my friend (18 f) has been sending me (18 f) mixed signals since fall last year and it dont really know what to make of it. for context, ive been and out lesbian since middle school and i met this girl at the beginning of junior year through one of my childhood friends. I sat with my childhood friend and her friend group for lunch because she offered and i didnt have anyone else to sit with. throughout the year i got close to all of them and they ended up being my main friend group that year and me and this one girl especially got close. we just really hit it off and were really good friends. that summer i had this group over a couple of times and we hung out a bunch. my timeline of all the important events to the story are kinda janky but im gonna do my best to them in order. summer rolls around and everything is fine, me and this girl get even more close and were basically texting everyday about random stuff, just being friends. it isnt until senior year started that everything started being weird. when i got my schedule for the year i realized i had none of my friends in any classes, i didnt know anyone so i didnt see that group during the day but we all talked and stuff outside of school. she held a halloween party every year and i went, me her and my childhood friend went to a pumpkin patch, normal stuff. some time passes and one night in novemeber we get to texting. we had been doing this thing for a few weeks where shed ask me for a movie recommendation and live text me as she watched it. so were watching the movie and texting and somehow the conversation took a turn to the topic of relationships. she was just venting to me about all her insecurities and fears when it comes to talking to people and i was offering m support, me and my friends vent to each other all the time so it was pretty normal. she had identified as bi for as long as id known her but had beeing talking about how she thought she was only attracted to men and that all the girls shed either liked or pursued she envied or was jealous of in some capacity. i told her i totally understood and was offering as much support as i could having very similar experiences with me. as the convo went on i started giving more input not wanting to seem uninterested to i started telling her some of the things im insecure about in relationships (i have zero experience when it comes to this stuff, ive never even talked to a girl before but i still have my issues) and everytime i listed one, she would say something like 'but i like that in a person'. the first time i didnt think much of it but it became a pattern after the next 5 times and soon after that she sent the message 'if only you were a boy or i liked girls'. i think its self explanatory as to why thats shitty but it didnt really bother me in the moment, i thought it was weird but i dont think it had hit me. soon after that night, wed gone to my childhood friends birthday party and everything was fine. the next weekend she asked me to go to six flags with her, and the way she worded it made it sound like it was gonna be a group thing but it ended up being just us. it was a pretty normal hangout, i mean there was an appropriate amount of awkwardness but we both just really enjoyed each others company. i went to the school musical to see her and a couple of my other friends about a month after that but she gradually stopped texting and i stopped texting first and we didnt talk from january to march after that. then after two months of no communiction, she invited me to her birthday pool party. now forgive me if im reading too far into this, but seeing someone for the first time in months while youre all half naked is kinda weird, no? anyways i go to the party and its very awkward. i hadnt seen anyone all year especially her and i just tried to make the best of the situation. that night we had our first convo since our 'hiatus' and i ended up watching a movie she reccommended. few days after that, we started talking semi regualry again and i told her i missed talking to her because i did and we just kinda caught each other up on stuff that had happened since we last talked. we went to another party for another one of our friends and stayed up to listen to the new taylor swift album together but its evident we arent as close or as comfortable as we used to be. prom rolls around and she makes dinner reservations for our group, one of our friends gets a last minute date and she makes a big deal over adding him so late bc it was a hassle but added someone upon my request immediately. prom night she also avoided eye contact with me a bit at dinner and i didnt see her a whole lot at the dance itself. the last few songs i was with her and a couple of our other friends singing and dancing (she wouldnt make eyecontact with me at all while we were btw) and to my surprise, when all walked off and one of the last slow dances started she asked me to dance. i said yes because why not, its prom and we danced. it wasnt anything weird or awkward, it was actually really nice. after the dance, our whole big group went and hungout at her house after and she didnt really acknowledge me. like usually when shes avoiding me i can tell, but she just didnt even acknowldge my existence really. its the day after, prom was last night and i don't really know how to feel. i guess im just askinf for advice on what to make of this or whether i should ask her about any of this? i dont really know.

Throwaway account, don't want it to be linked to mine. So my wife (32F) and I (34M) had an agreement in place that as soon as we had kids she'd stop working completely and rely only on my income for her and the family's needs. We're hoping to have 3 or 4 kids in a 5 to 7 years span and the agreement is that she'd work only once the youngest is around 12 years old, so it could be a pause of 17 to almost 20 years of being a stay at home mom. So far so good, we made this decision together, I really wanted for our kids to experience a having their mom focusing on them full time, and not sacrifice their education and development. Also both of us would never want to have someone else educate our kids, e.g. a nanny.
Now the issue at hand began around 2 months ago, when my wife finally announced she's quitting her position soon to focus on her family. Reactions were pretty negative, with friends from her work trying to convince her she's being manipulated by me being the most recurrent thing coming up. Some mutual friends are saying I'm trying to control her, that I was jealous of her earning more than me and being more successful. Now income wise, we're fortunate as even if she just recently started hitting income around 250k, my work in tech as a consultant still brings in around 180k so it's not like we can't live on a single salary.
Now I discussed this with my wife and she still wants go trough it and honor our plan for the kids, but the one critic that made me think it over the most and that I knew gave my wife a hard time is that I'm stealing all the hard work my wife went through to be a surgeon and depriving society of a trained surgeon which is quite an essential worker.
So, AITAH?
TLDR: My wife and I agreed that she stops working until the youngest of our kids is 12 yo, she's a surgeon and I'm a consultant in tech; I'm blaming for depriving society of a surgeon.
Edit: wow didn't notice that error in the title.. "depriving" ofc

Hello! I’m hoping this is a good subreddit to ask this question. Has anyone else suffered from hormonal breakouts on their face since starting hydrocortisone steroids ? I’ve been on them for about 2 months now and noticed my face has been breaking out pretty badly since then. Beforehand my face was pretty much clear and even, even when I wouldn’t do my skincare regimen. But for some reason, now it’s been really really bad even while both using skincare products and not using products. So im wondering if it is tied to the steroids, and if so.. if any of you guys have dealt with this too and know any ways to help with the breakouts. Thank you in advance !
I added photos of how it currently looks and one photo of how it used to look. I don’t have many good photos because I don’t like taking them so I apologize for the one of how my skin used to look as it’s the only one I could find.

Hi everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster.
Like the title says, I'm stuck in a tough situation with my (24F) boyfriend (21M) of ten months and... well, I don't really know what to do, if anything. This is going to be a lengthy post!
To give some important background: We are a mostly medium distance couple. We go to different colleges, about four hours away from each other, but during breaks he moves back home to his family, which is the same town I live in. During this last school year we were visiting each other every weekend, which honestly proved to be way too stressful and overwhelming for me. Now it's summer, though and, like I said, he's back here living with his family for the break. We met last summer and our honeymoon phase was great! Lots of good sex, fun dates, and really just excitement from being so into someone, but the honeymoon phase is over now and I'm seeing some hugely glaring issues.
We, or I guess mostly I, have been having issues since spring break when he came to stay with me for the week. Seems like a dream come true for a medium-distance couple, right? Wrong!!! I felt so smothered that at one point even him touching me felt like acid. On top of this experience, I had a really demanding spring semester, I started a new SSRI, and all those months of having little to no alone time because I was spending every single weekend (literally Thursday night to Sunday morning) with him was starting to burn me out. This is probably a good time to mention that I struggle with avoidant attachment tendencies. I had to learn independence at a young age, so when things get hard or overwhelming I go inward every single time. I have been actively working on being more comfortable with vulnerability, but I still don't like to share my feelings until I've figured out what they are and where they're coming from. He, on the other hand, struggles with anxious attachment and has never been in a relationship with someone who is avoidant (or someone who is neurodivergent, like I am). This leads us misunderstanding each other pretty often.
After spring break, we texted each other less and less and when we did text it was almost entirely NPC dialogue. "Hey, how are you?" "I'm good! How are you?" "Aw, that's good. I'm good :) My day was really good." And not much else. I was starting to feel... flighty and trapped, but I didn't know why so I never told him and I didn't think the feeling would manifest into anything.
Then one weekend in April he came to stay the weekend with me. This was a rough time. My grandmother was staying with me, visiting from out of state, it was show week for a production I had been working on almost all semester (theatre ppl know how fucking stressful show week can be), and I was preparing for finals. I was also feeling some side effects from my Lexapro, like no sex drive and emotional blunting. Over the weekend he begged me for sex, which I gave into a couple of times just so he would stop whining, but one night in particular really upset me because he legitimately would not stop. I would try to change the subject, and within two minutes he'd say something like, "Give me two reasons you don't want to have sex!" When I held my boundary firm, he pouted and went to bed. After he went home for the week, he acknowledged that what he did was not cool and apologized, but I could not look at him the same after that. My feelings of being smothered and trapped only intensified. About a week after that, we had an honest discussion about my feelings and mutually decided to go on a break so that we could both focus on our finals.
I had been feeling like there has to be something wrong with me, like these relationship issues are happening because I'm of flawed character or something, but during our break I started to feel better than I have this entire year so far and I realized that there's nothing actually wrong with me, I'm just 24 years old and out of the six years I've officially been an adult, I've spent probably five and a half years in three relationships. I realized that I want to be my own person and that I want to decenter both men and romantic relationships all together in my life.
Here's where we get into the problem at hand.
I tried to break up with him when summer break started and we saw each other in person for the first time in two weeks. I realized that doing what is best for me was going to inevitably result in him being neglected and resenting me. I don't want that to happen! I told him that I didn't think we were on the same page and that we're more incompatible than I thought, but he disagreed and basically said he would sacrifice anything to be with me. I told him I don't want to be in an unbalanced relationship like that, but we stayed together. We agreed that I would do whatever it is that I need to do to satisfy my craving for independence and he will just sit back, and he's okay with that as long as he "doesn't lose [me]".
That was almost three weeks ago and my feelings of suffocation subsided for a bit, but they're back in full force after an argument we got into last week about some stupid miscommunication. We've barely been texting, mostly just good morning/good night stuff, and we haven't seen each other at all, He wants to come spend the night in a few days, but I'm not even sure if I want him to.
Don't get me wrong, I love him (I think I do, anyway) and neither of us have done anything wrong to the other person.
You're probably like, "Girl, break up with him already," which, yeah, I agree, but like I said I tried and got nowhere. I have a feeling that breaking up is going to be almost impossible, unless he somehow comes to see my point of us being incompatible. I honestly don't believe that he's going to be okay with me doing what I want to do, focusing on myself, decentering our relationship from my life, because it is going to end up with him feeling neglected. It would look like us talking to each other very little, seeing each other even less, and me not having sex unless I want to (which is going to be very, very little because of the Lexapro impacting my sex drive). I know these things are going to bother him, especially the sex.
Is it manipulative to go through with our plan of me doing "whatever" to focus on myself when I feel like the result is going to be him feeling insecure in our relationship? I tried to tell him, to get him to think about it, but he feels so strongly that it won't impact him negatively. It's not like I'm purposefully trying to get him to break up with me, but another part of me doesn't really care if he does-- even maybe hopes that he does (idk, feelings I haven't analyzed yet). I don't feel strongly enough to try to break up with him a second time yet... but maybe I should? I know that we will, sooner or later.
But, maybe this is me overanalyzing everything. Or maybe I'm a villain, I honestly can't tell.
TLDR;
Tried to break up with BF over basic incompatibility (I want to be independent and focus on myself, he wants a committed relationship), BF says he's fine with me doing whatever I feel like I need to do to focus on myself, but I know that it's going to make him feel insecure and anxious over time. I feel like we will break up sooner or later, but I don't feel strongly enough to try to break up with him a second time. Is it manipulative to go through with our plan of me focusing on myself even though I know it will come at a detriment to our relationship, and maybe secretly hope that it does, to make him see our incompatibilities?
Thank you <3

Hello! Has anyone else suffered from hormonal breakouts on their face since starting hydrocortisone steroids ? I’ve been on them for about 2 months now and noticed my face has been breaking out pretty badly since then. Beforehand my face was pretty much clear and even, even when I wouldn’t do my skincare regimen. But for some reason, now it’s been really really bad even while both using skincare products and not using products. So im wondering if it is tied to the steroids, and if so.. if any of you guys have dealt with this too and know any ways to help with the breakouts. Thank you in advance !
I added photos of how it currently looks and one photo of how it used to look. I don’t have many good photos because I don’t like taking them so I apologize for the one of how my skin used to look as it’s the only one I could find.

Chapter 1: Meeting C and F

About a year ago on May 2023, I was walking home from a long day at uni and just got done a long programming class. On my way back to the station I was approached by 2 girls. 1 chinese girl we’ll call C, and 1 girl from argentina we’ll call F.
Now they wanted to ask questions for their survey, I was happy to answer because I don’t mind helping others out. They eventually talked about my background and religion and we eventually exchanged phone numbers because I thought they were pretty friendly.
I talked to C a lot, I mean a lot. She wanted me to go out with her, I denied a hundred times because I find the city mentally exhausting. I eventually agreed and we went out and ate food. At the time I thought she was extremely friendly. I don’t remember between this time period and when we first done bible study. So i’ll get onto that.

Chapter 2: Meeting S and J

Me and C went out to QV and she was telling me she was meeting her colleague/mentor I didn’t think much of it at the time. We eventually started doing bible study because I was curious about Christianity, my family are heavy Christians so I thought why not learn about it?
We only done 1 bible study per week because I didn’t wanna sacrifice other parts of my life (my actual friends, gym, family, alone time and yes I like to be alone at times). S tried to convince me to start going 2 times a week but I keep declining, I eventually agreed. My mental health at this point was starting to go downhill a tiny bit.
After a few weeks I think, I went out with C to an event that I didn’t really wanna go to, I wake up late so this gave her a massive inconvenience for C (good thing I did that), and we only attended the event at I think it was called ibis hotel.
There I met J, he seemed a bit off to me but nonetheless I greeted him. I didn’t like the vibe this guy gave me. He said him and C known each other from high school.
C told me that S will teach J bible study, keep in mind that our studies are 2 times a week and it’s been like that for 3-4 weeks? S taught J in 1 week and I was very suspicious. I kept that in mind just incase, which actually helped.

Chapter 3: Manipulation

S would convince me to go 3 times a week now and i’m aware that she’s trying to manipulate me now, I could tell and see right through. I kept on declining because I thought what else is she hiding? What if she starts making me go 4 times a week?
When I got home, I gave it some thought, I eventually decided to do 3 times a week, I was extremely skeptical and curious at the same time. Next lesson I said I will go 3 times a week. At around this timeline at October 2023, my mental health wasn’t doing so great. I had to take an 1hr 2min train ride from my area to CBD and back. I told my family that I was doing extra stuff for my uni. They didn’t bat an eye.

Chapter 4: Wonder

This place S told us to go to was hosted at 52 Albert Street, South Melbourne and we had to go there 3 times a week. You could go any day of the week besides Sunday and you could either attend 10:30am - 12:30pm classes or 6:30pm or 8:30pm, being a late sleeper I chose the evenings.
When I first went there S introduced me to her colleague Z. Now Z seemed like a very positive and caring individual. But I didn’t really see it like that tbh. She seemed like someone that manipulated people. And I was spot on. I had to go out with Z once but her vibe was off to me. Keep in mind we haven’t spoken to F since we like met all the way back on May 2023.
As for the classes itself, the atmosphere before classes commenced were like happy reunion places and that it’s all sunshine and rainbows and anybody was welcome. This place felt extremely off to me. After the classes finished we would split off into homerooms, I just left when the classes finished and Z tried to beg me to stay back for homerooms, I kept on declining and Z said it’s like 10-20mins but the homerooms are like another hour, I eventually told her to piss off. For once I stopped eventually agreeing.
I thought to myself “What kind of fucking rabbit hole did I go down? And what are all these people especially my “friends” getting out of this? What’s in it for them? Why are they doing all these teachings about God for free?”
I kept all the past events on mind to see what I would do next. We were discouraged from using tech and I was told to delete photos of the whiteboard, my reason was because I needed to save them for notes, but I now it’s because that they don’t want any of their faces exposed. I do still have a photo of Z on my camera roll. As she took a selfie with me on my phone when we went out.

Chapter 5: Decline of Mental Health

After a month or 2 on these classes, my mental health was down the drain, one of my friends from high school we will name D also attended these classes. Which felt weird as the city has been the most isolating feeling I have come across.
I had a couple catch up sessions with Z even though I most of the classes. Every class I missed Z would call me and set up a catch up session. Anyways I stopped going for like a week because I didn’t wanna go. Z would call me and just be annoying she wouldn’t give me personal time and space and told me I was selfish.
Now because I didn’t wanna deal with Z at all, I ghosted her for a week, she was angry with me. I told C that I didn’t wanna go for like a week and she understood.

Chapter 6: The Final Straw

Now going into my final class my mate D messaged me and found out these classes are SCJ. I was furious but unsurprised at the same time. Keep in mind I was about to quit these bible studies for good like a week before he found out, it was very toxic towards my mental health.
In my last class Z told me to come with her, we had a 1 on 1. It was like I was being interrogated. Keep in mind I had important appointments too that week I was absent. She told me to still try to attend bible study during those days. I told her no. I told her explicitly I can’t cancel appointments I already set up weeks ago. I could tell she was trying to manipulating me.
She even tried to fake cry I can tell straight away, she told me how selfish I was and that Satan is overtaking me, and how the events of Revelations are gonna commence anytime. I didn’t care, it felt like for the first time in this whole ordeal, I was finally ready to speak out my own opinions. I told her no, she tried to convince me, I tell her no. Until class ended and C asked me if I was okay, to which I replied yes.
As for C and J, they were just there to attend classes with me, J still gave me weird vibes but I was cool with C. S wasn’t present and attended classes once in a blue moon. And as for F, yeah well we can forget about her. Everytime I went home they took the tram with me until we parted ways at the train station.
Now I asked C a question I don’t remember related to the bible, she knew the answer instantly and too well. Now I was convinced that S, C, and J (SCJ reference!) have attempted at recruiting me. I decided to eventually never attend these classes again.
When I got home, I messaged S C J and Z that I will never attend bible study again and how toxic it was towards my mental health.
I answered it in the most friendly manner, that I thanked these bible study sessions for opening my eyes up with God and how important it is to stay away from False Prophets (which I found funny because they talked about 1 John 4:1 and they were false prophets themselves, kinda hypocritical isn’t it?) and I was gonna take my own path with God. And it was a safer option for me.

• Z didn’t reply.
• C asked me why I thought it was SCJ, to which I gave her answers and evidence. She wanted to go out with me again with J, but I said no.
• J told me that he was suspicious and he will talk to Z, I told him that Z is highly manipulative and to not be dumb. Haven’t heard from him since. Most likely a member.
• S surprised me, I thought she would berate me for not loving God and following Satan, as she was responsible for all the events happening. She wished me luck on my journey and fully supported my decision. She didn’t like force me to have an opinion, so I thanked her and wished her good luck.

Chapter 7: Epilogue

After a few months of not going city, staying home, and going on my own lane. My mental health has been in top shape and i’m just grateful that I can hang out with my real friends, spend time with my family that I started to miss. Go and work hard at the gym
I caught up with D a few months later, we had a blast, ever since I left SCJ I haven’t been to the city a lot. Maybe once or twice with my mates, I hate the city now thanks to how mentally exhausting it is for me largely thanks to SCJ. I hate the vibe now. I love my home area and I don’t intend that to change. It’s peaceful for me now.
C contacted me a few months ago, she wanted to catch up with me again, I told her i’ll think about it. Didn’t reply back to her as I didn’t wanna encounter anything again that’s related to SCJ.
Now it’s been a whole year since this whole fiasco started, haven’t spoken any of them and my life has continued on as normal, as if nothing happened. I have many friends that I still talk to. I go uni now again but I don’t like going city anymore. So I get in and out asap. I did see C outside my uni like a few weeks ago but I kept my head down and hid from her path till she walked past me, she didn’t see me at all. Oh and i’m doing well mentally now.

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase : Less than 1k USD
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Would prefer a new laptop, as it will hopefully be used for all four years.
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? I am looking for a smooth performance, fairly big display, and a good battery life. Though, I don't need anything TOO fancy, as I already have a custom gaming PC at home.
• How important is weight and thinness to you? Weight is not too important, but I do need something easily portable
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. I have poor vision, so something on the bigger size is needed
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Most likely i will be running ClipStudioPaint, in addition to a drawing tablet. Though. I will not be playing games on this.
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? No gaming on here :D
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? I have hella sensory issues so a keyboard with a satisfying sound/weight would be awesome, but not necessary!
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. Im hoping to have this computer for all four years of school. Reliability is definitely a big thing for me.

I mean, I’m sure this has been said, but WTF. The lyricism was crazy. It always has been, from "idontwannabeyouanymore" to "TV"—it’s always been there. But I literally don’t know how she managed to up her game. Every single line belongs in a museum. I am not even glazing the duo. It’s just that good.
After listening to the album a few times, I dared myself to find a single average line (to make the re-listens interesting), but there were none. I have always been aware of Billie Eilish since before "WWAFAWDWG." She’s an artist that I listen to for a few weeks, then I move on, but I always return back to her music. However, I’ve never had any strong connection with her. As I’ve matured (I’m 17M), I’ve started to relate to her music more and more. Each time I listen, I realize, “OMG, she wrote about this specific thing that I’m feeling RIGHT NOW”. In the past few months, I’ve gone from revisiting her every once in a while to trying to find every song she’s ever made. I can say I’ve listened to almost all of her discography at this point.
This obsession started a few months ago, so when "HMAS" got announced, I was excited as hell. And OMG it’s perfect. The only critique I could offer is that there aren’t that many songs, but even that argument falls apart when you realize that a few very, very layered songs are better than 20 just great ones.
Moving on from the lyrics, though. The music itself is on another level. Finneas is a genius. The techniques he has used are very, very interesting. I wouldn’t say they’re new, but they are definitely presented in a new way. Am I the only one who feels they have a nostalgic touch? Some of the songs seem iconic 2010 songs coded. It’s like you picked the best songs from that era and put them in an album with insane vocals and lyrics. Finneas has always been great at using simple tricks in music and utilizing them to invent something new.
Especially that “Man, am I the GREAAATESSSTT.” It feels nostalgic and simple yet so powerful, taking you to a new dimension. Pop is returning, I fear.
Then there’s the amount of stuff in a song. During the first few listens, I kept peeking at my phone to see if the song had changed because all of them are so long and change so much in terms of tone, lyrics, and music. It’s so subtle, too. There are a few drops or beat changes, but most of the transitions are so gradual that it feels like you are listening to a new song. For that reason, each song sounds like a whole album. This is also why the number of songs isn’t an issue. I think all of the songs are over three minutes, with some being five minutes long.
Next, the song names. What can I even say? Judging by Billie’s lyricism, I know her vocabulary is amazing. I want her vocabulary right now because I can’t express what I’m feeling about everything. The names are perfect for the songs.
Now, vocals. Billie has always been exceptional at singing. She has improved a lot from her previous album, but the improvement isn’t extremely drastic, considering she’s already at the top. Maybe she lacks in the lower range, but her songs work beautifully with her high range. I think it’s perfect, especially when her voice blends with other singers.
Well, I don’t think I missed anything. I am really, really satisfied with this album. I would rather wait 1,000 days for her next one, but if the rumors about the next album coming soon are true, that couldn’t be better. I would love for some collabs to be included. Again, though, I am very well satisfied with what we got. I love artists who wait and don’t get pressured by fans, especially considering how rude and out of touch some fans are. So, I would say don’t believe 100 percent that the next part is coming soon. If it doesn’t, everyone might start bullying her.
Lastly, it is tied together very well. With the “birds of a feather” reference in “blue” and “blue” reference in “birds of the feather” the album also parallels other songs in particular a lyric parallels “void” by the neighborhood. And lastly, I’ve not listened to it enough times to be sure but certain times i’ve felt like some instrument plays a certain melody in a song and that same instrument plays that same melody in another song. This gives me a feeling like the other song is playing again i’m not sure if this is really happening but i’ve felt that has happened a few times and i’m sure it’s not just my stupid ears.
All in all a win for the queer artists they just keep raising the bar. I love humans and I LOVE billie eilish she’s amazing and mother as fuck. Cheers.

Hello everyone,
Today, I’ve got some nice looking Marvel Premiere Classics in hardcover. They are standard size and have an awesome shelf aesthetic. I’d like to sell them in couples to keep shipping costs to a minimum. If you buy two, free shipping! If you buy one, add $5.
Photos - $60 shipped for all of these. Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller - $25 (new/sealed) Weapon X by Barry Windosor Smith - $20 Wolverine: Origin - $15 Wolverine: Not Dead Yet - $10
Photos - $60 shipped for all of these. Daredevil: Born Again - $20 Daredevil: The Man without Fear - $20 Elektra: Assassin - $25 (new/sealed)
Photos X-Men: Mutant Genesis - $30 X-Men: Kitty Pride & Wolverine - $20 (slight fading) X-Men: Wolverine/Gambit - $20 X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills - $20 ($80 for all of the X-Men books)
Marvels - $20 Spider-Man: Death of the Stacy’s - $20 Spider-Man: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut - $30 (remainder mark) Punisher: Circle of Blood - $25 Alpha Flight - $20 - (remainder mark)
X-Men: Days of Future Past OHC - $40 Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen Omnibus - $30
The Last God HC - $25 Superman: Kryptonite Deluxe Edition - $15 Batman: Gothic - $25 Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Deluxe Edition - $10 Batman by Azzarello and Risso - $25 Batman: The Dark Prince Charming - $15 DC Universe by Mike Mignola - $20 Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Deluxe - $30
American Vampire Vol. 1 and 2 - $135 shipped - Corner dents on the books, but new/sealed Kirby Fourth World Omnibus + Fourth World by John Byrne Omnibus - $105 shipped - Kirby corrected printing, Bryne new/sealed. Not splitting this set. Flashpoint Omnibus - $80 shipped - new/sealed Irredeemable Trilogy Deluxe Set - $150 shipped - Heavy damage to Incorruptible but the book reads just fine.
Photos Absolute Wonder Woman: Gods & Mortals - $65 shipped - new/sealed Absolute Dark Knight III & Golden Child Deluxe - $65 shipped
All dust jackets have various degrees of shelf wear but the books themselves are in very good shape. Books are cross-posted. Happy to look at your trade lists.

[ First / Previous ]
Memory Transcription Subject: Hileen, Krakotl Fugitive Recovery Agent
Date [standardized human time]: November 28th, 2136
It'd been a while since I sat in Marlig's office for a talk face-to-face. Given the agency's secluded location at the edge of the downtown region, it was a chore to drop by when it wasn't for business, but I'd deemed the matter at hand to be worth my time.
I passed by Nampi at her desk on my way to the door and she gave me a coy glare as I carried on. Trying to ignore her risible ear waggle, I turned the corner to the door with my boss’s name painted on the glass panel where I could hear the frantic crumpling of paper.
Quietly, I entered Marlig's office without prompt as I knew he hated to be spooked by knocking. My mentor was surprisingly spry for a bird at his age, sorting through papers with one wing and an eye while using his talons with the other to set away the papers he had splayed out.
“Hileen!” he chirped. “Glad you could make it in today. I was just finishing up my paperwork. Take a seat.”
It was always nice to hear him drop the professional motif for a more grandfatherly attitude when speaking in person. I did as he suggested and took a seat while he grumbled to himself over the sorting. My eye caught a few of the old contracts he was rifling through and saw that some dated back to his days as an agent.
Eventually, he left some sitting out as he sequestered the rest back into their files, sorted by a dichotomy that only he and Nampi could comprehend fully. He motioned with a wing for me to peruse and I turned the first one to face me to find it was my first contract, signed by me in a sloppy fashion. “This takes me back a couple of years.”
“Slick bastard thought he could get away on a forklift but you showed him! Certainly more exciting than my first day!”
“Mm-hmm. And it was when I nearly got impaled that you had the idea to commission all of us utility vests.”
He chuckled, “I really should’ve done so sooner. Cuts and scratches were already a risk, but a forklift was a new one!”
I flipped through the pages of each report, finding that Marlig's notes were filled with praises of my work. There were highs and lows, but I was flattered to find that the grizzled krakotl held my performance in such high regard.
“Flawless interception!” read one footnote about me catching a runner. “Couldn't have done it better myself!”
Marlig waited patiently as I browsed quickly through each page, realizing more and more how the notes also marked improvements in my work. How I found it easier to talk down a rowdy client, or apprehend them in the case that they were beyond helping on my part. Flowery language plastered most pages with him fawning over my work as a doting father would to his prodigal child.
The trend took a sharp turn as the notes became fewer and more critical the closer the dates reached to the present. I brushed the others aside with a wing to peruse the final paper. “And this…”
“Is Tac. Your latest contract. The most recent in a line of declining performance since the interview. This has become a pattern, Hileen, and its consequences are beginning to reach beyond yourself. Paji and Vesek resigned recently for personal reasons, which leaves us even less hands on deck than before. That's four people to cover the entire municipal region, and maybe even beyond, should needs arise. Three, if we include this little probation I have you on.”
“What was I supposed to do? Marlig, these ‘jobs’ you've got us working on overstep the contracts we were signed on with. Our job is to make sure people obey their court-mandated duties, not drag them off to the facilities ourselves!”
“... So the trip we took to the facilities did bother you.”
A sigh clicked in my throat as he reminded me. “Is that what happens to the people we take in, Marlig? Is that what would've happened to your wife?”
His feathers ruffled.
“That's what happens to those who are too dangerous to the general public to be left roaming free. Not everyone we deal with winds up there, but everyone can be subject to it. Miskela sued for her exoneration and proved in court that she was not diseased. I brought you there to show you how it helps the people, but I see now that it was a mistake. I understand why you were so perturbed, really, but it's how things have been for centuries. It's how we've protected ourselves from the dangers out there.”
“You were willing to let Barsul be interned there, too.”
Marlig flinched and sighed as he swept the papers towards himself once I'd signaled I was done. He turned one eye to me while he sorted them.
“There's no room for favoritism, girl. I negotiated for him to be allowed to walk free, and look where that got me. That boy - your neighbor - suffered the consequences of my nepotism. So too would the girl, had nobody intervened.”
“Like Richard.”
“The human, yes. Or you. Or the police. Where does this sudden obsession with humans come from, anyway? I get notifications of you talking about the acceptance of them all the time on forums.”
“Does it even need explaining?”
“Well, I guess not, no, but it's certainly an about-face from the way you used to talk about them with me beforehand.”
“People can change, for better or worse. Which one I fall under remains to be seen.”
Marlig stroked at the plumage on his neck as he finished his sorting. “I hope it's the former, for your sake. Was there any reason you came to talk, or were you just checking that I hadn't gone senile?”
“Well, I was hoping to borrow your secretary for the evening.”
He perked up while his eyes narrowed and he laced his fingers together with curiosity. “You… want to spend an evening with Nampi?”
“It's not what you're insinuating, but yes.”
“I was insinuating nothing,” he warbled coyly. “Go ahead and take her, and make sure to split the bill at dinner.”
“Pain-in-the-ass geezer. I'll keep in touch if your friend causes any more trouble.”
“Keep in touch regardless. Miskela and I get lonely in our old age,” he called back. “Take care.”
I stepped out into the hallway and turned toward the desk where I could hear the secretary's claws tapping furtively at her keyboard. Nampi sat silently with her ears and tail in a relaxed position that implied a bored demeanor. There was barely any response as I stood before her, waiting politely for her acknowledgment that never came.
Hesitantly, I cleared my throat.
An ear raised in acknowledgement, but her focus remained on the screen of her computer. “Mhm?”
“Do you…?”
Her ear rotated toward me, though she still maintained a passive attitude as she continued to glare mindlessly at the monitor.
“Are you free this evening?”
“Well, I'm quite booked, I believe. Why do you ask?”
I was surprised at her curt, dry tone. She hadn't spoken with me like this since we first got to know one another.
“Well,” I started. “I realized something. Every time we went out, whether it was clubbing, or dinner, or even walking around the parks, you always footed the bill. And so…”
Slowly, her other ear perked up and I saw her keystrokes slow down as she listened in.
“I wanted to return the favor?”
Her lips smacked as she opened her mouth, though paused before she spoke. “How could you possibly do that?”
“With a little gesture of friendship.”
Nampi's horizontal pupil turned up toward me and her tail twitched.
I continued, “So that belt you're wearing? It's the same belt you've worn since we first met. And I know you're the pragmatic type who'd never spend a credit more than she needs to, except for all the times you do"- her ears twitched in indignance -"I wanted to see about getting you a little something… extra?”
Her paws raised from the keyboard and she leaned in, resting her snout on her palms. “Go on.”
The bubbly venlil's tail sold out her collected facade as it twitched with anticipation. She was cornered and she didn't even know it yet.
“Well, I found just the place on the other side of town where we can start. It's a place almost as rich and indulgent as yourself.”
“The Platinum Paw? I mean3”
Her ears folded back in embarrassment as she cracked. She wasn't cut out for acting anyway.
“So that's what it's called! Jeez, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was called. Now what do you say? We go over there and find you something nice—”
I hadn’t even finished my thought before Nampi had grabbed her bag and was out the door, giving me a playful tail flick that said come and get me.

The place I suggested was in a shopping center on the opposite side of town, though easily accessible because of its proximity to the transport rails. Nampi had insisted on grabbing something to eat beforehand and so now gleefully bit into a bundle of stalks that had been “grilled” as explained from the food truck we'd stopped at.
Her tail flicked back and forth with her usual enthusiasm as we entered the massive complex of stores. The roofless plan allowed the natural, orange sun to flood the upper levels while artificial lighting illuminated the ground level wherever the light couldn't reach.
The place was built in the last decade by the previous City Magister in a bid for popularity, though ultimately for naught as he would lose the vote following a scandal involving an iftali priestess and a carved bar of soap. I had to say that despite being sick in the head, he sure had a great sense of decor.
Nampi snacked away, joining me in admiring the scenery as we continued to the place I’d planned out for us. Aimless chatter all melded together into a single, thrumming murmur as pedestrians navigated the many levels and stores offered in the place.
A troupe of children passed by us, held in a chain of tails and arms as they were escorted by a pair of venlil who I assumed were students and teachers on a school trip. I caught a whiff of a sweet, aromatic breeze and found it to come from a perfume shop on the same level as us; naturally, venlil were not to be found inside.
We passed a fountain where a couple sat on the edge, their tails twined together as they giggled and flirted. I turned and caught Nampi watching them as well, though she awkwardly returned to sucking the remains of her meal from her claws when we made eye contact. Her ears lifted when I raised a wing to signal to the store we were going to stop at first.
“Platinum Paw, The Greatest Fashion Emporium For Everyone!”
The title alone was painfully cliche, taken to the tenth power by the brightly lit store taking up three department slots. Despite the flashy exterior, though, it was the best place to shop for belts, brooches, and bracelets alike. Customers who looked like they earned my yearly salary in a week browsed the higher end brands while I brought my friend to the section I wanted to show her.
Her ears were held up as we stood together next to a shelf chock full of fashionable bags and bandoliers of every variety.
“Pick one,” I told her.
Nampi's ears shot to a straight pose in surprise, “Any?”
“Within reason. I've got a few extra credits to blow and I know nobody better to spend it on.”
With an inviting headtilt, I let Nampi peruse the shelves at her leisure. Her lips pursed together and her tail flicked with glee as she fingered at every piece that caught her eye. I chuckled at her outburst of enthusiasm while turning to find my own items to gloss over.
A breeze from outside nipped at my beak while I considered what I’d like to purchase. The place dripped with an atmosphere of faux hospitality, from the bright blue-stained floorboards to the radio prattling off advertisements in a sickeningly sweet tone to the faint, fruity aroma of scented cleaner. It was oppressive as only a fissan-owned company could be to the senses.
What I wouldn’t pay to see how a human would fare in such an environment.
I knew they were social creatures at least, but I had no doubt that the predatory senses of a human, so honed to hunting, would get overstimulated in this center of gaudy indulgence. Knowing I was something of a predator myself made me sympathize provided that even I had to squint to keep the pale lights inside from searing my eyes. I could only imagine how the arboreal eyes of a Terran would fare. I was so lost in thought imagining how lost the Terrans would be that I could almost ignore the obnoxious giggling and metallic rattling coming from behind me.
Risking a peek at the source, into my sight came a pair of venlil, one a male carrying a pair of bags as well as a couple more strapped to his belt. The bored expression in his eyes was not one of a man who was in high spirits. The other venlil was a woman who was the source of the noise.
Her mottled gray pelt was accented by a tasteful belt design, free of almost any practical functions but not flashy or excessive in garnishment either. At least, that’s what I would say, were it not for the braid of beads that dangled on the belt, jingling with each bounce of the lively woman’s stride. It was clear that such a gaudy accessory was intended to draw attention to her, though why was a mystery. Certainly, the shiny braids seemed designed as decoration first and practical second.
She turned about and I faced back to my browsing before she could catch me staring. Nampi was nowhere in sight, though I figured she was somewhere behind the shelf, sifting through every accessory on the section I'd suggested.
Clink.
Something pelted to my immediate right. I tilted my head to spot a tree nut shell clattering to the floor. Without being able to guess where it came from, I had to wonder what could've launched it over this way. Even with my keen eyesight, nobody in the crowd seemed to be a suspect.
Clink.
Another shell pelted my vicinity, ricocheting off of the floor and hitting the shelf I was standing next to. I ruffled my feathers in frustration - clearly, someone was trying to get my attention, though I couldn't make out who it was. Out of the corner of my vision, the woman from before eyed me curiously as I looked about, though I wasn't interested in engaging with her.
Thwack.
One more shell came flying and, unfortunately, the aim on this one was true, nailing me on the beak. Irritated, I stormed out of the store to find the source of the instigator. I scanned over the bodies to find anyone who could've been responsible for this indignity, eventually concluding that it came from the dining area across the walkway.
Whoever was responsible was in for an earful and I was already structuring which of the offender's family members would be acceptable as fodder for stray words. As I approached, I found the tables were mostly empty save for one, which made my heart begin to drop as I met eyes with the only occupant. Suddenly, I was much less inclined to hurl insults.
“Oh, hi there!” Qitel called out in a sickly sweet tone. “Come, take a seat! We have much to discuss!”
The Exterminator clutched a bag of tree nuts in his claws, a pile of discarded shells already gathered on the table next to him. He grabbed another as I approached, effortlessly prying the shell in half between two claws and tossed the contents into his mouth. “Good protein, these,” he commented as I sat down.
“Must be for that good arm you've got there,” I mumbled. I caught sight of a couple of bags beneath his chair, seemingly from one of the tech stores contained within the center.
“Bah, it's guesswork. So how are you? I haven't heard from you since we worked together!”
“I was just spending time with a friend, shopping and enjoying my time off.”
“Your time off? Oh, am I interrupting something?”
His snide tone irked me, though now wasn’t the time for interjections. “You are, Qitel,” I replied with no shortage of vitriol in my tone. “But I see no harm in chatting for a bit.”
“Good, because I have some merchandise”- he reached into his belt pocket and deposited a couple of items onto the table -“and you’re just the person to look into it, human sympathizer.”
I drew a terse breath in shock, but my worries were quelled when I considered that if Qitel had the power to do anything about it, he would’ve done so instead of approaching me so discreetly. A glance down at the item on the table showed that he was presenting what looked to be a tracker as well as a personal drive. “Found in the garbage,” he told me.
“The guild resorts to dumpster diving when they already have such a bloated budget now?”
“No, featherbrain, I have decided to keep this for myself. These items were found together, sealed in a plastic pouch, and placed in a garbage bin. The city has bans against electronics being placed into public bins, and so I was curious why this wound up in there. Managed to get my coworker, a techie, to crack it open and…”
Qitel reached into his belt again, glowering at me with the same condescending gaze he’d given me when I first saw his face. He seemed to revel in digging for the item as slowly as possible to waste my time. Finally, he found whatever he was looking for and revealed it as a printed piece of paper, folded into eighths. The snobby yotul threw the unfurled paper on the table and rolled it toward me.
I craned my neck to look at the parchment, though I was immediately perplexed by the text on it; it appeared to be some sort of form, going by the boxes with words on the inside, followed by blank lines. “Found on the drive, here,” Qitel told me, jabbing a claw to the storage. “Translator shows it as Terran writing.”
Drawing my holopad from my satchel, I held it over the paper with the translator to get an understanding. Surely enough, the language on it came up positive as a variant of Terran writing and I was affirmed in it being a form of some sort based on the wording of the text. The boxes seemed like an odd sort of job application, asking for the typical name, contacts, and prior work experiences, but quickly took a strange turn as it began asking for where their home on Earth was prior to arrival, what family they had on Venlil Prime if any, and where they worked, implying that they were seeking individuals who were already employed.
I knew little about human employment methods, but I didn’t imagine that sourcing individuals from other jobs was the most efficient way to gain a workforce. Terran service industries already dotted the planet while many humans also found work in local environments. So what was the angle that the creator of this application was going for?
Most concerningly was that the paper had no insignia, identifying marks, or noted address to return the form to. “And where did you find it again?”
“In the garbage, alongside this intact tracker that was activated at the time of recovery. Y’know, when I was dumpster diving. Text on the document showed it was addressed to one ‘Choctaw Nexus’.”
“A pseudonym of some sort?”
“Clearly. Short sorting through the archives shows the first name traces back to the group out east - perhaps you've heard about them. How the name and the items we have here are connected is beyond my understanding, but-”
“Well, this has been an absolutely riveting discussion about your collection of trash, Qitel,” I told him as I stood up to leave. “But this really sounds like an issue to be resolved by your fellow guildsmen.”
The sound of another shell splitting rang out as I turned away.
“I'm not through talking with you, predator.”
The sting as a piece nailed me in the back of the head prompted me to whirl back around, sticking my beak in the insolent yotul's snout. “Perhaps you've forgotten, little man,” I cooed in an equally bittersweet tone to the one he gave me before. “The krakotl never had a problem with settling issues the old-fashioned way before the interview. Try me and find out why I'm in the line of work I am.”
“Oh, we wouldn't want that in such a"- he waved his paw to a group of passersby who had stopped to gawk at my display -”public forum. Please, contain yourself.”
I had to force the feathers on my back to settle and I raised my head away from him. “What else is it you wanted, then?”
“Well, I'd appreciate if you took this merchandise off my paws,” he told me as he brushed the electronics and printout toward me.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you're closer to the humans than I'd ever care to be, and may be able to find out who this Choctaw Nexus is. Something about the package just feels… off. And I know when to trust my feelings. Besides, we both know that you know where Tac is, don't we?”
“I don't-”
“We have videographic evidence that you conspired with a human - of the aforementioned squatters, no less - and let the kid escape. You're not as sneaky as you think, and if we find this ‘Choctaw Nexus’ turns out to be a bad actor that can be traced back to them - and by extension, you - well, there’d be no talking down my boss from having you dealt with. By helping me find out who this is, you may yet be able to clear your name of any wrongdoing.”
I clenched my beak tightly to maintain a straight face. Qitel stood up with a flourish and discarded the bag he was carrying in a bin.
“See, the krakotl were never special for using threats and bullying to get results. It's because you were good at killing predators,” he jeered. “Now, if you don't mind, this primitive has appointments to attend to… old lady who got trampled courtesy of the humans and all. You stay out of trouble, Hileen, and stay in touch.”
The self-assured marsupial melded into the crowd in a matter of seconds, leaving me with a table containing dumpster trophies and a pile of shells. Reluctantly, I swept the shells into my wing and dumped them into the bin before gathering the other two items he'd left me and stuffing them into my bag. I'd been gone from Nampi long enough and she would notice my absence before long.
Crossing the walkway again, I could spot from where I stood that Nampi was indeed still in the Platinum Paw. I approached, and soon I found that while she didn't seem to have noticed me stepping away, she was definitely in a soured mood based on the sagging of her ears and tail. With my talons clacking on the floorboards, I hustled to her side and her mood chippered up ever so slightly as she heard me approach.
I chimed in, “Find anything?”
“Everything. I want everything, Red, and I can't decide on what I want. They all just look so great!”
From behind, a voice called out, “Nampi!”
We both jumped at the exclamation and turned about to spot the venlil lady I'd seen before spring from behind the shelf. The man poked his head from behind the shelf too, though less enthusiastically and with yet another bag in his clutches. My friend's eyes widened in surprise with her tail and ears perking up in kind. With a light in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Nalek!”
The two embraced with shrill squeals and laughter as Nalek's accompaniment and I traded awkward glances.
“It's been too long!”
“You never stayed in contact!”
The women exchanged giddy greetings and the pompous stranger turned to me, leering over me as though she was sizing me up.
“Who's your friend here?”
“Oh she's actually my-...”
Nampi paused for a moment, looking back to me.
“Yeah, she's a friend.”
“A friend,” Nalek repeated while her eyes flicked between Nampi and I. “Right.”
Somehow, I get the impression that that was judgemental.
“I'm Hileen, by the way,” I chirped, “if names are to be exchanged.”
“Hileen, that's a lovely name! And such plumage to match, it's a wonder you aren't swarmed by suitors!”
Internally, I groaned at the notion. The idea of being approached by someone to state their interest in me made me queasy, to say the least. Thankfully, I never had that issue growing up as most of the other drakes in school were too busy chasing girls who didn't have a lousy pigmentation mutation such as myself.
“I'm flattered,” I told Nalek before turning to the man whose name had yet to be introduced. “May we get your name?”
“Sask.”
His response was succinct and tonally flat, though there was a brief silence as I expected him to elaborate. Nalek's beads jingled as she lashed him on the calf with her tail.
“I'm Sask, Nalek's fiancée,” he added, throwing her a look to see if she was satisfied.
Nampi gasped with her paws over her snout. “Fiancée! Nalek, you're getting married and you never even told me!”
“Well, I felt a little guilty since it technically broke our pact we made when we were pups. You remember that?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? ‘Let she who bonds through betrothal first be cast out unto the world for all to admonish her!’”
Sask and I both gave inquisitive expressions. “You two spoke like that as pups?” Sask asked.
“Well, I'm paraphrasing,” Nampi admitted with a playful ear waggle. “But you get the gist.”
“Indeed, they do, sweet Nampi. Now, may I ask what you're doing bringing your avian friend here into this store on this fine claw?”
“Oh, no no, she's the one treating me! Isn't that right, Red?”
I saw her tail twitch and was sure it took restraint not to tickle my neck with it as we stood before her old friend.
“She's been a good friend,” I explained. “So I wanted to reverse the roles for once and treat her to something myself.”
Nampi skipped over to me and wrapped her arm around me, glancing back to her old friend. “See? We'd all be so lucky to have a… friend like her.”
“So I've witnessed. But perhaps you're a bit stuck, as I've seen you prancing up and down these aisles for a while, no? Maybe you don't know what you want?”
“Nalek, you know I've never been good about making my mind up.”
“Some things never change, you ditz. Tell you what: you and Sask go find us a seat and we can catch up all we'd like when we're not taking up aisle space, yes? So shoo! I'll help Hileen here pick one out for you!”
With a bored grunt, Sask made off with the goods he had strapped to himself, followed by Nampi who gave me one more playful tail flick before dashing off into the crowd. I looked back to the mottled snout of Nalek who watched her friend wander off with a wistful glance.
“She was my first, you know.”
“Your what now.”
“Love. Way back when we were growing from pups into young adults back in private education, we explored much together. We saw each other through a lot, including the less savory parts of finding a mate. When Nampi realized it wasn't the boys she was into, she turned to me, and I offered my hand as her stalwart companion… to a point.”
“You weren't interested in her the same way?”
“I'd grown up seeing her as a sister of sorts, so ultimately, when we split it off, we stayed close as friends and she never seemed to be bothered by it. She struggled to find others in school who had the same interests as herself, but she never fussed about it.”
Nalek's claws browsed over a set of pouched bandoliers made with intricate embroidering. “Have you two… spent the night together? Alone?”
Spiritually, I reeled from the inquiry. The whiplash from that question was equitable to being smacked by a human. “Wha- why? How's that pertinent to the subject at hand?”
“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me,” she purred with a smug glance my way.
I didn't need to begin to list the different ways such a question was violating to our privacy, and yet this woman was treating it like a game.
“Not really your concern, ma'am.”
Nalek chuckled as she picked out one of the bandoliers and inspected it with her claws. “I'd like to think that she and I still have that old connection, despite everything. And to that end, I know that she's no slag and doesn't trust easy. To see her be so vulnerable around you and to talk so highly of someone who's clearly below her income level as a predator…”
She stretched the bandolier out to appreciate the design in its entirety.
“Well, that's something special. Here"- she foisted the accessory into my wings as I stood gobsmacked -"this just screams her name.”
“This is, like, double my budget.”
“Love don't come cheap, darling. You wanna see good things happen, sometimes you've gotta step out of your comfort zone and grasp for it!”
“I'm being lectured by a rich woman on finances.”
“It's a philosophy that goes beyond money, ‘Red.’ The humans have a saying, in their horrendously predatory nomenclature, that contains a kernel of truth: ‘you miss every shot you don't take’.”
Yep, that's definitely a human phrase.
Nalek's steely braid rattled with every flick of the tail as we proceeded through the checkout.
“You want things to change between you and her?” she continued. “Don't just wait for it to happen.”
She let the conversation rest there as we finished the purchase, possibly to let me recuperate mentally from the damage done to my account. Outside, we found our respective partners sitting at a table with Sask looking up in boredom as Nampi chatted away, though she immediately shut up and turned to me with excited flicks of her tail as she saw what I was carrying.
I held it toward her and she happily shot to her feet, effortlessly removing the tags with her claws and clipping it to her belt. Nalek clapped and waggled her tail as the giddy lady did a whirl about to let us admire the accessory. While I'd have preferred one with pockets to give it a more practical use, I decided to let Nalek have the victory as our mutual friend clearly enjoyed it.
The rest of the paw was a blur as the two friends chatted without end until Sask eventually reminded his betrothed that they had a schedule to attend to. Though Nalek offered to call us a taxi home as a gesture of kindness, I saw through her ruse to determine that she was trying to pull a fast one on me - the clever ear flick she gave as we boarded the automated vehicle sold it for me.
We sat in the seats as the vehicle took the express ride home.
Nampi cleared her throat before she spoke, “Thank you for taking some time to spend with me, I know you've had a lot less free time as of late.”
“It's a prison of my own design, if I must be honest. A feedback loop of working a job that doesn't guarantee a paycheck to pay for rent that keeps going up, and thus needing to work more.”
The venlil giggled and chided me, “You really should've stayed in university.”
“There's a lotta 'should haves’ that've led me to this point. No use wondering what could have been.”
“There's always a use for wondering what could have been, Hileen.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Every decision I make, I always wonder what I could've done differently that it'd have turned out better,” she explained as she waved her free paw to the sky. “It's how you grow as a person, Red.”
Her silky pelt felt heavenly in contrast to the chilly air from outside, making it hard to let her words sink in.
“You rich types seem chock full of philosophy. I wonder if I'll become a brooding orator when I get some cash to my name.”
The cab filled with laughter as we veered around the final corner to my neighborhood, as it was the closest stop. The door popped open accompanied by a chime from the drone, signaling for me to depart.
But before my talons could even hit the pavement, I felt Nampi's scrawny arms wrap around my waist and she let out a pitiful mewl again.
“You don't need to get off here,” she told me with a pouty expression. “We can spend the rest of the paw at my place.”
“I'd love it, but I need to water my plants and get the month's bills sorted before they're due. Again.”
One claw at a time, I plucked her paws from around my waist and the childish venlil conceded, giving me another ear waggle as I departed. “I'll see you tomorrow?” I asked her.
“If you still have eyes by then, then you can bet your ass!”
“I still don't gamble.”
“You'll come around to it eventually.”
I shut the door to the taxi and watched as it carted away the one venlil who I ever truly felt on the same wavelength as. Fiddling with the lock felt like more of a chore than usual at this time as I felt a little voice tugging at the back of my head.
“You miss every shot you don't take.”
The lock felt jammed as I began to jiggle it more vigorously with the electric key. Either the RFID or NFC readers were messed up, as the lock refused to accept my key. I looked up and down the street, though Nampi was now long gone for me to rescind my earlier rejection.
“Every decision I make, I wonder what I could've done differently.”
The door rattled as I grew more and more infuriated with the lock. Qitel's smug expression as he threatened me so boldly in public played back in my head, and I wondered what would've happened had I decided to go through with insulting his mother. Better yet, I wondered what could've been had I not backed down in the face of his unflinching confidence.
Bzzt. The lock rejected my key again.
“Raagh! You fucking useless hunk of junk!”
I squawked in anger and kicked against the door, careless of the consequences of having Markol back down here to admonish another of his tenants for causing a ruckus. The walls were surprisingly sturdy for how ineffective the venlil architecture looked on the surface and I reeled back in pain as my leg throbbed.
Click.
I looked to my left to see that it wasn't my door that came open, but that of the twins. The door cracked open ever so slightly, no doubt nudged by the force of my tirade and I sighed. Nobody was expected to be home at this time, with Vili being away and Luka leaving early to get a head start.
Luka had been given a stern talking-to by the landlord for allowing one of those cats into his apartment through neglect, and I was disappointed that he seemed to have not learned his lesson this time. In fact, it seemed he hadn't even thought to lock the door this time.
I took it upon myself to shut the door for him before turning back to my own apartment door. Grasping the key with one talon, I turned it ever so gently, though the lock still refused to give in.
With a bit more force, the torsion applied to the key felt as though it should've snapped it by now. Markol sure didn't waste any expense for the security for this place, doubtlessly as a result of his history in electronic security, but I wished now that he had provided a way in that didn't rely on privately sourced locks.
Considering my options as I stood trapped outside, I realized that I had never gotten around to paying for a new lock for Tadi. I'd considered contacting her to inform her that Tac had made it out of town safely, but that'd involve also telling her that her son was now in the care of humans, as if that was a better outcome to her.
Stepping out front, I realized that there was one more option I hadn't considered: my window. I usually forgot to lock it after I was through letting air circulate and I was silently grateful to myself for this absentmindedness now more than ever. Sticking a foot on the threshold, I lifted myself in a way that'd allow me to have leverage to force the window open.
The window made me fight for every inch, but I felt a strange satisfaction as it slowly opened up into an entrance that I could squeeze my way through. I let out a sigh as my talons clicked against the cool floor and slid the window shut.
I laid my satchel on the couch and turned back to the door, ready to unleash my fury on the disobedient object. But as I reached for the lock to manually open the door, I noted that the lights on the RFID interface both flashed at once, blinking erratically. Red and green flickered without rhyme or reason, indicating that it was both active and inactive.
As pretty as the colors were, I now knew that Markol's locks were not as reliable as he had touted them about: typically, such would not occur unless the device was damaged deliberately, and yet nothing indicated that I'd had uninvited guests. One could pray that those cats didn't secretly know how to cobble together an ECM jammer, but my personal wager was on faulty equipment.
Settling in, I browsed my favorite soaps on the television. For what was intended to be a day of relaxation and show of affection for a friend, I found myself rather wound up over all the things that added up. Couples threw around flowery words and swooned over one another on screen as I felt the tension diffuse. My holopad rang and I turned it over to spot that Nampi was informing me that she'd arrived home safely.
>>> Feels empty here, all alone.
She made sure to drive the point home with a sticker of a venlil making a pouty expression.
Next time, I thought to myself, I'll get it right for you, Nampi.
[ First / Previous ]

Hi! 25f, taking bupropion and esomeprazole (for about two months) as well as Prostap SR and leuprorelin acetate (for 2-3 years). Not using any NSAIDS or anything. About 54kg.
I had stage 4 non-hodgkin's lymphoma when I was 17. I had cancer in 6 places in my body, and I had 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiotherapy. We only found out after my lung collapsed from my biggest tumour (12cm/5" in my mediastinum), but in hindsight symptoms leading up to it were severe fatigue, rash, weight loss, night sweats, and then a terrible cough as my lungs got pressured to where they collapsed.
I discovered today that I have about 30-40 small bruises, with absolutely no explanation. I have been wracking my brain trying to think of something. They're generally all small and mild bruises, but there's just a lot of them. Mostly on my legs, but a few on my arms (including some just beginning to form in the last 12 hours) and around my hips. Front, sides, and backs of legs, both calves and thighs.
Photos (they are a bit darker in person, but they're fairly mild as you can see): https://ibb.co/album/tzXQhJ This doesn't show all of them, but just to give an idea of what they look like.
I called my local urgent care place (I'm in Norway) about 12 hours ago and asked if I should get checked urgently with my history, and they said no, but to get a blood test done asap (which will be Tuesday). Since the call, more bruises have started to form, but again they're small and mild. I wouldn't say I'm particularly prone to bruising, probably just average. This has never happened before.
I'm not aware of any major B-symptoms at present — I have lost about 5kg in the past month or two, but I do think that's more related to coming off previous medications (which affected my weight) and not eating very much due to anxiety. That said, my appetite has been poor generally. I'm not noticing much fatigue. Night sweats, a bit, but I am on antidepressants and it's been very warm here at the minute so it could be more to do with that.
How concerned should I be? Is this normal for women in their 20s? I don't know what blood cancer bruises look like — I never had them with my lymphoma. Is this abnormal?

Boys: Harold, Zee
Episode 13: Lies, Cries, and One Big Prize
"Previously, on Total Drama. Zee, Scarlett, and Harold created their own challenges!"
"Zee went with balancing, which bit big time for Scarlett and gave Harold the shock of his life."
"Harold's treetop race was more entertaining than a sawing monkey. Surprisingly, Scarlett won the challenge, and Harold fell from grace and the trees."
"So, it all came down to Scarlett's challenge: a trivia challenge about the former competitors. Zee didn't have too good a start, but quickly earned himself a spot in the finale."
"It all came down to a final question, and one that Scarlett ironically got wrong. Bye-bye!"
The montage ended with a flash, showing a close-up of Chris in front of a bare rock wall. "Down to two from three," he said, holding up three fingers but lowering one of them, "cause now we're Scarlett-free. But," he lowered another finger, "it'll still be neat to see who gets beat," he punched his open palm. "So! Grab a seat. There's one million bucks on the line," the shot cut to a robotic arm lifting up the open suitcase full of prize money against a radiant orange-and-gold background. "Iiiiiit's finale time!" Chris said as the shot cut back to him.
"On Total! Drama! Paaaaaahkitew Island!"
(Theme Song)
A deep note played as the episode opened on the bunker, the sky dark and the crickets chirping. A deep sigh issued forth from it, and the camera soon cut inside to show Harold tossing and turning in his bed. He got up and grabbed a pillow from the bed above him and closed his eyes with a smile, only to open them and sigh again.
Confessional: Harold
"It's no use," Harold sighed in the confessional. "I just can't get to sleep. I'm too anxious about tomorrow. I don't know if Zee is having the same trouble as I am..."
“It’d be cool if I win the last challenge. Just think about how much better my life would be. No more wedgies, wet willies, and toilet face plunges, my peers would respect me more as a million dollar winner, and I can invest the money in a way that’ll make me more than the show has to afford.”
Confessional Ends
The static cut away to show Harold turning his back to the camera with another sigh, then the shot cut to the inside of the barn to show Zee sleeping peacefully and snoring rather loudly.
Confessional: Zee
"This is a high stress situation, but I’m able to get some rest in order to ease it," Zee explained. "Even if it’s a million dollar competition against Harold."
Confessional Ends
An angelic sound played as the shot returned to a close-up of Harold, his eyes blinking blearily to sleep as the light of dawn streamed in through a window high on the wall above him.
Just as he and the music seemed to reach a peaceful rest, the wail of an airhorn pierced the walls and forced Harold back into wakefulness, his eyes snapping open wide and bloodshot. "Harold and Zee," Chris announced over the camp loudspeakers, the screen splitting in two with a shot of the good vibe guy blearily waking up sliding in on the left. "Meeting area, now!"
The scene flashed to Zee and Harold standing before Chris in the open meeting area. "Yes! Today, I fire one of you from a cannon," he greeted excitedly. "And then start my vacation."
"Plus you'll hand one of us a million dollars," Harold added with a grin.
"I haven't forgotten, dude," Chris said in annoyance. "I'm just focusing on the parts that bring me the most joy. Okay?"
"What's the challenge?" Zee asked. "Is it physical or have you decided on something else?"
Harold grinned. "Total Drama finales are always physical," he said. "And while I am classified as a brain, I'm afraid I have more fighting skills than you."
"Don't get too overconfident just yet," Zee warned. "I might surprise you."
"If I may continue?" Chris interrupted, his annoyed expression soon dropping. "Your final challenge is so demanding, the lawyers insisted each of you get a helper. Ehh," he shrugged, "it's not a horrible idea. I mean," the shot cut to the finalists as they watched him, "maybe they'll be able to help us find your bodies!" Zee and Harold shared a brief but wary look. "So, which of the past contestants would you like as a helper?" Chris asked, stepping over to them.
Confessional: Zee
"I'd prefer Julia," Zee told the outhouse camera. "She's really rad, and we work well together. But I wouldn't be too upset over having anybody else as a helper. Well, except for Scarlett."
Confessional: Harold
"It's no surprise that I'd prefer Leshawna over anyone else," Harold confessed. "She can handle her own battles and objectively speaking, she is the most physically attractive girl this season. I just wish that we were able to talk to each other before she left."
Confessionals End
"I choose Leshawna," Harold said with a smile as the static cut away and a triumphant tune played...for a few brief moments.
Chris chuckled. "'Choose'?" he repeated, laughing again. "Nooo, no no no no no no no...," he told the finalists.
"But you just asked us-," Zee pointed out in confusion.
"I know," Chris conceded, "I asked you who you wanted, I did that to be mean." He laughed again as the sound of squeaky wheels approached. "Your helpers-" the camera pulled back to show Chef pushing a large widescreen monitor up to the host on a cart- "will be selected thusly! When you press this button," he held up a remote control with a single red button on it, "the possible helpers will flash across the screen." A game show jingle played as the shot cut to the monitor, now showing the portraits of the eliminated contestants rolling down across the screen as if on a reel. "Whoever's face it stops on, is your helper."
The reel stopped on an image of Scarlett after drinking Juggy Chunks. "What happens if we land on someone we don't want?" Harold asked.
"You each get one chance to pass and spin again," Chris answered with a wide grin as the sound of a helicopter grew louder. "And just to make things even more interesting," he added, growing more and more giddy with each moment, "I've brought all the helpers out to watch!"
"RELEASE ME, YOU CRETIN! I DEMAND IT!" shouted a familiar voice.
Harold and Zee gasped as the music spiked, and the shot cut to the same dual-rotor military helicopter that Chris and Chef had taken shelter in during the island's malfunctioning as it flew in overhead.
Then the camera panned downward to show the twelve eliminated campers dangling under it tied up in ropes – Max on the far left, then Amy, Sammy, Duncan, Ella, B, Lightning, Scarlett, Julia, DJ, Leshawna, and finally Jo on the far right.
"What's the big idea, McLean?!" Jo shouted hatefully, the shot cutting in close to her and Leshawna.
"Yeah," Leshawna chimed in, "why do I gotta be hanging next to her!" The two girls locked eyes and glared.
"I don't think that's the issue here..." DJ said, the camera panning onto him.
"I personally don't mind being tied up like this," Julia said in a positive tone, the camera pulling back to show her smiling. "I'm just happy to see my boyfriend in the finale."
"I didn't even want to show up, but I would appreciate it if I was actually seated," Scarlett said in a grumpy tone.
"Sha-yeah!" Lightning agreed as the camera panned onto him. "Chris, these ropes might cause Lightning some bruising. Can we get them loosened a bit?"
Scarlett gave Lightning an incredulous look. "You do realize that if the ropes are loosened, you'll fall?"
"Lightning will just get back up again," Lightning told her obliviously.
The camera cut back to B. It lingered on him for a few moments as he awkwardly looked from side to side, then directly at the camera as he smiled coolly.
"Despite this drastic situation we're in," Ella sang after the song panned to her, "I still want either Zee or Harold to win~!"
Another pan to the left showed Duncan watching her. "My money's on Harold," he said, shrugging.
“And how come?” Ella asked.
"Zee's cool and all, but I just know the dork better," Duncan answered.
"Really?" Geoff asked, raising a eyebrow in disbelief. "Are the shows in Jersey really that terrible to watch?"
"They are if ya don't have tickets!" Anne Maria answered happily.
Yet another pan put the focus on Amy and Sammy. "Are you still not going to apologize for how you've treated me ever since we were little?" Sammy asked.
"And why should I?" Amy replied in slight irritation.
"Because I put you in your place and pointed out your own flaws," Sammy explained. “The least you can do is be humble a bit.”
"You may have gotten further than me, but you still didn’t win the season," Amy bragged. “You're a bowl of mush, and I'm a parfait, which is French for perfect.”
“So what's French for bossy blonde cow?” Sammy taunted with a smirk. “I know! Vache blonde autoritaire!”
"You are so going to get it," Amy growled.
The camera pulled back to show Max clenching his eyes shut in pain. "Would you two identical ladies cease that annoying racket?!" he finally yelled with another force to startle Amy and Sammy into looking at him. "Thank y-" he began to say plainly before Amy smacked him in the head. "Hey!" he said, cringing at the hit.
"Okay," Chris said, the music turning slow and plodding as the camera cut back to him, Zee and Harold. "Now that the Peanut Gallery has had a chance to reintroduce themselves, let's move on."
"Whoa, hold on a minute," Zee held up a hand to interrupt. "Why? How? When?"
"Uh, you're gonna have to be a little more specific there," Chris told him, raising an eyebrow.
"He means why are they all tied up?" Harold translated.
Chris let out a long, irritated sigh. "Fine," he said. "I'm keeping them tied up and in plain sight so we don't have them float towards the sun, okay?"
"No," Harold said bluntly.
"Not really," Zee replied.
"Whatever," Chris told them, his brow creased in annoyance. His expression then changed into a smile. "Who goes first will be decided by a coin toss," he explained, taking out a coin and flipping it towards the campers.
It hit Zee in the eye. He yelped in pain, rubbing where he'd been hit.
"Zee wins!" Chris happily announced. "Let's see who you get," he said as the game show jingled played again.
The shot cut to a close-up of the monitor as the portraits began to scroll past, Zee uttering a series of grunts as she watched off-screen – some hopeful, some annoyed. "Okay, stop," he said after a few seconds, the camera moving to him as he pressed the button on his remote.
The simulated reel stopped on Jo. "Not who I wanted at all," Zee said in disappointment as a triumphant jingle played, "but I got what I got and I'm not gonna throw a fit."
"Harold," Chris said, the camera moving back to the finalists as the dweeb pursed his lips, "you're up."
The game show jingle played, and the portraits started flashing across the monitor again – until they stopped on Scarlett. "No..." Harold groaned.
Confessional: Harold
"I knew the odds of getting Leshawna were slim," Harold confessed. "But I want a helper who would actually assist me."
Confessional Ends
An odd note played as the shot cut back to Zee, Harold, and Chris, the latter two sharing a look. "I'd like to spin again," Harold said.
"Have at it," Chris replied, the shot briefly cutting to the pictures flashing across the monitor again.
Harold pressed the button, and sagged in defeat – and the camera cut to the monitor to show that it had landed on Scarlett again. The camera moved in front of Chris as he gave her a mischievous look. "Scarlett again?" he asked in fake shock. "What are the odds?"
The camera pulled back as Chris turned to the right and nodded at Chef, who returned the gesture and walked away. "Okay, looks like Zee gets Jo and Harold gets Scarlett," Chris said, nodding toward the helicopter. The ropes tied around the two chosen helpers abruptly came loose, causing both to fall, but while Scarlett landed in an awkward flop, Jo simply tucked her legs in and rolled as a light but triumphant tune played.
She got back onto her feet just as Zee walked up to her. "Hey Jo. I know we haven't gotten along-" Zee said.
"-but since we're partners, we're gonna have to try and tolerate each other," Jo replied. "Yeah, I know."
Confessional: Jo
"I'm not in the game any more, which still sucks," Jo explained. "But Chill Pill managed to subvert my expectations. He lasted longer than I thought he would have. And if I have to work with him, then so be it."
Confessional Ends
The camera panned to the right as Scarlett snorted and stood up. "I strongly refuse to partake in this," she said, the shot cutting in close as she brushed the dirt off her shirt then turned around.
She took a step, and walked right into Chef, who snickered and locked a thick metal collar around the quiet brainiac's neck.
"Let me guess. You're going to shock me if I don't play along, right?" Scarlett asked in annoyance as she tugged at the collar.
"You'd think that," Chris said with a mischievous smile, "but this is actually something different. In case you somehow ended up as one of the helpers, I had a special collar made that'll tranquilize you if you don't play along," he finished with a smug look.
Scarlett groaned in annoyance. "Fine."
"Hey, as long as you don't just bail, I'm cool," Chris told him.
"I'm not," Harold interrupted with an angry look.
Confessional: Scarlett
"Unless I want a voltage surprise like the ones I received in episode four," Scarlett told the confessional camera with disgust, idly tugging at the collar around her neck, "I'll help Harold with his goal of winning the one million dollars. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."
Confessional: Chris
"Am I full of good ideas or what?" Chris chuckled in the outhouse camera.
Confessionals End
"So," Chris said, the static cutting away to show him walking towards the two pairs. "Reunion's over? Good! It's time for your final challenge. I have endearingly titled it, 'The Double Duo of Deadly Dying Death'!" A dramatic spike in the music, reverberated voice, and zoomed-in and angled shot all combined to make the revealing of the title particularly dramatic.
"That sounds dangerous...," Zee said worryingly.
"It's supposed to be dangerous, Dodo Brain," Jo groaned.
Confessional: Zee
"Now I'm wishing I did use my second chance like Harold did," Zee confessed.
Confessional Ends
"Now since Blaineley snuck back onto the island and changed it completely by wreaking havoc in the secret underground control room..." Chris began to explain.
"Umm, hold on," came the voice of Julia, the camera panning back up to the still-loitering helicopter. "What did you just say?" she asked in confusion.
"Wait, you didn't know that?" Duncan asked. "I knew I was forgetting something."
"Host!" Max interrupted, drawing the focus to the other end of the line. "I demand you explain this!"
"No," Chris replied in a deadpan tone. "As I was saying," he continued, putting his bland smile back on as the background music became deep and tense, "we've yet to explore all the wonderful and bizarre new dangers the island's new landscape has to offer. Until now. Harold and Zee," the shot cut back to the two pairs, "with assistance from your helpers-" Zee and Jo shared a frown while Harold and Scarlett shared a glare - "you will race across the island. First one to cross the finish line will receive," Chris turned to the side and grabbed the prized suitcase from Chef, the music building up grandly as he opened it to reveal its glowing contents, "One! Millions! Dol-lars!"
All four teens started cheering.
"All you have to do is survive a 2000-foot plummet from an ice cliff," Chris joyously explained, the camera cutting to the slender peak of a snowy mountain before quick-panning away, "successfully learn to breathe while submerged in mud," the camera panned across a bubbling lake of mud before quick-panning away again, "and then sprint two miles across a wide-open field where," the shot now panned across a seemingly ordinary and empty field, "I'm absolutely sure no harm will come to you."
The shot cut back to the cast as Chris began to laugh raucously for an extended period of time. "The point I'm making," Chris said once he'd finally finished, "is that there's a decent chance you may not survive this."
Both finalists and helpers groaned warily. Then they were each tossed an orange helmet.
"For the first part of the challenge," Chris explained, "the lawyers insisted you wear helmets to protect your brains." The shot cut to him and Chef. "I mean who knows. Someday, you may start using them." The roar of the nearby helicopter suddenly increased, the added wind whipping up a cloud of dust around the men. "When you get to the top of the mountain, it'd be a good idea to build a bobsled," Chris instructed, "or, it'll be a very rough ride down!"
The show's smaller red helicopter was shown flying over, the larger military one flying away with the rest of the former campers still attached. "Grab a rope!" Chris said, the camera panning down the four ropes hanging from the helicopter to show them dangling just above the finalists and helpers. "Your challenge begins...NOW!"
The four grabbed the ropes in front of them, and to a sudden bit of challenge music and a blast of the host's airhorn, the helicopter flew off dragging the startled teens along with it.
"Good luck! Stay safe!" Chris called out after them. "Are things I'd say, if I cared!"
The footage flashed ahead to the top of the snowy peak, several boxes and barrels of various junk – including what looked like several sets of skis – already waiting at the top. The small helicopter arrived momentarily, and the shot cut to its four passengers landing in the show – Jo and Zee on the left, Scarlett and Harold on the right.
"We're supposed to build a bobsled out of this junk?" Jo asked in disbelief.
"No," Zee corrected as he grabbed a pair of skis, "Chris just said it would be a good idea." He tossed the skis onto the ground and stepped on them, a tense challenge tune playing in the background. "I have a different one, so hop on."
The shot cut to a close-up of Jo grinning, then to her jumping onto the skis behind Zee. "Let's do this!" she said as they began to slide forward down the slope and left the scene.
The camera panned onto Scarlett, holding a pair of skis of her own. "We should get moving!"
"What's to stop me from believing that you won't shove me off the skis?" Harold asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.
"I have this wretched collar on. Shoving you is the last thing I want to do. Now get on!" Scarlett told him angrily.
"Fine," Harold said, rolling his eyes and walking over to where Scarlett was already waiting on the skis and got ahead of her. The challenge music rose up again as they leaned forward, and started to slide.
The shot cut to Zee and Jo looking back over their shoulders with grins on their faces. They promptly skied through a tall mogul, slowing them down a little and covering Zee's eyes in snow. "I can't see!" he shouted, clawing at the packed snow as they began to swerve.
"Quick, to the left!" Jo shouted, one hand around Zee's waist and one point ahead of them as they swerved away from the camera around another mound of snow. "Now right!" Jo directed, the two swerving back towards the foreground. "Left!" She shouted, but they just sped through another mogul earning a scream from the jock-ette.
Confessional: Jo
Jo was blue from the cold and shivering heavily.
Confessional Ends
"Well isn't that the best thing that's happened today!" Scarlett taunted as the scene cut back to her and Harold.
"Yeah, well, we're gonna be next if we don't keep dodging these things," Harold pointed out as they began to swerve around the moguls as well. "And I want to try and get ahead of them while we can."
The music ramped up dangerously as the dweeb and brainiac slid towards another mogul. "Left!" Harold shouted.
"No, right!" Scarlett replied, the two leaning to the opposite direction, swerving nowhere, and plowing right through the mound. "Aagh!"
"Scarlett!" Harold growled as they started swerving wildly, snow covering both their eyes. They clipped the side of another mogul, sending themselves into a screaming spin, hit a third mogul, and came out tumbling end over end.
The shot cut to the bottom of the slope, the music leveling off as what looked like a mogul on skis slid down. The camera zoomed in as two patches of snow fell away to reveal Zee and Jo inside, the two moaning and blue in the face. "Zee, we need to move," Jo weakly told her partner, "before-"
A massive snowball suddenly ran them over, breaking the snow but leaving the good vibe guy and jock-ette lying in a puddle of melting snow. A crash was heard off-screen, but the camera lingered in place as Jo groaned and stood up. "Let's go," Jo told her partner. "You're still in this..."
"...yeah," Zee said as he caught his breath. "Yeah!" he said, more energetically this time. "I've got this!" he declared before charging forward, the shot cutting to Jo as she smirked softly then raced after her partner.
The camera followed them along for a few seconds until they reached a heap of snow, skis, and dazed-looking teens, which the shot immediately focused on. "What happened?" Harold shot at his partner, the dweeb lying upside-down half-trapped in the snow. "I told you to go left!"
"And I told you to go right!" Scarlett countered, her head sticking out the right way up but her legs sticking out over it.
"Yes, but I'm the one in charge!" Harold replied. "You're supposed to be helping me!"
"I was steering!" Scarlett said before the snow holding her up crumbled away, causing her to fall over with a startled gasp.
Harold sighed in aggravation before a small pile of melting snow collapsed onto his face.
The scene cut away to show Chris and Chef sitting in lawn chairs eating popcorn as they watched the challenge feed, the host promptly pausing it with a beep and looking at the camera. "This finale's out of control!" he said excitedly as the capstone theme began to play. "Zee and Jo got run over! Harold and Scarlett can't stop arguing! And all of them just plowed through like a ton of snow!"
"Stay tuned, "he continued, the shot moving away but the host quickly popping back up in front of it. "Someone is leaving here a millionaire. It's the finale of Total! Drama! Paaaaaahkitew Island!"
(Commercial Break)

As stated in the title, my ex boyfriends mother threw away almost everything I purchased for my ex when we where together, both me and my ex are minors and his mother is my teacher. Altogether what was thrown away was about 230-250 dollars, I intend on asking if what my ex said was true and if it is I’m asking for compensation, my parents are on my side and plan on dealing with it if I can’t hash it out with his mother on my own. Is this a good plan? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

I've been friends with two of my very close friends (lets call them Alice, and Brenda) for a few years but a few months ago a new person (lets call her Candace) joined our group. Around a month ago, Candace came up to me and Brenda and said that her and Alice are romantically interested in each other but said that she isn't planning to pursue a romantic relationship because Alice said she isn't ready for one.
Recently we had a formal dance and they went as each others dates semi-romantically (I was unaware of this at that time). Alice and I are extremely close to each other and stayed together for most of the night. We were taking photos and walking around together but Candace kept making comments like "I feel like a third wheel," and I didn't think too much of it because she always says that whenever me, her, and Alice hang out together. And throughout the night I felt like she was intruding on mine and Alice's time together (when ever I go out I always try to hang out separately with each of my close friends so I can have moments of just us two together (I also separately hung out with Brenda and my other friends)).
Later in the night Brenda pulled me aside and said that we should give some time alone to Alice and Candace and told me that they were each other's semi-romantic date. She also told me that Candace told her that she feels like a third wheel on her own date. A different mutual friend also told us that Candace was seen crying with Alice consoling her. And I feel really bad because I think it was because of me not giving them enough time alone.
I personally am not too good with social cues and prefer if people tell me directly if they want me to do something. And I personally got really annoyed at this, Candace has been a friend of our group for the same amount of time so I found it weird that she didn't tell me that she was going with Alice romantically despite telling Brenda. I know I'm not entitled so information like this but she apparently also told a significant amount of people and I think it would have solved many of the problems we encountered that night if she did tell me.
I've always been somewhat irritated by Brenda's actions because I feel like she's trying to distance me from Alice. Once the two of us were studying for a test together and Brenda also joined despite not even being in that class. Once our group was having a dinner and she came with me and Alice to the bathroom for no reason. In another instance, Alice and I were holding hands while walking since both of us were wearing heels and the ground was uneven and we didn't want to fall. And she came and also started holding hands with Alice and that kind of pushed me onto the road (the path was narrow and only two people could walk on it comfortably).
Alice and Candace have told me that they aren't dating and don't plan to for the foreseeable future but I do feel like Candace is pushing her feelings onto Alice for multiple reasons. But it isn't my place to interfere though so I'm not going to say anything. I just don't know how to feel and what I should do. A part of me wants to have a talk with Candace to see if she's actually trying to distance Alice and I but I don't want to create any drama since we're graduating soon and I don't want Alice and Brenda to be put in an awkward situation where they have to pick a side.

Hey folks.
I was offered a job, pending a three week trial, which I accepted. After three weeks, I was verbally offered continuation of employment, but the employer stated that they had not been able to get a contract drawn up in time, and would get one to me as soon as possible. They offered an extension to the trial of one week, which I accepted. I understand that extending a trial is not possible, but I reasoned that if they were acting in good faith, it wouldn't matter, and if they were not, then I would legally be considered to be employed anyway. The extension (which was in writing) also stated that upon completion of the extension, a permanent employment offer would be presented to me.
Fast forward to now, and upon arriving on site (trades), my employer was not there, did not answer calls, did not answer messages, and was uncontactable. I waited for some time, continuing to attempt contact, before sending a message stating that I had tried to contact them, there appeared to be no work needing done (the site looked complete and ready for sale), and went home.
I have also since heard from reputable people in the industry that this person is... unreliable and does not have a good reputation, and although they were limited in what they could say, they did not seem surprised. It is my guess that this person made an offer of employment and used the trial period in order to get some short term labour to finish the job, without having to pay the rate for a temp agency or a contractor's rate.
There are a couple of other issues I thought I'd bring up (hence the "and more" title), but I've decided not to mention them - they're smaller, and I feel comfortable handling them with the knowledge and advice I have, and they risk adding enough detail that the situation might be recognisable.
I have contacted community law and will be seeing them soon, and have received some advice from Employment NZ as well as people I know with knowledge of the subject matter, but I figured it's worth asking around here too. From what I understand and what I've been advised, the employer has screwed up, and they would have needed to have officially ended the trial before the end of the three week initial trial, and I should have grounds for a personal grievance. I'm mainly looking for advice on the best way forward in terms of process (early resolution vs. mediation vs. more serious action) so that I can ensure the best outcome for myself, while still maintaining my obligation to act in good faith.

I recently fell victim to a scam. The whole situation is exactly what I found online to be a pig butchering scam. It was done using Hinge and Crypto.com. It was a very stressful but positive time in my life and yes this guy seemed almost too good to be true but targeted me as a single mom and said all the things I wanted to hear. I was about to buy a house and he drained me of my life savings. I am devastated and desperate for help but have contacted authorities. If anyone has dealt with this and had a good outcome please share: the group was using a fake Edge Capitol account for the wallet on Cryptodefi wallet app. I’m sure they are using my info and photos to keep scamming other people now.

PREFACE APOLOGY: I hate how long this post is, but there are so many nuances that are applicable to the intricacies of my situation - so for best chance of receiving tangible advice, I felt I had to give a good amount info (this is just the tip of the iceberg lol but I'll save the rest for the Titanic)
First: Explanation of title above; I am a first-gen college and current medical student. The relevancy here is I come from low-income and uneducated (does not mean stupid or that you need to be educated to know about financing or alternative solutions at all) parents who don't know much about how to approach finding options as it pertains to either acaedmia or financing
Second: In full transparency, my mental and physical health is hanging on by a thread so while I very much want honesty, any advice along the lines of "you're SOL", "damn that sucks...medicine isn't for everyone", or "it just is what is is", while valid thoughts, would only further harm me right now. So if tangible advice is not feasible, words of affirmation work wonders as well <3 THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR EVEN CLICKING ON THIS AND/OR READING THIS
Situation overview:
Without going into too much detail, I am essentially on what is commonly referred to as a "research year" in med school - which is when you take a year in between the normal four years to do research. This can also be used to catch up on exams, finish academic makeups, or slow down due to life circumstances while remaining an active student. These years are less than half-time where I go, which means that students qualify for zero federal or state financial aid for living expenses. From what I understand, a lot of students traverse this via one of the following: paid research positions (2 birds, 1 stone but extremely competitive and hard to find), financial support from family, obtaining a private student loan, or simply getting a full-time job (depending on if they have remaining academic items to finish first or if they don't want to do an LOA but still need a break and don't have anything academically to catch up on).
Applying above dynamics to my circumstances:
Personally, I had a major med school exam to finish and a couple smaller ones after during said research year. Originally, my hopes and intentions were to do research during this year, but life and changes in school policy resulted in that not being the case. At the start of this year 20 months ago, I was extremely open with faculty about my needing to get a job in addition to these academic requirements, despite our common shared opinion that the aforementioned exam is itself a full-time job and is extremely high stakes. However, since they stated they could not offer me any grants or aid, quite literally having a job was a matter of life or death as I needed to eat and afford stable housing. Flash forward, I began communicating how balancing the two was causing me to be spread thin and I was still struggling financially, which resulted in delays in academic progress in terms of exam readiness. The only advice I was given was taking an LOA (which was so frustrating and hurtful as we regularly get grants from donors) - but I was always so against an LOA for much of this time because this seems to be their solution for everything rather than actually finding tangible solutions and student support (have a cold? Take an LOA. Boyfriend dumped you? Take an LOA). Additionally, I knew while on an LOA I could not finish the items required of me since I would not be an active student - so it would solve nothing while further pushing me behind another year from graduating. Flash forward, I've had 7 months of food insecurity, using food pantries, utilities being cut off, trying to maintain some semblance of self-worth and mental health.....all while trying to be a med student. I also don't feel bad for myself, it sucks, but I'm not new to this, I'm true to this" life lol. I have just been trying to navigate the situation to the best of my ability - because even though I don't feel this way right now - I'm meant to be here and deserve to be here. I have overcome far to much to get here to begin with.
I can't go into why - but essentially, right or wrong, this is make or break for me. And I have 6 weeks to get said remaining academic criteria done (preparing for it is a full-time job). The school has since gotten the year that I'm on to qualify as half-time enrollment status, so students will get aid and don't have the problem I am having. However, this change doesn't apply to me (naturally lol), as it will only be in effect for new students starting out on said year.
Summary/overview of current sitution:

• no guidance or financial support institutionally, but with increasing alluded consequences
  
• family who is helping as much as they can but is also low-income
  
• credit score is poofair range (624 Transunion, 596 Equifax) that doesn't qualify for private student loans (even with a co-signer as my parent also does not meet requirements) or new credit cards + $17 in my account and no additional money in sight
  
• spent the last two weeks looking for remote work I could balance with exam prep, GoFundMe didn't gather much, already sold most of the clothes and shoes I own, can't get paid to donate blood due to anemia that developed this year from food insecurity, grocery delivering in my town earns less than minimum wage with the gas you use that isn't reimbursed
  

What can I do? I am beginning to look into emergency personal loans, but I really don't understand how these types of loans and pay day loans work? Does the APR kick-in after 30 days? If so, if you pay it earlier do you avoid all the APR? How soon can you get these deposited into your account if approved? I'm sure it's all specific to each lender but according to my initial loan match, my APR would be 99% lmao. I essentially only need 2k in personal loans to get me to July and finish this exam. My hope would be to use $200-$300 of these funds to apply for online MPH programs that starts in July (I've always wanted to do this anyways while in med school), which would qualify me for financial aid that I could get in the next couple weeks and then I could use these funds to pay off payday/emergency loans by July - which is when I will be all in the clear and can get a full-time job OR take an LOA without dire consequences academically - and will be able to finish required exam in the next 6 weeks.
Final info is that I asked about taking an LOA given extreme circumstance, and I was told no/that it would not be good in the long term (sort of implying I could get dismissed as soon as I come back for not taking the exam by 6 week deadline)
ANY TIPS/ADVICE ON LOOPHOLES TO NAVIGATE THIS IN ADDITION TO PERSONAL LOANS AND MPH/FIN-AID OPTIONS STATED ABOVE WOULD BE IMMENSELY APPRECIATED.

Does anybody know the meaning/purpose of the artwork for DCFC albums? I have read some really good analysis on the themes of each, but I’ve never read anything about the album covers.
Edit: I have (read) some good analysis. I don’t have good analysis.

My husband (33M) and I (33F) have been married 5 years. From the start of our relationship at 20yrs old, he has known that I am not OK with porn use in a relationship. A few times in our relationship I caught him watching porn and he promised he would stop. 2 years ago I found out he had been watching porn daily. I did not snoop but knew in my gut he wasn't being honest and confronted him about it by pretending I "knew" what he had been up to. He came out with it eventually although began with denial and then fed me more information piece by piece. I found out he had been looking at porn for at least an hour daily, and that he had recently been communicating with a woman who posted pictures of herself on reddit. I was devastated. I left home for 2 weeks to get some space and we decided we would go to couples counseling. We did couples counseling for about a year and I felt it was helpful. I learned that he uses porn as an outlet for stress and that he had been exposed to it at a very young age. I learned another reason he used porn behind my back was because he was embarrassed about bringing his sexual fantasies and somewhat kinky desires to me. We talked about my own insecurities and how his porn use exacerbated these insecurities and worked with our therapist to become more transparent with each other. I was open to trying his fantasies and kinks out with him as long as he abstained from porn use and he excitedly agreed. Although it took me a bit to feel more confident in the bedroom, and there were a few ups and downs where he slipped up, I feel like we got to a place where we were both happy in our marriage and with our sex life. We were having the kind of sex he desired as well as romantic sex that I desired. I participated in his kinks and even took several sexy photo shoots of myself for and also with him. I would often check in with him to see if he was happy and he always assured me he was very happy with our agreement and was not looking at women online. Sometimes he would get frustrated if I asked him if he was watching porn (even though our therapist told me to ask if I was feeling like he might be) and so I did my best to trust him, and he assured me that he would talk to me if he was struggling. Well, lately I had a feeling he was looking online again because we hadn't been having sex as often and he was being extra sweet to me, it just felt off. I decided to confront him about it. He denied it. I pretended I "knew" what he was up to again and he admitted that he has been looking at photos of naked women online again over the past 2 months. I'm incredibly hurt, but as this is the only issue in our relationship, I want to work it out. But I don't know if I can when I have been honest about my boundaries in a marriage from the start and he has consistently lied to me about them. He said he can't help that he desires women, which I understand to a certain extent. And I understand that it's actually sort of a soothing activity for him, but it's not something I'm comfortable with in a marriage. He says he doesn't want to slip back into watching porn again and that he wants to respect my boundaries. But I'm just not sure if I can trust him. I want him to be happy and told him if he needs porn to be happy that I respect that, but I can not be in a marriage with him if that is part of his life. He says he wants to abstain from porn and to be with me, and to get back to how it was when things were good. I'm not sure what to do. He has said all of this before and here we are again. I love him and he really is a wonderful husband outside of this issue. But I'm also left feeling insecure and like I am not and will never be enough woman for him. I guess I'm just looking for advice on if I should trust him again, or some stories of others who may have been in a similar situation and what they ended up doing. TLDR: Husband is watching porn even though he agreed not to if I participated in his kinks

I'll pretty much play anything love games and willing to learn. Between me and my partner we both have a wide selection to Nintendo switch Mario titles, Zelda titles, streets of rage and smash. On PS5, Tekken, street fighter titles, mk titles, fall guys, fortnite, Minecraft, GTA and more. Fun respectful goofy loving person looking for a fun carefree time some games like shooters I'm not as good at and had least time in but otherwise I'm average to intermediate in everything else I feel. Please let me know and ask for discord PSN or pm me here folks 😊