Can next choice cause a false pregnancy test

I am working on a 1978 Atlas Tiller for my father in law. It sat for a long time. It has a 3 HP Briggs and Stratton motor.
The issue I am having is I can not get it to fire even with starter fluid. I can feel the spark through the coil wire but I can not get it to spark through the plug with grounding it out on the block. I have tried new plugs, removed the kill wire. Checked the points. Swapped out a new coil to bypass the points. Which definitely gave a stronger feeling spark. Cleaned the rust off the fly wheel and regapped the coil. Tested compression and it was around 60 and holding. Any ideas of what to try next?

This all happened a year back. I (30M) was working for a medium scale business as a associate. I have a sister (28F) who also studied the same field as mine and once she graduated I referred her to my company and she was selected for the same role as me. We have been working together for 6 years and I had worked alone for 8 years. I know the she is qualified more than me for this role, so I knew she had the potential to grow better in this industry that's why 3 years ago when our manager quit the role and when the company was looking to promote someone from the team to the position even I voted my sister as I trusted in her capabilities. She and I got along really well, but once she became manager, she slowly started drifting away, as in she had her own circle of friends in office and I did not mind it as I too had a couple of friends who I frequently hang in the office before she came in.
The problem arose 2 years ago when the company was downsizing since during covid they mass recruited as the work demanded more and the company earned more but after covid when things went back to normal, they were paying more people but the work was less. Seems fair. So all the managers and HRs were informed about this and were asked to identify individuals who are unproductive to send them out of the company. Even my sister was a part of the email chain. Her circle of friends are none other then some of our colleagues who work along with us. These colleagues and I dont get along very well since we had an altercation in the first year of me joining about them dumping the work load on the rest of the team and basically I whistle blew and they haven't spoken with me ever since apart from general work discussions. So that's why I distanced myself with my sister as she became good friends with them. She knew we were not in good terms but did not know the reason.
So for downsizing she had to do research on the productivity metric and she went to ask her group about the members who are unproductive and they obviously pointed at me and another colleague of ours. I did not know about the reason of her targeting me until later after I was out of the job. So, she basically called me in to a meeting in her cabin with HR and straight forward said that I would have resign myself or I would be terminated from the job and that would look bad on my resume. When enquired the reason she said that I was not a team player and I am unproductive compared to the rest. I was pissed and angry but I asked her if she really thought that and she said that she had reasonable means to send me out. I asked her whether she took my actual work into account when taking this decision. She just said that she knows what she was doing and that I should resign. I just resigned on the spot and told her that we are done and we are not even siblings anymore and to not contact me anymore. I had two securities follow me when I went to collect my things and left the office. And I took my things and left. The next day my friend from work called and informed the above mentioned reasons for my termination. I just shook my head in disbelief and said that I don't care.
Indeed I have to pay bills, so without wasting time, I applied for similar roles in other companies and it took 3 months for me to get back into another job with a decent hike and a senior position at that. I was happy with the outcome. My family knew what happened and everyone supported her in the terms of her being impartial and true to herself instead of supporting Nepotism and that I should be ashamed of myself. I tried explaining the real reason but none were ready to listen to it, including my parents. So I went no contact with them saying they have only child and its their daughter and that their son is dead. I moved on with myself. The new job was in a different state from where I was from. So basically I moved away from my family and friends. I was still in touch with only friend from work who knew about what happened. My family tried contacting a few times basically asking me to stop being childish and to comeback. After ignoring them for a month they said that they are disowning me as I am making my sister feel guilty for her genuine right decision. So I said Ok and blocked them all.
They have not reached me from then. I know that I blocked their contacts but they still had other means like my email, getting alternate number or calling through relatives but no efforts taken. So I took the loss and moved on. That was until few weeks ago, I got a call from an unknown number, I just picked up the call and I heard my sister crying on the other end. I immediately knew who it was and I cut the call. This was followed by my family who called back to back and I did not pick any call. I just muted my phone and went to sleep that evening. The next day I woke up to 56 missed calls from my mom, dad and my sister. Followed by a message from her saying that she was sorry and that she made a huge mistake and that she wants to apologize to me and reconcile. I did not respond and I called my friend asking if anything happened at the office. He filled me in on the recent turn of events. Apparently my sister saw a dip in the productivity of the team after the other colleague and I quit the company. When they did the analysis to prepare the year end report she noticed significant dip in productivity after we quit. So, she went back to do the math on the work the new joiners and the existing members have done and noticed that even the newly joined employees had worked more than her circle of friends. That's when it hit her that I was not lying and that I meant it when I asked her to look at the work we do. After that, she had a warning from her Heads and following which she has basically terminated all her friends who were causing the dip in the work. From the calls and messages I can see that she has come clean with all our friends and relatives and she is desperate to contact me and apologize to me. To be honest I have moved on. I responded back that I forgave her for blindly trusting people and sacking me but that I will never forget what she did and that I don't hold a grudge against her but I want no contact that I was not related to them when they decided to disown me. This brings me to yesterday. I was at home and I heard someone ring the doorbell. I opened the door without any thought and noticed mom dad and sister standing at the door. I immediately closed the door. They kept banging the door. I just calmly responded back saying that they dont have to reconcile with me. They can move on with their lives, that I forgave them but that I dont want anything to do with them. I know that I may have been harsh but what I said is what I felt.
For additional context, I do have a girlfriend who is 37F (we met after I moved to this new place). She is with a 4 year old son but she never married to her baby daddy since he was not interested to get married by my gf wanted to marry and settle down. They broke up because of that but are cordial since they have a kid and for his sake. She knows about all the things that happened, she said that she supports me but that she feels that my sister made a stupid mistake of trusting people who she genuinely thought of as her friends. I don't think that is an enough reason for her blindly sacking her own brother out who helped with her career.
TBH, her forcing me to quit actually helped with my career growth, since I am in a senior position at this new job and I earn around 70 percent more than what I earned earlier. I am saving up for a down payment to buy a house at this new place as I am staying at a rented space and I feel the rent is expensive. (Why pay someone when I can pay the dues for my own place?)
Also, I am not from US. I am from a third world country. So trust me when I say this, suing the ex company and ex colleagues is a waste of my time and money as it will take years to even see some form of justice.
TL;DR! My sister fired me trusting her work friends and a year later she understood what happened and now she wants to reconcile but I have moved on and I don't want anything to do with her or my family.

This all happened a year back. I (30M) was working for a medium scale business as a associate. I have a sister (28F) who also studied the same field as mine and once she graduated I referred her to my company and she was selected for the same role as me. We have been working together for 6 years and I had worked alone for 8 years. I know the she is qualified more than me for this role, so I knew she had the potential to grow better in this industry that's why 3 years ago when our manager quit the role and when the company was looking to promote someone from the team to the position even I voted my sister as I trusted in her capabilities. She and I got along really well, but once she became manager, she slowly started drifting away, as in she had her own circle of friends in office and I did not mind it as I too had a couple of friends who I frequently hang in the office before she came in.
The problem arose 2 years ago when the company was downsizing since during covid they mass recruited as the work demanded more and the company earned more but after covid when things went back to normal, they were paying more people but the work was less. Seems fair. So all the managers and HRs were informed about this and were asked to identify individuals who are unproductive to send them out of the company. Even my sister was a part of the email chain. Her circle of friends are none other then some of our colleagues who work along with us. These colleagues and I dont get along very well since we had an altercation in the first year of me joining about them dumping the work load on the rest of the team and basically I whistle blew and they haven't spoken with me ever since apart from general work discussions. So that's why I distanced myself with my sister as she became good friends with them. She knew we were not in good terms but did not know the reason.
So for downsizing she had to do research on the productivity metric and she went to ask her group about the members who are unproductive and they obviously pointed at me and another colleague of ours. I did not know about the reason of her targeting me until later after I was out of the job. So, she basically called me in to a meeting in her cabin with HR and straight forward said that I would have resign myself or I would be terminated from the job and that would look bad on my resume. When enquired the reason she said that I was not a team player and I am unproductive compared to the rest. I was pissed and angry but I asked her if she really thought that and she said that she had reasonable means to send me out. I asked her whether she took my actual work into account when taking this decision. She just said that she knows what she was doing and that I should resign. I just resigned on the spot and told her that we are done and we are not even siblings anymore and to not contact me anymore. I had two securities follow me when I went to collect my things and left the office. And I took my things and left. The next day my friend from work called and informed the above mentioned reasons for my termination. I just shook my head in disbelief and said that I don't care.
Indeed I have to pay bills, so without wasting time, I applied for similar roles in other companies and it took 3 months for me to get back into another job with a decent hike and a senior position at that. I was happy with the outcome. My family knew what happened and everyone supported her in the terms of her being impartial and true to herself instead of supporting Nepotism and that I should be ashamed of myself. I tried explaining the real reason but none were ready to listen to it, including my parents. So I went no contact with them saying they have only child and its their daughter and that their son is dead. I moved on with myself. The new job was in a different state from where I was from. So basically I moved away from my family and friends. I was still in touch with only friend from work who knew about what happened. My family tried contacting a few times basically asking me to stop being childish and to comeback. After ignoring them for a month they said that they are disowning me as I am making my sister feel guilty for her genuine right decision. So I said Ok and blocked them all.
They have not reached me from then. I know that I blocked their contacts but they still had other means like my email, getting alternate number or calling through relatives but no efforts taken. So I took the loss and moved on. That was until few weeks ago, I got a call from an unknown number, I just picked up the call and I heard my sister crying on the other end. I immediately knew who it was and I cut the call. This was followed by my family who called back to back and I did not pick any call. I just muted my phone and went to sleep that evening. The next day I woke up to 56 missed calls from my mom, dad and my sister. Followed by a message from her saying that she was sorry and that she made a huge mistake and that she wants to apologize to me and reconcile. I did not respond and I called my friend asking if anything happened at the office. He filled me in on the recent turn of events. Apparently my sister saw a dip in the productivity of the team after the other colleague and I quit the company. When they did the analysis to prepare the year end report she noticed significant dip in productivity after we quit. So, she went back to do the math on the work the new joiners and the existing members have done and noticed that even the newly joined employees had worked more than her circle of friends. That's when it hit her that I was not lying and that I meant it when I asked her to look at the work we do. After that, she had a warning from her Heads and following which she has basically terminated all her friends who were causing the dip in the work. From the calls and messages I can see that she has come clean with all our friends and relatives and she is desperate to contact me and apologize to me. To be honest I have moved on. I responded back that I forgave her for blindly trusting people and sacking me but that I will never forget what she did and that I don't hold a grudge against her but I want no contact that I was not related to them when they decided to disown me. This brings me to yesterday. I was at home and I heard someone ring the doorbell. I opened the door without any thought and noticed mom dad and sister standing at the door. I immediately closed the door. They kept banging the door. I just calmly responded back saying that they dont have to reconcile with me. They can move on with their lives, that I forgave them but that I dont want anything to do with them. I know that I may have been harsh but what I said is what I felt.
For additional context, I do have a girlfriend who is 37F (we met after I moved to this new place). She is with a 4 year old son but she never married to her baby daddy since he was not interested to get married by my gf wanted to marry and settle down. They broke up because of that but are cordial since they have a kid and for his sake. She knows about all the things that happened, she said that she supports me but that she feels that my sister made a stupid mistake of trusting people who she genuinely thought of as her friends. I don't think that is an enough reason for her blindly sacking her own brother out who helped with her career.
TBH, her forcing me to quit actually helped with my career growth, since I am in a senior position at this new job and I earn around 70 percent more than what I earned earlier. I am saving up for a down payment to buy a house at this new place as I am staying at a rented space and I feel the rent is expensive. (Why pay someone when I can pay the dues for my own place?)
Also, I am not from US. I am from a third world country. So trust me when I say this, suing the ex company and ex colleagues is a waste of my time and money as it will take years to even see some form of justice.
TL;DR! My sister fired me trusting her work friends and a year later she understood what happened and now she wants to reconcile but I have moved on and I don't want anything to do with her or my family.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my success with y'all I have been into manifestion since 2 years now and after alot of failure here's what worked for me and what didn't
ENGLISH ISN'T MY FIRST LANGUAGE SO I'M SORRY IF IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND A FEW THINGS YOU CAN FREELY ASK ME AND I'LL TRY MY BEST TO EXPLAIN IT
I finally move out and started my college at a new place and at a new state it was near to impossible because months ago I was financially struggling I had no motivation and felt like I can't get selected by any college because of my grades, My mom and dad didn't even had the money for me to study further and I kinda accepted it but something in me still wanted to try so I tried attracting my dream college which is one of the top buisness university in my country rn I felt anxious and scared and yeah... You guessed it right my online test for that particular University went great but I f-ked up in my university interview still after the interview I clammed myself somehow and forgot that it ever happened I listened to a random subliminal after that lol but somehow with low score and everything I got into that university
After everything I totally forgot about this top University and I prepared for other colleges and kept myself occupied with tests and work (and to my shock I got in all of them) fast forward to the next month I got my results which were very important for my university and bank loan, My exams went really bad because of family problems and I lost my motivation to study even knowing it was important still I couldn't focus but somehow without any prior studying or guidance I manage to pass in all my subject (which was still good cz I thought I'll fail) but I had failed in an additional subject which doesn't gets counted while calculating my overall percentage as it was additional so I was saved by an inch one thing I realised is I had put all my attention, thoughts, listening to subliminal and scripting while desiring my perfect grades but back of my mind it always hit me they my exams weren't good I had a 44 subliminals in my exam success playlist which idk is the reason that I got lesser than what I desired my marks to be. At the end everything worked out anyway and the bank nor the university stopped me due to my marks lol
Now here comes my another problem after receiving my offer letter I saw the fees and no way I could afford that but I always went to sleep thinking it happened and I'm in front of my dream university standing there admiring it and soon after a month a distinct relative of mine called my dad and told him he will fund my living expenses and everything I was over the moon to hear that (we aren't really close but that relative of mine still wanted to help to his own willingness) and after that I applied for a loan to cover my college fees and here you would need connections with the bank employees to get your process done fast or it would take upto a month to get approved (I had already emailed the university admission council to extend my fees deadline so I needed that money badly) but idk how an old friend of my mom got in contact with her and told us he could help me with that he had alot of connections in the bank which made the process fast. Also in my college process I just listened to one subliminal and that too I haven't consistently give it a thought or attention Maybe that's the reason why I got into that prestigious university.
I still don't exactly know what I did wrong while manifesting my exam desired marks a little guidance on this would be helpful for me to work on what really went bad from my side.
Currently I'm still in my hometown just waiting for my bank to approve my loan this week and then I'll be moving to my new appartment at a new place next month :)

Hi, I'm 20y old, I've been working for 2 years as manual QA Engineer in IT Company. I want to change my job, due to the low salary and country in which I live now. The company I'm working for is located in Ukraine, but I'm in the Netherlands cause I left Ukraine when my city was occupied. I can safely call myself as a gamer, and I always was interested in it, so I have a question: If I have testing expirience and I like gaming, is it possible to apply to some remote game tester job ? I don't have any clue and want to find out.

You can see my post history for more info about the story of my friend/female coworker who split on me, reported me to HR, then refused to work with me (how she didn't get in trouble is beyond me). We work remotely so I haven't seen her in 1.5 years.
Over a year ago she got a promotion when she was clearly not ready for it. She's causing chaos, people are finding new roles without thanking her and jumping ship, etc. Finally, so many people have told me "she clearly has borderline personality disorder" that I can't believe I missed it. I have healed to a point that I'm not bothered by things anymore, thankfully. But I was nervous to think about crossing paths again.
A few weeks ago I attended a work conference. My attendance was last minute and she did not expect me to be there. We were taking seats for the first meeting and she literally jumped when she saw me then beelined for a different area of the room. I almost didn't recognize her--hair bleached blonde and gained weight. Mirroring her most recent boss to a degree.
After the meeting, we had a dinner and drinks/networking deal. About 100 people were there and she was bouncing around like crazy from person to person (not sure if this was due to my presence, or else). It looked exhausting. I also didn't recognize her personality from afar--drinking pretty quickly/heavily, acting like a super cool person, etc. different from what I remember (although I think she has possibly slipped into drinking, or more open about it). Again, any time she would get close to me, she beelined a different direction. Amusing. Many times though I had a sense that someone was staring at me--and when I looked up, it was her. I decided to keep an eye out a bit closer, only to respect her actions and make sure I was able to avoid her.
However, as she drank more that evening I noticed a change. Once, she went over to a mutual from a prior role that neither of us had cared for and we, in the past, joked was my "arch nemesis". At one point, he was by himself and she went over to talk to him--all while looking directly at me from across room the whole time. She was sending me a message. Later, I was off to the side next to a group of people, and she looked right at me, then waltzed over to the other side of the group, sending another message. (There is one person that knows we were close and aren't anymore, so knows there was some major falling out--but doesn't know the details. She picked up on what happened with that last move right away).
The next day our paths crossed ways very few times--one exception coming to mind is that I was walking down a long hall into an open area where people were. I was scanning the crowd and happened to see her. She saw me, dropped her head and looked away and immediately left the room. Later that evening at an off-site event, she continued to avoid. Yet I would walk into a room and she would immediately be making eye contact with me before I realized who I was looking at. A few more times I had that "sense" of someone looking at me--and I would look over and she would immediately drop her head and furiously text on her phone. Finally, due to a crowded space, I ended up next to someone who was next to her. I saw her slowly take two steps back and then shuffle away.
The final day, I only saw her when people were departing for the airport. She looked at me again and steered clear. I coincidentally passed her on the way to my car and she completely ignored me.
That was the last time I saw her. No words were exchanged. And yet, the non-verbal communication spoke volumes.
I am basically healed and my wife and I have developed some compassion for her. I thought about saying hello, etc. or otherwise just being a polite human being, mature, etc. But then I had to continue to remind myself that she has BPD, and would not receive it like someone who did not have it. I essentially continued to grey rock/stay NC. After the interactions, I realized it was absolutely the right call to continue to do so. Who knows what would have happened if I had tried to be cordial. My simple presence clearly triggered a lot of things within her.
I do wonder what she was thinking and feeling. Was she feeling shame/regret, then it turned into anger and impulsivity by trying to demonstrate that she was "doing ok"? Did she still see me as some terrible person as part of splitting? Did I bring back bad memories of a major professional/personal mistake in her life? Regardless, it was really an interesting experience. Again, staying no contact in the situation was the right move, for sure.

So I’ve been talking to this girl off and on for 3 months at college. I’ve known her since august but nothing really came of it until February-march we hung out and few times here and there and then we’d make plans and she would cancel or have something come up so I would see her at parties and we’d talk most the party or talk for a minute and then she’d go with her friends but when I talked to her I would ask her why she cancels or is she even trying to talk to me truly and she would say she does want to talk and she would just say I’m playing games or that I’m talking to other girls and she doesn’t like that. But I try to tell her that I’m actually not talking to any other girls. I have a couple friends that are girls but I’m not talking to anybody else so the last party she kinda understood that and we talk for like an hour straight at the party and she hugged me before she left and then since then she’s been hugging me and touching me a lot everytime we hang out or she’ll rest her her on me for a second but then I talked to her before I left school to know where we stood and I asked her for her feelings and she said she doesn’t know and you can tell she was getting flustered or she just didn’t know how to explain her then she said she wants somebody to fit her life so i asked do you know want to be able to fit in your life and she said yeah so I asked do you want me in your future and she said yeah so I was ok well that tells me what I need so I left it at that. So I go home we talk here and there every other day or so, I asked to call her last week and we FaceTimed for a few hours and then I was talking to her sister to while we were on the phone just chilling and then she took a picture of me and her sister was making fun of her and then the girl I’m talking to was like “it was a cute picture”then the girl was telling her sister that I try to get her to talk about her feelings with me and then her sister was like “good luck with that cause she never knows what she want” which I kinda knew already. but then she was saying she’s tired and she said call me tomorrow when you get home from my workout so I was ok so I texted her when I got home and I texted her asking if she was awake cause I sent her a snap and she usually opens it in the morning but she didn’t and then I didn’t hear from her for like 2 hours after and she was like “yeah im awake I just have a headache so I’m laying in bed” so I was oh ok well I can you later if you want to get rid of your headache and she responded 2 hours later saying give me a sec cause I need to go help somebody with something so I was alright just call me later if you want if not like it’s cool so then she had some family stuff going on and she texted me about it. I was confused by how she was saying it like I didn’t know if she was trying to say she can’t call or she just wanted to talk about it. So I was ok like “I get it. You’re good handle what’s going on and if you need to talk I’ll be here or if you need space I can give it to you. You just let me know what you need” she left me on read so I was alright ima just step back from the situation so I didn’t talk to her for a couple days and she goes “wyd” like two nights later and I was nothing really right now but wyd” Nothing back from her So I’m like alright. I text her the next day cause I had a question for her sister and I didn’t want to just call her cause she goes to sleep early sometimes so I texted her like “are you awake still?” Nothing again. The next day I call her just to check in and then she let it ring for awhile and then declined which is fine cause she might be busy but then she don’t call back or text back so I’m like I know you seen it and there’s just no communication and in the mean time she hasn’t really been snapping on Snapchat but like she’s done that since like the last week I was at college but like now I’m confused . But then also I posted something on my Snapchat last night and then she slid up and was like and she was playful making fun of it cause it was a funny thing so I went back and was playfully making fun of her and then nothing again.
I’m just trying to figure out and hear both sides of the situations

Part 3 of my short story. 1 and 2 got decent receptions. If this one does well Ill keep it goin.
I started looking around the room for anything useful. Checked a few lockers pretty quickly. I was looking for something specific. Pictures of family, lab coats, the entire collection helldivers trading cards, and your typical personal belongings. Damn. Youd have figured at least one... HERE it is! I reached into the second to last locker on a wall of ten and found a loaded Peacemaker. I stapped the holster over one shoulder and under another across my chest for ease of access. Can never have to many weapons. I took the extra mags and stored them in my left thigh pouch.
3 just watched as I completely gutted the room for anything useful. They sort of shuffled behind me after a couple minutes. Following behind me like a domesticated pet.
I search the cupboards above one of the desks and found some typical workplace memos. "No fraternization without a signed C0-1 permit," toss, "Make sure to enjoy at least one 30 second break every day," useless. I closed the cupboard and looked under the desk. There was a safe with a pretty decent lock on it. Well, decent for civilians. It was a digital combination lock with a biometric finger scan and eye scan. Whatever was in here had to be good. I pulled the retractable cord out of my wristpad and plugged into the input in the safe. Turned the whole 3 point security system into a series of directional inputs. Up, down, left, left, right, down, done. The safe Clicked and popped open slightly.
Inside was just a keycard labelled "Master". It was a hefty card made of metal about a quarter of an inch thick and 3 inches by 2 inches on its face. I tucked it under my wristpad in a small pouch between it and my wrist. 3 was just standing behind me holding Mr. Ears.
They just wore a gown. No socks, no pants or anything to keep them warm. Alright, add that to the list. Clothes shopping for the lab experiment. Other than what i'd already searched there wasnt anything else in this building that I could see. I put my hands on my hips and sort of paced for a moment.
"Do you want to see my room?" 3 said. I stopped pacing and looked back at 3. Of course! I thought. This kid would have had to sleep somewhere and as far as I could see there wasnt a bed in here. How did 3 end up in here anyway? Did they walk out in the cold from another building? Tough kid. Maybe one of the doctors carried em over and just... left them here. The thought angered me. I started towards the door when a small hand pulled on my cape. The cape itself had red trim with a black and white design on it. A simple red skull sat smack dab in the middle. A cape to remember those lost at the Creek.
I turned around to see 3 point towards a wall at the backside of the building some 30 ft. Away. "Its this way mister." 3 ran towards the wall and gently pushed in a hidden button. The wall sunk inwards and moved down to reveal a stairwell going down. Flickering lights barely illuminating the stairwell. I slowly approached the stairwell as 3 just stood next to the button looking up at me, their face devoid of emotion. They walked through the doorway and started climbing down the stairs with a bit of effort. They held the hand rail and carefully descended.
I kept my flashlight on and pointed down and ahead, letting 3 lead by a couple feet. My right hand dangled next to my senator instinctively. No need to draw it just yet. It was a winding stairway that continued down for 3 floors. At the bottom there was another automatic doorway. It was a double door that opened from the middle but one side was jammed and the other just sort of bounced between being fully open and slightly ajar. The lights continued to flicker. 3 walked through the opening without hesitation, their little feet making pat, pat sounds on the cold metal floor.
Checks out I thought. Distant planet, secret experiments, gotta have a secret labratory underground. I sidestepped through the door way and into a security checkpoint. All the consoles were on emergency backup and the barricade that an armed guard would have stood behind was empty. I checked it for ammo but no luck. 3 kept going deeper down the hall. We passed about 10-15 seperate typical offices where I assume the scientist here would have kept notes and done paperwork. The end of the hall was marked by a T intersection. On the wall in front there was a directory. To the right was "Labratory", "Mess Hall", and "Transit Station". Transit Station? I thought. Better check that out. The left side was labelled "Security", and "Subject Chambers". Makes sense I guess. I bet all these scientists slept in a seperate building, meanwhile they probably kept 3 here under lock and key. We took a left at the end of the hall and ended up at another door. 3 gently pushed the console next to the door and the light swapped from red to green as the door sssssked open.
We passed security on our way through the hall and I could see a weapons cage inside the security office. Hell yeah I thought. I wanted to turn and start stocking up on supplies but 3 gently pulled my hand towards the end of the hall. Alright kid. Maybe you've got some extra clothes in here huh? Well need em. 3 opened the door to another area labelled "Subject Chambers." I entered inside and inhaled somewhat sharply.
There were 4 cryochambers, 2 on each wall, that immediately flanked the doorway as you entered. All of them were vacant and non operational. 3 walked past the cryotubes and up a small two stair incline onto a small play area. It had some simple blocks, a couple bits of paper and threee or four boxes of crayons. 3 seemed to try to ignore the cryotubes but couldnt.
"Whenever we would be bad," she gently gestured to the cryo tubes "the doctors would put us in there". She walked over to one of the 4 beds and sat down on it. It was simple with white lined and a typical medical blanket. "This is my bed" 3 said. "That one was 2's and those ones were "1, and 4". 3 gestured towards the other beds laid out in similar fashion to the cryochambers.
I tried to compose myself for a moment. How could this happen? Theres no way this was sanctioned by the Ministry. No way in hell. These had to be rogues scientists, and wed helped evacuate them. Dammit. I knelt down beside 3, "Did they give you any clothes 3? Any jackets or pants or anything?"
3 shook their head. "We never needed em. The doctors gave us medicine that made us warm." 3's eyes dropped and they tried to sound out a word. "The did some eggs-spear-ear-ants and then to test them they put us outside. 1 and 4 didnt get cold, like me, but 2..." 3 looked over at 2's bed. "2 got cold."
End part 3. Im not good at picking where to stop so I just base it off of word count sorta. Feel free to suggest names for 3!

So I’ve been talking to this girl off and on for 3 months at college. I’ve known her since august but nothing really came of it until February-march we hung out and few times here and there and then we’d make plans and she would cancel or have something come up so I would see her at parties and we’d talk most the party or talk for a minute and then she’d go with her friends but when I talked to her I would ask her why she cancels or is she even trying to talk to me truly and she would say she does want to talk and she would just say I’m playing games or that I’m talking to other girls and she doesn’t like that. But I try to tell her that I’m actually not talking to any other girls. I have a couple friends that are girls but I’m not talking to anybody else so the last party she kinda understood that and we talk for like an hour straight at the party and she hugged me before she left and then since then she’s been hugging me and touching me a lot everytime we hang out or she’ll rest her her on me for a second but then I talked to her before I left school to know where we stood and I asked her for her feelings and she said she doesn’t know and you can tell she was getting flustered or she just didn’t know how to explain her then she said she wants somebody to fit her life so i asked do you know want to be able to fit in your life and she said yeah so I asked do you want me in your future and she said yeah so I was ok well that tells me what I need so I left it at that. So I go home we talk here and there every other day or so, I asked to call her last week and we FaceTimed for a few hours and then I was talking to her sister to while we were on the phone just chilling and then she took a picture of me and her sister was making fun of her and then the girl I’m talking to was like “it was a cute picture”then the girl was telling her sister that I try to get her to talk about her feelings with me and then her sister was like “good luck with that cause she never knows what she want” which I kinda knew already. but then she was saying she’s tired and she said call me tomorrow when you get home from my workout so I was ok so I texted her when I got home and I texted her asking if she was awake cause I sent her a snap and she usually opens it in the morning but she didn’t and then I didn’t hear from her for like 2 hours after and she was like “yeah im awake I just have a headache so I’m laying in bed” so I was oh ok well I can you later if you want to get rid of your headache and she responded 2 hours later saying give me a sec cause I need to go help somebody with something so I was alright just call me later if you want if not like it’s cool so then she had some family stuff going on and she texted me about it. I was confused by how she was saying it like I didn’t know if she was trying to say she can’t call or she just wanted to talk about it. So I was ok like “I get it. You’re good handle what’s going on and if you need to talk I’ll be here or if you need space I can give it to you. You just let me know what you need” she left me on read so I was alright ima just step back from the situation so I didn’t talk to her for a couple days and she goes “wyd” like two nights later and I was nothing really right now but wyd” Nothing back from her So I’m like alright. I text her the next day cause I had a question for her sister and I didn’t want to just call her cause she goes to sleep early sometimes so I texted her like “are you awake still?” Nothing again. The next day I call her just to check in and then she let it ring for awhile and then declined which is fine cause she might be busy but then she don’t call back or text back so I’m like I know you seen it and there’s just no communication and in the mean time she hasn’t really been snapping on Snapchat but like she’s done that since like the last week I was at college but like now I’m confused . But then also I posted something on my Snapchat last night and then she slid up and was like and she was playful making fun of it cause it was a funny thing so I went back and was playfully making fun of her and then nothing again.
I’m just trying to figure out and hear both sides of the situations

Trigger warning: sexual assault, suicide
I (29f) have been friends with Friend A (40m) and Friend B (39m) for six years after meeting in the office we all work in. About a year and a half ago, A started experiencing severe insomnia and depression. B and I recommended A to seek professional help, but A rejected this for many months until December 2023 when B called emergency services following what we considered to be credible suicidal threats. Since then, A has started therapy and is taking medication for the insomnia and depression. B and I have continued to try to be present friends, listening and offering encouragement. End of March 2023, A confided in us that he was raped as a teenager. I won’t pretend that we landed the response perfectly, but I have apologized for things that I did wrong (not discussing the assault and aftermath) out of fear of making our friendship all about the assault. We have reiterated to him that it was not his fault and that he do not see him any differently.
I believe the situation is toxic. I understand that A is hurting and I can only imagine the burden he’s carrying. As time passes, our relationship with him gets worse as he lashes out saying that we are only pretend friends and is completely isolated. He’ll make passive aggressive comments to us at work and send us expletive ridden texts telling us that we aren’t doing enough, accusing us of abandoning him. We have not disappeared. We’ve all hung outside of work together since this happened. We still talk on a day to day basis, even outside of work. When he expresses feelings of abandonment, we tell him we’re trying to be there for him and ask how we can do better, and he just gets upset. He reminds us not infrequently, almost angrily, that the only reason he’s still alive is because B made that call.
I’m a single mom to two small kids (2 and 4). I’m doing my best to be there but I just cannot offer on call support. In addition to this, there was an indication in about September that A has romantic feelings for me. This all makes my partner very uncomfortable, as he doesn’t want me so emotionally invested in another man but also doesn’t want A to kill himself.
Last night A texted me expressing his feelings of isolation, and within ten minutes as I sat trying to provide a delicate response, he sends an expletive filled mini rant to the group chat with A, B, and me about how he’s done and with an emoji with a gun to his head. I told him I would call him once I put my son to bed, and I did. We spent about an hour on the phone, where he cursed at me and continued to tell I vanished. I told him I wasn’t going to say anything about how I responded in the past because I didn’t want to make it sound like I was making excuses, but that I was sorry for not being what he needed before and I was here. He just got angry and laughed. He demanded an explanation for my approach in different situations, and when I provided them, he just called them BS. He gave me an ultimatum, saying I needed to show I could be a real friend or he would “move on”. I told him he needed to tell me exactly what he had in mind, and eventually he said I needed to be more intentional in asking about his emotional wellbeing and not keeping him at arms length. I told him I could do that.
It turns out that after we hung up, he had the same conversation with B but it ended badly. I woke up to a string of nonsensical texts to the group thread, the last of which said “I'm about to have done dipshits that think the know a damn thing promisr me it's my fault. In reality I love you and want your babies”. I find this to be grossly inappropriate and it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Such things are disrespectful to both me and my partner. I told him that what he said was not okay, and he responded he was “going to hide in shame” and talking about how much he needs us.
I’ve been yelled at, laughed at, cussed at. Anything I’ve done for this person has been equated to nothing despite the significant turmoil it’s caused in my life. So far I have taken all of this on the chin without blinking but I think a line has been crossed here. This feels like a scheme of self sabotage that I’m caught in the middle of. Trying to establish and maintain healthy boundaries is something I’ve been focusing on since my divorce. How can I do that here? I have to sit next to this person at work and I am not comfortable in this relationship where it stands. I’m at a point where I feel an intense need to protect myself and my relationship — my partner is not going to be okay with this. Am I actually being a bad friend and not realizing it?

--⧼ BEGIN Broadcast Message ⧽--
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Priority Level: Urgent
:: From ::
Center Arm of the Emperor, Planet Laran
:: To ::
All Survivors of Fellow Royal Cast Broods
:: Message ::
The Emperor has graciously permitted the use of his Excellency's summer home on Planet Laran, located in the Empire's Center Arm, as a temporary refuge during the unprecedented violent Terran offences against His Holiness and the holiness of the Omni-brood of Ix.
:: Attachments ::
Coordinates and Flight Key
:: Royal Cryptographic Signature ::
Lord La'Ix, The Emperor's Right-Center Arm
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
--⧼ END Broadcast Message ⧽--

earlier

"CURSE THEM! The great houses are going to have my bloody head for this! There is no way this should've happened and under my command too! The Golden Emperor's own exotic holiday world has gone to ash and the only one to blame is going to be me. Well it was basically my watch anyways. Curse. Them. All"
Those were the only legible sounds one could hear among the frantic stamping of one particular Ixian lord as he hurried away through the underbrush of the royal reserve just outside the centre palace. The same Ixian lord that, only hours earlier, was delighting in his typical cooked boar while enjoying his evening's entertainment of a young Terran girl running for her life from a loose Laran tiger. Something about the way those bipeds run always makes him laugh. Some similarly caste Ixian would call this form of entertainment childish, lowbrow, and immature. He would tend to agree. But sometimes he just wanted cheap slapstick humour. The day to day life of the royal caste tends to get dull with all the fine arts an Ixian of his caste is meant to enjoy.
"How did it all go to shit!?! I was always attentive, and there hasn't been an uprising since those terrans were tamed for the palace. I mean we mostly neuter the problematic ones anyways, so why all the sudden aggression?", he shouted in agitation at the emptiness in front of him.
Speeding through the royal garden which in actuality is a repurposed Savannah of the island the palace is on. The Ixian was a beast of speed. Perfectly honed and trained over decades, and genetically maintained over eons, he always proudly held that he was the fasted in his brood of 16. Making a name for himself among the other broodkin for being the most genetically suited for the rank of high general (not that there was any need for generals, there hasn't been need for war in so long). Of course the Ixians always pride themselves in having no excess potential, and adapting your environment to suit your biology, but it never hurts to have perfect biology. That's the true pride of an Ixian.
That innate need to change the universe rather than changing themselves is what led to their vast interstellar empire. One that reached from constellation to constellation and then eventually to the arms of entire galaxies, terraforming worlds to the same environment they were already adapted to. Since forcing nature into one's bidding was the most sacred duty of any that shared a lick of Ix biology.
Which was why the Ix was confident in themselves. This Ixian in particular surely felt surprised, but mainly he was only moderately upset at the sudden change of situation, from being comfortable in the royal dining hall to sudden exercise.
"Everything can be changed back. Everything can be changed back." It repeated the mantra to itself. As it began to relax and turn its snarled sharp mouth into a toothy grin.
"Yes, there is nothing to worry about at all. Then let's make a game plan. Just need to make it to the space port at the harbour. Grab a ride out and find someone else to take the fall. That old royal butler is as ancient as the dirt of the broodworld. Hell, he probably was there when it vanished in the shadow of the holy empire's long past." chuckling to himself at the quite witty remark, but saddened that no one else was there to hear it.
Should be realistic enough for the others to believe. But first things first, I need to reach the harbour-master. It thought while its dense muscles powered the beastly lizard-like form on its journey, as it bound in the direction of its destination at top speed on all fours.
The blood red sun was already kissing the horizon by the time the Ixian went to nearly collapse under exhaustion of the extended sprint. He hasn't ran this far and fast than when he a young broodling that won competitions and competitions in the royal sports. I think I might have overdid it. He thought while massaging the oncoming threat of a sneaky cramp in his hind leg.
The Ixian were well known for speed. But their stamina was another thing. There bodies simply didn't have the evolved features for long distance travel. There was never truly any need in the past, as their very steady and controlled climate and sparsely diverse ecosystem on Ix never truly required much challenge.
It turned its panting head to face the way it came, gazing proudly at the great distance it made in such a short while.
But something was off by that view. Something different to what he was expecting. The view itself was mostly fine. Well, as fine as a smoking mark in the distance, presumably from the summer palace being engulfed in flame and spitting great plumes of black smoke. But no, something about this view chilled him to this spine. Craning his neck from his vantage point he could swear there was a small speck in the distance.
What on great Ix is that?
All of a sudden realisation hit like a rock on a peaceful pond. Something was following him. Something unknown and cold was making its way to his location. He was certain it wasn't any of his guards, all guards permitted to serve under the royal summer home were Ixian of course. Physically bred for their strength and speed, and placed into roles of importance like protecting the higher caste such as himself. (Whereas this day being the only exception). It did look like he was the only Ixian that actually made it out of the palace so far. Ixians are able to cover short distances in phenomenal speed, akin to a scaly 4 legged beast of the hunt.
No this was something else.
Feeling a very small panic build up inside, but veiling that cold, unwanted terror as impatience at how far he still needs to travel yet. Lord La'Ix flexed his anterior legs and sped on leaving behind a red-yellow cloud of dust in his wake.
He frowned. Feeling strange at a never before felt sensation. Like something in the back of his perfectly designed brain was screaming a silent, but terrifyingly familiar warning.
"Ix itself is an ancient world. Temperate in climate, while abundant in vegetation and small game. It is unknown how the Ixian was formed on paradise.
The old priest can drum into your heads that I'Ix made us into being by indenting his form in the sand of the first beach and filling the shape with his life. Moulding us into being.
The heretic would counter and say we evolved from a previous species akin to ourselves over the course of untold lengths of time.
The philosopher would suggest that only on paradise would the sentient universe fill in the space for the perfect beings to enjoy the fruits of existence.
Lastly, even the lowest caste Ixian would point and laugh at the rest and say 'why talk about antiquity, when we can make more paradise to fill the heavens'."
-A popular Ixian parable
Lord La'Ix bolted up all of a sudden from his resting spot. Heart suddenly beating frantically. The stars had barely enough time to shift positions when last rested his weary body, only a couple hours must have passed since dusk fell and the world plunged into night.
The silence of the Savannah made sound from afar travel better. Aside from the quiet rustling of the wind he wasn't so sure what he heard. Assuming his bored ears were playing tricks on him.
Calming down, curling up on the flat cool rock he found he started to drift to the shadowless lands where all Ixian go when they dream...
Drums, no, not drums. Some sort of mechanical tool? Not that I ever heard of a tool that just beat the ground senseless. A strange beating sound could be heard, pounding into the ground. As he stayed frozen and very awake, he could have sworn it was getting louder. Closer.
CRACK. SNAP. CRACK.
Suddenly the entire valley echoed the sounds of a few broken sticks.
La'Ix jumped up, whirling around, and came to face something approaching fast that could only be described as a cold predator, not that there were any predators on the homeworld's recorded history. But every cell in his aching body reacted the same. DANGER, DANGER, RUN, RUN.
The silver light of the planet's 3 moons barely lit the valley but what that light bounced off of was a figure in motion. Front Legs pumping up and down, nostrils flaring, eyes too close together, and pupils so large it was like staring at darkness itself.
Hold on there are only 2 legs right? Sudden familiarity hit him hard, memories of last night's entertainment stained his mind. In the name of Ix is that a Terran?!?
La'Ix didn't realise it then, but it was looking at a Terran, despite the Terrans characteristics looking different to the standard slave he was used to seeing. The pumping body of the runner was made for such long distances. Sweat acting as a cooling mechanism, making the man glisten in the harsh moonlight, the enlarged nostrils taking in all the air the body needs for this type of strenuous activity. And the enlarged pupils, made for adjusting to low light environments.
Down on the plains of the Savannah were two creatures. One a perfect evolutionary miracle, practically evolution's first try gone right, Perfectly made for its environment and was never truly exposed to varying climates and environments. And the other, having crawled through the primordial ooze, and struggled and fought its way through dangers, diseases, and competition on its own horrifying world. Where deadly heat in deserts can dry out any living thing, and such freezing poles that can turn anything that enters it in pure ice.
The man's lean and sweat-slicken form was steadily making its way towards the frozen statue of La'Ix. Just as he got within 50 paces did La'Ix sprint away scattering pebbles in its path the echoes of which bounced back from the valley's sharp walls. Undeterred, the chaser kept steadily running. Jaws grit. Eyes locked on afar.
And afar was its prey. Sprinting away.
HOW IN IX'S NAME DID THAT THING KNOW WHERE I AM? The La'Ix in a fit of sudden excitement mixed with a heavy dose of panic, began its high octane sprint from the sudden looming threat of being found. Hind Legs propelling the creature's body forward, while its front arms, which were historically also for four legged locomotion, pulled the terrain closer with each stride. Increasing its momentum until it reached max speed.
"Broodling La'Ix!" said a stern but educated voice.
"Huh? Oh! Yessir!" a young Ix jumped to attention still thinking about more enjoyable things specifically outside of the classroom walls.
"Well? Can you please answer my question or will you make your other broodkin wait until Ix falls to ash first", the tutor said expectantly, prompting several muffles giggles in the room.
"Sorry sir. What makes the Ixian race its place in eternity is the attention we put in perfection. After our home-world of Ix's climate and terrain began to change, the leaders from antiquity decreed we carry on the spirit of the home-world in maintaining a consistent biological and genetic profile that will always be suited to Ix's surface. As we change worlds to be more like Ix, we can spread the spirit of Ix to them. As such, Change is- uh, change is..."
"Change is the poison of perfection, Remaining unchanged for Ix enable us to carry its spirit to other planets in the heavens", continued the tutor. "Well you certainly paid some attention to today's lesson at the very least. But remember that final part. It's the last of the core tenants you will need to remember."
"Yessir!"
A good half night passed on the surface of the Savanna. Where a previously noble and alert Ixian who took great care in appearances and status was no longer to be seen. Instead of that proud domineering alien representative of ix was a dishevelled, dusty, ragged creature, dehydrated, hungry, and exhausted from the various sprints it forced itself to endure to stay ahead of fate's ever closing hand.
Is this the sword of Damocles that was mentioned in the ancient Terran records? Always hanging down on those who hold power and seek more? Fate's sharp blade? But why me? I was never in any real power. All I wanted out of this life was a comfortable posting with no dirt and grime from the lower worlds. Why me? Why now? Why do I-
La'Ix snapped himself out of a daze. Is he here- No, no I should be far far away from that Terran now. Maybe I can find some-
A dim glow interrupted its train of thought. Much too early to be the Sunrise on the Emperor's summer planet, and much to low to be the light from one of it's 2 moons. It was a light from a town.
"That's right!" The Ixian barely managed to rasp in between haggard breaths. Its body barely able to continue the amount of self inflicted abuse it has suddenly been put in.
A lot more hunched over than the Ixian was earlier. It made its way towards a small town it knew was in between the palace and the harbour. The emperor loved his royal rustic towns and villages. It is said that his royal emperor would sometimes tour around them marvelling at the romantic theme of a simple rustic life. Although getting a personal town full of Ixians required a lot of lower caste be forced into long and expensive work contracts as background entertainers for the king's planet, all this excessive show of wealth was partially for peackocking the emperor's reputation, and partially for his own personal enjoyment. The Emperor is almost culturally required to flaunt his royal wealth in all forms in order to keep connections with all the royal houses. An emperor that doesn't shower their supporting aides and houses with grand gifts is fated to eventually be found cold on the floor of the royal banquet due to 'suicide from accidentally ingesting poison', as was the previous emperor.
To avoid such an unfortunate passing, the Higher Royals would trade vast resources, delicacies, and even exotic slaves to court 'royal favours'. Slaves of the Terran variety especially are considered to be the most unique of gifts the empire has ever acquired.
Terrans weren't necessarily large and bulky. Fighters were assigned to the Slave Obniraks. Powerful creatures used to fill the fields on tougher worlds where mechanical services would be deemed to expensive. The growth of a Obnirak into full working adulthood is only a few cycles. Meaning mass producing a workforce is quite an easy feat.
Terrans instead would take vast cycles to mature from a childling to an average adult. Meaning growing a slave force would take vast quantities of resources, immense patience, and strict guidance from their owners as to not create faulty creatures. All of which increases the general standing on any house that manages to keep a vast amount of Terran slaves in the best quality.
Terrans weren't necessarily docile and obedient. That role was perhaps given to the oldest slave race the Ix ever controlled. The Iralisa. It was known that they were made remarkably docile due to generations upon generations of select breeding, and pruning off the 'aggressive traits' from the gene pool. However, that led to the adverse effect of physically weakening them to a point where such docility and lack of a frame to keep up with their workload led to a general lack of Ixian interest and were subsequently purified.
Terrans are notoriously independent and herd-minded in larger quantities. Similar to growing a very stubborn Terulian Rose Vine. Which only looks impressive when great care have been given. Terrans need to be given an illusion of being ever so slightly free. Which typically involves owning vast amounts of land and nature to let them roam and graze. Of course, the only ones that can accommodate grand work forces of Terrans are the larger houses with the appropriate territory for humans, as is studied in the Ixian art of Servitude.
One can only guess which species is the Emperor's favourite.
The following town should indeed have both, low caste Ixians, and possibly none of the Emperor's favourite slaves.
The Ixian approached the glowing town. As it reached closer it straightened its back, upright on its hindlegs in the royal fashion. And proclaimed. "It is I! La'Ix, royal courtier. Lend me aid imme-"
Something is off. Not a single shadow in the town, I can see lights but no movement, where is every-
After turning the corner to the center of the small town, the dustied and weary creature froze in its tracks when it saw it. A pit nearly as wide as an Ixian land cruiser and who knows how deep filled with a stench so powerful it watered his eyes. Despite the Ixian's lack of a proper sense of smell. It knew the foul fetor of death.
The crudely dug pit was nearly overflowing when he approached it. Large, smoking, smouldering pyres cast that eerie light that had drawn him in.
"H-how? Wha-What the..." he trailed off when a local species of Laran boar growled and squealed as it tore a dead Ixian limb from the mountain of corpses.
"Who could've..."
He stopped. The shock of seeing his own kind laid like broken dolls in a bleeding pit slowly faded, replaced by a numbness. The Ixian had just noticed they were of Ix. Only of Ix.
Not a single terran colour was visible in the black and spotted pit of bodies. Not a single slave body was visible.
I-Impossible...
His legs gave way, either from the strain of the entire nights run, the horror facing him, or the threat from behind. He just dropped.
Minutes passed, or hours. It was hard to tell. But the Ixian lay slumped. Body unwilling to move further. Battered flesh unwilling to be propelled by a shattered spirit.
Mind slowly spinning up again. Thoughts began whirring to life in its mind. Could the rumours actually have been true? It had read the sparse reports of odd activity from certain Ixian-controlled worlds on the outer arms of the empire. Small uprisings of unknown origin. Hardly anything of note. If it had no affect on the greater houses then it was of no real concern to Ix and its emperor.
Could this threat have made its way to the centre arm already? Impossible. But what else could have done this to us?
Something caught the Ixian's eyes. In the middle of the pit it stood. A large stake, wet with deep Ixian crimson, dripping ever so slowly. Towering over the pit like a battlefield flag was a head of an Ixian rammed onto the tip of the spike. But the particular detail that caught the Ixian's eyes was a symbol cut into the flesh of the large forehead.
Looking from the outward-in. Eight concentric rings, which proceeded to get smaller and smaller in size until it reached a dark mass at the centre of the symbol. The Ixian never forgot the symbol and the affect it had on it.
Eight concentric rings, and a centre mass. Eight rings, and a mass. Eight- Eight what? Eight planets? And a star? ...
A growing pool of cold dread rose in its guts that made it shiver despite the fair night. This dread reflected the sharp reality on its frigid surface.
This Ixian was well-bred, well-trained, and well-educated. Although anyone with a basic education would know of such a pattern.
Terra and her sisters. THEIR star system...
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
It's not possible!-
Knowing what that sound meant, the Ixian tried to whirl around, its body barely being able to heed its masters commands. Just when it was starting to move again it felt it.
Sudden sharp agony. Sudden sharp, raging agony. The Ixian looked at it's hind leg. A sharpened wooden stake was jutting out of it.
It loud out a tight lipped scream, as it grasped the pulsating wound as one does immediately after an injury. It barely had enough time to look up at its attacker when the Terran bolted forward, shortening the distance between hunter and prey from metres to mere paces. The Ixian barely had enough time to block the hand grasping the knife as the arm flew forward at the last minute with a crash.
What phenomenal force!
Using the momentum from that sprint plus the wind up of his arm. The Terran was able to impart a phenomal show of force for a creature its size. That's when La'Ix for the first time saw a human in its raw unchanged form. Great beads of sweat collecting dust on its brow, to prevent it from entering the eyes. The constant release of sweat from the countless pores on its soft fleshy skin. Constant cooling? Even the visible veins and capillaries visible from the fire light.
What a beast of endurance-
Suddenly the horizon fell before the Ixian only to reveal the inky black sky dotted with pigments from stars like a painters masterpiece. When did I look up? Then a crash and blunt force from the ground.
The Ixian had been toppled over by that ferocious exchange of force.
Barely able to get up due to the wind being knocked out of its single large lung, the searing pain in its hind leg, and the exhaustion from the chase. It was too late. The terran was already on top of it. Taking up the entire view of the sky as the terran stepped forward into its field of vision.
The sudden perspective change made a once small and frail looking slave look grander than life, grander than all the legends told to Ixian broodlings.
The punches rained down. Repeatedly. A constant bombardment of beating rained like the drops of rain before the first dew. The previous pain in its leg forgotten, to invite a new visitor in the form of blunt force trauma. So ferocious were the raw blows to its carapace that the Ixian felt the exoskeleton crack under the increasing pressure and strain.
Something cracked, another thing snapped. The amount of pain too much to comprehend. The neurons firing in its second brain just assumed it was everywhere. Its half-working eye glimpsed the fist as it came down for the nth time. Red and split knuckles, revealing pure white bone beneath—a reinforced weapon. The perfect natural offence. All the muscles moved to propel it downwards where something else cracked and split.
Is this where I die?
As if understanding its fate the Ixian's form slumped over. Its body barely holding onto the natural exoskeleton shielding that covered its chest and facial area. Fluids leaking from the cracks that went too deep, and who knows how many internal ribs are shattered.
Its body, knowing that that more movement will cause more injuries, and further stimuli would confuse it further. It simply shut down.
The last moments it had as it fell backwards on its side. Was a small running figure. Hand clutching wooden spears. But the truly petrifying sight was behind it. A vast shadow flickering from the light of the lit pyres from the hunter in front of it. A shadow cast so large, jagged, and menacing it appeared to swallow the town whole.
And into a hole did the Ixian fall. A vacuum with no sensation or thought. Just darkness.
How... did we never notice such a... monster... in their... shadow...
All Ixians were taught about 'violence' and 'conflict' at an early age. As a sort of rite of passage that any of them would go through as they survive their early broodling days. As Ix have no natural predators, they had begun to instil a serving of some necessary conflict to keep their generations fresh and somewhat physically strong. As a precaution, only rudimentary forms of civil sports, races, shows of strength and courage were ever really explored. But always in a controlled and calm settings, as there would never be any true need for actual conflict.
As there was always a need to maintain ones own environment. The need never arose for the development of fighting techniques and schools of training. That was one of the best parts of being an Ix that many thought. Having supreme control over the worlds you inhabit means setting gravity, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperatures to the perfect levels for comfort replaced any need for biological change. Why grow when you can keep everything the same way, how you like it.
They were a vast empire. An empire of statues.
-Excerpt from the history of extra-solarian species, Author unknown
It awoke to a burning radiating heat from in front. The large sun was already starting to set on the horizon when it awoke. Had a whole day passed? Or two?
Trying to block the setting sun from its eyes it couldn't. "What?...", barely made out in a whisper.
I'm tied up.
And indeed the Ixian was right. Tied up next to a small brook, with a scorching fire in front of it. The monster nowhere to be seen.
"No good... it's too tight", it grunted in an attempt to escape its bindings.
Going slack in defeat it avoided any additional movement. Not having the energy to spare to move. It was lucky to have always been lazy at shedding its carapace - a frequent nag from its broodmother - might just have become its salvation in this case.
Thank Ix.
So there it stayed.
Hours passed. The Sun fully set and the stars awake in this dark world barely lit up the wildlands. Only the prisoner in this cone of firelight existed out here.
A rustling up ahead caught the prisoner's attention disturbing the eerily still silence of the Savannah night. And ungodly horror of a squeal ruptured the air invoking a deep visceral terror within the bound prisoner. Something. Something close but just outside the firelight was eyeing it, glinting from beyond the light. Those dark predatory eyes stabbed the prisoner with a sudden coldness. All while the squealing suddenly halted. SNAP. SQUELCH.
Now it came, emerging into the light. A beast. Holding a knife in one bloodied hand, dripping on the dirt. And dragging by the leg, a massive adult Laran boar grotesquely smearing thick blood still warm from the cut in the neck on the dirt.
The prisoner watched, barely moving, barely breathing. Frozen with the horror in front of it as the bloodied carcass was skinned; fur sliced away with harsh, scraping sounds with the crude knife. Spurting remaining blood all over the site.
The pink naked flesh then washed in the brook, leaving a distinct smell of oxidised blood in the air, before being skewered and roasted over the roaring flames. Fat popping violently in the heat.
In this gruesome display, the beast revealed not just a fate for the boar, but a dark hint of what might come. The realisation struck deep—this could be more than just a demonstration; it was a terrifying preview of its own potential end.
It passed out again.
Only to be awoken by the haunting echoes of a wild, desperate squeal that once thrummed through the savannah's eerie silence. Dare it open its eyes?
After a great heavy effort -utilizing its every last drop of courage- one eye cracked open. And what it saw. Made it regret ever having done so.
Right across from it, the hunter was a grotesque silhouette against the flickering fire. Grasping a severed boar leg was a mouth viciously biting, ripping, tearing into the flesh with primal ferocity. Each bite was deliberate, each tear of sinew was a clear, calculated demonstration of supreme savagery. Its jaw muscles bulged with the force of a bite.
All the while, the eyes—deep, abyssal pits—fixed intently on the prisoner. Deepest black pits stared back at it. Watching. Observing. Calculating, with a dark intelligence. it was calculating. It was relishing the terror it inspired and the control it exerted. Or planning its next meal.
The sounds of ripping flesh filled the thick, blood-soaked air. Deep into the night. Deep into this never-ending nightmare.
Never once did the prisoner move. Not an iota. Frozen in abject horror.
The night passed quietly. After the feast the human had, or the desecration of life that the prisoner saw, whichever way you look at it. The human nodded off to sleep. Content in the success of his mission. But the tied up creature had no such rest. Sending silent pleas to the stars that it might be saved. But not daring to make a sound, less it awaken that sleeping horror. Or was it sleeping? Dear Ix, it might be watching me. Feigning sleep to keep an eye on its meal. Dear Ix I'm next...
All through the night, the demons plagued its mind. Until the warmth of the morning rose, and with it the sound of an Ixian cruiser.
Elation could not be an understatement for the tired, tied, beat, and bruised thing. Craning its neck to the direction of the sound about to bellow out an Ixian warning to the demon resting next it.
"BE CAREFUL! THERE'S ONE HERE-". It stopped speaking. That previous elation it felt at a saviour arriving to rescue it from the demons grasp, fizzled out like a drop of water in a drought.
That all so familiar cold remained. And the dryness of despair. As pairs of dark pupils shot back at it.
On the cruiser were tall adult Terrans. Clean cut, well fed, well dressed Terrans. Four, no Six, no eight of them. All hanging onto the side of cruiser while it made its way to their location. Compared to the demon waking up beside it, these creatures were organised. A savageness neatly packaged in a uniform with a symbol. The prisoners eyes grew wide in its sunken sockets. 8 rings, and a centre mass. They must be the cause of, well all this.
Accepting fate, its head fell in part defiance, in part to avoid the stinging eyes of these others. It felt their gaze burn through—cold, cruel, calculating. There is nothing I can do any longer.
"You're finally here. What took you so long?" The runner said to his approaching comrades, "Took all night to catch up to him."
"Hey Jan, great work", the tall militant woman shot back. With a playful punch to his arm. "Guess all that cardio really paid off, didn't I tell you it would!" She let out a playful guffaw.
"Thanks Chel", replied Jan.
"Ok chop chop people, we're on a schedule. We need to reach the port ASAP remember? Come on Jan, rest up all you like, you're still on the clock."
"Aye sir." Jan shot back in a mock salute, gaining a sneer from the commandant, then a sneaky smile.
"Don't forget your trash. And make sure its breathing still."
It creaked open its eyes, seeing pairs of boots moving towards it and standing in front. In silence. Then all of a sudden, felt pairs and pairs of hands pull and tug. and lift it up The thing let out a pathetic silent sob. While it was loaded in the back of the cruiser, face up. Staring at eyes, piercing black dots peering back. It could never understand what was being felt by those eyes and those faces.
Ixians wear their emotions on their carapace; spots and stripes would slowly appear in certain parts, representing emotions and feeling that their bodies felt in a general sense. But the most private thoughts were of course, still kept private.
But this. This was just too foreign. The eyes never stopped. Even in the swaying movement of the cruiser the pupils never broke contact. Those eyes. As if it was peering into it, envelops your entire mind. There was no way to hide, even hiding in his inner self would do no good. Those eyes. Those predator eyes can find me anywhere I try to escape to. Inside and out.
Some times passes.
"You know. I lost good friends to the royal caste. Especially to this one's brood clan or whatever they like to call it." One of them was looking right at it when they said it. It turned its eyes over to the source. A short one, with a slave scar on the neck said it. A scar that shot through his memories. A scar inflicted to property owned by, his brood. This one is dangerous..., it thought.
Jan, and the others didn't look but felt it. The cold darkness in that tone made it clear what it intended to do.
The female militant, Chel, I think her name was. Slowly reached to the side arm on her holster. Sensing the oncoming problem.
"You still understand me don't you? I've had to watch good people die. Damn good people." The scarred one one stood, grabbing the upper rail of the cruiser to steady themselves. "I hear that even if you get ill, you become the entertainment for the night. What was it now?" She paused for a brief second. "Oh I remember".
"Stil" Chel said slowly. "Cool it". Hand still on the butt of the sidearm.
Not hearing or not wanting to reply. Stil continued. "Torn apart by those raptor pets. Hands or feet cut off as souvenirs for those fucked-up parties and those fucked-up guests. Oh yea, and the 'toy play' or whatever they call it. Can't have Ken and Barbie fight back now, can we?"
Stil leaned closer to the now cowering, shaking thing, "I wonder which one was your favourite." The words cut through La'Ix like an icicle. This was the first time these demons actually spoke to it directly. And it didn't like it. It could sense the venom from the words.
"Stil..." Chel slowly got up, hand still at the ready. "I said cool it." The line had a steely warning to it. Chel wouldn't risk the mission. Even if it meant doing what must be done.
Agonizing seconds passed. The cowering, shaking thing seemed to grow whiter and whiter by the second, It's spots clearly showing what it felt. Staring up, Not willing to move but being unable to hide. It felt the absolute crushing weight of the present. Grinding it down to a paste.
Everyone stayed still. The two militants didn't move. The rest didn't seem to even have paid attention to the converstation, still looked away.
Longer passed.
Stil smiled, "Oh come on Chel, you know I wouldn't do anything to our friend here? You know I was just playing around." Stil laughed. Chel didn't react.
Stil immediately crouched, faced the shaking prisoner inches apart eye to eye, and in a whisper said "Right friend?"
She wants me to reply? Dear Ix I can't even think with those eyes in front of me What do I do?! What do I say?!
"Right. Friend?" Stil repeated slower and colder. Like the blade of a surgeon hovering over skin, ready to plunge.
The gears of its Ixian brain grinded to a screeching halt. In utter desperation to find a reply it simply gave up. Instead, it felt a warmth slowly spread. Slowly spread between its hind legs. It had released its bladder.
"BAHAHAHAHA LOOK AT IT" Stil roared in laughter. The sound of it rattling the prisoners brain with the sound. Disorienting its senses. "NOW THAT'S CLASSIC TIMING IF I'VE EVER SEEN IT!" She plopped back down face red and still laughing.
The Ixian didn't know what to do but tremble and sob silently on the cold surface of the cruiser surrounded by laughter. and the warmth of its piss. It tried to plug its ears. But the sound still came. Laughter. Laughter. Laughter. Dear Ix, what are these demons... where are they taking me? To hell?...
The cruiser kept cruising. Towards the port across the island. Trailing laughter behind. Or to the sobbing wreck of a thing, demonic cackling.
The scent of familiarity wafted into the senses of the prisoner as the cruiser started to slow. The smell of the salt, the chirping of familiar aviaries. Sound of the crash of sea. The port.
Braving a sentence for the first time in for what seems eternity. It let out a question "...w..w..where ... why... are... ... we ...h... here?" It managed to say shakily, eyes downcast.
As if in response, a sharp shove greeted it from the back and a hard hit on the ground was as much of an answer it was getting.
"Move it", Jan said gruffly.
They walked. the ixian still bound but free to walk in the middle of the group of humans. Towards a destination still not known. The walk twisted, and turned, and twisted again. One thing struck out to the prisoner. It was too clean, especially for what it was expecting, it's last experience being in the previous blood-soaked town laden with bodies and carrion eaters.
The port town was completely silent, free from the regular hustle and bustle it usually had even when the emperor was not present. And superbly clean. Not a single piece of dirt to be seen. Not a single Ixian either. Where did everyone go? Did they make it out somehow when these invaders came?
In the background, the surf broke relentlessly.
Piercing eyes caught the prisoners glance, as it wandered curiously around the town. Realising its mistake La'Ix tried to look away but the burning gaze gripped his own.
As if reading its soul. The human answered the hidden question bubbling up in La'Ix. "You should've seen them your royal majesty". The one called Stil said while bending in mocking courtesy.
The surf pounded the shore even more loudly now.
"They don't swim well. Especially the young ones. They dropped like stones. Turning all white by the time they stopped moving."
Louder now. The sea roared.
Nothing came. Not a thought in La'Ix's mind. Its mind struggled to comprehend the depth of what was said by Stil, the scarred human.
The waves boomed louder now. Louder than the sun, echoing louder than the screams of all the Ixians that must have perished.
It saw the lips of the standing-devil in front of it. But all the came from its blood red lips were obscured by the sound of the pounding of the waves. The echoes of drowned kin, thudding and slapping against the shore, merged with the relentless surf in La'Ix's mind.
This is for our sins.
Wave after wave, the relentless surge continued, each one a haunting reminder of the souls lost to the sea, each crash a ghostly thud of bodies hitting the shore.
Very slowly did some exhausted neuron in the Ixian's head come to a conclusion as to how these creatures in front of it can be so relentless, so cruel, and so evil. When pushed to beyond its breaking point, did their true carnivorous instincts rear their ugly head.
Oh dear Ix. What sort of environment could breed such demons?
La'Ix didn't remember what happened next. The memories feel like a distant dream now as he sits watching the port sky now.
The aching brand on his forehead of the 8 ringed system, pulsed in pain—a departing gift from his newly made friends, stung from the salty sea air.
He barely recalls the staggered walk from the empty inter-arm transmission office and the inputting of his biometric royal seal. He barely even remembers the message that was sent under his name and signature
And even less does he remember what he heard what will happen next.
All alone now, he stares at the sky of the empty port town. As he watches more royal ships enter the atmosphere.
He gazes upward, thoughtlessly, statue-like Knowing fate will come for them all. Fate in the form of piercing black eyes and a monster so large it can fit in a shadow.
A single thought, carried its way from above the despair to the surface. Slowly. Like a bubble in a pool of tar.
What was I meant to tell the emperor again?

Has anyone ever had one of these tests to confirm your concussion diagnosis? I was in a car accident, not at fault, and the guy's insurance company is trying to say that the accident wasn't bad enough to have caused injuries (I also have a bulging disc in my neck from this). I have been to multiple doctors who have confirmed the diagnosis, so it's on my medical records. I finally hired an attorney, and they want me to do an eyebox test, which measures your eye movements to determine if there's a brain injury. But it's been almost 3 months since the accident, and I've been working with a therapist to address my symptoms. My attorney said the test would still be accurate, but I don't know. It seems like if I have a written diagnosis, the insurance company shouldn't be able to argue with that. People have told me that lawyers will send you to get unnecessary testing/appointments because they can get more money, so I'm not sure if this is really needed. I'm also concerned that the test will show no problems since it's been so long, and then I would be really screwed. Any advice would be great. Thanks!!

Around two months ago, I began to notice crowding in my teeth and pain in the back of my mouth from my wisdom teeth emerging. One night, the pain became unbearable, and I felt a popping sensation in my jaw, prompting a trip to the hospital. The hospital staff advised me to visit a dentist for X-rays, as they were unable to perform the necessary imaging.
The next day, the dentist confirmed that my wisdom teeth were impacted and recommended extraction. I scheduled an appointment for a month later to have all four teeth removed under general anesthesia. Concerned about potential changes to my facial appearance, I asked the dentist, who assured me there would be no noticeable changes.
As the surgery date approached, my bottom right and top left wisdom teeth started to poke through my gums, and I could feel the tops of them in the back corners of my mouth. On the day of the extraction, I took all the necessary precautions. In the operating room, I asked the surgeon and his assistant if the surgery would alter my facial appearance. Both dismissed my concerns, claiming it was highly unlikely and they had never heard of that before.
Before the anesthesia took effect, I questioned the need for extracting the teeth that had already erupted. The surgeon brushed off my concern and said he would explain why momentarily, and the assistant quickly administered the anesthesia while he wasn’t in the room, leaving my question unanswered. I lost consciousness before the surgeon re-entered the room.
Post-surgery, I felt disoriented which is normal. The staff asked about my well-being and quickly discharged me. Unfortunately, they failed to instruct me to keep the gauze clamped down with my teeth, resulting in a dry socket. Over the next few days, my face and jaw swelled significantly, which I understood to be normal. The bleeding stopped after an hour, but I could feel large holes where my wisdom teeth had been with no blood clot.
By the second day of recovery, my gums felt like they were closing in on themselves where my teeth once were. Contrary to what my dentist and mom had told me—that new gum and bone would fill the spaces—my gums seemed to collapse into the empty sockets, altering my breathing, posture, and profile.
My head posture shifted forward, worsening my resting posture. Breathing through my left nostril became difficult, accompanied by noises when trying to sleep. I suspect I experienced ridge resorption or a similar condition. My face appeared narrower, and it seemed like I had lost significant jaw mass.
I was prescribed Tylenol-3 for pain relief, which I took for the first four days. However, the bottom right extraction site remained painful. This was one of the teeth I questioned the necessity of removing before the surgery. It seemed the surgeon might have known it didn't need removal and that it could cause health issues. I can feel the difference in bone mass compared to before the surgery in the outer backs of my jaw and the right side looks marginally different than my left now. The change looks identical to the diagrams showing forward vs. downward growth of the maxilla.
Now, I deeply regret the decision to undergo the extraction. Being under anesthesia left me vulnerable and uninformed, and I worry about the potential damage done during the procedure. I plan to get new X-rays to assess and compare the extent of the changes and damage to my jaw but am unsure of what my next steps should be to try and fix or reverse this damage.
Before After

Hello
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I’m planning to conduct research on ants with the topic: "Does Food Quality Influence Ant Foraging Preferences for Occupied or Unoccupied Food Sources in Lasius niger?" My hypothesis is that Lasius niger ants will show a preference for high-quality food sources that are occupied by nest-mates over low-quality, unoccupied food sources, even when they have the option to feed alone. As this is my first time working with ants, I need advice on creating a simple Y-maze with 20 cm runways and a 40 cm drawbridge. The experiment will use these Y-mazes to offer two choices: a high-quality food source with nest-mates and a low-quality food source alone. is drawbridge necessary.
I also need to know how to recognize *Lasius niger* worker ants. Given that I only have three days to conduct the tests, how many ants should I collect? and what else i can do to make this experiment inteeresting
​
Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

To preface this is a narrative of the fallout lore both established in all the fallout games and many of the popular mods created for both new Vegas, fallout 3 and fallout 4 and a subsequent idea for a fallout 5 title that I wrote and wanted to get opinions on.
If you think this is cool lmk, if you think this sucks lmk. I’m just interested in sharing my own ideas with the wider fallout community.
Fallout 5

 From Lone-wanderer to the courier (TTW tie in) 

After the events of Fallout 3, the Lone Wanderer, having no family and no place left to truly call home, gathered up his companions and headed west to start a new life. Over the next 4 years, the Lone Wanderer lived in the west with many of his former companions going their separate ways. The Lone Wanderer began working as a courier, known as Courier 6. There, he had a particularly bad run-in with a man named Benny, who introduced him to a bullet. The damage done to the Lone Wanderer caused him to lose his memories of his past. Thus, he became the courier.
After the events of Fallout: New Vegas, and the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the NCR's military and infrastructure were severely weakened after destroying the Legion. Sensing an opportunity for mutual benefit the West Coast Brotherhood of Steel reached out to the Mojave chapter, where, under the leadership of Elder McNamera, the NCR and Brotherhood reached an agreement and official peace pact between the two groups, which culminated in the brotherhood becoming an official autonomous part of the NCR.
The West Coast Airship docks within the Strip, which was under the control of the Courier and member of the Mojave chapter. The West Coast reintegrated the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel and uses the Strip as a base of operations. Leveraging their advanced technology and military prowess, they quickly gain the upper hand in engagements against the remaining enemies of the NCR.
The Coming Storm (Dust tie in)
Some time after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and the BOS occupation of the strip joint expedition teams of the BOS AND NCR discovered the Sierra Madre Casino, as well as the mysterious and deadly cloud. The NCR and BOS scientists conducted experiments with the Cloud, bringing both massive samples of Cloud Residue and corpses of Ghost People back to the Mojave. Many of these experiments were conducted in a makeshift laboratory set up in the lobby of the Lucky 38 casino. Though the full nature of the experiments are unknown, it is implied that the participants involved were considered criminals to the NCR and the nature of the experiments were brutal, sadistic, and inhumane.
Around the same time, the BOS received reports that a massive sandstorm was approaching New Vegas. They did not share this information with the public, and instead began to outline evacuation procedures.
Five years after the expedition and experiments something went terribly wrong. It is implied that a disgruntled Vault 21 custodian may have intentionally sabotaged the Lucky 38 laboratory, causing a new Cloud to form over the Strip. This cloud was far more lethal and corrosive than the Cloud of the Sierra Madre. The corrosive capabilities even hindered the BOS power armor as the metal would be gradually eaten away by the cloud.
As the Cloud descended upon New Vegas, panic engulfed the Strip and Freeside. Riots and violence broke out. Miss communications between the directives of the BOS and NCR resulted in troopers executing innocent civilians in the streets. In response, the Kings rebelled against the NCR, while also aiding in an evacuation of Freeside, saving countless lives. The Followers of the Apocalypse were forced to abandon the Old Mormon Fort. The Airship of the Western Brotherhood attempted to evacuate all BOS personnel and any relevant technology from the strip before returning to Lost Hills. This resulted in some squads of the BOS being forced to take up residency within the casinos of the strip and vault 21. The NCR locked the gates to the Strip, with all civilians inside. The rebels led by the kings were forced out of and under the city, to the Sewers below. The BOS left in Vault 21 have been desperately trying to chisel away at the concrete within the vault in the hopes of tunneling back to Hidden valley.
NCR troops then dumped radioactive waste into the Sewers to kill any survivors, before fleeing the city themselves. Eventually, the situation became so bad that NCR General Lee Oliver ordered an evacuation of all NCR personnel from New Vegas via the Strip Monorail.
These events nullified the BOS and NCR treaty resulting in BOS forces seizing locations across the Mojave that had the capability to keep them safe from the cloud while also engaging in Guerilla warfare tactics against the NCR.
The city would ultimately fall to the Cloud and to the dust storms that blew in from the West. While some survivors attempted to take shelter in the Strip's casinos they were met with the business ends of BOS laser rifles. Those who did not head for the casinos were not so lucky, as anyone who wasn’t immediately killed by the Cloud became Ghosts and cloud victims, while others died slowly of radiation poisoning and exposure.
While New Vegas fell to the Cloud, a massive radioactive dust storm engulfed the rest of the Mojave Wasteland, causing widespread devastation. Whole settlements and towns were evacuated or otherwise destroyed. One settlement in particular, Goodsprings, was struck by an unknown form of plague, killing most of its residents and turning the once-prosperous community into a Ghost Towns.
Other areas, such as Boulder City, attempted to protect themselves with the same suits worn by Ghost people in Vegas and the Sierra Madre, ultimately becoming trapped themselves. To make matters worse, the Tunnelers from the Divide eventually burrowed through to the Mojave Wasteland, As predicted by Ulysses. causing even more death and destruction. The dust storms blotted out the Sun, allowing the Tunnelers to hunt by day, killing off most of the native animal population in the Mojave.
The effects of the Fall would spread as far out as Zion Valley, where spore carriers from Vault 22 ran wild, alongside another strange, terrible creature, dubbed the Wendigo by the tribals within the valley.
After the fall, little remained of the old Mojave Wasteland. Once-powerful factions such as, The Great Khans, and Powder Gangers were either wiped out or dissolved into roaming gangs of Tribals and Survivors. The Western Brotherhood which had resided in the strips cohesion collapsed as its members lost contact with the surrounding Casinos and vault 21.
Cannibalism became rampant, as people did whatever they could to survive. The NCR remained in control of various locations such as Camp Golf, Hoover Dam, Camp McCarran and Nellis AFB. Those fortunate enough to evacuate the Mojave mostly wound up at Camp Adytum, an NCFollowers refugee center in the Boneyard, however they were quickly drafted and sent to the now ongoing BOS and NCR conflict.
The NCR would eventually launch expeditions into the ruins of New Vegas, presumably to acquire materials left over from the Lucky 38 laboratories. However, none of these expeditions were successful, and the NCR soon abandoned all attempts to return to New Vegas, with only the Royst-Bernard Expedition consisting of rogue NCR scientific and military personnel returning in an attempt to succeed, where regular NCR failed.

 The Patriot at Heart (America Rising 2 tie-in) 

In the aftermath of the events of Fallout 3, the remnants of the Enclave fled north into the Commonwealth where they waited in hiding for 10 years. After the events of Fallout 4, the Lone Survivor helped revive the Enclave and ultimately forced the Institute into being folded into the Enclave, bringing their advanced technology and expertise in synth creation under one banner.
The Enclave embarked on a bold experiment, merging their iconic power armor technology with the synthetic advancements of the Institute. The result was the creation of a new breed of soldiers: Power Armored Synths or PAS.
These hybrid warriors combined the resilience and strength of power armor with the versatility and adaptability of synthetic intelligence. Clad in imposing power armor suits, these Synths were capable of executing complex military maneuvers, engaging enemies with precision and force.
Under the banner of the Enclave, this new army of PAS’s became the vanguard of their expansionist ambitions, striking fear into the hearts of any who knew of their existence. The Enclave took a page from the Institute by beginning to kidnap high-ranking members of the Railroad, Brotherhood of Steel, and Minutemen, replacing them with Synth sleeper agents who would corrupt the organization of the Commonwealth and East Coast Brotherhood to weaken them for an Enclave assault. This culminated in the Enclave assault on the Prydwen, forcing Elder Maxson to retreat back to the Capital Wasteland.

 Fallout 5: Tactics 

The year is 2300, 13 years after the events of Fallout 4.
A squad of the Chicago-based Midwest Brotherhood intercepts a transmission from the East Coast Brotherhood, calling for aid from the West Coast Brotherhood in a last-ditch effort to defend the Capital Wasteland from the Commonwealth-based Enclave assault.
Our character, a Midwest Brotherhood Paladin dubbed the Major, must traverse the Midwest, gaining new allies and attempting to mend the fractured Midwest Brotherhood to aid in the coming conflict. Our character must also fix up a convoy to traverse the wasteland of the Midwest in order to make it to the East Coast. Various quests and side quests will provide the character with allies and further supplies for the coming conflict and further cement the Midwest Brotherhood's position within the region.
Once the player believes they have gathered their small army sufficiently and created their convoy, they embark on a journey towards the East. Along the way, they are intercepted by Enclave and Super Mutant forces. Upon entering into the Capital Wasteland, the general's forces link up with what’s left of the East Coast Brotherhood who have been hiding out in Rockopolis after the Citadel was infiltrated and taken over by the Enclave. DC now acts as the front lines of a war yet again between the Enclave, Brotherhood, and a new faction in the wasteland called the Behemoths, an organized and somewhat intelligent super mutant group led by an intelligent mutant named Osiris, who was once a member of the Master's army. Osiris united the D.C. Mutants and launched his own series of attacks on the Brotherhood when the Enclave took hold of the Citadel.
Along the way, we meet a one-armed Three Dog who barely survived the Enclave bombing of the GNR building but has since set up shop in Broadcast Tower KTB with a small contingent of Brotherhood Paladins who aided against the Enclave, rescuing Three Dog.
As the Major and the elders plot out a plan to assault the Enclave at the Citadel.
Mid west Factions: 1. Brotherhood of Steel (Midwest Chapter): - The player's faction, focused on preserving pre-war technology and knowledge. - Known for their advanced technology and power armor. - Initially, they prioritize their interests but may assist others if it aligns with their goals.

1. Midwest Brotherhood Outcasts:
   
   • A splinter faction of the Brotherhood of Steel, formed due to disagreements over the main Brotherhood's leadership or ideologies.
   • They may possess similar technology and resources as the main Brotherhood but operate independently, sometimes in opposition to their parent faction.
2. Reavers:
   
   • A ruthless raider group terrorizing the Midwest wasteland.
   • Known for their brutality and willingness to pillage and plunder.
   • Considered a major threat to the stability of the region, often in conflict with other factions.
3. The Vikings:
   
   • A raider group modeled after the historical Vikings (with a mixture of the football Minnesota Vikings.)
4. Gammorin's Army Remnants:
   
   • A militant faction once led by the super mutant Gammorin.
   • Composed primarily of super mutants, they seek to establish dominance over the wasteland through force.
   • Viewed as a formidable enemy by other factions due to their strength and aggression.
5. Vault 0:
   
   • A vault inhabited by a powerful supercomputer known as the Calculator.
   • The Calculator once sought to expand its influence and control over the wasteland, posing a significant threat to other factions; however, it was reprogrammed by someone named the Warrior in the year 2197. This effectively deactivated and left the army of robots dormant and sealed away within Vault 0. Their advanced technology and military capabilities make them a formidable adversary and an equally valuable ally if they can only be reactivated and reprogrammed.
6. Tribal Communities:
   
   • Various tribes and communities scattered throughout the Midwest wasteland.
   • They may have their own customs, traditions, and conflicts.
   • Depending on the player's actions, they could become allies, enemies, or neutral parties.

As the player ventures further into the capital wasteland they find that it is now far greener than in the past and wild punga fruit now can be found around the wastes, if the player makes a detour to oasis they will find that Harold has rapidly grown and from the Potomac River (death law sanctuary) in the west to temple of the union in the east is now a lush paradise (that is if it weren’t for all the deathclaws and raiders who stalk the forest.) As Harold/Bob spread, the brotherhood eventually sent out missions to learn more about it, after encountering Linden, they made a formal treaty with the poplars, in which the poplars were given water in exchange for the fresh fruit from the oasis. The brotherhood also helped encourage the trade of Punga with the Poplars to be grown within the oasis to help aid soil development and remove radiation. The poplars now tend the forest and have become somewhat of a nature inspired farming/fire fighting force, having a couple of villages throughout the forest network. However raider gangs also set fire to the trees, (if the player investigates they’ll find out that the enclave is paying the raiders to burn the trees and fight their way in to help destabilize the brotherhoods food supply and trade routes)
If the player chooses to side with the poplars/ Brotherhood the trees will continue to spread at a rate of 1 mile for every 24 real world hours that pass in game.
If the player helps the enclave they will be tasked with infiltrating the original Oasis and burning Harold alive, and the trees will dwindle at the same rate until the oasis is fully gone.

TL;DR: We are looking at options to store our stuff while we are recovering so we can go through and clean or trash it later as we are too sick to deal with it now. Will cardboard boxes that have been in the home with the mold cause issues in a storage unit?
We are trying to work with a company to do a quick inventory and pack out. I have already tried for several hours to work on placing the items in plastic IP67 bins, but doing all that moving in pastic coveralls and respirator is exhausting. I’ve got the most important and expensive stuff mostly done, the rest is just clothes and ancillary things like kitchen items so I don’t mind having them doing pack out.
The issue is we just moved to this new unit recently so a lot of it is still in cardboard moving boxes. Is there any risk the boxes will grow more mold or cause issues in the storage unit?. I don’t want to risk liability. I am looking for something climate controlled.
We will likely be hiring someone next year to help with remediation and disposal, we just can’t afford it right now. That and we need the stuff out to break lease.

After my first breakup and the endless pain it caused, I thought I could handle anything. A few years back, I even received a diagnosis for ulcerative colitis and managed to cope with the diagnosis and the ongoing suffering. After five years, I opened my heart to another woman.
Two years later, it happened. She met a guy online. I didn't think much of it because men and women can be friends (though it's tough, but possible). He even had a girlfriend, so I wasn't overly worried. After meeting him a few times, she went on a university trip to Switzerland and came back a changed person. She wanted to spend the night at her mom’s, which was fine by me. She said she'd text me when she got there—it’s a 30-minute trip. Five hours later, she suddenly returned home. I was terrified, thinking she had died or something else horrible had happened. When she got home, she said she'd been out drinking with a friend, and we went to sleep because I was too exhausted to discuss anything. The next day, I demanded to see her phone because I didn't believe her (after she didn’t even notify me about her plans), but she refused. Long story short, she had been with Julian, the guy from the cinema. They had gone to watch the northern lights and had some drinks. I pressed her, unable to understand how she could keep this from me. Since she struggles with emotional stress, she confessed that she had kissed my best friend a few months back. After further arguing, she admitted it happened twice more, once at our place.
I told her straight away that we could get through this, and we discussed why it happened. She hadn't felt emotionally secure with me, and I see that now. Yes, it wasn't my fault she strayed, but I hadn't treated her as well as she treated me for the longest time. I wasn't terrible, but I hadn't made her my top priority, and she felt it. She had told me several times how important it was, but she never conveyed just how serious the situation was. We decided to try again, and she agreed to stop seeing Julian for some time (she didn't want to stop texting him because she finds it incredibly hard to make friends and didn’t want to lose that—she said she'd stop if she felt something romantic could happen).
Why didn't I treat her better? I can't tell you. Maybe my illnesses stressed me out! Maybe it was university, which has never stressed me so much, that kept me from paying enough attention to my girlfriend. I just didn't realize how serious it was.
A few days ago, my girlfriend decided to take a break from me to clear her thoughts and find out if she can still love me.
And then, as if things couldn't get worse: in two days, she was supposed to start a month-long break, and just now, she wrote to me that Julian's girlfriend had broken up with him, just as I had predicted.
My disease has flared up again due to stress, and it's the most important university semester of my life, but I can't go on because I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE.
Perfectly timed with our break starting, Julian's girlfriend broke up with him. I don't know what to do with myself. I love my girlfriend, even after everything, and I don't want to lose her. But after everything, especially this last part, I feel like I know where this is going. I just can't deal with it. I can't watch TV shows, I can't eat, and most of the time, I can't even cry. The only thing keeping me going is the hope that nothing happens with Julian this month and she comes back to me, so I can show her that she is my number one priority (alongside my own well-being). And I've never meant anything so seriously.
I don't know what to do with myself. I want to tell her to cut off contact with Julian, but she won't; I want to tell her to stay with me, but she won’t. And when I express my fear that she might develop feelings for Julian during the break, she tells me she can't imagine that happening.
I don't know what to do anymore. Thank you for reading this far. Writing is the only thing I can do right now.
I feel like I barely exist these days, especially now. I’ve thought about hurting myself, but I won’t. I know I won't end my life, and I won't harm myself. I can't imagine how terrible the next months will be, but I have to survive somehow, even though I feel I may never be happy again.
So... I don't know what I'm expecting from this... Advice? I Quess. I can't imagine anyone can help. I still have to try everything.
**TL;DR;** : My girlfriend cheated and wasnt happy in the relationship and i need help, advice.. anything.

First off - stop saying California. California is huge. She said - now that she lives in California she can try out all these new stylists etc. Bro - Hemet is a lot different than Calabasas/Hidden Hills!! Sorry it’s a thing for me as an Angeleno - all of Italy fits inside California. You must specify between northern, central and southern and then between those areas. Cause San Diego and Los Angeles are not next to each other nor are they the same.
But the thing I can’t understand. Why are her teeth so crooked after braces????? I’m confused

PET Scan results
Hello! Can someone please help me interpret these PET scan results? I have been having fevers without any clear cause for 3 months now, and although the doctors have very low suspicions for lymphoma, this makes me nervous that I had lymph nodes that were FDG avid. Thank you!
I mainly want to know if I should push for a biopsy or get a second opinion now that we have these results. The doctors (including an oncologist) really don't think it's cancer, but I have been sick for 3 months now and the results of this scan are worrying me.
18F with swollen axillary and cervical lymph nodes for the past three months and fever of unknown origin. Have had all the infectious and rheumatological work up imaginable. History of anxiety and depression. Genetic testing was unremarkable except for one of the genes that is correlated with Yao syndrome. I have the results of many more tests that I could also share if that would help.

FINDINGS: Overall PET and CT image quality and inter-modality registration are satisfactory. Mediastinal blood pool SUVavg is 3.6. Hepatic parenchyma SUVavg is 2.3. Head and Neck: Reactive, bilateral level 2 FDG avid cervical lymph nodes. Thorax: Physiologic FDG uptake within the thorax. Abdomen and Pelvis: Decreased density affecting the liver parenchyma suggestive of diffuse fatty infiltration with heterogeneous FDG avid appearance. Osseous Structures: Physiologic FDG uptake within the osseous structures. Lower Extremities: Physiologic FDG uptake. 

Hi, I'm 20y old, I've been working for 2 years as manual QA Engineer in IT Company. I want to change my job, due to the low salary and country in which I live now. The company I'm working for is located in Ukraine, but I'm in the Netherlands cause I left Ukraine when my city was occupied. I can safely call myself as a gamer, and I always was interested in it, so I have a question: If I have testing expirience and I like gaming, is it possible to apply to some remote game tester job ? I don't have any clue and want to find out.

Cross posting from over ftmover30 after learning of this sub!
Going for my initial visit to start my transition process next week, but obviously been doing research for forever. Something I never looked up before and now can't seem to find any answers regarding is: What is it like transitioning after already going through the changes from pregnancy? I was pretty gender neutral body shape wise before my pregnancy but afterwards my body really took on a feminine silhouette. Obviously T can't undo all that's been done but how realistic of an effect can I expect? Has anyone else faced this and what was your experience? (I'm mostly concerned about my hips and my body shape. Before pregnancy I was a flat straight body shape and since my pregnancy my body has an hour glass shape. I'm worried I won't be able to get rid of the hourglass ness of it. For reference: pregnancy was at 31, 3 years ago.)
Apologies in advance if any of the above is worded poorly or triggering in any way.