept a ride to Augusta if it came up (again giving my number to get their return trip).