So about 2 days ago me and my boyfriend (19) and I (F18) got into a pretty big argument and we ended up breaking up. This is pretty common for us as he has bipolar and that sometimes gets in the way. We’re also sort of long distance. He lives down south near Brighton and I live up north near london so we barley see eachother. Anyways I don’t know his mums number or sisters or anything with his family. I’ve been with him for 2 years and even tho we broke things off I’m very worried about him. He has mentioned suicide before. I have no way of contacting him as he has blocked me on everything imaginable. I’ve asked friends to try and add him but he hasn’t added them back or anything. It sounds ridiculous but I’ve even tried looking at deceased lists on google but they seem to not really work well. What can I do? I just want to know that he’s ok and safe

Hello,
I am a 29 year old male, who would like to find someone to spend my time with and hopefully live happily ever after. I would like someone who is into gaming and anime, but they aren't necessarily required. But both are pretty big hobbies of mine. I enjoy camping and hanging with family and friends around a fire. Board games are a ton of fun, so if you like them too. That'd be amazing!
I live in Michigan, and would prefer if you'd be willing to relocate here. As I have a career and looking to move up in this business. I do IT work for restaurants and the company that owns the restaurants. It's a ton of fun and I usually have my phone in my hand to answer emails and fix issues. So I respond pretty quickly!
I am primarily a PC gamer. But looking to buy a PS5 is the near future. So if you play either that'd be amazing. I use discord so if we wanted to move to that, that'd be great!
Hope to hear from some of you. Feel free to send a message or chat!
You can also just add me on discord too if that's easier!
LawlyLion#1052
Hope to get some good conversations!

Please submit your ID requests as top-level comments within this post (i.e., direct comments to this post). Any top-level comments in this thread that are not ID requests will be removed, and any ID requests that are submitted as standalone posts to geology will be removed.
To add an image to a comment, upload your image(s) here, then paste the Imgur link into your comment, where you also provide the other information necessary for the ID post. See this guide for instructions.
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1. Multiple, sharp, in-focus images taken ideally in daylight.
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Please can someone help me identify this sample? It was collected along the coastal road in southeast Naxos (Greece) near Panormos Beach as a loose fragment, but was part of a larger exposure of the same material. The blue-ish and white-yellowish minerals do not scratch with steel. Here are the images.

Where: East to West Ski Traverse from Shepherd's Pass Trailhead (Independence, CA) across the Sierra to Wolverton (Western Sierra Foothills), sometimes referred to as the "Sierra High Route Ski Traverse" or the "David Beck Route" after the ski guide who pioneered the route in the 1970s. Getting to cross the Sierra on skis, particularly with a historic snowpack, was an amazing experience.
When: May 25, 2023 – May 28, 2023
Distance and Vert: 50 Miles, 15,000' ascent (CalTopo: https://caltopo.com/m/FH2VE)
Conditions: Continuous snow from mile ~6 at 9400'. Weather varied from zero visibility clouds, scorching direct sun, precipitation/graupel, and frigid mornings.
Lighterpack: for a couple (shared sleep system and ski gear for two) https://lighterpack.com/rp5unn
Cars/Transportation: This might be one of the biggest challenges of the trip. Some people choose to stage cars at both trailheads, but that would require a six-hour drive before and after the trip. The ideal situation, which we were able to work out, is to swap cars with another group crossing in the opposite direction simultaneously, trading keys on route. However, not everyone will be this lucky. Another option is to hitchhike from Wolverton to Three Rivers, then get a ride to the Fresno airport, fly to Reno, and take the 395 shuttle to Independence. But this will add days to your trip.
Road Closure: This year, an additional complexity was that the road from Hospital Rock to Wolverton was closed due to rain damage. It is a 14-mile stretch with an elevation gain of approximately 5000'. We spoke to rangers at SEKI, and suggested they might look the other way if we rode our e-bikes outside of construction hours, which they believed were from 7 AM to 7 PM. So, one group rode e-bikes with cargo trailers we purchased on Amazon from Hospital Rock at 2700' up to Wolverton at 7400'. They locked up the bikes and trailers and headed east. When we arrived at Wolverton after our traverse, we unlocked the bikes, loaded our gear, and rode the bikes back down to the car parked at Hospital Rock. Walking that stretch would be a pain after already crossing the Sierra, particularly because you'd probably have to haul boots and skis down the road with you on your back.
Purpose of [Long] Report: I've wanted to cross the Sierra on skis for many years, but poor snow conditions had stymied previous attempts. With the historic snowpack this year, I finally got a chance to ski it. Prior to this trip, I scoured the Internet for information, but most of it was either old and lacked details or came from guide companies that lead clients across in about six days. In the interest of aiding future skiers, I wanted to put together a comprehensive trip report with some of our group's learnings. However, a caveat to future readers, our trip was much later in the year than is typical and followed the deepest winter in recorded memory in the Sierra, so your experience may differ greatly.
GEAR
Our kits were relatively light given it was a ski traverse, which was essential due to the long ski and boot carry on day one. This lighter pack is my wife and I's shared and personal gear combine. She was less egar to list out her clothing individually (she does not share our affliction) however she let me weigh it all at once: https://lighterpack.com/rp5unn
Sleep Kit: For anyone contemplating winter camping with someone they feel comfortable sharing a sleeping bag with, I cannot recommend the Feathered Friends Spoonbill enough. It is the single greatest piece of kit I have ever owned. It's absurdly light and warm and more comfortable than a solo bag because it's large enough for both people to stretch out. Of course, it only really works if you feel comfortable cozying up with your partner, but if you're a couple, like we were, it's the greatest. Just make sure that you have pad straps that hold the two sleeping pads together. When we first got the bag, we contemplated one of those double sleeping pads, but they're heavy and not as warm as the Therm-a-Rest Xtherm. Instead, I've sewn pad straps with grosgrain, similar to the ones you can purchase from Gossamer Gear, that hold the pads together perfectly. It's also nice that each person has their own pad to inflate to their preferred firmness. The Xtherm is also warm enough to eliminate the need for extra closed cell foam pads.
Skis: If you're contemplating this route, you might be tempted to reach for ultralight skimo skis, but I'd urge caution. The snow conditions you're going to encounter are wildly variable, and unless you're used to skiing sun cups with a super heavy pack down steep passes, you may want something more robust. I ended up opting for my Blizzard Zero G 105 because I wanted that additional flotation in the soft afternoon snow. It ended up being a pretty good choice, although it was pretty heavy to haul up Shepherd's Pass on my back.
Sharps Kit: We carried aluminum boot crampons and ski crampons. Both were essential. My partner had a BD Whippet to assist on some of the passes. I just opted for poles. If you're used to booting, I think crampons are probably enough, and you can likely leave the ice ax at home.
Stove: We debated bringing an alcohol stove (Trail Designs Ti Tri), but we ended up bringing a MSR Reactor, worried that we would have to melt snow for water. We ended up collecting 95% of our water, and we could've easily collected all of it. I've heard from other groups that when the weather gets cold, it can be more difficult to track down water, but we could have gotten away with an alcohol stove.
Footwear: I wore light road running shoes up Shepard's Pass. They got pretty shredded on the trip, but they were a welcome addition and served as great camp shoes too while I tried to dry by boots in the afternoon sun.
Eyewear: At the last minute, I ditched my goggles and wore Smith Wildcats exclusively. Although I did have a backup pair of sunglasses, just in case I lost the Wildcats, I'm glad I didn't bother with goggles. The descents themselves were pretty short.
Pack: We both used HMG Porter packs without the HMG ski carry mod, but our own MYOG tubular webbing contraption to hold skis in place without damaging the webbing straps. They were perfect for the trip. I do know HMG now makes a ski-specific pack, but I purchased the Porter many years ago. However, even if the new pack had been available, I'd still prefer the Porter for versatility in other activities like climbing, packrafting, general backpacking, etc.
DAY-BY-DAY REPORT
Early on the morning of May 25th, we left the Courthouse Motel in Independence, CA bound for Shepard's Pass Trailhead. With skis and poles in hand, the proprietors looked perplexed when they asked us were we were headed and we told them “Fresno.” Despite significant runoff this year, the road to the Shepherds Pass Trailhead is passable with a low-clearance vehicle. While we couldn't reach the "hikers" trailhead, we easily reached the "stock" trailhead at 5600'. Starting our traverse from there, we ascended Symmes Saddle toward Shepard's Pass in lightweight running shoes, with skis and boots on our backs. Along the way, we encountered clear evidence of the historic avalanche cycle, including massive trees blocking the trail. Crossing the creek multiple times, we devised creative ways to keep our feet dry, using pack tosses and rock jumps. At the final crossing, we bypassed a sketchy log and carefully waded through the creek with our heavy packs.As the trail steepened into switchbacks, intermittent snow appeared around 8400', soon becoming continuous. Pushing on through snow with sneakers, we reached Symmes Saddle at 9100'. There the trail transitions to a south aspect and the snow disappeared completely. After a few more miles, we arrived at Mahogany Flat, there we switched from shoes to skis, encountering consistent snow for the rest of the traverse. Our first night's camp was set above the "Pothole" on granite slabs, offering a breathtaking view of the Owens River Valley below.
The following day, we ascended Shepherds Pass using boot crampons, reaching the Tyndall Plateau. Descending on firm, sun-capped snow, we made our way to the Kern River, where we were fortunate to find a snow bridge, a crucial element of our route. Crossing without a bridge would have been sketchy. From there, we faced the grueling climb up Milestone Basin under a scorching sun. Fortunately, afternoon clouds provided relief and intermittent graupel. We ascended Milestone Pass late in the afternoon, then descended into Milestone Bowl, where again we camped on granite slabs.
On the third day, we descended the remainder of Milestone Bowl before embarking on several long traverses across massive bowls. At the end of the first ski traverse, we booted up an unnamed ridge marked by glide avalanche cracks. After briefly meeting the other party traveling from West to East and exchanging information on conditions ahead, we crossed over Triple Divide Pass. The next pass, Copper Mine Pass, presented more glide cracks and cornices that showed signs of recent collapse. Instead of taking the conventional route north of the peak, exposed to hazards, we managed to skin up just below the Copper Mine Pass summer trail, which surprisingly was melted out and allowed passage to the next drainage. We finished the day with an easy skin up Horn Col and a relaxed ski down to Lonely Lake.
On the final day, we climbed over Pterodactyl Pass below Big Bird Peak before turning north and continuing to ski into the Tablelands. Once near Tablelands Pass, we removed our skins for the second-to-last time and enjoyed a fun but gentle descent toward Pear Lake Hut. The hut was completely buried in snow, having sat unused throughout the entire winter. From the hut, we skinned up the final hump before embarking on a true survival ski down to Wolverton. The snow extended all the way down to the parking lot, but it was wet and covered in pine needles, branches, and pine duff—the type of snow one can't truly fathom without venturing beyond ski resort boundaries.
Finally, we arrived at the parking lot and found our e-bikes securely locked to the barricade, which the eastbound group had prepared for us. We assembled the cargo trailers, attached them to the bikes, and began the long and winding descent from 7400' to 2700', reaching the road closure at Hospital Rock, the truck, and very welcome warm beers.

I have an A50 as reference. Been using it since a year after the A50 launched. It has been the best phone I ever owned and I love it. I have read that the A54 would be a massive upgrade already but with the launch of the S23 series I have seen prices of the S22 Ultra that are reasonable to me. (I won't go S22 as it is too small for my taste)
The things that I use the most and would need to have perform on the phone:

1. Discord streaming and voice
2. A wireless gaming headset compatibility
3. I take a lot of pictures
4. Storage
5. Minor gaming but my A50 managed everything I play fine

I am not a power user at all but I did survive with severe irritation on a 64 G internal storage and having every update start pushing all my Externally stored apps to internal memory and its finally driven me insane. (And then the baby cracked my screen. Must be fate)
Due to my storage woes, I am getting the biggest internal storage I can manage which is 256 in this case from either phone. So the SD card option on the A54 for more storage appeals but I have survived on far less than the 256.
Given my usage and needs I am not sure if the S22 Ultra is all it seems it might be but it looks amazing to me from the outside and I am seriously considering it over what I would normally go for in the A54 as the A54 for is far more expensive to start than my A50 was. For those that have one, do you think it would be worth double the price?
I would love to hear anything I may not know about the phone that might be pros in favor of it.

Hi everyone - I'm relatively new to Legends/EU and just finished up the Bane trilogy and LOVED it. I'm trying to pick what to read next and have come up with a few ideas, and would appreciate some input as to what I might like best based on what I've enjoyed previously.
What I've read:

• Thrawn Trilogy: It was great - perfect intro to Legends/EU and really captured my attention and interest. It felt like a proper continuation of Luke, Leia, Han and the gang's journey post-ROTJ without bringing in a big bad guy who is more powerful than the Emperor and trying to out-do or water down the victory they earned in the OT.
  
• Shatterpoint: This book was a WILD ride - it was sitting on the shelf at my local comic/book/sci-fi store so I grabbed it. I couldn't put it down - it was a crazy story and really had me hooked. It gave some cool insight into Mace Windu, The Clone Wars, and had a crazy story with a new type of setting/character that I haven't seen elsewhere in Star Wars.
  
• Darth Bane Trilogy: This was awesome - I loved every moment of the Bane trilogy - I loved the origin, his quest for knowledge, wrestling with planning/the future of the Sith, apprentices, and how things come full circle.
  

What I've thought about reading next:

• Old Republic Novels
  
• Lost Tribe of the Sith series (and then Old Republic)
  
• Outbound Flight
  
• Republic Commando Series
  
• Dark Lord Trilogy
  
• Movie Novelizations (Phantom Menace through Return of the Jedi)
  

I'm not sure I'd like to dive into the post-Thrawn trilogy universe yet, I enjoyed Bane and the Old Republic the most so far because it was entirely new to me, so hopefully I can continue to explore that era. Additionally, the writing style was great, which is why I thought maybe I'd visit the Old Republic Novels. That being said, Shatterpoint was great and I'd look forward to reading Stover's Revenge of the Sith during a movie novelization run. I also loved the world and style in the Thrawn Trilogy, which is why I might want to check out Outbound Flight. I also thought that I might hit the Lost Tribe of The Sith series before The Old Republic because I think they might provide some interesting lore that supplements Revan's and Bane's stories.
So, if anyone has any ideas as to which of my above might be best, or if I'm missing something that I should consider, feel free to share!
MTFBY!

Please come up with an update for EA APP. The app is very buggy and glitchy.
1) The game library and sometimes the store does not load. The game library is always empty 9/10 times when i try to open the EA app. It says a message like "Things are taking a little while, please hang tight while we try to solve the problem"
2) If out of 9/10 times, by any miracle the app works fine and shows the games present in the library, it's of no use. Because, neither I can download the game as it gets stuck in the preparing to download menu, nor I can cancel the download as it gets stuck on cancelling.....
3)I had FIFA 22 on origin. It was completely fine until EA APP automatically updated in my PC and remover origin. Firstly, it could not launch my FIFA 22 as it said that game files were missing and secondly, i tried to delete my FIFA 22 and reinstall it but to my dismay, the EA APP doesn't even show my game library. As i told you, my library appears empty 9/10 times and by any chance, even if I am able to see FIFA 22 in my library, it's of no use because the game gets stuck on preparing to download. Again when I try to restart the app, again the same old problem which is an empty game library.
4)This was the reason I bought FIFA 23 on steam but little did I know that EA APP will be there to shit on my face. When I click play on Steam, it redirects me to EA APP where it says that "You don't have access. This title may be downloaded by another user or you do not own it. Please restart the app and try again." Despite having my Steam account linked correctly and verifying if my account is linked correctly by an EA SUPPORT MEMBER, the app still shows the error that I don't have access to the game.
5) Almost half a year went by and EA APP has made my life sad and depressing. I am not able to play games for which I literally paid for. It's like EA is robbing me of my money.
6)Please bring an app update because i have tried every possible way to make this work. I have been contacting EA HELP for months but in vain. The end result is always the support member saying ," I will report this to my team and they will fix it soon." That "soon" never came. MONTHSSSS...waited for months and now I am tired of waiting.
7)Tried running app as admin. Tried clearing caches. Tried app recovery. Tried restarting the app. Tried logging in and out of app. Tried downloading a game and cancelling mid way to kill the glitch. Tried running the game from STEAM. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling EA APP thousands of times. NO USE.

I’ve worked as a casual for a small business for nearly 4 years now and recently learned they have not deposited any of my super. They advised me they have put it aside in an account and it will be paid soon but they haven’t had the time to “figure it out”. I’m not happy. How can I expect this to negatively impact me? I admittedly don’t know much about superannuation. Have I missed out on a lot of interest? Will I be taxed heavier? How can I tell how much superannuation I should have received if I haven’t been receiving payslips for the full 4 years?

I had spontaneous labor at 39+6. My doctor had wanted to induce me at 38 weeks for elevated BP but I declined because I wanted to avoid unnecessary interventions and a c section. My BP stayed stable even through birth. I made it to 10 centimeters and everything seemed great. They let me labor down for an hour and then I pushed with the midwife for a half an hour who then told me she wanted to give me a 5 minute break. She was gone for 20 minutes. When she came back she made me wait more because I was running a fever and brought two OBs in. They immediately started telling me I was nearing 4 hours and would have a c section if I couldn't get him out in the next hour and a half. I fought with them and told them I'd barely been pushing and felt abandoned. They then did get a nurse in who worked with me for an hour and a half but they did an ultrasound and said the baby was sunny side up with his hand above his head. Every time I made progress he would go back down. The first midwife before abandoning me had said he was +1 position. With the new midwife he was constantly stuck at -1. They called a c section and I spent the entire time crying. I told them my epidural had worn off and was begging for them to fix it. No one cared. They wheeled me into the ER without my husband and when they finally did try to fix the epidural it wasn't 100 percent and I felt pain when they cut into me. They put me under general anesthesia and I didn't get to see my baby for hours. Thank goodness he's ok besides high bilirubin. But I've spent the entire day crying feeling like I was failed by the medical system. The only thing I had in my birth plan was no c section unless it was an emergency, delayed cord clamping and immediate skin to skin. I got none of those things. I feel so defeated and they ended up giving me a private room today I'm sure in part because I'm constantly crying. Not having my baby but every 4 or so hours is also causing me a lot of anguish. I'm hoping he'll finish treatment tomorrow so I can keep him all the time and keep working on breastfeeding.
I always thought people were irrespective for having home births but I've been so traumatized by a system that seems to jump to c sections at the earliest convenience I'm going to have a hard time trusting medical professionals again. I feel like I was failed and no one cares and basically just waited around for me to have a c section when I didn't progress quickly enough for them. I also wanted 3 or 4 children and I feel like my plans have been stolen from me. I will need to wait longer between children than I wanted (I'm already almost 32 years old) and I don't know if I want to take the risk of uterine rupture with a VBAC. I'm sure my husband and the staff here is tired of hearing me crying but I feel like the future I planned is over. If I felt like it was actually an emergency I would have coped better but I feel like I was given up on by medical staff and forced into unnecessary surgery. I have never been so heartbroken or in so much pain.

It's always near the end of a match. I freeze up and start walking a weird way. I can't stop it and people are running right next to me but enemies do seem to see me. But again i cant do anything. xbox series s.

I'm finally getting professional help and my therapist helps me by us coming up with goals to complete and talk about the next week. Hwover I'm having trouble thinking of things I can do to take small steps without plunging myself into anxiety hell. Does anyone have any ideas? Like going to a convenience store or going for a walk, but I can't just keep doing that over and over lol

Original prompt: [WP] The love interest became the villain, the villain became the sidekick, the sidekick became the hero and the hero became the love interest. (link)
Redmond stepped forward, crashing through the door to the inner sanctum without hesitation. He had come too far to let the villain win now. Count Elris sat smugly in his throne, practically staring into the hero's soul. The Count took a sip from a goblet of thick red fluid before setting it on the table sitting beside him and standing to face his foe, smiling at him with long, dagger-like canines.
"Elris! Your tyranny ends now!" Redmond shouted, drawing his sword and charging at the vampire lord.
The vampire easily dodged out of the way of the hero's attack before slashing a clawed hand through the joint in his elbow, lopping off Redmond's sword-arm in a single blow. He vaguely regretted not buying better armor, but his rational mind told him that it, at best, it would've made the fight last two or three blows instead of one.
"I think not, Hero. This is where your quest ends," Count Elris said, kicking Redmond to the ground. Redmond slid along the smooth tile floor toward the entryway, where his assistant Eliza had just caught up.
"Wait! Everyone stop!" she shouted.
It wasn't until she had practically stepped on Redmond that she noticed his injuries.
"Redmond? Oh no... Brother, you didn't have to do that!" Eliza shouted. Redmond's head was swimming in pain, so it took him a moment to realize who she was talking to.
"Apologies, dear sister. He came charging in like a reckless fool, so I assumed he was just one of the idiot heroes that keep trying to kill me," Count Elris said.
"But now he's dying! You have to save him!" Eliza shouted.
Redmond's vision was blurring and he could feel his consciousness slipping away from blood loss.
"Ah, so this is the lad you wrote of in your letters, then?" Count Elris asked, still not making any move to help Redmond.
"Yes! I love him! You can't let him die!" Eliza shouted.
"I can do what I like, Elizabeth. Never let others have this kind of power over you. You know what you have to do to save him," Count Elris said. "You need to stop running from your duties."
"Uh..." Eliza said, looking down at Redmond. He was pale, barely breathing, and didn't respond at all to the conversation happening around him. "Fine!"
Eliza pulled off her pendant, flipping a small switch on it to reveal a tube. She quickly put the tube to her lips and leaned back, pouring the contents of the pendant into her mouth. A small drop of the liquid dripped down her lip as she drank the fluid, which glowed like sunlight.
As she closed up the pendant again, her eyes shone with golden light and her skin gained their own iridescent glow. She could feel her mind expanding with knowledge and power from the gods of light, and with the touch of her hand, Redmond's skin immediately regained its color. As she pressed her lips against his, his wound closed up and he regained consciousness.
"Ah, Eliza," Redmond said. Eliza immediately jumped back, gold tears running down her face and her cheeks flushed. She didn't even know if he reciprocated her feelings, so his quick awakening had her mortified.
"Sorry, Red, but I just..." she stammered. "I know you have that thing going with the priestess, and I don't... I wouldn't..."
"No, no, it's fine. I'm sure she'd forgive, I'm just... surprised. Here I was, assuming that trick only worked in storybooks," Redmond said.
"Well, uh, it depends on having the right person, you know..." Eliza said.
Count Elris stepped in, interrupting their banter.
"Not that this isn't adorable, but I believe we need to have words. Who sent you?" Elris said, glaring at Redmond.
"What? Count Elris? What is going on here?" Redmond asked.
"That's what I want to know! And it's not 'Eel-Rise', it's 'Ell-Riss'. Wait... Damnation, that woman," Count Elris said.
"Brother?" Eliza said, reaching out toward the count. She quickly withdrew her hand when she noticed the smoke wafting off his cloak as she got near.
"Priestess Amelia, it's got to be, she's the only one that calls me Eel Rise," Count Elris said. "That harpy had been after my seat on the council of magic for years."
"Oh... Ooh... Redmond, I thought we were going after Count Ilrai, you're not strong enough to beat my brother," Eliza said.
"Yes, thank you Eliza, I know that now," Redmond said. "Also, why am I only now learning that your brother is a count?"
"I know I don't dress the part, but my dad is a marquis and I'm a countess! I thought it was obvious!" Eliza said, somewhat defensively.
"Bah, this fucking figures. If they can get me out of the way, they can put one of their puppets in my place and turn the split council into one favoring the shining gods," Elris said, grabbing a walking stick and pacing as he pondered the situation.
Redmond sat up and turned toward the vampire.
"You say that like it's a bad thing, the gods of good should be in control!" he said.
"Spoken like a true peasant who doesn't understand the gods. They aren't 'good' or 'evil', they just are. They don't understand how the world really works outside of their specific avenue, and they know that they don't understand, so they rely on us to make judgement on how things should be. Last time the council got unbalanced, corruption and chaos ruled the land," Count Elris said. "And I say that despite the fact that I'm a vampire, it should've been great for me when the shaded gods were in control."
"I don't believe your lies!" Redmond said.
"I don't much care what you BELIEVE, your heroing days are over," Elris said, tapping the stump where the young man's arm used to be.
"Red, I hope you remember that the god of life is also the god of rage and conquest, and that the god of wisdom does include military strategy among their dominion," Eliza said.
"What? Since when did you become an expert on the gods?" Redmond asked.
"I can hear them right now. The god of life is telling me to do things to you that I'm not even going to repeat with Ris standing right there," Eliza said. "Speaking of... Bro, I don't think Red's going to be the last hero to come after you..."
"I concur, dear sister," Elris said, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. As the smoke rose off his hand, he pulled it back. "Ah, unfortunate... But even ignoring the rules against council members fighting each other, as a denizen of darkness I can't exactly do anything to a priestess of the god of the light and knowledge... But you could."
"Me? But I'm not- I couldn't do anything like that!" Eliza said.
"You might just have to, Elizabeth," Elris said, stepping toward the door. "Anyway, I will be preparing a circle to send you two home. Do what preparations you like."
Count Elris stepped out of the room, walking off down the hall while Redmond and Eliza sat in his throne room.
"I'll be honest, he doesn't seem that bad," Redmond said.
"Well, he's not. I grew up with him, and the worst he's ever done is throw me in a lake as a prank one time," Eliza said.
"Okay... you can keep a secret, right?" Redmond asked.
"Of course," Eliza said.
"Then here's hoping this works..." Redmond said. He pulled out a piece of chalk and drew a circle on the ground, etching a few symbols around the outside and pouring water into the center from his canteen. The water became clear and reflective before displaying the image of the priestess Amelia.
"Ah! Reddy-poo, I was hoping to hear from you! I assume you're here to deliver the news of your victory... though when I said it might cost an arm and a leg, that wasn't meant to be literal," the priestess said.
"Um... Yes, we got him," Redmond said.
The priestess initially looked happy, but then one of her rings flashed blue, and her face curled into something... else. "Reddy-boy, why are you lying to me? I've offered you so many goodies and now you're lying to me."
"What? Amelie, I'm just trying to tell you-"
"Don't fucking LIE to me, Redmond! I'm a priestess of the god of knowledge and wisdom! I know when you fucking lie to me!" she said, cutting him off.
"We didn't get him! And he doesn't seem that bad! Can you just call off the hitmen, Amelie?" Redmond said, now stammering himself.
"NOT THAT BAD?!?! HE'S a FUCKING VAMPIRE! AN ABERRATION AGAINST THE GODS' WILL ON THIS WORLD! IS THAT NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? ARE YOU NOT A HERO!?!?!" Amelia screamed through the communication circle.
"This hardly seems heroic, Amelia!" Redmond shouted.
"IF I SEE YOU BACK HERE WITHOUT THAT VAMPIRE'S HEAD TO MOUNT ON MY WALL, I'LL MOUNT YOURS ON IT INSTEAD! AM I CLEAR?!?!?" Amelia screamed.
Eliza quickly scrambled the circle, and the image of Amelia disappeared. Redmond hunched over, leaning into his friend's shoulder for support. Redmond's eyes watered a bit, which he would no doubt insist was from the dust kicked up off the circle and not any sort of emotional reaction. Eliza still reached an arm over his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
"Well, the circle is ready- What in the blazes happened here?" Count Elris said, walking in on the scene of his throne room with a bunch of mussed chalk drawings on the floor while two young adults held each other in the center.
"I... I think we're going to end up going after Amelia after all..." Eliza said.
"Ah, excellent! I'll get a pitch ready so we can convince the electors to replace her with you," her brother said.
"What?" Eliza said.
"Well, a seat's going to open soon, and you'll be a shoo-in now that you're an acting avatar," Elris said.
"Oh..." Eliza said. She wasn't entirely averse to the idea, her now greater awareness of the world made it quite clear just how different the magnitude of her power would be if she was a council member instead of merely an adventurer. Still, it was a lot of responsibility. "I... I don't know..."
Elris just chuckled and said, "Don't worry, dear sister. I'll have your back, for as long as you need it."

I've destroyed my social life because I refused to be near drugs after quitting myself (I've been clean for 2 months now) but that ended very messily, conflict arose and now I've become some enemy. I've done all I could to reconcile, to stop becoming the person people turn to when my old group upsets them. I have no idea if it's withdrawal or lasting effects of the drugs or myself but I've been having bouts of psychosis. Waking up in the wrong room, feeling as though the world isn't real. Though the psychosis is a recent development, I have had an issue of dissociating for a long time now. I've spent the past few months meditating and reading stoic philosophy which has helped me control myself a bit better. The episodes are easier to control these days. But still even, my mind is a mess, I'm so emotionally unstable that anything could set me off to which I spend hours breathing to myself, telling myself everything will be ok. I'm drained and tired and sick of being unstable. I've been the most sober I've been in about a year and yet I feel the least stable. I've been holding off on contacting a doctor in case it is just the drugs which have messed me up and hoping it'll blow over but also my old friends don't seem to have this issue so maybe I'm just actually insane.

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Operation Sacred Thunder

מבצע רעם קדוש

“Have I repaid those who have done evil to me? Behold, I have rescued those who hated me without cause”
ISRAEL DEFENCE FORCE NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE GAZA STRIP:
Let it be known. Forces of the so-called "Hamas" have engaged forces of the Israeli Defence Forces, and have orchestrated attacks on Israeli civilians. We wish for nothing more than peace. Due to the failure of your community to stop these attacks, we must take action to protect our people.
Protect your community. Do not let them shelter in your home. If they do, contact the IDF helpline. Successful reports shall be rewarded.
Let liberty ring. Protect your community. Do not shelter your own enemy. The IDF is your friend in peace.
Following a rise in tensions between Israel and Iran following the withdrawal of Iran from the NPT, and the upcoming 2024 Israeli Elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized Operation Sacred Thunder to strike at the heart of the Hamas operation in the Gaza Strip.
[BLOPS] Israel shall begin large scale, intensive recon operations in the Gaza Strip to identify military targets occupied by Hamas. This shall consist through both agents on the ground, as well as UAV operations to identify high concentrations of Hamas personel. [/BLOPS]
[s] Regardless of if locations are ACCURETLY identified [/s], The Israeli Air Force shall begin Operation Sacred Thunder to severely cripple the operational ability of Hamas, and attempt to halt attacks into Israel in the near future.
The 140 Squadron (Golden Eagle Squadron), equipped with the F-35I "Adir", shall be the primary deployed squadron for Operation Sacred Thunder, and shall be assisted by the 69 Squadron (The Hammers Squadron) equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F-15I, and shall serve as the primary backup squadron for this operation.
In addition, the 210 Squadron (White Eagle Squadron) shall be deployed to assist with the identification of targets. It shall be initially deployed over the Gaza Strip before 140 Squadron are due to begin their operations to enable the Squadron to avoid as many civilian casualties as possible (amongst other things).
140 Squadron shall begin night operations over the Gaza Strip. The F-35s of the 140 Squadron shall be equipped with AGM-142 Popeye Air to Surface missiles and MLGB (precision-guided glide weapon). They will be tasked with conducting surgical air strikes on known or ASSUMED Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, particularly focusing on the areas closest to the border, where the likelihood of tunnels is highest. If enough information is gathered to reasonably conclude the presence of tunnelling operations, the MPR500 is to be deployed to allow for total destruction of any such operations.
Civilian casualties are to be avoided if possible.
Large-scale operations are to cease only when the Ministry of Defence reasonably concludes that Hamas has suffered a significant set back in operational capability.
Units deployed:
140 Squadron (25x F-35I "Adir") 69 Squadron (Backup) (25 x F-15I) 210 Squadron (12 x IAI Eitan UAV)

I (30Nbi) have been living on my own since I was 18. I started college, went to a college apartment, etc. When college didn't work out, I still found other places to live. I did live with an extended family member for about a year, but at the end of the day, I still have been paying rent and bills since I was 18 years old. I've been employed at all times since I was 18 and still in high school, with the exception of medical-based unemployment in late 2020 and early 2021. I tell you all of this so that you understand that I know how the world works and I have no misgivings about how difficult it is to be out on your own.
My brother (18M), like our father and myself, has learning disabilities that makes school miserable and difficult unless you're in a subject you truly enjoy. As a result, he doesn't really want to go to college. Instead, he told our father he was going to join [undisclosed branch of military]. I believe he did that just to appease our military-fanatic father (who himself only served basic in [other undisclosed branch] in his youth). Our father (53M) did not have a career in the military. He hasn't been in the military in decades. He doesn't have a college degree. He's done a lot of job hopping over the years. That's just how it's been, unfortunately. When I was in high school, he frequently told me "if it weren't for you being legally blind in one eye I'd push you to join the military!" He seems to think it's an answer to all life's problems even though it didn't solve his whole life.
We have a sister (19F) who graduated high school, started college but hasn't finished, has a child, and has thankfully gotten a job in her career field. She's the golden child. Our father's favorite. Always has been. She NEVER got pushed to join the military. My brother and I did.
My brother is a great kid. He's smart and funny and sweet when he wants to be. He's surprisingly very good with his money. He's extremely artistically inclined and I think he could really be something in that career field if he chose to pursue it. But, like with me and my passion and skill for acting, our father never nurtured this. Never treated it like something realistic. I always have. I've always done that for him. But he doesn't want to go to school and that's fine. I think he chose the military to appease our judgemental father.
As high school has come to an end for him, there's the normal expectations that come with graduation. Like senior pics. I realized a couple of months ago that I had yet to see senior pics for my brother. The same time two years ago, I'd already received pics of my sister when her senior pics were done. The open house invitations went out and I noticed the photo was from 10th grade! I asked my step mom why there were no senior pics. She blamed it on my brother, saying they didn't even know if he was going to graduate on time. I spoke to him and while he had failed a math class, the remedial course he was taking to make up that CH, he was passing with a B. There was no doubt at all that he would graduate. I was beyond angry. Eventually, they did get pics for him but... they just don't look as good as the ones our sister had gotten 2 years ago. They're not awful, but they just... aren't nearly as nice. It's like our parents (dad and stepmom) are so eager to move on with their life and get rid of him that they just... mentally checked out on him. They don't even really care where he goes or what he does anymore. They barely interact with him outside of things he has no interest in. He had to BEG to be taken to a limited-time museum/art gallery exhibit he was interested in back in the winter. And it wasn't a money thing. Apparently, my dad has delegated all parenting to his wife and when there's push back from my brother (let's face it, he IS still a teen), then it becomes a fight and she's the "bad guy". My dad just needs to parent. Period.
Because they're moving out of state and my brother says he wants to go into the military after he's saved up and gotten a car (side note: they were going to buy my sister a used car but won't do that for him) he was looking to stay near family. He's a lot like me in that he values his alone time but also loves to be around his family. He can't move in with our sister because she has a baby and a million other things in life. So my fiance and I offered him to move in with us. He took us up on it and we will charge him rent and bills, we'll get him employed, all sorts of things. None of us are under any delusion that this will be easy, but Dad keeps saying "if you do this I don't think you'll be happy" and on and on about how he'll only make something of himself if he joins the military.
That may or may not be true, but I think my brother deserves to make his own choices in life. The military certainly was not the key to our dad's happiness as he's had a lot of his own issues in life and has job hopped anyway. Yes, it's hard out here when you work regular hourly jobs and do what you can to get by. But it's hard for a LOT of people right now. I think we all have to find our happiness, however that comes.
And now as we prepare to move him in, he apparently has more belongings than we thought. My step-mom called me while I was at work and thoroughly stressed me out and ruined the good, sunny mood I was in. We own a coupe. We have a dog. There's an overnight stay involved. Etc. Basically she didn't think 2 trips was going to be good enough and worried about space and storage and all this stuff. When really, she needs to talk to my brother about it. It wouldn't be a problem if they were taking some of his stuff to the home they bought in another state, but they refuse to since he's not joining the military immediately (if at all) which to me just comes across as petty and spiteful.
I'm now at the point where I'm sort of like "Fuck it. I'll be his parent I guess since no one else wants to." I know he's 18 but we all still need someone who cares about us at the end of the day and loves us unconditionally, right? Someone to help us figure life out when it gets confusing. Someone who will be ready with a hug and warm meal when we're feeling lost.
I really don't know where I was going with all of this anymore. I just needed it out of me and heard this subreddit was a good place to do it. We're gonna be okay, my brother and I. I just wish I knew why our parents are acting like this all of a sudden.

Post might be a little incoherent because i've had a lot of caffeine to try to study for my exam tomorrow. Hoping that typing this out will help me clear my head.
My BF's video game addiction has gradually taken over his life. We've been together for a little less than a year. I've always been supportive of my BF's gaming, even picking up some of the games he plays most often or asking to play multiplayer games together in order to increase the time we spend together (I used to game when I was in middle school but I sort of grew out of it until I started dating him). I started watching E-sport tournaments with him and getting into the hype. So, know that I'm not against video gaming itself.
For as long as I've known my BF, he's always been the type to choose a night in with a designated game over a night out with friends. I thought that was totally understandable initially but he gradually started declining more and more things that involved leaving his room/apartment. Eventually, we've gotten to the point of only leaving his room to buy beers, a ready meal. a frozen pizza, or KFC. He now spends almost every waking hour gaming/watching streams/on tiktok. On occasion, he will suggest going out for dinner, to which I always say yes, appreciatively. We go out to a restaurant, but it's always me making the effort to have conversations. Then he returns home to game more.
He also began to drink more and more. Beginning with wine bottles (I still don't understand how he kept opting for the cheap grocery store white wine over any other drink) and progressing to 12 packs of beers. I don't really keep track of how many he drinks per day, but I think I've seen him buy a 12 pack in the afternoon and then seen about 7 empty cans on his desk by the end of the day. He doesn't really act any differently when drinking, as in he isn't abusive or mean, he's the exact same. My sole issue with this is the damage to his health. He has stopped cooking for himself, citing the fact that he "can't be assed" with cooking. We got gym memberships together around 5 months ago, and he stopped going after the first month but continues to pay because he's "planning to go soon". His room goes through periods of being extremely untidy (large quantities of beer cans, clothes on floor, unpacked suitcase being used as a closet, food crumbs, dirty plate (he only has one), many many empty plastic bottles, used tissues). These periods usually end with me offering to clean up, because I dont really mind cleaning and I always think it might give him a morale boost to see a clean room. We both do the same course in uni, and I know he's only been to 4 lectures this entire year. He manages to pass online exams/coursework with the help of his coursemates. He ghosts his family, he worries about his health but refuses to go see a doctor, I accidentally got him into weed, he sleeps for 10 hours at a time (always varying hours of the day), sometimes more.
This is pretty much what I mean when I say it seems like he doesn't put any effort into any aspect of his life besides video games and occasionally our relationship. I have considered that he may be suffering from something that I'm not aware of. I've had long long talks with him about this. We discussed the possibility of him being depressed, to which he said maybe but he really doesn't think so. He claims this is the lifestyle he currently enjoys. He has pretty nonchalant responses to all of his habits when I bring them up. Drinking: "being sober is boring", Uni: "first year doesn't count, I'll try hard next year", exercise: "I'll do it tomorrow", diet: "CBA to cook". And listen, I can honestly understand most of these responses (except for the drinking one), and I think they're valid ONLY if it's a once in a while thing. The uni thing I can understand too, but I personally don't agree with paying to go to uni just to cheat your way through first year... Plus, I feel like completely neglecting all of these aspects all at once for a really long period is more of a refusal to put effort into your life.
I'm never really hesitant to communicate if I have an issue with my BF. I've tried my best to bring up my issues with all of this in non-overwhelming, non-attacking ways. I started with asking if anything was bothering him, casually asking about the trash in his room/plans to go out/plans to do anything. I mentioned my opinions on uni/constantly drinking/eating junk food. I, too, like to indulge. I just think there's a lot of overindulging going on. I suggested he see a counsellotherapist, which may have been a mistake because he took that as me saying there was something mentally wrong with him and felt insulted. I began to lose sexual attraction to him. Combined with my already pretty low sex drive, this made me stop wanting sex altogether. This was a relatively big deal for him. He said he totally understood and didn't want me to feel pressured to have sex. But after about a month he admitted this could be a dealbreaker in the long run. This is where I told him that I felt his lack of effort in his life had contributed to my lack of sexual attraction, and I had stopped being able to see a future with him if things continued, and I repeated that I felt he should try to put effort into at least one area of his life besides gaming. This led him to spiral and focus on the fact that his GF didn't find him attractive and saw him as a "loser". I tried to reassure him that I didn't say either of those things, and that my only issue was his lack of effort. He freaked out about me not seeing things long term, which I think is fair, because nobody wants to hear that from their SO. I tried to explain that I just couldn't see him, in his current state, fitting into a future where I strive to achieve my goals in fitness/academics/career. He's still acting off from this discussion, and I get that, but I felt I had to be honest.
I feel like I've become a sort of weird mother figure. I think I'm a pretty laid-back person (apart from being a bit of a neat freak) and I never thought I'd be the one to nag someone else to improve their life, and it feels very uncomfortable. I know it's his life and he gets to choose how he lives it, but it feels like I've enabled him to live a really unhealthy life because I've always said I accepted him completely until recently. Perhaps I've led him to think that it's okay to spend every waking hour gaming, binge drinking, and never leaving his room. I really don't want to nag him and tell him what to do, and I know it's pointless to try to change someone else, but it feels so wrong to watch him destroy himself, especially as one of his closest relationships (he has friends who he games with but they don't know about his lifestyle) and probably the only one who witnesses his behaviour at home (his 3 other flatmates do not talk to each other, and his family have always minded their own business).
I don't really want to give up on the relationship just yet. I still think he's a lovely person. He's nice and funny and well-mannered. We have good laughs and inside jokes and stuff like that, formed when he's in between games. He claims he's willing to try to change, but has little faith in himself. (He's said this before). I personally often feel a lot of anxiety that I'm wasting my own life away and time is always ticking, and this whole thing might just be me projecting. I don't know. What could I do to help? or do I ignore everything because it isn't my place? In that case, how do I stop feeling this way?
Sorry for the long read, became more of a get-this-off-my-chest thing
TL:DR My BF has slowly begun spending almost every waking hour gaming and I don't know how to feel about it anymore

Astral or Star Jelly is a real event/substance that has been found in all areas of the earth (please Wikipedia it). My friend performed a DNA analysis on a sample of Star Jelly, and the results were amazing. His group concluded that the sample mostly had mitochondrial-like DNA, but it was very different from anything reported (much longer and having possible different base pairs).
Astral/Star Jelly is often found after meteorite showers or other astral events. I found some when I was young (heavy Northern Lights and Meteor Shower event). I crafted the first chapter of a potential novel. Please give feedback. I am switching to google docs, so soon I will have links to my works.
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Chapter 1
The Byproduct of Gods
Her owners had held her for so many lifetimes that the stream, which flowed, near her family’s hut was gone. The trees that provided fuel, housing, and food were missing, replaced by a prairie. After all the years of the concept of returning home keeping her going, she did not feel safe. There were no people near her village, and it took her days to unearth signs of her youth. She discovered the land that she had first walked on only because the mountain and stones did not move. As she cleaned the Blue Volga granite idol of her parents’ deity, she felt nothing. The blue-green face of the god looked sad to her. He also was no longer safe. His followers were dead and his power forgotten.
Her first owner was a traveler. They moved with each new moon. Her master felt safe but she failed to understand that her entourage plodded along a predictable path. After many decades, a tale of a demon woman who did not age traveled the same circuit. Finally, a village attacked the demon. Her second owner was the daughter of the woman who bought her. The daughter decided to build a fortress and to rule her fief. Her third owner was the daughter’s son who had grown tired of never gaining his birthright. His guilt and myopic greed caused him to sell her to an alchemist. From that point on, she was an item for trade or barter.
Her final master failed to return home. She remained in his caravan for a week, performing her duties. When she had eaten all the food, she felt justified using her knowledge to destroy her metal shackles. It took her five days to dissolve her bindings with her jellies.
She thought of the places that she had felt safe. Those havens were all underground. A magician made her live in the passages beneath Kyiv when he was being hunted. The tunnels funneled the 15 rivers of the city and protected inhabitants from invaders or punishing ruling forces. For twenty years, she had lived in the coquina catacombs of Odessa. A man who thought he was a seer was convinced that his power had attracted the attention of dragons and demons. No one could approach the lair unseen.
After a week of searching the now unfamiliar area, the woman began to carve her home from the soil of her childhood. She spent fifty years making her home safe. Only she would know the paths and twists of her underground world. Only she would know where the escape exits emerged into the surrounding world.
Eventually, her home attracted others. The woman could have chased them away, but she felt a need to observe people. When the fourth generations of villagers were aging to the grave, there was no hiding the fact that she had not died. The villagers erected a semi-circular wall around the entrance to the woman’s cave. The wall grew and the woman did not protest the separation.
Generations later, people whispered that the villagers maintained the defenses of their community to keep the woman away from the town’s children at night. In the tavern, each generation of gallant males would boast that they would be the one to remove the blight of the woman from the town. When she inevitably outlasted them, she would attend the funeral of the most vocal warrior from each age group.
Daily the woman would remove more soil from her dugout. The community would search her discarded diggings for possible minerals or stones. They did not share any discoveries with the woman. During times of blight or famine, the locals would collect her soil and remove it from the community.
People would peer around the wall to scan the woman’s home. As the village grew, a leader placed two chairs at endpoints of the semi-circle barrier. During full moons, periods of strife, festivals, and other social events, menacing men sat in the chairs. Infrequently, people tried to enter the woman’s home. Aside from the guards, it was the more distraught people of the village who visited her.. The most recent person to enter the woman’s home was a grieving widow. Her grief made her seek the woman to find answers about her loss. Three mornings later, the villagers found the widow in the public square with drapes of herbs, flowers, and crafts around her limbs. The people thought the widow was dead or mindless from torture. When the widow awoke, she went to her house and began the chores for the day. When pressed about the woman’s abode, the widow would state that the home was loved, clean, and well maintained.
On the spring day when the widow was about to remarry, she was again discovered in the square coated with ropes of herbs, flowers, and idols. The woman disappeared for a decade after the wedding, but the widow brought her newborns to the opening of the earthwork to declare their names into the sunken space.
The aging hamlet relaxed when the woman was away. There was a sense of freedom in the people. They did not fear the retribution of the woman for their actions, and parents could not correct their children with threats of giving them to the woman. At times, the leaders of the people would consider filling in the woman’s hovel, but shovels and spades would split if used to cover the opening of the woman’s home. One regretful man tried using a mule and cart to dump rocks into the fastness. The stones crushed the man after his own tram flipped over on him.
Although the townsfolk feared and despised the woman, she had free reign in the village. As an indicator that she was amongst the people, the woman would adorn her head with a dark purple scarf. No other members of the village would wear that color. They looked for it whenever the woman shopped at the market. The woman paid with old and foreign coins, but the merchants welcomed the precious metals they were composed of. During the dark days of winter, the people collected the woman’s tender and deposited it into a lead box. The villagers had a belief that the more people touched the woman’s currency, the longer the winter would be.
After the community fortified against the woman, religious leaders organized efforts to erect carved idols and large wagon-wheel hexes aimed at her home. Each generation attempted to counter the woman with the current symbols of spiritual protection. The largest structure in the village was now a church, and the threshold of the church was oriented to face the woman’s home.
The woman was home when Alyona began her schooling in the church. She had learned the fundamentals of math, reading, and writing. She knew that her coursework would end soon. The village expected girls to be useful to a limit. Her mother walked her only surviving child to school along a path that would prevent their shadow from falling close to the woman’s realm. The villagers performed this ritual after someone claimed that the woman had controlled their behavior by stealing their shadow.
Alyona was daydreaming during school of a life away from the village when the woman touched her. Alyona had spent the morning in the woods collecting mushrooms and other edibles. Her findings made for great, free additions to their usually simple meals. . On days that Alyona returned with a bounty, they shared the extras with neighbors. It was a wager that these people would remember the gift and provide Alyona’s home with food during lean days.
The person gripping Alyona twirled her body so that she faced the opposite direction. Alyona assumed the culprit was another student or a young assistant at the church. It could have been a boy attempting to bully her to get her attention. She lowered her right hand, preparing to use the back to slap the violator. Alyona’s willingness to confront her accoster left when she saw the face of the woman under her purple scarf. Alyona knew she should look away from the woman, but her eyes locked with the woman’s gaze. All the stories the Alyona heard about the town ghoul stated that the woman was so old that her skeleton was all that was left of her body. The woman’s youthful face surprised Alyona. There were no lines or furrows on the woman’s forehead. If anything, Alyona would have stated that the woman’s face glowed.
I can smell it on your hands. The woman placed Alyona’s fingers under her nose. The force of the drawn air startled Alyona. She thought that the woman had pulled the top layer of skin off her index finger. Alyona’s toes curled when the woman sampled her hand. Across a church aisle, one of the priests was herding schoolchildren. He spotted the two of them. His face darkened at the sight of their contact.
WHAT IS ON YOUR HANDS, ALYONA? The priest shouted over the children.
Nothing, Sir. The woman’s tongue darted over the tip of Alyona’s index finger. I was harvesting in the woods before class.
You touched more than growths and nuts this morning, Singleton Child of the Crying Matron. The woman chewed on her thumbnail.
Alyona did not like her mother being referred to in that way, but the eyes of the woman immobilized her. How could she react forcefully to a person who was savoring her hand?
She is mine today, priest. The woman held out her other hand to the shepherd of the church. I will pay her mother for occupying her child for the day, and she will be returned unsoiled and whole.
The priest brought a gurgle of protest up but was shut down quickly.
My tunnels are beneath your place of worship and the bedchambers of Mistress Blake, The women stomped on the ground, and I know all of what has occurred within your walls.
Alyona realized that she was screaming when her throat began to sear. She expected that the woman’s hole would be dark, but the home glowed. There were mirrors and reflective glasses positioned throughout the house to harness sun rays from many holes and entrances in the surface of the residence. Therefore, Alyona was able to see herself yelling on fifty surfaces.
Hush child. The woman touched her mouth. Do not be afraid of the manner in which I inspected you. It is a show for the people. I only want to talk about your morning, and then I will let you go with a full belly and money to buy many toys.
Alyona felt her utterances dwindle down to a wheeze that slipped out her lips.
You have the scent on your fingers, girl. The woman was now examining Alyona’s left hand. It is on both hands, so you must have found a huge source.
A source? Alyona wanted to look at her hands but she maintained her attention on the woman.
Sit. The woman pointed to a well-padded chair. Sit and I will return with small pies and honey.
Alyona hovered over the seat. She wanted to be strong and to stand, but then she smelt the pies. The chair was very soft. There were no pins, claws, or spines in the cushion like she feared.
Alyona. The voice of the woman wove through the tunnels of the underground network. Alyona felt her name circle around her. She had never been afraid of her name before. Alyona Pistan…daughter of Fiva and the missing soldier.
Alyona closed her fist and felt the pain of her nails digging into her palms.
Fiva lives off the salary that the Duke must pay for your father’s military service. Your mother knows that the Duke no longer wants to pay this burden.
Alyona wanted to speak but her throat stung from screaming.
Your father’s name is Bay. He earned this title because he would not stop speaking when he was a baby. Like a horse that always had an opinion, your father would squawk at everyone before he knew words. The voice was now coming directly towards Alyona. My first gift to you and Fiva is the information that your father lives. There was a pause in the woman’s words. An enemy does not enslave him; he is lost with the simpleton that led him away. One day a map will lead him home, child.
The woman emerged from a cutout with a basket laden with pies, a pot of honey, wooden utensils, and slices of ham. In her other hand, she held a bucket of colored water.
We will eat together. The woman placed the basket on Alyona’s lap and retrieved two cups. After you accept the first pie, I will tell you an important secret of mine.
I do not think I want to know any of your secrets Starly-Gradda.
The woman laughed and placed the small wooden spoon into the pie directly in front of Alyona.
Elder-grandmother, you call me. The woman dunked a cup into the water and held it in her left hand. I think that term is the nicest thing a child has called me in a lifetime.
Alyona brought the food to her lips. She smelt the mint, berries, and kasha. Gently she laid the pie onto her tongue. She did not chew; she only let it rest in her mouth. She expected that the food would burn or numb her. The taste was full and made her wish to spit the substance out because it was too good to be real.
Ah, she eats. The woman clapped her hands. I was your age when I saw my first god being born.
Alyona choked on the pie.
I was sitting by a riverbank when the god entered our place. The woman drank from her cup. It was a bright yellow fish with shiny scales. I saw it come from nothing to being here.
The woman snapped her fingers and Alyona swallowed her food.
No one prayed for its existence. No one was singing for it to bring salvation. The woman made circles with her hands in front of Alyona. As far as I know, simple fish do not worship gods, but a god came for the fish of that river.
The woman tapped Alyona’s hand to take another bite of pie.
It floated there. The woman held up her hands. Here I am…a young maiden…thinking a god or demon turned itself into this creature to seduce or corrupt me. Again, a chuckle came from the woman. No other god cared about this special fish. I think it was floating only because it did not realize that a fish should swim in water.
Alyona grabbed a slice of ham. It had been two months since she had meat that was not paste.
Eventually, the golden fish fell into the water and swam away. The woman pulled back her hood and revealed her full face to Alyona. I tried to follow it, but it swam away from shore, and I lost sight of it.
Alyona cleared her throat and licked her lips.
Girl, if you want a drink, just take it. The woman filled Alyona’s cup and handed it to her. The ham is not that salty, but I think your sore throat would improve if you drank.
Alyona sipped the water. It did not taste bitter. It did not smell foul. In fact, the water’s taste was a mixture of apples, roses, and plums.
I told my mother, and she whispered to my father that they needed to trade me into marriage now, before I became soft in the head. I did not want to marry at my age, so I told her that I would go find proof of my shiny golden fish. The woman used a toothpick to dollop out a portion of honey. There was nothing in the water when I returned. I waded in the cool stream. I put my head under the surface and looked at the rocks for the golden shimmer. I found nothing.
Alyona ate the ham.
I was weeping on the spot that I saw the god be born. My heart was full of dread. I started to believe that the shiny golden god was not real. I was so sad that I was quickly accepting that I would be married to an old man so that he would tolerate my problems. The woman tapped her top lip. I felt that my mother had no love for me. I thought that if the golden fish were my mother, it would love me just because that is what should be.
Alyona selected another pie. This pie contained spices and mashed nuts.
Your mother loves you. I listen to all the words spoken in this village. If a parent lacks love for their child, I correct them or have them leave. The woman did not form a fist. She turned her hand into a claw, the conviction in her words hanging in the air until she relaxed it. As all hope was gone, I put my hand down in the grass, and felt the substance.
The woman held her hand flat towards Alyona.
It was clear. It was squishy like the rendered bones of stock animals. It had a pleasant smell, but I was scared to taste it. The woman cupped her hands. I gathered this glob. I used the front of my dress to carry the material. When I believed that the last speck was contained in my clothing, I ran to my parents.
Alyona had felt something similar in the forest that morning.
My mother accused me of only finding the discarded waste of an animal. She threatened to smear it over my face. The woman moved the honey pot closer to Alyona. My father took me to the village shaman, and he looked at the material. They scraped the material off my clothes, but not around my breasts. The shaman thought it was bone waste from an owl, the eggs of a species of frog, a shell-less egg from a dying bird, a mushroom that was usually underground, or the spit of an evil spirit.
Alyona’s eyes widened.
Of course, something as amazing as what we found would be considered evil. The woman waved her hand. I have discovered many bundles and I have never seen the substance created by an evil thing.
No? Alonya asked, breaking her food-induced silence.
No, child. The woman touched the tip of Alyona’s nose. It is not to say that evil people and things are not interested in the substance, but the creation of it does not come from evil.
Alyona resumed consuming the luxurious treats.
The morning after I saw the god being born, people started to fall sick. The woman sighed. My mother blamed the god substance. It was hard for the village not to turn on me after my mother told them it was my fault. The woman’s shoulders lowered. I had not slept that night, and I did not clean after my discovery. They put me in a crate that only had three holes. My father fed me and still cared for me.
Alyona did not know how to react but to nod at the woman.
When my elder brother was close to death from the illness, my mother brought him to my crate. She told me that I would have to watch my brother die because I was an evil liar who unleashed a demon on the community. I could see him wither in pain from the openings in my prison. The woman moved a third pie in front of Alyona. The night my mother told me that my brother would die, my father talked to me. It was an act of rebellion against my mother, but he asked me if I knew what had happened. I cried to him about how this was not something I did. I pleaded with my dad that I would never make my brother suffer, and that the day watching him had crushed my will to live.
The woman tore a slice of ham into pieces and placed pieces of the meat on the floor of her keep.
My father and I wept. He told me that I was likely to die because of the sickness. The woman tapped the tray. Not that I was sick… or was likely to get sick, but because it would seem as justice to the people. I knew his words were true, but I could not think of anything else to say.
The third pie was berry and egg meringue. Alyona did not know that pies like this one existed.
I entered the crate in the dress I wore when I saw the god be born. The truth is that I only had that dress and a wedding dress. My mother kept the dress I would’ve worn to my wedding in a box near her bed. A cat approached the pieces of ham. My grandfather had given me the wedding dress when he died, but she took it from me. My father used what he received from his father to buy me the only special clothes I would have in my life. My father loved me, Alyona, just like yours.
The cat touched Alyona’s leg. It startled her, and she confirmed that the cat was not black.
We talked about the jelly I had found. My father told me that he had tried to burn it, thinking it was an odd piece of animal fat. The substance did not burn. My father then tried to crush it out of existence, but the material was soft, but not easily destroyed. The woman touched the center of her chest. My father’s words made me remember that there was still some of the jelly on my dress. I touched where they did not scrape, and there was a patch of the substance. I pinched the substance and it coated my fingers. It felt warm, but not hot.
Alyona was glad that the cat had returned to the ham.
My father grew angry. He was arguing with the air that if he were a real man, he would protect his daughter and revive his son. He was a good father. The woman showed Alyona a closed smile. He was crying because he knew he could do nothing. I was sore and battered from being in the crate. I felt so greasy and disgusting. I thought I was no longer the same girl that wandered in the meadows.
The woman offered to refill Alyona’s water cup.
For some reason, I brought the fingers I had used to touch the smear of the jelly that was on my dress to my mouth. The taste was tangy, but not foul. It was better than the food that my father had inserted into the holes in my crate. I sucked on it. With both hands, the woman rattled the basket. I felt so much better. It was amazing. I could not see it, but I felt my dry, cracked lips heal. My mind became clear. I knew what I had to do.
Alyona stopped eating to listen to the woman.
I asked my father to place my brother’s mouth in front of the biggest hole of my crate. He thought I was mad. He accused me of confessing that I pledged my soul to demons, but I told him that I felt different after praying to our god. The woman looked directly at Alyona. I rubbed my fingers on the same spot of my dress, and I placed them into my brother’s mouth. He was so weak that he did not respond to this action. I moved my fingers along his gums, his teeth, I even touched his tongue.
Alyona spoke to the woman. Was he healed right away?
The woman chuckled.
I like you Alyona, but you have the impatience of a child. The woman touched Alyona’s chin. It was not a sudden reversal, but he did not die. People died that night, but my brother lived. More importantly, he was the only person to get even slightly better. He was not running in the fields, talking to everyone better, but he was no longer crying in pain. His eyes were no longer looking like they would burst. Moreover, my father stopped crying for us.
I am glad. Alyona looked at the half-eaten pie. She wanted more of it, but she thought it would be rude to return to eating.
It was another day, another four deaths, before my father told the shaman that he thought I could heal the sick. They pulled me from the crate and inspected me. The women called for me to be stoned. The men wanted me burned. The shaman asked how my brother was alive, and how I was still in good health. The woman tapped her right temple. I knew I had to lie. I knew that I could not tell the truth. I had to convince these scared people that I was not dangerous.
The woman shuffled the half pie back to Alyona.
I fell in front of the shaman and shouted, ‘The Green Man came to me.’ I do not think you know the Green Man, child, but he was the god of the people before Christ came to the land. The woman pointed to a drawing of a large tree man. It matters not what god I said talked to me. I yelled that I knew that I did something wicked, but our god had forgiven me, and I was now able to cure the sickness that was killing the village.
Alyona returned to eating the pie.
They whipped me and bound me. I feared that they would burn my dress, so I yelled that the Green Man said that if I were to heal the village, I would need to be as I was when he forgave and blessed me. The woman opened her hands so that Alyona could see her palms. The oldest people would pray in this manner. They tied my legs together and only allowed my right arm to be free. However, that was all I needed to start to heal the people of my life.
Alyona finished her meal.
I would say our prayers; tell the people who were watching that the Green Man wanted everyone to close their eyes so that his healing ray could hit the person. The woman pulled her head backwards with a laugh. During this time, I would pull some of the jelly off my dress and stick the substance in the person’s mouth.
The woman laughed deeply.
What? Alyona asked.
I did not know that so many of my fellow villagers were missing teeth. Children of the people that always had food, had damaged and missing teeth. I was trapped and bored, so my mind began to guess how many disgusting teeth injuries each person would have.
Alyona shivered.
I thought the teeth were bad, but then it got worse. The woman looked upwards. It was on the third day of my healing that it happened for the first time. It was night, and the shaman had decided to blind me with a rag during the healing. Someone’s parents said that they did not want me to steal the soul of their child while I healed them. I placed my finger into a very small mouth, and everything was different. I did not feel a tingle from treating a person with the substance. I sang our songs to Green Man and rubbed jelly over my right fingers. I had planned to give the infant as much of the stuff as I could. The woman covered her eyes. The tiny body jumped, but there was still no response.
Why? Alyona wanted to know.
The baby was dead. I did not know if the god-gift could bring life back to a person. I was scared that if I did not return this child alive to their parents, I would be killed. The woman bobbed her head to the ceiling of her cave home. I kept doing it for a long time. I replenished the coating of my fingers four times, but still there was no living response. I finally shouted into the air. I faked arguing with the Green Man. I begged him to give me the infant. I spoke words that no one had ever heard in an odd voice that I thought would sound like the Green Man. This battle went on for minutes until I asked if whoever brought this child to me would allow the Green Man to have the special child live with him. I am not sure if the parents knew that their baby had died. I am uncertain if the parents wanted me to do something that I thought was evil, but a male voice eventually responded that it would be an honor if his young son joined the hunters of the Green Man.
Alyona gasped.
I spoke in my fake Green Man’s voice that the parents of his new hunter would be honored with a new child by the next spring. I informed the parents that they would find gifts for the next year. The woman rocked her head so that she was looking at the floor. They brought me five more dead people to heal, but no more deceased children. I did not make a fuss over the dead adults. I stated that the Green Man blamed the family for their death. If they truly believed in the power of the Green Man, they would have brought their loved ones to me before the sickness took them.
Alyona nodded her head.
On the fifth day, my fingers were raw. My nails felt like they were growing too fast. I guess I was healing and benefiting from the jelly, but I was placing the same fingers into people’s mouths most of the day. The worst problem was that my dress was getting dry. The woman traced her lips with her right index finger. I think my father was watching me. I think he saw me searching desperately on my dress for any of the substance. I believe this because he brought me fresh peas to eat that night. In the third pea he gave me, the pod was full of the jelly.
Did your village love you for healing everyone after those days? Alyona smiled at the woman.
No. The woman patted the girl’s forehead. They kept me in the crate. There was no joy for me after I found the jelly.
You saved them.
The woman breathed deeply.
I said that the Green Man had used me to save them. I was nothing but a tarnished girl who may have the power to harm or make people ill. The woman turned her head to the side.
Did your father and brother free you from the crate? Alyona looked hopefully at the woman.
No child, the town folk dispatched the shaman with me in that wooden prison out into the world to purge the town of my evil. He threatened to kill me daily. He attempted to abandon me at every opportunity. The woman cupped her hand in front of Alyona. When I sensed a second source of the god jelly, he was able to sell me to a person.
No! Alyona did not know if it was a spell, but she was extending her hand towards the woman.
The sum was so great that my parents and brother lived well. The woman clapped each hand separately. That was after the shaman took his share of my bounty and spent more money on food, drink, and women on the trip home.
That’s…..
That is life, my special girl. The woman grabbed her hand and they stood up. The woman led the pair through tunnels and caverns. Eventually, the woman pulled her through a blanket of vines that concealed an exit to her labyrinth.
Your forest, Alyona. The woman gestured to the glade Alyona crossed to enter the woods.
Alyona pulled her hand away from the woman and pulled her hair back.
I am not sure what you want me to find. Alyona looked up to the woman. She received a smile.
I have never told anyone this before, the woman stuck her tongue out to Alyona, when I first touched the jelly, I felt that there were ants under my skin. It was the power of the jelly moving through me. It was such an odd feeling that I thought it was a sign of madness.
Alyona lowered her head. I felt something like that. I thought it was worms latching onto me from the peat.
That is the place, little one. Take me there.
Alyona was about to step forward when the woman asked her another question.
What color was the substance you touched today?
It was not one color, ma’am. Alyona moved her hand down to her legs. She brushed unseen but felt passengers from her body. I grabbed it first because I thought it was rose root. My mother could turn the flower into medicine to sell or trade. Alyona knelt and touched the ground. Except that the flower was so low to the ground and it was not the red or yellow flower I normally pick. They were violet with orange centers.
They did not feel like flowers.
No. Alyona pulled her hand away from the ground. They stuck to me like honey.

I moved to my current neighborhood when I was a teenager.
One of the things I hate(d) most about it was its busy street. If I want to get anywhere I have to cross a busy intersection... One with EIGHT lanes.
For years I was too afraid to do it. One time I got close to it but I turned away because I thought I'd mess up crossing and get hit or something.
...But I finally did it! It was nerve-wracking, but I did it!
Now I cross the street all of the time. I go to the park, to the local grocery stores, a brunch place, and a sandwich shop too!
Sometimes when I am about to cross the street I notice a driver will be super nice to me and let me cross first, probably so they can make sure I get to the other side before continuing themselves.
The first time that I went inside of one of the smaller establishments I was afraid of looking stupid and awkward because I can't open doors by myself, but now some of the shop owners I go to look out for me in the afternoon. And I got used to waving down people who are sitting inside of some of those places (haha) and they eagerly hurry to help me!
Sometimes people buy me sandwiches and give me other small random acts of kindness. At this point it's a regular occurrence. I never expect it but it always happens and it makes me smile too.
Just going outside and getting vitamin D is a joy. Seeing other people is a joy. For many years before I felt hidden and disconnected from my community. People say they see me zooming around even when I don't notice them... probably because I go fast! 😂
EDIT: What's the last fear that you conquered? Let's celebrate!
TLDR: I was afraid of crossing the street I live in for several years and now I cross it regularly. I regularly am a beneficiary of random acts of kindness. It makes me happy.

Please come up with an update for EA APP. The app is very buggy and glitchy.
1) The game library and sometimes the store does not load. The game library is always empty 9/10 times when i try to open the EA app. It says a message like "Things are taking a little while, please hang tight while we try to solve the problem"
2) If out of 9/10 times, by any miracle the app works fine and shows the games present in the library, it's of no use. Because, neither I can download the game as it gets stuck in the preparing to download menu, nor I can cancel the download as it gets stuck on cancelling.....
3)I had FIFA 22 on origin. It was completely fine until EA APP automatically updated in my PC and remover origin. Firstly, it could not launch my FIFA 22 as it said that game files were missing and secondly, i tried to delete my FIFA 22 and reinstall it but to my dismay, the EA APP doesn't even show my game library. As i told you, my library appears empty 9/10 times and by any chance, even if I am able to see FIFA 22 in my library, it's of no use because the game gets stuck on preparing to download. Again when I try to restart the app, again the same old problem which is an empty game library.
4)This was the reason I bought FIFA 23 on steam but little did I know that EA APP will be there to shit on my face. When I click play on Steam, it redirects me to EA APP where it says that "You don't have access. This title may be downloaded by another user or you do not own it. Please restart the app and try again." Despite having my Steam account linked correctly and verifying if my account is linked correctly by an EA SUPPORT MEMBER, the app still shows the error that I don't have access to the game.
5) Almost half a year went by and EA APP has made my life sad and depressing. I am not able to play games for which I literally paid for. It's like EA is robbing me of my money.
6)Please bring an app update because i have tried every possible way to make this work. I have been contacting EA HELP for months but in vain. The end result is always the support member saying ," I will report this to my team and they will fix it soon." That "soon" never came. MONTHSSSS...waited for months and now I am tired of waiting.
7)Tried running app as admin. Tried clearing caches. Tried app recovery. Tried restarting the app. Tried logging in and out of app. Tried downloading a game and cancelling mid way to kill the glitch. Tried running the game from STEAM. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling EA APP thousands of times. NO USE.

I’m a newly discharged veteran and just wanted to ask, would you suggest going into the fire or police service?
I’m 22 and still want to serve in some capacity. I’m going to college soon and plan to major in accounting. But something inside me still wants to help others, and I know the fire and police service are always what I wanted to do prior to the military.