Axstrom's Notes

1. The list is here: big jump list
2. The draw (1-5548) is 877, 1520, 4754, 5265, 1478
   1. Drawing 5 so there are backups in case of issues, but the jumper gets to choose among 4
   2. 877 is Earth Final Conflict - A TV show whewre aliens come and uplift Earth but have a hidden agenda
   3. 1520 is Investiture of the Gods - A fantasy tale in Zhou Dynasty
   4. 4754 is Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - a Disney mashup videogame
   5. 5265 is The Fountain - A film about contuinity across time, grief, death, and growth
   6. Jumper chooses The Fountain
      1. Jump Doc
      2. Reddit discussion
   7. Jumper buys access to The Biosphere Supplement
      1. Supplement Doc

Build Notes

1. Drawbacks - None - Part of the point is that you can't have everything
2. Companions - None - This is the journey of an individual soul
3. Origin
   1. Past: Noble - setting the stage for grander thigns
   2. Present: Inventor - striving for progress
   3. Future: Witness - seeing what has become of the world
4. Perks
   1. Noble Thought - free for Noble, stay connected to the people who are affected by your actions
   2. Noble Deed - free for Noble, your actions have greater impact and are remembered and recorded
   3. Inventor's Vision - free for inventor, studying a problem gives increasing insight in how to improve it
   4. Inventor's Intent - free for inventor, your creations are harder to misuse
   5. Improved POV - free for witness, observe / remember events from multiple perspectives
   6. Bystander - free for witness, events can unfold around you leaving you unharmed
   7. All Together Now - merge all your past origins into a complex mind
   8. 500 Years of Practice (Teaching) - mastery beyond mastery of the chosen skill
   9. Soothing Presence - calm strong emotions and suffering
   10. Absolution - If someone genuinely repents, you can allow them to move
5. Items
   1. Meditation Garden - self-explanatory warehouse attachment
   2. Biosphere - Full purchase activates the Biosphere Supplement
   3. Tree of Life Sapling - Grows six immortality fruits per decade, which can (over very long time) grow more trees

Jump Notes

1. I wake up in my room in the warehouse apartments, after shutting myself in without even checking the Benefactor's Lounge the night before
   1. I'm still lingering on the frustration of not cracking the riddle of Allabar, and not being able to solve the problem permanently
   2. But there's no going back, so I commit to facing forward for the rest of the week, and head to the Benefactor room
      1. Once again, there are four envelopes with me, and my big chart of jumps up on the wall, like something from a Kindergarten classroom
      2. As I affix a sticker saying "The Fountain (2006)" to the big chart, a small round outline appears next to it: "Biosphere Supplement available"
   3. On my way to call a team meeting, I catch a surprise outside the apartments
      1. Three of our bard graduates are slowly exploring the area
   4. At the team meeting, I announce my intention to go solo on the next jump
      1. The decision isn't popular, but most of them have waited while I've done gauntlets before, so it's not a big shock
   5. We set up the entertainment room to watch the movie, even though I don't expect that meta knowledge will be much help
      1. For the first time, we don't all fit in the Entertainment room
      2. By count, there are eleven of us (me and ten companions), the Halflings are now up to fifteen after two recent births, and we have nine new bards with us, so we set up a second showing in the evening
   6. Finally, before heading in to the jump, I make one last check of the Benefactor's office to see if there's more information on the biosphere supplement, but though my note has been removed, there is no response, and nothing on the tablet
2. I awake from a deep sleep in a luxurious bed, it is early morning and the sun is still rising
   1. I can feel the absence of my abilities; I am reduced below even bodymod, to the level of a baseline middle-aged man in a world with primitive medicine
      1. Nevertheless, I can feel a gift reaching back in time to me - and as I accept it, I am calmed, no longer distressed by what I have lost
   2. In this time, I have duties, both in the mundane sense of the tasks those around me expect me to perform, as well as a greater sense in which I must try to make this world better
   3. My new gift becomes invaluable in due time
      1. All manner of petitioners and officers come to me with grievances, and each of them are a storm of emotions - no one comes before their Count to declare how satisfied they are with things
      2. In short time, word of my wisdom spreads, and my council is sought by King Ferdinand
   4. I lobby my King with an eye to improving the lives of all involved
      1. It is the lives of ordinary Spaniards that are the measure of his ability as a King, not the mass of his treasury
      2. Colonialism brings with it dangers beyond the obvious, and responsibilities for ages to come
      3. Allowing the priests to destroy artifacts of other cultures does not increase our glory, but diminishes it
   5. Despite my ability to make my case clearly and seemingly overcome all objections, my guidance is rarely heeded when I leave the room
   6. And before long, it seems I have made enemies of those who stand to gain by plundering the New World
      1. They do not discuss the matter with me, or make their displeasure known by facing me down in violence
      2. But as the breath leaves my lungs over dinner, my last thought is that I have been poisoned by a coward
3. I awake from a fitful sleep in a large bed, my wife still asleep beside me despite the chirping of my alarm clock
   1. My first throught is of the date - It is September 7, 1999 - the first day of fall semester
      1. This will not be my first time teaching CS 101, but this time will be different, I can feel the power in my body, my mind, and my soul
   2. I arrive at my office early, of course, and make sure everything is in order - the syllabus handouts are ready, my slides are in order and proof-read, and my TAs have confirmed their preparedness
      1. The lecure hall is large - so many students sign up for CS 101 without any prior programming knowledge, just to see what it's like, or convinced that they will be a natural
      2. As the students file in, they sparsely occupy the massive auditorium, afraid to sit near people they don't know, not fully understanding that for the vast majority of them, this is their first class on campus, their first opportunity to get to know eachother
      3. I exhort them to move towards the front so they can hear and see better, and a few oblige
      4. The first lecture flows like a breeze, the students hanging on my words as I understand what each one needs to hear to understand what the rest of this semester will hold
   3. By semester's end, the students and TAs are in awe, the CS department chair has asked for my materials and told me that spring registrations for CS102 are higher than ever, both of the student papers have run articles praising my class, and the dean of Arts and Sciences has interceded to clear my spring schedule to prioritize my research work on the condition that I teach 101 again next year
      1. I appreciate my grad students and TAs, but I don't have a real family in this life, so I head into the warehouse for winter break
4. I awaken rested and enthusiastic on a beautiful spring day
   1. It is graduation day for the first group of freshman I taught after coming to this jump, nearly four years ago
      1. They have come so far, and I'm fortunate that some of the best have continued to work with me, and three of them will be graduate students working under me starting in the fall
   2. It is also the first day of human trials for the drug, a new anti-inflammatory
      1. We were hoping it would treat chronic inflammatory diseases, but early testing suggests that it may significantly reduce hay fever, which would be great if we can mass produce it cheaply
   3. My reputation at the school has skyrocketed thanks to the combination of my groundbreaking research plus my teaching perks ensuring high instructor reviews as well as students learning and retaining more
      1. My tenure process has been fast-tracked, since the dean is rightly concerned about losing me to another institution
5. I awaken slowly, and awkwardly, as if from a coma, as a cocktail of drugs is released into my body, still restrained on my cryobed
   1. Our vessel, the Cyllene, is essentially a large asteroid with a hole carved in the middle, stuffed with propellent, equipment, supplies, expansive aquaponics facilities, and a relatively tiny living area
      1. Cyllene was said to have nursed and protected Hermes, as this vessel must nurture and protect us, the first observers, and hopefully, colonists,
   2. As my body and mind resume normal function over the course of 90 minutes, I get a slow trickle of updates on the status of the Cyllene and our mission
      1. The mission clock says it's 202 years since we left Earth, but thanks to time dilation, Earth has experienced 221
      2. Computer Block 5 (of 8) is currently undergoing automated reconstruction as the block with the highest error correction rate at the time the last automated reconstruction completed
      3. 1575 individuals are currently in cryosleep, and 25 (including me) are active, all sufficiently healthy
      4. I am still Dr. John Axstrom, revered teacher and groundbreaking computational pharmacologist, but my consciousness seems to have jumped forward a few hundred years, skipping past the development of miracle cures, life extension medications, and cryogenic preservation of humans
   3. As I realign with my memories and identity, I remember why I'm here
      1. If colonization proceeds, the coming generations are going to need exceptional teachers if they are to learn their place in the universe, and I'm one of the best there ever was
      2. Our mission is expected to take about 750 years from departure to arrival, and though the vast majority of that time is spent in cryosleep, we take shifts being "awake" to ensure systems are functioning and keep eachother mentally and physically healthy
   4. Since the monitoring systems will throw a fit if I straight up disappear from the vessel, I take a long ride out to the external "observation" check, out of the range of most of the sensor systems
      1. There's not really much to observe in deep space - it's like the night sky, as the ancients saw it with no light pollution, but from a different perspective
      2. Here I quickly form a stunt double duplicate, hand over my electronics, and duck into the warehouse
   5. The warehouse clock confirms my suspicions - I'm nearly seven years into the jump
      1. Since it looks like this isn't going to take nearly 1000 years, the team hasn't been going full-stasis mode
      2. The bards have been poring over J-Borg's personal library as well as the impressive collection of the warehouse media room
      3. But the reason I came is the Tablet of the Free - I'm stuck on a large but still confined deep-space vessel until my scheduled return to cryosleep - how is that supposed to entertain the boss?
      4. After confirming nothing interesting is in the warehouse, I head back to the observation deck, and stash the portable door I've been using back into hammer-space before re-merging with my stunt double, and taking the long trip back to the living area
6. I wake up to an unfamiliar synthetic beep - apparently the Cyllene's version of a doorbell
   1. When I open the door, one of my crewmates tells me that our directional antennas have picked up some unusual RF activity that seems to be coming from our destination system, and they want me (as the on-shift programmer) to help the astronomer, comms, and operations staff to help make sense of it, and ensure we're not about to get nuked by a magnetar or something
   2. Initial findings were sparse and inconclusive - just occasional pulses of a signal that must have been very strong and highly directional at the time of transmission, to reach us so far away
   3. But I had access to diagnostic tools that the astrophysicists and comms staff didn't, for all their training and equipment: a series of perks specifically for teasing out the needles of relevance from the haystack of noise
      1. And as I looked at what we were seeing, and what we weren't, the answer became clear: these radio bursts looked just like a primitive form of RADAR
      2. At first my colleagues on the Cyllene were skeptical, but the evidence kept mounting, with 4 additional series of "pings" being detected in the next six weeks
   4. With the spectre of extraterrestrial intelligence hanging over the Cyllene, our XO followed protocol, and ordered the full complement to be wakened from cryosleep to assist in the work to come
   5. Within six months, we had fabricated and installed a much larger purpose-built directional antenna array on the surface of our asteroid hull, and reports of different signals were coming in almost daily
      1. We needed all the extra hands, even our mining and terraforming experts were lending a hand with signal analysis and attempts to form patterns
      2. The whole crew felt the urgency and wondered at the situation - temporally, it would mean that their early experiments with RADAR and initial RF broadcasts would have happened at about the same time as humans did those things on earth, and if they developed at the same rate as us (a big if), they would likely be more advanced when we arrivedd than humans were when we left (and thus the technology of our vessel), and would almost certainly see us coming
   6. The coming months flew past, each bringing further confirmation of suspicious, but with it frustration, as we had been unable to extract a coherent signal - the broadcasts we could pick up didn't appear to be using either amplitude or frequency modulation
      1. More than once I brought signal samples to the warehouse team, but they were just as stumped as us
      2. Even more "esoteric" means didn't work - we tried every variation of "Tongues" and "Comprehend Language" spells on printed, audioized, and even engraved versions of the RF signals we caught, but they all failed and the representations seemed full of too many discontinuities
   7. I could feel my new Inventor's Vision working on the task of how to decode these signals, and about two years after the first pulse was detected, I had my breakthrough
      1. The signals didn't represent continuous audio (like human radio) or even piece-by-piece visuals (like rasterized video), but something of each, and a little weirder
      2. They were composed of many (from seven to three hundred, and not consistent at all) micro-audio clips
      3. It was like making an ultra-low bitrate recordding of the voice of every singer in a chorus individually, and transmitting fifty milliseconds of one, then fifty milliseconds of the next, and so one, in serial, and then starting back again with the first voice
      4. We couldn't figure out why they did this, but once I was able to identify the break points between each "voice", I could layer them on top of eachother to make a composite audio version
      5. And that composite audio could be played, and was a viable candidate for magic translation
   8. The entire vessel went wild when I demonstrated the isolation and recombination of the signals to produce audio
      1. The sound of the thing was somewhat like the sound of multiple birds, frogs, and crickets in a forest, in very brief clips
      2. Of course, I didn't reveal that I had access to magic translation - I figured the comms and signals staff (and the one cryptographer) should have to earn their pay
   9. The remaining year and a half was spent in intense research, for them, while I mostly slacked off and tried to make conversation with the people doing important work on this front, since my actual mission here was to "observe" as humans of this universe underwent a sort of assymmetrical first contact
7. I awaken in my weird little pod bed in my weird little capsule room for the last time, perfectly aware of the remaining hours in this jump
   1. After the initial excitement died down, the majority of the colonists were put back into cryosleep, with only the decoding specialists and those "on shift" like me staying active
      1. There has been a lot of anxiety around the Cyllene for the last few months - we are clearly a colony ship and the intelligent inhabitants of that system probably do not want to be colonized, and may well be easily capable of destroying us
      2. There were discussions about trying to reverse course and head back to Earth, but we could do that any time, and the closer we get, the more information we can gather about the system and its inhabitants
   2. It would be cruel to try to skim supplies from this vessel even if there were something I wanted aboard, so I just wait my time out, helping where I can and secretly translating any communications we receive when time permits
      1. So far it has all been rather uninspiring, which makes me even more curious what kind of species would develop radio technology but not transmit any fiction or speeches or poetry
   3. When it's almost time, I once again make the long trek out to the Cyllene's observation deck alone, and split off a Stunt Double, who can at least stay here for a month, while I slip into the warehouse
      1. When I enter, J-Borg greets me and informs me of a message at the Benefactor's lounge
      2. The note on the door says "Supplement Pending - please attend as soon as possible", so I go in to check it out
      3. With the choices all locked in, the door unlocks and I head out to meet with the team
   4. With the memories of my time in Spain finally restored, I realize how I had been trying to communicate with myself all along, but failing
      1. The need for calm communcation and education will never end - among our closest neighbors or with a civilization 300 light years away
   5. We have the traditional group dinner in the commons, and discuss what's going on
      1. The team did end up spending most of the time in stasis, and the formerly-newborn halflings are a little over a year now biologically, learning to speak and walk
      2. When I mention the Biosphere supplement and how I wasn't allowed to consult them, they naturally asked when it would apply, but it hadn't even occurred to me that there were now definitely too many of us to wait out warehouse changes in the entrance hall, so I checked with the central control
   6. Afterward, no one was complaining when the doors finally unlocked and we were able to leave the commons hall, only to find that the door led to an outdoor path with a natural-looking sunset on the horizon
      1. I didn't want to spoil the whole setup yet, so I said we could tour in the morning, and turned off a number of the facilities and systems for the night, to give me some time to understand what options were available before letting my companions go wild with them
      2. Fortunately, the obvious items like the tree of life and factory complex were on other islands, that would be difficult to reach without the transport disks running
   7. And then I went to sleep again, wondering what the next awakening had in store for me

Notes on the Fountain Jump Doc

1. Honestly this doc has been on my to-try list since I saw it - I really enjoyed the movie and gladly rewatched it again when it came up in my random draw.
2. The author took some liberties with the source material, which makes sense because of how focused on Thomas the story is, and the extensions largely make sense
3. There were a few confusing things in the jump, such as how you get essences and what powers you bring with you into each phase of the jump, but a close reading makes them clear enough
4. The jump has a few really standout purchase
   1. the inventor's intention is the answer to a lot of concers that "do-gooder" jumpers are likely to have in their careers
   2. the full tree of life is an amazing item - the ability to grant perfect health and immunity to aging within a regrowing item solves a lot of problems
   3. 500 years of practice is amazing if you have a particular skill or art in mind - literally centuries better than the "10 years of practice" equivalents that you find din many other jumps, and has a lot of potential to synergize with other perks that scale off your skill in a particular area
   4. Biosphere is super cool if you want your fiat-backed warehouse to grow into something more
   5. The Dagger of the Path is a great example of a conceptual weapon, and something I probably would have picked up if I had a bunch more points
5. How you're supposed to interleave the three eras is a little unclear, and maybe I'm not a creative enough author to pull it off. I don't believe SJ Chan ever got around to writing a fictionalized account of jumping to it, unfortunately
   1. If anyone else has done a good jump fiction of this jump, please let me know
6. Overall absolutely a fantastic jump. Obviously a great option for anyone who likes the movie or wants to solve one of the specific problems available
   1. I'd especially recommend it for an early-chain jumper because of the generally low danger level and great variety of rewards

Notes on the Biosphere Supplement Doc

1. I knew this was something I wanted to pick up when I first read the fountain jumpdoc several months ago
2. I use the "Personal Reality" warehouse which was co-authored by SJ Chan, and this supplement feels perfectly tailored to supplement that
3. There are lots of good pickups for people with various interests, or those who just want to keep their options open
   1. Observation Deck seems like the real must-have since a lot of the other buys are controllable through it
4. The structure of the biosphere was a little confusing at first - I thought that there was an island, a void around the island, and a hard shell, and wasn't sure why you'd want to increase the shell thickness, but further reading cleared that up
5. On the whole, a good pick up, especially considering it only cost 400 CP in the jump, and normally buying warehouse upgrades with CP has a very unfavorable conversion, but in this case, the biosphere purchases all seemed cheaper than they ought to be.

(Builds to come in a separate post due to length restrictions)

I am about to start school to get my BSN and become a registered nurse. And, I just have a couple questions I need answered for a school project.
(Feel free to just make up a name/email if you would rather remain anonymous).
Thank y'all so much for your time!
Name:
Title:
Email:

1. Why did you decide to work in this field

2. Where did you go to school for this job? What was the hardest part of school for you?
3. What is a typical workday like? Do you have a lot of overtime? (If yes, How is overtime scheduled? Do you have enough notification so you can adjust your schedule at home, etc.?)
4. Do you work under a lot of pressure in this job? (If yes) Can you give me an example of a typical high-pressure situation?
5. Is there a lot of take-home work in this job? (If yes, Do you ever find it hard to turn-off work at home and enjoy a personal/family life?)
6. What kinds of professional development opportunities are there in this field? Can a person move up in this career?
7. Do you see this field as growing and expanding? Can you give me examples of why you think this is happening?
8. Is this a secure field? Can you give me reasons why you think this is true?

1. Does this job give you the challenges you need to stay interested in this field?
   
2. Do you see yourself doing this job for the rest of your work life? Why (or why not)?
   

Wanna talk to this girl but I'm scared. What should do?
Tidal basically. Other University student and a foreign country, so I don't have many friends here, and I'm still learning the language. I study at a library, and the other day, a friend of mine told me that this girl keeps on staring at me. I looked, and we made eye contact a couple of times.
Later, my friend and I go to another place to read so that we can talk aloud, and she follows us there and starts to read a book. My friend told me that she might be into me and I should go talk to her. But I'm really awkward around girls, so I went up and told her I have some issues later, my friend and I go to another place to read so that we can talk aloud, and she follows us there and starts to read a book. My friend told me that she might be into me and I should go talk to her. But I'm really awkward around girls, so I went up and told her I I'm learning the language and have homework which I don't know how to solve and if she can help me. She said sure, so I showed her, and she helped me. I didn't actually need help with the homework, I'd already solved it. I just wanted to talk to her. I told her if she ever needs anything for karma she can ask me. She said sure.
I later go and buy some chocolate for myself and give some to her to as a thanks for helping me. I asked you about her name and introduced myself, and then she told me that if I have other questions I can ask her. I said of course, and if she ever needed help with English because she doesn't speak English, I'd help her.
A couple days later, I asked her another question, and she helped me . Later, she went outside, and I followed her and pretended to be on a break too period so I started talking to her, and asking her what she studies and stuff period she's a year younger than me period later her friends joined us although they weren't talking to me, they just talked to her period I felt that I took too much of her time, so I told her that I had to get back to steady now, and that I was sorry if I took up too much of her time come but I was really helped happy so I have had a chat with her and to get to know her better period she said okay come up but you didn't take up any of my time, I'm on a break anyways. I said that's good, I hope to see you again soon. And I went back to my studying. Around 15 minutes later she went back inside picked up her stuff and went home because it was near closing time, and on the way, she said goodbye to me.
Keep in mind, that I come from a conservative country, and the country I meant is also slightly conservative, which is why I didn't immediately ask her out on a date, or ask her for her number. On one hand, I want to have a friendship with her, and not just asking her bullshit questions about homework. But on the other hand, I don't know exactly how to approach. Keep in mind, she told me she has college entrance exams in 30 days. So I don't know how to progress the relationship further.
What advice do you have for me? I know I'm stupid, and probably a coward kr whatever, but please help me.

Tidal basically. Other University student and a foreign country, so I don't have many friends here, and I'm still learning the language. I study at a library, and the other day, a friend of mine told me that this girl keeps on staring at me. I looked, and we made eye contact a couple of times.
Later, my friend and I go to another place to read so that we can talk aloud, and she follows us there and starts to read a book. My friend told me that she might be into me and I should go talk to her. But I'm really awkward around girls, so I went up and told her I have some issues later, my friend and I go to another place to read so that we can talk aloud, and she follows us there and starts to read a book. My friend told me that she might be into me and I should go talk to her. But I'm really awkward around girls, so I went up and told her I I'm learning the language and have homework which I don't know how to solve and if she can help me. She said sure, so I showed her, and she helped me. I didn't actually need help with the homework, I'd already solved it. I just wanted to talk to her. I told her if she ever needs anything for karma she can ask me. She said sure.
I later go and buy some chocolate for myself and give some to her to as a thanks for helping me. I asked you about her name and introduced myself, and then she told me that if I have other questions I can ask her. I said of course, and if she ever needed help with English because she doesn't speak English, I'd help her.
A couple days later, I asked her another question, and she helped me . Later, she went outside, and I followed her and pretended to be on a break too period so I started talking to her, and asking her what she studies and stuff period she's a year younger than me period later her friends joined us although they weren't talking to me, they just talked to her period I felt that I took too much of her time, so I told her that I had to get back to steady now, and that I was sorry if I took up too much of her time come but I was really helped happy so I have had a chat with her and to get to know her better period she said okay come up but you didn't take up any of my time, I'm on a break anyways. I said that's good, I hope to see you again soon. And I went back to my studying. Around 15 minutes later she went back inside picked up her stuff and went home because it was near closing time, and on the way, she said goodbye to me.
Keep in mind, that I come from a conservative country, and the country I meant is also slightly conservative, which is why I didn't immediately ask her out on a date, or ask her for her number. On one hand, I want to have a friendship with her, and not just asking her bullshit questions about homework. But on the other hand, I don't know exactly how to approach. Keep in mind, she told me she has college entrance exams in 30 days. So I don't know how to progress the relationship further.
What advice do you have for me? I know I'm stupid, and probably a coward kr whatever, but please help me.

So I’ve got a summons to appear in court tomorrow over a train ticket in 2018. I never knew about this train fine, I don’t remember getting it, and to date I don’t really know what happened, when the trial was or anything.
I discovered I had this conviction, travelling without fare, after I was applying for a job, and got rejected because they said I had a previous conviction. I get a copy of my dbs and there it was. This was last September. I then got rejected from many other jobs, even Uber eats delivery. I cannot get a job that requires a dbs because of this train ticket.
After being rejected, I called up the court. Plymouth magistrates. They never answered, ever. I don’t think the phone is manned, as I’ve let my phone ring for an hour and it will just ring. So I managed to get ahold of the fine, and I paid the compensation order as the dbs people said that would make it go away. As soon as I paid that order, I began receiving threatening letters claiming I owe 644 for a fine. I wrote to them saying this train ticket is nonsense, I was never informed about the trial, and have a long history of buying my train tickets, which I can prove. They said they didn’t care, and that unless they hear from the courts they’ll continue threatening. To add, I believe the initial court letters were sent to my childhood home address, but that house was sold in 2017 and I of course never lived there since.
I then tried to get a statutory declaration, 3 times and they kept saying I filled out the wrong form, and each form is from the .gov website so idk. Then I got the summons, and decided to go to court and explain this to try and reopen the case and get this conviction removed.
I’m bringing my statutory declaration forms, dbs, copies of emails, proof of income. I intend to get this case retrialed so I can be found innocent, and I need this off my dbs so I can actually get a good job, put my degree to use and stop being a failure. To date, this has cost me 18-21k in lost wages, both jobs I was accepted and given provisional offers based on a clear background check, both jobs were in government, both career type jobs that would have given me a solid career and stable life path. But nope, conviction for a train ticket ruining my life. I don’t know what happens in these situations, so what do I expect from this summons for a fine? Will I actually get the chance to state my case? Any advice is very appreciated, thank you.

The water washed over the side of the boat and made a drizzle that clung to my face as I turned to wipe it away. The sea was too rough around the boat to see much, and the clouds had come right down to my level, blotting out what the sea had not. The ship was heading towards deeper water, and between the rain, the mist, and the boiling fog, the ever more distant coast was a blur.
The storm had brewed up late in the day and had taken it’s time to reach the fevered pitch it was displaying presently. The sea was rising so high, it would block the view to land, making it impossible to see what was happening ashore. I should have been asleep in my bunk moored in the harbor, but instead, at this late hour, the boat and I were fighting this storm for survival.
As each wave passed, my vessel would glide into the valley behind, the walls of water on all sides stretching vertically to merge with the sky. Just as soon as the previous wave receded, a new mountain of water would present itself directly, forcing the little boat to again climb high up a watery slope. The ship would crest, giving me a glimpse of the rough and tumble ocean scape ahead, just before diving down into another valley.
Even so, I was happy to brave the weather, as the alternative was unthinkable. If this poor little vessel were to be smashed on the rocks with only me and my salt water soaked clothes to survive, I would count myself lucky. Clinging to some slick, slime covered boulder until the storm passed and the sun came out the following morning. I would fare better than my fellow villagers who were caught unawares by this impromptu disturbance. Some of whom had surely been swallowed up in the mist.
When I was young, my family lived in a small coastal village on the north side of White Rock island. Our old, whitewashed house rested on a small rise just south of the harbor. If you stood in the living room and looked out north through the plate glass window, you could see the harbor stretch out into the ocean beyond.
Each of the various boats in the harbor had a faded splash of blue or red or yellow color around the pilot house. Some had flags fluttering in the breeze. Aside from the windowed superstructures, they were all the same shade of white, stained with rust, barnacles and other imperfections. Each ship was unique in it’s own way, but only subtly so. Viewing them from afar, it was hard to notice, as they all looked the same.
I never really left White Rock, unless you count the time I went off and joined the Navy to fight in the war. I was foolishly excited to join the Navy. I believed the propaganda posters plastered all over town. I had no idea the horrors I would experience as an Engineman on a destroyer cruising through enemy waters. But that is a different story for a different time.
I attended school on that island. There was a small population, hardly big enough to justify a school, but we were very isolated and it was more difficult to travel to and from the mainland to attend school. There was only a handful of students of all ages and we had classes together in a one room schoolhouse about a mile east of our home on the hill. All of those people I went to school with are also still here on the Rock.
When I returned from the war, the reception was warm. I soon caught up with old friends and settled into a routine. I was able to recruit a few of them to help my brothers and I crew the Schooner which had patiently waited the several years I was absent. She is a 45ft ketch with a main sail, a foresail and a jib to help with tacking. We can unfurl a fisherman’s sail high above the main in open waters to add some speed. We carry nets and crab pots amidships, along with a small tender up under the fly bridge. My ship also has a 200hp diesel motor used for trawling and harbor travel. There are two holds and fully loaded, she can carry a good 20,000 pounds of fish. We have only ever filled her up about halfway on a week long journey. My Brothers, my childhood friends, and I make a jolly crew, and I am mostly thankful for the time I spend with them.
My Father was a mechanic and he worked on many of the smaller fishing boats in the harbor. He never left the island much and we did not own a boat growing up. The old timers would sit around, outside his workshop, playing dominos and telling tall tales. If I was not busy with chores, I used to love to listen to the tales the grizzled old fishermen would tell me as my Father worked on their dilapidated boats.
There were some common themes to these tales, and it didn’t take me long to understand that they were mostly bluff and bluster. They would recite fairy tales about mermaids and deep sea monsters. They would talk about long lost islands that were shown on no maps. There were stories of buried treasure and lost civilizations. All good fun and light hearted, chuckles and good natured ribbing all the way around.
Then there were the stories about the mist. The old timers would hush up and become reticent when this topic was broached. They would look over their shoulder as if paranoid someone or something was watching. You could feel a shiver run down your spine just at the mention of the mist, The air grew heavier, all of the color draining out, becoming more pale and dense.
The mist, from the stories, was a thick gloom that would originate somewhere out in the water and slowly drift into town with the wind. On days when the mist would visit, you could see it forming miles out in the distance. Getting thicker as morning grew into midday. At some point in the early afternoon, the old timers would say, with a shift in the wind, that thick soupy darkness would start to creep towards the island.
This was a warning to all of the inhabitants to get indoors, batten down the windows and doors, and camp out in the cellar until dawn. The mist can see as if it has eyes, they would say. The mist could hear you breathe, as if it had ears, they would say. The mist could pick you up and take you away, as if it had hands, they would say. And to speak, yes, the mist could speak as if it had a voice. The mist could convince you to leave the safety of your home and go on a journey. The mist could trick you into thinking a small child was outside and needed help. “Help me” the mist would sigh. “I am soaking wet and I am only 5, please let me in so I can get warm. It’s so cold out here…”
As entertaining as these stories were when I was a kid, they were just that, stories. Time passed, people came and went. The old timers faded away along with their boats. As I grew older, I was more and more concerned with ever more adult things and stories of spirits and water sprites were trivial. Fairy stories and tall tales didn’t pay the bills and I had a life to live.
My Father died in an accident when I was only 15. He was working on a trawler that had run aground just south of the entrance to the bay. The engine had failed and the boat had drifted into the rocks. My father was aboard when there was an explosion. He was burned over most of his body. We would visit him daily at the doctors house where he lay, suffering, in a delirium. He lingered for the better part of a year before passing on.
My Mother was devastated and she was never the same. We moved out of that old white house into another owned by my Uncle. I felt like I had to provide for her and my younger brothers. I soon found myself working as a hand on my uncle’s fishing boat. I learned the way of the sea, and would spend more and more time offshore. Each time I returned, I found that my Mother had grown more distant. She was spending more and more time with my Father in the great beyond and didn’t have as much to give to the real world. She was surrendered to a fantasy and soon she was unable to return to reality. Some call it dementia. When she passed, I was alone with my Uncle and my Brothers.
As a crew, and as a family, we had some great adventures. We travelled far and wide. We visited many a strange port and I held company with many a beautiful lass. We crewed my uncles boat, the Majestic Spirit, until he was too old for the work. When he decided to retire, he gave his boat to me. Now my Brothers, my friends and I ably vie the sea, aboard the Maj, in search of fame and fortune.
All this so I can describe to you my current predicament. You see, this morning started off like normal. After waking and eating my breakfast, I had strolled down to the docks to get an early start on some maintenance to the Maj. I had been putting it off for the last week. We had a long cruise coming up, planning to sail to the South Onda Straits, and I wanted to repair the fore hatch coaming before we set out.
As I descended the hill to White Rock Harbor, I noticed a dark gloominess miles off in the distance. Remembering the old stories made me feel uneasy. I told myself to ignore those old fairy tales and focus on the task at hand. I put my head down and walked faster.
As I arrived at the Maj, I noticed the gloom was thicker now. It was visibly rolling and changing color from gray to black and all shades in between. There were faint flashes of light from deep within. “Is that lightning?” I asked myself. Apparently I had spoken aloud as another fisherman, Phillip O’Perry, who owned the adjacent trawler, had overheard me as he jumped down onto the docks from the deck of his boat. “It’s the mist a’formin.” He said as he walked away. “I, for one, plan on getting drunk on Rum this ‘even…locked away in my cellar with wife and babes. I suggest you do the same.”
I hadn’t felt that chill since I was young. “Don’t be silly Phil!” I yelled back. “Fairy tales and sea shanties are fun, but they don’t put food on the table.” “Suit yerself” he said over his shoulder as he rounded the corner. “You’ll have a new story to tell either way tomorrow”. “if you live.” This last he added while sticking his head back around the corner he had just passed. A devious grin from ear to ear on his face, he said“Good luck to ya!” and then he was gone.
The white rock saved me.
Part 2 to follow soon! :D

For some context, I was in Foster care and under CPS till I was kicked out of my home for an unreasonable reason that would take a long time to explain. This happened at 16 and now I am a (17M) and I make about 600 every month, I have no car but I travel by bus which is free because I am a student in (Southern California) currently in an online school, my goal is to be emancipated, I am also being constantly pressured by CPS because of the case and they want to declare me a run away because “I'm not cooperating” really I do my best but the investigation worker shows up every other month, now I don't want involve myself anymore with that as it is a waste of time considering I'm exceptionally busy every day so all my energy and time matters. I'm hoping I can avoid them until I turn 18 which is in 9 months.
-why not wait?= 9 months is a lot of time and a lot can happen take it from me who's been mostly homeless till about 3 months ago a lot can happen so all time is valuable especially if I can get some legal restrictions lifted from me.
-My plan if I do, after I graduate high school which should be in 7 months if I keep going at my pace, I plan to enlist into the Air force. I also want to get a Drivers license since it's easier to do it when I don't have to deal with all the permits.
I believe I should get a second job so I can boost my income to about 1100 minimum, As well as obtain 1,500 emergency savings as proof of responsibility.
I am currently paying as a roommate for 300 with all my expenses I make just enough to live paycheck to paycheck.
I'm aware it's going to be greatly harder but it already is because all the restrictions due to my age I don't have a choice please don't give me a useless lecture I mean no disrespect it's just not productive or helpful I already know.
I have some knowledge on what to do but I want to be precise so please don't say something useless like “use google” it's just being safe and it's easier and more time effective for others that are more qualified to help, sorry Im going off topic but I just don't want a bunch of comments that say practically nothing.
If I am emancipated my progress will be speed up.
How do I proceed in making a case and legally being emancipated?
Will I be able to work “adult” jobs? Like Amazon? What should I do that makes my case stronger? What will help? Anything you can tell me that helps me I'm willing to listen. I need you're help so please give me you're time, thank you.
Stats: 17M 600 after tax income No car No saving In school Has experience that can get me another job in a timely manor, No lawyer

Hi everyone,
I'm facing some issues with displaying custom fields from Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) using the Frontend Admin plugin in Elementor. Here’s the current setup and what I’m trying to achieve:
Context: 1. Platform: WordPress 2. Theme: Astra Theme 3. Relevant Plugins: - Elementor Pro - Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) - Frontend Admin - MemberPress
Goal: I want users to fill out their profiles through forms in the member area (MemberPress) and then have this data visible on a specific public page outside the member area.
Issues Encountered: 1. Displaying ACF Fields: I'm trying to use Frontend Admin shortcodes to display the ACF fields on the public page, but the data isn’t showing up correctly. 2. Custom Link: I need each user to have a custom link (URL) that points to their public profile where this data is displayed.
Current Code Configuration: ```php // Function to generate profile link for new users function generateuser_profile_link($user_id) { $user_info = get_userdata($user_id); $user_slug = sanitize_title($user_info->user_login); $profile_link = home_url('/public-profile/' . $user_slug); update_field('profile_link', $profile_link, 'user' . $user_id); } add_action('user_register', 'generate_user_profile_link');
// Function to add links to existing users function addlink_to_existing_users() { $users = get_users(); foreach ($users as $user) { $user_slug = sanitize_title($user->user_login); $profile_link = home_url('/public-profile/' . $user_slug); update_field('profile_link', $profile_link, 'user' . $user->ID); } } add_action('init', 'add_link_to_existing_users');
// Function to add custom rewrite rules function add_custom_rewrite_rules() { add_rewrite_rule('<sup>public-profile/([/]*)/?',</sup> 'index.php?pagename=public-profile&username=$matches[1]', 'top'); } add_action('init', 'add_custom_rewrite_rules');
// Add custom query variable function add_custom_query_vars($vars) { $vars[] = 'username'; return $vars; } add_filter('query_vars', 'add_custom_query_vars');
// Function to display user ACF fields on the custom page function display_user_acf_fields($content) { if (is_page('public-profile')) { $username = get_query_var('username'); if ($username) { $user = get_user_by('slug', $username); if ($user) { $user_id = $user->ID; ob_start(); ?> '; } } else { return 'Username not specified.
'; } } return $content; } add_filter('the_content', 'display_user_acf_fields'); ?> ```
Questions: 1. Frontend Admin Shortcodes: How can I ensure that the Frontend Admin shortcodes work correctly within the HTML widget in Elementor? 2. Public Visibility: How can I make sure that the profiles filled out in the member area are correctly displayed on a public page? 3. Best Practices: Are there better practices for setting up this integration between ACF, Frontend Admin, and Elementor?
Thanks in advance for any help or guidance you can provide!
Best regards, Alex

Hello!
I have been looking for a nice split keyboard for some time now since standard keyboards have been causing me some strain in my wrists recently. I do a lot of writing and so would like to get a keyboard that has pretty much all the standard keys including the number keys above the letters as well as shift/entecaps/etc.
I am totally new to split keyboards, so all advice, including "that is not possible on a budget," is welcome! I also have no experience building anything like this and do not know how to solder, but am not averse to learning.
No real budget range, just whatever you think is the best option for as low a price feasible. If I can't afford it then I'll know how much I should save up for.
Thank you in advance!

desired career: a paid singer who has concerts and albums/songs.
A while back I read on a different subreddit a comment that said that if I want singing/music as a career, I need to treat it like a full-time job and spend at least 8 hours a day on it. (40 hours a week at least)
at my beginning stage, what should those daily 8 hours consist of?
right now I take a private 1-hour long vocal class, twice a week. So, two hours a week with a professional teacher. At home, I do warmups and practice the songs+techniques we are learning. That's not enough time to progress..it is only an hour or hour and 20 minutes on my own.
Paid singers, what was your daily schedule and music to-do list in the beginning that got you there?
for example, what did you spend your time on, and how long? Did you spend one hour on _____ and then 30 mins for ______ 20 minutes for ____, and 4 hours working on ____? this is an example.
what are the practicals? what is the daily actions checklist?
thanks. i want to stop living in my head.

Hi! Dealing with some feelings as I prepare to plan my own wedding. My boyfriend is going to propose soon, and we’ve started laying the groundwork for a wedding next year, but I dont even want to tell my BFF about our plans because of how she treated me when I was her maid of honor.
Last year, my best friend got married and I was her MOH. The bridal party was just MOH/best man, no other bridesmaids or groomsmen. The wedding was in her in-laws’ backyard and to be honest, it was a nightmare. A beautiful wedding, but zero consideration for the guests.
I live out of state and I went to stay with her for a week before the wedding, so we could get our nails done, finish DIY projects, prep the venue space, etc. Honestly she seemed MISERABLE all week. Was short with everyone. I heard her say “thank you” maybe twice the whole time I was there. This is usually not like her! So I figured hmm…we’ll wait til the wedding day is over and see if she feels happier.
I was so excited to spend the actual wedding DAY with her but we barely saw each other. We got her ready for photos (I did her hair and makeup) but she left me alone in her apartment to get ready solo. I had no one to zip my dress, put my hairpiece in, etc. I had to walk to the venue myself, carrying buckets of flowers she’d forgotten to make arrangements for.
During the cocktail hour and reception, I missed group photos because I was working. There was NO WATER or other nonalcoholic beverages out for the guests, so I prepped those and got them into the coolers/dispensers. I barely had time to sit and eat because I was the designated “go to” person for questions, so guests would find me if they needed directions to town, help finding the bathroom, etc.
Here’s the part that really hurts my feelings: when I was shopping for my bestie’s bridal shower, I found thank-you cards that matched her invites EXACTLY. It was incredible! I sent a pic and said “hey — want me to buy these???” She responded with a huge yes. They were on clearance at TJ MAXX so ~100 cards for $10. Not a huge expense at all. But…
It’s been a year and I haven’t received a thank-you card. No one has. And I get that, no one wants to do thank-you cards! But I haven’t received ANY acknowledgment for my efforts. And it really hurts. The day before the wedding, her now-husband was excitedly showing me the thank-you gift package he had chosen and assembled for his best man. I know the best man received his thank-you gift the day after the wedding because he posted about it in his wedding photo dump.
It’s been a year and I haven’t received a single thank you from my “bestie.” Her husband has shown more gratitude to me than she did. And now that I’m planning to get engaged…I don’t know if I should bring this up ahead of time and clear the air, or if I should leave it be. Our friendship feeeeels pretty normal and we talk regularly, but every time I think about this, it makes me want to NOT invite her to the wedding. I don’t even care if it’s not as elaborate as what the best man received, I just want SOME acknowledgement of my effort. There’s definitely some added bitterness because she is a stay-at-home wife and lives off her husband’s income, so I feel jealous she has time for craft projects and creative/leisure activities that I have to fit into my demanding career…but she can’t find time to send me a thank you? Ugh. I feel so dumb but after 15 years of friendship, I just want my effort to be acknowledged in SOME way. :(

After declining a 2 minute phone call request I made and asking me to message instead, I didn't reply or message. I went into NC. 2 weeks later he broke NC and said " Hey, I realise I never gave you the chance to speak so you can call or txt or whatever you like " we had a bit of back and forth and he kept pressing me to spill what I had wanted to get off my chest. I made it light hearted and said " well, if you spill, I spill" thinking I'm extending an olive branch, and a chance for him to also get anything he wants off his chest too. What went from a fun convo suddenly switched to him being cold and harsh saying he had nothing to say at all and he's only reaching out because I asked to talk. I quickly said " let's do the call another night as its late, thanks for reaching out. Night " and I went back into NC thinking I'd never hear from him again. 11 days later he reaches out at 2:30am on a weekday ( he is usually in bed by 10pm to be up at 6am for work) with this msg -
" You never called back. I assume that means there's nothing to discuss unless you tell me otherwise "
I replied the next afternoon and kept it short saying " Hey, let me know when you're home and free" and he said he'd let me know when he leaves work. That was Thursday and I heard nothing back at all. He just vanished. Today's Sunday and I stupidly reached out with a msg saying I didn't want to bother him or make him feel funny seeing my name pop up on his screen which is why i never followed up on the call, but since he asked and reached out first, did he still want that call to happen? Surprise surprise - I was ignored.
Why try and poach me like that only to hurt me? Why message me at 2:30am asking why I hadn't called then for me to respectfully respond then ignore me for days? I don't understand what he's getting out of it?
I feel I lost my power after having the upper hand being solid with NC (with him reaching out each time)
How do I get my power back? I know going no contact again but any other way? I'm so angry with myself. He continues to watch my stories too. He's a typical DA but I wonder if he also has narcissistic traits or just a dick.
Taking ALL ADVICE!

Hi gents, I wanted to share my journey with you all. I’m 31 years old and I got my vasectomy after having my second child because the wife and I decided we were done. Surgery was in October 2023. I had some strange nerve pain radiating to my groin for about 2 weeks but was certain the worst was over by thanksgiving and started exercising again.
The first week of December I got a horrible case of epididimo-orchitis. 10/10 pain. Was put on doxycycline and levoflaxcin for about 30 days. Was still hovering around 7/10 testicle pain going into the new year. I noticed that ejaculating would leave me in terrible pain the following day so I began abstaining. I waited 2 weeks and tried ejaculating again and that’s when the prostatitis symptoms came on. Burning in the urethra, lower abdomen pain, lower pain back. I freaked out and began realizing this wasn’t going away soon. I had a mental breakdown and was searching for answers. I contemplated suicide, I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t sleep due to debilitating anxiety and fear.
I saw about 4 urologists, did 3 ultrasounds, and 4-5 urinalysis, everything came back clean. I found a pelvic rehabilitation specialist in Miami and began a 6 round series of pelvic injections. (Very pricey ~ $6k). Thank god I stored away some crypto that helped pay for it. I was also referred to a pelvic PT and have gone around 8-9 times. I consistently do daily stretches and some wand work my home. I radically changed my diet (dairy, gluten, process food - free), take herbs (turmeric, quercetin, zinc, etc.), and eliminated caffeine and alcohol.
My symptoms began to subside by the end of the 6 week injection series and I was cautiously feeling good about living life again. About 2 weeks post the final injection the prostatitis symptoms came back along with my mental agony. Every day is a mental battle and if it wasn’t for the support of my wife and family I don’t know if I would be able to function.
Where I’m at today (May 2024):
On a positive note my testicle pain has subsided quite a bit since December. I hover around 1-3 most days which is mostly tolerable and a large departure from the 10/10 pain in December. My urethra burns daily and I’m never able to fully void my urine. My lower abdomen pain is very consistent and discomforting. Ejaculating makes all the above worse so I do so sparingly. I’m trying to stay positive but it’s very hard when the only thing I want is to have is my life back.
Anyone else have similar symptoms?
I think about a reversal daily and have already consulted with Dr P in Orlando (2.5 hrs from me). Is it a good bet to wait to pull the trigger till the year mark?
Can a reversal even help with my prostatitis symptoms?
Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and giving guys like me hope. I hope to come back in a few months with a better update.

i have no motivation to live.
here’s my current situation. i’m a university student home for the summer. i don’t have a job. not because i don’t want one, but because i can’t find one. i have been searching for months, been referred to through friends and family, applied online and in person to over a hundred jobs. nothing. even considering i have plenty of past work and volunteer experiences it seems not to be good enough. the previous two jobs i worked in high school were horrible yet even they won’t take me back. the exact same situation of being unemployed happened to me last summer. many of my friends are in the same position this year. this has taken a major toll on my mental health. i’m fortunate enough that my parents are able to provide for me. but i feel extremely guilty when they spend money on me. i’ll use my own savings when buying things for myself or going out with friends but it’s difficult to watch that number always go down so i’ve started to avoid going out with people just to save my money. i also feel really embarrassed when people ask me if i’m working this summer and i have to say no. even though i try to explain that i’ve applied to so many jobs, everyone just assumes that i’m lazy or that my parents are so wealthy that i don’t need to work. neither of which are true. i’ve been trying to avoid interacting with people because i don’t want to be judged. but this isn’t even all about the money. i don’t like being perceived as spoiled and lazy. i also don’t like the fact that i have nothing to do all day. i just sit around everyday job searching and feeling like a piece of shit. if i can’t even find a part time summer job how on earth am i going to have a career in the future. is it stupid to base my self worth off of whether or not i have a job? probably, but i can’t help it.
so that’s the main issue here. but i’ve had this lack of motivation to live for years now. i can’t talk to my parents about this. my grandparents were immigrants so growing up mental health wasn’t really a thing for my parents. because of that, mental health isn’t a thing for my siblings and i either. when i first started high school i would get to anxious that i would throw up every morning before school and feel nauseous throughout the day. all i got was a “what’s wrong with you? stop doing that.” there were other times where i felt so depressed that i couldn’t pull myself out of bed. “stop doing that for attention. i know you’re faking it so you don’t have to go to school.” i was never really allowed to have emotions growing up. recently my mom told me that my sister was going to go see a therapist. she told me that she doesn’t understand what’s wrong with our generation and why everyone needs to go to therapy.
so yeah. i don’t know what to do. i can’t talk to my family, i don’t want to burden my friends, and professional help is too expensive. but i wake up every morning and go to bed every night with the same thought in my mind: i don’t want to live anymore. i don’t think i’m suicidal, i think i just need help. if you read this whole thing, thank you.

It was an early morning in the Border Collie Household. The sun was just beginning to peek through the curtains, casting a warm glow into the living room where Mackenzie, Minnie, and Little Mack were sitting, looking rather bored.
Mackenzie, the eldest of the three siblings, let out a sigh as he tossed his stuffed Bilby, Billy, up in the air and caught it repeatedly. "I'm so bored," he grumbled, glancing over at his younger siblings.
Minnie, her bright eyes filled with mischief, grinned mischievously. "I know! Let's go bug Mom and Dad until they play with us!"
Little Mack's face lit up at the suggestion. "Yeah! That sounds like fun!"
“Alright, alright. Let's go see what they're up to." Mackenzie said as he placed Billy next to Bandido and lead his siblings out of his room and to the kitchen.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Hunter and Queen were in the kitchen, having just finished the coffee they made a couple of minutes before.
“Honey?” Queen called.
“Yeah babe?” Hunter asked.
“What’s your stopwatch say?” Queen asked. Hunter looked at the stopwatch on the table next to them.
“12:22.” Hunter said. The two of them looked at each other for five seconds and then smirked.
“Three...two...one.” They both counted down. As they reached "one," Mackenzie, Minnie, and Little Mack burst into the kitchen, their faces filled with excitement.
"We're bored!" Minnie declared dramatically, throwing herself onto one of the kitchen chairs. “Can you play with us?”
“I don’t see why not.” Hunter answered as he turned to face the three. “What game do you wanna play?”
That was the thing. They didn’t exactly know what they wanted to play. Queen glanced at Hunter with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"I have an idea," she said, her lips curling into a playful grin. "How about we play... Smoochy Tag?"
“Smoochy Tag? Now THAT is a game I haven’t played in a long time.” Hunter said with a laugh.
“What’s smoochy tag?” Little Mack asked.
“It’s like normal tag, but you have to smooch someone to tag them. When you tag them, they help you tag the others. It’s really fun!” Mackenzie said as his tail wagged a bit.
“I’ll be it first. Mackenzie, can you pick a number between one and ten?” Queen asked. Mackenzie paused for a moment.
“Seven!” Mackenzie said happily.
“Seven.” Queen repeated, then she smirked. “Six…Five…Four-”
Realizing she was counting down, Hunter and the kids took off running. Hunter opened the front door and ran out of the house with the laughing children. Queen reached one and then grabbed her coffee mug.
“I’ll just finish this first.” She stated while also putting Hunter’s mug in the sink.
After a couple of seconds of running, the four of them stopped for a moment and looked around.
“We need to hide.” Hunter said as he looked around.
“But where?” Mackenzie asked. That’s when they heard a door open, they all turned to see Bandit standing at the opening.
“Oh, morning Border Collies!” Bandit said with a wave.
“Morning Bluey’s Dad, can we hide in your house?” Mackenzie asked. Bandit raised an eyebrow almost immediately, leaving Hunter to clarify.
“We’re playing a game and Queen is it.” Hunter told him.
“Say no more, c’mon in.” Bandit said almost immediately, opening the door a little bit more for them. The four Border Collies ran inside and Bandit closed the door, looking through the peephole.
“Sorry to involve you in our game Bandit.” Hunter told him. Bandit turned to him and waved it away.
“No worries, we do that to our neighbor Pat all the time. Looks like karma finally caught up.” Bandit said, he then walked away from the door. “What game are you playing?”
“We call it smoochy tag.” Hunter said, that’s when the doorbell rang. Bandit walked over to open it and saw that no one was there.
“Huh, no one. Weird.” Bandit said before closing the door and walking back to Hunter. “What’s Smoochy tag?”
“Basically a cross between tag and playing zombies, but a kiss is how you tag the others.” Hunter answered. The doorbell rang again. Bandit opened the door and looked around this time, again, seeing no one.
“Kids playing ding dong ditch?” Hunter asked. Bandit closed the door and walked back over.
“Probably.” Bandit said as Chilli walked into the room.
“Who’s dinging the doorbell?” Chilli asked.
“Probably the kids.” Bandit said. That was before he saw Bluey and Bingo hiding Mackenzie and Little Mack somewhere in the living room, and then hearing the doorbell again. “Okay, definitely not the kids.”This time, Hunter walked over to the door to open it, and when he did, Queen grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.
“Gotcha! C’mere you!” Queen smirked as she attempted to pull him into a kiss. However, Bandit and Chilli grabbed Hunter to pull him into the house, joining the game.
“Not so fast!” Bandit said as he pulled Hunter into the house. Chilli also pulled, whilst chuckling.
“It’s not gonna be that easy.” Chilli told her. Queen continued trying to kiss Hunter, but Hunter was pulled away and Chilli got a cushion to poke Queen back out of the house. “Out, out with ya.”
With Queen back out of the house, Chilli closed the door. Chilli wiped her brow with a ‘phew’ and looked at Bandit.
“What was that all about?” Chilli asked.
“It’s a game called Smoochy Tag.” Bandit told her.
“Sounds fun, I’ll ask the kids if they wanna play.” Chilli said as she walked to the living room. Bandit looked at Hunter with wide eyes.
“Run upstairs, quick.” Bandit told him. Hunter nodded and ran upstairs with Bandit. Chilli walked to the living room where she saw Bingo hiding Little Mack behind the plant.
"Hey, Bingo," Chilli said with a warm smile. "Are you and your new friend playing Smoochy Tag too?"
Bingo looked up from her hiding spot with a wide grin. "Yeah, Mum! We're helping hide Little Mack from his mum."
“Well guess what, your dad and I are playing too. But I need to know the rules first.” Chilli said as he kneeled down to Little Mack’s height. “Can you tell me the rules?”
Little Mack got out from under the table and began to explain the rules of the game.
“It’s like normal tag, but you have to smooch someone to tag them. When you tag them, they help you tag the others. Mackenzie says it’s really fun.” Little Mack answers. Chilli tapped her chin.
“Smooch someone, like this?” Chilli asked, placing a kiss on Little Mack’s forehead. Little Mack giggled.
“Yes, exactly like that.” Little Mack said.
“Good. Looks like we’re helping your mom now.” Chilli said, revealing she made herself it when she played the game. Which also meant she that Little Mack was also it. Much to the four year old’s playful disappointment.
“Aw bugger.” Little Mack said. Then both of them turned to Bingo. She quickly turned around to run.
“Quick, let’s get her!” Chilli exclaimed as she and Little Mack ran after her. The moment they were out of the living room, Bluey and Mackenzie ran out from behind the couch and ran to the backyard where they got cut off by Queen.
“Going somewhere?” She teased before running after them. Bluey and Mackenzie playfully screamed before running back inside. Queen ran after them and was gaining on them pretty quickly. She would’ve caught up if it wasn’t for Minnie running in front of her, running away from Bingo who was also running away from Chilli and Little Mack. Switching targets, Queen grabbed Minnie and kissed her forehead.“No!” Minnie exclaimed while laughing. Bingo was gonna run past, but Queen grabbed her too and kissed her on the forehead as well. Now the only ones left were Mackenzie, Bluey, Hunter and Bandit. Bluey and Mackenzie were seen running up stairs. Upstairs, the hallway presented several doors, providing ample hiding spots. Bluey gestured excitedly to the linen closet. "Quick, hide in here!" she whispered urgently to Mackenzie.
Mackenzie nodded, running into the closet with Bluey. Bluey closed the door, while Hunter and Bandit veered into the Heeler bedroom just as they heard footsteps approaching. Inside the linen closet, Bluey and Mackenzie huddled together, barely able to contain their giggles. Bluey put a finger to her lips, motioning for Mackenzie to stay quiet as they listened to the footsteps draw closer. They held their breath as the footsteps walked towards them, stopped, and then walked away from them. Allowing them to let out a sigh of relief.
In the bedroom, Hunter and Bandit were both were under the bed, and practically arguing with each other silently.
“Find your own hiding spot!” Bandit whisper yelled to him.
“I don’t know this house! This is the best I can do!” Hunter replied. The two of them where still arguing when Queen and Chilli walked into the room, and from the footsteps abruptly stopping, they more than likely got found out.
“You think they heard us?” Bandit asked. Suddenly, Hunter’s ankles were grabbed and he was yanked out from under the bed. Bandit’s wrists were grabbed and he was pulled out as well. When they were out, they realized that the other’s wife had pulled them out. Bandit was pulled out by Queen and Hunter was pulled out by Chilli. The two ladies looked at each other, smirked, nodded and switched locations, kissing their husbands to tag them.
“And then there were two.” Hunter said as he stood up looking out in the hall.
“I heard whispering in the closet before walking in here.” Chilli said as she pointed to the linen closet. Queen and Hunter started to walk towards that door and counted backwards from three before opening the door and seeing….nothing.
“Huh?” Queen questioned. Inside Bluey’s room, Mackenzie and Bluey were sneaking back down the stairs and was making their way to the playroom. On the way there, Mackenzie accidentally bumped into one of the dressers and knocked over the lamp. Mackenzie was fast enough to catch the lamp before it could hit the ground.
“That was close.” Mackenzie said in relief.
“He’s downstairs!” Little Mack exclaimed, having heard him. Mackenzie put the lamp back and he and Bluey ran out to the backyard. Little Mack was the first to go outside to try and catch at least one of them. Minnie ran outside too and both were going straight for Mackenzie, who was not too keen with getting caught so he kept dodging and juking them like he was playing a game of rugby. Bluey on the other hand was running from Bingo and ran right into Bandit who picked her up and kissed her on the nose.
“Gotcha Bluey!” Bandit told her. He then looked at Mackenzie who juked Little Mack and made him run into Minnie. Mackenzie was gonna run back inside, but Hunter was guarding the door. “Let’s get em Bluey.”
Mackenzie turned around and Queen was blocking his path back.
“Where’re you gonna go now mate?” Hunter asked him. Mackenzie looked right and saw Bandit and Bluey walking towards him.
“Going left!” Mackenzie said as he ran left. He was gonna run down the left side of the house to go to the front yard, but the moment he ran around the corner, Chilli was right there. Mackenzie turned around to run again, but he was grabbed by Hunter, who jumped over the railing the moment he went around the corner. Mackenzie laughed as he was caught, squirming playfully in Hunter's grasp.
"Nice try, buddy." Hunter chuckled before planting a kiss on his son’s forehead, ending the game. “Man, you’re getting faster kid.”
"You're not too bad yourself, Dad." Mackenzie replied, his tail wagging happily. "That was so much fun!"
"You did great, champ," Hunter said, ruffling Mackenzie's hair. "But all that running around has made me hungry, lets go get brunch.”
Mackenzie's stomach growled in agreement, and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah, brunch sounds awesome!"
Chilli and Bandit looked at each other and then nodded before turning back over to the Border Collies.
“Would you like to stay for Brunch?” Chilli asked them.
"That sounds lovely," Queen replied with a smile, glancing at Hunter for confirmation.
Hunter nodded, returning the smile. "Yeah, we'd love to stay. Thanks for the invitation."
Chilli beamed. "Great! Let's head to the kitchen then. I'll whip up something delicious for all of us."
“Allow me to help.” Queen said as she and Chilli walked upstairs to the kitchen. Hunter and Bandit played with the kids to keep them occupied. s they all made their way to the kitchen, the Border Collies chatted happily, their laughter filling the air. Hunter and Bandit found themselves engaged in a playful game of catch with Mackenzie, Bluey, Minnie, and Little Mack, while Queen and Chilli worked together to prepare brunch.
In the kitchen, Queen and Chilli shared stories and laughter as they cooked, enjoying each other's company. Queen expertly cracked eggs into a bowl while Chilli chopped vegetables for an omelet. The aroma of sizzling bacon filled the air, making everyone's stomachs growl in anticipation.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Hunter and Bandit continued their game with the kids, tossing a ball back and forth and dodging around the furniture. Mackenzie's tail wagged furiously as he chased after the ball, his laughter echoing through the house.
As brunch neared completion, Queen and Chilli set the table with plates, utensils, and glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. The tantalizing smell of food wafted through the house, drawing everyone to the kitchen.
With everything ready, they all gathered around the table, exchanging smiles and stories as they enjoyed the delicious brunch together. Plates were filled with fluffy omelets, crispy bacon, and buttery toast, and the conversation flowed effortlessly as they savored the meal.
Later on, Queen and Chilli were playing with the kids as Hunter and Bandit were on the balcony watching them as they played, drinking some soda as they watched.
“Made quite the first impression you know.” Bandit said to Hunter, who chuckled.
“Sweet as, Bandit. You know I was a bit skeptical about the move but now...” Hunter responded, watching as Bluey playfully managed to tackle Mackenzie to the ground. “..I think I made the right choice.”
“While I don’t doubt that mate, I’m sure we’ll see.” Bandit told him.
“Yeah…we’ll see.” Hunter replied. Soon, it was time for the Border Collies to head home and the Heelers waved goodbye to them as they walked off.
“You know, I think I like our new neighbors.” Chilli said to her family.
“Will they be back to play again?” Bingo asked her dad. Bandit smiled and watched the Border Collies walk off.
“We’ll see.”

Hi everyone,
I’ve been using a Keychron Q11 and have noticed that the original keycaps tend to get greasy pretty quickly. I’m considering switching to PBT keycaps for a better feel and less grease retention. I’ve checked out the Keychron store but haven’t had much luck finding ones that are confirmed to be compatible with the Q11.
Does anyone here have recommendations for PBT keycaps that would fit the Keychron Q11? Alternatively, if you have any tips or home remedies for keeping keycaps from getting greasy, I’d really appreciate hearing those too!
Thanks in advance for your help!

I received a FJO at the FDIC. Currently, I’m work at a field office at HUD. I have a excellent supervisor, great team, and I like the work.
Cons of current role (in juxtaposition to FDIC role): I’m at my journeyman at GS-9 while the FDIC role is a ladder position to CG-12. Additionally, because my division has a healthy work environment, you pretty much have to wait until someone retires or bounce around for a grade promotion/advancement. My current role has much less structured training in comparison to the FDIC role.
Cons of FDIC role: Significant travel (not an issue now but in the future I will likely want to be home more), general uncertainty on whether I will find an equally supporting team/supervisor, less relaxed work environment in comparison to current office/agency, and more days in the office post- July FDIC decision.
Talk some sense into please (gently lol). I’m open to all opinions. Thank you in advance.

My dad lives in a nursing home and has just recently changed his address to the facility. He didn't tell them it was a nursing home so idk if they're aware just yet. He called a few days ago and was told he is still getting the full amount that is scheduled to come on the 1st. So it seems he should still be getting the full amount next month right? Is it possible it will change last second? Or is it more likely to take a while. Were trying to figure out when/ if the payment will be reduced to $30, and if he'll get the full amount next month. We're hoping that since he just called recently that it's not going to change before they send out next month's payment. What do you think will happen?

Hello!
My partner and I are first time homebuyers and got a wonderful home for a good price, but it needs some work. We also have to move into it by the end of the month, so there's only so many projects we can do before we move in.
The two bedrooms have original hardwood floors that have the potential to be gorgeous, but they definitely need to be completely refinished. Unfortunately, we just don't have the time or energy to take that project on before we move in, so it will probably have to wait a year or two.
The floors are in really rough shape. There's water damage, places where there are gaps between the floorboards and places where it seems like the finish is completely gone and of course they are scratched to hell. It doesn't seem like the previous owners did any upkeep on these floors for the past 30 years.
Until we're able to do a complete sand down and refinishing, is there anything we can do to protect the wood from further damage while also starting to live in these rooms within the next week?
It seems like whenever I try to search this, the answer is always "just refinish your floor." Or if I want to put down something like tung oil, I need 30 days without putting furniture on it to cure.
So, does anyone have any quick and dirty recommendations to add any sort of water proofing to some really sad wood floors? Maybe a cleaner that adds a bit of protection? Right now there's really nothing we can do to further damage the floors they're in such a terrible shape, but I would feel better if we tried to mitigate any more damage.
Thank you!

Long story short, husband and I rented an RV that had a roach problem. We only really saw them around the bathroom and under kitchen sink area. To be cautious , And because I'm terrified of roaches, I kept my suitcase zipped up and on the upper bed where I slept. I didn't see any bugs up there. We kept our nap sacks zippered on the couch on the opposite side of the RV from the kitchen bath area.
After we got home I took all of our bags and put them in Garbage bags and sealed them with tape. I've been slowly going through them, shaking everything out and washing our laundry on hot.
How long should I keep our bags sealed In the garbage bags? I'm trying to prevent anything from hatching inside the house.
Advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hey all, hope you're doing good. Feeling a little stressed about a recent situation since I filed for early termination end of April with support from my PO and a few letters of recommendation from past POs.
Last night I was riding home on my motorcycle with my girlfriend after getting dinner and a group of riders sped past me in the city heading towards the freeway. I didn't think much about it until maybe a minute or two later when I got pulled over still in city limits and was given a city code infraction citation for a loud exhaust.
I wasn't speeding or doing anything dumb as I'm a new rider and had my girlfriend on the back, so my best guess is that the cop thought we were part of the group earlier that sped through the city onto the freeway and decided to give me a ticket since the others were gone already.
Normally I feel like this wouldn't be an issue, just pay the fine or replace the exhaust and reach out to the prosecutor to get it dismissed -- Wouldn't even effect insurance.
But I'm just a little stressed since I've had no issues or even traffic tickets on probation up till now, and it's right after I've applied for early release and everything seemed like it was going good.
Am I just stressing for no reason? I've already submitted a LE contact form for my PO and planned on calling him tomorrow to ask about it, as well as the city prosecutor to see if I could get it dismissed by ordering a stock exhaust and putting it on.
Thank you in advance for any help / insights on this! Hopefully it's nothing and I'm just stressing for no reason.

Played survivors:

• Matías Recalt (Roberto Canessa): He calls Dr. Canessa “Robert”. Although they don’t resemble each other physically (other than having big noses), they do have similar personalities. Matías could not cry on set, his emotions were kind of blocked (his father had passed away very recently), but Roberto says he was never able to cry in the mountains either. Matías is also headstrong and would sometimes do things his way instead of the way Bayona asked for him, which was very Canessa of him (1).
  
• Agustín Pardella (Fernando "Nando" Parrado): He calls Nando his favorite hero and feels that he has taught him a lot about resilience, and makes him want to become a better person (2). He considers Nando a friend, someone with a lot of emotions and warmth, which he had to block in the mountains. Rather that portraying the “superhero” that the media has often painted Nando as, he focused on getting to know him as a person and bring his humanity onscreen (3).
  
• Agustín Della Corte (Antonio "Tintín" Vizintín): He and Tintín had already met before, since Tintín used to be the president of the Uruguayan Rugby Union, and Della used to be part of the national rugby team (3). They hugged when they met for the movie for the first time (4). tThey met a lot of times, and he got very interested in what Tintín felt in each moment, the emotional details, which is exactly what the survivors wanted. Him being a rugby player helped a lot. Tintín feels that he was able to capture a lot of the essence of what he lived in the mountains. The first time Tintín watched the movie, he didn’t know how he felt about it, because it transported him to the mountains (2).
  
• Felipe "Pipe" G. Otaño (Carlos "Carlitos" Páez R.): His mother made him read The Society of the Snow when he was younger, so he was more familiar with the story that the average Argentinian. He guessed that he was playing Carlos Páez before the roles were revealed because of his age, physical traits, and what lines he they made him read. He not only Carlito’s book, but also the ones written by his parents. He also watched a lot of interviews with Carlitos (3). He went to Carlitos’ house and met his family. They texted a lot during the process of filming, and still text semi-regularly (2). He also relied on Pablo Vierci on set for details of his personality (3).
  
• Tomás Wolf (Gustavo Zerbino): He didn’t only get close to Gustavo, they had a barbecue together, and he always answered his questions (3). He also got close to Lupe Zerbino, a daughter. He played in a football (soccer) match, Zerbinos vs Canessas (Zerbinos won). Zerbino still shows him support in social media, even liking more political posts (5).
  
• Esteban "Kuku" Kukuriczka (Adolfo "Fito" Strauch): He read the book as soon as he got a clue of what the movie was about. At first, they talked at the hotel for around three hours, then he went to his home and met his family, they could empathize with each other (3). Fito and his wife recently went to watch one of Kuku’s theatre performances (2).
  
• Francisco Romero (Daniel Fernández): They talked a lot. The first time they met up alone, it was in a hotel. Daniel had a lot of love when talking to Fran. Fran feels like he would have played a similar role/made similar decisions in the mountains. According to Chori Segura, Daniel is physically a lot bigger than Fran irl (4). From Daniel, Fran takes away temperance, listening to others, being able to put the group first (3).
  
• Rafael Federman (Eduardo Strauch): When they met, Eduardo gave him his book as a gift. He would always answer Rafael’s questions (3). Eduardo always received him warmly (2). Rafael took the exit sign of the plane as a souvenir from set, same as Eduardo irl (5).
  
• Andy Pruss (Roy Harley): He got his information from the books and interviews. But also from talking to him, and how he sees himself in the mountains, 50 years later, what he did right and what he did wrong, specially about not being able to keep his emotions in check, which ended up affecting him a lot (3). Roy took him out in his car to see the places where he grew up, where he studied, his childhood house. Roy also went with Andy and his parents to the beach (2).
  
• Juan Ignacio "Juanicar" Carusso (Álvaro Mangino): Álvaro as a character had never existed in the other movies, so he felt a lot of responsibility playing him. Álvaro took him home and personally taught him how he used to crawl with a broken leg. He would always answer any question he had (3). Álvaro and Margarita also took some of their family to set, for the hospital scenes (2).
  
• Simón Hempe (José Luis "Coche" Inciarte): Once his participation got confirmed in the movie, he bought the Society of the Snow and another book about the event, on a whim. It ended up being Coche’s book (3). He feels like he bonded with Coche, since day 1, almost like a grandfather. He also got close to his family, specially his (now) widow, Soledad (2). His death was very hard on Simón (3). They talked a lot, at his house, by phone, on set. They got close enough that Simón could show up to the Inciarte household unannounced (2), and Coche called him his “favorite actor”(2). Coche personally coached him on set for the rescue scenes (told him to remember to smile) and in the hospital (him and Soledad still remembered very clearly how their reencounter was). Soledad says that the movie was something that gave Coche energy despite being ill, and that watching it made him proud. He once met some friends of Coche by chance, and they shared pictures and memories of him (3).
  
• Valentino Alonso (Alfredo "Pancho" Delgado): When they first met by themselves, they couldn’t look at each other in the eye. Pancho is still very affected by what happened, and Valentino wanted to transmit the emotions (including impotence for nor being able to convince Numa to eat enough to live) that he could still see in him, but also fears the movie broke him a bit too (2). According to ML Berch, his manners are similar to Pancho’s, also him being very good at talking while still being reserved (4). Pancho told him still considers Numa his life’s biggest friend (3).
  
• Esteban Bigliardi (Javier Methol): Javier had already passed away (2015) by the time the casting started (2021). He got his information from reading books, watching interviews. He got to know that Javier, despite having a hard life, had a very strong spirit, passion for life, compassion. He asked the survivors about him, and they would say that Javier was love (3).
  
• Rocco Posca (Ramón "Moncho" Sabella): For the last round of casting, they sent him a video of Moncho, and he says that he nurtured himself with it, he felt like Moncho (3). They became really close, and he talks to Moncho informally, as a friend, on Moncho’s insistence (2). They talk a lot on the phone (2). Rocco feels that they formed a kind of connection, that he got some of his energy. Their families stories are a bit similar (ie. Moncho helped his father in the fruit market stall, while Rocco’s uncles did the same on the other side of the river, in Argentina), and also he would get certain feelings or trains of thoughts while in character, that he would later discover were similar to Moncho’s own in the mountains (3).
  
• Luciano Chatton (Pedro Algorta): They met alone at least once in Punta del Este, in 2021. They walked together, and Pedro asked him if he had read his book. He had, but hadn’t finished. They ended up talking for about 4 hours. He doesn’t want to talk a lot about Pedro, because what he says may be different from reality. Pedro seems to still carry wonder and timidity from the mountains. (2)
  
• Agustín Berruti (Roberto "Bobby" Francois): He too is from Tacuarembó, part of the Uruguayan countryside. He went to Bobby’s house. Bobby said that he didn’t have any idea as to why they sent him there, because he wouldn’t be able to help him with anything. So they drank wine and talked about the countryside life instead (1)
  

Played Victims

• Enzo Vogrincic (Numa Turcatti): He didn’t get to meet Numa’s twin, Leonardo, as he passed away in 2009. But he did meet Daniel Turcatti, another brother, and his children. He was given a tour of the Turcatti’s childhood home, and Daniel would recall different anecdotes in each room. Numa would have absolutely hated being a protagonist. The survivors and Bayona say that he resembles Numa in the fact that he would constantly bring himself down for not being good enough (1)
  
• Fernando Contigiani (ArturoNogueira): After the dinner with the survivors, he was taken to the Nogueira’s house and had a big tea time with them (3). They also accompanied him during the whole process of the movie. Arturo’s siblings, Gabriel and Selina are very thankful towards him, say their family is open towards him, and think Arturo would have liked his work. Cristina, another sister, says he helped her close her mourning process. He was the first person Selina called after she watched the movie for the first time (2).
  
• Benjamín “Chori” Segura (Rafael "El Vasco” Echavarren): His biggest source of information were Rafael’s sisters, Daniel Fernández helped him a lot too, since he held a lot of love towards Vasco while in the mountains. He tried to see what all three sisters shared, because Rafael could have had those same things too (4). The first time he met the Echavarren sisters, they asked if he would be their brother, and he answered that he would try. They hugged and cried, they laughed and talked for hours. The sisters have both said that they love Chori and that having him is like having their brother back, somewhat (but that Rafael was more shameless) (2).
  
• Paula Baldini (Liliana Navarro): She was able to talk to a sister, a friend, and her daughters (3). The most emotional part of filming was meeting the Methols daughters in the airport, since she was dressed exactly as their last memory of her. They all cried, and thanked her a lot (5). Male Methol says that the movie helped her picture the mother she didn’t get to grow up with (1). The other children also say that the movie helped them close the cycle (3).
  
• Diego Vegezzi (Marcelo Pérez del Castillo): He says that he got a lot of who was Marcelo from the Society of the Snow book, and also from "Del Otro Lado de la Montaña", the book written by the families. He had the same role as an empathetic leader in his family, the team and in the mountains (3). When they first met him, the survivors gathered around him because he looked so alike Marcelo (6). Stella, sister, says that what she saw in the movie feels like the Marcelo she knew, that his death onscreen brought forward the feelings she had bottled up for 50 years, and that the movie remembered that the 16 that made it back did it so because of the 29 left behind (1).
  
• Blas Polidori (Gustavo "Coco" Nicolich): He relied a lot in Coco’s letters, since they have so much of his personality (3). He mostly talked with Álvaro, also nicknamed Coco, the younger brother. They met at his office, alongside an acting coach. They talked about what Gustavo’s essence was, their family, their parents, how them, as a family lived the tragedy. Álvaro tends to leave supportive comments on Blas Instagram from the Nicolich family business account, he says that Blas could bring Coco back in his last moments and was thankful for it, even if he saw him suffer (2). He also keeps contact with Álvaro´s daughter, Coco’s niece, Pauli (3).
  
• Emanuel Parga (Sgt. Carlos Roque): Roque’s family didn’t want to talk much with the production, because they were still angry and felt disrespected because of his portrayal in Alive (1993) (3). He got in contact with Alejandro, Roque’s son, and also people from the Air Force. The first time he met Alejandro, they couldn’t speak, but they cried and hugged, it felt like two friends meeting again after a long time. He promised that he would honour his father, bring his dignity back (2). Roque’s sister got in contact with Ema only after the release of the movie, and was both relieved and happy with it. She liked that they portrayed the love he had for his job (3).
  
• Felipe Ramusio (Diego Storm): He had played rugby as a kid. He got in contact with Diego’s brother, and also a family friend. The survivor that helped him the most was Carlitos (very close to Diego, even named one of his kids after him), who invited even him to his house. After the movie, the family contacted him again and congratulated him (3).
  
• Alfonsina Carrocio (Susana "Susy" Parrado): She mostly talked to Nando. He was very descriptive on how she was injured, what she could and could not do after the crash, how Liliana would take care of her (3).
  
• Santiago Vaca Narvaja (Daniel Maspons): He was welcomed to Daniel’s nephew’s house with tea and chocolate. He keeps contact with the Maspons sisters, specially with Rosario, the eldest. They showed him a lot of love. She thanked him for helping her understand what happened in the mountains. He does not resemble Maspons in personality, since Daniel was very shy and not very talkative, and had to learn to have a silent presence (3).
  
• Juandi Eirea (Juan Carlos Menéndez): He did play rugby for 15 years, which helped him with characterization. The Menéndez family didn’t take part in the movie production (3).
  
• Federico Aznárez (Enrique Platero): His father trained in the Old Christian’s gym as a kid, so he had always had a big connection to the story. He re-read the books after being cast. He got in contact with Roberto Canessa, before the casting even finished, and they talked for about 30 minutes in Dr. Canessa’s workplace (the hospital), mostly about how their life were before the crash. He phoned Roberto before the last round of casting, because the books had very little information about Enrique, and Canessa invited him home to practice his scenes, and also to talk a lot about Enrique and his family. Netflix wasn’t able to contact the Platero family, so Gustavo Zerbino did it instead. They had a barbecue with Enrique’s nephews and nieces, who knew very little about him, and Fede asked Zerbino a lot of questions, with some chime-ins from the Plateros (3). He later got in contact with Martín Zerbino (son), Juan Pablo Nicola (son of the Nicolas, who passed away in the crash) and, alongside Juani Eirea went to the Valley of Tears in February 2023, where they left letters for Enrique and Juan Carlos (2).
  
• Jerónimo Bosia (Franciso "Panchito" Abal): Netflix was not able to contact the Abal family, most of them had already passed away. After the movie release, a step sister sent Carlitos an audio message, which got to Jerónimo through Pipe Otaño, talking about how she could now understand that Pancho didn’t make it back so that some would be able to (3).
  
• Agustín Lain (Carlos Valeta): They told him that he resembles Valeta in his looks and his youth (3). It’s unclear who “they” are, if they were survivors, Vierci or Valeta relatives.
  
• Lautaro Bakir (Julio Martínez-Lamas): He got to meet the family while filming, which was something very impactful for him. He met a sister while filming at the airport, him in character with a beard. He got most of his information by what Pablo Vierci and Zerbino told him. He was not a rugby player, but was a big fan of the Old Christians and would always participate in the chants (3).
  
• Lucas Mascareña (Fernando “Flaco” Vázquez): He met Teresa Vázquez, a sister, and her family when they saw him characterized at the airport, and hugged him without saying anything. They recognized him, and could see both his eyes and facial expressions that he played Fernando. A friend of el Flaco says that Lucas’ acting brought him back (2). Fun fact, the actor is a commercial pilot.
  
• Federico Formento (Daniel Shaw): He was initially unable to contact the Shaw family, so he got bits and pieces from the books. He eventually met with Miguel Shaw, Daniel’s brother, after Pablo Vierci got him his contact, while they were filming the Uruguay scenes (3).
  
• Francisco Bereny (Felipe Maquirriaín): Sandra Maquirriaín (sister) was involved in the process of the movie (1). I could not find any interview with him.
  
• Toto Rovito (Alexis Hounié) and Julián Bedino (Guido Magri): Although they do have interviews, I could not find footage of him talking about whether he met the families of who they played, or if they talked with the survivors about them.
  
• Louta (Gastón Costemalle), Maximiliano de la Cruz (Lt. Col. Dante Lagurara): Although they have speaking roles, I could not find interviews with them talking about SOTS.
  
• Pablo ??? (Dr. Francisco Nicola): To Juan Pedro Nicola, son, seeing him acting at the airport was magic, like seeing them again (1).
  

Did not board the plane:
- Fran Burghi (Alfredo Cibilis): He couldn’t meet Alfredo due to schedule conflicts (3).
Sources:
1) Behind the scenes documentary/Netflix interviews
2) Actors and personal Instagram accounts
3) Interview by Moobys (YouTube)
4) Interview by Fangirleando y Chismeando (YouTube)
5) Juanicar’s livestreams
6) Society of the Snow book (newest edition)