I, 22F am an introvert with social anxiety and just anxiety in general. My parents and younger siblings are very loving and supportive and their the only reason I'm still here. I have a roof over my head, and food in my belly and more than most and I'm grateful, but lately, and ever since graduating high-school in 2020, I've felt unhappy. Granted, I'm glad my parent are alive and well and happy for the most part and that my younger siblings is fine too but why doesn't that seem enough to carry on sometimes? For Context, I really do feel like my childhood years were some of the best years of my life and I suppose I'm having an extremely hard time letting go of those time especially since being adult feels so difficult and I struggle with feeling confident about my appearance and decisions making in general. Plus, a few months ago I got fired from my last job for finally standing up for myself. So, now that I'm unemployed, now than ever, I feel like such a burden on their lives even though my family tells me otherwise I can't help but feel that way...I feel maybe I've already given up on trying to live life, as it were and my heart or my brain or both, are having a hard time excepting that...I would go therapy, but that's too expensive....advice?

Half the crap is cropped so my belly hangs out, there’s cold shoulders or cap sleeves to accentuate my already big arms, and it’s the most expensive cheaply made garments. Some pieces are like finding a needle in a haystack. These stores should have a plethora of 3X and 4X sizes that actually fit like their sizes. Not everyone wants their fat hanging out, or extremely low cut tops. The designers/merchandisers need to get real and offer a better selection of cuts and sizing in store.

Hi all
I am still on the path to get diagnosed, sorry for all the questions, hopefully this is the last post and my next post is “Yay, I found a Dr that listens” or “All Drs Suck, still saying it is all in my head”.
I have been working on my symptom lists and asking other females I know in town which Dr would be best to go to, from the get go. But I was wondering if they do agree to investigate what test should I make sure they do/request? (So I know they are actually trying).
From reading posts in this sub I am guessing:
Hormone levels (Really bad cystic acne on jawline, head hair loss) Do these have to done at a set time in my cycle or can they be done whenever?
Insulin resistance/ glucose levels (Skin tags, no energy)
I know an ultrasound will be suggested. Part of me wants this in case there is other issues or large cyst going on (there is an odd pain bellow my belly button slightly to the right mid between belly button and bikini line) but I don’t know if that is ovaries or something else higher up. BUT I hesitate as ultrasounds are now super expensive where I live. It is weird as X rays are free on Medicare but Ultrasounds are not and I don’t really want to pay $250 plus for nothing. (Rough guess and currently poor) If anyone on here is from NSW, Australia feel free to correct me if I am way off, feel free to let me know the actual cost please. I don’t know if baby ultrasounds are the same costs as Dr referred looking for cyst/cancer, but I am assuming so.
Anything else I should be making sure they look for?

Also random, non-related to above question, does anyone else get super horny after their period finishes? Is this normal, hormone imbalance due to higher Testosterone or do I need therapy? Not normally this intense but after my last period ended. Dam. O.O

Thank you for your help

While I was living in my car on the street because of poor financial decisions, I also had $40,000 in debt. When I looked at the total debt, I thought I’d never reach the moment where I repaid my debts. It was too big of an amount, and I had no income. Plus, I was homeless. My first concern was getting off the street and never returning to it.

Before repaying my debt

Once I got off the street and started receiving an income, I knew I had to build a savings account to avoid being homeless again. The reason I ended up homeless is because I didn’t have a safety net once my income stopped. To ensure I never ended up on the street again, I saved for an emergency fund and 6 months of essential expenses—mortgage/rent, utilities and food.
The emergency account should be at least $500 but preferably $2,000 to cover unforeseen expenses such as a burst water pipe or roof repairs. I planned to use the savings for the essential expenses only if my income stopped. Fortunately, that never happened.
It’s all good and well to dedicate any savings you have to paying off debt first, but what if your income stops?
What use was paying off the debt when you didn’t ensure you protected the roof over your head and had food to put in your belly for 6 months?
For me, it was crucial to have an emergency fund and 6 months of essential expenses before dedicating any additional funds to paying off my debts.

The first debt I paid

Although some financial gurus suggest paying off your smallest debt first, I chose to pay off my vehicle finance first. My car monthly expenses were more than 30% of my income, and I figured if I didn’t have those expenses, I could dedicate that money to the smallest debt.
While I was living in my car on the street because of poor financial decisions, I also had $40,000 in debt. When I looked at the total debt, I thought I’d never reach the moment where I repaid my debts. It was too big of an amount, and I had no income. Plus, I was homeless. My first concern was getting off the street and never returning to it.

Before repaying my debt

Once I got off the street and started receiving an income, I knew I had to build a savings account to avoid being homeless again. The reason I ended up homeless is because I didn’t have a safety net once my income stopped. To ensure I never ended up on the street again, I saved for an emergency fund and 6 months of essential expenses—mortgage/rent, utilities and food.
The emergency account should be at least $500 but preferably $2,000 to cover unforeseen expenses such as a burst water pipe or roof repairs. I planned to use the savings for the essential expenses only if my income stopped. Fortunately, that never happened.
It’s all good and well to dedicate any savings you have to paying off debt first, but what if your income stops?
What use was paying off the debt when you didn’t ensure you protected the roof over your head and had food to put in your belly for 6 months?
For me, it was crucial to have an emergency fund and 6 months of essential expenses before dedicating any additional funds to paying off my debts.

The first debt I paid

Although some financial gurus suggest paying off your smallest debt first, I chose to pay off my vehicle finance first. My car monthly expenses were more than 30% of my income, and I figured if I didn’t have those expenses, I could dedicate that money to the smallest debt.
My car was repossessed because I failed to make payments and then sold at an auction. But the selling price was lower than what I owed on the vehicle finance. And I also had to pay the storage, administration and auction fees.
After I paid the vehicle finance, I didn’t buy another car. That meant I had no gas, repairs, maintenance, registration and other expenses associated with car ownership.
If you work remotely or live in a city offering efficient public transport, you likely don’t need a car.
The average car payment for a used vehicle in the US in 2022 was $500 and $700 for a new vehicle. That excludes gas and other expenses to drive it. Considering 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, not having car expenses means they go from having nothing at the end of the month to having savings.
That’s a game changer for most Americans and the reason I harp on not owning a vehicle unless you use it to generate an income.
My car was repossessed in 2017, and I haven’t owned one since. I’ve got cash to buy a car, but I’m not even considering that option until I have a net worth of at least $1 million. Why would I choose a liability over an asset?
Many people’s obsession with cars is one of the major causes of their financial struggles.

The debt I repaid following the vehicle finance

I saved a significant amount of money because I wasn’t a vehicle owner, so I dedicated that money to the smallest debt. The whole point of paying debt is to do it as quickly as possible. You don’t want to drag out the debt repayment over a long period because you could lose the motivation to carry on.
Or worse, you could lose your income. Then, even if you want to pay debt, you won’t be in a position to. Your risk increases with time. So it’s in your interest to pay off the debt as soon as possible.
The reason I tackled the smallest debt after paying the vehicle finance is that I wanted to build more momentum. Paying off one debt did wonders for my confidence. It showed me that I can pay everything off if I remain disciplined.
The smallest debt was the quickest to pay off, and it boosted my momentum to pay off the second-smallest one.

The last debt I repaid

I repaid my biggest debt last. It took a few years, but it was worth it. I remember the moment I paid it. My shoulders lightened, and the tension in my head eased. I no longer had to worry about receiving phone calls from lawyers, threatening to garnish my wages or blacklist me.
I was liberated. It was an amazing feeling, and I promised myself to never take out debt again.
Three things that helped me to expedite my journey to pay my debts were living the minimalist lifestyle, not taking out new debt while paying off the old ones and not having car expenses after paying the vehicle finance first.

Extra tips

Anybody can get out of debt, but it requires a drastic lifestyle change. I knew that I had to reduce all my expenses and eliminate all the non-essentials. That enabled me to have more money to dedicate to debt. Eating out, buying clothes, subscriptions, vacations and similar expenses were out of the question. I was determined to pay off my debts fast.
Just because you’ve been living with debt for several years that doesn’t mean it has to be that way for the rest of your life. Take it from a guy who was homeless and $40,000 in debt. I can tell you that it’s much better to be debt-free and have $50,000 savings.
You can get there, but it’s going to require sacrifice. I knew that it was impossible for me to change my financial situation if I carried on doing things the way I had. To get different results, I had to think differently about money and then manage it better.
If you can’t manage $100, what makes you think you can manage $10,000?

Hello, I (26 M) developed severe blockages spanning from my belly button to my right calf in a case of DVT that the doctors have deemed as bizarre. I previously maintained a very healthy lifestyle with weight training 6 times a week and being very very responsible with food. I don't smoke, don't have any alcohol, except for the one social occasion every 4-5 months and have no other bad habits. I have since been tested for autoimmune diseases and any blood conditions and those have come out to be normal as well. No family history of dvt or anything similar.
I was pretty normal and training until one afternoon I took a nap and woke up with a swelling and pain I assumed was a sprain. I had not done anything rash to cause the sprain, but all I can recall is hearing a faint 'knuckle crack' like sound from the right side of my lower back while I was leg pressing. The weight was manageable and I didn't struggle at all. I assumed the sound was because I didn't warm up properly and it didn't have any pain for a week, until my leg swelled up. I have discussed this with the doctors in detail, and believe that it may be a possible cause. But the doctors are not very big on this idea.
I have since been discharged but neither of the very expensive doctors who are the best in their fields are able to pinpoint exactly why I suffered from such a severe case. (Not that I find them inadequate, they saved my life they are heroes to me) but I was very surprised to hear both of them mention the covid vaccine, or Covid-19 itself having a possible link in causing this. What info do we have on this currently? And can it be the covid thing or a gym injury like I most suspect? Any comments would be highly appreciated.

I'm frustrated. I'm looking for insight to see if others have experienced anything similar when switching to the compound.
I started on Zepbound in late February. Between 2/19 - 5/19 I lost 41 lbs. I had a 9 day gap in there due to shortages. I switched to the compound (5mg) and began on 5/20 on the compound. The first week, I still lost... then I started regaining. As of the 2nd compound injection (5/27), I am back to the exact weight I was when I started on 5/20.
I am seeing less appetite suppression than on the name brand, but I am not eating any differently. Same diet, same activity levels, same routines, but vast difference in results.
I inject in belly. I switch sides. I've done thigh once and it was okay, I just find the least irritation in the belly.
Has anyone else experienced this difference? This would be my 2nd month on 5 MG but first switching from brand to compound. Should I request a dose increase? Please tell me it gets better. I've been so happy seeing the results and feeling so much better, and the slowdown is so frustrating. Brand name remains out of stock and is considerably more expensive, so I hope i don't have to switch back.

I'm ranting, but I also need help from someone more experienced :)
I'm a 26 year old woman, 1.56 m tall and my current weight is around 60 kg. I've always been skinny (my average weight was 47 kg) and never had to excercise or go on a diet, never had issues with weight until I started gaining weight some 4 years ago when I began living alone and working from home. At first I was happy (at this point I had 53 kg) because my body finally looked like a body of an adult woman and not a 12 year old child, but now I'm frustrated because I kept gaining weight and I'm kind of scared of getting even bigger. I'm a tiny woman and this weight gain has made me look like a pregnant lady, my stomach is huge and no matter what size of pants I buy, my belly looks like a blob severed in half in them.
I thought of going to gym, but my schedule won't allow it, I work a full time job of 8 hours + a freelance job of 4 more hours to cover all my expenses. Both these jobs require me to sit in front of a computer screen until I'm done. My full time job shifts change on a montly basis and the schedule is quite tricky, so all I can do in free time before the shift starts is get some coffee, eat and take a walk to the supermarket and back. I do walk everywhere when time allows it, which is two or three times a week. I do not eat a lot, mostly once a day, sometimes twice. I'll grab anything I can while working, because the amount of work I have to do does not allow me to cook, so I'll eat a sandwich or noodles or canned tuna or two bananas or apples. I only occasionally eat sweets, I don't like them that much. I tried eating healthier (salads, smoothies etc.) but then an hour later I'm hungry again and I do not have the time to get up and prepare something new.
I stopped eating meat 8 years ago, although I do eat fish from time to time. I tried convincing myself that I'm okay with this, but today, after trying on the pants that I could get in 2 months ago and now I can't, I'm devastated.
Also, I have PCOS, was never given any hormone treatmeant since I'm prone to depression.
My question is, what would be the best and healthiest solution in this case, given the fact that my free time is very limited? How to organize my food intake better without it interferring with my work routine?
Thank you in advance and sorry for the long rant :)

I’ve been having horrible rib pain at night for a while. It will typically loosen up though out the day and with chiro and massage, but then I go to sleep at night and it comes riiiight back.
I’ve tried strengthening my back with PT and postural changes … but still I go to sleep and it all comes back.
I’ve tried expensive memory foam mattresses and latex toppers and still have this problem.
I notice when I stay in a hotel with a nice bed that seems to have a plush pillow top mattress my pain is nearly non existent! Incredible. Most recent was a courtyard by Marriott.
I am considering replicating this by buying a mattress from a hotel… however when I’ve read things about it on reddit people are VERY mixed. Some say never buy from a hotel, they are marked up and are not durable, others disagree.
I’d do anything to sleep better at this point but don’t want desperation to cost me a pretty penny by purchasing something over priced and not worth it. I’m so tired…. Any recommendations for a hotel-esque pillow top soft mattress that I should go try that might not be marked up?
I am small! 5’2 130 lbs. I used to be a side or back sleeper. Lately with this rib pain I cannot sleep on my back at all. I now sleep on my side with a pillow to prevent forward twisting or on my stomach with a pillow under my belly because my ribs can’t take the pressure anymore.

PayPal. Free shipping within the US, anywhere else at buyers expense. Packaged with care.
(Pics)
2 Guns (Like New) $32
31 (New) $18
Aladdin (Live Action) 4K (Very Good, WeaDing) $24
Aladdin (Animated) (Like New,Tiny Bump) $60
American Assassin (New) $18
American Graffiti 4K (New) $50
Ant-Man 4K (Like New, Ding) $55
Ant-Man And Tfhe Wasp: Quantumania 4K (Very Good, Imperfections) $28
Aquaman 4K (Manta Lab) $65
Army Of Darkness 4K (New) $26
Ash Vs Evil Dead: The Complete Second Season (New) $14
Belly (New,Bent Slip) $14
Better Off Dead (New) $24
Brazil (Like New) $64
Cars 4K (Fair) $16
Cinderella 4K (Like New) $34
Dirty Dancing 4K (Like New) $28
Dirty Dancing 4K (New) $38
Doctor Strange Double Lenti (Blufans) (Like New) $260
Ender's Game 4K (New) $30
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (New) $22
Footloose 4K (New) $32
Full Metal Jacket (New) $74
Gladiator 1/4 Slip (HDZETA) (New) $80
Hacksaw Ridge (New) $18
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (Like New) $30
Highlander (New) $24
Hunter Killer 4K (New) $18
Inside Out 4K (Very Good, WeaDing) $32
John Wick 1 & 2 (New) $26
Jungle Cruise 4K (Like New) $40
Justice League (Like New) $15
Kin 4K (New) $24
Knives Out (New,Bent Slip) $40
Lightyear 4K (New) $36
Maleficent 4K (Very Good, 2 Corners) $19
Mary Poppins Returns 4K (Like New, Tiny Dent) $28
Midway Lenti (4K) (Kimchidvd) (Like New) $70
Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation Slip B W Lenti Magnet W Maniacs Box (W Coin & T-Shirt (Filmarena) (Like New) $100
Moana 4K (Disney 100) (Sealed, Damaged) $20
My Bloody Valentine (Very Good,Scuff/Micro Scratches) $16
Old 4K (Like New, Tiny Ding) $21
Prisoners Of The Ghostland 4K (Like New, Scratch) $22
Rebel Without A Cause 4K (New) $44
Reservoir Dogs (New) $24
Saving Private Ryan PET Slipcase (HDZETA) (Like New) $78
Sicario 4K (New) $45
Spider-Man: No Way Home 4K (Like New) $34
Strange World 4K (New) $44
The Amazing Spider-Man 3D (New) $44
The Batman (German) (New) $60
The Big Lebowski (Zavvi) (New) $64
The Exorcist: Believer 4K (New) $28
The Hitman's Bodyguard & Wife's Bodyguard 4K (New, Bent Slips) $30
The Jungle Book Lenti (Live Action) (Blufans) (Like New) $74
The Lion King 4K (Live Action) (Like New, Small Dent) $21
The Mist 4K (New) $54
The Nutcracker And The Four Realms 4K (Like New) $22
The Original Christmas Specials Collection (Like New) $22
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4K (New) $38
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Very Good, Imperfections) $12
The Transformers: The Movie 4K (Like New) $24
The Wolf Of Wall Street (Zavvi) (New) $64
Thor: The Dark World (Blufans) (Like New) $74
Total Recall 4K (New) $44
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 4K (New) $36
Wonka 4K (New) $58
Zack Snyder's Justice League 4K (New) $58

First / Previous / Royal Road / Patreon (Read 12 Chapters Ahead)

A short while later, Alain and Felix came marching out of the gun store, both of them sporting new bandoleers filled with shotgun shells. Felix had slung his Winchester rifle and instead opted to carry a double-barrel coach gun, similar to Alain's. The two of them walked through town shoulder-to-shoulder, until they reached Sable and Az, who were waiting for them.
"Took you both long enough," Sable said, impatient.
"Can't rush the art of reloading, Sable," Alain replied. "Are we ready?"

Az nodded. "We've already told the townspeople to hold here and prepare for a fight in case things go belly-up down there. There shouldn't be very many surprises."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Felix questioned. "Let's go."
With that, the four of them headed for the mines. There was no resistance on the way there – rather, it was deathly quiet. Alain couldn't help but tense as the silence washed over him. Eventually, though, they reached the opening to the mines, then after a brief moment to collect themselves, pushed in.
There were a few undead still wandering through the mine shafts, but Az and Sable made quick work of them as they all advanced. Within just a few minutes, they reached the barrier once more.
"You all ready?" Alain asked.
"Just do it," Sable commanded.
He nodded, then broke open his shotgun and replaced the shells full of buckshot with the ammunition that he and Felix had reloaded. A pull of his gun's dual triggers fired both barrels simultaneously, sending chunks of sharpened bone screaming towards the barrier. They made impact, and there was a loud sound like glass shattering as the barrier broke. Alain stood there for a moment, stunned that it had actually worked, only to snap out of it as the others rushed past him. He hastily reloaded his shotgun, then moved in after them.
They all advanced down yet another mine shaft, though this one was completely barren of any undead. Still, they moved cautiously, unwilling to risk stumbling into an ambush. As they descended down, it got progressively darker, with only wall-mounted torches to light their way; Felix took one down and held it in his off-hand, illuminating the path forward as they walked.
Alain couldn't help but note that the floor underneath their feet was stained with dried blood, as if a body or several had been dragged across the ground.
As they drew closer, Alain heard it – a young woman's muffled cries and pleas, followed by the baying of a small crowd. His eyes widened, and he rushed forwards with his gun already in his shoulder. The path ahead was suddenly illuminated with a wide array of torches, and he barreled on without a care, finally emerging into a large chamber.
He only made it about three steps into the room when he felt cold metal against the back of his head, followed by the telltale click of a revolver's hammer being cocked back. His eyes narrowed, even as his grip on his shotgun slackened.
"Ansley," he guessed.
"Wrong," an unfamiliar voice answered with a sneer.
"Tobias, now is not the time to play with your food," Ansley called from off in the distance. "Our time draws short."
Alain turned towards him, and his breath caught in his throat at what he saw. Ansley was dressed in a set of blood red robes and standing over a stone altar, a bloodstained dagger held in his hand. Just underneath him, a young woman clad in only her undergarments was chained to a stone slab, her bonds rattling as she attempted to free herself, to no avail. The slab underneath her was already soaked with crimson. Behind Ansley, Alain could see several wooden caskets piled up.
"So, this is what you've been doing," Alain noted. "Ritualistic sacrifices?"
"How astute of you," Ansley said dryly. "I'll admit, you've been quite the thorn in my side – you and your little entourage, that is. I was hoping those bandits would take care of you or at least keep you busy enough that you wouldn't be a problem anymore, but I can see now that I severely underestimated you."
"Enough with this," Alain replied. "I know what you're after – you want to make yourself immortal."
A grin split Ansley's face. "Talked to Xavier, did you? The old man always was too honest for his own good. But still, that's only half of the plan."
"And the other half?"
"You're a smart man. Look around you, see what you can figure out."
Alain blinked, then did as he was told. He was stunned to find a small crowd of six people gathered nearby, all of them dressed in fancy-looking outfits and adorned with expensive-looking jewelry. His eyes narrowed, and he turned back to Ansley.
"So that's what this is about," Alain ventured. "I'll admit, I'm disappointed."
"Are you, now?"
"I am. Your ledger made it sound so simple. I'm ashamed to know that it really is that simple, after all. Despite everything you've done, all the evil you've committed, it ultimately comes down to nothing more than money."
"Of course it does," Ansley told him. "It all comes back to the almighty dollar. That's how I attracted these people here, anyway – with promises of gold and wealth beyond their wildest dreams. Imagine my surprise when I ran into the old man, and discovered there was something far more valuable than gold that I could sell to these people."
He ran his thumb along the blunt edge of the dagger. The bound girl stared at the blade, her eyes wide and her chest heaving with panicked gasps. Ansley brought a hand up and ran it through her hair.
"Shh, my dear," he urged. "It will all be over soon."
Footsteps from behind him caught Alain's attention, but he didn't dare turn around with the revolver still pressed to the base of his skull. Ansley, however, stood up straighter, glaring into the darkness of the mine shaft.
"Unless you want to see your friend's brains painted across the stone, you'll stop where you are and hang back," he warned.
All three of them immediately froze where they stood. Sable leveled a glare at Ansley from just outside the entrance to the room.
"Foolish mortal," she said. "You have no idea the kind of powers you're meddling with by doing this."
"On the contrary, my dear – I know exactly what the consequences are for doing this. Why do you think I'm so dead-set on seeing it through to the end?" Ansley shook his head. "But enough talk. It's good that you four showed up – you'll get to see our rebirth… and at the end of it all, you will be the first ones to be brushed aside by us as we usher in a new age."
Ansley suddenly raised the dagger, the point aimed square at the young woman's heart. Her eyes widened and she thrashed against the stone slab, desperate to free herself from her restraints, but it was no use. The blade glinted in the torchlight as it came down hard enough to pierce straight through her ribcage. Her body tensed, but then slackened a second later as the breath left her.
For a moment, nothing happened, even as Ansley roughly removed the blood-soaked dagger with a sickening squelch. But as Alain watched, the shadows in the room began to shift. They elongated, creeping out from the corners they'd been banished to by the firelight, steadily reaching towards Ansley. He eyed them with a wild, wide grin.
"Yes!" he proclaimed. "I knew it would work!"
Alain watched as several of the shadows diverted course, splitting off from the one headed towards Ansley. One of them began to move towards him, and for a brief instant, he was worried that it would make contact with him, but it didn't – instead, it bypassed him entirely, aiming for Tobias.
"Fascinating…" Alain heard him mutter under his breath. "This is simply div-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the shadow suddenly retracted into itself, then shot forward as a large, jagged spike. It passed just above Alain's shoulder, causing him to flinch when he felt it barely graze his ear. Behind him, he heard Tobias give out a sick-sounding gurgle, followed by his revolver clattering to the ground. Alain instantly rounded on him, pulling his Colt from its holster as he did so, and was stunned to see Tobias lying there, the shadow steadily worming its way into his body through a hole in his throat. Tobias thrashed, his eyes going wide with fear and panic as the blackness forced itself into him. As Alain watched, Tobias' body began to change, steadily going from human to some kind of darkened shadow creature. His whole body began to contort and shift; his bones shattered and cracked as they were reshaped and molded, blood leaking from the myriad fractures erupting throughout his body.
He never got to finish his transformation, however – Az suddenly stepped forward and stomped on his head, crushing it underneath his heel. That shook Alain out of his stupor, and he turned towards Az, who stared back at him with razor-sharp focus.
"If you all have any sense, you'll take out the rest before they can finish shifting," he growled.
That was all Alain needed to hear. He scooped up his Ithaca shotgun, then raised it to his shoulder as he advanced. The other members of Ansley's inner circle were currently suffering the same fate Tobias had, with all of them in various states of transformation; Alain took aim at the nearest one and blasted him with both barrels, which instantly stopped the transformation and killed the unfortunate host.
There was a sudden rush of wind from next to him as Sable and Az advanced, leaping from person to person in an attempt to stop them before they could fully transform. Felix stepped up next to him as he reloaded and took out another person with his own shotgun before dropping back to load.
"What is this…?" Ansley asked as he backed up into a corner, several shadows advancing upon him. His eyes widened as they drew closer, and he pulled a revolver from his holster and began to fire at them. Several of the shadows went down, but the remainder suddenly split into multitudes, all of them continuing to move towards him. Ansley screamed as he fanned his revolver's hammer, but eventually, it ran dry.
And the moment it did, the shadows pounced.
Alain could only watch as the shadows all piled onto Ansley, who disappeared beneath the pulsating mass of darkness with a muffled scream that was cut short. He only stopped and stared for a moment, however, before Az and Sable came running up to him.
"We need to leave, now!" Sable warned.
Alain was about to ask what she was talking about when he saw several of the shadows suddenly pull away from the pile atop Ansley and begin to move towards the four of them. Without a word, he nodded, and then they all took off running towards the entrance of the mine.
As they ran, the shadows followed. Thinking quickly, Alain pulled a lantern from the walls and shattered it, slathering the ground behind them with oil; in the same motion, he pulled a match from his pocket and struck it, then tossed it back at the oil-slick ground. Flames erupted in the center of the mine shaft, and by the looks of things, his intuition had been correct – the shadows reeled from the sudden onslaught of heat and light, enabling the four of them to continue sprinting back to the entrance unimpeded.
They emerged from the depths of the mine and back onto the world above just as the sun began to crest over the horizon. Alain doubled over, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath, but it only lasted a moment before someone rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Look sharp," Felix warned.
"What do you-"
Alain's statement was interrupted by the sound of several dozen guns being readied. He paused, then looked up, and was stunned to see an entire US Army cavalry detachment standing there, their guns pointed at the four of them. Sheepishly, he raised his hands in surrender.
"Army's here," was all he managed to get out before they approached him and threw a burlap sack over his head, then began to muscle him away.

Special thanks to my good friend and co-writer, Ickbard for the help with writing this story.

Getting my basement finished and had my sewer line cameraed to get ahead of any issues. It's 4 inch PVC under slab installed in 2020 by a company I no longer have confidence in. The camera identified a belly in a section of the pipe that was holding water and submerged the camera, but minimal waste. Plumber initially said not to fix it, but I'm worried about it causing a problem later and having to rip out a portion of the newly finished basement.
It's accessible and easy to get to now, if it's worth it. We excavated the nearest fittings to get depths and determined that there's space to create roughly 1 inch of fall over that 20 foot section, which is under the 1/4 code requirement.
Will that relatively minimal fall be better than the belly such that it makes sense to fix? The plumber is the plumber doing my basement and I trust him - he's also doing it at a cut rate so the expense isn't an issue.

Getting my basement finished and had my sewer line cameraed to get ahead of any issues. It's PVC under slab installed in 2020 by a company I no longer have confidence in. The camera identified a belly in a section of the pipe that was holding water and fully submerged the camera, but minimal waste. Plumber initially said not to fix it, but I'm worried about it causing a problem later and having to rip out a portion of the newly finished basement.
It's accessible and easy to get to now, if it's worth it. We excavated the nearest fittings to get depths and determined that there's space to create roughly 1 inch of fall over that 20 foot section, which is under the 1/4 fall code requirement.
Will that relatively minimal fall be better than the belly such that it makes sense to fix? The plumber is the plumber doing my basement and I trust him - he's also doing it at a cut rate so the expense isn't an issue.

(As always, flyers are out Wednesdays, most store sales for the new flyer start on Thursdays)
Adonis

• Beef rib eye steak - $14.99 per lb -- Expensive proposition, but if you're looking for a treat or nice dinner item, then this may be nice.
• Chicken drumsticks - $1.99 per lb -- Fair price for drumsticks. Better would be 1.49/lb or so, but this is regular enough pricing at Adonis.
• Royal Sea Bream - $7.77 per lb -- Up a bit from last week. This is AMAZING fish!! Had a stab at cooking some. Wow... What a beautiful fish!
• Coho Salmon fillet (thawed) - $8.99 per lb -- Very good price for salmon!
• Cod fillet (thawed) - $8.77 per lb -- Good price for cod.
• Whole mackerel - $3.99 per lb -- Good price for mackerel.
• Beefsteak tomatoes - $0.99 per lb -- Excellent!! Great price for tomatoes. This is sight-unseen, however. Check in-store before planning too far ahead.
• Grape, Cherry, Medley variety tomatoes - $4.99 1.5lb shell -- Interesting! Not the best price, but the tomatoes are nice. These are usually much more expensive. 1.5lbs is a lot of smaller tomatoes.
• Yellow peaches - $1.99 per lb -- Hmm, interesting. Curious as to how these might be. It's not quite Niagara season yet... But still, $2/lb ain't THAT great... Hmm
• Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $4.99 400g bar -- Nice! $5 brick cheese!
• Cheese counter - Halloom (Phoenicia, Cedar) - $2.29 per 100g -- Ouuu good price for bulk halloom. It's more often $3/100g.
• Cheese counter - Feta (Tre Stelle) - $1.79 per 100g -- Great price for feta!
• Cheese counter - Tzatziki (Arahova) - $0.99 per 100g -- Nice!
• Olive counter - Green or Black olives - $0.99 per 100g -- Very nice! Olives are not cheap. I find the Adonis olives top notch. Worth checking out!
• Deli - Pastrami (Solmaz) - $1.99 per 100g -- Ouu pastrami! Solmaz has good product. I'm curious to see how this stacks up.
• Deli - Chicken breast (Solmaz) - $1.79 per 100g -- Very fair price for this kind of deli meat.
• Deli - Prosciutto Cotto (Mastro) - $1.49 per 100g -- Nice! This stuff is tasty as heck!
• Deli - Capicollo (Mastro) - $1.49 per 100g -- Very nice!
• Deli - Mortadella ((San Daniele) - $1.49 per 100g -- Yess!!!!!!!
• Deli - Smoked meat - $2.29 per 100g -- No brand provided. Kinda funny, but hey, matches well-enough with the pastrami sale. This could be worth snagging. But, you'll have to check with the counter to be sure of the brand. Ask for a sample!
• Produce Price Rating: Medium, but always has well-priced chicken, the deli meat sale rotations are always fantastic, and just the overall variety of goods is refreshing. Personal favourite store.

Farm Boy

• Beef top sirloin grilling steak (AAA) - $9.99 per lb -- Great price for nice steak!!
• Cauliflower - $2.99 per head -- Wow! What an awesome price!
• Euro "Runner" beans - $3.99 per lb -- They look like snap peas. A little pricey. Wouldn't go crazy over these, but they're neat! Might be fun to try.
• Sweet peppers - $3.88 4-pack -- If these packs clock in at 2lbs, you're paying a very good rate. If it's 1.5lb, then it's a little bit average at 2.60ish/lb.
• Mangoes - $9.99 8.8lb case -- Good price for mangoes!
• Produce Price Rating: High

Farmers Pick (can be a little late on their flyer) (https://www.farmerspick.ca/flyer-specials)
Food Basics

• Chicken breast (bone-in, skinless) - $3.48 per lb -- Wow! Nice price! These are a great cut of chicken for a really good price! As I like to point out: bone-in = flavour!
• Bacon (Selection) - $2.98 375g pack -- Nice price! Selection bacon ain't bad. It's not omg amazing quality, but I still find I get acceptable fat lines, it's not watery, it's well-packed. Good deal!
• Eggs (Selection) - $5.49 18-pack -- Not ground breaking but it's a nice little break on per-egg pricing.
• Lamb leg - $5.99 per lb -- Fair sale. $6/lb is a little high for a sale, but it's still good.
• Atlantic Salmon - $8.99 per lb -- Nice price for pink fish!
• Cucumber - $0.88 each -- Fantastic!
• Vine tomato - $0.88 per lb -- Fantastic!
• Mushrooms - $2.98 454g shell -- Good price! These 1lb packs could go as high as $4-5.
• Brussel sprouts - $2.98 per lb -- Decent rate on sprouts!
• Asparagus - $2.98 per lb -- Decent rate on asparagus. Not amazing, like $2/lb, but still really good.
• Cherries - $2.88 per lb -- WOW! That's CHEAP for cherries!!! Get some! Freeze them if you have to!
• Barlett pears - $1.88 per lb -- Nice! Good price for nice pears. I love these when they're ripe!
• Yogurt (Hans) - $2.49 750g tub -- Good price for yogurt. I don't mention yogurt much these days because it's been very price stable, but I've seen this pressure for an uptick.
• Mortadella (whole) - $9.99 750g chub -- Nice! This works out to a 1.33//100g deli rate if you're slicing it yourself. Worth considering if you have a lot of sandwiches to make!
• Butter (Selection) - $4.88 454g bar -- Nice!
• Sourdough bread (Rudolph) - $2.99 500g loaf -- Very nice! I love this bread!
• Luncheon ham (Holiday) - $1.98 340g tin -- Great price! These are more often $4.
• Tomato paste (Unico) - $0.89 156ml can -- Nice! Good enough price for stocking up. Worth getting a few can for the pantry.
• Sunflower seeds (Irresistibles) - $2.88 300g bag -- Awesome deal, but I can't get too close to these bags. I can eat sunflower seeds by the handful lol.
• Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low

FoodLand

• Pork side rib - $2.99 per lb -- Good price for pork rib.
• Beef inside round roast or steaks (AAA) - $6.99 per lb -- Kind of amazing for AAA beef. Worth snagging if you can price in a little luxury this week.
• Strawberry Basil Sausages - $4.99 per lb -- Freshly made in store, but strawberry basil?! What the... Whatever, might be nice. But this reminds me of episodes of delusional cooks on Kitchen Nightmares...
• Green onions - $0.99 per bunch -- Good price, but I wonder if they're being stingey. Like, how much is in a bunch?
• Blackberries - $1.99 170g shell -- Scene Member Price. Wouldn't go buckwild for blackberry at this price, but worth snagging some for a treat.
• Silk plant bev - $3.49 1.74-1.89L jug -- Wow! Great price for Silk products!
• Produce Price Rating: Medium-high to high.

Freshco (price matcher)

• Chicken drumsticks - $1.99 per lb -- Fair price for drumsticks. Better would be 1.49/lb or so.
• Chicken thighs - $2.99 per lb -- These are really nice for BBQ and braising in the oven, but the dollar value is lacking a bit...
• Eggs (Burnbrae, Gray Ridge) - $5.49 18-pack -- Not ground breaking but it's a nice little break on per-egg pricing.
• Sweet peppers - $2.99 4-pack -- Awesome price! Assuming a 1.5lb pack, this is $2/lb, which is a great rate!
• Green peppers - $2.49 per lb -- Still a decent rate!
• Green Beans - $2.49 per lb -- Very good price for green beans. These can float easily into the $4/lb range.
• Napa, choy, flat cabbage - $0.99 per lb -- Great deal for that choy! The cabbage is fine, that choy price is hard to beat!
• Green onions - $0.99 per bunch -- Good price, but again, how much is in a bunch?!
• Yellow peaches - $1.99 per lb -- Same peaches as the Adonis? Hmm....
• Strawberries - $1.88 454g shell -- Awesome!!!
• Apples (Ambrosia, Granny Smith) - $1.79 per lb -- Now, "standard" apples can run as low as 65c/lb, so, this isn't a ground breaking price. But I've also seen bulk apples for $3/lb. The 3-4lb bags should come back to a $1/lb to $1.25/lb. These are nice apples, but shop carefully.
• Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $4.99 400g bar -- Nice! $5 brick cheese!
• Tomato paste (Unico) - $0.88 156ml can -- Nice! Good enough price for stocking up. Worth getting a few can for the pantry.
• Olive oil (Gallo) - $11.88 1L bottle -- Scene Member Price. WOW! If you have a Scene card, get a few bottles! That's a GREAT price!
• Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low (more on the medium side)

Giant Tiger (*note the VIP prices; sales begin today) (price matcher)

• Cucumber - $0.77 each -- Fantastic!
• Mini carrots - $0.77 340g bag -- Wow! That's a great price! These are often $2ish regular price, if not more.
• Cocktail tomatoes - $2.47 454g shell -- Hmm! Not bad for a fancier tomato. Not great, but not bad.
• Avocado - $3.88 5-6 unit bag -- Nice! Haven't seen well-priced cado in a while!
• Dare crackers - $1.88 200-227g box -- Great deal on these crackers!
• Nectarines or Peaches - $4.88 2lb bag -- Not really an amazing price, other places have better, but these could be worth checking out if you're in-store already.
• Butter (Lactantia) - $5.48 454g bar -- Decent sale for butter. Under $5 is the better target, but this ain't bad.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally on the low side.

Green Fresh Supermarket (Vanier) (check https://greenfreshottawa20.wixsite.com/greenfreshottawa) * Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.
IGA (price matcher)

• Chicken breast (boneless, skinless) - $4.44 per lb -- Nice! Good price! Hard to find appreciably lower than this without skipping into a different cut of chicken.
• Pork loin chops - $2.99 per lb -- Fair enough price. Not $2-2.50/lb to make it great, but it's still a decent price.
• Atlantic Salmon - $9.77 per lb -- Good price for pink fish.
• Smoked ham (Lafleur) - $14.99 1kg toupie -- More of a reminder of the "cut your own deli" proposition I often mention. This clocks in at 1.50/100g, versus the deli's $3/100g+. It's not the same quality, of course, but definitely easier on the wallet.
• Lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf) - $4.00 for 2 heads -- Not bad! Depends on the size of the heads of lettuce, but this is a nice variety at a good price.
• Potatoes - $4.99 10lb bag -- Nice! Remember, these bags work out to 50c/lb, which is leagues away from paying 2-3/lb for loose bulk potatoes.
• Asparagus - $2.98 per lb -- Decent rate on asparagus. Not amazing, like $2/lb, but still really good.
• Greenhouse tomatoes - $1.49 per lb -- Nice! Good price. Not the 99c/lb deals we're seeing going around, but it's still much better than average non-sale pricing.
• Cherries - $1.94 per lb -- Scene Member Price. WOWOW! Holy smokes and I thought the Basics deal was good!
• Blackberries - $3.98 for 2x 170g shell -- Basically the same $2 deal we saw at FoodLand.
• Feta (Saputo) - $3.99 200g tub -- Nice! $2/100g. That's a good price.
• Bocconcini (Saputo) - $3.99 200g tub -- Same! Good price!
• Ricotta/Fiorella (Saputo) - $3.99 400g tub -- Very nice!
• Brick cheese (Selection) - $4.99 400g bar -- Nice! $5 brick cheese!
• Butter (Compliments) - $4.88 454g bar -- Nice!
• Produce Price Rating: Medium to high.

Independent

• Beef inside round roast (AA) - $5.99 per lb -- FoodLand's deal is much better in my opinion. Theirs is AAA top sirloin, roasts and steaks.
• Pork sirloin and rib chops - $2.49 per lb -- Good and fair price. Not ground breaking, but good.
• Steelhead Trout - $9.99 per lb -- Average sale price for pink fish.
• Cucumbers - $0.99 each -- Nice!
• Strawberries - $2.49 454g shell -- Good price!
• Pineapple - $5.99 each -- Jesus. Pineapples usually can be found for $3-4. But this comes with a 1000 points, $1 value. So, spend $2-3 more to get $1 back in money you can't spend anywhere else. That's like getting gift cards for Christmas or a birthday. Someone has taken perfectly good money, and made it so you can't spend it anywhere else but certain stores... Ridiculous...
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Loblaws

• Beef inside round roast (AA) - $5.99 per lb -- Same deal as Loblaws.
• Pork side rib - $2.99 per lb -- Good price for pork rib.
• Chicken thighs - $1.88 per lb -- Awesome price for chicken! May be bone-in and skin-on, but chicken prices haven't been super friendly. These would be nice marinated for the BBQ.
• Steelhead Trout - $9.99 per lb -- Average sale price for pink fish.
• Cucumbers - $0.99 each -- Nice!
• Beefsteak tomatoes - $0.88 per lb -- Woh! That's unusually cheap...
• Watermelon (11lb avg) - $4.99 each -- Good price for melon.
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Provigo

• Ground beef (medium) - $3.99 per lb -- Nice! Not exactly easy to find deals like this. Worth snaggin some.
• Steelhead Trout - $9.99 per lb -- Average sale price for pink fish.
• Pork loin centre chops and roast - $2.99 per lb -- Good and fair price. Not ground breaking, but good.
• Potatoes (Russet) - $3.99 10lb bag -- Very nice!! 40c/lb!
• Grape tomatoes - $2.49 283g shell -- Optimum Member Price. This is... Bizarre... $5 regular price. Yeesh. Makes the offer look good, but compared to what? Lol
• Mangoes - $6.99 6-unit case -- Optimum Member Price. $10 regular. Huh... I see what they're doing...
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Maxi (price matcher)

• Chicken drumsticks - $1.94 per lb -- Fair price for drumsticks. Better would be 1.49/lb or so. Maxi can do better, I think...
• Atlantic Salmon - $8.77 per lb -- Great price for pink fish, about $1 under average sales, and $5 under most average pricing.
• Vine tomatoes - $0.74 per lb -- Awesome deal for tomatoes!
• Potatoes (Russet) - $2.44 10lb bag -- Amazing! 25c/lb!!! We haven't seen potato prices like this in a while!!
• Sweet peppers - $2.99 4-pack -- Really good deal. If they're 1.5lb 4-packs, then it works out to $2/lb.
• Avocado - $4.99 5-unit bag -- Meh. Not bad, but not great. But, better than paying $3 each at Loblaws (which I saw for my own eyes last week, and they're not special! They're just average avocados)
• Pineapple - $2.99 each -- Lol there's our $3 pineapple without the 1000 points...
• Mangoes - $0.99 each -- Or, why be forced to carry an Optimum card when you can just get the same mango for $1 lol.
• Limes - $0.44 each -- Good deal for limes. Margaritas anyone?
• Brick cheese (P'tit Quebec) - $4.87 400g bar -- Nice! $5 brick cheese!
• Produce Price Rating: Generally medium low pricing! This store can post some impressive deals at times.

Metro

• Ground beef (lean) - $4.44 per lb -- I prefer to see $4/lb for ground, but this isn't far off.
• Pork loin chops - $2.49 per lb -- Very nice! Well-priced! These would be nice for a BBQ, or seared and braised lightly with some wine and onion.
• Rainbow Trout fillet - $9.99 per lb -- Good price for pink fish.
• Tilapia fillet - $9.99 per lb -- Tilapia used to be cheaper... I remember days where Adonis had $5/lb thawed fillets. That said, it's a remarkably light-tasting fish with a nice texture that's easy to prepare.
• Whole Atlantic Salmon - $2.99 per lb -- Now that's a good deal! Holy smokes! It's a different method of prep, there's extra work, and you're dealing with bones, but hey, that's where most of your money goes for fish fillets. It's in the labour!
• Asparagus - $2.44 per lb -- Very good price!
• Cauliflower - $2.44 per head -- Oh shit! That's a really good price! It's nice to see some cauliflower relief!
• Sweet peppers - $1.99 per lb -- Very nice! That's a great rate.
• Green beans - $0.88 per lb -- WOW!!! That's amazing!!! Get this!
• Green onions - $2.00 for 2 bunches -- Nice! That's a good price!
• Radishes - $3.00 for 2 bunches -- Good deal for radish. 99c a bunch is as good as it gets, and regular pricing can see a bunch go to $3.
• Blackberries - $1.99 170g shell -- Standard enough sale for blackberries. That $2 mark seems to be the floor.
• Cheese Counter - Parmigiano Reggiano - $12.99 per lb -- A bit strange to advertise it per lb. But, mathing it out, it works to 2.85/100g, and that's actually quite good.
• Deli - Turkey Breast (Cuddy, Lilydale) - $2.99 per 100g -- Ok price for good deli. Worth noting as a Metro deal but don't overbuy.
• Deli - Smoked ham (Selection) - $2.49 per 100g -- At the surface, it's a good price, but you can find toupies of this exact smoked ham for $1-1.33/100g. Slice your deli meat yourself and you're guaranteed to save, which can be a massive money saver for kids lunches.
• Brick cheese (Selection) - $4.77 400g bar -- Nice! $5 brick cheese!
• Earth's Own plant bev - $2.88 1.74-1.89L jug -- Wow! Amazing price. These usually float around $4-5.
• Produce Price Rating: High. Kinda like Sobeys. You can see a 50% average mark-up compared to a lot of other stores. It's nice produce, but it costs you.

No Frills (price matcher)

• Whole chicken - $1.88 per lb -- Awesome deal on whole chicken! Hard to find it for less!
• Bacon (Schneiders) - $3.99 375g pack -- Fair sale on a name-brand bacon.
• Ecuadorian Shrimp (20/30ct) - $5.99 300g bag -- Good price for decent-sized shrimp.
• Asparagus - $2.88 per lb -- Good price! Around $3/lb is a fair price to pay.
• Vine tomatoes - $0.74 per lb -- Fantastic!
• Cauliflower - $3.88 per head -- Decent enough. We're seeing a lot of downward pressure on cauliflower between last week and this week. However, is this a real sale? Food Basics usually has their cauliflower on for $4 most weeks.
• Mini-cucumbers - $3.88 11-pack -- Good deal. The 6-packs are often over $2. So, for 11, this is about right. That said, watch out for per lb Lebanese cucumbers. If you find them for $1.50/lb, you're getting better mileage out of those than these 6/11-packs.
• Potatoes (Russet) - $3.99 10lb bag -- Nice! $4 bags are always welcome.
• Broccoli - $1.88 per crown -- Decent. Not amazing. Careful for the size and quality. $1.50 is more my target. $1.25 sometimes happens. And, sometimes the deal isn't by crown but per lb. Paying per lb usually yields a better rate.
• Peppers (red, green) - $3.88 4-pack -- Nice. Not $3, but still a decent rate on peppers.
• Garlic braid - $3.88 1kg -- Good price for a full braid. These are fun make roast garlic spread. Just slice off the top of the head as to expose the cloves. Sprinkle in some salt and a bit of olive oil, and bake gently in the oven (covered with a lid or foil to retain the steam). Cook for 15min or so, and then flip the heads onto that exposed head side and cook another 10-15. The cloves should be very soft after this. Then, after letting them cool, you can easily squeeze the cloves out of the skins.
• Yellow onion - $5.88 10lb bag --
• Apples (Imperfect) - $3.88 6lb bag -- Nice price for apples. They may be imperfect, but the price is right, it's been tough to find standard fruit for less than $1/lb.
• Mangoes - $6.44 9lb case -- Well, I guess Loblaws and company are overstocked on mangoes. I've never seen so many deals on them from their shops.
• Persimmons - $6.88 3lb case -- Nice!
• Canned tomatoes (Unico) - $1.44 796ml can -- Great price for good tomatoes. I'd stock up on these.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally quite low, selectively amazing for some items.

Produce Depot (usually a little late on the flyer) https://producedepot.ca/

• Pork tenderloin - $3.99 per lb -- Fair price for tenderloin.
• Beef rib steak - $13.99 per lb -- Kinda like what we saw at the Adonis. Not exactly a regular dinner item, but something for a nice occasion.
• Catfish - $12.99 per lb -- Well that's interesting! Don't see catfish often at all! It seems to be pre-marinated.
• Bay scallops - $9.99 per lb -- I wonder about the size of these. They're probably small, but the price is good.
• Sweet peppers - $1.99 per lb -- Very nice! That's a great rate.
• Corn - $0.69 each -- Nice! We're still see 4-packs for $4. This is a much better deal than those.
• Hothouse tomatoes - $0.99 per lb -- It's so nice to see $1/lb tomatoes!
• Green onion - $0.69 per bunch -- Holy cow that's cheap!!
• Red grapes - $1.79 per lb -- Wow! Awesome price!
• Barlett pears - $1.69 per lb -- Great rate on pears! Beats most deals on Barletts this week.
• Strawberries (Ontario) - $5.00 for 2x 340g shells -- These are smaller packs of strawberries, but the price still ends up being pretty fair. It would be like paying $3.30 for a 454g shell.
• Cheese Counter - St. Albert extra old cheddar - $2.39 per 100g -- So, for reference, standard brick cheese is about $1/100g. But, cheese curd by St Albert floats around $3/100g. So, this is actually an attractive price for above average cheese.
• Deli - Roasted chicken breast (Maple Leaf) - $2.39 per 100g -- Very good price for good name-brand deli product!
• Produce Price Rating: Medium-low with very competitive specials on a shortened flyer. The small flyer is nice because it doesn't uselessly feature $6 heads of cauliflower and extremely high-price items that are either a confusion on the consumer, or an insult on the injury of not being able to afford supreme quality items.

Real Canadian Superstore (price matcher)

• Chicken breast (boneless, skinless) - $4.66 per lb -- Good price for chicken breast. It can be found and had for less, but this is still really good.,
• Atlantic Salmon - $9.88 per lb -- Fair price for pink fish.
• Duck (Grade A) - $3.88 per lb -- $4/lb is the usual price. A 3% discount is not a sale lol.
• Golden Pompano - $3.00 per lb -- A fellow Redditor and regular of the review suggested to try Pompano. It's apparently light and quite tasty!
• Dressed Tilapia - $3.00 per lb -- Dressed as in head, tail and fins removed. Not ready for a night out on the town.
• Eggs (Burnbrae, Gray Ridge) - $4.79 18-pack -- Nice! 30c an egg. That's good.
• Asparagus - $1.99 per lb -- Nice! There's the $2 mark I like to see. I've been pleased with the asparagus quality lately, so these should be decent if the supply chain is has a common quality going around.
• Corn - $0.32 each -- WOW! That's CHEAP.
• Vine tomato - $1.49 per lb -- Not the best this week. We see a lot of sub-$1/lb deals. They're in season now, we should see lower prices than this from RCSS.
• Green cabbage - $0.99 per lb -- Pretty good price. I'd like to see this drop a bit. But, we're also not in peak cabbage season, I think. That's still some months away.
• Iceberg lettuce - $1.99 per head -- Not bad. Mind the quality of the heads, though.
• Potatoes (Imperfect) - $6.00 15lb bag -- I love to see these bags. They're good value at 40c/lb. However, do check around because sometimes you can find 10lb bags with even better value. But, below is 40c/lb is quite tough to find. A regular 10lb bag can easily float over $6.
• Sweet peppers (Imperfect) - $5.00 2.5lb bag -- Good rate on peppers. $2/lb is a fair sale rate. Mind the imperfections, though. This week's list has peppers for under $2/lb and they're not imperfect (ouff double negatives lol)
• Mushrooms - $5.00 680g shell -- These can be deceiving. Make sure to check around. Like, at Food Basics, the 454g shell is $3, meaning there's a $1 lost in value with this 680g shell for $5.
• Pineapple - $2.99 each -- Fair and good price for a pineapple.
• Apples (Imperfect) - $6.00 6lb bag -- $1/lb is a good rate for standard fruit.
• Deli - Mortadella (San Daniele) - $3.50 per 100g -- Horrible price. Like I've pointed out, you can find the 750g chubs for $10. If you need sandwich meat and a lot of it every week for lunches, slice it yourself. Or, at least go to the Adonis if you can, because they charge half the price for the same product.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally medium-low pricing, selectively amazing for some items.

Sobeys

• Chicken breast (boneless, skinless) - $4.88 per lb -- Fair price for chicken breast.
• Pork loin rib or sirloin chops - $2.49 per lb -- Nice price for pork chops. Lots of deals like this going around, which is nice to see.
• Wild Haddock fillets - $8.99 per lb -- Scene Member Price. Good price for haddock.
• Beef top sirloin roasts or steaks (AA) - $8.99 per lb -- Scene Member Price. Not really that great. That FoodLand beef deal really stands out given the price and grade.
• Bacon (Schneiders - $3.99 375g pack -- Good and fair price for name-brand bacon. You'll have to look for Selection, Compliments, No Name, and similar value-targeted brands to get the $3 mark.
• Pork belly - $4.88 per lb -- That's actually a really good price. It's hard to find pork belly for less in most grocers. You'd have to look at the T&T or Greenfresh for lower.
• Viadlia onions - $2.49 per lb -- Terrible price. I point this out because the 3lb bags are $4 roughly. And then, regular yellow onions are 60c/lb if you buy a 10lb bag. I know a lot of people can't see themselves using a 10lb bag. But, onions keep very well in a fridge. If you have room for it, stand up the bag on a bottom shelf. Compared to 2.50/lb, you have 4x the onions any day of the week. It'S the same for potatoes. Loose potatoes are sold for crook-level prices. And for those who are just getting into cooking, TRUST ME, you'll see the savings, even if a few onions end up spoiling. And even, if they start to turn, peel off the questionable layers, freeze them and boil them with chicken bones. The extra supply of onions can easily play into a cost-saving strategy, further reducing your grocery bills.
• Napa - $0.99 per lb -- Fair-going rate for napa.
• Grapes (green, black) - $2.99 per lb -- A little high price for grapes, but it's the black Concord-looking ones I'm interested in! I love Concord grapes!
• Produce comment - -- Holy smokes their peaches in their flyer are stupid expensive. $6/lb!?!?!
• Deli - Maple-cured ham - $1.79 per 100g -- Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a Sobey's deli deal under $2/100g. I'm almost wondering if this is an error lol.
• Butter (Selection) - $4.88 454g bar -- Nice!
• Produce Price Rating: Generally a high price store, especially for produce. Some items are 50% more than more value-oriented stores. Kinda like Metro, some of the deals can be quite good.

Super C

• Ground beef (medium) - $3.88 per lb -- Nice price for ground beef.
• Ground pork (extra lean) - $3.77 per lb -- A little pricier than it really should be, but it's extra lean, so that might be the thing that bumps the price up a bit.
• Pork loin chops - $2.88 per lb -- A little higher than the 2.49/lb average we're seeing this week. Not a huge difference, but still.
• Chicken legs - $2.99 per lb -- Hmm, not a great price... Pretty average actually. I'd rather see 2.49/lb on legs or lower... (foreshadowing)
• Eggs - $2.44 12-pack -- WOW! 20c an egg!
• Frozen fish (Sole, Salmon, and other varieties) - $9.88 700g to 1.1kg -- Always worth checking these out. If you like fish, but don't want the hassle of buying fresh all the time (it sucks to waste good fresh fish), these frozen fillets are a good option. Just pull out as many as you need the morning of, set them in the fridge, and they should be thawed out when you arrive home. Pat them dry, salt, pepper, spread a thin layer of mayo on each side, and bread or panko each side. Bake at 375F for 30min or so. Very tasty and easy meal.
• Meat department note - -- The flyer advertises some things for quite expensive. Chicken Breast for 7.50/lb. Tenderloin for $6/lb. $6 for a pack of Mere Michel bacon. And they all have that "AYOYE" tag slapped on them. Ya, ayoye, those prices hurt! Those are not deals! Lol
• Cauliflower - $2.49 per head -- Excellent! Nice to see so much cheap cauliflower around!!
• Radishes - $0.99 per bunch -- Nice! Very good price!
• Green beans - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome price for green beans!! Usually they're about $3/lb!
• Cucumber - $0.99 each -- Nice! More cheap cuce!
• Lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf) - $1.99 per head -- Same deal as IGA. Nice selection of lettuce for a good price.
• Potatoes (red, yellow) - $1.99 3lb bag -- Not an amazing deal. It works out to 66c/lb. But, that's still better than paying for loose potatoes.
• Avocado - $4.99 6-unit bag -- Good price for cado considering the $3/unit price we see at some stores WINK WINK.
• Vidalia onions - $4.99 3lb bag -- See! This is what I was saying early in the Sobeys section. 2.50/lb versus $5 for 3lb, versus 60c/lb in a 10lb bag. Which is your choice?
• Shallots - $2.99 350g pack -- Not bad. Small discount of, like 50c to a $1 or so. Shallots don't fluctuate much in price I find.
• Cherries - $1.99 per lb -- WOW! Crazy low price for cherries
• Bartlett pears - $0.99 per lb -- Very nice! Awesome price!
• Peaches - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome price for peaches when most places in town are selling them for $2/lb.
• Pineapple - $2.99 per lb -- Good price for pineapple.
• Dry pasta (Selection) - $1.47 900g packs -- Excellent price for dry pasta. Stock-up pricing!
• Produce Price Rating: Generally low, but can creep into medium for some items. But, there's always something decent available!

T&T Supermarket https://www.tntsupermarket.com * Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.
Walmart

• Chicken legs - $1.77 per lb -- Excellent price!!!
• Green peppers - $2.47 per lb -- OK price. It's not $2/lb, but also a far cry from some of the $4/lb+ pricing I've seen here and there. $2.50/lb is easy enough to absorb cost-wise, especially if they're big and nice. There's nothing like BBQ'ed peppers...
• Asparagus - $2.77 per lb -- Ok price for asparagus. We're seeing better in various places across town.
• Mini-cucumbers - $1.97 454g bag -- Earlier I mentioned looking for Lebanese cucumbers for under $2/lb. This is why. Mind how many are in these bags.
• Cherries - $2.84 per lb -- There are some better deals going around, but everyone has access to a Walmart, generally speaking. So, it's nice to see a really good price that everyone can access.
• Autulfo mango - $0.97 each -- Not bad. Seeing a lot of cases of mangoes that either match this or beat it by quite a margin.
• Kraft Dinner - $0.77 200g box -- Good price for KD. Loblaws and the like are playing a shell game of KD deals. $2 but get 1000 points. 20% off and down to $1. It's all a freakin' dollar, though. It's nice to see a straight-no-headgames deal.
• Corned beef (Hereford) and SPAM - $2.97 340g can -- Good deal! Usually these are $1-2 more. Sometimes you can find the Holiday luncheon meat for $2, like at Basics for example. But the corned beef usually doesn't sink below $3.
• Produce Price Rating: A little all over the place. Some really good prices between a lot of average pricing.

Costco (Note that these are the online/shipped prices - reduce each item by $3 for in-store pricing)

• NOTE: NEED TO REVISE - --
• Paper Towel (Kirkland) - $27.99 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 160 sheets
• Paper Towel (Bounty) - $27.49 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 86 sheets
• Toilet Paper (Kirkland) - $25.99 30-roll pack -- 2-ply; 380 sheets
• Toilet Paper (Cashmere) - $24.99 40-roll pack -- 2-ply; 250 sheets (on sale)
• Dish soap (Dawn Platinum) - $18.99 2.66L -- Food Basics often has this jug for $10!
• Laundry detergent (Purex) - $24.99 9.24L -- 250 loads
• Garbage bags (30 gallon; large) - $15.99 100-pack -- Amazon has Glad standard 74L bags, 100-packs for $23, sometimes less if on sale
• Countertop green bin liners - $21.99 125-pack -- Amazon has Glad Compostable green bin liners 100-packs for $18, sometimes less if on sale
• Produce Price Rating: I need to do a proper check to be sure, but I find it's pretty average. There's an illusion of getting a good deal because of the bulk. Just be careful.

Jean Coutu (new sales start Fridays)

• Produce Price Rating: I have to start checking these just in case...

Shoppers Drug Mart (new sales start Fridays)

• Produce Price Rating: Sometimes they have cheap butter, eggs, and milk on weekends.

Some additional references!

• Grocery Review Google Drive Location https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xhLvBP1smXb1eSnxAW5yyBjO2aYFLJHC?usp=sharing
• Cooking Tips and Recipes https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TCcHm9y0kWIa3x18hznKN2ix0BPcUv-m?usp=drive_link
• Google Maps list of the Grocery stores in Ottawa https://maps.app.goo.gl/YT7cZmv8vMQWU4J59

Long ass post but I think it is a good read. (I was bored enough to translate it).
Most of it has been discussed already but I am mostly interested in the title of this reddit post.
So I have been very out of the Kpop world until recently and I came across a post on theqoo today that mentioned few things that I happened to agree with. (i originally linked it but it got deleted(?) as i was writing this so here is the source that was linked there). I for real dont know shit, so I am curious to hear the opinions of those that do know more of how shit works.
Disclaimer: This is a translation that will most likely have mistakes. I am not a Korean or English native speaker but I am trying. Excuse any errors/typos
Disclaimer 2: I like all Hybe's groups (casual fan to most) and I am not trying to attack any of the members. Specific members are briefly mentioned in the original post.
TL;DR from chatgpt: Hybe prioritizes quick debuts and marketability over intensive training, unlike companies like SM and YG, which invest heavily in trainee skills over several years. Hybe leverages their successful BTS formula to minimize investment costs and maximize returns by producing groups with decent skills rather than exceptional talent. This approach enables frequent debuts but results in idols with less refined singing and dancing abilities. Hybe focuses on creating appealing concepts and high production values, relying on fandom loyalty and global promotions to sustain profitability. This profit-driven model contrasts with the skill-centric approach that initially helped K-pop succeed internationally, particularly in Japan, where talent was a key differentiator.
Original post:

Theqoo's original title: The reason why Hybe's artists lack singing/dancing skills when compared to other companies.
The members that can't dance/sing are more popular that the ones that are good at it. From a company's position, the trainee system is an investment that involves lots of risks and uncertainty.
But Hybe now has all the knowledge and information that made BTS the world's best idol group. So they have probably analyzed and recalculated all formulas over and over. So using all that knowledge that has already worked in the past, the have probably built a business model that brings the best results while minimizing the investment costs of the idol training system. And that's the very reason why these days Hybe is able to debut one or two new groups every year.
Look at SM and YG's idols: From Red Velvet's debut to Aespa's debut: 6 years. From BLACKPINK's debut to BABYMONSTER's debut: 8 year.
For major agencies that care about skills, It takes about 5 years to carefully create a new group. And that's only natural. It is not only the production of a song, concept, and varied content; in order to make a high quality group, each member needs to be competent/skilled enough on their own. Hundreds of people from all over the world become trainees, and after selecting and eliminating, the final picks are about 4-7 people. The main focus is in investing in the trainees.
But Hybe seems to have stopped using this method that has been around for all of 2nd and 3rd gen. In other words, they are not focusing on training idols/trainees to have the necessary artistic skills Instead, they make a new group based on a preplanned concept and song, and train them until they are decent enough ( "digestible"), then they immediately debut.
Even from my pov, all Lesserafim members (except sakura) could get wayyy better if only they trained live singing while dancing for 2~3 years. Just go watch Lesserafim at the 2022 MMA awards, they are being praised for tearing up the stage. But it is all just AR and lip sync. Yet in the comments people are saying that it was an impressive performance and that they are the next BTS. If the members can't sing you can just hide it with AR, but even those who know nothing about dance can notice when someone can't dance and is moving awkwardly. So for this kind of kpop environment/ecosystem, it is more beneficial to invest on dancing that vocals.
Even after a long time of being an active artist/group they might still be criticized by the general public for being awful singers, but the general public won't be important if they have a propeconsistent fandom. Because then they can just tour overseas and gain enough money to sustain themselves for another 3 years ( not 100% sure this is the right meaning) And even if the demand dies, the company can just disband them and bring in new young kids that they can add to a new group, as if it was an idol mass production factory.
Hybe, who has reached the peak of the Kpop industry, already has the knowledge/data of what image and producing is necessary to make a group successful.
In simple terms, they can just bring in a pretty female highschool student that likes hanging out at karaoke rooms, make her fix her body and face + make her only dance to death. Then whatever cool group concept the agency workers can come up with, high quality debut song and expensive MV, good hair style and makeup, huge investment in promotions, viral tiktoks, etc. It is very quick and easy to make a new group that follow today's trends, by just following the system of what currently works. After all, idols are just a temporal business. And even if one or two members get biggepopular with their solos, by then the agency profits will be way less. So there is no need to invest in any individual member's artistic skills.
But doesnt this sound like something that has been seen many times before. It is very similar to Japan's idol system.
After bringing in some cute looking kids, they dont train them and just make them debut while in elemntary/middle school. So that they can dress them like prince/princess and have them sing songs for little children. No one really expects/wants them to be Mariah Carey, so they are good as long as they can sing decently and behave cutely to fans (good fanservice).
Then they can sell until their middle 20s. Because they are young and pretty. But the fans dont consume that idol's content because they are artistically talented,. It is kind of the same thing as when liking a youtuber because they are funny and you are loyal/used to them.
What is interesting too: In the year 2000, BoA was the first idol born from the trainee system newly introduced by SM. And other groups that followed that system, TVQX, BIGBANG, SUPER JUNIOR, SHINee, SNSD, KARA, 2NE1 (etc) were able to break into the Japanese/Chinese market. And then, BTS, BLACKPINK, SEVENTEEN, TWICE etc in the 3rd gen were able to globalize Kpop by entering into the US market.
The success in Japan, which is number 2 in the global music market, was a huge help in expanding into the US. But what Japanese Kpop fans are currently saying is: "Idols that cant sing live can exist, we dont really expect big live singing abilities" "But..." "The main reason why we/I started liking Kpop was because of the skills" "I think the strongest point of Kpop are the skills and the quality"
In summary, Japan was the one that made the Kpop boom truly expand in countries with a bigger music/economic market. And even now they are the biggest consumer of Kpop (1st japan, 2nd the US). And the reason why they accepted the Kpop when they used to just ignore Korea before, is simply because of the overpowered skills/talent that is incomparable to their domestic idols.
Looks are subjective, and Korea and Japan have different and very subjective beauty standards, but as long as you have ears and eyes, you can distinguish between bad and good skills. Beeing able to notice/appreciate good dancing and singing is not a personal preference, it is the reality in front of someone's eyes. Someone may actually like/appreciate even the bad singing but that still wont make it sound good to everyone else.
So the reason why Kpop is a success in Japan is clearly because of the talent difference.
But now Hybe has come into this situation with their profit driven business system, and has stopped being a company that makes music as a form of art. It has instead chosen to become a company that sells idols as their product.
In my opinion, isnt it a bit like ripping open the belly of the goose that laid the golden eggs?
Had the new idols that have come out of HYBE in the last 2~3 years been from SM, JYP, YG, I wonder how many would have been able to debut after following those three agencies strict evaluation training.

edit: format
edit 2: Thank you to those who shared their opinions. Would appreciate if y'all didn't downvote people to oblivion just because you disagree but this is reddit what can one even expect. I pretty much just wanted to learn more of the context behind all this before fully believing all that is said on Korean forums (which I am aware are very biased)
Feel free to trash this post all you want (I ain't gonna delete it). While I agree with some of the stuff that is said on it, I disagree with other too, so don't take it out on me lol.

Dr Russel Norman produced this excellent summary of Luxon's War on Nature, links included.
It can be challenging to keep up with this many environmental attacks, coming from different Ministers and in different stages of development. To make it clearer, I have tried to list all the anti-nature policies below, provide some background, and give an indication of their stage in the policy process.
When you list them all like this, it really is entirely fair to describe it as a ‘war on nature’.

1. Fast track approvals bill is a fast track to destruction

The premier vehicle for the government’s anti-environmental war on nature is the Fast Track Approvals Bill, currently before Parliament’s Environment Select Committee. This Bill has been well traversed elsewhere but it is worth noting here a few things.
Firstly, this bill gives three individual ministers with no particular knowledge or expertise the ability to green light pretty much any project they like with almost zero environmental constraints.
There are panels who will provide advice to Ministers on individual projects, however these panels are handpicked by the Ministers and the Ministers are free to ignore the panels’ recommendations. The Ministers have publicly and clearly voiced their disdain for environmental considerations.

No public input

Secondly, there is no opportunity for public input.
They can approve an industrial incinerator next door and you don’t even have the right to make a submission on it. It’s a pretty wild level of disregard for the general public, but of course those who have connections to the government will have plenty of chances to lobby ministers at fundraising dinners and suchlike.
This results in poor decision making. One of the things about public submissions is that information comes to the surface that was otherwise hidden. In the Pakiri sand mining case for instance it was revealed through public submissions that the sandmining company was not telling the truth about its actual sandmining practices and that its expert had overestimated the annual sand replacement by a factor of ten.
Under this regime, it isn’t what you know, or whether you have a good project, it’s who you know.

Court decisions overturned

Thirdly, this process can overturn court decisions in which projects have already been declined due to environmental impacts.
This is patently the case with the South Taranaki seabed mining proposal which was rejected by the Supreme Court. Independent judges who tested evidence submitted and cross examined in open court found that the applicant simply couldn’t demonstrate that their project wouldn’t cause immense harm.
But this is all replaced by closed panels giving advice to Ministers who will make decisions with zero public scrutiny. It’s banana republic stuff.

Blocking renewable energy projects

One of the impacts of this kind of Government-by-Ministerial-Fiat is that that rational and evidence based decision making is put to one side in favour of individual favours.
An example of this is the conflict between seabed mining and offshore wind in the south Taranaki Bight. A normal rational decision-making process could look at both, but in this case, it will come down to which companies can woo the three Ministers the best.

Corruption

Finally, this is a process which is wide open to corruption, as corporations pushing projects that cause environmental harm seek to be placed on the fast track list, with a virtual guarantee of approval.
Ministers could be corruptly influenced by bribes in cash or in kind, by jobs for their families, by jobs for themselves post-politics, or by campaign donations. Advisers who provide access to Ministers and determine which corporations get onto the list will be equally incentivised to act corruptly.
Already, some of the companies that Ministers have invited to apply for fast track are their donors. Mining company executives have had secret dinners with Ministers that were only revealed by accident and journalists asking questions. How many secret dinners will we never find out about?
Even the Ministry for the Environment analysis can be summarised as the bill:
‘could diminish local voices, violate Treaty of Waitangi commitments, significantly impact human and environmental health, open legal risks for the ministers involved, provide an unprecedented back door for prohibited projects, and erode the value of conservation land’
This single bill, if it proceeds and if businesses have the gall to use it, will cause widespread harm. It could include seabed mining, incinerators imposed on local communities, mining most everywhere including the conservation estate, marine farms everywhere, industrial irrigation driving water pollution, etc etc etc. It is a war on nature but it is also diminishing democracy and opening the door to corruption.

2. Dismantling freshwater protections

One of the truly remarkable things about Aotearoa is the scale of ground and surface water pollution and its impact on biodiversity and human health. This government’s war on nature is set to make it worse.

Things are pretty bad already

The Ministry for the Environment concluded that ‘Most of our indigenous freshwater fish and freshwater bird species… are either threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened’. Intensive industrial dairy has poisoned the well across much of the South Island – Canterbury, Otago and Southland have poisoned rivers and groundwater.
Land and Water Aotearoa found that ‘There is not a single monitored lake shallower than 10 metres in very good condition.’ Environment Canterbury in 2024 found nitrate levels increasing in 60% of the wells it tested. Many parts of the North Island with intensive dairying such as the Waikato are also heavily polluted.
Under pressure from the environment movement and the majority of New Zealanders, the last government brought in a series of national regulations to place some constraints on agribusiness pollution, particularly the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management. Agribusiness virulently and vociferously opposed these regulations.
The new government is setting about undoing these regulations with its war on nature.

Delaying regional freshwater plans

This began in December 2023 when Andrew Hoggard, the former head of agribusiness lobby group Federated Farmers and now Associate Agriculture Minister, announced that regional councils would be given a further three years to update their freshwater plans to make the plans consistent with the new national regulations introduced by the last government.
The purpose of the delay is to weaken or remove the national regulations before the regional councils develop their new regional freshwater plans which must be consistent with the national regulations.

Replacing the National Policy Statement

He also announced that they would start the process of systematically weakening the national regulations by replacing the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPSFM) with a weaker version.

Removing rules on intensive winter grazing

This was followed up in April 2024 with the announcement of an amendment to the RMA which will remove the rules controlling intensive winter grazing.
Intensive winter grazing is a widespread practice in Otago and Southland in which feed crops are grazed intensively through winter. This results in cows, often pregnant, living in mud sometimes up to their bellies with massive sediment flows into rivers and lakes. The sediment smothers freshwater ecosystems.

Ensuring Te Mana o Te Wai doesn’t apply to consents

Also included in this amendment to the RMA is a direction to regional councils that a national regulatory instrument called Te Mana o Te Wai must not be applied to the assessment of individual resource consent applications. Te Mana o Te Wai states that, when making decisions on the allocation of freshwater, the needs of ecosystems come first, the needs of human health second, and other uses such as irrigation third.
Te Mana o te Wai was the foundation for hearing panels rejecting applications to take water and cause more pollution in Hawkes Bay and Southland recently. Giant dairy polluter Fonterra and agribusiness lobby groups objected to this use of Te Mana o Te Wai and appealed the decisions.
The new Government aims to ensure that commercial users can get first consideration ahead of ecosystems or human health. This also means the lessons of the world’s biggest crypospridiosis outbreak in Havelock North are abandoned .

Freshwater Farm plans to be weakened or abolished

Alongside this Freshwater Farm Plans, which were a requirement for agribusiness managers to plan to reduce their water pollution, will be weakened if not abolished altogether.
As you can see it is an intensive and extensive attack on the rules protecting freshwater as part of the broader war on nature.

3. Removal of requirement to identify important areas of biodiversity

A large part of New Zealand’s remaining biodiversity is on private land with very little legal protection, which is leading to dramatic losses. This happens through wetland drainage, agricultural intensification, subdivisions etc.
Even as recently as 2009 Landcare Research reported that ‘Agricultural intensification over the past 10 years has led to the highest rate of native vegetation loss since European colonisation.’ Landcare Research was deeply unpopular with the government and agribusiness after making this finding.
In response to the widespread destruction of biodiversity on private land the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity was introduced in 2023 after many years of discussion and consultation. The purpose is ‘to maintain indigenous biodiversity across Aotearoa New Zealand so that there is at least no overall loss in indigenous biodiversity’. A part of this national policy statement is a requirement for councils to identify ‘Significant Natural Areas’ in their area as a precursor to providing for their protection.
The idea of rules to protect biodiversity ran up against agribusiness, the key driver of the ‘highest rate of native vegetation loss since European colonisation’, and hence Federated Farmers deeply opposed these rules.
As part of the RMA amendment bill announced in April 2024, the Luxon Government plans to remove the requirement that councils identify ‘’Significant Natural Areas’’, and hence biodiversity on private land will not even be identified let alone protected so its destruction can continue unabated.

4. Transport – more motorways, fewer cycleways and less public transport

Land transport is New Zealand’s second biggest climate polluter after agribusiness and yet this government has embarked on a radical policy agenda to increase pollution. The war on nature can be illustrated just by listing some of the initiatives:

Cuts to public transport

They have cut funding to public transport, walking and cycling and increased funding to motorways as part of the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport. Auckland Council pointed out that entire suburbs would be left without access to public transport as a result of the cuts and that fares would increase.
Across the whole country this draft policy statement will lead to more transport pollution and fewer trips by public transport walking and cycling. It also centralises much of the decision making around transport by preventing Councils from building cycleways alongside roads funded by central government money.
As part of the draft policy statement they removed climate as a requirement for consideration in transport decision making.

Impact on young people

They have removed the subsidies for young people to use public transport at discounted rates, not only making the cost of living crisis harder for them and their families but pushing them towards car transport.
They are moving to increase speeds around schools which not only increases injuries it discourages families from sending their kids to school by bike or foot because they know that speeding cars are more dangerous.
This sits alongside the attacks on traffic calming measures such as raised pedestrian crossings, which the NZ Herald has been busy providing misinformation about. Many Councils are resisting the idiots in Wellington, thank goodness, and are lowering speed limits anyway.

Interisland ferry funding removal

They cut the funding for the interisland ferry terminals and cancelled the new ferries which have lower emissions. The ferries connect the train network as well as the roading network.
Kiwirail lost its Climate Bonds certification as a result and will repay the $350m it borrowed plus interest.
The cost to the Government of breaking the ship build contracts is thought to be in the hundreds of millions. It’s an expensive mistake which a future government will have to fix.

Ending subsidies for low-emissions vehicles

They ended the subsidies for low emissions vehicles resulting in a collapse in EV and small car sales and once again Ford Rangers at the top of the list (guzzling gas and killing pedestrians and cyclists).
While we can’t simply replace traffic jams of internal combustion engine cars with traffic jams of electric cars, nonetheless EVs are part of the low carbon solution.

Removing council’s transport plans

The Government has moved to end Wellington’s transport plan with its focus on public transport walking and cycling and move towards more cars. There remains uncertainty as to the future solution but clearly they want more cars.
They abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax of ten cents a litre which was used mostly to fund the building of the first stages of the Eastern Busway and new commuter rail carriages. The Eastern Busway has now been reduced in size, as the fourth phase is unfunded.
They cancelled the Auckland light rail project. This project was troubled, with the previous government heading down the most expensive track, but there are still better options than just cancelling it.
There’s even more but you get the sense of it. Their transport policy is plainly designed to increase climate pollution as part of their war on nature.

5. The war on dolphins, seals and marine life

The government’s war on nature is not only being fought on land. It extends to the oceans too.

Marine biodiversity

The majority of Aotearoa’s biodiversity is to be found in the oceans around us and the main driver of biodiversity destruction in the oceans is the fishing industry.
This is particularly the case for practices like bottom trawling, where heavy nets are dragged along the ocean floor destroying corals and sponges in order to catch fish near the bottom.
Over the last decade the environment movement and the majority of New Zealanders have been slowly pushing governments towards improving oversight of the fishing industry and restrictions on their most destructive practices. But the new government wants to go backwards…

South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation

There is an obscure inter-governmental organisation called the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) that is meant to regulate fisheries in the international waters of the South Pacific.
The other countries in this forum are trying to restrict bottom trawling because of the immense harm it causes. As the last country actively bottom trawling in the international waters of the South Pacific, New Zealand is opposing these constraints, but under the last government had agreed to some modest restrictions.
The new government has changed its position, opposing protection of vulnerable coral habitats from trawling, and does not support any kind of restrictions on bottom trawling.

Cameras on boats

After the various scandals led to a 2016 Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Primary Industries’ regulation of the fishing industry, the Key Government agreed to implement cameras on boats to better monitor illegal behaviour such as fish dumping, dolphin killing etc.
These cameras were finally rolled out over the last few years to about 120 fishing vessels and have so far resulted in a dramatic increase in reporting of dolphin and bird killings and fish dumping.
But Shane Jones, Minister of Fishing and recipient of seafood industry campaign donations, doesn’t like them and wants to review them. Another option the government is canvassing is to hand them over to Fishserv, the fishing industry owned company that oversees the Quota Management System.
None of these are good options but where it ends is still unclear.

Increasing catch limits

In spite of the collapse of numerous fisheries, the Minister of Fisheries decided to increase catch limits.
The population of one of the species, the southern bluefin tuna, has collapsed 92% since the height of fishing madness in the 1960s. This follows the collapse of orange roughy fishery, hoki, scallops, crayfish etc etc.
And with regard to killing endangered New Zealand sea lions the new Government decided there would no longer be an upper limit on the number of sea lions that the fishing industry can drown in trawl nets.
This will no doubt be the tip of the iceberg as more change emerges from the Minister.

6. Increased climate pollution

Aside from the long list of policies above that will increase climate pollution (e.g. transport), the government has introduced other policies to increase emissions. The impacts from these policies mean the government’s war on nature will be felt internationally.

Restarting offshore oil and gas exploration

The global battle against fossil fuels has both a supply and demand side.
On the demand side are the battles around fossil fuel electricity generation and internal combustion engines vehicles.
But the supply side is also critical because, as the International Energy Agency found back in 2021, we can’t afford to bring more fossil fuel supply online if we are to avoid catastrophic warming. The head of the IEA said: “If governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal, from now – from this year.” We know that once oil companies spend vast amounts to find and develop new fossil fuel reserves they will continue to sell them into the global fossil fuel market.
Hence the decision by the New Zealand Government in 2018 to stop issuing new offshore oil and gas exploration permits was a critical step forward in the global fossil fuel battle. Other countries have now joined this movement and there is a growing group of governments and civil society groups supporting a Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty.
The announcement by the Luxon Government that it will restart the issuance of offshore oil and gas exploration permits is a global leap backwards. It’s another sign that their fighting a war on nature, not fossil fuels
The Government is looking to subsidise the industry by providing insurance against future policy changes. They are also looking to remove the requirement that oil companies provide a clean up bond to cover future clean up costs. These clean up bonds were introduced after Tamarind oil company went bankrupt leaving the taxpayer with a $300m bill to clean up after them.
The Government is falsely claiming that the recent electricity shortages are linked to the 2018 decision to stop issuing new permits for oil and gas exploration – an argument that is transparently false.

Changing the way methane warming is measured

The global livestock lobby has a policy agenda to change the way that the climate warming of methane is measured. This is to make it look like methane causes less warming than it really does.
They want to move away from the global standard accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as standard called GWP100. They want the world to adopt a standard called GWP*. Under GWP* New Zealand’s methane is recategorised as not causing warming! Agribusiness likes GWP* because they won’t need to cut emissions!
The New Zealand agribusiness lobby groups are part of this project, and now they have the former head of Federated Farmers in Government, they have their chance to push it. The Government has established a panel to look into the measurement of the warming of methane emissions. I would be very surprised if the panel does not recommend the adoption of GWP*.
Both the Climate Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment have concluded that there is no basis to review the science around the measurement of the warming effect of methane.

More cash for magic bullets

The New Zealand Government has given hundreds of millions of dollars to look for magic bullets to reduce methane emissions from dairy cattle and other livestock. So far no magic bullets have been discovered but the new Government has thrown another $18m at this greenwashing.
The purpose of all this is to avoid having to cut emissions by doing things that actually work like reducing fertiliser use and stocking rates.

Zero Carbon Act – greenwashing law retained

It is noteworthy that a Government conducting a war on climate and biodiversity policy has kept the Zero Carbon Act (ZCA) in place. But there is a good reason for that – the ZCA was largely a greenwashing exercise as was revealed once it was tested in court.
When Lawyers for Climate Action went to court to try to use the ZCA to actually force emissions cuts on the government, the Climate Minister, James Shaw, went to court to argue that the Paris Agreement climate goals referenced in the ZCA were merely ‘aspirational’ and not binding on the New Zealand government.
This was in spite of Shaw saying publicly that the ZCA made the Paris target legally binding on the government. Shaw won the case and the climate lawyers lost. The new Government is very fond of the ZCA because it is just ‘aspirational’.

He Waka Eke Noa – its job is done

One final piece of the puzzle is pricing agribusiness emissions. This was delayed throughout the course of the last government by the He Waka Eke Noa process. This will now be either quietly euthanised or kept as another greenwashing figleaf, but we can be sure there will be no price on agricultural emissions – they will be subsidised by the rest of us

Update

We have now found out that the politician chairing the select committee considering the fast track bill, David MacLeod, has illegally failed to declare $180,000 in donations. Moreover, some of those donations come from a major shareholder in the seabed mining company TTR. TTR is planning to use the fast track legislation to circumvent the Supreme Court decision blocking its seabed mining plans. In fact one of the decision-making Ministers under the Fast Track law, Chris Bishop, wrote to TTR inviting them to apply to use the fast track. So a major shareholder of TTR gave campaign money to the National Party MP who chaired the select committee on the fast track bill while the National Party Minister invited TTR to apply for a fast track.

***Lily***
We all just stare at it for a while, waiting to see what it does. The first person to make a move is Wabbajack, inching his way closer towards it. As he gets close, he pokes it. As he does, I could swear it makes a squeaking sound.
He gasps as he picks it up. At that moment, I notice that the tail stays close to the ball of fluff, kinda flying around it. Maybe it has a set distance? He then proceeds to squeeze it a couple more times as it squeaks. “This is amazing!” He yells, squeezing it some more.
Eventually, it spins around to face him. It opens its mouth and out comes a tongue flying out like a frog and connects to Wabbajacks face. The rest of the body then comes flying towards his head as it bites his head, knocking over Wabbajacks hat.
I hear a muffled, “Aww. I was having fun. Oh well, got to admit though, it’s feisty.”
“It seems to be a Umoya Vulpes Uhane.” I hear to my right. I turn to see Mogsten looking into a book. “Fascinating! This seems to be the only other time that there has Ever been a recorded sighting of one. There is almost next to no information on its capabilities here.” He adds. He then slams the book shut as he exclaims, “I’ll pay whatever you want for him!”
I then hear more muffled noises say, “Wow! This guy must be really rare for Mogsten to offer anything. Still, first, Lily, how do you feel?”
I look back at the ball of leathery fur that has Wabbajack’s head in its mouth. I feel… something. I put my finger to my chin as I say, “I don’t quite know what I feel right now honestly.”
Wabbajack continues to try and speak as he says muffled again, “Well, familiars are rare, and the experience is different from person to person. Just don’t try to rush it and things should make sense I imagine. What do you want to name this fella?”
I don’t know honestly. But, first things first, “Could you get it off your head now? It’s hard to hear what your saying.” I say.
“Wait, Wabbajack has been talking?” Mogsten asks.
“Well, yeah. Haven’t you heard him?” I ask.
Mogsten looks at me funny and then back at the ball of fur. He then walks over to it and kicks Wabbajacks foot out from underneath him, knocking him down on his back. He then goes up to the fox ball and whispers into its ear. For some reason, as clear as day, I hear, “Can you hear me whispering Lily? Nod if you do.”
So, I nod.
“Fascinating!” He says. He then snaps his fingers as Gourdsten hands him a notepad and a pen. As soon as they are in his hands, he starts writing down some stuff. He stops to look at the fox ball and holds up the notepad to it. “Anything?” he asks.
“What?” I yell back.
He then shrugs and goes back to writing notes.
“Can I get back up now?” Wabbajack says, still muffled.
I rub my temple, wishing that the fox ball would just get off his head.
Just as I think that, it hops off and starts to walk towards me. Well, waddle may be a more accurate word. Or, whatever it is called for how gators walk. It then stops in front of me and tilts its head. Its tail then connects to the body and, as it does, the body stretches out, taking a noodle like shape. It then flies up and wraps its body around my neck! It yawns, and I think I hear it snore. Funny, like it is now, it’s kinda like a scarf. Although the breathing I feel from it adds to the soothing effect as well.
“Spectacular!” I hear Mogsten exclaim. I look towards him to see him fervently taking notes. I also happen to see Wabbajack had gotten back up, put his hat back on, and was walking over here as well.
“I’m amazed. It looks like this was a success.” Wabbajack says.
“Of course! Who do you think I am? Some amateur?” Mogsten says, not taking his eyes off my living scarf.
Regardless, the leather belly provides a good grip while the fur is Extremely soft. I could see myself falling asleep as well if I wasn’t busy trying to process everything right now.
“Welp, it all worked out. You got a familiar and Mogsten is one of the few who successfully summoned it.” Wabbajack points out.
Mogsten shoots up as he realizes it too as he says, “Yes. YES! I DID! People will come from everywhere to see my wares and request my talent!” He then starts dancing along with Gourdsten.
“Although, you’ll have to up security if people keep requesting familiars.” Wabbajack mentions.
The dance slowly comes to a stop as that fact sinks in and Mogsten says, “Blast.” He then snaps his fingers as he says, “I can provide a questionnaire and a test, that people will have to pay for as well! Oh hohohohoho!” He laughs as he starts dancing again.
Wabbajack just shrugs and turns back to me. He asks, “Well, introduced you to about most of the important places that are around here, all that is left would be the furniture then. Unless there is anything else you can think of?”
As I start petting my living scarf, I try to think really hard if there is anything else I need to know. We got equipment, some magic books for me to study, my mark of sentience, a familiar, had a fight or two with Wabbajack, and met his family. I shrug and say, “No, I actually think that was it.”
He wipes his forehead as he says, “Thank goodness. I can’t tell you how crazy today has been.”
I can’t help but let out a chuckle as I say, “You think it’s been crazy for you? It’s been one new concept after another for me.”
He looks at me, chuckles, and says, “Fair enough. I almost forgot that All this must be new to you.” I had just gotten changed back when he then walks to the flap leading to the front as he says, “Well then, shall we get some furnishing?”
I nod and quickly chase after him. As we exit the store, I decide to ask Wabbajack some more questions as we peruse the bazaar for any good furniture being sold. I ask him an important question, at least to me anyways, “Why do you do this job? With your talents and skills, you could do whatever. And don’t try to sell me on that Monster of Monsters thing. Don’t you get tired of it?”
He stops, sighs, and tilts his hat down as he explains, “Well, if you really intend on traveling with me, then I guess you’ll have to know sooner or later. Let me ask You a question first however. Do you think nothing good could come from death?”
I look down as I answer, “Well, I mean, there is always another way, right?”
He responds with, “True, but I have learned why being a hero is as disastrous as the destruction they prevent. If I had to guess, Silkie probably told you about That, right?”
I quickly try to look away but realize, I immediately sold myself out.
“I thought so.” He says. He then follows up with, “There was a reason for that. There was a warlike nation growing in power. The reason for that is that none of the other nations were taking it seriously, so they pillaged and plundered as much as they like. Now, what is the best way to convince a nation’s leader that an “insignificant” threat is an actual one without them laughing at you?”
I look up and try to consider.
Before I can however, he continues, “I played the part of the nation about to destroy everything, and…assassinated… that infant. When the king and queen discovered their child killed by, what reports believed was one of those “barbarians”, they then took the threat Very seriously. They beefed up security and their guard. When the nation was invaded, instead of being wiped out, they defended themselves and crushed the opposition. I admit, it haunts me most nights. The crying, the sadness, then the stifling quiet. I hated it. But, they didn’t have the time for me to convince them conventionally. That is why I do these things, so others don’t have to. If they were defeated, then the warlike nation would have just steamrolled over everyone else. Now, tell me, what happens when a culture developed entirely around killing others runs out of things to kill?”
I ask him this time, “Is this a rhetorical question or do you want me to answer it this time?”
He shrugs and says, “Only if you want to try.”
I sigh and start thinking about it. “If a culture based on war ran out of people to fight… then they would try to look to improving their lives, right?”
He pats my head as he says, “You’re a genuinely good person. If that was how it worked, I would hopefully be out of a job. No, unfortunately. Nine point nine times out of ten, they just start killing each other. Point zero five percent scenario that they manage to start invading other dimensions. And the last of it, would hopefully improve their lot.”
“That’s so sad.” I mention.
“Welp, that is why I am around, I imagine. I wish I could save everyone but then, it becomes a cycle of dependency. If they can’t manage to take care of themselves, then when the rock holding it all up disappears, then things just go back to being as bad as they were before. Sometimes it winds up being worse than before. So, while I am impressed of true-blue heroes, I don’t envy them. That’s why I take orders from my boss. He promised me that, if I listen to him, he could help me protect entire dimensions. And the best options are sometimes the darkest ones. And who better to wander the darkness than someone who just about everyone hates already?” he asks while pointing to himself.
While he says that cheerfully, I swear I could sense a sadness to it as well. As I think that, my familiar floats over to Wabbajack and starts licking his face.
“He-e-ey. Easy there. Didn’t think I was that tasty.” He says as he tries to wave it off.
“Wolfie! Stop it!” I say without thinking.
It looks back, tilts its head, and floats back to being around my neck.
“Wolfie?” Wabbajack asks.
“Yeah… I guess. I guess that is what I decided to name it.” I say as I pet its fur.
I hear him chuckle. I respond with, “What?”
“Nothing.” He answers. He then waves forward as he asks, “Well then, shall we continue?”
I smile and walk forward. I then see him catch up immediately. When he does, Wolfie then starts wagging her tail, I think.
“What’s he so excited about?” Wabbajack asks.
“She. And I’m not sure.” I respond. I have a suspicion but, there are still too many variables to answer before I can start providing answers.
Wabbajack puts both his hands up defensively as he says, “My bad.
Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I tell him.
We finally reached the bazaar and start looking around. As I am looking around, Wabbajack smacks my back and says, “That guy looks promising.”
I look over in the direction that he points, and I see a turtle person wearing some very poofy-looking robes, puffing smoke from a long oboe-looking pipe. Behind him, is some sort of tube-like machine. Wabbajack walks over to him, so I follow shortly after him.
As soon as he goes up to him, Wabbajack asks, “Excuse me good sir, what would you be selling here?”
There is a pause, he then lets out some smoke, and finally says, “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” I ask.
Another pause and he responds with, “Yep.” He then let’s out some more smoke.
“But then, what is this stall here then?” I ask.
As there is Another pause, I realize that this must be their shtick. He then answers with, “Fabrication.”
“Fabrication? You actually got a permit for that?” Wabbajack asks.
One pause later, he answers, “Yep.”
I look to Wabbajack and ask, “What is Fabrication and, why is it such a big deal?”
“Fabrication is a SUPER advanced form of blacksmithy. As long as you have the materials, you can determine what gets crafted, how it gets crafted, and what it looks like. The only catch is that it depends on the materials. Don’t expect to get golden bricks from grass. That requires rewriting at the genetic level, which you would have to be a master alchemist for that. Even I don’t have the means for fabrication. Although, the alchemy stuff can be pretty fun once you get past all that boring stuff. Not to mention profitable.” Wabbajack explains.
“Wait. You can’t do Fabrication?!” I ask in astonishment.
“Well, I could if I had the materials and patience for it. The time it takes to be permitted to fabricate Anything takes an unrealistic amount of time. I made it about halfway through before even I lost my patience.” Wabbajack answers.
“Why did you stop halfway?” I ask.
“Staying in a classroom for half a millennium alone, being told the yes and no’s of fabrication tends to make a lot of people go mad.” He continues to explain.
Before I can express my disbelief, we hear a very slow laugh, followed by, “Wimp.” I look over to the turtle man in time for him to blow some more smoke.
“You got me their old timer.” I hear Wabbajack say.
“Wait, why does it take so long?” I ask.
“Fabrication is a very meticulous process. Possibly the most meticulous. Not to mention, as I am sure you can imagine, it would be Very profitable for whomever can pull it off. It’s one of the most closely watched professions in all of Spiritopia. Not to mention, if someone of dubious morality decided to fabricate items, chances are that a LOT of bad things would come of it. You have to really have to be discerning when you break into the business. But, if you manage to pull it off, you are held in VERY high regards. Almost untouchable.” Wabbajack explains.
I then hear another, “Yep.” And another puff of smoke.
I then look at the turtle man and ask, “Does that mean you could make us some furniture?”
There is a pause as he looks me up and down. After a while, he says, “Nope.”
I am shocked. I ask, “Why not?”
Pause, puff, and says, “Inexperienced.”
I tilt my head down as I say dejectedly, “Oh, I see.” Wolfie also lets out a sad “hmmm”
Wabbajack then asks himself, “What about me?”
He then looks him up and down as well. This time, he scratches his chin. After a while longer, he says, “Yep. But I’ll charge you more than usual.”
Before I can exclaim my disapproval, Wabbajack says, “Deal!”
As I look to him aggravated, I then hear the turtle man say, “What would you like?”
Wabbajack looks to me as he asks, “What would you like? I imagine some drawers with a vanity mirror, a better bed, some sort of entertainment, maybe even a closet?”
I exclaim, “Wait just one minute! Why would you willingly pay more than normal?”
“Like I said, it’s a profession held in high regard.” Wabbajack explains.
“That.” As the turtle man starts to say something as well. “That and your reputation as Mr. Happy. But, I do like to make my own judgements as well.” He continues as he then lets out another puff.
“There you go.” Wabbajack says, pointing towards the turtle man.
I sigh and say, “Still strikes me as unfair.”
The turtle man laughs again as he says, “Inexperienced.”
Wolfie lets out a growl.
“Easy now, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let’s not get upset over the finer details.” Wabbajack responds with.
I let out another sigh as I say, “Alright, fine. All the things you mentioned sound good.” I then puff my face.
Wabbajack then lets out a laugh as he says, “Alright. Don’t worry, if you don’t like something about it, we could always come back and change it now that we know someone who can fabricate stuff.”
He then looks at the turtle man as he asks, “Before we talk business, may we exchange names? My name is Wabbajack.” He then puts his hat to his chest and offers a small bow.
Pause, puff, and he says, “Polite. My name is… hold on. Been a while.” He then scratches his chin. He then goes, “Oh! That’s right. Thomas is my name.”
“That’s a good name.” Wabbajack says.
“Flattery won’t lower the price lad.” Thomas says.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Wabbajack responds.
I then put my finger to my chin as I think and start seriously thinking about what I want my room to look like. I honestly want to start pumping ideas but, as I think about it, I don’t really know what I want everything to look like, let alone what it would look like together. Especially since it has become very apparent that my level of fashion sense is not quite up to snuff as I once thought it was.
As I am thinking all this, I hear a meat-ripping noise that snaps me back into reality. I look towards the sound and I see that Wabbajack had ripped his arm off at the shoulder and is now holding it towards Thomas. I naturally let out a scream.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!” I yell.
They both look at me and Wabbajack asks, as nonchalantly as ever, “What’s up?”
““What’s up?” You RIPPED your ARM OFF!” I point out.
He looks at the arm he’s holding out and points at it with the arm that he Should be missing as he asks, “This arm?”
I look back and forth and the realization must have been obvious as he then asks, “You forgot about me being able to regenerate, didn’t you?”
I blush as I say, “Yeah…”. I snap out of my embarrassment as I think to ask, “But, doesn’t that still hurt?”
He just shrugs as he asks, “Yeah, why wouldn’t it?”
“Why did you rip your arm off then?” I ask in response.
“Because, we will just simply come back when you understand what would work best for you want for your own room and style. But, for now, this would be the perfect opportunity to give you a device to access the same font of information I have access to And a means of travel if we ever get separated somehow.” He explains as Thomas takes his torn arm and examines it.
Before I can say anything else, we hear, “Five currency…”
Five currency? Just five or five million? It couldn’t be so cheap after he said he would charge more than normal, right?
Just as I think that, Wabbajack says, “Awesome, here you go.” As he hands him five of those matte dice.
“What happened to being more expensive?” I blurt out.
Thomas just shakes his head as he just says, “Inexperienced…” Again.
Wolfie lets out another small growl.
“Now, now. Calm down. Fabrication isn’t expensive by any means since the customer has to provide the materials themselves. So, Fabricators can’t honestly charge a lot since they aren’t doing a lot.” Wabbajack explains while Thomas throws the arm into his machine and starts hitting buttons.
“That makes sense” I think to myself.
Next thing I know, Thomas throws me this small calculator like device. I look down at it and, while it does have the shape of a calculator, the symbols on the buttons are fluctuating and where the screen is supposed to be is this oval like projector lens and on the front-facing side is this little bulb, like what you would see on a remote control.
The confusion on my face must have been apparent as Wabbajack says, “Don’t worry, just fiddle with it and sooner or later you’ll figure out how it works.” He then pats my shoulder.
He looks back over his shoulder and says “Thanks Thomas, we will definitely be coming back. Phenomenal work.” He then gives a thumbs up.
Thomas lets out a puff after giving us a smug smile.
Wolfie takes his scarf form and wraps around my neck as Wabbajack pulls me along by the arm, he asks, “So what next?”
I put the calculator to my head as I honestly try to process everything that’s happened. Not to mention all the studying and practice I have to do just to make everything feel normal. All I can think to say is, “Maybe… it would be best if we go back home?”
“Yeah, that sounds good honestly. It’s getting late and your body needs rest to process everything that’s happened. It must be… well, actually shoot. It IS a whole other world from what you are used to. Best to take it slow. Even though today hasn’t exactly gone smoothly. Yilimet should also be done with all his shopping as well.” He says, using air quotes around shopping.
I guess the air quotes are because Yilimet has been cooking for a household of people with no sense of taste for who knows how long now. As I let out an audible gulp loud enough to make Wabbajack laugh.
With how crazy today has been, I expected the walk back to that spot with the two guards to be even more eventful but, nothing. Everyone pretty much just kept their distance for the most part. I think most were also just heading home.
As we get there, I see Yilimet holding an unusual number of bags as he says, “Hey you two, you wouldn’t believe the news I heard! Someone managed to summon a familiar after all this time and it didn’t go on a murderous rampage. Crazy, right?”
“Crazy, sure. Let’s get home. I’m sure things are going to be a bit more interesting than usual from here on.” Wabbajack says as he cuts open a portal home.
Interesting? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. I can’t help but feel like that, even by his standards, there will be quite some exciting and fascinating adventures ahead of both of us. Just as we all walk through the portal home together, Yilimet asks, “Hey, where did that fox come from?”
[First] [Previous]

Thank you for the advice everyone! I see that the mobile and save option is a good one; thank you for all your help with understanding buying and paying for homes.
We lived on a dream property for the past three years in trailers. We had all the plans and capital, supposedly, to build a house, but COVID happened and it all went to hell. My real example of our experience is that we were quoted $5000 to bring electricity to the property, so we budgeted $10,000 (being very smart, we thought), and were charged $28,000. We barely made it off that property alive.
We have limited capital now and are living with a friend for very low rent. We need to get a house. I want to buy a house, any house, and then potentially sell it in some years. My husband will be attending graduate school one the opposite coast, so our move will be temporary before moving back to our coast.
The idea has been floated to buy a mobile home on a piece of land (we would own the land, too), as we could buy that outright and then save and then sell for about what we bought the land and mobile for. I think this is a horrible idea. I think it would be better to buy a house and live on pennies and then have a real house with real equity to sell when we are ready. I think if we buy mobile now we will never be able to own a house.
This whole venture was joint between my parents and my nuclear family. My parents life savings has gone into this. It was supposed to be a dream and now I am mooching off a friend’s kindness. I don’t know how to best get out of this. Is the mobile a good idea? Will we actually save or will the house fall down around us and need constant repair? Is a “real” house that is too expensive just going to make us go belly up? Any advice is appreciated. ❤️

Hi,
Heads up - this is going to be a long post. I am posting for those that have followed my situation as well as any newbies that pop up. I am NOT insinuating that what is working for me will work for others - but I am posting in hopes that others can glean nuggets from my story that might help them. (which is what I did to get to this point!)
Also, I wanted to show how critical trial and error is when it comes to this nasty disorder.
My LPR started a week out from a major surgery that required the use of both narcotics and extensive muscle relaxers. I woke up one night with stridor that had me googling like crazy. LPR and stridor were linked closely together. I vaguely remember it dissipating for a while, but I was also loaded on so many drugs that I can't say for sure.
Over the course of my surgical recovery, I would get distinct LPR / pepsin gurgles in my throat. These often woke me up or wouldn't allow me to sleep. It was getting annoying.
I turned to reddit and started doing some of the common anecdotal stuff - alginate therapy + high dose PPI's. Neither did a thing for me at that time. (alginate therapy still barely does, but I still take it) I rotated PPI's and tried H2 blockers. I remained on the PPI for about 2 months, saw no difference and weaned myself off. The pepsin throat gurgles were inconvenient but they didn't feel life destroying at that time. It should also be noted that I was unable to change my diet at that time - I could barely walk, much less get to the grocery store and cook in my kitchen. I am a healthy eater, but definitely wasn't a low acid diet.
So I'm getting closer to healed from my surgery and suddenly I notice that I have a major bloated belly going on. I was also having crazy blood sugar crashes. I had just spent the last year in recovery trying to lose the surgery weight, so I was doing a lot of intermittent fasting. I have had SIBO previously and probably should have made the connection in my head, but I was focused on the blood sugar issue. I had weaned off of metformin before surgery and was now convinced my pre-diabetes was rearing its head. (Spoiler alert - I was wrong)
I start taking metformin again and immediately had severe stomach issues - even on a low dose. The bloating was intense but I kept thinking I would adjust. I had used the medication previously for a good year or so, so I assumed it was still okay. (Spoiler alert- it was not) It felt like my entire GI system came to a halt. No stomach gurgles, no motility, etc etc.
After about two weeks of this, it was like a dam broke inside of me. Suddenly in addition to the constant throat gurgling, I was having what I now know to be "water brash." It would only happen as I was falling asleep but literally happened all night long. I remember going 2-3 nights without any sleep at all because as soon as I was drifting off I would get that horrible rush in my throat.
I immediately started the low acid diet - going as hardcore as possible. I have had gastritis previously so I knew the drill. Plain baked chicken. Plain rice. Sweet potatoes, etc. I also elevated my head and bought a crazy expensive wedge pillow to see if it would help - it did not. In fact, even if I were sleeping completely upright it would happen. I immediately began to lose my mind.
I started taking medication to sleep at night just to get some sleep - but then had to deal with the groggy after effects every day. It was crushing me. (Keep in mind, the brash happens every time I start to nod off. This includes when I would take naps.)
I go to the Doctor and get an endoscopy done. (Nothing found) They prescribe PPI's - I am desperate. I try them again. My constipation gets immediately worse as does the bloating. I continue to lose my mind.
Eventually I wean off the PPIs and try HCL - that was a no-go. But at least I knew it wasn't low acid that was the problem! From there, I try famotidine again. (H2 blocker) While the water brash remains consistently bad, I notice that the pepsin related throat gurgles die down. I up the dose to twice a day - but after about 3 days it immediately begins to become ineffective.
Around this time, I start a very simple SIBO treatment. I was resistant to the idea that I had it again. I had been through that insanity before and was in no way ready to spend the money and energy on it. I went with Vital Planet's detox kit. I had considered it too "non-specific" the last time i had SIBO, but this time around I went with it. I also found some ethromyocin in my cabinet from my dog who has since passed. It is known to be used off label to stimulate the GI tract - perfect! I assume I found my cure. (Spoiler - I was wrong, although it did help!)
Meanwhile, I do more research. I try a different H2 blocker. (Cimetidine) I notice the throat gurgles and zaps at night are diminished.
I also discover that hyper salivation is a symptom of seasonal allergies. (This was also compounded into the problem. I was never able to discern if it was the water brash causing the hypersalivation or the other way around) I reluctantly start treating my allergies again. Hypersalivation magically goes away. (for the most part)
By this point, I know that i most likely have a leaky valve issue. I'm guessing the muscle relaxers started it and then the bloating from metformin exacerbated it. I'm praying inside that it's fixable without surgical intervention. I start doing every LES / UES strengthening exercise I could think of. (even weird shit! Like eating bent over)
I research some more. Apparently magnesium can help LPR. Something to do with it helping the pyloric sphincter opening up. Suddenly this makes sense to me. I typically never liked mag because it always gave me headaches. I am now so desperate that I no longer care.
This brings me to today. I still have water brash. I am still on a low acid diet. HOWEVER - knock on wood, the symptoms are sloooowly getting better. (Remember, all the literature states that LPR can require a long time to heal and symptomatic relief can lag.)
I can nod off here or there and have no water brash at all! Yesterday, I caved and wanted to celebrate so I ordered a bunch of carrot cake muffins. While I could tell my acid increased a little, it didn't throw me into a crazy wild flare like it would have previously. (When it was really bad, the brash would rise up even as I was awake!)
I also noticed this morning that as I was lying there, I felt a little brash rising up but this time I was able to swallow it down before it hit my actual throat. (I'm guessing that is thanks to the UES strengthening exercises)
I am no where near out of the woods - especially if the efficacy of the cimetidine begins to wear off again. However, this was the first morning where I woke up feeling / knowing that I was making progress. I was getting closer to relief.
Knock on wood it continues for me! If you read this far, thank you. As I mentioned, my intention is to try and help someone else that is navigating this awful thing.
TLDR: tried a bunch of stuff, several times, and some of it appears to be working

Hi all! So having decided to get back into the hobby again and picking out some units I want to build my list around, I thought (with some friendly advice) it would make sense to plan a 1k list to collect towards.
Now the main thing I'm going for here is models I like and rule of cool. With that being said, I currently don't have plans to expand past 1k so ideally I want to try and make it decently flexible and competent within these constraints but this is second priority!
I'm well aware that some units like the sanguinor are quite expensive and maybe not balanced for 1k, but I'm fully buying in to the refresh rumours and hoping the golden boi can make a big centerpiece for the army when the new model comes out.
So far the units I absolutely want to have are:
CHARACTERS
The Sanguinor (140 points)
OTHER DATASHEETS
10x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (160 points) - This could also just be a unit of 5 if needed
5 xDeath Company Marines with Jump Packs (140 points)
Sanguinary Guard (155 points)
Total so far: 595 points
This gives me 405 points. Id love to have a primaris scale dreadnought as I think it'd make a fun project (especially since I hate the beer bellies so would probably experiment with some kitbashing) but again it's even more points in single models. Otherwise, finding room for another 5 DC and a chaplain, either Dante or a jump pack captain (which seems more likely since Dante is so expensive) for the sang guard, maybe a jump pack sanguinary priest for the jump intercessors?
Open and happy to listen to all suggestions. Thanks very much!

backstory: so recently my cat (who is not even two) developed a uti and urinary crystals as a result of stress. the ceiling of our apartment burst and it flooded, filling our unit with over three inches of standing water. my cat witnessed all of this and was of course super freaked out. this led to me and roommate having to move out COMPLETELY the next day. which led us to separating our two cats. she went to her grandparents, who have four other cats so her cat was fine. i unfortunately had to go live in a hotel with just me and him for three months. this led to him having no windows (he spends most his days in front of our juliette balcony) and being alone for up to 15 hours a day (i work in theater and there was nothing that could be done about it). the hotel itself was not a problem as i've traveled with him a lot since he was a baby and he adjusted very quickly (sleeping belly up and purring within the hour). the part that stressed him out was being so confined and isolated. i took him out on walks when i could, but it wasn't always the most feasible. hence, the stress bladder issues
anyways, so we went to the emergency vet when i noticed he wasn't eating and going potty a lot. i'm a paranoid mom. but it paid off because we caught a uti and urinary crystals incredibly early on. the vet was really impressed i noticed that soon. with the kind of crystals he has, he has to be on a prescription diet for the rest of his life. which SUCKS, because he doesn't like it too much and it's ridiculously expensive. and he's not even 2, so this is gonna be ongoing for a while.
when visiting my mom recently, she noticed my cat does not eat as well as he used to, and kept trying to steal food from her cats, who eat what my cat used to eat (boutique brands like weruva and tiki). ever since, she is constantly up my ass saying i just need to take him off the prescription diet. she keeps saying "diabetics don't eat just diabetic food for the rest of their lives". which is STUPID, because diabetics do change their diet to accommodate their diabetes. to me, if she wants an analogy so bad, this is more akin to giving a celiac going gluten free.
if anyone has any ideas on how to explain things to her in a way that will get her to actually understand how serious keeping him on a prescription diet is, that would be much appreciated. she's my catsitter and i frankly don't trust her alone with him anymore. i don't even live with her and she doesn't pay for his food or any other of his expenses, so i don't know why she is choosing to die on this hill.

Hi !
TL DR : best way to spend 10k€ in the tunnel in a year for maximum progression in Europe ? Any coach recommandation ?
I'm coming to you to hear experiences on how to invest money in the tunnel for progression.
For general info : I started skydiving at moderate pace because of my financial situation, 80 jumps in 2 years. I love flying under canopy and intend to do as many camps as possible (already did one). Did some RW to learn how to fly belly, then started to learn sit fly in a plane, with some coached jumps, definitely not the most efficient way to learn but it was fun.
Anyway, from now until the end of season 2025 I want to progress in freefly in skydiving, I don't see the tunnel as any other thing than a tool for progression.
I can spare the following :
-10k€ in tunnel (all inclusive : tunnel, coach, accommodation, transport)
-250 jumps
-A used rig
-Some budget to go to boogies and camps
Please critique my initial plan :
-Spend half of the tunnel budget before end of august to get some good foundation, then work it in the sky during end of summer and autumn. Then spend the other half during winter 2024/2025 to be ready for the 2025 season.
-2025 almost 0 tunnel, focus on the sky, go to camps and boogies
Now, about spending money in tunnel, would it be better to get it really intensive or spray it a bit ? I'm looking for tunnel camps but maybe just finding a good coach and booking a lot with him/her is just as good ? I'm really lost on this point, would love some input, especially on the best way to book at the lowest price
Now, regarding the wind tunnels I have selected some, I would love some inputs on this, I ranked them as I see them : (please note I live in Nantes, France and going to the destination impact the budget) -Fooni : cheap as fuck, convenient (package)
-Weembi (Lille) : not super cheap, not super expensive. One of the biggest tunnel in europe
Zero gravity (Poitier) : super convenient for me, not cheap though
-Windoor : lots of camps, prices are ok, but quite a pain in the ass to get there for me
Flyspot : doesn't feel as cheap as it used to to justify the inconvenience to go there
Venezuela : cheap hour of tunnel, but the hassle to go there and the cost to live in decent neighborhood doesn't make it as cheap as it seems
Russia : I barely looked into it, I can't find any flight at reasonable price, it's not worth spending 2k in plane tickets for cheap tunnel time
What do you think about it ? Do you have any coach to recommend ? Is using coach from the tunnel a good idea ?
Thank you all