Single and double bar graphs worksheet

I’m the only atty at the fledgling office of an established out of state firm. I have a legal asst & receptionist who’ve never worked in law before, not college grads, doubt they’ve even worked in office setting before. Since my boss isn’t barred in this j/d & in different time zone, I’m the authority on everything substantive & running a firm in my city (pricing, crafting flat fee retainer agreements, efiling, local procedure, etc). I make a lot of executive decisions, which I don’t love, and often face push-back from legal asst. As an aside, we’re both women from the same underrepresented minority group & I’m 8yrs older than her - odd dynamic bc she has to take direction from me.
I’m basically a solo with a great boss who’s never around, doesn’t micromanage (doesn’t manage at all) but also cant offer any support. I had a solo practice in past but didn’t love it, hung it up for other reasons. I have no one to bounce anything off in my cases aside from listserv I’m part of. No templates besides the ones I brought. A bit daunting bc I haven’t litigated in 4yrs though I do have 16yrs of experience.
Legal asst was pretty checked out for few weeks before taking 1mos off for medical leave. Before she left she told me our boss told her he’d never fire her. She prioritizes boss’ assignments over mine. Left cases she’d been working for me inactive for weeks & clients are getting rightfully impatient. I have to commute to downtown office daily to be there if they have questions. It’s kind of like being the only doctor in a town & training nurses while doctoring.
I have a promising job interview this week in less stressful area of law. Same salary but loan forgiveness & hybrid. Am I nuts to leave? Also kinda burned out on this litigating in this area of law. I’m a single mom of 2 at home & sick of being mom at work too. My bf thinks my boss is taking advantage of my seniority & unfairly having me train support staff, build the office, instead of hiring experienced paralegal that can actually help me. I’m also commission only so pretty much always stressed & anxious. WWYD?

First Previous
"Scargiver, this is Scathach." The Warmaster's voice came out of the Captain's wrist console. The wrist console looked the same as the ones they'd used in the Confederation, but it had been extensively modified to prevent anyone from hacking into it.
"Scathach, Mims." Captain Mims kept walking. They were almost to the bridge of the Encounter. "Go ahead."
"The Klaath are here."
"We know." Mims slapped a control panel. The door to the bridge slipped open. "The Federation called them, somehow."
"We saw the energy surge," the Warmaster informed him, "and we saw you disable the human ship. Do you intend to take up the hunt?"
The Oluken had roughly ten thousand Military ships in Tendril Sector. They were oddly designed, with glowing lines that shifted in strange patterns across their oblong hulls. Long metal tentacles sprouted from the ships, each tipped with some variety of energy cannon. Ten thousand ships was plenty for keeping order in a trading sector, but Yvian doubted it was enough to repel an Incursion.
"Hell yes," The Captain walked past the holodisplay, heading for the consoles at the far end of the bridge. "I never pass up an opportunity to kill the Klaath."
"I thought as much." The Warmaster grunted. "Have your Queenships protect the Gates. My Hunters will secure the stations. I've called reinforcements, and they will be here shortly." He gave a short, annoyed growl. "Someone will have to speak with the Oluken before they soil themselves."
Mims pointed at Lissa as he took a seat in front of the center console. "I'm on it," she acknowledged, taking the console to his left.
"Alert," said Kilroy. "Klaath clusters detected in Aldara sector."
"Of course they are," Mims gritted his teeth. He commed the Warmaster. "Lissa's taking care of the Oluken. We're having," he pointed at Kilroy, "two Queenships jump to each Gate. That should be more than enough."
"Affirmative," Kilroy acknowledged.
"The rest are coming with me," the human continued. "There's another Incursion at Aldara."
"Aldara?" Yvian could hear the Warmaster's raised eyebrows. "If the humans want to throw their planet away, let them."
"I can't do that." Mims took his hand off the comm and pointed at Yvian. "Systems check."
Yvian nodded and took the console to his right. She started a diagnostic routines. Scarrend squatted on his haunches next to her, pulling up a sensor display on his console.
"You can and you should," Scathach disagreed. "The humans are using the Klaath as a diversion. We're bound to defend the Oluken by treaty, but wasting forces on an uninhabited world is foolish."
"I know." Mims pulled up flight control on his console. The Random Encounter was nestled up against the massive hull of the Monster In Paradise. He eased the ship away from the Peacekeeper Queen and raised the shields. "I'm not asking you or the Empire to help. The Peacekeepers and I will be enough."
"Perhaps." The Vrrl allowed. "Unless the humans are dividing our forces in preparation for an attack."
"It's possible." Mims shrugged. "But I think this diversion's for something else. I'll explain later. I've got Klaath to kill."
"Then kill them here," Warmaster Scathach voiced. "Don't let the humans dictate your actions, Scargiver. Protecting their world is an act kindness that will come with a cost."
"This isn't kindness," Mims told him. "It's spite. The Klaath will never have Aldara. Not while I breathe. Can I count on you to take care of things here?"
Yvian's diagnostic programs finished. "All systems green," she reported.
"Foolish." The Warmaster chuffed in resignation. "But I suppose it can't be helped. Go defend your territory human, even if it's not your territory anymore. The Vrrl Starfang Empire will take care of things here."
"Thank you," said Mims.
"Do not thank me, Scargiver," Scathach chided. "The Oluken are of use to the Empire. An attack on them is a challenge to us, and challenges are answered with tooth and claw. We are the Apex."
"Fair enough." Mims pulled up a Nav console and entered the coordinates for Aldara Sector. "May Fortune favor you on the cusp of The Crunch."
The Warmaster grunted. "May your prey be worthy of the hunt." He ended the transmission.
"Our weapon systems are fully functional," Scarrend reported. "Shields are still charging. They will be at full in twenty three minutes."
"We'll go when they're full," said the Captain. "Kilroy, I want two Queenships at every Gate in Aldara. Have Admiral Zhukov send in half a million Stinger units, too. I want half of those protecting the planet. The rest will break off into groups of a thousand and go hunting."
"Big Daddy Mims," Kilroy objected, "we only have eight hundred twenty three thousand and four Peacekeeper Stinger Units. Sending that many to Aldara will greatly reduce the defenses of New Pixa Sector."
"Just do it, Kilroy," Mims ordered. "We've still got forty Queens and millions of convectional ships. If we get hit with more than they can handle, half a million Stingers won't make that much difference anyway."
"Affirmative." Kilroy hesitated. His eyes flashed purple before returning to the red of combat. "Big Daddy Mims, there is no reason for you to go to Aldara yourself. Peacekeeper units will be sufficient."
"No, Kilroy," Lissa disagreed. "We have to go." Yvian nodded her agreement. She knew the man's history, too.
"This ship is a standard Federation built gladiator," the Peacekeeper reminded them. "It will have negligible impact on an Incursion, and is at significant risk of being destroyed."
"I know," the Captain snapped. Kilroy's eyes flashed blue. Mims took a breath. "Sorry, Kilroy. I know the Encounter's not built for this. I know the Peacekeepers can handle this better than I can." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It's Aldara. The last time the Klaath came there I... I can't leave it alone. I have to go. I have to make sure they can't take anything else."
The machine left his console, eyes still blue. He walked over to Mims and put a hand on his shoulder. "This unit understands." He returned to his station, eyes flicking back to crimson. "Aldara will be protected. The Klaath will be destroyed. We will be sufficient."
"We will be sufficient," the Captain echoed.
"This is foolish," Scarrend objected. "You are throwing away Peacekeeper lives for sentiment."
"You're not wrong," the human admitted. He tilted his head, thinking. "Though to be fair, we'd probably be sending them anyway. A chance to capture more Klaath Queens is too good to pass up."
"Affirmative," Kilroy agreed.
Yvian pulled up a sensor display. Tendril Sector had a sizeable solar system. Lots of planets, and three hefty asteroid belts. None of the planets were habitable, but there were plenty of resources for mines and manufacturing. The sector doubled as a trading hub, and there were nearly a million stations scattered throughout the system. Most of the stations were unarmed. It was something Yvian had expected growing up in the Confederation, but now that she'd seen more of the galaxy unarmed stations struck her as a terrible idea.
Despite the large number of stations, there were only a few hundred thousand ships in the sector. Mostly unarmed Oluken cargo haulers. Yvian assumed anyone who had a jumpdrive had already escaped, leaving the rest of those poor souls to flee to the nearest station and pray that the Elders would drop shields long enough to let them dock. There were also a few hundred ships of the Vrrl Starfang Empire circling a few of the trading posts, gunning down any Klaath that came close. Several dozen vessels of the Pixen Technocracy were doing the same.
Half a million Vrrl capitol ships were dividing into smaller fleets and heading for the stations. The Priderender had already left the formation with an escort of four battlecruisers. More Vrrl were pouring out of each of the Gates, with fighter class Hissiths and Clawwings undocking from battlecruisers and running for the farthest stations at maximum acceleration. None of the Vrrl bothered avoiding the Klaath. Nor did they seek them out. They just moved to their destinations, smashing anything stupid enough to get in their way.
There were roughly fifty thousand Klaath Klusters so far, but more were appearing every second. Each Kluster was a sphere, made up of twenty Raiders grouped around a single Klaath Fighter and fused together. Most of them would drift aimlessly through the void until they came within a few hundred kilometers of a ship or a station. Then the Klusters would erupt, the ships separating and zooming in for the kill. Other Klusters gathered together, forming circles of spinning ships. Space rippled within the circles, opening portals to allow Corvettes, Frigates, and the dreaded Destroyers into the sector.
Two Peacekeeper Queenships were coming out of Tendril Sector's East, South, and North Gates. The Queens would take half an hour to exit the Gates completely, but that didn't stop them from putting their beam weapons to devastating use. The Queens concentrated their fire on the Klaath nearest the Gates. The Klaath didn't use Jumpgates, and destroying the Gates would be the first thing they tried. A few thousand Stinger units detached themselves from each of the Queens, switching their diffused anti-MAC weapons back to traditional long range beam cannons. They would circle around behind the Gates and kill any Klaath attacking from that direction.
The Monster in Paradise and one other Queenship stayed where they were, about two hundred thousand kilometers from the West Gate. Their Stinger units were launching as well. The Random Encounter idled within the Monster's shield bubble, staying protected until its own shields were charged.
The Oluken Military were doing what they could, where they could. All their ships were roughly frigate sized, about two thirds of a kilometer in length. They were fast, almost as fast as a Federation ship, and their shields were much stronger than Yvian expected. Their weapons were less impressive. Each ship had thirty two metal tentacles with cannons on the end, but they packed less punch then Confederation guns, far less than the humans and the Vrrl. The Random Encounter had more firepower, and it was just a fighter. The Oluken had been patrolling in groups of eight, and they were desperately trying to link up with each other or the Vrrl before the Klaath overwhelmed them.
Yvian moved to access the sensor reports of Aldara Sector, but a question from Scarrend interrupted her. "Shouldn't we be sending someone after the spy?"
"In the middle of all this?" Lissa gestured at the sensor display.
"We don't have to hunt her down ourselves," Scarrend pointed out. "A few dozen Peacekeeper units would be more than enough."
"There's no point," said the Captain. "The Peacekeepers let Myrsa get away on purpose."
"They did?" Yvian frowned at the machine.
"Think about it," said Mims. "A Peacekeeper unit's a walking lie detector. Do you really think they didn't know Myrsa was a spy? Or that she wasn't being monitored? There's no way she got to an unattended ship without them knowing."
"Affirmative," Kilroy agreed. "Peacekeeper units had to manufacture an emergency to explain why Myrsa Trin was unattended. The riots provided excellent cover."
"Ok, but... why?" Yvian frowned harder. "Why let her get away? Why let a spy work with Lissa at all?"
"I've got a better question." Lissa's tone was frosty. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"That was my call," said Mims. "You're an amazing person, Lissa, and I love you dearly, but you're not cut out for spycraft."
Lissa regarded the human with a glare so furious Yvian could see it through her helmet. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Mims returned her look with the seriousness it was due. "Lissa. If you knew Myrsa was a spy, would you have still made friends with her?"
"What? No!" The glare receded. "I wouldn't have let her work for me at all."
"Exactly," said the human. "It's standard practice to keep track of known spies. If our enemies have a spy in place they're less likely to try sneaking in another one, and it lets us feed false intel and uncover other spies. It's good spycraft, but it only works if they don't know their cover's blown. You're smart, beautiful, and a born leader, but you don't have it in you to pretend to be someone's friend when you're not. Not for long, at least. If we told you about Myrsa, she'd know you were on to her within a day."
"That's..." Lissa started. "I could... No." She sighed. "You're right. I don't have to like it, though."
"Intelligence is a dirty business," said the Captain. "No one likes it."
"Ok, but why'd we let her go?" Yvian came back to the matter at hand. "Why give the humans their spy back?"
"Good question," said Mims. "Kilroy?"
"Myrsa Trin has gathered extensive intelligence on our capabilities," Kilroy answered. "The information she has acquired implies that we are considerably more powerful and dangerous than we actually are. This will increase the likelihood the meatbags will surrender. More importantly, Myrsa Trin will give the humans access to a Lucendian crystal implant."
"What good will that do them?" asked Scarrend. "The only Lucendian ship outside of New Pixa is the child yoked to their anti-tech ship, and that specimen is too small and weak for the humans to pilot."
"Negative," said the machine. "There is one other Lucendian vessel outside of our custody. A vessel with the same capabilities as the fallen Skygem."
Another Skygem? Oh. Oh, Bright Lady. "Blingy," Yvian breathed. She'd handed the ship to the Xill shortly after getting her implant. She'd known the ship was alive. She hadn't realized just how sapient the crystal ships were, but she'd known she was alive. She'd known, and she handed her over anyway. Condemned Blingy to torture and experimentation at the hands of the machines. It might be the worst thing she'd ever done. "You're talking about Blingy."
"Affirmative," Kilroy confirmed. "The ship known as Blingy is still in the custody of the Xill. Specifically, the ship is located at Hub 14, under Reba's control. It is not possible for Peacekeeper units to retrieve the vessel without provoking a war with the Xill. Nor is it likely Exodus the Genocide can convince Consensus to return the ship to us if they succeed in defeating Reba."
"But Reba might give the ship to the humans," Yvian guessed.
"Especially if it'll help screw us over," Lissa added.
"Affirmative," said Kilroy. "Without a functioning Lucendian vessel, the Pixen Technocracy has no way to counter the Vore when they return. We cannot retrieve Blingy from the Xill, so we must take Blingy from the humans."
"A dangerous play," Scarrend remarked. "I have seen what these ships are capable of. If the humans have one when we do not..."
"They might be able to win," said Lissa. "And they know it. Why else would they do..." she gestured at her sensor display. "All this?"
"It's a big risk," Mims agreed. "But I think it's one worth taking. Good work, Kilroy. Tell the other units I'm impressed." He glowered down at his console. "I just wish... What the hell?"
Yvian checked her own display. The Klaath were leaving. Fast. Klusters circled up, opening portals to take the bigger ships out of the system. Those Klusters not forming portals disappeared, going back to wherever they came from. Raiders and Fighters still mindlessly shot at whatever targets they'd found, but the rest of the Klaath were leaving. In a few more minutes they'd all be gone.
"I've never heard of the Klaath just leaving." Yvian could hear Lissa's frown.
"We've never seen an Incursion without a habitable planet either," said Scarrend. "Maybe they figured out there's nothing here but gas giants and barren rocks."
"We get Klusters in uninhabited sectors all the time," said Mims. "Usually just a couple, but I saw a couple thousand pop in at Trinog Sector a few years back. They don't leave. They just float around until the bastards starve to death or someone kills them."
"Big Daddy Mims," Kilroy spoke up. "The Klaath are leaving Aldara Sector as well."
"What the hell?" Mims repeated himself. He typed into his console. Yvian followed his example, pulling up the sensor feed being relayed from the ships in Aldara Sector. It was just as the Peacekeeper said. The Klaath were leaving.
"Strange," Scarrend remarked, "but I suppose we shouldn't complain when a problem solves itself."
"No." The Captain's shoulders were taught. "It can't be that easy. Not with the Klaath." He was silent for a moment, head bowed, breathing slowly. His shoulders relaxed slightly, and he raised his head. "Kilroy, I want everything we can spare at Aldara. Right now."
"What do you mean everything?" Lissa asked.
"I mean fucking everything." The Captain was grim. "Every ship, every weapon platform, every fucking gun Zhukov can spare."
"Are you experiencing a hunch, Big Daddy Mims?" A tinge of purple crept into the red of Kilroy's eyes.
It was another scary thing about the humans. Premonitions. Hunches. Mims claimed there was nothing supernatural about it. Just his subconscious processing information, a benefit born of experience and the brain's tendency towards pattern recognition. Yvian wasn't sure it was that simple, but she did know one thing. When the Captain had a bad feeling, things tended to go very bad, very quickly.
"I don't know. Could be PTSD." Mims clenched his fists. "But better safe than sorry."

Summer should be fun! The heavy energy’s gotta go. They say their group is very cliquey (we can tell), so let’s start by breaking up the cliques. Add in a bunch of fun, attractive singles and get rid of the tears and bad vibes. Also, I know they’re casting, but I’d love for the newbies to be real friends with at least someone on the cast. It’s exhausting to watch a group of people who clearly don’t like each other and are only there for the cameras. I'll keep supporting and tellin a friend to tell a friend, but I do hope it reaches its full potential.
Are my opinions controversial or do you agree?
STAY

• Noelle: The future of this show. She’s fun, light, and unintentionally funny. The majority of the trip she was the only one acting like they were having a good time. That said, I think Nick was onto something when he ate her up with “I know you wanna be included, but that shit is f’d up.” She should be careful with who & what she aligns herself with and proceed with caution.
  
• Nick: I did not foresee this man becoming one of my favs. He’s kind, multi-dimensional, and hilarious. He seems to be a genuinely good friend to everyone in the house. I wish they were better friends to him. His behavior as a partner left much to be desired, so I see why he and Tasia didn’t work out. That said, I’m interested to see him single, for real this time. If they rebuild the cast around him and his single friends, I’d be open to Alex coming back too.
  
• Jasmine: I liked seeing her stand on her own without Silas. She came in ready to put in the work, didn’t blindly defend past behavior, and demonstrated growth. I want her to return if she commits to showing up authentically and doesn’t try to produce or censor herself. I have a lot of empathy for her. I’ve yet to hear any of them make any claim about her that warrants how they ice her out. At this point I don’t care to see her continue to grovel for their friendship, I’m ready to see her move on and thrive. Low key, she should thank those so called friends of hers bc the more they try to ice her out, the more I like her. They tried to do her like Mariah Huqq on M2M and she dodged their antics. Hopefully she has a good friend in the house next season (maybe Jason?).
  
• Preston: I love that he’s vulnerable, opinionated and full of fun shade and his reactions to the foolishness are my fav. He has everything to become a reality icon, but it will be up to him if he allows his ego to Nene himself. I look at him differently for how quickly he turned on his own line brother & his wife. His newest excuse, per the Carlos King interview, is that he isn’t close with Silas and he was never friends with Jasmine. He said him being in Jasmine and Silas's wedding doesn't mean they were close, because who you put in your wedding isn't necessarily your best friends but people that are responsible. I rewatched S1 and the very first thing he said on the show is how close he and Silas are, but this is the same man that claims to be the most authentic… It seems that since he became besties with Jordan he is too influenced by her biases, because no matter how much mental gymnastics he does to explain his constant negative energy towards Jasmine, It . Doesn’t. Make. Sense. Just say you don’t like her and keep it moving. I feel like the reason he refuses to is because he likes to portray himself as righteous. I don't like how he moves, but I find him compelling enough to give him another chance (without Jordan). Plus, there has to be some conflict and we can’t just throw away everyone who annoys us. Bonus points for Donald being my fav house guest.
  

GO

• Jordan: I initially thought she’d be my favorite, but I was VERY wrong… I rewatched S1 and there wasn’t a single episode in which I enjoyed her more than I didn’t. LITERALLY NOT ONE. She is so freaking negative all the time. She’s incapable of ever admitting she’s wrong and the hostile, disrespectful way she speaks to people stresses me out. She gives others no grace, unless they share a common enemy, but expects all the grace in return. We have now seen 3 seasons of her on TV and all I got is that she seems to be the epitome of misery loves company. I think if she returns she will eventually drag the whole show down with her. Ex- Obviously Summer was going through her own issues in S2, but I firmly believe her and Jordan feeding off of each other’s mean girl energy exasperated her behavior.

• Summer: I’m not down with her getting multiple passes to put hands on people, when Mariah was kicked out for MUCH less. All the housemates agreed to the no contact rule, and I have ZERO desire to watch a show about Black people putting hands on each other. I enjoyed watching her on S1, but now her behavior is exhausting and from her WWHL appearance it seems that almost a year later she still has a lot of healing to do. The Brooke Ashley said that at the premiere party she witnessed Summer go on a rant about how she was gonna quit and not return for S3, so let her. Don’t threaten us with a good time.
  
• Amir: He and Natalie aren’t even unlikable, but fun to watch. To me, they’re just unlikeable. This would be way too long if I address all their problematic and microagressive antics and there are a million posts about that, so I’ll just address the root of it all. It feels like they’re aiming to secure spots on Bravo, but completely missed the mark. The “I’m ignorant to Black culture & history” trope is so tired. For starters, there’s a whole HBCU in Austin. If in ~a decade of adulthood he hasn’t educated himself or entered Black spaces, THAT IS A CHOICE. It says a lot that now that it’s his ticket to being on TV, he’s making a different choice.
  
• His comments on the Positively Uncensored podcast confirmed my feeling of him being disingenuous (for full context go listen). He said after filming S1 he didn’t even care to build friendships with these people until he knew for sure he was going to be a part of the cast for season 2. He said this after spending S1 going on about how they’re now “family” to him. About the negative feedback, he said he’s a “martyr for halfricans.” A martyr??? for halfricans? That is a WILD statement, but he’s repeated versions of this in multiple interviews so it speaks to how he sees himself. I really tried to give him a chance, but it’s always something with him. I truly don’t even care if that’s how this man wants to live his life. I care that Bravo finally gives us a show about young, Black people and this is what we are centering. I would give him SO much grace if he didn’t continue to surround himself by people and establishments that, at best, do not uplift Black people, while he is simultaneously marketing himself as a self-proclaimed “Community Leader” and profiting from his blackness. I don’t think he’s a bad person, I just think he and Natalie absolutely ruin the essence of this particular show.
  

GO, FOR ME, BUT I COULD SEE THEM COMING BACK AND ADDING SOMETHING TO THE SHOW

• Bria: She and Milo are chaotic and can make for great television, but she toes a fine line between being an entertaining, albeit annoying, pot stirrer and being absolutely unbearable. I feel like producers will ask her back for the drama, so if she returns, I hope she’s just a weekend guest to allow for more lightness in the house. Interesting note: according to Preston she is the cast member that most sensors themselves to appeal to viewers and her tantrums are worse off-camera.
  
• Shanice: She had me in the first half, but her behavior is so toxic and she doubles down on it every single time. I also can’t unsee the alleged stalking/harassment evidence, because that was WILD. It’s a shame, because she’s so much fun and may be the only person that shows up completely authentically, for good or bad. That said, Bravo is not the morality police. They’ve kept people with far more problematic behavior, so there’s a good chance they’ll keep her (and Bria) too.
  
• Alex: Grand Rising, you’re probably a nice guy in real life, but boring to watch. You meditate and drink water, we get it. Please namaste off my TV… If they bring in some of his & Nick’s friends, I’d be down to see him return as a guest. After a rewatch, I realized how much more I enjoyed him and his confessionals in S1. I think the change in his attitude in S2 was due to the negative energy Jordan, Summer and crew met him with from jump.
  

PS - These opinions are based on the characters we see on an edited show. I’m not passing judgment on them as human beings.

Author's Note:
7700 words, broke Reddit's character limit, so you know the drill. Will be split into two parts, both posted today. Enjoy!
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"Stop! STOP!"
The terror in Kismet's voice rose higher as death drew nearer. He fled from Rob's grasping hand, but a Purge Divinity-infused fingernail managed to graze him, carving out a scoop of divine essence as if flaying a mortal's skin.
Kismet let out a screech as the Purging energy added to his growing collection of scars. A dozen small holes now dotted the surface of his mana-body, looking like he'd been pockmarked by wasting disease. Each wound represented a moment where the god had narrowly escaped with his life.
If those injuries had been inflicted by any other ability, then he could have rejuvenated himself in the time it took to blink. Purging energy was not so kind as that. It was purifying wrath in the shape of a Skill; their vengeance given form. Whatever divinity it touched, it extinguished.
As if cleansing the universe of a sickness that had infected it for far too long.
The BERSERKER continued his unrelenting advance. In response, Kismet threw up a frantic barrier of mana. It was strong enough to deflect one of Ragnavi's Annihilation beams–
And Rob blasted through it like paper mache. His charge sent broken shards of energy scattering across the divine realms. More mid-air rifts tore open, the HUMAN's aura strangling the surrounding area in a vice grip of power. Purge Divinity seemed to glow with light emanating straight from the pits of hell.
None of which was anywhere near as unnerving as the murder contained within his piercing gaze. When Kismet met Rob's eyes, he saw the end of eternity fast approaching.
The god's next barrier was just as frantic. However, this one was not comprised of mana, but of solid matter. Kismet summoned the hardest, most dense substance known to the mortal realms, then transmuted it into something that otherwise could only have been forged inside the heart of a dying star. It was many times more durable than the impossibly tough walls of an aberrant Dungeon.
So when Rob demolished it with a single punch, he actually had to put a bit of elbow grease into his windup.
Another wall materialized in front of him. He crushed it, then the one after, and the one after that, lashing out with bestial ferocity. The BERSERKER plowed through Kismet's hastily-built defenses like a bulldozer of fists and savagery. Rob was knocking them down as quickly as the god could make them, relishing the sensation of being able to vent his anger on targets that weren't fucking running away.
Then the twelfth wall fell – revealing a monstrous, spiky, fanged behemoth concealed behind.
Rob paused, momentarily taken aback at the sight of a mundane creature within the divine realms. 'Mundane' in relative terms, anyway. This monster was on par with a newborn Blight, radiating power that would have sent ordinary fighters sprinting for the hills.
It was also barely cognizant of its surroundings. The monster stared at him with unblinking, vacant eyes, just the tiniest glimmer of awareness present in its gaze. Rob noted that segments of its flesh were bubbling, as if the creature was fresh out of the oven and still needed to settle.
He couldn't help but feel a modicum of pity. This was yet another thoughtless creation, condemned to existence by an uncaring maker. Even monsters deserved better than that.
Rob caved the beast's head in before it could realize that it was alive. Pity was not the same as hesitation, and this was the only mercy he could afford to grant right now.
Didn't matter. Kismet's pawn served its purpose. In the brief instant that Rob spent getting over his initial surprise, the god had teleported to safety. He was already planning his next stunt that could buy him a few precious seconds of survival.
The HUMAN grimaced as he turned to give chase, unable to suppress the burgeoning sense of unease growing within his chest.
It almost didn't seem fair to feel that way. Rob knew he was winning – at least on the surface. Any outside observer would've bet their life savings on him, especially after the show of overwhelming superiority he'd just displayed. Kismet had been at a disadvantage before Never Forget Your Rage's recent upswing, and now it was no contest. Rob was confident that he would still be stronger even if the eight gods merged into one super-deity.
He also knew that he was living on borrowed time.
Whenever he moved, or activated a Skill, or even breathed...the sensation was there. Strength accompanied by incongruous frailty. Like background noise that kept getting louder with every action he took. His body felt close to pulling itself apart, as if his very molecules were a hairsbreadth away from coming undone.
It was different from Soul Instability. Whereas that threatened to collapse his soul, this frailty was an affliction of the flesh. The longer he fought, the more his physical form was at risk of popping like a balloon.
Such was the price of constraining godlike power within a mortal shell.
"Stay back!" Unaware of the turmoil fermenting in his assailant's mind, Kismet threw up his hands and...inverted...space? Rob didn't have a name for what he was seeing. Rather than stopping to puzzle out this latest brand of divine bullshit, he sent out a pulse of Purge Divinity, canceling whatever esoteric effect Kismet had been attempting to produce.
His Purging energy scraped against the divine realms like a cheese grater. Five rifts immediately tore open near both Rob and Kismet, with the god anxiously retreating from one that appeared just inches away from him. A low rumble echoed around them, and for a moment, they felt struck by an abrupt feeling of vertigo – until the realms gradually stabilized, righting once more.
For now.
Rob eyed the rifts with a detached, clinical gaze. An endless sea of mana resided behind them; the bedrock of the system itself. While he recognized that the rifts tearing open was bad news, he also couldn't really muster the energy to care. Between his overflowing rage, overtaxed body, and overburdened soul, minor details like the impending destruction of reality were hard to give much focus.
There was a way to fix all of that, of course. Rob couldn't outright deactivate Never Forget Your Rage – not without losing its bonus stats. But he could attempt to ease the storm of fury in his heart. By lessening his anger to more reasonable levels, Never Forget Your Rage would put less strain on both his body and the divine realms.
The notion forced a peal of hideous laughter to claw out of his throat. Lessen his anger? He'd have better luck trying to douse a volcano with a garden hose. No. For a wildfire that had grown this out of control, the only thing to do was stand aside and let it burn, burn, burn.
Until naught remained.
"I said stay back!" Kismet bellowed. He lifted his arms into the air. "Begone!" One moment later, Rob's vision was filled with scorching light. An apocalyptic geyser of mana burst forth from underfoot, intense and searing. It stripped the flesh from his bones in no time flat, powering through Almighty Resistance with pure, unmitigated violence.
And it still wasn't fast enough. Rob flickered a Purge Divinity shield for just an instant, allowing him to escape the geyser with his upper body – and most of his HP – intact. Lifesurge swiftly patched him up, leaving both combatants right back where they'd started.
Slowly, Kismet lowered his hands. They were shivering. "What are you?" he whispered. "Why are all my efforts in vain?"
To be honest, Rob was mildly impressed that Kismet had held on for this long. The god's combat efficacy was increasing as time passed, improving from panic-spamming teleports to more inventive maneuvers – as if he was learning how to fight on-the-job. He'd also stopped draining the other gods to supplement his power, having found an alternative source of fuel: mana seeping out from the sporadically-opening rifts.
It was the one silver lining to fighting an implacable BERSERKER so powerful that he fractured reality. Whenever Rob utilized Purge Divinity, more rifts opened up in the realms, and more mana leaked out from inside. The gods had invested that energy into the system millennia ago, and it typically would've been off-limits until they closed up shop and left Elatra. Kismet was making use of it now, absorbing the extra mana to strengthen himself, like a lifeline barely keeping him afloat.
The god's tenacity was...calling it 'admirable' would be going too far, but it did warrant a sort of begrudging respect. As someone who'd tangoed with multiple Blights, Rob knew what it was like to square off against a frenzied beast that could end him with a touch.
Being the scary one was a nice change of pace.
In exchange, Kismet had graciously donned the role of their battle's Combat Class user; fragile, outgunned, and pulling improvised maneuvers out of his ass for a chance at victory. The god could finally feel what it was like to be vulnerable. How exciting! Rob was more than happy to assist. Learning experiences such as these only came around once an eternity or so.
Flippancy aside – while Kismet still possessed room for improvement, this was the most that could be asked of a deity who hadn't seen combat in literal eons. His biggest fuckup had been taunting Rob in the wrong ways, but he couldn't have known about Never Forget Your Rage, that was an excusable oversight. By all other accounts, Kismet was performing adequately.
Even so...
"YoU aRE noTHinG."
The sound of Rob's voice caused two fresh rifts to open up. Kismet flinched, casting a teleportation spell out of pure reflex. Without pause, the HUMAN resumed his hunt.
Nothing. Perhaps that statement was hyperbole – yet it rang true nonetheless. While Kismet may have been a creature of supreme divinity, on the field of battle, his pedigree meant nothing. In the face of an implacable, unstoppable foe, his power was worth nothing. Very soon, he would be nothing, consigned to oblivion by Purging energy.
Rob couldn't help but unfavorably compare Kismet to the final Blight. Weren't these supposed to be two sides of the same coin? Each one-half of an original transcendent Will? Yet the Second Will had brought Rob to the edge of despair...and Kismet was fleeing like a cornered rodent. It was difficult to reconcile the two divinities as theoretical equals.
Although he knew that was an unfair comparison. Rob had fought the Blight before learning Limit Break and Never Forget Your Rage. Kismet wasn't weak.
The HUMAN was just far too strong.
If he rematched the Second Will today, he would beat it to death with his bare hands.
"Look at what you've wrought!" Kismet swept an arm out, gesturing towards some of the many rifts that Rob's presence was tearing open. "Do you understand what will transpire if you persist in this folly?! If the divine realms shatter, then so will all of Elatra! You are on the brink of destroying everything which you have striven to protect! Cease this–"
"CAN'T."
In a flash, Rob dashed forward and scooped out a chunk of the god's mana-body with Purge Divinity. Before he could do more, Kismet shrieked with pain and teleported away, leaving the BERSERKER to crush his prize between five clenched fingers.
"FoRCed mY HAnD." He located Kismet again. "NO GOING BACK."
Stopping wasn't an option. If the divine realms crumbled and Elatra imploded...well, that would be a faster end than what the gods had in store for its people. At least this way their deaths would be quick and hopefully painless – and his friends wouldn't be turned into Skills tortured for all eternity.
Still, Kismet did have a point. Destroying reality wasn't exactly the ideal outcome. There had to be a way to speed up the conclusion of their fight. Rob was certain he would win if given enough time, but he couldn't guarantee it would be before either his body or the divine realms collapsed.
{Ascend.}
Like a snake slithering through a minefield, Leveling High skirted past the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions raging within Rob's mind. He attempted to tune out its voice, yet Humanity's curse refused to be denied, the static loudening until he was compelled to respond. Quit distracting me, he snapped. In case you haven't noticed, I'm FUCKING. BUSY.
{You seek to ensure victory over those who rule above,} Leveling High continued, without missing a step. {As do I.}
Then sit back, shut up, and–
{Ignoring your deficiencies will not make them disappear. This body is...feeble. Incomplete. Unfit to wield the power contained therein. Like a polished sword attached to a brittle hilt, liable to snap in twain at any moment.}
Rob grit his teeth. He couldn't deny Leveling High's assertions. Normally he'd just tell it to piss off, but considering how much was at stake here...
With a feeling like he'd sat down to deal with the devil, Rob sighed. Then what do you propose? That we upgrade my body somehow? I don't think putting more points into Vitality would help, even if I had any to spare. Me being so juiced up on stats is half the problem.
It shook its head. {You have far surpassed the limitations of mortality. Strengthening your power further would be akin to pouring water into an overflowing cup.}
So we...what, increase the size of the cup?
Static akin to laughter echoed inside his head. {We do away with it entirely.}
An icy chill began creeping up Rob's spine, as if the cold hands of fate were working their way towards his neck. He recalled a system notification from days before – 'Your Race has morphed from Human (?) to: Ascending HUMAN'.
Not Ascended. Ascending.
Weeks-old memories came surging to the forefront. 'The Heartkiller is closer to our form of life than those you call friends,' the Blight-child of Elysium had once said. 'As long as you continue to live, eventually, you will become an existence with the power to crush the Others and free the Skills from their shackles. You are no longer one of the Ephemeral. Now, you are a cocoon, metamorphosing into something grander. When you emerge, you will be as the Eternal.'
The Blight-child had laughed at him, then. 'After joining us, preserving these worlds will no longer be your desire.'
Rob grimaced. Denied, he flatly told Leveling High. Whatever you're about to suggest isn't happening.
It scoffed at him. {Your prejudices blind you. Do you think the gods have need of physical bodies? Does it hinder them in any capacity? No – the opposite. By definition, infinity cannot be constrained. Discard this useless flesh, and your conquest of the divine realms is assured.}
Maybe you didn't hear me when I said–
{By all means. Spurn my counsel...and condemn your friends to death. Shall their lives be worth it, in the end?}
Rob sucked in air through clenched teeth.
{Ascend.} Leveling High purred with anticipation. {You are bound by a prison of meat, bone, and blood. Break free. Finish what has already begun. Gaze upon the tapestry of infinity in all its dreadful splendor. Seize victory not as a Human, but as a completed, transcendent HUMAN.}
With a scream to drown out the static, Rob chased after Kismet again and again. The god was in full-on panic mode, eschewing offensive attacks in favor of perpetual retreat, focused wholly on keeping the BERSERKER as far away as possible. He would teleport the instant that Rob laid eyes on him, frantically stalling for his life.
It was – quite unintentionally – providing evidence to Leveling High's claims. If Kismet was on the defensive, catching him would take time they might not have.
I... Rob narrowed his eyes. How would I finish Ascending, anyway? It isn't like I can just flip a switch and make it happen.
{Incorrect.}
He blinked. WHAT?
{You have long since achieved the qualifications for true godhood,} Leveling High explained, in a lecturing tone. {There is no milestone that remains necessary to achieve. Rather than needing to overcome some hurdle of strength or power, the obstacle barring your path is more...arbitrary. Self-imposed.}
Humanity's curse seemed to peer into his soul. When it spoke next, its voice was filled with disgust. {You remain mortal because you wish to do so – both consciously and subconsciously. The Ascension of a nascent deity has been obstructed by cheap sentimentality.}
Rob almost started an argument over its usage of 'cheap', but he exercised restraint, keenly aware that there was bigger fish to fry. Can't do anything about the subconscious. I am \not* activating Melancholy Resistance.*
{Nor should you,} Leveling High remarked, shuddering at the prospect. {A grand statement of intent will be sufficient to shift your mentality. I believe...yes.}
The static churned like a hive of buzzing wasps. {When you next tear off a piece of the leader god's mana...even if just a sliver...devour it. Gorge yourself on their essence.}
Bile threatened to rise to the top of Rob's throat. Seems excessive, he mused, trying and failing to keep his tone lighthearted. To become a god, I eat a god? Wouldn't that make me a divine cannibal?
{You ARE a cannibal.} Leveling High's voice wavered, its veneer of helpfulness slipping to reveal the madness that lay beneath. {What do you think you've been DOING for nearly a YEAR? You kill, ingest your prey's Experience, and MAKE THEIR POWER YOUR OWN. This world is one of consumption and parasitism – devouring a god's essence is merely a more HONEST variant of THE SAME actions.}
...You clearly weren't paying attention during Diplomacy's PR lessons. Rob pursued Kismet once again, pressing his fingernails into his palms when the god hurriedly teleported away. There is such a thing as being too straightforward. If you want people to listen to you, then maybe dress up your words so they don't sound so horrifying.
{BUT AM I WRONG?}
Rob had no answer to that.
Bolts of divine mana peppered his skin. Kismet had barely managed to squeeze an attack in-between his escapes. The bolts ricocheted off Rob's skin like ping-pong balls, leaving minor scrapes and nothing more. It wasn't anywhere close to bypassing Almighty Resistance and his massive HP pool.
Yet it also reminded him of the mana-spears that Kismet had sent towards the rest of Riardin's Rangers. His Party members only possessed a shared, diluted version of Almighty Resistance, and their HP was a fraction of his. If Kismet aimed another attack of that caliber at them...how many would perish, right then and there?
Was Leveling High correct? What point was there to sentimentality if it just got his friends killed?
In truth, Rob knew that it didn't really matter if he completed his Ascension. Based on what he had planned for himself after the gods were dead, little would change either way. Still...he also knew that Ascending would be a one-way trip. No take-backs. If he went through with it, a fundamental part of him would be irrevocably altered.
Something twinged in a corner of his mind. It wasn't Leveling High, or his rage, or any of the other emotions currently dominating his headspace. This was a familiar friend; perhaps Rob's #1 most trusted confidant since he'd first set foot in Elatra. One that had rarely ever steered him wrong.
Paranoia.
And at the moment, it was telling him to be very careful before jumping into the deep end.
Ten teleports.
{What?}
Give it ten more Kismet teleports, Rob said. If I haven't dealt him a serious injury by then....I'll do what I need to do. He grimaced as Kismet vanished before he'd even finished the thought. Ten starting now.
Leveling High's static quieted. It resembled a patron at a restaurant who'd ordered their meal, and was waiting patiently for the main course to arrive.
Rob didn't waste time being offended over its nonchalance. Free of distractions, he immediately swept his gaze across the divine realms, pinpointing his quarry in a micro-instant. The BERSERKER dashed forward, pushing his body as far as he could, layering Rampages on top of Dexterity that made the laws of physics want to curl up and weep.
Kismet was prepared. He'd drawn more mana from the fractured rifts, quickening his speed and reactions. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep his head above water, not yet outpaced by their continually escalating arms race.
The HUMAN struck, the god fled, and both were left in the same position as before.
{One.}
Rob turned on a dime, charging without needing to look. He'd heard the moment that Kismet's teleport ended. It afforded him a split-second head start.
A gravity well suddenly appeared below his feet, as if a miniaturized black hole was weighing him down. Apparently, Kismet had set it up ahead of time as a just-in-case trap. Rob pierced through the spell's area of effect before it could ramp up to something dangerous, but his pace was slowed by a hair in the process, and his prey escaped.
{Two.}
You know what? Screw this. Rob whirled away from Kismet's newest location and blasted straight towards one of the lesser deities that his Party members were fighting.
He'd been too hung up on getting even with a hated foe – when there were seven other juicy morsels for him to play with. This way, Kismet would either sit back and watch as his allies were massacred, or the god would be forced to act instead of running like a goddamn cowar–
Sense Mana alerted Rob to magic gathering behind.
Pivoting, he leapt into the air. Rob superimposed himself in front of Kismet, bodyblocking the rainstorm of destructive mana that was about to be unleashed upon Riardin's Rangers.
Due to his swift response, the attack was released early. A simple Purge Divinity shield prevented him from incurring any damage. Rob still felt no sense of triumph as the mana dissipated around him. He just wasn't fast enough to kill the lesser gods and protect his Party at the same time – or at least not fast enough that he should gamble their lives on it.
Kismet disappearing a moment later didn't help matters either.
{Three.}
Frontal assaults weren't guaranteed to succeed, and targeting the other gods was a no-go. Could he take Kismet by surprise? Increase his Dexterity?
Rob contemplated mining Never Forget Your Rage for more stats, but swiftly vetoed the idea. His body was already struggling to hold itself together. Putting additional strain on a shaky foundation seemed...unwise.
Plus – at the risk of eating crow in the near future – he didn't actually think it was possible to feel angrier at the gods than he was right now. Seriously, what was left?
He hated them for sending him to a fantasy deathworld. He hated them for tormenting his friends and family. He hated them for being partially responsible for the Blight. He hated them for what they'd done to Elatra and Earth. He hated them for all the lives they'd stolen. He hated them for being the living embodiments of indifference and cruelty. He hated that they fostered good PR among the people they oppressed. He hated how monsters of such craven hypocrisy were also immeasurably powerful. He hated the sensation of divine mana crawling on his skin. He hated the unsettling sound of their voices. He hated their bizarre formless appearances. He hated them for being pompous pricks. He hated whenever they tried to relate to him. He hated whenever they didn't.
Most of all, he hated that they were still alive.
Even if he found out that they'd personally antagonized him since birth or some petty nonsense like that, it wouldn't measure up to the litany of transgressions they'd committed thus far. The blazing inferno within his soul could burn no hotter. Should burn no hotter. For his sanity's sake, if nothing else.
Kismet teleported. It wasn't in response to anything. He'd merely anticipated some sort of action – and was then baffled afterwards when he noticed the rampaging BERSERKER standing quietly in deep thought.
{Four.}
Rob advanced. While he didn't have a plan yet, he'd also learned that if he gave Kismet the slightest amount of breathing room, bad things tended to happen.
Can any of my Skills give me an edge? Unfortunately, he didn't think so. As usual, his lack of ranged options was biting him in the ass when it mattered most. Almost everything he could use required getting in close – which was the whole freaking problem – and none would be more effective than Purge Divinity, regardless.
Maybe I could set up a Waymark point, then catch Kismet's teleport with one of mine...no, that won't work either. The odds of him popping in next to a random Waymark point are slim. Could fill the battlefield with lots of Marks, but even then I have to consider the Skill's activation time. With my current Dexterity, it'd honestly be faster just to run at him.
The vast majority of his abilities simply weren't up to par in a clash with divinity. Limit Break, Purge Divinity, and Never Forget Your Rage had been specifically designed by the Skills to facilitate deicide. Something like Power Slash couldn't possibly compare to jailbroken stats and a touch of death.
As an act of defiance against his own logic, he cast Enmity, the only ability that could feasibly hit Kismet at range. The god casually shrugged off its effect before promptly escaping.
{Five.}
Like a frustrated animal, Rob snarled and gave chase. Just need to keep trying. Kismet isn't perfect.
{Six.}
Sooner or later, he's going to mess up.
{Seven.}
He's going to mess up.
{Eight.}
HE HAS TO MESS UP.
Suddenly, Kismet transformed his right hand into a blade of mana. With one harsh motion, he sliced open his own left arm.
By now, Rob had conditioned himself to never stop moving forward, even if something shocked him – which this sight very much did. His mouth dropped open, and Leveling High paused in the middle of eating its metaphorical popcorn. They still kept advancing without an iota of hesitation.
And ran straight into the mana cloud leaking out from Kismet's wound.
Rob blinked, opening his eyes to a wonderful day. The twisting plains looked dazzlingly beautiful, with fauna and plantlife lit by rays of effervescent light from the twin stars shining above. People cheerfully went about their day, happily shaking their trunks in shows of greeting, or rattling their scales to initiate merry games.
All was at peace.
Until – in unison – everyone froze. The tumult of life went quiet in an instant, replaced with pensive silence.
As if they'd been struck by the creeping, pervasive sensation of being watched.
A sound rang out. Half of them immediately fell over dead, fluids gushing from their ruined bodies.
The survivors could only lay there, crippled and in pain, as more people slowly rose into the air. Invisible fingers seemed to pluck them from the ground – and then began ripping off their limbs, one at a time, like a child dissecting butterflies–
Rob dragged himself back to the present.
It had taken much less time than before to recognize what was happening. Now that he knew what to expect, experiencing the remnant souls' lives wasn't so different from the dreamlike quality of an Attunement vision. Although...realizing that he'd witnessed the end of a world preceding Elatra did cause his thoughts to hitch for a single moment.
Which was just enough for Kismet to forge a spear of mana, then send it plunging through Rob's eye, skull, and brain. Its tip was forged to shred anything it touched, no matter how durable or Resistant.
The god whooped with glee – only to wince as the HUMAN's sole reaction was a long, drawn-out sigh. With an air of exasperation, he reached up and yanked the divine spear free with a nauseating splorch.
His eye had been reduced to a seeping red mess. He closed its eyelid. When he opened it again, the orb within had already Regenerated, now sporting an unamused glare.
It was something of a unique moment. Mid-battle events didn't typically leave both combatants feeling disheartened. The all-powerful god was losing faith that he could ever hope to stop Rob's onslaught...
And the BERSERKER didn't know if he could justify continuing on like this. His body still felt like it was pulling itself apart; if anything, the sensation was growing more pronounced as their battle progressed. While Kismet would make a fatal mistake eventually, Rob couldn't guarantee that he would last long enough to capitalize on it.
Unless he followed Leveling High's advice and–
With a howl that shook the divine realms, Rob launched his stolen spear at Kismet. His aim was true, yet it sailed through empty air, the god's afterimage tauntingly fading away.
{Nine.}
Final chance.
​
--
​
Link to Part 2

IIn late January my girlfriend of almost 5 years left me. I used to be a carpenter a couple of years ago before I made the decision to learn software engineering. I was terrified of taking such a risk and had a lot of anxiety because I was still in a good amount of debt. My ex is the one who helped me enroll and actually supported me through the whole thing. I enrolled in a coding boot camp and tried looking for a part-time job for about 5 months. Turns out I was very qualified to build skyscrapers and handle $100k+ equipment but couldn't land a job at Best Buy, or a simple coffee shop just to pay my bills while I went through school. I eventually got a fun job at an afterschool program since it's centered around sports and I've always been pretty good at all of them.
Once school started nearing its end I had this sense of dread that no company would hire me. I was terrified of having to go through a job search for a software engineer when just a year ago I couldn't even get a minimum-wage job doing the most mundane easy stuff. I fell into a deep depression because of the fear of the unknown. I was suicidal because it felt like every time I put one foot forward toward my goals, something would just move the goalpost. I would wake up every day with suicidal thoughts and would go to bed telling myself I was a loser and everything I was working for would fail eventually. I had so much self-hatred towards myself. It's something I never liked to talk about, coming from a family that doesn't really share feelings. My mom thinks therapists are for people who should be in an asylum. towards the end of our relationship, I tried to tell my ex I wasn't okay. I was getting angry at the smallest things, I didn't want to leave the house and every time I did, I would find a way to ruin the night just so I could go home and be left alone. Eventually, she left me over text and text only.
that same night I got blackout drunk at a bar and woke up walking the main street in my city at 4 am with no phone, no wallet, crying, and with my entire right leg bleeding from mysterious cuts. It was freezing outside, and I couldn't remember where I was because I was still so drunk. I walked to an auto shop nearby and found a junkyard car that happened to be open. I sat inside and cried until the sun came up. I kept looking at the passenger seat hoping my ex would be sitting there telling me that I was okay and she was taking me home. I finally started getting a bit more sober and remembered that my brother lived pretty close to where I was so I ran over there and knocked and slept on his couch.
I hit my rock bottom that night, when I woke up I was still scared and embarrassed but put on a smile so my brother would think I was okay. That morning he took me home and I laid in bed all day throwing up and I told myself I would end it tomorrow. The next day, I texted my ex once asking if we could talk about the breakup. We did and I felt sad throughout the whole thing up until she said "I should've done it a long time ago". Then my sadness turned to anger because she cheated on me before and I had given her another chance. I always tried to work out any issues we had. I was the one who communicated and wanted to talk through any and all our issues throughout the 4.5 years but the second I brought up that I felt depressed and suicidal she leaves me through a text?
That day my only motivation became hatred towards her because had the roles been reversed I would've stayed and helped her through it because that's the person I loved. You should've left me a long time ago? Yeah right, it should've been me the first time you cheated years ago then caught you texting your coworker a year after that.
Since that day I started eating healthier every single day, I have been working out consistently, I practice code daily, I have gotten two job promotions at my job (2 positions below the VP of the company), I've gotten 5 interviews for a software engineer role, I've gotten hit on almost every single time I've left the house by really pretty and nice girls which has only happened like twice before in my life. My skin is the clearest it's ever been, I've been going outside more, and I've even started playing soccer again which I haven't in years. I'm learning Italian and I've gotten pretty damn good at it especially since I also speak spanish. I haven't had any alcohol since, I stopped smoking nicotine (She introduced me to it), I've been practicing the guitar every day and can play it better than I ever had been able to before. I'm spending more time with my family/friends and I have more money to pay off my current debts by August this year. Hell, I even took a cold plunge yesterday which felt great. It's like I can finally see a light in what felt like the darkest tunnel and I'm finally becoming who I used to be

~Milk homogenizer machine market~ is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period. The market growth is driven by factors such as growing technological advancement in dairy industry and the key players are coming with the extended product range in the market. For instance, in August 2021, GEA extended its range of homogenizers with the GEA Ariete Homogenizer 3160 and the GEA TriplexPanda Lab Homogenizer for dairy, beverage, food, pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics industries. It features up to 1500 bars, with significantly increased flow rate capacity between 200 and 1200 bars.
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The global milk homogenizer machine market is further segmented based on geography including North America (the US, and Canada), Europe (Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and Others), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Others), and the Rest of the World (the Middle East &Africa, and Latin America). Among these, the Asia-Pacific regional market is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR over the forecast period, owing to the growing introduction of initiatives by the governments. For instance, in July 2022, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated an aseptic milk packaging plant and milk powder plant at Sabar Dairy. The milk powder plant at Sabar Dairy in Himmatnagar has a production capacity of 120 metric tonne (MT) per day.
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· Market Coverage
· Market number available for – 2024-2031
· Base year- 2024
· Forecast period- 2024-2031
· Segment Covered- By Source, By Product Type, By Applications
· Competitive Landscape- Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ingredion Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Cargill
· Inc., and others
Global Milk Homogenizer Machine Market Report Segment
By Type

• Ultrasonic
• Pressure
• Mechanical
• Bead Mill

By Product

• Rotatory Homogenizer
• High-Pressure Homogenizer
• Sonic Disruptors

By Application

• Processed milk
• Milk powder
• Cream
• Cheese
• Protein Concentrates
• Yogurt

By Technology

• Single-Valve Assembly
• Two-Valve Assembly

Global Milk Homogenizer Machine Market Report Segment by Region
North America
• United States
• Canada
Europe
• UK
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• France
• Rest of Europe
Asia-Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Rest of Asia-Pacific
Rest of the World
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
The Report Covers

• Market value data analysis of 2022 and forecast to 2030.
• Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.
• Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.
• Key companies operating in the global milk homogenizer machine market. Based on the availability of data, information related to new product launches, and relevant news is also available in the report.
• Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for strong growth in the future.
• Analysis of market-entry and market expansion strategies.
• Competitive strategies by identifying ‘who-stands-where’ in the market.

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About Orion Market Research Orion Market Research (OMR) is a market research and consulting company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team of analysts and consultants. OMR offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting and other research-based services. The company also offer Digital Marketing services through its subsidiary OMR Digital and Software development and Consulting Services through another subsidiary Encanto Technologies.
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This is a repost of a comment I made on a different person's post, but I think it has great significance and thought it would be worthy of its own thread. I have had a lot of wicked lucid dreams, but this one in particular was long and felt as though DAYS had passed by, when in reality it was only a few hours of sleep.
This dream I'm about to tell was not one dream but a series of lucid dreams that occurs one right after another during one nights sleep. These dreams felt like I was living either multiple versions of my life, maybe my past lives? Or other peoples lives, or one life that all these events occurred over time. Reminder that these are all lucid, but the first few I could not control, but felt like I was watching a movie through someone else's eyes. And the last of the series is very lucid and controllable and very.. very.. creepy. I can vaguely remember most of the parts but I will try my best to get to the nitty gritty detail.
The dream started off with me in my apartment, hanging out with some friends (this part is NOT lucid), however, a part of me felt something strange as if I was very suspicious of the inconsistency of the dream and the people I was talking to within it. We were hanging out and there was a girl with me talking. At some point within the dream, I felt as though my conscious self was speaking in third person, and was explaining what was happening in the dream before it occurs in the dream, as if I am narrating the dream itself and I could see it all play out. I start to slowly realize what was happening and then the people and the girl just suddenly stops speaking and moving. Then it happens, I realize I am in a dream and everything stops and then fades. My dream suddenly changes into something else but I continue to realize it is a dream, but now I am watching the dream as if it was a movie, living in someone else's body or maybe it was mine. The next part of the series, I appear inside of a boat out at sea. It felt like we were sailing in a storm and I was holding onto a wooden beam. There was water up to my ankles and I was holding onto dear life. I could hear people screaming, the ship was rocking back and forth, crashing through the waves and I could hear the rain and thunder. I close my eyes at this point hoping that it will all past or I wake up out of it. While my eyes were still closed, I find myself laying on a bed and on my left-side. I could feel water but the storm was gone. I open my eyes and yes, I was right. I am laying on a bed inside maybe like ship, but it was flooded above the bed. I get up and see light or what seemed like a chandelier. I approach the chandelier and climb on top of it and noticed a strange man just a level above, signaling me to come along with his right-hand. It seemed like he had barnacles on his face and I could also see my arms and hands reaching up to him. Right before I could grab his hand, my next dream begins. I now find myself walking on a street and talking to some lady to my left, like were going on a walk. There were neon lights and signs everywhere and she was talking to me, and I just kept looking at her and wondering who she was - but there was a feeling of love between us, like she was my soulmate. I asked her who she was but all she did was laugh? We continued to walk and walk, and then on to the next dream. This next one.. I definitely knew it was not me because this person said my real name out loud. It was a dark night and there were what seemed like policemen holding rifles, watching us. There were floodlights and what seemed like a concentration camp or prison. The person that I was seeing or watching this dream through ran up to a group of other people and said quote in quote "I CAN SEE HIM, THIS GUY, HIS NAME IS [says my full IRL name]", as if he was trying to convince these people that I exist. He continues to argue with them and they kept saying to him, "What are you talking about?" And lastly, the dream changes again but this time it is completely different like the rest, and will always stick with me forever.
I open my eyes and notice immediately that I am at an outside restaurant or bar. Everything was blue, or there were blue lights. I was at a table with what seemed like people.. but not human? There were different shapes, and races, but still.. not human? They were eating and drinking, partying and chatting. I was sitting there as if it were completely real, sitting as if I would do in real life with my hands clasped together on top of my knee. I observe all around me, the hanging lights, the plants around me, the blue shade of the entire restaurant. I turn to my right and notice a somewhat chubby man, his skin was blue and he looks at me as if he knew me. Something inside of me clicked, as if I knew what everything just happened or everything I saw in the last few dreams. I immediately asked him, "what was all of that?" He shrugs as if he knew but refuses to tell me. So I ask him again, "were those my past lives?" Again, he shrugs with a smirk on his face. I question him again, but this time I felt as though I knew something.. "Is that how I die?" He again smirks but this time he says "I don't know, I can't say." I look down at my palms and kind of.. smile? I then ask him, "if not, then how do I die?" He shrugs and makes a strange choking gesture with his hand on his neck. I smile again and ask him one last question, "Who are you?" He opens his mouth and says "BAAAAA" (the sound of a sheep or goat), and then ends it with "lut" (BAAAAAA-lut). In my mind I am thinking, "Balut?" But a strange feeling inside of me tells me that was my name? My old name? I smile again and I stop questioning him. I believe he then tells me some things but I don't recall exactly what. The dream goes dark and I could feel my eye lids opening and slowly I see my bedroom window. I lay in that position for a few minutes and my mind racing at 1,000 MPH revisiting EVERY SINGLE MOMENT that occurred throughout the entire series of those dreams. Not an ounce of tiredness in my body, but completely full of curiosity, a feeling of fright, but also relief? As if I have found something out about myself or.. how I'm about to die? Did I just found out who I was in my past life? Did I have visions of multiple lives or were they all one person that lived a series of events? Did I have a remote vision of OTHER peoples lives? This I will ponder for the rest of my life.

~Absorption chillers market~ is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period (2023-2030). The growing adoption of district cooling coupled with the improving network is the key factor supporting the growth of the market globally. Advanced district-cooling networks can pair heating and cooling services to increase the net efficiency and flexibility of the entire energy system. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), district-cooling networks exist in a range of climates and countries such as Finland, Spain, China, and others. Qatar has the global largest district-cooling system, comprising 3 cooling plants covering the West Bay and the Pearl-Qatar districts in Doha with a combined capacity of 197,000 tons of refrigeration (690 megawatts [MW]) and a 4th plant under construction.
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Based on the power source, the market is sub-segmented into direct-fired, indirect-fired, and water-driven. Further, on the basis of application, the market is sub-segmented into chemicals, food & beverages, power, paper & pulp, power & energy, and others (petroleum). The lithium bromide subcategory is expected to capture a significant portion of the market share within the absorber type segment. This is attributed to the utilization of lithium bromide as the absorbent in absorption chillers, which employ a chemical refrigeration cycle.
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· Market Coverage
· Market number available for – 2024-2031
· Base year- 2024
· Forecast period- 2024-2031
· Segment Covered- By Source, By Product Type, By Applications
· Competitive Landscape- Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ingredion Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Cargill
· Inc., and others
Global Absorption Chillers Market Report Segment
By Technology

• Single Stage
• Double Stage

By Absorber Type

• Lithium Bromide
• Ammonia

By Power Source

• Direct Fired
• Indirect Fired
• Water Driven

By Application

• Chemicals
• Food & Beverages
• Power
• Paper & Pulp
• Power & Energy
• Others (Petroleum)

Global Absorption Chillers Market Report Segment by Region
North America
• United States
• Canada
Europe
• UK
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• France
• Rest of Europe
Asia-Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Rest of Asia-Pacific
Rest of the World
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
The Report Covers

• Market value data analysis of 2022 and forecast to 2030.
• Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.
• Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.
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• Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for strong growth in the future.
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Ok so 1 thing I noticed in the previous 4 matches when RR is batting first is that, they had no worries when the score was low. Like even when the score was 130 something the batters still played tuk tuk instead of being aggressive (for eg csk match) becuase they thought they had a good bowling line up, and they will be able to defend it.
There is no intent at all. Now lets look at the batting line up
1.TKC: dont really have any expectations for him. either gets out early or score some 20 something runs while consuming a lot of balls and then gets out.

1. Jurel, Jaiswall: I think he will go for his fav pull shot. The guy got out like that minimum 3 times in this season itself. Not at all consistent.

Jurel is the sole reason we lost SRH match. When he came on field, he was not in any pressure whatsoever. Needed like 21 runs from 16 balls or something. And he threw away his wicket in the dumbest way imaginable. Even cummins couldn't believe it. He got to his 50 against LSG with 2 dropped catches. One being an easy one and one being a difficult one. Also LSG's balling is not that strong this season.
3, Samson and parag: because the top and lower order is not performing they will be under a lot of pressure. So they either gets out early or play tuk tuk as we saw in the chennai game. Samson and parag were playing really slow in the chennai match by taking singles and doubles. You know why?
they don't trust the lower order at all. They know if they get out without scoring any runs then its game over.
4, Hetmeyer and Powell: Hetmeyer is gonna be injured and as soon as Powell enters the field the opposition is gonna call the spinners and swing ballers.
And here is a big problem. Teams like SRH and RCB have batters till 6th wicket. We only have good batters until the 3rd wicket: Samson, parag and jaiswall. if these 3 gets out without scoring any runs, then its over. Yes ashwin is a good batter for ODI and test, but he is not a batter for T20 where we have to start smashing from the first ball.
What do you guys think?

So last year I had the opportunity to live and work in Seoul for about 8 months. As some of you probably know, Koreans are obsessed with the game. There are screen golf bars on every street, and pretty much anyone you talk to either plays or is learning how to play. Unfortunately I didn't have a ton of opportunities to get out there, but I did get out once and had a fucking blast. I also got a huge kick out of some of the differences and figured you all would get a kick out of it too. This was just my experience playing one round so not sure if all of this is universal, would love to hear from anyone else who's played over there.
For anyone wondering, we played at a pretty new course called Route 52 in Yeojoo, about 1.5 hour drive from downtown Seoul.

• Every group takes a cart, and the carts are double-rowed 4 baggers, driven by the caddy, who is essentially a forecaddie
• On the first tee, the caddy leads the group in some light stretching.
• When you book a tee time, you book the entire foursome. It's your responsibility to fill the group. So calling up and asking to play as a single doesn't happen. That said, I think there are services that will help pair up those that don't have a full group.
• Those golf carts are self-driving
• The holes had gimme circles. You could do whatever you wanted but it actually made it a little easier mentally when you had such a big target to shoot for.
• Don't get me wrong: a Nature's valley or a fresh dog at the turn is all I typically need, but after playing 9, we stopped and ate a full 20 min lunch that was fucking delicious. Not sure how this typically works because we played late in the season and it wasn't as crowded as it probably usually gets, but the halfway house was packed with other foursomes, and I asked my group and seems like this is pretty much the standard during every round. We still played in about 4.5 hours
• As you could probably guess, golf is expensive as hell. I'd guess that a typical round is probably 2x to 3x what a comparable course would cost in the states. ON top of that, you are forced to pay for a caddy, plus cart, and all the other goodies like balls and gear are equally pricey.
• Korea is an AWESOME country. The coworkers that took me and treated me to the round were awesome hosts. The rest of my game is a trainwreck but that day I happened to be piping my drives and thankfully got some pretty good videos with them hyping me up. Go easy on my swing haha

Hey everyone,
In advance, thank you everyone for your input and help on this issue.
Just some background:
I have a 2008 Honda Accord J35Z3 6 speed manual transmission ~150k miles. I love this car, nearly everything about it, the acceleration, top end, handling, etc. I daily drive this car and slowly working towards a entering some amateur autocross or track days. In general, I enjoy a more mechanical driving experience and more so have the car set up in that fashion. For example, the car is set up on Tein coil overs, and rear anti-sway bar, and looking to do an Innovative Mounts swap soon for the more rigid poly mounts. Recently, (I believe) my clutch slave cylinder failed and I had to float the gears to get it home. I am currently in the process of replacing both the clutch slave cylinder and master cylinder and going ahead and doing the clutch line itself because I am already there so might as well.
So here is my thought process if I am wrong, and the failure is something more intrusive (like the pilot bear and throw-out bearing):
To my understanding, this clutch/flywheel set-up is a dual mass flywheel. Which is engineered for city/day-to-day driving. I will admit, commuting and in traffic this flywheel setup is perfect and soooo easy to drive. However, the dual mass flywheel is subpar for any sort of aggressive driving (on the track, etc.), and results in things like extended rev. hang and delayed throttle response. What I am getting at is; 1) is there a kit that converts this dual mass flywheel to a single mass flywheel? Are there any other complications with converting to a single mass flywheel that are not widely known or considered? Sometimes, when doing this aftermarket "upgrade" are there any other cons; just spit-balling, but anything like throwing off the rev. limiter, more likely for a mechanical over-rev., spacing issues to block out to make up the space difference to meet clearances, etc.?
​
Again, anything on this is appreciated. Sorry for any repeat/redundant/novice questions. This is something I have been trying to research and haven't found much information on this specific concern.
​
Thank you again!!

Long story short, I have private loans. Monthly payments are eating up like 80% of my paycheck and I can't keep going on like this. APR is variable and uh...really ridiculously high? like it's in double digits. Anyhow. I don't see it getting better. Sofi is offering me a fixed rate in a still-high, but single digit number that cuts my payments down to something I can actually afford. I know i will pay a ton more in the long run if i don't overpay on the newly-refinanced loans. But this is a matter of what i can actually afford and what I straight up cannot. right now, I straight up cannot pay what I am being asked to with my current servicer. I feel like refinancing is my only option. My loans are already private so I'm not really "giving up" any sort of future potential forgiveness or anything. Anyone had experiences similar to this/ with refinancing through Sofi? Did it help? Or am I missing some dire piece of information that I should be considering before I sign? My main goal is to lower my monthly payments to an affordable dollar amount, not to pay the loan off quicker. Any advice would be incredibly appreciated.

This is a repost from a couple weeks ago that stayed buried in downvotes, but it's now more relevant than ever:
Adam Mares finally publically acknowledged what he told me a full two months before Tim left while watching the Avs at DNVR.
The foundation of the KCP trade (Morris + Barton) was a done deal at the trade deadline of the 22' season. The reason it didn't happen is because Jamal decided against coming back-- at which point keeping Monte was necessary and the teams decided to do the deal over the summer instead.
Booth got all the credit for that deal-- because not many people knew that it had been a done deal for months. And he deserves credit for hitting the send button and then extending KCP. And obviously for the Bruce Brown signing.
However, almost every move he has made since then has been a disaster.
Everyone knew lasts summer's FA class for PGs was barren yet we didn't prioritize finding a replacement for Bones when we traded him. Instead, we burned 3 seconds trading for Thomas Byrant. A guy who was never going to be able to play in the playoffs and who was set to be a FA.
Then Booth traded a lightly protected 29' first for a shotgun approach to a part of the draft that is very hit or miss and decides to burn #32 on a 24 year old PG who relied on backing down younger, smaller players in college and despite championship equity, walks out of FA with Reggie Jackson and Holiday-- two guys who were 3 years washed.
Then he has the audacity to tell KOC that Watson (who was the primary return for burning a 27 1st) is already better than Bruce Brown and to indicate that the approach to the offseason was taken, in part, to ensure the youth saw the floor.
At the time, I understood the logic of aiming for youth and cheap contracts but got downvoted in oblivion for arguing that a) we should have been aiming at 2nd draft guys instead of solely stockpiling late picks and b) stating that you should always be aiming for as much talent as possible, not limiting your options by aiming for guys who are okay being bench warmers.
Obi Toppin, NAW, PJ Washington, Aaron Neissmith and Issaih Joe are all examples of 2nd draft guys who contributied to their team's playoff run. Derrick Jones Jr is contributing to Dallas's run as minimum signing. And that's the bare minimum, not the TPMLE we gave RJ.
And where as Tim regularly found 2 way guys who turned into NBA players (Torrey Craig, Hatenstein, Kedrick Williams, Dozier before the ACL tear), we have yet to have a 2 way signed by Booth (CG was also Tim) contribute.
All of that added up to a team whose bench was a disaster. No backup center meant Jokic carrying a heavy burden. RJ being predictably awful meant Murray couldn't be load managed because the team was the worst they've ever been without him. Gordon was forced to play way too many minutes- including at backup center. Tonight, he was in foul trouble and it resulted in Jokic playing 47 minutes and being absolutely gassed in the 4th.
Christain was a top notch pick, the best one Booth has made. However, hit began the pattern of devaluing 3 point shooting in roster building. Even tonight, in a game that he was largely great in, he was a non-factor from deep while sitting out on an island. Jokic punishing the double only works if he is surround by shooters.
Watson has potential. He also shot like 20% from 3 this year... which is why was a benchwarmer all playoffs long. Strawther and Tyson both have potential, and Hunter can DEFINITELY shoot, but we've basically hedged all of our assets on Watson, Strawther, Tyson, Pickett (not a believer) and the 7 footer they sold for cash considerations...
Oh and KCP (as much as he struggles with the Wolves matchup) has a player option. And RJ and Pickett are on guaranteed deals so upgrading the backup point guard is going to be tough.
Contrast that with Tim building a team that doesn't have a single bad player in the rotation. His draft picks (and I'm high on the kid they took in the 2nd round) sit marinating while NAW, Monte, Conley, Ried (signed to a steal of an extention) and Kyle Anderson help build out the deepest team in the NBA.Yes, he gave up too much for Rudy. He was also right it would work and right that ANT was ready (and had them on a clock).
The Kroenke's were idiots for letting a top 3 GM walk from his contract and praying an unproven GM could hit the ground running during a title window. Not only because it's likely cut the Nuggets window short but also because it allowed Tim to customize a team designed to wreck the Nuggets.

Hi everyone!
Bruin here looking to sublease my room from June 17 through August 31 to two people (or one). If you're interested at all or have questions, please message me!
Details:

• Subleasing period: June 17-August 31. *Dates flexible*
• Location: 705 Gayley (Westwood Village), short 5-10 min walk (no hills) to campus. Close to in-n-out and Whole Foods.
• Available Room:
  • Double (intended for two people): can opt for making it a single if you cover most of the combined price)
  • Full, private bathroom: everything functional, window
  • Lots of natural light—two large windows
  • In-room closet PLUS additional closet just outside of room in case you need more storage
  • Already furnished (no extra cost): two bedframes, mattresses, chairs, and desks
• Roommates: 3 apartment mates (all male), but open to subleasers of any gender.
• Common area amenities:
  • Modern kitchen: all appliances fully functional (microwave, oven, flame stovetop, fridge, etc.)
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11th: Ashley -
The villains alliance will probably trick one of the other 5 into voting with them under the assertion that they'll vote who they want, probably Jake wanting them to vote for Aiden, only for them to double cross him and vote for Ashley instead since that benefits them the most (I can see her being the glue holding those 5 together considering all the drama between the other 4 lol) -
After this episode, Connor will probably return -
10th: Yul -
I can't see Yul going any further than this due to him being a grating character. I imagine after the trick the villains pulled, the other 5 are going to be much more willing to work together. I also think this episode will mark the end of Yul and Grett's relationship, Yul admitting it was fake all along due to his growing annoyance with Grett and lack of care for his image. This will lead Grett to go to the other 5 and offer to help vote him out with them, betraying the villains alliance -
9th: Jake -
For this vote, either Ally or Aiden will go the villains and offer to help them vote out Jake because of something he does in this episode. The villains will accept and go through with this due to their number disadvantage after losing Yul and being unsure of whether Grett should still be in the alliance after her betrayal. Grett will vote with them, however, due to her desire to stay in the alliance. -
8th: Riya -
I have an idea for a scheme I think Alec will pull here. He sees how the villains have the number disadvantage right now, and for that reason I think he's gonna single out Connor and try to form a friendship with him with the inevitable goal of having him replace Riya in the alliance. This would, in theory, leave them with a 4 (Alec, Connor, Grett, and Gabby) to 3 (Aiden, Tom, and Ally) ratio after voting out Riya. It'd also allow him to get back at Riya for the way she treats Connor, which we know Alec dislikes. -
7th: Grett -
But what Alec failed to account for was that Connor wasn't that easily fooled. He knew to distrust the villains, so the entire time this was a scheme to eliminate Riya, leaving the villains alliance weaker than ever, and then go back to Aiden, Tom, and Ally. Together, they all vote out Grett because Connor cares about Alec and Tom cares about Gabby. -
6th: Connor -
Aiden wins immunity. Gabby has the idol. Everyone agrees to vote out Gabby, and Gabby would've voted for Aiden, but he has immunity, so she has use the idol on either Connor or Ally. She chooses Connor due to his betrayal earlier. -
5th: Gabby -
Alec wins immunity, leaving the other three to vote for Gabby. -
4th: Aiden -
Tom and Ally win and Ally gets to pick who goes on to the finals with her. She chooses Alec after Alec convinces her that Tom and Aiden would work together against her in the finals. -
3rd/2nd/1st: Alec, Ally, or Tom -
I feel like any of these three could win, like genuinely it's a 33%/33%/33% chance each way. But I am very confident this will be the final 3 and if I had to put my money on one, I'd probably say Ally. -
So yeah that's my prediction, hope you enjoyed the read :D

You can see my first post here: https://www.reddit.com/Cityofheroes/comments/1cqpvrk/earthbending_for_noobs_the_earthearth_dominato
For my second build, I am going to try and explain this somewhat unique build and play style. The reason I call it the anti-tank is because it doesn't tend to jive with a typical taunt tank that leads from the front. This plays like a ranged, stealthy scout that sets up groups for everyone else to mop up. It can do well 1v1, but it's damage overall is minimal. It plays like a ranged blaster with crowd control. Most control sets have an AoE stun, AoE immob, and a single target immob. Mind doesn't. Most control sets have a pet. Mind doesn't.
I do not play this as a damage dominator. I run ahead of groups and do soft controls and damage mitigation. When I run along with the group, I do a bit of rodeo herding. This set leans heavily on a handful of powers and finesse usage. It starts out very slow with a lot of single target blasts. My end goal is to have decent resistance to Smashing, Lethal, and Psi damage, and almost capped Defense to Ranged, Energy, Negative Energy, and Psionic Damage. You will have a little over 100% recharge before hasten end game, and you will learn you will need to constantly be on the move. This set plays well when your lead is a brute, your tank is primarily damage dealing and doesn't have taunt, or you just don't have either.
Mind Control

• Mesmerize - I slot this with 5 decimation. It's a good blast and a good sleep also. You can also slot this 1 ACC, 3 DAM, 1 END RED
• Levitate - Same as above. It's very soft mitigation that doesn't always knock-up. I see it as just another blast.
• Dominate - I hate this power sometimes. Damage is worse than the previous two. 4 basilisk's gaze or 1 ACC, 2 RECH, 1 END RED. This is usually last on the blast chain unless I am fighting an AV.
• Confuse - I skipped this power, but it's great. It has great recharge, accuracy, and duration already. I can see doing 1 acc/confuse set piece. 1 ACC. With enough recharge and accuracy, you can confuse AVs or EBs. If you solo a lot, maybe take it.
• Mass Hypnosis - This is a staple power. Eventually I placed the entire purple sleep set in it. You can also do 5 slots of the rare sleep set for 6.25% recharge and then a single lvl 50 Recharge IO. 1 ACC, 3 RECH, 2 END RED. I would NOT put a damage proc in this set. Enemies don't notice it.
• Telekinesis - Great power, but requires a lot of finesse. It herds better than Hurricane. I put 1 ACC and 2-3 RECH. What it does is when you click a bad guy, it first bunches them up with others in the area, then pushes them a set distance away. If you go forward, they go forward, if you walk back, they move back with you. This power holds sets, but I would skip that. You can add extra bad guys into your herd, push and pull them where you want granted they don't kill you, shove dudes into a wall, lock down a doorway or choke point (any mission in Terra Volta, or certain points in the ITF). The key is mitigating damage first and then bunching them up. You can also just bunch them up and unclick. The toggle doesn't last forever, but it holds them in place and sometimes levitates them. It can draw you more aggro than you can handle. You can take already immob'd bad guys and bunch them up nice and pretty. 1 ACC, 2 RECHARGE
• Total Domination - I hate this power, but its necessary. It has garbage base recharge, crap for accuracy, and only a mag 3 hold. It's only good when you are really slotted up. I slot it 4 basilisk's gaze and 2 from the ATO Dominating Grasp Set. The Idea is to maximize Accuracy and Recharge. This power goes well AFTER you have already tagged a group with fear or sleep. This power does very well when you are in domination mode. MAKE SURE AND PUT YOUR DOMINATION CLICKY IN YOUR TRAY AND ON AUTO. Place it right beside hasten. This power set combo has quite a few clikies and Your domination button and your hasten button are two of about four. 2 ACC, 3 RECH, 1 END RED
• Terrify - Great Power. I would put a fear OR ranged AoE set in this (or a purple Ranged AoE) and then a single RECH IO. You can ALSO put your 1 good ATO set in this (not dominating grasp, but the other one). The ATO set or the purple Ranged AoE set give 10% recharge. The Fear set only gives 6.25% recharge. This is a great soft lock. The bad guys will fire back before they get scared so don't open with this until you get capped ranged defense. This on top of a sleep kinda defeats the purpose of sleep. This is ALL the AoE damage you get until epics. 1 ACC, 3 DAM, 2 RECH.
• Mass Confusion - I slot the purple Confuse Set. You can also use 5 confuse set and 1 RECH IO. Do NOT put damage procs in this power. I don't care about the extra 3% ranged def. Don't do it. 1 ACC, 3 RECH, 2 END RED.

End game, you will have quite a bit of recharge. Aim for using the full (and the only good) ATO set and all of the purples you can. If you can only afford 1 purple set: The Confuse One. The Sleep one is good also, but before you get that, get that other ATO set.
For Power Pools I use stealth plus one more power from that pool, hasten and super speed, combat jumping, and boxing tough/weave. For Epics I use Psionic. Mainly for Link Minds, Indomitable Will, and Mind over Body. Link Minds gets a LotG plus 5 defense set for that extra 5% recharge, Indomitable Will gets a single LotG, and Mind over Matter gets 4 Resist IO set for 3% melee plus 7.5% HP.
Tough gets 2 3% def uniques, weave gets a LotG plus another 5 for that 5% recharge (same as link minds). Hasten gets 2 RECH. CJ gets a stealth IO and a LotG. Stealth and Grant Stealth get LotG as well. Stamina gets 2 END MOD and Health gets Numina's and Miracle Uniques.
Psionic Assault

• Psionic Dart - I slot this with 3 thunderstrike for the ranged def. This is one of your beginner blasts. 1 ACC, 2 DAM
• Mind Probe - I skip this, but this is a great power. It's your heavy damage melee. I can see taking it.
• Telekinetic Thrust - I skip this. It's like power push. Not very good.
• Mental Blast - Treat this just like Psionic Dart. Same slotting as Psionic Dart.
• Psychic Scream - It's ranged and it's a cone, but I skip it. I can see taking it. I think it would be OK instead of Psionic Dart. I just don't have the slots to devote more than 3 to it. I placed a lot of emphasis on resistance and defense since I was weak AF early on and dying a lot.
• Drain Psyche - This will just about cap your recovery and give you great regeneration the more it hits. You run in, cast it while the bad guys are subdued, then run out. Even if it hits one bad guy, it does well. You have to frankenslot it to maxmize ACC, HEAL, RECH, and MAYBE A LITTLE END MOD. I do 2 from accurate heal, 2 from an end mod set, and 2 from a heal set. You want good ACC and max RECH, plus whatever healing and end mod you can snag. The power has good base recovery slotting, but a long recharge and base accuracy. 1 ACC, 2 HEAL, 3 RECH.
• Subdue - I treat this like a blast, because it has good range and good damage. Also, it's a single target immob. 5 Decimation is how I slot it. Also, put the build up proc in one of your ranged blasts. 1 ACC, 3 DAM, 1 RECH
• Psionic Lance - I 5 slot this with a sniper set. This is your best ranged blast. 1 ACC, 3 DAM, 1 RECH
• Psychic Shockwave - I skip this. It's a PBAoE disorient that does lousy damage. Since I am ranged only (except Drain Psyche) Dom, this and the 2 melee attacks are a skip.

The end goal is to have great recharge (100% give or take) and almost capped ranged, energy, negative energy, and Psionic Defense (35-45%). Your resists will be about 50% to S/L/Psi.
As for incarnates, you can choose anything for each, but this may be the only instance I am particular about your alpha slot: Vigor Radial Paragon. It buffs everything you need. Everything else you can pick and choose whatever.
Your play style should be ahead of the pack, being stealth, and prepping groups for attack. The stealth IO plus Stealth power should allow you to do most things and get away. Mass Confuses and Sleeps won't be noticed. Total Dom, and Terrify will, but they can be cast before or after each other especially when you are in domination mode when your MAG DOUBLES.

Hello all. I'm hoping to maybe have someone point me in a direction to bring up to my GP. I am 5'4", 96lbs, and 23F. Was 5'4, 115lbs, 17F. Current medications are Adderall XR, metoprolol, and the birth control patch. I am diagnosed with hEDS, endometriosis, and POTS. At the time of the discovery, I was on the birth control patch, topamax, and as needed rizatriptan.
When I was about 17, I discovered a lump under my skin near my left hip. At the time of discovery, it was small and not able to be seen above the skin, but was able to be felt. Since then, it has grown pretty decently. I recently got sick and lost a bunch of weight, and has made it visible above the skin; https://ibb.co/tYrS3Tx (not a great photo, but the best I've been able to get)
I have gotten it checked out multiple times by multiple doctors. Every single one has been able to feel it and has been concerned over it, so I have had several ultrasounds, and a few transvaginal ultrasounds. Every single time, nothing shows up on the scans. They will be directly over it or right next to it and unable to see anything. Due to that, they've just been making guesses ranging from a herniated fallopian tube, to a bloated small intestine.
At this point, it's beginning to hurt. It used to cramp only during my periods, but it's starting to cramp and hurt even while off, to a point of doubling over in pain.
Another thing is that I was not sexually active at the time that this showed up. I was a virgin. Which has ruled out anything related to that for it.
If anyone has any ideas of what I should bring up to my GP, or any idea of what it could be, I would really appreciate it.

Im 28m, and heard about Bitcoin in 2018 shortly after I got out of prison. At the time I was getting my life back together I was saving money and I had 1 bitcoin at one time. I sold it to at some point because I thought I wanted to be a real estate investor as it was an option I could pursue with my criminal background limiting my job opportunities.
I didn't know the first thing about bitcoin or crypto, I even conflated Bitcoin with Coinbase and dismissed it as a scam when I had trouble selling it on Coinbase and withdrawing my money. I started investing in real estate buying single family and renting them out. Covid hit and tenants stopped paying rent, luckily for me I got them to sign up for rental assistance and it was peak of market and ended up selling all my properties 2021. So I ended up with a bunch of cash and needed to do something with it. I told myself I wanted to double my money each year for the next 10 years to become a millionaire by 35.
I looked up everything, every strategy, every investment, history, economics, federal reserve, just went down a rabbit hole and somehow came back to bitcoin. It just offered me the best opportunity and I see it having the best probability of being a very valuable asset 20-30 years from now. I live very modest, have a family, and I really just need the most flexibility and liberty in my life and bitcoin offers me the best tool for the lifestyle I want.
In 2022 I went all in on Bitcoin and have been DCAing since. The past two years I have doubled my net-worth each year. I have a second home in MX, my primary residence, and Bitcoin. 2 beater cars, use my credit cards on a daily, I make about $75k a year between full time job and side businesses. I would be open to diversifying my self custody into BTC ETFs and companies just cause the only threat I see to bitcoin is not being able to exchange for my local currency. However unlikely I think it will be, in 20 years from now it might be throw away money for me I hope.