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I snagged a 7cu ft freezer on Offerup for $60 (there were loads, so I'm sure you guys could find similar deals) and it's been an absolute game changer
Before when I saw a screaming deal on meat at the store, I'd maybe grab one pack and move on, now I can buy the limit, toss it in the freezer and be good on that type of meat for months! I recently bought ~10lbs of tritip for 3.29/lb, and now we'll be good on beef for the next couple months!
It also lets me cook in bulk - if I'm making something that freezes well, like a lassagna, I just make two and freeze the other, so that next time my wife and I can't bring ourselves to cook, we've got a dinner we can just pop in the oven and forget about, which saves us from wasting our money on doordash.
Little tip my wife and I came up with for keeping it organized, we laminated 3 inventory sheets and affixed them to the top of the freezer, when we add something or take it out, we use wet areas markers to keep it up to date so that we can just easily walk out and see at a glance what we've got to work with

Hi everyone. I’m 18 (soon turning 19), and I will be graduating highschool in May. (Let me preface this by saying I will not be engaging in sugaring while still in highschool even if I’m of legal age. Even if I’m 18, I think any man willing or eager to date a highschool student possesses or will exhibit problematic behavior in the future).
(Quick note, if you just want to see my questions with no context scroll to where I separated two paragraphs with “———-“)
Anyway, so I’ve been considering/ exploring the sugar dating world a little bit because I will need support for my college tuition as well as other related expenses (and maybe eventually other expenses like rent, groceries, things of that caliber).
My mother is newly divorced from my father, and she is a teacher assistant for the special education program at a middle school (so she doesn’t make much). My father is vile, and I have limited contact with him. I do not get any financial support from him, and my mother gets very, very little from him in comparison to his salary. (She makes abt 18K/ per year before taxes. He makes $400K+ before taxes).
I couldn’t apply for institutional financial aid at most of the colleges I’ve applied to because my father refused to provide copies of his 2021 W-2 forms and his 2021 federal tax returns (he had to submit them online, I would have had no access to them). So I will be in even more of a bind.
Currently, I’m not able to work a consistent job because of my heavy school workload (If I could work consistently without getting horrible grades, I absolutely would). This summer, I will be getting a full-time job in addition to the babysitting, dog walking, and doordashing that I already do. But these tuitions + room/board + materials are truly unbelievable. I know for a fact that even if I worked 3 full-time jobs in addition to being a full-time student, I would not be receiving anywhere what is necessary.
I also want to find a way to provide somewhat for my mom. I won’t go into detail, but she needs financial help desperately through no fault of her own.
So I’ve been exploring this world for a little bit, and I have some questions. Let’s start with names, identities, and profiles. I will create an alias and somewhat of an identity to match with said alias for sites. I will not provide my real information on sites (I’d only consider that if I’ve known SD for some time and feel comfortable enough). I have a list of names and am exploring surnames, but I don’t want it to be so complicated that they get bored or confused, but not generic enough so that they continue scrolling. Similarly, I’ll include some activities I enjoy in addition to being upfront about what I’m looking for, but as for a persona, I want to cultivate one that deviates somewhat from my real persona. I understand this can be a tricky business, and I want to draw lines between my personal life and my SB life.
I wouldn’t say I fit the conventional attractiveness standards, but I know I’m pretty enough, I know how to exude the innocent/ demure/ mentally/emotionally mature qualities just enough not to outweigh the alluring, curious qualities that appeal to SDs, and I know how to stroke a man’s ego. I grew up in an emotionally explosive and unstable household, so I’m very familiar with following a script in the most “genuine way.” (Looks aren’t above par, but these other qualities compensate for that).
————————————————————- For profiles and websites, it seems like sugardaddy, seekingarrangements, and secret benefits are the winners? (correct me if I’m wrong).
I don’t want to reveal my face if possible, but I don’t want my profile pics to just be of my body and convey that I’m very intimacy centered. It would be ideal to find SD who genuinely doesn’t want or need to pressure, and sexual intimacy isn’t a must factor or top priority. Ik that isn’t the case most times, though.
But my questions come down to: 1) which sites do you all find to be the best (most successful, most legit/least scammers, most “safe”)? 2) advice on aliases, identities, and profile photos that protect my security / real identity (how to catch and keep an SDs interest when they’re scrolling).
Bonus questions:
I’m considering making my accounts once I graduate so I can explore and play around with perfecting my profiles (and maybe gain practice w/ messaging and interacting with “POTs.” But my concern is I live in Arkansas (least hillbilly area; expanding rapidly and fairly affluent because this area is one of the world's largest conglomerates is headquartered here), and I worry about my classmates' fathers seeing my profile or something like that happening. What would you all recommend with that?
Sorry that was so long; I couldn’t help but over-explain and provide exact detail. Thank you to all who made it this far!!

In this vast and ever-expanding universe, it's rare to find deep and meaningful conversations, to find people who yearn to explore the mysteries of existence and to contemplate the complexities of the human condition. And yet, it's precisely through such conversations that we're able to shed light on the shadowed corners of our souls, that we're able to find solace in the shared experiences of others, that we're able to glimpse the beauty that lies beyond our own lives.
I'm an introverted individual with a love for the arts, literature, philosophy, and all things profound. I've always been driven by a thirst for understanding the world, like a kid in a candy store, except instead of candy, it's deep discussions that make my heart skip a beat. Lookswise, I have a slim physique but my mind is a behemoth of curiosity and wonder, churning with tides of questions that even Google can't answer, as I'm constantly seeking answers to everything. And standing at 6 feet tall, I'm pretty sure that makes me the perfect height for contemplating the infinitely vertical possibilities of the universe.
By trade, I'm a humble worker, toiling away at a low paying job, yet my heart remains steadfast in its pursuit of understanding everything. I find solace in books, losing myself in the stories and theories, and I'm seeking to expand my knowledge and to see things I've never imagined before. I may not make six figures or have a six pack, but my mind is rich and robust with ideas about life, the cosmos, and everything in between. Who needs moolah when you've got the timeless works of great thinkers throughout history to lose yourself in? Besides, I hear the pages of books taste delicious when you're really hungry.
I hope to connect with like-minded individuals who share a similar passion for the things that truly matter in life. Rather than curling up to watch some Netflix we can curl up to read some Nietzsche. Though I wouldn't mind doing both. Netflix and Nietzsche anyone? Whether we converse of the works of world-historic figures, or of our own personal experiences and struggles, it's my hope that together we'll find meaning, comfort, and wisdom in our shared endeavors.
So if you're a seeker of truth, a lover of knowledge, and a fan of the profound, I invite you to reach out to me, so we can embark on a journey of the mind and the soul, as we get to know each other inside and out in our search for meaning. Let's dive into the unknown and revel in the richness of the human experience. Because the beauty of life lies not just on the surface, but in the depths of our hearts and minds, waiting to be uncovered and understood.

I am nearing the end of my career and have decided to look for less physically demanding work. After being in the construction arena for many years, it would be nice to settle in a position that does not require me to chase employees or convince management of the need to spend on better programs. I am thinking the insurance industry might be a good fit.
If any of you work for one, please let me know. I am curious to know what you did to get in and what the work is like.
Thanks.

I am not a manga reader, but ever since season 5 ended (which was a real letdown considering how great season 4 was imo) I really wanted this season to be great and the hype that the manga readers were giving, really made me want to watch it the moment it came out. I really love this season so far, but I can’t say its perfect. I have to admit that I still have some issues with some moments and how the anime handled some episodes, the overall vigilante arc and the hole vibe of the backgrounds and animations.
Now, as I said in the title, I am not here to talk about the season as a hole, but in fact to talk about this latest episode.
I believe we need to give props to the Uraraka’s voice actress Ayane Sakura (japanese version). During the speech you can really feel the desperation and overall dispair in her voice. The little detail of the squeaks Ochaco gives while she desperately tries to catch her breath, trying to talk without breaking down were simply heartbreaking to me. The hole conversation she was having with the crowd in a desperate attempt to make them understand that they are “throwing rocks” at a literal teen, that is quite literally willingly sacrificing himself if it means things will go back to normal, were simply painful to watch. Its a heartbreaking moment, to watch Izuku’s mom bawling her eyes out, looking at the deadpan face of a kid she can’t recognise has her smiling son, because the little boy she is seeing in front of her has lost his smile, his hope and is completely exhausted. And finally when Deku shows his first tear and starts to break down falling on his knees is the moment he finally fully realises that someone understands his burden and that he isn’t alone. Sure Bakugo showed him that he was sorry and that he knew what Deku was going through, but this specific moment was ,somehow, different. The scene where Katchan apologised, in my eyes, was a moment that we all were waiting for, where both characters finally have a calm and honest conversation and we Finally hear Katchan say “Izuku” rather than the usual “Deku”, but this speech was something, we were not waiting for and didn’t know we needed. This was a moment that truly showed how cruel the public can be, and how bipolar and extreme it easily becomes. This scene showed how broken this society is, and how people were yelling without even looking at Midoriya’s condition. The finishing touches of Kota and the other civilian running towards Deku, trying to comfort and protect him, in an attempt to repay Deku for saving them in the past and Eri watching the cruelty of the crowd towards her favourite hero were amazing. Everything in this scene was practically perfect, and touched me deep in my soul. I almost cried watching how they animated Kota’s red shoes. This last scene was an absolutely beautiful way to show how much Deku touched the lives of the people he saved.
This speech was the little step, that had to be taken, in order to regain the peace and balance of the public eye. The animators did an amazing job in showing the crowd in Midoriya’s eyes, as if they were cruel vultures looking at their tired prey. As I said before this season has its issues, but this was one of the best moments, that I really wanted to show some appreciation. So far I was just a little disappointed with minor things like how small the vigilante arc was, how sometimes the background does not resonate with the moment (having a beautiful clear sky in a depressing and obscure moment doesn’t really fit for me) or how small the, a bit overhyped, fight between Deku and class 1A was. But I have to say this season is giving me a lot of incredible moments, like the Katchan redemption scene, the fight between Deku and Muscular (that for me was an amazing fight, which is often overlooked, this fight showed the growth Midoriya had, and how he beat the guy ,that in the past nearly killed him, in a matter of seconds. In addition This guy was not playing around this time, he was blinded by rage and vengeance, which meant he was ready for an even bigger fight than before), the fight between the heros and the villains (that showed how cruel these fights can be, and how many casualties there were. The simple moment where Aizawa cuts his leg is shocking, but really showed the life of a hero), the moment we have the Todoroki family secret reveal was Incredible (Shoto being my favourite character made me love this scene even more, considering its one of the first time we actually see him yelling the word “Dad” towards Endevaur as if he was a scared little kid yelling for help), the fight between Twice and Hawks and finally the awakening of Vigilante Deku were just Amazing to me.
Thank you for reading till the end :) and I am sorry if this post was a bit long. I also have to apologise for my English, since its not my main language 😅 I would love to hear other people’s opinions, and if they agree or not, but Please don’t spoil anything that had not happened in the anime as I am really trying to avoid spoilers :p

Hi, I've got this hand me down ipad air 2013 (works good for me), and I want to install last supported version of apps on ios 12.5.7.
I only need a few google apps and netflix.
Its a new apple id, so i dont have "purchased" apps.
After googling I think i have 2 ways of doing this?:
1- Jailbreak with checkra1n and use appstore++ ? Question, if I reboot and loose the jailbreak, would the apps still work? . Does this method need the 7 day signing thing?
2 - https://github.com/qnblackcat/How-to-Downgrade-apps-on-AppStore-with-iTunes-and-Charles-Proxy
This way doesn't require jailbreak, but i would need to install the apps with my id in a newer ipad first, right? to get the "associated" with my id. Also not really sure how to find out the last build number of apps that supports 12.5.7, other than trying until it works.
3- Is there any other method ?
Thanks

I have two kids, a driving age who has no interest in it and a tween. They’re both what I’d call indoor kids. When they were little I could get them out into the woods or take a walk and go camping, but these days even mentioning it they’re already annoyed. They’re like their dad - little future engineers. They all get along so well and I’ve always felt like the outcast. Three boys/men and mom who likes nature and activity and not into video games though I’ve tried. I’ve learned to do a lot by myself. Dog walks, hikes, grocery shopping etc. Now that I think about it I’ve spent a lot of time at home.
Anyway, 4 years ago we moved from the state the kids had mostly grown up in to northern California due to a layoff and new opportunity. I was fucking STOKED. I lived in California when husband and I met and have since moved to three other states in the pursuit of his career, with hopes of making it back here someday. All choices made excitedly! Although looking back, maybe stupidly. What this has ultimately done is left us without any village whatsoever. Completely on our own. I was very optimistic about the move to california because it’s my jam. The weather, the 2 hours to beach/mountains etc was a driving force. No more 7 months a year holed up in snow. We got here and had a few months to settle but then the pandemic happened.
Dot dot fucking dot.
I do not know how to live anymore. What the fuck do I do all day? I take care of like 200 plants and 5 chickens (wtf!) and a parrot and a shit ton of random neighborhood cats because I lost my goddamn mind and identity apparently. I’m not working at the moment because my youngest was recently diagnosed with autism (high functioning, which is why it took til 5th grade to get an answer) and I get called randomly throughout the week to come soothe, or even take him home. (We just got approved for help and will have an advocate at the IEP meetings so hopefully this will give them a plan other than calling me and letting me go get a job or hell, anxiety free and uninterrupted therapy for myself?)
I don’t know. I have zero energy. I take my stupid antidepressant every day like a good girl and even my adhd meds are laughing at me lately. I’m just so fucking bored and lonely and have zero creativity and don’t know how to get my family on the same page of “let’s live a little before this shit literally burns down around us.”
I’ve never said any of it out loud. Thought it would feel better.
Thanks for listening. See ya - wouldn’t wanna be ya!*
*unless of course you have a hobby, or like, a nicer outlook of the future, or like, a really good friend….then I concede that I lied. Trade?

This happened almost a year ago.
The first time I went clubbing I got nearly blackout drunk. I started dancing with another girl who was also nearly blackout, and we started grinding, and I ended up grabbing her breasts. Her friends got upset with, and I got asked to leave by security. Her friends came to the conclusion we were both just too drunk, and I didn't get in any trouble.
A different night I ended up drinking way too much and going out with a group of friends. Me and this girl had made out the night previously and i kinda assumed the same thing would happen again. We started dancing and she was not interested in me. I realize in hindsight how obvious this was. She clearly was into another guy there and wanted nothing todo with me. She was working at a hostel i was saying and she said she was working that night and couldn't do anything (which i understand now was a polite way or saying no.) I at some point leaned in and kissed her. She smiled gently and kept dancing. At the end of the night I asked her for a kiss again and she smiled and we made out again. I felt so horrible the day after. I never held her or anything. But it was so painfully obvious how weird and creepy my behavior's was in hindsight.
Over the last year I came to understand just how scared girls are of guys in general. And i definitely pressured her into doing something she didn’t want to. Nothing like this has happened since. And i still have times where i feel horrible about it. I really wish i could apologize to her, but i feel reaching out now would be super weird. I recently gave up drinking, i just never want to ever put someone in that situation again.
I talked to a few of my female friends about this incidents, many of them victims of sexaul assault, they said that while theses incidents are bad it is pretty minor on the scale of stuff they have experienced, and that I should let go of the guilt as long as I never do anything like that again. I am having so much trouble accepting this, I feel deep down I am a monster. I never wanted to pressure these girls into doing things they didn't want too, and I thought what I was doing at the time was just how guys got girls in clubs. Hell I even remember my dad telling 15 year old me grabbing girls asses was just something that happened in clubs and it was okay. None of this to justify what I did, I had such fucked ideas of what consent meant back then I don't know if I can ever move on.

I need help and I need it very soon. The sooner the better. I (F) teenager have a dad that is homeless right now. He got into a fight with my mom and got kicked out. He has been homeless for 2 days and hasn't eaten. He has been using it and has ruined his life and our lives too. He isn't someone you can take back home and live a happy life. He is "together" with my mom and my mom is done. She doesn't want to be with him but as a friend. My father said no because it would be uncomfortable. My mom has always been there for him. What do I do? We have tried to help him many times and only lasted a week without getting all mad. He has hurt us a lot. He isn't doing well mentally. We want to help but we can't anymore. We feel burn out. He might be eating out of trash cans again. He had a car to sleep in, but not anymore. It's been raining too and won't get any better this week. He isn't going to last much longer out there, but he doesn't want to follow our rules. He has been to rehab kinda but doesn't want to try again. He most likely has depression like I do too. What else can we or I do? I can't give him any money. He's walking in a rough place. He has no food and can't go to a homeless shelter that is near by. All he has is his phone. I feel bad, but this is out of my power. My dad has even told me he wants to end it before in front of my face. I am just afraid he really is going to. I won't be able to live with that. I know I shouldn't feel bad but come on. He has really bad depression and bad thoughts too.

have two friends
A (27f) who u consider my best friend, and have been friends for nearly over ten years with. We talk almost every day and tell each other everything. There is nothing I don't know about A, and while she has some flaws I trust her judgement.
And then B (27m). I have been in the same circle with B for 6 years but this year we have become closer. B is a core part of my writers circle which I host at my house once a month. Generally I see B as a level headed person and has confided that he at times struggles socializing and is generally anxious during social interactions.
Anyways I am seen as kind of the "social committee" of my friend group and host many other events, parties, dinners, apart from writers circle. I invite B to all of them and he has told m before that he really enjoys/ looks forward to them.
Now here is where it gets tricky. A and B started hanging out as friends, quite often. A would text B every day and I think B was very excited about making a new friend. B has expressed to me before that he wants to make new friends and somewhat struggles with it.
However this friendship ended after they got into an argument about A's blossoming relationship with another guy. A mentioned that she was up all night talking to this guy and B replied saying A was immiture and infatuated and that staying up so late talking to someone was irresponsible. B came across as very agressive and judgemental towards A and her new "fling" . A was offended replied saying that she thought B was being judgemental and rude, B promptly apologized but A did not respond to their apology and then ghosted B for about three weeks. They went from talking every day to not at all. (I do think A was wrong for ghosting so abruptly).
However after three weeks B messaged A to un-apologize, said that A was unkind for ghosting him and doubled down on his initial opinions.
A asked for more time to think of a reply to B but a day later B replied once more.
What followed was a somewhat tense argument/ discussion where A said she no longer wished to message B and would be cordial in the future but didn't want to maintain their brief friendship anymore.
Initially B pushed for an in person conversation to clear the air even if it meant not being friends anymore, A refused and eventually it was agreed to no longer talk to each other.
Today out of the blue a week or two after this all happened A got a message from B, but it was deleted before they could read it. Then A was blocked. A knows they are blocked because they can no longer see B's profile.
So far in this I have been trying to be a neutral party. But to me blocking someone seems like quite a ride and drastic measure. Though I understand B has some social anxiety and this may be their way of processing- I am still upset for A. Like I said A is my best friend.
I have a few events coming up that I want to host this spring and summer, and I am contemplating not inviting B. I would still invite them to writers circle, as this is something A doesn't go to, but not anything else. (A goes to everything else)
I know that this however would crush B as they have stated many times that they enjoy and appreciate coming to my events.
I am not sure what the best way to approach my friendship with B is now. The whole thing seems to tourmenting him quite a bit wheras A has moved on and is now just offended that she was blocked.
I don't want things to be awkward in the future at my events or for A to feel some type of way that B is there (and vice versa). However my friendship with A takes precedence over B in my heart 10 fold I don't want to offend or upset anyone. As I mentioned B is quite an intense/ anxious person so I feel as though I need to tread carefully.
Tldr: my one friend blocked my other friend after a tense argument. And now I don't know if they should've invited to events where A will always be

I (20M) just went on a date with a girl (19F) that I matched with on Tinder a couple days ago. The date went really well in my opinion, as we talked for nearly four hours at the restaurant before finally leaving. I walked her close to her place but I didn’t engage in any physical contact with her because I was honestly exhausted since I had stayed up the night before and the only thing on my mind at that point was getting home for a nap (which I now regret, I should’ve definitely hugged her at least).
I text her a couple hours after the date and tell her I had a good a time and asked her what her plans were for the night. She texted me back saying she had fun too and thanked me, and then told me she was going to be staying home for the night. I went out with my friends and told her as such, and then said something that had happened while out that I thought was funny. However, now she has been spacing her texts out much longer and hasn’t replied to me in over a day, whereas before the date it would only be every hour or so.
Has she lost interest in me, or is this salvageable. I don’t believe I did anything wrong other than not engaging in physical touch so I’m not worried about that, but I would like any advice that people have for me.

Hi everyone!
I'm a big tinted moisturizer girly and have tried multiple ones that I like (Bare Minerals, Saie, MAC, Summer Fridays). For a variety of reasons, I kind of want to get a new shade for the summer and was really interested in trying the rare beauty one. My issue is the shade match is not perfect; I'm fairly pale, neutral leaning cool (I wear Opal 01 in BM, Mac N0, Saie slip tint in shade 2 and Summer Fridays in shade 1). I've gone in store to get matched multiple times and it seems like I'm between 16C and 20W. 16C is a little too pale for me and looks a bit almost like a white cast when i'm tan, but is the right undertone. 20W is a little yellow on me, but matches my skin tone. The SA at the store mentioned that she didn't think the RB undertones were that important and she thought I'd be fine with 20W even though it's more yellow. I do find that the product sheers out a bit which is nice, but I'm still torn on what shade to get. Any thoughts from people in similar situations?

•1•
Aniyah paused by a tree that was bigger than all the rest. It was obviously very old. The leaves of its branches were a pretty teal color and were shaped like the diamonds in a deck of playing cars. She couldn't say exactly why, but this tree gave her a slight sense of comfort. In these woods--especially with the black curtain hanging over the sky--comfort was a rare commodity. She found comfort in this tree, oddly enough, and also in her new weapon. Windchine; Blade of the Paragon. She supposed she was the Paragon of the Weaver now. Whatever that meant. She knew the words, because they kept echoing throughout her thoughts, but she had only a faint idea of their meaning. She wasn't totally clueless. She'd picked up on the fact that the Weaver was a God, or something close to it. She'd intuited that Paragon was some kind of title, bestowed by the Weaver. It meant she was sort of like a knight. Beyond these things however, she didn't have much to go on. She'd always just known things she had no way of knowing. Sometimes, she knew things she had no business knowing, as Momma would have said. She wasn't psychic. Far from it. She just got gut feelings about things, that usually turned out to be right. Like the ones underneath. She'd picked up on all of that, without any real reason to pick up on it.
She was picking up on something now. Something involving the others back at the clearing.
But she was still piecing all of that together. She didn't have enough to go on yet, to have any complete, fully formed thought.
That wouldn't come until a bit later...
What came in that moment, was the subtle soothing nature of the very old tree before her. Comfort really was a rare commodity here, but aside from the tree and the scimitar, there was one more source of comfort for her, currently. The weird little jellyfish thing. It was bobbing along in the air a few feet from the tree. It hadn't left her side since bringing her the weapon. Like the tree--like Windchime--it granted her a small degree of comfort. She didn't know where the jellyfish had got the weapon, but she had an idea that even the jellyfish didn't know where it had come from. Maybe the old man had something to do with it. The one who kept the Keys. The Custodian.
She bitterly wished she'd thought to grab Mr. Brownie when she took off running from the skinless man.
The skinless man...
Now there was something she hadn't got any gut feelings about. Except for fear, that was. She knew to be fearful of the man, but that was all. She'd dealt with monsters her whole life. They'd shown up out the blue, or she'd shown up to them. Like in that Long Room. Something about the skinless man was different though. Something about him wasn't like the other monsters. He wasn't one of her monsters, she knew that much at least. She could also tell he didn't have anything to do with the ones underneath, or the grasshopper people. He wasn't connected to The Jailer.
The only intuitive feeling Aniyah had concerning the skinless man, was that he was connected to something a whole lot worse. What that something might have a been however, she had no clue.
Aniyah didn't have a sheath, or swordbelt. The scimitar hadn't come with a scabbard. As a result, she was forced to hold the weapon in her hand, since she had nowhere to stow it. The blade was as long as her arm, and curved--almost like a banana--but was only sharp on one side. This allowed her to rest the blunt edge in the crook of her shoulder, carrying it the way she'd seen lumberjacks sometimes carry their axes in old movies; with her elbow bent, and the blade sticking out behind her as if it were a compass needle that only pointed in the opposite direction from where she was facing.
With Windchine in this position, she leaned sideways against the old tree--feeling its rough bark against her skin. A soft breeze gently blew against her face, bringing with it the scents of nature. The blackness of the sky didn't seem to match the pleasantness of the wind or the earthy smells of the woods around her. Nor did the stillness. There were a few insects buzzing someplace nearby, but mostly it was quiet. It was almost tranquil, in fact. She knew that somewhere in these same woods, chaos was happening. Hell on Earth (or, Hell on In-Between, she supposed). But all of that seemed so distant. So removed from her in that moment, in this private patch of wilderness.
Part of her wanted to go charging off toward the battle, so she could save Eddie the Gnome, and Prioress Qaya, and the others. Yet, at the same time, another part of her wanted to just lie down right here and take a nice long nap. Another part still--a deeper part--briefly broached the topic of Amy. She shattered this thought into a million little pieces and scattered them in the wind. She wouldn't... no... she couldn't deal with that right now. Not yet. Soon, she would have to. But not just yet.
These contradicting parts were really all the same part. The part that didn't want to admit she was hopelessly lost. She had no dang idea where to go.
Aniyah looked up at the weird little jellyfish thing. She whispered, "Wonder how far it is, to get back to Eddie Money and the others?"
The jellyfish couldn't understand her. Duh. It was a floating jellyfish. How could it?
Except... for a moment, Aniyah thought maybe the thing did understand. And after another few seconds, she knew for sure it did.
The jellyfish flashed a soft green color. Once, then twice. To Aniyah, it was almost like it was saying: "Beep-beep!"
"What does that mean, Jellybean?" she asked, laughing at how goofy she probably sounded.
The jellyfish strobed green again. Just once this time. Then, it slowly began to float away.
"Hold up a minute. Where you goin'?" She stopped leaning against the tree and stood up straight.
The jellyfished froze for a second, beeped green once more, then started off again.
"Ohhh, okay. I see. You leading the way? Well okay then." Aniyah smiled in spite of herself.
She followed behind the jellyfish. Together, they made their way through the darkened woods. Hopefully, to rejoin the others...
•2•
"I've never been in this part of the city before," Flower-Seed admitted. "I didn't even realize there was so much down here. I knew there were older parts of Locist Spire that were here before the Jikk, and that most of it was under the city, but I didn't expect there to be all of... this." He looked around, pausing briefly to admire the elaborate architecture around him. "I mean... Gods. There's actually streets down here. And structures. Not to mention these sculptures and platforms. It's breathtaking. It's almost like an entire settlement encased in a mausoleum. A sort of... civilization time capsule."
Quijj gave only a noncommittal grunt in response.
The two of them walked side-by-side along a wide street paved in stone. So much was stonework, or marble. The craftsmanship that went into all of it was something even modern Artisians likely couldn't replicate. Large sections of the old city were in ruins, but those that remained mostly intact made Flower-Seed feel as if he'd traveled back in time. If they'd had the sky overhead instead of a cavern roof, he could have easily imagined being in the center of a bustling metropolis.
They strode by a towering sculpture made to resemble some sort of animal Flower-Seed couldn't identify. It certainly wasn't any kind of insect, or Insectoid. It had four legs and a tail, plus a large round head. It was as intriguing as it was beautiful.
Cave crickets were softly singing in the nooks and crannies. The distant sound of dripping water played constant accompaniment to the hollow resonance of this subterranean wonderland.
They turned down what had once been a side street, with Flower-Seed leading the way. Up ahead, a cavern wall blocked their advance. There was a place where the wall had been broken, creating an opening just big enough for them to squeeze through.
On the other side, they came upon a ledge overlooking a sprawling cavern. There were more ledges--some, only narrow slabs of stone reminiscent of catwalks; others, much wider, holding half-ruined structures--high up along the cavern walls. And in the center, sitting like an island in the dark sea of darkness, was a sprawling marble platform. The platform was surrounded on all sides by crags and trenches so deep Flower-Seed couldn't see their bottom. There was a naturally formed staircase of stone leading from the platform to another opening. This was most likely the main entrance to this chamber. Flower-Seed realized now that he and Quijj had taken an alternate route to get here, than the others had.
Yes. There were others. A lot of them, from the looks of it.
On the marble platform below, rows of tents and even a makeshift gazebo had been set up. As Flower-Seed's eyes adjusted, he began to make out the robes of Advisors; the armor of Spire Knights and Spire Watch. There were excited, panicked voices echoing throughout the cave. Some sort of commotion was going on.
"I had no idea any of this was here," Flower-Seed whispered.
Quijj gave him a strange look.
"Don't ask how I knew where to go, or how to get here. I just... did."
Quijj nodded, but said nothing.
From the platform, someone yelled: "Arrest the traitor!"
"Ah, shit," Flower-Seed said. He was no longer bothering to keep his voice at a whisper. The figures gathered below had broken into something close to a frenzy. "They must be talking about the Councilor." He looked at Quijj with a serious expression. "We have to get her out of here. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of our government, but something really bad is going on down here. I got... visions. I saw Spire Knights with their minds corrupted by parasites. Whoever attacked the city... they've infected some of the officials. We have to do something. If we're ever going to rebuild... we need Jikk like Councilor Lemma. She's one of the good ones."
Quijj grunted in agreement. "Alright. Let's do it."
"What's the plan?" Flower-Seed asked, suddenly nervous. He felt a bit silly asking Quijj what the plan was, considering the elderly tavern keeper had just been following his lead up this point. Now that they were here, Flower-Seed didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to do. Or even what he could do. He couldn't fight a trained Spire Knight. Let alone an entire company of them. He'd only get himself killed!
Fortunately (and to Flower-Seed's great relief), Quijj said: "Just wait here. And get ready to run. Like you've never ran before."
"Alright. I think I can do that much, at least."
Quijj nodded. He drew his odd-looking weapon, and leapt down from the ledge; spreading his wings as he did this to glide over to the platform. Just as the old tavern keep came to a landing, Flower-Seed saw two armored Knights seize Councilor Lemma by the arms, and pull her to the ground. One of the Advisors screamed.
Shit! his mind cursed. Come on, Quijj. You gotta do something! And fast!
•3•
There was a particular knock at the hidden door to the Navigator's study. Three heavy raps, a pause, then two sets of four bangs; the coded knock he'd taught to the mercenary leader. The corners of Drokin the Navigator's mouth--little more than soft tissue on either side of his pointed beak--sagged slightly, in a parody of a frown. He shot a glance over to the wall-mounted clock above his desk. It was only Ef'tat-Half-Wane. The merc shouldn't have made it to this part of Barkstone Barony, for at least another three Shecks.
Drokin cast a suspicious eye toward the opposite end of the room. He reached beneath his desk, unfastening the blade he hid there. It was always good to have a backup weapon. The talon-like claws of his hand instinctively found the pommel of his rapier. "Enter!" he called to the door.
There was a hefty creaking sound as a considerable portion of the wall was pushed inward, revealing both the false rock of the door's opposite side, and the midday sunlight beyond the study. The light was much too bright for Drokin's eyes, after spending so much time inside the chamber under the Arcas Rune lamps. For a moment, he had to squint in order to get a decent view of his visitor. The moment Drokin saw the figure entering his study, his claws tightened on the handle of his weapon.
The one who appeared through the doorway was not the merc leader Rave the Ravager. Not by a long shot. The stranger was a Jagged Fields Nerthran, just as Rave was, but this was where their similarities ended. Rave was of slightly larger than average size for an adult male member of the mothfolk race. The Nerthran before Drokin was the antithesis of average (or "slightly" for that matter). He was enormous; much larger than seemed natural. If one of his crew mates had told Drokin about seeing a Nerthran the size of this one, Drokin would have labeled them an exaggerator at best, a boldfaced liar at worst. He certainly wouldn't have believed mothmen could grow this large, if he weren't seeing the proof of that very thing with his own two eyes.
"Where is Rave? Who are you?" Drokin demanded.
The giant mothman slowly stepped inside the study and creaked the door shut behind him. He did not answer.
"I asked you a question. Where is--"
In a baritone voice that was almost pleasing to the ear, the mothman said: "Would you Sky Pirates send your Captain on every minor mission, or simple errand? I am Master Rave's deliverer. I am called Nollo."
A peculiar name for such a hulking creature as this, the Navigator mused.
When Drokin didn't initially respond, 'Nollo' added: "I have the Relic you wanted." He held up a black rectangular case, almost like the kind a Bard might use for protecting a musical instrument.
Drokin thought this over a moment, studying the towering mothman carefully. He felt almost like he was looking up at a living statue. One of the great big ones that lined the streets of the grand cities of Roshuka, or populated the ruins of Jyyrvesk's Old Country. Even the hulk's features were oversized, as if they needed to compensate for the massive face to which they were attached. This 'Nollo' somewhat unsettled Drokin. The self-proclaimed "deliverer" had a long, slender mouth that didn't quite seem to want to close all the way. This gave the mothman an almost moronic appearance; a dimwitted face with the mouth of a drooling imbecile. Combined with his considerable size, it would have been easy to dismiss this Nerthran as a buffoon. Even the title "deliverer" played into this impression. And he seemed to have a permanent glazed over quality about his eyes. However, Drokin saw what lurked beneath the surface. When he looked beyond these things, the Navigator could detect a cold, calculating intelligence in the mothman's eyes. Upon closer inspection, the glazed over quality didn't strike the Navigator as entirely organic. It struck him as purposeful, practiced--part of a kind of disguise.
Nollo was a mothman with the soul of a spider...
As these things dawned on Drokin, the unsettled feeling he'd had since this mothman's appearance turned to something bordering on outright fear. The Navigator had been all across the Lesser and Greater Reaches. He'd seen some horrid things. Something about this stranger was different, however. There was something not quite Insectoid in his eyes; not quite Of This Pocket Realm, as the Captain was want to say. Drokin had never believed in the concept of evil. Not in the same way the Old Scrolls talked about it, as least. But now--here in his study, confronted by the figure before him--when he looked into those eyes, evil was all Drokin saw.
"You... have the Horn?" Drokin asked, trying to sound casual. His heart was beating at three times it's normal tempo. He slowly reached for the Link Orb. Calling out to Captain Heekan may have been the only chance he had left. "Let me get you the coin I promise then."
"Stop," said Nollo. "Put your hand down."
Drokin paused. The tips of his claws were just inches from the Orb. If he were quick about it, he could snatch the thing up in a microsecond. The Navigator was quick. He was a trained fighter, afterall. But... he knew intuitively he would not be quick enough.
"I beg your pardon?" Drokin said, trying and failing to keep some air of authority in his tone.
Nollo laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "There was never going to be any coin, was there? You think Master Rave wouldn't sniff out such an obvious con? You really aren't familiar with the Stonewing Pillar Mercenaries are you? We are not some low-level ratcatchers."
Drokin said nothing for a moment. At last, he sighed. He allowed his training to replace his fear. It took quite a lot of effort, but he managed. When his heart had returned to something closer to a natural beat, he leveled his avian eyes at the mothman. He dropped his hand, but brought it down to his rapier. He drew the weapon, but made no move to strike.
Through the end of his closed beak, Drokin growled: "Alright, asshole. Just what are you after?"
Nollo laughed again. He flipped open the brass latches on the black case he held, opened it. Inside, wasn't any Relic. That had been a lie. The black velvet lined interior of the case held a single object: a large throwing knife. Nollo removed the blade and let the case fall to the floor. "I'll need every piece of coin you have here. And anything else of value."
Drokin raised his rapier. "All our treasures are on the ship." He sighed, deciding to fess up. "I don't have anything here. You were right. I planned on taking the Horn and not paying. But I am obviously not getting what I wanted. There is no coin here for you to get what you want. Why don't we just call this an impasse? We both walk away, no better off... but no worse for wear than we were before. What do you say?"
Nollo shook his massive head. It was like seeing a boulder pivot atop a living column. "You think you can plot to take out our leader, and live to tell the tale? You're even more stupid than you look."
Now, Drokin was getting angry. "Do you have any idea who you're fucking with? You can't stand against our entire crew. We're the Hawkblood Pirates. You think Captain Heekan will just sit by and let you--"
The knife was buried in Drokin's windpipe, before he ever saw the mothman throw it. For someone so massive, Rollo had a dexterity and speed that were virtually unrivaled. There was a soft clang as Drokin's rapier fell to the floor; a soft gurgling sound as he began to choke on his own blood. He gasped for air his lungs couldn't find; his hands clawing at his throat to pull free a blade that wouldn't budge.
Drokin the Navigator fell to the floor with a hollow thud, knocking his chair over in the process. The last thing his dying mind registered before he lost consciousness was the sight of Rollo the mothman standing over him, whispering: "You Sky Pirates never should have come to the Wilden Green."
Then, Drokin was fading. Fading, fading.
Fading.
Fading from the mortal world, and headed for that Great Beyond...
•4•
Eyes. So many eyes. Staring. Watching.
Abominations. Wretched perversions of nature. Black-tongued things. Slime things. Things with many, many eyes.
Many. Many. Eyes.
Vellnoth! It was awful!
Zoocher slipped through a whirlwind of swirling shadows. He sank into quicksand of blackness. His mind shattered, then reformed. Shattered, then reformed. The world became a pane of glass which broke into a million, billion, trillion little pieces. He reached out, desperately trying to pick the pieces up, to put them back together.
It was no use.
Horrors. Eyes. Looking. Looking at me. Through me. Seeing me. Seeing all.
SEEING.
Zoocher rocked himself back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. There was dirt and grass beneath him. He was curled up into a ball, hugging his knees against his chest. Yet, these things were just background details. This was just his surroundings, and his physical body. His mind was somewhere else--perhaps, in another patch of dirt, slowly turning to mud. No. Not mud. Quicksand.
Sinking. He was sinking. Sinking, and slipping away. Slipping off into that Forever Night.
White Staircase?
No. He saw no White Staircase. Perhaps, only the Black Steps awaited him after all the awful things he'd done in life.
Only... there were no Black Steps, either.
Because he wasn't dead. Not yet, at least.
He was alive, but he was not living. Not in the normal sense.
Eyes. Watching. Looking. Seeing. Viewing. Glimpsing.
STARING.
GODS. OH GODS. OH VELLNOTH PLEASE!
No mercy for him. No Gods coming to save him. Only horrors.
He'd been in that terrible place, in that terrible room for what had felt like centuries.
Now he was back in the woods. But not all of him. He'd left some essential part of himself back there, back in that terrible place.
And now, he'd never get that part back. It was lost to him. For good. Forever.
Zoocher leaned over and vomited yellow bile onto the grass. His head was swimming. He slowly stood up. As he stood, everything fell away. Everything. His entire being. His essence. His all. His whole.
Zoocher? No. There was no Zoocher anymore.
Maybe there never had been.
Certainly, there would never be a Zoocher again.
Shattered.
Zoocher was shattered and lost. Gone. Now, Zoocher was no more. Forever departed.
He felt something warm and wet run down his legs. He'd urinated on himself without realizing it. This did not bother him. This meant nothing. He took a step forward and vomited onto his vest. This too meant nothing.
He stripped off his armor, his undergarments, his weapons. He kicked off his boots. To one side of the pile he'd made with his belongings, there were a set of bootprints in the dirt. He turned in the opposite direction, and started walking. He didn't know where he was going. He only knew he needed to walk.
Visions winked in and out of his mind. He continued walking, muttering to himself all the while. He spoke of everything, of nothing. He asked questions without answer. He gave answers to questions no one had asked.
Those eyes. They were burned into his brain. No. His brain was a burn. A scorchmark, littered with eyes. Staring. Watching. Waiting?
He walked on. Walking through the woods, to nowhere. Walking. Muttering. Thinking of eyes and Slime things.
It was a long time before he stopped.
•5•
There were two astounding sights, which presented themselves consecutively before him. In over two decades serving as one of the Hawkblood's top Assault Commanders, he had never seen anything more incredible than the Black Pyramid. That was, right up until the moment he saw the entire Pyramid vanish right before his eyes. If anything could be even more incredible than seeing the Pyramid; suddenly not seeing the Pyramid would have to be it.
Commander Ramses blinked several times, as if he were unable to trust what his eyes were showing him. The airspace beyond the windshield of his Glider Pod now showed only a sea of nothing, save for the Sky Gods higher up in the atmosphere.
"What the fuck? Where did it go?" he muttered to the empty cockpit.
The Glider Pods were designed to resemble plump black ravens. Ramses's Glider was slightly larger than the others in the fleet, as his was the Pod that carried most of the Big Weapons. Currently, they were in a V formation like actual birds; twelve in Ramses's group, twelve more in Commander Paulo's group that would have been approaching the Pyramid from behind; another twelve coming in from the right, making up Commander Gichi's group. The Gyff had their own Gliders, fashioned from wooden planks and some unknown material Ramses had never seen before. The Gyff ships looked a lot like the Gyff themselves; like long slender walking sticks. Their ships cut through the air like wooden missiles, lined up in a near row.
Ramses slapped the control panel, activating the Com-Cube. "Am I seeing things? Have I lost my mind?"
"No." It was the voice of Commander Gichi. She sounded uncharacteristically shaken. "The damn thing went POOF. Just like that."
The Gyff leading the stickbug group (his name was Kloom, if Ramses's memory served him) chimed in. "What do we do now? Will it reappear, you think?"
Ramses smacked the controls again, this time out of frustration. He said, "Somebody better get the Captain on the--"
"Already here," said the voice of Captain Heekan.
"You been listening this whole time?" Gichi asked.
"No. I just came on. Now listen. Everyone. Listen very closely. The Pyramid isn't in the valley anymore, but all is not lost. We will track it down. I already know where they took it."
Ramses gaped at this. "What? Captain... how could you already know all of that? It just vanished, only a few ticks ago."
Gichi made a soft gasping sound. "Captain. No. Tell me you didn't use it."
"I had to," Captain Heekan said with remorse. "The Mirror is too valuable a tool for us not to utilize it. And if ever there were a time when we needed it, it would be now."
"How many years did it take off your life?" Gichi asked hesitantly.
After a pause, Heekan said, "It doesn't matter. We're getting sidetracked here. There is a lot more going on than we realized. There are agents of not one, but two of the 5 Pharoahs here in the Wilden Green Valley, as we speak."
"What?" it was Gichi and Kloom in unison.
Commander Paulo broke his silence. "Which other Pharoah are we talking about?"
Heekan said, "Aside from Camaria the Butcher who we already knew about (it was one of her Scarabs that took the Pyramid), there's some of the Necromancer's men here too."
"The Necromancer?" Ramses said in disbelief. "The right hand man of Dowlmad the Deathless?" Ramses felt a cold chill run up his spine. "You're not telling me he is here in this valley, are you?"
"The Necromancer himself? No. Just some of his underlings. The Skinless Men, they're called."
Gichi asked, "Are they really all after the Pyramid and the Artifacts? I can't imagine two of the 5 Pharoahs would expend resources just for the stuff we're after. Aside for the Black Pyramid. But even still... something seems off here."
"Well," said Heekan. "That's because something is off. There are bigger forces at work here than we ever realized. Sure, they were after the Pyramid and the Divine Battery. But those are more like... party favors, to them."
Ramsese shook his head. "I already don't like how this sounds." The open sky outside his Glider suddenly felt less like empty airspace, and more like an endless abyss. One glance at the Sky Gods floating higher in the heavens strengthened this feeling, causing the commander to shudder as another chill ran up his back.
Captain Heekan said, "Then you really won't like what I'm about to tell you."
As it turned out, the Captain was absolutely right. Ramses really didn't like it one bit. None of them did.
•••
And Commander Ramses was not the only one who was told things they didn't like. While he was listening to his Captain's words with growing unease, elsewhere in the Wilden Green Valley, a certain Ranger was receiving a rather ominous warning...
•••
•6•
Deep within the bowels of the Reverse Tower. In the Domain of the Being known as O'Faxx.
Ranger Lexington stood atop the large boulder, surrounded by a sea of sludge. The putrid aroma of this place once more assaulted his senses, while his boots sank into the slick, squicky growth coating the boulder. Lexington's dragonfly-like features hid his discomfort. Outwardly, he appeared as stoic--as unshakeable--as always. At least, until he spoiled the effect with a knowing smirk.
To the bubbling muck, he called out: "So, you decided to help out afterall?"
There was no response.
Lexington's smirk faded. He bowed his head slightly. "It's alright. You don't have to speak. I only wish your assistance had been enough. That way Burlap wouldn't have had to give his life the way he did."
O'Faxx did not emerge from the murky depths.
Lexington would have sighed had the air quality in here not been so abhorrent. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. I will find a way to reward you."
Although O'Faxx remained beneath the muck, his voice echoed inside the Ranger's mind. "My actions were not on your behalf. Your ignorance betrays you, Overseer."
Lexington cocked his head to one side. "If you say so." He shrugged. "Some guys just can't accept a thank you, I guess."
"You have yet to understand. I helped you, to destroy you. None of you know yet what you are unleashing. I did not see the truth before, but the truth has now presented itself to me. The Gods wish to assemble the 12 and bring about the White Clock Consortion. Fools. They don't yet realize with the advent of the White Clock, the Black Clock follows. Those numbers shall count down their destruction. I looked into the destiny of the mortals you have placed so much faith in. I saw what they will bring about. They are one of the Four Winds that will blow upon the Door of Doom. One of them is a Paige of the Necronomicon."
"What does that mean? Quit speaking in riddles."
"There's a storm coming, Overseer. A storm that will wash away the world. This one, and all others. I haven't helped you. I've only helped the first few raindrops, so they might better form within the dark clouds hanging over this Pocket Realm. And in the wake of that rain? The thunder shall soon roll."
A storm coming. Four Winds that will blow upon the Doors of Destruction. Thunder.
These things made no sense to the Ranger. One thing was clear however; whatever O'Faxx's words meant, Lexington didn't like the sound of any of it.
•7•
There's a particular way Advisors and nobleJikk cry out when something disrupts their normal routine. It's a breathy sort of shriek, like someone emptying their lungs before they faint. Many of the High Advisors were voicing this exact variety of shriek now, as High Knight Pyx ordered his Spire Knights to arrest Lemma.
Temporary Councilor E'Shesh (to her credit) tried to block the path of the Knights. She was shoved out of the way, hard enough to cause the poor she-Jikk to tumble over onto the hard marble surface of the platform.
Then, underneath the makeshift gazebo, pandemonium set in. The stress of the attack on the city had already pushed everyone toward the brink of panic. This new development made them all leap right over the edge, falling right into the place people (Jikk, or otherwise) always fall in times like this one.
Lemma didn't run. She stood her ground, glowering at Pyx and Councilor Tholke; glaring as if she could knock some sense into them with her gaze alone. Of course, this was a futile endeavor. The Knights were upon here a moment later. Strong arms seized her, throwing her to the ground. Then, oddly enough, even stronger arms were lifting her from the floor. She stared down the Knights arresting her, but the expressions they gave her in return were not those of hardened Knights doing their duty. They were the expressions of Jikk who'd been caught completely off guard.
As she was lifted even higher, Lemma finally realized it wasn't the Knights who currently held her. It was someone else.
"What... who... what's going on?" she cried weakly.
She was being carried away by... one of the local tavern keepers?
"What's happening? What are you doing?" she demanded.
"She's getting away!" someone shouted.
"After her!" a Spire Knight ordered.
All at once, the Knights were airborne, in pursuit. The air was alive with the sound of buzzing wings, the shuffling and frantic falls of boots, and so much shouting. Lemma dangled over seemingly bottomless trenches and crumbling remnants of the City That Once Was.
The tavern keeper, in all this time, had only explained himself with a single grunt. Now, he was using his free arm to aim some kind of weapon at the Knights.
"No," Lemma pleaded. "Don't kill them. They're only doing their duty."
"Stun-shot," said the elderly tavern keeper. The words came an instant before his weapon discharged and the air behind them exploded in brilliant blue electricity. There was a loud series of crackling sounds, as the small-scale controlled lightning tore through each of the Knights. As if an invisible net had ensnared them, the Knights all froze in midair a moment, before their wings slowed to a standstill. They began to plummet down to the darkness below.
The tavern keeper voiced a soft grunt of regret.
"You can say that again," Lemma scolded. "The shot may have stunned them, but the fall will surely do a whole lot more. What's the meaning of this? Are you kidnapping me?"
The tavern keeper shook his head. "Behind you," he said. They climbed higher, closing in on the stone wall of the spacious cavern.
Lemma craned her neck to look back at the platform. What she saw horrified her. Hight Knight Pyx and Councilor Tholke. Even from this far away, she could see that their eyes appeared to have ruptured. From the vacant holes where their eyes had been, large fat yellow worms as long as sword blades were spilling out onto the platform. Each worm slapped down onto the marble, then immediately began to grow in size. Within mere seconds, each one grew to the size of a Field Roamer pup. And they only continued getting bigger.
The Advsiors and officials broke into a stampede, making for the platform's only exit; the flight of stone steps leading up to the passageway before street level.
"Gods," Lemma whispered. "We have to seal off the exit. We can't let those... those things make it up to the city."
But based on the ever-increasing size of the worms, and their ever-growing numbers, she feared it might already be too late.
"Hurry! Come on!" someone shouted, just ahead.
Lemma turned toward the sound of the voice. She saw a Jikk standing atop a stone ledge, high up on the cavern wall. She didn't recognize him.
A second later, the tavern keeper brought her down to a gentle landing on the ledge beside the unfamiliar Jikk. She eyed them both suspiciously. "Just what is going on? And who is this?"
"My name is Flower-Seed. And we've got to get the fuck out of here, Councilor."
The tavern keeper asked, "How can we seal it off?"
Lemma thought for a moment. "You came through there?" She pointed to the large gap behind Flower-Seed.
"We did," said the tavern keeper.
"Then we might be able to beat the worms to the surface. There's a secret tunnel in the cave ceiling, a little further on. Come on. We have to get to the statue of Kylo the Great, up in the Cobbler's District. There's a hidden lever inside. I know the code to turn it. It will seal off the Old City. It's our only chance."
"Then let's get moving," said Flower-Seed.
The tavern keeper only grunted his agreement.
Together, the three of them took off at a sprint. There truly wasn't a single moment to spare...
•8•
Rave spotted the figures below, standing patiently beside a gnarled, leafless gatortree. He came to a landing, just a few yards from them. Eight pairs of cold, dark eyes peered out from eight fleshless humanoid faces, considering him with an alien species of indifference.
A long black case was tucked beneath Rave's right arm. In his left hand, he clutched his Rune Stone expectantly. Any moment now, Nollo would be giving him the word that the deed was done. Any moment now. Rave had an internal clock that kept near perfect timing when it came to things like murder.
Sure enough, the Rune Stone began to grow warmer to Rave's touch.
Nollo's voice came through the Stone. "Boss?"
Rave grinned with what remained of his ruined mouth. "It's done?"
"It's done," Nollo confirmed.
"Good. I'd expect nothing less. You know where I'll be?"
"Yes, sire. I'll see you there shorly."
Rave didn't bother giving a final response. He put the Stone away and took the black case into his hands. The Skinless Men only watched him patiently.
Rave approached the figures beneath the gnarled tree. This was a remote region of Jikkellia's borderlands, where the high grasses gave way to miles of mostly barren dirt and rock. The gatortree stood out, in that it was one of the few trees on the visible landscape here. Just over the horizon, was the large mountain where a certain group of outsiders were rumored to have crashed in a small rowing vessel recently.
Rave waited for one of the skinless men to speak first. When none did, he said: "A lot of people wanted this Horn. You just so happened to be the only ones offering more than coin." This was a half-truth. The Sky Pirates had spoken of coin, but had in reality, offered only betrayal. "I've kept up my end. Now, I expect you to keep yours."
Rave's mind calculated dozens of ways he could slaughter each of these figures, should they show any sign of aggression. It was just how his brain operated. He plotted ways to thwart threats that hadn't even been presented yet. In this line of business, you had to stay twelve moves ahead.
Right on time, Rave's reinforcements arrived. He'd been doing these kinds of deals for far too long to ever go by himself. Even if he did feel confident enough in his abilities that he wasn't weary of the figures before him. Even in a 1 v. 8 duel to the death, he was certain he'd have the upper hand.
Four mothmen mercs landed just behind Rave--keeping their distance but standing at the ready. Rave didn't so much as glance at them. He casually stepped away from his foot soldiers and moved closer to the Skinless Men. "So, how about it? You said you had a way to get us out of this valley. Is that still true?"
One of the figures (there was really no way for Rave to tell the apart, as they all looked like carbon copies of each other) nodded. "We represent Pharoah Dowlmad. Pharoah Dowlmad always keeps his word. Give us the Black Horn and we shall give you freedom from this place."
Rave said nothing a moment. At last, he nodded. "Alright. I'll take you at your word." He slowly held out the case, offering it to one of the figures. The skinless man eagerly accepted the Artifact. He lifted the lid and removed the item inside, handing it to one of the others.
The Black Horn of the Olde Music looked like the hollowed-out horn of some bovine creature, like those Rave had seen sketched in old tomes. Aside from the fact it was black as obsidian, of course. There was a silver mouthpiece banded around the narrow end. That was all there was to the object. All in all, it was rather unimpressive looking by Artifact standards.
The other man examined it for several seconds, before deciding he was satisfied. He nodded back to the first man who took the Horn and returned it to its case.
"So," Rave said, taking on a tone of casual conversation while feigning ignorance. "What does that thing do, anyhow?"
The Skinless Men only regarded him coldly.
Rave nodded, flashing a half grin. "Fair enough. Now... as for your part of the bargain?"
"Yes," said the man holding the case. "You want your entire company to leave this valley? Return to us when you are all together. Some of us will remain here in this spot. We will give you three sunrises after sundown today. If you aren't here by then, we cannot wait any longer."
"We'll return long before then," Rave said.
There didn't seem to be anything more to say. He turned and motioned to the other mercs. "Let's head out. We'll regroup with the others and get everything underway."

Allstate disbursed an amount that was the claim amount for the flooring work after water damage from the near by apartment.It was mentioned during my conversations with the insurance underwriters this was the exact amount for flooring work.Now another company which cleaned up the water and dried the floor is asking me for money.I am talking to the insurance company but is this common?

Not medical advice, just speaking about my experience.
I (33M) banged my head quite hard at the end of January and have been experiencing significant PCS (post concussive syndrome) headaches, loss of balance (Ataxia) and general uneasiness for nearly 2 months now. Neurologist prescribed PameloNortriptyline to ease symptoms. The medication helps but it does slow you down. Also got myself a scrip for PT.
I started PT about 2 weeks ago but didn't do the home exercises too much and ended up bumping my head getting in and out of the car mildly 3 times last week (This put me in a world of hurt the next few days). Since then, I started to practice the PT exercises religiously and started walking a lot. This morning was the first time I woke up feeling completely normal, no headache or dizziness. Then I got excited and started driving my car in a "spirited" manner and some of the symptoms returned a bit but that's my fault.
Basically, I cannot recommend PT for this problem enough! Last 5 weeks felt like I was stuck in a broken person's body and was very depressed as it was interfering with every aspect of my life. But today I have hope that I can be normal again! The reddit hive mind has helped me enormously on many fronts, I hope someone reads this and gets physical therapy for their concussion if their doctor agrees. It made me feel alive again after a while.

I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit to ask this, but I've been in countless situations in NYC, where trucks would improperly park in one way streets, making the road severely narrow, and when I ask them to move, they insist I keep driving. I put my car at risk at getting damaged, or the neighboring parked car of getting damaged because they choose to park nearly 3 feet away from the curb. I tried calling 311, but they put me on line with 911 and 911 told them this is a 311 situation and 311 claim they can't help..I'm fine with making it through tight spots, but these are spots where you HAVE to be perfect in order to make it out. I've already gotten in a accident listening to these pricks to move and not trusted my own gut, I don't want it happening again. But living in NYC, you have no choice.

What the actual fuck is happening with this, I'm getting really pissed off now. Why is Chica so goddamn broken??? It literally breaks all of my runs. If it's not one of the BS luck based ones like Foxy or Toy Freddy that kills me, it's her for just being so unbelievably broken. Whenever I go into the kitchen cam, her music immediately stops and when I leave she kills me, so her legitimate mechanic doesn't even work. Beyond that, the global music box isn't helping much. Multiple times, I've had the global music box on and she kills me anyway. Like Wtf. I read up on his before and they said they fixed it. They obviously fucking didn't. It's making this game nearly unplayable!!!!

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/17/fed-poised-to-approve-quarter-point-rate-hike-next-week-despite-market-turmoil.html

What does an increase in this mean in Laymen’s terms? How would/could this effect the average person ( like me)? I don’t understand this stuff but am slowly trying. Thank you.

The Fed sets interest rates higher in order to slow down the economy. They do this because inflation is too high, and by reducing demand in the economy they can help bring prices down (ie slowing inflation).
To an average Joe, the higher interest rate means that loans will be more expensive (higher interest) on things like mortgages, credit cards, car loans, etc. It also means that businesses may decide to cancel projects because it's too expensive to borrow the money now. For example, a business that was going to use loans to build a new factory may cancel that project or put it on hold. As a result, this can mean less jobs and/or layoffs by some businesses. This results in a tighter budget for some working class Americans.
The upside is that this also means less spending, which means stores are going to have to keep their prices lower to attract customers. That helps keep inflation under control, which is a benefit to American workers.
Long story short, the Fed is trying to get inflation under control by slowing down the economy. They do this by raising interest rates. The ongoing debate is how fast to raise the rates and how high to raise them. If they go too fast, they could send the economy into severe recession. If they go too slow, inflation could keep getting higher.
The 0.25% raise is basically what everyone is expecting this month. If the Fed doesn't raise at all this month, it signals they are going to let inflation run higher because they're worried about the recent bank turmoil. If they raise it 0.5%, it means they're willing to risk more bank issues (and more market turmoil) in order to get inflation under control.
The Fed meets 8 times per year to decide whether to adjust interest rates. A single rate adjustment really isn't going to have any noticeable effect on the average Joe American. However, the cumulative total of all the rate adjustments will significantly impact the economy. Everyone in the financial world gets worked up about each new rate adjustment because they want to try to predict what it means for the future. It's sort of like a person keeping track of a basketball game on their phone. They want to know when each team scores, and they celebrate or get upset each time. However, each score doesn't really matter - it's the cumulative effect that actually affects the outcome of the game. Likewise, each individual rate adjustment doesn't mean much to the average Joe, but the financial professionals are watching it closely, just like how a basketball fan might watch the whole game, but a less interested person just wants to know who won.
https://www.reddit.com/Economics/comments/11wgwz8/fed_poised_to_approve_quarterpoint_rate_hike_this/jcxzigt/

Federal Reserve lent $300 billion in emergency to support U.S. Banks

https://www.pbs.org/newshoueconomy/federal-reserve-lent-300-billion-in-emergency-funds-to-banks-in-the-past-week

Weird no one is asking how we are going to pay for that, how it's going to impact inflation, or the moral hazard of removing market forces. Weird how it's the rich and powerful where these forces come to the rescue.

Banks push for deregulation and crash the economy.

https://www.reddit.com/Economics/comments/11vzlp5/federal_reserve_lent_300_billion_in_emergency_to/jcwjb6q/

A big “F*** you” from Home Depot. Found in our St Patrick’s day gift baggies.

https://i.redd.it/3l3jlag7hsoa1.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/HomeDepot/comments/11vv3mo/a_big_f_you_from_home_depot_found_in_our_st/

Hello everyone, I’m stuck at making a decision and I wanted to hear other people’s opinions. Sorry if it reads terribly.
25 year old engaged male on a deployment overseas with the military. No major bills other than my car payment.
Back home I currently work for one of the top 100 fortune 500 companies but doing manual labor making about $22.50/hr. I have amazing benefits atleast from what I know. They will pay 100% tuition to nearly any school, 40 hrs sick, 80 hrs vacation. Retirement. Tons of other benefits. I work 36 hrs a week but get paid for 40. 3 day work week, 12 hrs back to back to back. Hour long drive to work at 4 am, hour long drive back at 6pm. It's rough. My coworkers are cut throat, and will brag about ruining other peoples lives. There is a lot of room for growth in the company, but it’s currently a very toxic work environment. I'm constantly stressed and do not enjoy it. But the job itself is very easy and not physically demanding.
I have a federal opportunity with my unit back home. $25/hr with guaranteed raises but little room for growth. Decent benefits as far as I know, and about the same hour long drive to work. 4 day work week. Some days are 10 hours long but a lot of days if there isn't much work they just do a half day. Still get paid the full day. Extremely healthy work environment but a bit more physically taxing. The biggest problem is that I lose my amazing Tricare healthcare and will have to go with blue cross blue shield which will cost nearly 5x as much, and will have a deductible unlike Tricare, which is amazing.
If i stay with my current position, I could milk my 100% tuition, go to college and get a degree in 4-5 years, while also getting an extra 4 hours off work each week as a benefit to going to school full time, and use my GI bill from the military to also pay me while going to school. Not sure how much that would get me but I know it would be nice.
Maybe the answer is obvious to you, but I'm stuck. Do I stay somewhere and ultimately be unhappy with my job position for the next 4 years possibly? Or do I go somewhere I know I will actually enjoy being? I'm open to any and all criticism/advice/questions/complaints.
Thanks for reading