Which hermit was banned from hermitcraft
Who Cares?
2017.09.12 00:34 BogBigStu Who Cares?
A sub for people who were never asked and yet, still explained far too much.
2012.09.17 15:27 Llort2 A sub for Historymemes
History memes and jokes go here. Our Discord Server can be found in the sidebar below.
2019.05.27 07:50 jack0641 Elden Ring
This is the subreddit for the Elden Ring gaming community. Elden Ring is an action RPG which takes place in the Lands Between, sometime after the Shattering of the titular Elden Ring. Players must explore and fight their way through the vast open-world to unite all the shards, restore the Elden Ring, and become Elden Lord. Elden Ring was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and made in collaboration with George R. R. Martin. It was developed by FromSoft and published by Bandai Namco.
2023.05.31 17:48 bitemy Christians bullied an Indiana school district into canceling a school play with LGBTQ characters. The students raised more than $83,000 and put the play on in a professional theatre.
(This excerpt is from a Washington Post article written by Hannah Natanson.)
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Sydney Knipp, 16, tiptoed to stage’s edge and peered around the black curtain at the nearly 1,500 people waiting for the play to start. It was the largest audience she had ever seen.
In a few minutes, Sydney was supposed to stride before them, braids streaming, to deliver the opening monologue as Alanna Dale in “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood,” a gender-bending take on Sherwood Forest’s beloved bandit.
Dotted among the crowd, Sydney saw, were security personnel in bulletproof vests. At the entrance, theatergoers were submitting to bag checks and a metal detector wand. Behind Sydney stood Fia, her 14-year-old sister, costumed as Much the Miller’s son.
Sydney and Fia, and their characters, were the reason for the security — the reason this play was happening not at school but at an outdoor theater in the girls’ hometown. Alanna confesses her love for a woman in the 16th scene. Much declares they are nonbinary two scenes later. The LGBTQ storylines drew complaints from parents, spurring Carroll High School to cancel “Marian” in February out of concern for students’ safety.
But the cast of two dozen teenagers decided to put the play on anyway. Now, on a chilly evening in late May — after raising almost $84,000, booking Foellinger Theatre and whirling through 2½ weeks of late-night rehearsals squeezed between Advanced Placement exams and finals — it was opening night for a show adults had warned them not to do.
Sydney sidled to her little sister. “How are you feeling?”
The teens believed — knew — they were part of something bigger. They knew schools across the country are nixing plays and musicals that feature gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender roles, often due to parent objections. They were aware Republican politicians are passing a record-breaking wave of laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ children, and that Fort Wayne trends White and red.
The teens also knew they had fans: the thousands who bought $15.50 tickets or donated to their fundraiser; the local theater groups who lent decorations; even “Marian” playwright Adam Szymkowicz, whom they had met on a Zoom call.
But in these last moments with her sister, Fia had something to confide.
She was thinking about what producer Nathan Gotsch said a half-hour before showtime. Should any hecklers emerge, he told students, ushers would escort them out. One student, dressed as a king’s guard, had raised black armored gloves and promised to deter disrupters with his fists, earning laughs. But Fia wasn’t laughing now.
“If someone yells something,” Fia whispered to Sydney, “I think I’m going to cry.”
Sydney pointed to the audience. “Dude, there are so many people with dyed hair out there,” she said. “We’re going to be okay.”
She laid her arm on Fia’s shoulder. Fia rested her forehead on Sydney’s hand. The sisters stood, curled in an embrace, as the crowd began to hush.
Three months earlier, Meadowe Freeman arrived early to school for a surprise meeting called by her principal and theater director.
Auditions had just wrapped for Carroll High’s production of “Marian.” The 18-year-old, who chose theater because “I’m not very sporty,” had anticipated teasing from students about the play’s LGBTQ characters. But she never expected what she heard that day: that some parents disliked the play so much it couldn’t continue.
“You read about it on the news,” Meadowe said, “but you never expect it to happen in your school.”
Sitting near the front of the room was Tristan Wasserman, 18. He watched his friends start to cry. Walking from the meeting, he decided: The show would go on.
That night, Tristan hunted up the email of “Marian” playwright Szymkowicz. He researched the name of a reporter with Fort Wayne’s 21 Alive News. He fired off versions of the same email.
“Hello,” he wrote, “my name is Tristan Wasserman … It was actually on my 18th birthday that we found out that we wouldn’t be doing Marian.”
His efforts yielded news coverage and, ultimately, 5,600 signatures on a petition to reinstate the play. One of Tristan’s friends, Stella Brewer-Vartanian, president of a left-leaning political club at Carroll High, launched Twitter and Instagram accounts devoted to reversing the cancellation. But the school stuck by its decision.
So Tristan began recruiting students to speak at the next school board meeting. If enough teens explained why it was wrong, he figured, the adults would have to listen.
On Feb. 27, Tristan, Stella — who wasn’t part of the theater program but felt outraged by what she called adult bullying — and roughly 20 high schoolers showed up, some with prepared speeches.
Before most could speak, a woman rose. Kaye Niman said she was a taxpayer, a mother and a pastor’s wife. “Marian” — with its “LGBT whatever, however many ABCs you want to put on it” — was immoral, Niman said.
“What we believe in is what the Bible says, and the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin,” said Niman, who did not respond to a request for comment. “It’s forgivable, don’t get me wrong, it’s forgivable and we love them, but nevertheless … I applaud whoever made the decision to not have this play go on.”
As Niman wrapped up, 16-year-old Peyton Stratton sat picturing the role she had hoped for: that of Marian/Robin, who leads the troupe of Merry Men. Peyton, who wants to attend law school, admired Marian for her ferocity, wit and determination to protect the people she loves.
Telling herself to summon those traits now, Peyton walked to the microphone. She reminded the board of school anti-bullying initiatives that teach children not to tolerate hate.
“By taking down this play, you’re following the opposite of that message,” she said. “You are teaching students to fold at the first sign of struggle.”
Stella told the adults they were writing themselves into history as “hateful.”
And Tristan gave a promise: “I have not rested,” he said, “nor will I rest until this decision is reversed.”
Students headed home with hope. Tristan was in his bedroom when he got a text alerting him that the superintendent, Wayne Barker, was speaking about the play.
“This came down to an issue where our principal felt that it was going to be an unsafe activity for our students to participate in because of how divisive it was becoming,” Barker said. “I support his decision … I’m comfortable with why he did what he did.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, district spokeswoman Lizette Downey said the decision to cancel “Marian” was due not only to parent complaints, but primarily to “disruptions already occurring between students directly involved within the theater department.” She did not specify what those “disruptions” were.
Superintendent Barker declined repeated interview requests.
For a while, the students were lost. Some pondered putting on the play outside school, Stella said, but no one knew how. Then Stella got a message saying a local man she’d never met wanted to talk to her.
A former teacher born and raised in Fort Wayne, Nathan Gotsch, 40, sympathized with administrators’ plight — but felt more for the students. And, he felt, he was perfectly positioned to help.
Gotsch, who attended film school at the University of Southern California, spent his 20s working in entertainment in Los Angeles. After stints in education and journalism, he had just run unsuccessfully for Congress. Taken together, it meant Gotsch had the know-how and the network of political, activist and theater contacts the students would need to stage “Marian” themselves.
Over a video call, the idea took shape. Gotsch agreed to serve as overall producer, and four teens — Tristan, Stella, Meadowe and Kaitlyn Gulley, head of Carroll’s Gay-Straight Alliance — would become student-producers.
Gotsch set up a GoFundMe to pay for the play; it pulled in $80,000 in under two weeks. Nonprofit Fort Wayne Pride, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, stepped in as fiscal agent, managing the money.
Nathan and others identified two dozen students willing to act in “Marian” and assigned them parts. He hired a professional director and crew to handle stage management, engineering, sets, sound, costumes and lighting. He secured Foellinger Theatre for May 20 and coordinated security with Indiana State Police and parks personnel.
Meanwhile, Stella and Kaitlyn promoted the play at a “No Hate Fort Wayne” rally and a Democratic Party gathering. Meadowe and Tristan liaised between adults and students in the production — while Meadowe learned a role as a guard and Tristan served as assistant stage manager and sound designer, at one point imitating pigeon calls for the play’s soundtrack.
Rehearsals — running after school and on weekends — started May 3. The student-actors had fewer than 4o hours, across less than three weeks, to learn their lines.
Teens were facing APs and fast-approaching finals. They were fielding phone calls from journalists and messages from actors who wanted to cheer them on — support they appreciated but which took time.
The Friday before opening night, Peyton arrived late after ferrying over three students who lacked cars. Her hair was already braided in the intricate coils required for the role she had coveted: Marian.
She fast-walked into a kitchen tucked below the theater to cries of “Peyton! They need you in makeup!” and “Peyton! Go straight to makeup!”
“I know,” Peyton said, crossing to a wall and scribbling her initials onto a sign-in sheet.
She eyed the steaming
(To read the full article go to https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/31/marian-school-theater-lgbtq-indiana/ )
submitted by bitemy to atheism [link] [comments]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Sydney Knipp, 16, tiptoed to stage’s edge and peered around the black curtain at the nearly 1,500 people waiting for the play to start. It was the largest audience she had ever seen.
In a few minutes, Sydney was supposed to stride before them, braids streaming, to deliver the opening monologue as Alanna Dale in “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood,” a gender-bending take on Sherwood Forest’s beloved bandit.
Dotted among the crowd, Sydney saw, were security personnel in bulletproof vests. At the entrance, theatergoers were submitting to bag checks and a metal detector wand. Behind Sydney stood Fia, her 14-year-old sister, costumed as Much the Miller’s son.
Sydney and Fia, and their characters, were the reason for the security — the reason this play was happening not at school but at an outdoor theater in the girls’ hometown. Alanna confesses her love for a woman in the 16th scene. Much declares they are nonbinary two scenes later. The LGBTQ storylines drew complaints from parents, spurring Carroll High School to cancel “Marian” in February out of concern for students’ safety.
But the cast of two dozen teenagers decided to put the play on anyway. Now, on a chilly evening in late May — after raising almost $84,000, booking Foellinger Theatre and whirling through 2½ weeks of late-night rehearsals squeezed between Advanced Placement exams and finals — it was opening night for a show adults had warned them not to do.
Sydney sidled to her little sister. “How are you feeling?”
The teens believed — knew — they were part of something bigger. They knew schools across the country are nixing plays and musicals that feature gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender roles, often due to parent objections. They were aware Republican politicians are passing a record-breaking wave of laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ children, and that Fort Wayne trends White and red.
The teens also knew they had fans: the thousands who bought $15.50 tickets or donated to their fundraiser; the local theater groups who lent decorations; even “Marian” playwright Adam Szymkowicz, whom they had met on a Zoom call.
But in these last moments with her sister, Fia had something to confide.
She was thinking about what producer Nathan Gotsch said a half-hour before showtime. Should any hecklers emerge, he told students, ushers would escort them out. One student, dressed as a king’s guard, had raised black armored gloves and promised to deter disrupters with his fists, earning laughs. But Fia wasn’t laughing now.
“If someone yells something,” Fia whispered to Sydney, “I think I’m going to cry.”
Sydney pointed to the audience. “Dude, there are so many people with dyed hair out there,” she said. “We’re going to be okay.”
She laid her arm on Fia’s shoulder. Fia rested her forehead on Sydney’s hand. The sisters stood, curled in an embrace, as the crowd began to hush.
Three months earlier, Meadowe Freeman arrived early to school for a surprise meeting called by her principal and theater director.
Auditions had just wrapped for Carroll High’s production of “Marian.” The 18-year-old, who chose theater because “I’m not very sporty,” had anticipated teasing from students about the play’s LGBTQ characters. But she never expected what she heard that day: that some parents disliked the play so much it couldn’t continue.
“You read about it on the news,” Meadowe said, “but you never expect it to happen in your school.”
Sitting near the front of the room was Tristan Wasserman, 18. He watched his friends start to cry. Walking from the meeting, he decided: The show would go on.
That night, Tristan hunted up the email of “Marian” playwright Szymkowicz. He researched the name of a reporter with Fort Wayne’s 21 Alive News. He fired off versions of the same email.
“Hello,” he wrote, “my name is Tristan Wasserman … It was actually on my 18th birthday that we found out that we wouldn’t be doing Marian.”
His efforts yielded news coverage and, ultimately, 5,600 signatures on a petition to reinstate the play. One of Tristan’s friends, Stella Brewer-Vartanian, president of a left-leaning political club at Carroll High, launched Twitter and Instagram accounts devoted to reversing the cancellation. But the school stuck by its decision.
So Tristan began recruiting students to speak at the next school board meeting. If enough teens explained why it was wrong, he figured, the adults would have to listen.
On Feb. 27, Tristan, Stella — who wasn’t part of the theater program but felt outraged by what she called adult bullying — and roughly 20 high schoolers showed up, some with prepared speeches.
Before most could speak, a woman rose. Kaye Niman said she was a taxpayer, a mother and a pastor’s wife. “Marian” — with its “LGBT whatever, however many ABCs you want to put on it” — was immoral, Niman said.
“What we believe in is what the Bible says, and the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin,” said Niman, who did not respond to a request for comment. “It’s forgivable, don’t get me wrong, it’s forgivable and we love them, but nevertheless … I applaud whoever made the decision to not have this play go on.”
As Niman wrapped up, 16-year-old Peyton Stratton sat picturing the role she had hoped for: that of Marian/Robin, who leads the troupe of Merry Men. Peyton, who wants to attend law school, admired Marian for her ferocity, wit and determination to protect the people she loves.
Telling herself to summon those traits now, Peyton walked to the microphone. She reminded the board of school anti-bullying initiatives that teach children not to tolerate hate.
“By taking down this play, you’re following the opposite of that message,” she said. “You are teaching students to fold at the first sign of struggle.”
Stella told the adults they were writing themselves into history as “hateful.”
And Tristan gave a promise: “I have not rested,” he said, “nor will I rest until this decision is reversed.”
Students headed home with hope. Tristan was in his bedroom when he got a text alerting him that the superintendent, Wayne Barker, was speaking about the play.
“This came down to an issue where our principal felt that it was going to be an unsafe activity for our students to participate in because of how divisive it was becoming,” Barker said. “I support his decision … I’m comfortable with why he did what he did.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, district spokeswoman Lizette Downey said the decision to cancel “Marian” was due not only to parent complaints, but primarily to “disruptions already occurring between students directly involved within the theater department.” She did not specify what those “disruptions” were.
Superintendent Barker declined repeated interview requests.
For a while, the students were lost. Some pondered putting on the play outside school, Stella said, but no one knew how. Then Stella got a message saying a local man she’d never met wanted to talk to her.
A former teacher born and raised in Fort Wayne, Nathan Gotsch, 40, sympathized with administrators’ plight — but felt more for the students. And, he felt, he was perfectly positioned to help.
Gotsch, who attended film school at the University of Southern California, spent his 20s working in entertainment in Los Angeles. After stints in education and journalism, he had just run unsuccessfully for Congress. Taken together, it meant Gotsch had the know-how and the network of political, activist and theater contacts the students would need to stage “Marian” themselves.
Over a video call, the idea took shape. Gotsch agreed to serve as overall producer, and four teens — Tristan, Stella, Meadowe and Kaitlyn Gulley, head of Carroll’s Gay-Straight Alliance — would become student-producers.
Gotsch set up a GoFundMe to pay for the play; it pulled in $80,000 in under two weeks. Nonprofit Fort Wayne Pride, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, stepped in as fiscal agent, managing the money.
Nathan and others identified two dozen students willing to act in “Marian” and assigned them parts. He hired a professional director and crew to handle stage management, engineering, sets, sound, costumes and lighting. He secured Foellinger Theatre for May 20 and coordinated security with Indiana State Police and parks personnel.
Meanwhile, Stella and Kaitlyn promoted the play at a “No Hate Fort Wayne” rally and a Democratic Party gathering. Meadowe and Tristan liaised between adults and students in the production — while Meadowe learned a role as a guard and Tristan served as assistant stage manager and sound designer, at one point imitating pigeon calls for the play’s soundtrack.
Rehearsals — running after school and on weekends — started May 3. The student-actors had fewer than 4o hours, across less than three weeks, to learn their lines.
Teens were facing APs and fast-approaching finals. They were fielding phone calls from journalists and messages from actors who wanted to cheer them on — support they appreciated but which took time.
The Friday before opening night, Peyton arrived late after ferrying over three students who lacked cars. Her hair was already braided in the intricate coils required for the role she had coveted: Marian.
She fast-walked into a kitchen tucked below the theater to cries of “Peyton! They need you in makeup!” and “Peyton! Go straight to makeup!”
“I know,” Peyton said, crossing to a wall and scribbling her initials onto a sign-in sheet.
She eyed the steaming
(To read the full article go to https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/31/marian-school-theater-lgbtq-indiana/ )
2023.05.31 17:46 Shot-Charge-2199 Is my (21-NB) boyfriend (19-M) manipulating me or am I not being understanding of his situation and helping him through a serious lust issue
My (21M) (femboy)boyfriend (19M) has been almost perfect toward me for the past year of our relationship since we met last summer. I can’t really say anything bad about him other than the fact that he used to have a porn addiction (which he got over) and still has insane lust issues he can not seem to shake. He lies about them for god knows why. Me enjoying him and finding little wrong with him is unusual too.. because I’m usually very overly critical. I seriously don’t see any flaws with him except this. (be it a huge goddamn flaw I know). Which is why I’m fighting so hard to make it work.
I want to preface this story by saying lust , to me, does not equate to love. If he has thoughts or fantasies or whatever I don’t think that means he doesn’t love me which makes it pretty easy to not care about this or see it as a huge flaw. WHAT I DO care about is the lying. Lying is very hard to heal. Broken trust is very hard to heal. It’s easier to mend a situation that is shitty when you weren’t lied to. He could do the most heinous shit and as-long as he told the truth before and after I’d like to think I’d understand. We are human. We like sex. We can’t control some things. What we can control is lying. To me, someone lying is not something I can forgive so easily which is where the problem comes in. He does not do it as often anymore at all which is why I am still with him. I think that is very important to note. PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE.
let us begin the story:
one day, about 5 months ago, he opened up to me about how he always has wanted to have sex with his best friends sister behind his friends back because it was super taboo and weird. This friend was not bad to him and he knew that which also brought him so much guilt, other than the fact he was with me. The problem with this specific thing is it is the same girl who I wanted him to stop snap chatting months prior to him telling me this, because I felt they had a romantic and sexual connection, and he assured me that they were just friends. The only reason I did not break up with him on the spot is because he told me, I did not have to get it out of him. I did not find anything out and I did not have anything other than suspicion from the past. He claims he never actually did anything other than enable her flirts and I believed him at the time and logically I know he didn’t, but how do you believe someone who lies to you constantly? Seriously? I’m not very judgey and in fact urged him to play out his fantasy without judgment from me or himself (in his head of course through orgasm) and maybe it would pass. Of course, after he admitted it to me, and I assured him it wasn’t weird and these thoughts are normal for humans to have, and we “did what we had to”, he rarely had the thought anymore simply because it wasn’t as taboo as it used to be. This happened for so so many other people that he ended up opening up about ranging from our coworkers to his own aunt.
Since then, when I get paranoid or delusional, I ask him if he is having sexual thoughts about specific people, and he will say 'NO!' right away or claim he does not ever. even if I see him look at people. If I grill him on it for a while, he eventually says some sort of version of yes depending on who it is. these answers range from just checking her out to full I thought for a split-second ab us in this weird scenario. When i ask why he lies he says its a mix of not wanting to hurt me, not wanting to start a fight, and that he lies to himself first, then me, and it takes him a while to finally realize what is happening. I just cannot believe this. HOW DOES SOMEONE NOT CHOOSE TO LIE?
The only reason I believe he may be telling the truth is because he has no reason to lie, meaning why would he? I experience lustful thoughts about others too sometimes, so I never get mad at him. at worst i just start having low self-worth but even then, I do not see why he would lie. Infact I even encourage him to realize these thoughts are normal and to NOT fight them, but only to be honest with me about it so he can stop being so weird and fetishy with it and he can stop being taboo.
He also explained that before we were together, he used to have these thoughts about me but now that we are together, he does not get as excited to think about me because he's so used to me.
Do you guys think there is a way we can get through these sexual intrusive thoughts and the compulsive lying or is he just a bad person who does not want to get better and i'm being stupid and naive. Most often id say that he is just trying to get better and will get there eventually but frankly I just do not understand how someone can lie like this over and over even when i BALL my eyes out because of the lying and then admit it months later. He is either very cruel or there is a serious issue here.
TLDR: my boyfriend has lust issues. He is working to get better & seems to make progress. Whatever, we all experience lust. He lies which is my problem. He lies about his sexual intrusive thoughts and claims it isn’t his choice to lie it’s automatic and if it is ever his choice it’s because he’s ashamed. Please do not give advice if you only read TLDR.
The only option for gender was M F OR NB but I’m a feminine boy.
submitted by Shot-Charge-2199 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
I want to preface this story by saying lust , to me, does not equate to love. If he has thoughts or fantasies or whatever I don’t think that means he doesn’t love me which makes it pretty easy to not care about this or see it as a huge flaw. WHAT I DO care about is the lying. Lying is very hard to heal. Broken trust is very hard to heal. It’s easier to mend a situation that is shitty when you weren’t lied to. He could do the most heinous shit and as-long as he told the truth before and after I’d like to think I’d understand. We are human. We like sex. We can’t control some things. What we can control is lying. To me, someone lying is not something I can forgive so easily which is where the problem comes in. He does not do it as often anymore at all which is why I am still with him. I think that is very important to note. PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE.
let us begin the story:
one day, about 5 months ago, he opened up to me about how he always has wanted to have sex with his best friends sister behind his friends back because it was super taboo and weird. This friend was not bad to him and he knew that which also brought him so much guilt, other than the fact he was with me. The problem with this specific thing is it is the same girl who I wanted him to stop snap chatting months prior to him telling me this, because I felt they had a romantic and sexual connection, and he assured me that they were just friends. The only reason I did not break up with him on the spot is because he told me, I did not have to get it out of him. I did not find anything out and I did not have anything other than suspicion from the past. He claims he never actually did anything other than enable her flirts and I believed him at the time and logically I know he didn’t, but how do you believe someone who lies to you constantly? Seriously? I’m not very judgey and in fact urged him to play out his fantasy without judgment from me or himself (in his head of course through orgasm) and maybe it would pass. Of course, after he admitted it to me, and I assured him it wasn’t weird and these thoughts are normal for humans to have, and we “did what we had to”, he rarely had the thought anymore simply because it wasn’t as taboo as it used to be. This happened for so so many other people that he ended up opening up about ranging from our coworkers to his own aunt.
Since then, when I get paranoid or delusional, I ask him if he is having sexual thoughts about specific people, and he will say 'NO!' right away or claim he does not ever. even if I see him look at people. If I grill him on it for a while, he eventually says some sort of version of yes depending on who it is. these answers range from just checking her out to full I thought for a split-second ab us in this weird scenario. When i ask why he lies he says its a mix of not wanting to hurt me, not wanting to start a fight, and that he lies to himself first, then me, and it takes him a while to finally realize what is happening. I just cannot believe this. HOW DOES SOMEONE NOT CHOOSE TO LIE?
The only reason I believe he may be telling the truth is because he has no reason to lie, meaning why would he? I experience lustful thoughts about others too sometimes, so I never get mad at him. at worst i just start having low self-worth but even then, I do not see why he would lie. Infact I even encourage him to realize these thoughts are normal and to NOT fight them, but only to be honest with me about it so he can stop being so weird and fetishy with it and he can stop being taboo.
He also explained that before we were together, he used to have these thoughts about me but now that we are together, he does not get as excited to think about me because he's so used to me.
Do you guys think there is a way we can get through these sexual intrusive thoughts and the compulsive lying or is he just a bad person who does not want to get better and i'm being stupid and naive. Most often id say that he is just trying to get better and will get there eventually but frankly I just do not understand how someone can lie like this over and over even when i BALL my eyes out because of the lying and then admit it months later. He is either very cruel or there is a serious issue here.
TLDR: my boyfriend has lust issues. He is working to get better & seems to make progress. Whatever, we all experience lust. He lies which is my problem. He lies about his sexual intrusive thoughts and claims it isn’t his choice to lie it’s automatic and if it is ever his choice it’s because he’s ashamed. Please do not give advice if you only read TLDR.
The only option for gender was M F OR NB but I’m a feminine boy.
2023.05.31 17:46 Curious_Payment_9932 Starting over again (again, again, etc)
Hello! Just found your site and looking for somewhere to post and support my efforts. Thank you in advance. Sorry if this is too long.
I am 64 years old. 5'4" and weighed 297.5 on Monday. Highest weight 15-20 years ago was 351. I have tried EVERY DIET, PROGRAM AND EVEN SURGERY to lose weight. I have arthritis and other related issues along with autoimmune disease which causes fatigue in general.
So.....I decided to get serious this past weekend and started high protein low carb on Sunday. I was already losing a lot of water weight last week due to coming home from a trip (water build up) and had eaten with abandon. I have been really strict since Sunday and lost more water weight. As of this morning I'm down 7 lbs ...yes, in 2 days. I know it's mostly water loss, but I also feel weak and shakey. I'm assuming because I went from unlimited carbs to restricting myself so much that I have the carb flu or something similar. It started Monday after the 1st restricted day on Sunday. I'm forcing myself to push thru it and pushing more water so I don't get dehydrated (suspect that is an issue).
I am tracking everything on an app and was a bit too low the first 2 days. Although I'm eating meat/fish/egg based protein, I can't eat a lot at one time and have added premier protein shakes into the mix to up my protein. Trying to be more moderate with my carbs (3 day average is 55 per day...I was shooting for 50ish per day and protein average is 65).
DonI still need to up my protein above 65 per day? Daily carbs ok?
submitted by Curious_Payment_9932 to loseit [link] [comments]
I am 64 years old. 5'4" and weighed 297.5 on Monday. Highest weight 15-20 years ago was 351. I have tried EVERY DIET, PROGRAM AND EVEN SURGERY to lose weight. I have arthritis and other related issues along with autoimmune disease which causes fatigue in general.
So.....I decided to get serious this past weekend and started high protein low carb on Sunday. I was already losing a lot of water weight last week due to coming home from a trip (water build up) and had eaten with abandon. I have been really strict since Sunday and lost more water weight. As of this morning I'm down 7 lbs ...yes, in 2 days. I know it's mostly water loss, but I also feel weak and shakey. I'm assuming because I went from unlimited carbs to restricting myself so much that I have the carb flu or something similar. It started Monday after the 1st restricted day on Sunday. I'm forcing myself to push thru it and pushing more water so I don't get dehydrated (suspect that is an issue).
I am tracking everything on an app and was a bit too low the first 2 days. Although I'm eating meat/fish/egg based protein, I can't eat a lot at one time and have added premier protein shakes into the mix to up my protein. Trying to be more moderate with my carbs (3 day average is 55 per day...I was shooting for 50ish per day and protein average is 65).
DonI still need to up my protein above 65 per day? Daily carbs ok?
2023.05.31 17:46 soxfil Cervical Check? 37+5
I have my doctors appointment tomorrow, to which I’ll be 37+5. I’m not sure what the protocol is for this next appointment. Usually I go in and we chat, check the heart rate and measure my stomach etc. last week I did the B strep and one conversation I previously had was If I wanted to maybe get induced she could do a sweep at 39 if I wanted.
I want to see if she can check my cervix to see where I’m currently at? My days are each different now but usually consist of cramping, pressure, tons of BH etc so I just want to see if/things are even progressing.
Anyone have any comments on this? Was it painful, did you find this information helpful or useless (I’ve read you can go from 0-7cm in like 24 hours lol)
Thanks in advance!
submitted by soxfil to pregnant [link] [comments]
I want to see if she can check my cervix to see where I’m currently at? My days are each different now but usually consist of cramping, pressure, tons of BH etc so I just want to see if/things are even progressing.
Anyone have any comments on this? Was it painful, did you find this information helpful or useless (I’ve read you can go from 0-7cm in like 24 hours lol)
Thanks in advance!
2023.05.31 17:46 fractallightshards Different “parts” of Ra communicating through the material interchangeably
I’ve been going through the material again and have these impressions, best I can describe it, of different ‘parts’ of Ra communicating. The syntaxes are slightly different and they seem to interchange among each other when certain questions are asked. Like, if a question is technical heavy the part that was answering previous questions is replaced with a part that has more experience and information regarding it.
Some seem to be able to communicate “better” (modern) in that they are not using archaic words. The tarot part has its own teacher it seems going through that material.
I remember this one part that stuck out with me regarding them passionately describing their compassion for humanity and then Don ignores their reply and asks about transient information in the next question and the reply was ‘dry’. As if the part got ‘hurt’ and was ‘replaced’ by another to reply to Don. (I don’t know to what degree 6th density beings are crystallized or if they are retracting some what due to what Don’s mind is capable of understanding), but maybe that’s why they put up that “transient information” boundary not only to keep Don on track but to take care of themselves too.
(Excerpt in question) 6.20 Questioner: Does the fact that we are in this transition period now have anything to do with the reason that you have made your information available to the population?
Ra: I am Ra. We have walked among your people. We remember. We remember sorrow. We have seen much. We have searched for an instrument of the proper parameters of distortion in mind/body/spirit complex and supporting and understanding group of mind/body/spirit complexes to accept this information with minimal distortion and maximal desire to serve for some of your years. The answer, in short, is yes. However, we wished you to know that in our memory we thank you.
6.21 Questioner: The disc-shaped craft we call UFOs have… some have been said to come… possibly from the planet Venus. Would any of these be your craft?
Ra: I am Ra. We have used crystals for many purposes. The craft of which you speak have not been used by us in your space/time present memory complex. However, we have used crystals and the bell shape in the past of your illusion.
————————
Or I could be wrong and seeing something that may not be there. But since we don’t really know, all we can do is speculate. I’m mostly wondering if others have noticed this too.
submitted by fractallightshards to lawofone [link] [comments]
Some seem to be able to communicate “better” (modern) in that they are not using archaic words. The tarot part has its own teacher it seems going through that material.
I remember this one part that stuck out with me regarding them passionately describing their compassion for humanity and then Don ignores their reply and asks about transient information in the next question and the reply was ‘dry’. As if the part got ‘hurt’ and was ‘replaced’ by another to reply to Don. (I don’t know to what degree 6th density beings are crystallized or if they are retracting some what due to what Don’s mind is capable of understanding), but maybe that’s why they put up that “transient information” boundary not only to keep Don on track but to take care of themselves too.
(Excerpt in question) 6.20 Questioner: Does the fact that we are in this transition period now have anything to do with the reason that you have made your information available to the population?
Ra: I am Ra. We have walked among your people. We remember. We remember sorrow. We have seen much. We have searched for an instrument of the proper parameters of distortion in mind/body/spirit complex and supporting and understanding group of mind/body/spirit complexes to accept this information with minimal distortion and maximal desire to serve for some of your years. The answer, in short, is yes. However, we wished you to know that in our memory we thank you.
6.21 Questioner: The disc-shaped craft we call UFOs have… some have been said to come… possibly from the planet Venus. Would any of these be your craft?
Ra: I am Ra. We have used crystals for many purposes. The craft of which you speak have not been used by us in your space/time present memory complex. However, we have used crystals and the bell shape in the past of your illusion.
————————
Or I could be wrong and seeing something that may not be there. But since we don’t really know, all we can do is speculate. I’m mostly wondering if others have noticed this too.
2023.05.31 17:45 GeneticsTrash MyHeritage vs FTDNA vs LivingDNA. Which do you think is more accurate?
 | Surprisingly similar results. Basically they all confirmed that i’m 15/16 Southeast Asian (mostly Vietnamese) and 1/16 European. Which explains since i had one European great-great grandfather (French). submitted by GeneticsTrash to MyHeritage [link] [comments] I’m also surprised that FTDNA is very spot on with my Asian heritage. The European side, however, is quite all over the place. Most of my European matches are from France, and they mostly have Northwest European and Iberian ancestry so perhaps the French ancestry was hidden under 3.7% English assigned to me, the Balkan is probably just broadly Southern European idk. |
2023.05.31 17:45 tobben33bb Sudden PC Problems
Okay so randomly one day both my monitors went completely black and would make error sounds when pressing any keys, the pc did not turn off and had no plans on doing so it just became even louder.
This happened after about a couple weeks ago when my gpu fans suddenly became really loud aswell.
The black screens would happen basically every 20-30min where i had to forcefully restart it with the physical button, this seemed to happen because i was downloading a game on steam.
I then never resumed the update and it seemed fine untill the new 20-30min passed then it froze for about 3 seconds then resumed to being normal.
Every time this freeze happends it completely breaks discord, no audio, people can't heal me, nothing.
I just have to rejoin the call but it gets very irritating havent to rejoin a call every so often, it also like once a day when a freeze happends it will reset all setting changed in discord aswell.
So for about a week now just this freezing bs has been happening and it kills me tons in my games cause i just randomly stop moving for alittle.
Now if i play anything example overwatch it will crash about after 40 min (once every 2 freezes) and for some odd reason when the game crashes it also closes my discord with it, every time.
I'm not incapeable to propperly play most of my games because of this and no matter what ive done so far it does'nt seem to help.
My Cpu will reach 80C easily even with lower graphics then i used a month ago, alot more lag spikes and fans all max out the second i open a game.
Ive checked that everything is newly updated and ive done a hardware check from windows which says everything is working as inteded.
(sorry for the long text, comment if u have any further questions. I'm desperate for help and i can't affort replacements)
submitted by tobben33bb to buildapc [link] [comments]
This happened after about a couple weeks ago when my gpu fans suddenly became really loud aswell.
The black screens would happen basically every 20-30min where i had to forcefully restart it with the physical button, this seemed to happen because i was downloading a game on steam.
I then never resumed the update and it seemed fine untill the new 20-30min passed then it froze for about 3 seconds then resumed to being normal.
Every time this freeze happends it completely breaks discord, no audio, people can't heal me, nothing.
I just have to rejoin the call but it gets very irritating havent to rejoin a call every so often, it also like once a day when a freeze happends it will reset all setting changed in discord aswell.
So for about a week now just this freezing bs has been happening and it kills me tons in my games cause i just randomly stop moving for alittle.
Now if i play anything example overwatch it will crash about after 40 min (once every 2 freezes) and for some odd reason when the game crashes it also closes my discord with it, every time.
I'm not incapeable to propperly play most of my games because of this and no matter what ive done so far it does'nt seem to help.
My Cpu will reach 80C easily even with lower graphics then i used a month ago, alot more lag spikes and fans all max out the second i open a game.
Ive checked that everything is newly updated and ive done a hardware check from windows which says everything is working as inteded.
(sorry for the long text, comment if u have any further questions. I'm desperate for help and i can't affort replacements)
2023.05.31 17:45 alexnnartinez [PC CHERNARUS 3PP EU] DARKESTDAYZ 3PP HELIS CARS PVP HIT MARKERS CUSTOM CLAN BASES KOTH CTF CP KEYCARD HELI CRASH 8 MAN GROUP
DarkestDayZ is an established DayZ community that was founded nearly two years ago. DarkestDayZ includes DD Reborn, DD Omni, and the DD Deathmatch. Our DD Reborn server aims to bring exciting PVP scenarios that cater to many different styles of DayZ gameplay. If you are looking for a home with a balanced loot pool, some DayZ grind, and a lot of fun, then look no further than DD.
Server Features and Content
Custom Spawn Points: Players have the option to choose from various spawn points on and off the coast. Including spawn locations in Rogovo, Zvir, Polesovo, Gorka
Improved Movement: The server incorporates version 1.18 movement mechanics which provide smoother and more refined player movements, removing inertia entirely
Hitmarkers: A hitmarker system provides satisfying visual and audio feedback when you successfully hit your target.
Weapon Variety: Reborn features over 100 weapons, additonally there are more than 80 custom skins for weapons and over a dozen custom weapons specific to the Darkest DayZ servers.
Kill Feed w/ Active Killstreaks: The kill feed displays information about recent player kills, including the equipment attached to the gun. Furthermore, we notify players in game when players are on active killstreaks.
Armored Vest and Helmet Tiers: DD Reborn utilizes different tiers (T1 to T6) of armored vests and helmets, providing varying levels of protection. Each armor tier has a wide variety of style choices and multiple exclusive DD skins to choose from.
Discord Integration: The server has a Discord leaderboard and an in-game killfeed that are synchronized with each other allowing players to keep track of their progress and engage with the community in and out of the game.
Multiple Traders and Black Markets: There are three different Safe Zone (SZ) Traders and two Black Markets available, offering a wide range of items for trade and purchase while spreading fights across several locations.DD SZs have implemented a virtual garage storage system where players can store vehicles for fast travel between looting or PVP. Players can purchase helicopters and cars for faster transportation across the map. Some of the cars are armored, providing better protection. Additionally, various Tarkov inspired medical items such as IFAKS, CMS kits, and Grizzly medical kits are available to aid players in healing and recovery. DD Black Markets utilize a gold and silver barter system, separate from Rubles used to trade at SZs which can be obtained by exchanging or selling items with the BM.
Active Admins/Regular Events: The server has active administrators who organize events and actively monitor the gameplay to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for all players.
Keycards: DD servers incorporate keycards that players can acquire and use to access restricted areas with higher tier items.
**Unlimited Stamina and Auto Run:*\*Unlimited stamina allows for players to get the fight faster! Furthermore the auto-run feature is available to allow players to set a constant movement speed without needing to hold down any keys.
Starter Cash: Each player receives 150,000 in-game currency as a starting bonus, providing them with resources to kickstart their progress.
Advanced Group System: Reborn features an advanced group system with pings and subgroups.
Custom Military Areas: In addition to the various features and events, Reborn incorporates custom military areas in strategic locations across the map. These custom military areas add diversity to the map and create focal points for PvP encounters and valuable loot. They provide players with alternative options to explore and engage in high-risk, high-reward gameplay scenarios.
Some of the custom military locations are: Altar; NWAF; NEAF;Vyshnka Dubrova; Skalitsky Island; Pavalovo; Tisy; etc…
Base Details
Base Building Plus: The server utilizes the Base Building Plus mod, allowing players to construct their own bases from T1, T2, or T3 materials.
Discord Raid Alarm: A findable raid alarm system alerts players when their base is under attack, helping them respond and defend their base when offline.
Sleeping Bags: Players can place a sleeping bag, which serves as personal respawn point. This allows them to respawn closer to their desired location instead of starting from the default spawn points.
Virtual Garages: Virtual Garages are able to be purchased at SZs. These garages can be placed at a players own base.
Dynamic PVP Events:
Capture The Flag (CTF): Players compete to pick up and transport a flag to a new location. The objective is to get the flag to the drop off location a while defending it against other players who are trying to take it.
ATM Robberies: Players have the opportunity to rob ATMs located throughout the map. To complete a robbery, thieves must remain within a 30-meter radius of the ATM for a 15-minute period. During this time, the server notifies other players, encouraging them to join the fight and engage in PvP to defend the ATM or try to steal the stolen loot.
Clan Base Takeovers: While taking over bases is usually not allowed on Reborn, players can strategically raid and take over DD static clan bases that enemy teams have chosen as base locations.
King of the Hill (KOTH): Players will compete to control and hold a specific location on the map. The objective is to secure the area and prevent other players from capturing it. High tier loot is spawned at the point when the objective is complete.
Carepackages: Supply drops are periodically dropped onto the map. These drops contain valuable and rare items and weapons.Players must race against each other to reach the carepackages and secure the loot.
Raiding:
The server provides several methods for raiding, primarily involving the use of homemade breaching charges, C4 explosives and DD Raidsaws. Furthermore, Reborn features a discord raid alarm to alert you and your team that enemies are raiding your base.
Homemade Breaching Charges: Players can craft and use homemade breaching charges to breach base doors. These charges are created using various resources found o nthe map or can be found whole in loot locations or at PVP events..
C4 Explosives: C4 explosives arre a more powerful tool for raiding in Darkest DayZ.
DD Raidsaws: Raidsaws are used to break codelocks on tents, storage, cars ,etc.
Raid Alarm: Findable, multipart raid alarm.
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/darkestdayz
GIVING AWAY FREE BASE STARTER KITS ALONG WITH A KIT TO JUMPSTART YOUR PROGRESS! JUST MAKE A TICKET IN DISCORD!!!!
submitted by alexnnartinez to dayz [link] [comments]
Server Features and Content
Custom Spawn Points: Players have the option to choose from various spawn points on and off the coast. Including spawn locations in Rogovo, Zvir, Polesovo, Gorka
Improved Movement: The server incorporates version 1.18 movement mechanics which provide smoother and more refined player movements, removing inertia entirely
Hitmarkers: A hitmarker system provides satisfying visual and audio feedback when you successfully hit your target.
Weapon Variety: Reborn features over 100 weapons, additonally there are more than 80 custom skins for weapons and over a dozen custom weapons specific to the Darkest DayZ servers.
Kill Feed w/ Active Killstreaks: The kill feed displays information about recent player kills, including the equipment attached to the gun. Furthermore, we notify players in game when players are on active killstreaks.
Armored Vest and Helmet Tiers: DD Reborn utilizes different tiers (T1 to T6) of armored vests and helmets, providing varying levels of protection. Each armor tier has a wide variety of style choices and multiple exclusive DD skins to choose from.
Discord Integration: The server has a Discord leaderboard and an in-game killfeed that are synchronized with each other allowing players to keep track of their progress and engage with the community in and out of the game.
Multiple Traders and Black Markets: There are three different Safe Zone (SZ) Traders and two Black Markets available, offering a wide range of items for trade and purchase while spreading fights across several locations.DD SZs have implemented a virtual garage storage system where players can store vehicles for fast travel between looting or PVP. Players can purchase helicopters and cars for faster transportation across the map. Some of the cars are armored, providing better protection. Additionally, various Tarkov inspired medical items such as IFAKS, CMS kits, and Grizzly medical kits are available to aid players in healing and recovery. DD Black Markets utilize a gold and silver barter system, separate from Rubles used to trade at SZs which can be obtained by exchanging or selling items with the BM.
Active Admins/Regular Events: The server has active administrators who organize events and actively monitor the gameplay to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for all players.
Keycards: DD servers incorporate keycards that players can acquire and use to access restricted areas with higher tier items.
**Unlimited Stamina and Auto Run:*\*Unlimited stamina allows for players to get the fight faster! Furthermore the auto-run feature is available to allow players to set a constant movement speed without needing to hold down any keys.
Starter Cash: Each player receives 150,000 in-game currency as a starting bonus, providing them with resources to kickstart their progress.
Advanced Group System: Reborn features an advanced group system with pings and subgroups.
Custom Military Areas: In addition to the various features and events, Reborn incorporates custom military areas in strategic locations across the map. These custom military areas add diversity to the map and create focal points for PvP encounters and valuable loot. They provide players with alternative options to explore and engage in high-risk, high-reward gameplay scenarios.
Some of the custom military locations are: Altar; NWAF; NEAF;Vyshnka Dubrova; Skalitsky Island; Pavalovo; Tisy; etc…
Base Details
Base Building Plus: The server utilizes the Base Building Plus mod, allowing players to construct their own bases from T1, T2, or T3 materials.
Discord Raid Alarm: A findable raid alarm system alerts players when their base is under attack, helping them respond and defend their base when offline.
Sleeping Bags: Players can place a sleeping bag, which serves as personal respawn point. This allows them to respawn closer to their desired location instead of starting from the default spawn points.
Virtual Garages: Virtual Garages are able to be purchased at SZs. These garages can be placed at a players own base.
Dynamic PVP Events:
Capture The Flag (CTF): Players compete to pick up and transport a flag to a new location. The objective is to get the flag to the drop off location a while defending it against other players who are trying to take it.
ATM Robberies: Players have the opportunity to rob ATMs located throughout the map. To complete a robbery, thieves must remain within a 30-meter radius of the ATM for a 15-minute period. During this time, the server notifies other players, encouraging them to join the fight and engage in PvP to defend the ATM or try to steal the stolen loot.
Clan Base Takeovers: While taking over bases is usually not allowed on Reborn, players can strategically raid and take over DD static clan bases that enemy teams have chosen as base locations.
King of the Hill (KOTH): Players will compete to control and hold a specific location on the map. The objective is to secure the area and prevent other players from capturing it. High tier loot is spawned at the point when the objective is complete.
Carepackages: Supply drops are periodically dropped onto the map. These drops contain valuable and rare items and weapons.Players must race against each other to reach the carepackages and secure the loot.
Raiding:
The server provides several methods for raiding, primarily involving the use of homemade breaching charges, C4 explosives and DD Raidsaws. Furthermore, Reborn features a discord raid alarm to alert you and your team that enemies are raiding your base.
Homemade Breaching Charges: Players can craft and use homemade breaching charges to breach base doors. These charges are created using various resources found o nthe map or can be found whole in loot locations or at PVP events..
C4 Explosives: C4 explosives arre a more powerful tool for raiding in Darkest DayZ.
DD Raidsaws: Raidsaws are used to break codelocks on tents, storage, cars ,etc.
Raid Alarm: Findable, multipart raid alarm.
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/darkestdayz
GIVING AWAY FREE BASE STARTER KITS ALONG WITH A KIT TO JUMPSTART YOUR PROGRESS! JUST MAKE A TICKET IN DISCORD!!!!
2023.05.31 17:44 autotldr RARBG, one of the world's largest pirate torrent trackers, has closed down •
This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 7%. (I'm a bot)
Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: RARBG#1 tracker#2 longer#3 torrent#4 side#5
Post found in /worldnews.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.
submitted by autotldr to autotldr [link] [comments]
The torrent tracker RARBG, which specialized in pirated releases of movies and TV series, announced its closure.
The site was launched in 2008 as a Bulgarian BitTorrent tracker, but it quickly changed its profile to an international audience, focusing on English-language releases.
Interestingly, although the first attempt to block RARBG was in 2008 due to copyright infringement, and Google removed it from its search results in 2017, this is one of the few cases where a torrent tracker has closed on its own.
RARBG cites the consequences of the pandemic, rising electricity prices, inflation, and even Russia's attack on Ukraine as the reasons for the closure.
"Hello guys,We would like to inform you that we have decided to shut down our site.The past 2 years have been very difficult for us - some of the people in our team died due to covid complications, others still suffer the side effects of it - not being able to work at all.Some are also fighting the war in Europe - ON BOTH SIDES.Also, the power price increase in data centers in Europe hit us pretty hard.Inflation makes our daily expenses impossible to bare.Therefore we can no longer run this site without massive expenses that we can no longer cover out of pocket.After an unanimous vote we've decided that we can no longer do it.We are sorry 🙁Bye".
According to the profile publication TorrentFreak, in January 2023, RARBG was the fourth most popular torrent tracker in the world.
Post found in /worldnews.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.
2023.05.31 17:44 Throwaway94304 My federal income tax return form was rejected 2 months ago and I didn't know until now when I checked my email, what should I do?
So I filed my federal income tax return about 2 months ago and got an email (also from 2 months ago) telling me that it was rejected. Because I rarerly check my email, I did not know that the form had been rejected. It was my first time filing income tax which I guess means I could not use efile. (Issue Business Rule IND-674-01). It also says "If you are unable to resolve the error(s), you can mail your tax return and your payment by April 18, 2023 to avoid penalties and interest." However since I was unaware until now I did not mail it in, so will I be facing penalties/interest? What should I do so I still get my tax return?
submitted by Throwaway94304 to legaladvice [link] [comments]
2023.05.31 17:44 GiversBot /u/imellenicetomeetya [REQ] was deleted from /r/borrow on 2023-05-31 (t3_107f68e up 142.07 days, LONGTAIL, ACCOUNT DELETE/SHADOWBAN)
imellenicetomeetya deleted from /borrow
Hi all and thanks for reading
Got paid very early in December (16th) and a few bills are now due which I'm struggling with until my next pay day on the 27th. Asked for an advance, was denied due to company policy.
I have a steady full time job, happy to provide payslips, and also happy to negotiate interest for your benefit too.
I have a long standing PayPal account, and am happy to provide any proof you require.
Thank you.
submitted by GiversBot to borrowdeletes [link] [comments]
- Account is deleted or shadowbanned
- Link to the deleted post
- Was a selfpost with score: 2
- Submitted 2023-01-09 14:03 (UTC)
- Was up for for approx 142.07 days
- Probably deleted within the past 15.69 days
- Was last seen up around 2023-05-15 23:12 (UTC)
- Deletion detected at 2023-05-31 15:44 (UTC)
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Title
[REQ] (£250) (#Durham, England, UK) (£300 REPAY 27TH JAN 2023) (Paypal)
Post contents
Got paid very early in December (16th) and a few bills are now due which I'm struggling with until my next pay day on the 27th. Asked for an advance, was denied due to company policy.
I have a steady full time job, happy to provide payslips, and also happy to negotiate interest for your benefit too.
I have a long standing PayPal account, and am happy to provide any proof you require.
Thank you.
2023.05.31 17:44 sonobugiarda Lost in life.. what to do? (maybe TW)
Hello, 18 nearly 19 F, currently at university in my first year of my law degree (4-year program straight out of high school). However, I can’t help but feel I am wasting my life away… To explain the degree isn’t necessarily the problem, I feel like I have made the right decision in choosing law (although I am not really enjoying it) everything else is my life is a complete disaster. I still and always have lived with my mum, my parents divorced when I was very young, and my relationship with my father has been rocky my entire life (he has 6 children in total, all from different women, in different parts of the country- pretty self-explanatory). We have gone years without contact. My mum, was and still is a great mum in many aspects, however, she has struggled with alcohol addiction since I was around 8 and being just her and I, our roles reversed and I became her parent. She is still drinking, every week she believes she will quit, I have tried to get her help, but she refuses. However, she is only a night drinker (but drinks alot), thus for the most part has been able to maintain a job on pretty good money as she is highly qualified in her profession. Due her drunkenness, she has/does verbally abuse me, however only has become physically abusive a few times which were long ago. When I have mentioned it to her, she has no recollection and immediately apologises. Her family is not supportive whatsoever, often ignored the issue and we now (for the past 5 years) live far away from all family - Christmas day, birthdays etc are JUST her and I. She has alot of issues with her own mum, who I believe is also an alcoholic. For this reason, I don’t drink alcohol and never intend to. Nevertheless, apart from her drinking she really is a great mum, she is and has always been my number one supporter, when she is sober anyone would be lucky to call her ‘mum’. When I was younger, I had a lot of anxiety, I struggled in school and for many years worried that someone would realise what was going on and I would be removed from our home. In high school, I went through periods of having many friends to have none, it was a rollercoaster. My life came crashing down in COVID, mum lost her job (which made her night-time drinking into all day-drinking), I got very sick with an autoimmune condition and developed an eating disorder. This forced me to home-school. It was a horrible period of my life, yet eventually things got better, she stopped daytime drinking and smoking, got a new job, I got better and she was extremely caring and supportive through dealing with my eating issues. I remained home-schooling via online which was great for my grades but terrible for my social life. Eventually, I graduated and got a high enough grade for a good Law degree. I did want to originally take a gap year, mum had talked about travelling Europe for a few months which she kindly offered to pay for me. I really wanted to travel the world, however, as much as I love her, I really didn’t want to go with her as I wanted to be ‘normal’ for once and go with people my own age. Also, she doesn't like taking photos (which ofc I want to capture it being on holidays) and although she doesn't mean to makes me feel anxious doing things out of the house. Like I can't fully enjoy myself. There has also been past bad experiences with her drunk on holidays as well. I have some money but definitely not enough to go alone, and as a young female I didn’t think this is the best - I desperately wished I had friends. My mum obviously was extremely against it, and it really would make me feel guilty about the idea of ever leaving her. So, I decided to start university, which brings me to present day, I have met no friends, tried to go to clubs, classes etc with no luck. It seems everyone just wants to go out and get wasted - which clearly I am not interested. I literally have no fun in my life apart from some time with my mum. Nevertheless, I am so scared that in other ways I am turning into my mum. As she also doesn’t really have any friends, doesn’t date and her whole life revolves around me. I want freedom and independence, this might be tmi but I want to experience being in a relationship, being an adult without feeling the guilt that I am abandoning her. I am starting to think maybe I should defer university for six months and travel, as I have more funds to now do and have always wanted to. I live in Australia, which I have never really felt is my true home, yes I am aware the grass is always greener on the other side, however, I have always felt in the long term I would try to relocate overseas (I have already travelled to many other countries with my mum when I was younger). In terms of travelling, I do worry I could waste all of my money and not meet people which is something I think I am really in need of oand feel even worse than I feel right now. I don't even know how I would really do this and if it's even safe as a young women. In addition to possibly making my mum angry. I ask you all for your humble advice, should I stick my university out, worry about friends later or should I defer? By the way, I am very lucky that as I live with my mum I don’t pay any rent or bills, no way that without a degree working a minimum wage job even full time I would be able to support myself. I don’t work many hours right now as my university workload is crazy. She is very generous and okay with this. I am sure I have missed out so many details and made mistakes as I am writing this sooo late.. apologies!! Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thankyou so much.
submitted by sonobugiarda to Advice [link] [comments]
2023.05.31 17:44 Marchesa_07 How to push back when company refuses to promote?
I work in Healthcare IT for Managed Services handling an EHR system for a hospital system in PA. I've been working in this field for over 2 years, with a clear path to advancement in place by my managers.
Then last year my company was purchased by a Canadian SW company.
There are now no monetary promotions for internally promoted employees; there is an attainment bonus system which is a rebranded PIP. If you meet certain metrics, you are paid out a quarterly bonus, with no guarantee that bonus will become part of your base pay the following year.
My managers have been attempting to promote myself and 2 other employees from Associate Business Analyst to Business Analyst for 6 months and their attempts have been rejected. In that time several other Business Analyst positions have opened up for my site, which I have applied to and informed my managers, but those positions have either been filled externally or in the latest case filled internally via promoting a part time employee to a full-time position.
Most recently an Analyst position was posted with salary range- that's key because in PA companies are not required to post salaries and in the past when I directly asked HR what the salary ranges are for Associate and Analyst they cited PA law and refused to disclose to me.
The Analyst job description is verbatim, identical to my current job except for level of experience and the pay range.
So my question unto you all, aside from quitting, what can I do to put pressure on the company? How can I "work my wage" when it's the exact same as an Analyst to begin with?
submitted by Marchesa_07 to careerguidance [link] [comments]
Then last year my company was purchased by a Canadian SW company.
There are now no monetary promotions for internally promoted employees; there is an attainment bonus system which is a rebranded PIP. If you meet certain metrics, you are paid out a quarterly bonus, with no guarantee that bonus will become part of your base pay the following year.
My managers have been attempting to promote myself and 2 other employees from Associate Business Analyst to Business Analyst for 6 months and their attempts have been rejected. In that time several other Business Analyst positions have opened up for my site, which I have applied to and informed my managers, but those positions have either been filled externally or in the latest case filled internally via promoting a part time employee to a full-time position.
Most recently an Analyst position was posted with salary range- that's key because in PA companies are not required to post salaries and in the past when I directly asked HR what the salary ranges are for Associate and Analyst they cited PA law and refused to disclose to me.
The Analyst job description is verbatim, identical to my current job except for level of experience and the pay range.
So my question unto you all, aside from quitting, what can I do to put pressure on the company? How can I "work my wage" when it's the exact same as an Analyst to begin with?
2023.05.31 17:44 Low-Expression-5833 Benefits of a Pro account?
As a new user of SM I was a little disappointed at the subscription fee of $60. When I initially set SM up there was a option of a monthly subscription of approximately $20 but after set-up that option disappeared.
It seems that the main reason many users are here for is ERP which I'm not particularly bothered about so my question is: What are the benefits, if any, of a Pro account apart from the ERP?
submitted by Low-Expression-5833 to SoulmateAI [link] [comments]
It seems that the main reason many users are here for is ERP which I'm not particularly bothered about so my question is: What are the benefits, if any, of a Pro account apart from the ERP?
2023.05.31 17:44 TheManwithaNoPlan Persistence Journalism [14]
*lightning sfx* You should check out u/Acceptable_Egg5560, NOW! (Seriously, thanks again for doing this with me, you're the best.)
[First]-[Prev]-[Next]
Memory transcript: Vekna, Venlil Citizen. Date: [Standardized human time] September 19th, 2136
Herd, I forgot how much I hate paperwork.
When we had pinpointed where Unzekep was a couple paws ago, I was eager to get on her trail. Unfortunately, reality just had to get in the way of those ambitions…which is where I find myself now. First was all the speh we had to submit to the Health and Safety Department regarding our “inquiries” into the construction site to find Tagelb. A noble action, no denying that, but it brought up questions about our presence on the site. “Why were we there? Were we associated with a third-party firm? What was the quality of evidence produced for the claim?” Stuff like that, constantly, for almost an entire Paw.
We came clean, sort of. We at least disclosed about us being journalists. My evidence showing money changing paws between that foreman and the previous safety inspector came in handy in our explanation of us looking into corruption. As an additional surprise, many of the workers of the facility came forward with older stories of regulation skirting and site mismanagement. Tagelb even chipped in, providing another perspective of what we witnessed whilst in there. Safe to say, that foreman isn’t going to be in charge of much any time soon.
But did we really need to fill out all of those affidavits??
The second problem was that, due to us revealing that we were journalists, we wouldn’t be able to simply walk up to Unzekep while she was on the job. We had to get a “press permit” that would allow us to walk in the tunnels, which meant more paperwork signing that we agreed to the risk and knew the safety standards and procedures we had to follow while underground. They even made us take a test for that!
Today, though, marked the end of our tedious paperwork and safety waivers. We were finally cleared to go into the system, and the district had promised silence on the matter. Part of me thinks that their willingness to accommodate us is due to not having to pay us like their other safety inspectors. Oh well, at least it’s a way in that doesn’t require cartoonish cover stories. I slide on my satchel and exit my room, waiting for the elevator to arrive at the correct floor so I can board.
After a short wait, I’m granted access, and yet another short wait later, I arrive at the foyer. First-meal would normally be first on the schedule, but today was special. In order to avoid detection by any unwanted eyes, we were due to leave first thing in the Paw, when almost no-one else would be out. After a brief scan of the lobby, I spot Sharnet sitting on a chair with a duffel bag on the ground next to it. I trot over to her, motioning to get her attention.
“Good Paw, Sharnet! You sleep well after all that paperwork?”
Sharnet shuts her holonote off and stows it away in her pack. “Yes, somewhat. I do wish that they would’ve just looked the other way completely, now we’re on their records. If someone’s watching, we’re a dead give-away.”
I sway my ears negatively. “I don’t think they’ll be looking deep in government registries. That would require access, and if they were in the government, chances are they’d have noticed long ago and already fled. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been much movement on the private nor the public transit systems, and none of the Harchen. Trust me, I had the same thought.” I pull out my pad, the tab for the transit logs still logged in with the temporary credentials the district has given us. “Check for yourself.”
Sharnet looks over the information rather inquisitively. “Now that’s interesting.”
I cock my head. “What is?”
“I looked up Unzekep’s home address,” she explains, “and it’s in an apartment building on the edge of town. She doesn’t have a vehicle, so by all rights she should be traveling on public transit. But this shows none of the Harchen have done so. The fact that she isn’t…”
Her sentence falls away as her ears twitch in thought. Now that she’s said it aloud, I realize how strange that is. “That…is odd, actually. You’d think that she would be using the public transit system to get to and from work each Paw.”
Sharnet’s tail swishes against the ground. “Do you remember what Tagleb said about her? He said that she spent a lot of time in the tunnels. Do you think… well, no, there’s a couple possibilities. But…”
As she’s making an appeal to rationality, I realize what she’s implying. “That she’s living in the tunnels. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
She sways her tail in the affirmative. “I don’t want to cast judgment yet. But…if she’s one of the overseers, those tunnels are well out of sight. People could probably survive a raid by hiding in there. Of course, if she isn’t a head, staying in those tunnels might not be her choice.”
I look at Sharnet skeptically. “Not her choice? What reason could someone possibly have to stay down there that isn’t their choice?”
“Well, that safety inspector that the foreman bribed likely didn’t inspect only one site.” Her claws clench against her wool. “In my previous job, there was a time when there was only one person on staff who knew how to maintain and repair the office electronics. The company has them stay on overtime. If she is in a similar situation in the tunnels…”
That’s not a good image to have in my mind. Being one of the only ones repairing equipment and materials that would have otherwise been flagged as a safety danger… My arms and legs are exhausted by just imagining what might be needed. “Oh, Herd, that’d be bad. I’m not certain that’s the case, though, as the District let us have our way with seeing her. They wouldn't do that if they had something to hide.”
Sharnet raises a finger. “If they’re smart.”
I can’t help but give a low whistle to myself at that. “If they’re smart, yeah. Ready to go see how dumb they are?”
Her tail wags in amusement as she rises from her seat. “We can grab a couple to-go salads from the meal bar and head right out, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure, might as well if we’re going to be spending all day in the sewers.” I follow Sharnet over to the salad bar, and we order some bog-standard salads to go. Nothing fancy, we are on the clock after all. Once we receive our food, Sharnet heads back to grab that duffel bag and we head out, the light of our star bearing down on us as we exit the building.
It isn’t long before a bus comes to pick us up, the driver seemingly surprised to see someone waiting for him at this claw. We board and take our seats, eating our salads as we’re ferried to our next destination. Thankfully, only a single other person is on the bus right now, and they’re too busy with something on their pad to notice us. A public space with no noise, perfect.
As I eat, my mind wanders back to Tagelb. I had meant to go back and see him again last Paw, but paperwork had obviously gotten in the way of that. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m intrigued by the Yotuls’ archaic technology. Steam engines, massive train systems, even rudimentary hydrocarbon combustion engines! I wanted to learn more, but I knew Vekna was only tolerating that in search of our guy. I knew I had to go back to hiding eventually.
The worst part was how I had to hide myself from Tagelb, even if it was less than normal. I heard his views on Predator Disease, and I knew that if I slipped it, that was it. I’d lose yet another friend because I couldn’t keep my Herd-damned mouth shut. I’m determined to keep doing what I’m doing, even if it means hiding myself forever. From Tagelb, from Sharnet, from everybody. Ignorance is bliss, and if nobody knows I’m a monster, it’s a little easier to pretend I’m not for myself.
I’m shaken from my internal lamentations by a paw lightly shaking my shoulder. I glance over at the culprit, finding Sharnet’s gaze. “Are you okay? You went a little wall-eyed while you were eating your salad.”
I look down at my bowl, only to find it empty. I quickly reseal it and feign my innocence yet again. “Hm? Oh, yeah, just thinking about how we’re going to do this. Not an easy task, after all.”
She pulls up the duffel bag she’s been carrying into her lap and zips it open. “Thankfully, these should make it a bit easier.”
Inside are a pair of construction pelts. Visibility vests, gloves, foot coverings, and two helmets. Those… brahking uncomfortable helmets. “Do we really have to wear those?”
I know it’s a dumb question. I read the same procedures as she did. This equipment is a basic requirement for us to go into the tunnels. No matter how much it rubbed up against my ears.
“Yes, I’m sure. We read the same waiver, we signed on the same lines. I’m not a fan either, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.” She pulls out one of the pelts and hands it to me, retrieving the other for herself. I groan internally at the mere thought of having to wear another helmet. She gives her ears a comforting flick. “These are brand new, so the padding won’t be as worn down as the last helmets were. I don’t know if it will stop the bother, but at the very least it shouldn’t be as bad.”
Small comforts. “I hope so, yeah.” As I look over the helmet, the bus stops and opens its door to our destination. “Industrial center! Next stop, the Intraplanetary Transit Hub!” We stand from our seats and make it off the bus, which unceremoniously closes its doors and leaves us stranded in the dead center of the industrial heart of Sidestar.
The town is centered around maintaining the power plants that comprise the central economy of the District. As a city well within the twilight, power meant life. It allowed the growing houses to keep the local edible vegetation harvest alive, light up the iron ore mining operations in the mountains, and the steam tunnels flowing with heat to fight back against the cold winds from the night side flowing down from the mountains. Those steam and drain tunnels are where a large number of people work. Having to expand and repair sections as their city grows. And Unzekep is currently working on replacing outdated units. Somewhere in there…
I’m pulled from my analysis of the area by Sharnet, who has since applied her pelt. “Come on, put on your uniform so we can get down to where we need to be.” I heed her words and quickly apply my clothing before following Sharnet through the complicated system of tubes and ducts that comprises the ground-level of one of the for-profit geothermal reactors.
Thank the Herd for the 3d map the District had given us access to. According to the schedule, Unzekep should be in the coolwater pump room, replacing the turbines in one of the pumps. Unfortunately, that’s all the way in the basement of the building, accessible to the steam tunnels leading under the rest of the town.
Steam heating the town. And the Feds call the Yotul primitive for using the same principles. I shake the annoyance from my mind as we descend down ladder after ladder, walking across steel catwalks over huge drops for the snowmelt that would occur after the night finished. I can see what all those waivers were about now.
From my map, we should be coming up to the pump room soon. It’s next to this… cargo… elevator… Oh for the Herd’s sake!
Sharnet huffs, panting from the humidity and heat of the underground caverns. “What puddle of Speh left that out of the official map? We could’ve been here a quarter-claw earlier!”
“Beats me, but at least we’re here,” I manage to say, leaning against the wall as it feels like I’m trying to breathe through syrup. “S-Sorry, just need to take a breather for a second. The humidity down here is really messing with me.”
“I understand,” she holds out her tail for a comfort touch, “if you think you’re about to have an attack, don’t hesitate to let me know. Your health is important.”
“Thanks,” I huff. After a few moments of slow breathing, the air managed to become a little more breathable. “Alright, I think I’m good. Are you ready to meet our next in line for Spehlicker of the Hectorotation?”
“If we’re lucky,” she replies before sliding open the doors. Four massive pumps dominate the room. They stand as long and tall as the bus we rode in on. It’s truly impressive to see the power of the planet itself being harnessed through the mechanics of these machines. But… I’m unsure about the noise. It isn’t too loud, Sharnet and I would be able to raise our voices over them without going into full on shouting, but it was a constant high volume I haven’t been around before. It feels…grating.
Thankfully, it’s obvious that we're in the correct room. One of the pumps has a series of curved pieces of metal with a pile of bolts and… a stack of impellers, if I’m remembering the word correctly, laying on the ground. Tools and spares are scattered around the area, a mug of some sort of beverage is on a nearby ledge, wisps of steam still coming from its surface. Wait…wisps of steam…
I place a paw against Sharnet’s chest, to her confusion, as I scan the room for anything out…of…the… There. In the corner, a few splotches of green on an otherwise gray surface. Imperfect camouflage, just like Tagelb had said. As I focus, I can make out an outline of a trembling person, moving in tandem with the spots. She must have heard us approach. I gesture to Sharnet in the direction and she flicks her ears affirmatively.
“You must be very skilled,” she says, staring at the splotches with an eye, “your camouflage is practically seamless.”
As I watch, the splotches increase in their trembling. A voice floats out under the hum of the pumps, barely heard by my ears. “No, no, go away, leave, this is safe, no, please leave, don’t hurt me, no.”
“We are here about Dawn Creek,” I say, “We-
The Harchen shrieks.
The gray walls reveal the colors of a Harchen in distress as she falls to the ground in sobs. It’s difficult to see anything about her, as she curls herself up and pleads. “P-Please! No! I don’t w-want to go back! Don’t m-make me go back!”
Both Sharnet and I had lightly backed away at her shriek, but now we both approached her. Her scale shifts seem almost sluggish, but they do indeed shift. It’s only once I get a better look at her face do I realize what Tagelb was talking about.
Her facial features are slightly flatter, looking almost compressed compared to that of the other two Harchens we’ve run into here. Her forehead is a bit larger than normal, and her neck is slightly shorter. In fact, she herself is shorter than average, if only by a little. Near her temples, four splotches of unchanging green remain constant despite the rest of her shifting form, each an imperfect circle of dull green.
She just keeps sobbing and pleading incoherently as we approach, not even attempting to run. It was like… it’s like she’s given up. This can’t be it, can it? I expected pathetic, but this? This is just sad to watch. But as I do indeed watch, something comes to me. This isn’t fear of getting caught, this is fear of going back.
I remember what I learned about the treatments they used, the drugs they administered, and what Sharnet had said to Tagelb. People with no disease at all. It all clicks together in an instant. This isn’t one of the heads of the Dawn Creek facility.
No.
This is an escapee.
[First]-[Prev]-[Next]
submitted by TheManwithaNoPlan to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
[First]-[Prev]-[Next]
Memory transcript: Vekna, Venlil Citizen. Date: [Standardized human time] September 19th, 2136
Herd, I forgot how much I hate paperwork.
When we had pinpointed where Unzekep was a couple paws ago, I was eager to get on her trail. Unfortunately, reality just had to get in the way of those ambitions…which is where I find myself now. First was all the speh we had to submit to the Health and Safety Department regarding our “inquiries” into the construction site to find Tagelb. A noble action, no denying that, but it brought up questions about our presence on the site. “Why were we there? Were we associated with a third-party firm? What was the quality of evidence produced for the claim?” Stuff like that, constantly, for almost an entire Paw.
We came clean, sort of. We at least disclosed about us being journalists. My evidence showing money changing paws between that foreman and the previous safety inspector came in handy in our explanation of us looking into corruption. As an additional surprise, many of the workers of the facility came forward with older stories of regulation skirting and site mismanagement. Tagelb even chipped in, providing another perspective of what we witnessed whilst in there. Safe to say, that foreman isn’t going to be in charge of much any time soon.
But did we really need to fill out all of those affidavits??
The second problem was that, due to us revealing that we were journalists, we wouldn’t be able to simply walk up to Unzekep while she was on the job. We had to get a “press permit” that would allow us to walk in the tunnels, which meant more paperwork signing that we agreed to the risk and knew the safety standards and procedures we had to follow while underground. They even made us take a test for that!
Today, though, marked the end of our tedious paperwork and safety waivers. We were finally cleared to go into the system, and the district had promised silence on the matter. Part of me thinks that their willingness to accommodate us is due to not having to pay us like their other safety inspectors. Oh well, at least it’s a way in that doesn’t require cartoonish cover stories. I slide on my satchel and exit my room, waiting for the elevator to arrive at the correct floor so I can board.
After a short wait, I’m granted access, and yet another short wait later, I arrive at the foyer. First-meal would normally be first on the schedule, but today was special. In order to avoid detection by any unwanted eyes, we were due to leave first thing in the Paw, when almost no-one else would be out. After a brief scan of the lobby, I spot Sharnet sitting on a chair with a duffel bag on the ground next to it. I trot over to her, motioning to get her attention.
“Good Paw, Sharnet! You sleep well after all that paperwork?”
Sharnet shuts her holonote off and stows it away in her pack. “Yes, somewhat. I do wish that they would’ve just looked the other way completely, now we’re on their records. If someone’s watching, we’re a dead give-away.”
I sway my ears negatively. “I don’t think they’ll be looking deep in government registries. That would require access, and if they were in the government, chances are they’d have noticed long ago and already fled. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been much movement on the private nor the public transit systems, and none of the Harchen. Trust me, I had the same thought.” I pull out my pad, the tab for the transit logs still logged in with the temporary credentials the district has given us. “Check for yourself.”
Sharnet looks over the information rather inquisitively. “Now that’s interesting.”
I cock my head. “What is?”
“I looked up Unzekep’s home address,” she explains, “and it’s in an apartment building on the edge of town. She doesn’t have a vehicle, so by all rights she should be traveling on public transit. But this shows none of the Harchen have done so. The fact that she isn’t…”
Her sentence falls away as her ears twitch in thought. Now that she’s said it aloud, I realize how strange that is. “That…is odd, actually. You’d think that she would be using the public transit system to get to and from work each Paw.”
Sharnet’s tail swishes against the ground. “Do you remember what Tagleb said about her? He said that she spent a lot of time in the tunnels. Do you think… well, no, there’s a couple possibilities. But…”
As she’s making an appeal to rationality, I realize what she’s implying. “That she’s living in the tunnels. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
She sways her tail in the affirmative. “I don’t want to cast judgment yet. But…if she’s one of the overseers, those tunnels are well out of sight. People could probably survive a raid by hiding in there. Of course, if she isn’t a head, staying in those tunnels might not be her choice.”
I look at Sharnet skeptically. “Not her choice? What reason could someone possibly have to stay down there that isn’t their choice?”
“Well, that safety inspector that the foreman bribed likely didn’t inspect only one site.” Her claws clench against her wool. “In my previous job, there was a time when there was only one person on staff who knew how to maintain and repair the office electronics. The company has them stay on overtime. If she is in a similar situation in the tunnels…”
That’s not a good image to have in my mind. Being one of the only ones repairing equipment and materials that would have otherwise been flagged as a safety danger… My arms and legs are exhausted by just imagining what might be needed. “Oh, Herd, that’d be bad. I’m not certain that’s the case, though, as the District let us have our way with seeing her. They wouldn't do that if they had something to hide.”
Sharnet raises a finger. “If they’re smart.”
I can’t help but give a low whistle to myself at that. “If they’re smart, yeah. Ready to go see how dumb they are?”
Her tail wags in amusement as she rises from her seat. “We can grab a couple to-go salads from the meal bar and head right out, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure, might as well if we’re going to be spending all day in the sewers.” I follow Sharnet over to the salad bar, and we order some bog-standard salads to go. Nothing fancy, we are on the clock after all. Once we receive our food, Sharnet heads back to grab that duffel bag and we head out, the light of our star bearing down on us as we exit the building.
It isn’t long before a bus comes to pick us up, the driver seemingly surprised to see someone waiting for him at this claw. We board and take our seats, eating our salads as we’re ferried to our next destination. Thankfully, only a single other person is on the bus right now, and they’re too busy with something on their pad to notice us. A public space with no noise, perfect.
As I eat, my mind wanders back to Tagelb. I had meant to go back and see him again last Paw, but paperwork had obviously gotten in the way of that. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m intrigued by the Yotuls’ archaic technology. Steam engines, massive train systems, even rudimentary hydrocarbon combustion engines! I wanted to learn more, but I knew Vekna was only tolerating that in search of our guy. I knew I had to go back to hiding eventually.
The worst part was how I had to hide myself from Tagelb, even if it was less than normal. I heard his views on Predator Disease, and I knew that if I slipped it, that was it. I’d lose yet another friend because I couldn’t keep my Herd-damned mouth shut. I’m determined to keep doing what I’m doing, even if it means hiding myself forever. From Tagelb, from Sharnet, from everybody. Ignorance is bliss, and if nobody knows I’m a monster, it’s a little easier to pretend I’m not for myself.
I’m shaken from my internal lamentations by a paw lightly shaking my shoulder. I glance over at the culprit, finding Sharnet’s gaze. “Are you okay? You went a little wall-eyed while you were eating your salad.”
I look down at my bowl, only to find it empty. I quickly reseal it and feign my innocence yet again. “Hm? Oh, yeah, just thinking about how we’re going to do this. Not an easy task, after all.”
She pulls up the duffel bag she’s been carrying into her lap and zips it open. “Thankfully, these should make it a bit easier.”
Inside are a pair of construction pelts. Visibility vests, gloves, foot coverings, and two helmets. Those… brahking uncomfortable helmets. “Do we really have to wear those?”
I know it’s a dumb question. I read the same procedures as she did. This equipment is a basic requirement for us to go into the tunnels. No matter how much it rubbed up against my ears.
“Yes, I’m sure. We read the same waiver, we signed on the same lines. I’m not a fan either, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.” She pulls out one of the pelts and hands it to me, retrieving the other for herself. I groan internally at the mere thought of having to wear another helmet. She gives her ears a comforting flick. “These are brand new, so the padding won’t be as worn down as the last helmets were. I don’t know if it will stop the bother, but at the very least it shouldn’t be as bad.”
Small comforts. “I hope so, yeah.” As I look over the helmet, the bus stops and opens its door to our destination. “Industrial center! Next stop, the Intraplanetary Transit Hub!” We stand from our seats and make it off the bus, which unceremoniously closes its doors and leaves us stranded in the dead center of the industrial heart of Sidestar.
The town is centered around maintaining the power plants that comprise the central economy of the District. As a city well within the twilight, power meant life. It allowed the growing houses to keep the local edible vegetation harvest alive, light up the iron ore mining operations in the mountains, and the steam tunnels flowing with heat to fight back against the cold winds from the night side flowing down from the mountains. Those steam and drain tunnels are where a large number of people work. Having to expand and repair sections as their city grows. And Unzekep is currently working on replacing outdated units. Somewhere in there…
I’m pulled from my analysis of the area by Sharnet, who has since applied her pelt. “Come on, put on your uniform so we can get down to where we need to be.” I heed her words and quickly apply my clothing before following Sharnet through the complicated system of tubes and ducts that comprises the ground-level of one of the for-profit geothermal reactors.
Thank the Herd for the 3d map the District had given us access to. According to the schedule, Unzekep should be in the coolwater pump room, replacing the turbines in one of the pumps. Unfortunately, that’s all the way in the basement of the building, accessible to the steam tunnels leading under the rest of the town.
Steam heating the town. And the Feds call the Yotul primitive for using the same principles. I shake the annoyance from my mind as we descend down ladder after ladder, walking across steel catwalks over huge drops for the snowmelt that would occur after the night finished. I can see what all those waivers were about now.
From my map, we should be coming up to the pump room soon. It’s next to this… cargo… elevator… Oh for the Herd’s sake!
Sharnet huffs, panting from the humidity and heat of the underground caverns. “What puddle of Speh left that out of the official map? We could’ve been here a quarter-claw earlier!”
“Beats me, but at least we’re here,” I manage to say, leaning against the wall as it feels like I’m trying to breathe through syrup. “S-Sorry, just need to take a breather for a second. The humidity down here is really messing with me.”
“I understand,” she holds out her tail for a comfort touch, “if you think you’re about to have an attack, don’t hesitate to let me know. Your health is important.”
“Thanks,” I huff. After a few moments of slow breathing, the air managed to become a little more breathable. “Alright, I think I’m good. Are you ready to meet our next in line for Spehlicker of the Hectorotation?”
“If we’re lucky,” she replies before sliding open the doors. Four massive pumps dominate the room. They stand as long and tall as the bus we rode in on. It’s truly impressive to see the power of the planet itself being harnessed through the mechanics of these machines. But… I’m unsure about the noise. It isn’t too loud, Sharnet and I would be able to raise our voices over them without going into full on shouting, but it was a constant high volume I haven’t been around before. It feels…grating.
Thankfully, it’s obvious that we're in the correct room. One of the pumps has a series of curved pieces of metal with a pile of bolts and… a stack of impellers, if I’m remembering the word correctly, laying on the ground. Tools and spares are scattered around the area, a mug of some sort of beverage is on a nearby ledge, wisps of steam still coming from its surface. Wait…wisps of steam…
I place a paw against Sharnet’s chest, to her confusion, as I scan the room for anything out…of…the… There. In the corner, a few splotches of green on an otherwise gray surface. Imperfect camouflage, just like Tagelb had said. As I focus, I can make out an outline of a trembling person, moving in tandem with the spots. She must have heard us approach. I gesture to Sharnet in the direction and she flicks her ears affirmatively.
“You must be very skilled,” she says, staring at the splotches with an eye, “your camouflage is practically seamless.”
As I watch, the splotches increase in their trembling. A voice floats out under the hum of the pumps, barely heard by my ears. “No, no, go away, leave, this is safe, no, please leave, don’t hurt me, no.”
“We are here about Dawn Creek,” I say, “We-
The Harchen shrieks.
The gray walls reveal the colors of a Harchen in distress as she falls to the ground in sobs. It’s difficult to see anything about her, as she curls herself up and pleads. “P-Please! No! I don’t w-want to go back! Don’t m-make me go back!”
Both Sharnet and I had lightly backed away at her shriek, but now we both approached her. Her scale shifts seem almost sluggish, but they do indeed shift. It’s only once I get a better look at her face do I realize what Tagelb was talking about.
Her facial features are slightly flatter, looking almost compressed compared to that of the other two Harchens we’ve run into here. Her forehead is a bit larger than normal, and her neck is slightly shorter. In fact, she herself is shorter than average, if only by a little. Near her temples, four splotches of unchanging green remain constant despite the rest of her shifting form, each an imperfect circle of dull green.
She just keeps sobbing and pleading incoherently as we approach, not even attempting to run. It was like… it’s like she’s given up. This can’t be it, can it? I expected pathetic, but this? This is just sad to watch. But as I do indeed watch, something comes to me. This isn’t fear of getting caught, this is fear of going back.
I remember what I learned about the treatments they used, the drugs they administered, and what Sharnet had said to Tagelb. People with no disease at all. It all clicks together in an instant. This isn’t one of the heads of the Dawn Creek facility.
No.
This is an escapee.
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2023.05.31 17:44 neotenist91 Was this an AP?
I've been dialing in my AP technique and I've seen some great results – thanks to this community no less! I've only actively started AP'ing since around 4 weeks and I've come close to the vibrational stage many times. Also I've partially left my body twice.
Today was the day where I – presumably – exited my body entirely. Presumably because everything did feel a little dreamlike.
I need some opinion on what I experienced:
This morning I tried using one of Robert Petersons methods (Book: Hacking the Out of Body Experience) combined with the "The illusion of method". I tried holding on to hypnagogic hallucinations while also manifesting an AP.
At first I fell asleep again, but a couple of minutes later I awoke, the audible hallucinations. Random gibberish I couldn't understand. But I knew: This is my chance, if I wait, I'll get to the vibrational stage soon. Up to this point I always passed through the vibrations because I was way too excited and either woke up or they passed without anything happening.
This time I waited until they peaked and to avoid partial detachment, like the times before, I rolled out this time. And it worked! I still wasn't able to see though, but I knew what I had to do. I couldn't get up (it's hard gaining control over your body, hope this gets easier), so I rolled out of bed. I landed almost floated on the floor softly, which confirmed to me that this was not my physical body.
I somehow managed to get up on my feet and stumbled to the door. I blindly searched for the door handle and I felt my hand going through it. I stumbled through the door right into our hallway. Going through the door made me see a little. I managed to go into the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror. It showed me a version of my NOT overweight self (I'm a little chonky in reality). I thought I noticed some entity behind me but didn't pay much attention, because I didn't sense any danger.
I left the bathroom and noticed everything looked a little different too. I still had a hard time seeing but the details in our apartment didn't match up with reality. I continued into the living room area and there I saw my wife. Motionless, not noticing me or reacting to me. I also had the sense, that there were two other entities but I didn't bother with them either.
Still not being able to see that well, I ran through a couple of walls, it made it a little easier, but it wasn't what I am used to from my physical self.
That was kinda the moment when the reality of me APing hit me and I got overexcited. So excited in fact, that I decided to head back to my body. I feared that this excitement would turn into intrusive thoughts very quickly and I didn't want my first time to end like that. So I ran through the walls back into our sleeping room and body slammed (please don't ask me why I chose that method) into myself. That was also the exact moment my alarm rang and I was awake at an instant.
There are a couple of things that make me this it was a LD and not an AP: - The details about the appartment being off - My wife being in the living room (she was actually at work during that time) - Looking in the mirror and seeing thin version of myself
The last two also reflect my desires. For one I of course would love to be thinner and when my wife left the house this morning I thought it might be better if she stayed at home today because she wasn't feeling too good.
What do you think? LD or AP?
If it was an LD: How do I get out next time? If it was an AP: Why the weird stuff?
submitted by neotenist91 to AstralProjection [link] [comments]
Today was the day where I – presumably – exited my body entirely. Presumably because everything did feel a little dreamlike.
I need some opinion on what I experienced:
This morning I tried using one of Robert Petersons methods (Book: Hacking the Out of Body Experience) combined with the "The illusion of method". I tried holding on to hypnagogic hallucinations while also manifesting an AP.
At first I fell asleep again, but a couple of minutes later I awoke, the audible hallucinations. Random gibberish I couldn't understand. But I knew: This is my chance, if I wait, I'll get to the vibrational stage soon. Up to this point I always passed through the vibrations because I was way too excited and either woke up or they passed without anything happening.
This time I waited until they peaked and to avoid partial detachment, like the times before, I rolled out this time. And it worked! I still wasn't able to see though, but I knew what I had to do. I couldn't get up (it's hard gaining control over your body, hope this gets easier), so I rolled out of bed. I landed almost floated on the floor softly, which confirmed to me that this was not my physical body.
I somehow managed to get up on my feet and stumbled to the door. I blindly searched for the door handle and I felt my hand going through it. I stumbled through the door right into our hallway. Going through the door made me see a little. I managed to go into the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror. It showed me a version of my NOT overweight self (I'm a little chonky in reality). I thought I noticed some entity behind me but didn't pay much attention, because I didn't sense any danger.
I left the bathroom and noticed everything looked a little different too. I still had a hard time seeing but the details in our apartment didn't match up with reality. I continued into the living room area and there I saw my wife. Motionless, not noticing me or reacting to me. I also had the sense, that there were two other entities but I didn't bother with them either.
Still not being able to see that well, I ran through a couple of walls, it made it a little easier, but it wasn't what I am used to from my physical self.
That was kinda the moment when the reality of me APing hit me and I got overexcited. So excited in fact, that I decided to head back to my body. I feared that this excitement would turn into intrusive thoughts very quickly and I didn't want my first time to end like that. So I ran through the walls back into our sleeping room and body slammed (please don't ask me why I chose that method) into myself. That was also the exact moment my alarm rang and I was awake at an instant.
There are a couple of things that make me this it was a LD and not an AP: - The details about the appartment being off - My wife being in the living room (she was actually at work during that time) - Looking in the mirror and seeing thin version of myself
The last two also reflect my desires. For one I of course would love to be thinner and when my wife left the house this morning I thought it might be better if she stayed at home today because she wasn't feeling too good.
What do you think? LD or AP?
If it was an LD: How do I get out next time? If it was an AP: Why the weird stuff?
2023.05.31 17:43 m80mike I Was a Foreman at the Grazer Tower Demolition
Summary: A demolition firm struggles to take down a damaged building for their mysterious clients
I Was a Foreman at the Grazer Tower Demolition
By now Grazer Tower has faded as a household name but to some the rumors and madness surrounding it refuse to die. The demolition of the massive three hundred twenty foot octagonal hotel left a gap in the Atlanta skyline but little fondness in anyone's hearts. I have no particular first hand insight into the freak lightning strikes on the 30th floor atrium which killed 13 people but I am willing to tell my side of the story about the demolition effort leading to the botched implosion. I tell this as a full, open, and honest disclosure. The legal maneuvering and ink has dried, all of the dead are buried, and all the bleeding stopped. The scars remain, the pain persists, the things I saw there are burned in my head even after they've been discredited into the conspiracy theory woodwork of the internet. The lightning storm struck on a Sunday afternoon and the next day for all we knew the bodies were still warm when a lawyer representing the owners of Grazer Tower entered our corporate office. I look back on it now with open and clear eyes and realize it was all very strange from the start when my Lead Foreman, Tom, and I were called into the meeting in progress.
The lawyer and now our client, looked like a fairly normal man in his mid thirties aside from his impeccably white suit which was ironed to the point of looking like stone rather than cloth. Beside the white suit his lips were an uncomfortable maroon and glossy. Besides this he spoke in a plain, clear, and disarming manner refraining from legalese and maintaining a firm but not imposing eye contract with whomever he was speaking directly to.
He told us in no uncertain terms he was instructed to contract with our firm to take down his client's building. Tom and I were shocked when we heard this after all, the lightning disaster, while tragic and perhaps undeservedly tarnishing in the short term to the Grazer Hotel's reputation, did not render the structure unusable nor unsafe to its surroundings. The worst damage was that the steel dome of the 30th floor atrium had collapsed into the vaulted restaurant and ballroom of the 29th floor but that's where the structure damage started and ended, in fact aside from the 28th, 29th, and 30th floor, city engineers working overnight already declared the building sound. So while perhaps still time consuming and costly, repairing the building was definitely possible and cost effective but owners, to make an analogy, were basically insisting on totaling a car after a minor parking lot fender bender. They gave us a specific date by which the building needed to be taken down. When our Boss, Jim, rebuffed the lawyer, not only because the date was challenging and soon but also because it was possible we could have it dropped BEFORE the date specified. The lawyer insisted the building go down on the date given – not later and not earlier. Jim swallowed hard and then glanced at Tom and I. Then the lawyer involved the name of the head of the owner's group, a Mr. Rohmer.
Mr. Rohmer, according to the lawyer, was offering our firm one hundred percent of the cost upfront and another twenty perfect of the total cost plus any overruns – stating if the implosion came early or late, it would mean all very little – no, that's no a typo, that's how the lawyer phrased it from his client, Mr. Rohmer. With that detail out of the way, you can see how the car totaling analogy breaks down considering the owners did not stand to profit from it's demolition – in fact quite the opposite.
The lawyer chuckled a bit to break the tension. He explained his clients and Mr. Rohmer in particular were an unorthodox bunch and then even insisted he wear the white suit in any of their dealings. The lawyer produced a tablet PC from his messenger bag and leveled it to Jim. On the tablet was all the banking confirmation codes ready to go for a direct deposit into our firms account alongside a contract. Jim seemed to hiccup or belch in excitement as he hurried around the short side of his desk to sign it since his stubby t-rex arms could not reach across his desk.
The firm was committed, we were committed – I was committed and I started to mentally cramp up over the challenges we all faced. The Grazer Hotel was in the middle of a dense urban grid. It had to be precise drop with virtually no margin for error. Jim poured us a dram of scotch from the bottle hidden under his desk. None of us a second thought about Rohmer's cryptic remark – after all, how often did you get a one hundred twenty perfect no-bid contract walk in off the street, out of the blue?
A combination of exhilaration over the money and anxiety over the work load kept us all from sleeping that night. Jim and Tom ended up going out and having a wild night to celebrate while I went home to mentally prepare not only myself but also my wife and kids. As a family they were staring down a month and a half of late nights and weekends with no dad. My wife was frustrated until I told her about the bonus and then she said she'd fill the lonely time making plans to send the kids to Disney World and then find a place for us to spend alone together. The promise of a much needed vacation after this only super charged the butterflies in my stomach further in anticipation of this challenging season ending.
As the assistant foreman I had office and on-site duties. Most of it was coordinating between the two. This included personnel, setting up site security – including guards and cameras to keep urban explorers and vagrants of out the dangerous site and satisfy OSHA hazardous work place safety requirements. The most challenging duty was site prep which included disposal of furnishings, removal of windows and other flourishes of the structure's facade which could become deadly shrapnel during an implosion. Fortunately, despite all of this, the nagging questions about permits and clean-up contracts were already handled by the lawyer. Rohmer's group also waived any rights to furnishings which means they could be unceremoniously hauled out in any way we chose to and disposed of.
Now I suppose some of these things should have came as red flags to me – or at least some one in the company but we all justified it as the group must have connects and short cuts to permits and it was a relatively new building, only about twenty years old in fact and furnishings – whether old or new probably weren't of any antique or sentimental value. All in all these were blessings since they freed our hands a bit and made a near impossible deadline more possible.
Of course the good news came with some bad news. The city engineers forbade us from working at the 28th, 29th, and 30th floors – unless we brought in a separate crew to stabilize those levels first. This was quite the fly in the ointment for the controlled implosion plan we sketched out. The 30th floor wasn't as much of a problem but the 29th floor ballroom and the weakening of the 28th floor meant we can't inspect for how compromised they were by the steel atrium dome. For all we knew if we blew the 27th floor on down the dome could shift and topple over the top three floors outside of the implosion safe zone, imperiling people and nearby structures.
I raised holy hell about it while Tom stood calm. It could take months to stabilize and clear those floors and far more money than I thought our eccentric client would pay in overruns. Jim waved me off mid sentence and simply told me he'd take care of it. That was good enough for Tom so it had to be good enough for me. I went back to my job – securing site and planning drop.
Although we had a problem with the top floor our saving grace lie in the basements. It had a three story subterranean parking garage, a basement level pool, and a utility sub-basement. We could easily smash the first ten or twelve floors into that deep footprint. Also the utility sub-basement gave us a clean cut off from the grid and a fairly convenient way to protect the surrounding grid without interruption. Still, at least part of our team would take have to take three weeks out of our six and change to handle the utilities.
The first week was hectic, they always were but we hit no major snags. By the end of it were on schedule and all of the parts were coming together. We thought maybe, just maybe, we were well on our way to an early Christmas bonus but nothing could prepare us for what was coming.
If you work on a site long enough and work anywhere on the site security reporting chain you're bound to get a few questionable reports from your night guys. Let's face it, for folks who are wake all night five or six nights a week poking around with flashlights chasing shadows, every building every where is haunted. I've been on the site security chain for thirteen years so it was easy for me to dismiss reports from the night guys about unusual glows on gutted floors and stairwells, elevators which moved on their own with no one calling for them or inside when they opened on a random floor, or the security cameras and cellphones constantly going offline on the 27th floor and the utility sub-basement.
I wasn't convinced anything of concern was going on until I got called on site by the test drilling team. This team was responsible for sampling the support materials to determine where it was best to place the explosives and what explosives would be best to use. They reported the interior supports were designed in an unusual way with a honey comb of unorthodox metals and concrete not reported on the building's records or blueprints. Specifically, they reported the concrete was impregnated by some kind of metal veins which gave off a bright shimmer. I was asked to come identify it but they claimed it disappeared by the time I arrived.
I was irate at the team and their supervisor for having me to come on down on site for something that sounded so wrong to begin with. They showed me a grainy cellphone video and told me they would swear on a stack of Bibles the sparkling compound welled up in the test coring like mercury, turned blood red and bled on the floor before disappearing into the torn up carpet. I chastised them for making this up and threatened to get new sub contractors if they kept wasting my time. I spoke with a separate sample team on the lower levels and they too discovered some unusual metal compositions – ones which were different then the ones found the top floors. One of the engineers speculated that the contrast in metals between the top and bottom floors could be cause the building to hold an electrical charge, like a battery or like a capacitor. Either way, the engineer said it would require more explosives than initially thought to take down the structure.
A couple of weeks later we were painfully behind – glass removal in particular was going slow because those contractors claimed they were constantly losing their toys. They also claimed one night to have cleared the top five floors on the east side of all their glass – only for all the windows to appear fully intact the next morning. I was forced to end their sub contract due to misrepresentation of work accomplished.
The glass wasn't the only thing slowing us down. The wire and plumbing removal was hindered by the wires somehow were fused to the pipes and in some places, the pipes were fused to the load-bearing members – we thought maybe it was due to the lightning strikes but that really didn't make sense since all of the wiring and plumbing otherwise seemed to work fine before we turned off the utilities. The only thing going for us was the helicopter loophole. Instead of accessing the 30th floor through the condemned floors we were able to get work teams on the atrium floor by helicopter. The bodies of the 13 were removed before we started working and before the atrium fully collapsed into the ballroom but the teams working on the roof reported many unusual artifacts including stained glass and Greek letters comprised of unusual amalgams of metal.
All of the strangeness culminated in the disappearance of one of the night time security guards named Phillipe. I say disappear because his girlfriend filed a missing persons report with the police and when they came to investigate Tom was busy with the atrium operations so the job fell to me. I walked the investigator through guard's smart phone filed reports from the previous evenings. Admittedly I was behind on my end approving the reports so I was embarrassed when things in the report took a turn. His reports including the same odd glows the others were reporting in the stairwells and seeing metallic veins throb on the walls.
His last reports stuck in my head: Report: Sub-basement 4 clear, 0312. Report: Sub-basement 5 clear, 0305. Report: Sub-basement 6 clear 0237.
His “all clear” reports documented levels of the building which did not exist and the further he went into the areas which did not exist, the automatic timestamps went backwards in time. It made no sense – unless he was confused as to where he was due to intoxication and there was software glitch with the timestamps. I was forced to give the investigator no firm explanation.
It's easy to write off a high security guard – they're flaky by their nature and have plenty of reasons to ghost a part time gig and even to pull prank on their final reports. I almost wrote it all off until I saw his girlfriend – apparently his fiance, handing out missing persons fliers outside of the site gate one morning. She seemed absolutely heartbroken and I got stabbed in the gut thinking maybe this wasn't a ghosting and prank after all. Seeing is believing and the next week I started to believe. Tom was finishing up on the atrium level. We used some heavy lift choppers to remove the rest of the frame and glass. Now we could get a better look into the section which collapsed into the 29th floor. We started by using a series of video drones to investigate the melted twisted dome through the collapsed roof. We quickly learned that the drones were being interfered with as their feed would cut out or their batteries would die almost immediately upon entering the ballroom.
So, we had to cut some corners, against city regulations, we let Tom and two others rappel in from the roof on secured anchored lines with helicopter over watch support. We needed to do this because we needed make sure that collapsed wreckage would not move and potentially change the implosion direction. Tom got twisted in his gear as he tried to lean into one of the holes in the roof. He slipped and fell in, disappearing from sight. We frantically radioed for Tom as the other two workers abandoned their own attempts to peer in and scrambled to Tom's aid. Tom was pulled out of the section uninjured but he appeared to be in shock, he looked wild eyed and shook as he was put on the helicopter and lowered back to ground level. Within minutes, Jim called us back to the office to discuss the near miss.
Two weeks to go and week behind, a missing guard, and now a near fatal accident. That for Jim, was the last straw. Tom and I had run out the rope Jim gave us to hang ourselves with. Jim slammed his hand on his desk as he catastrophized, red in the face, nearly breathless, he yelled we could very well kiss that twenty percent goodbye with the way things are going. He pressured Tom to go on the record after his dip into the structure that the atrium debris ball in the ballroom posed no threat to the implosion. Tom was elsewhere. He stared off in a thousand yard stare before replying to Jim that it posed no threat. Then Tom headed for the door. Jim screamed at him that he wasn't done chew us out but Tom only said he had to get back to it. I supported Tom and followed him. He and I headed back to the site to secure the night shift changes – another night not at home and having a late dinner.
I asked Tom in the car ride back what he saw in there. Tom was fixed in a trance and barely responded. He said it was wild. When we got back to the site, Tom separated from me through the gate while I strolled across the street to grab us some dinner from a street vendor. As I stood around waiting for two gyros and two cokes I could help but be mesmerized by the gutted tower. It seemed to breath in the spotlights inhaling puffs of the dust and dirt on the site and then exhaling it. A faint glow, barely perceivable against the light pollution, seemed to brighten, dim, and fade from the upper floors with each of the building's breaths. I was transfixed on it and it was the first time the building gave me an eerie feeling.
I got back on the site, food in hand, there was a buzz in their air as the night shift streamed in and the day shift streamed out. I barely had my hardhat seated corrected on my head when the site's emergency alarm blew. The interim foreman tossed me a radio as I was swept with him and our site occupational safety and emergency personnel to the basement.
Our increasingly panicked footfalls blotted out the squawk of the radios but I could hear one name again and again in the equally panicked messages – Tom Tom Tom. Whatever was happening was happening to Tom.
We reached the pool level and a trail of gasps proceeded me into the pool. There was Tom in his vest and hardhat face down in the middle of the pool with crimson oozing out him into the cerulean tiles lining the drained pool. We piled in from the ladders and shallow end to get to him. It was apparent when the first folks reached him that he was dead. They hauled him out on a stretcher and to our shock he looked like he had been dead for much longer than possible and his skin was water logged despite there being no water. He had died of fall trauma possibly despite the pool only being six feet deep. The paramedics also claimed he had water in his lungs. Then I noticed he was wearing his rappelling harness weaved in his vest – but that made no sense – he took it and his vest off when we were getting chewed out by Jim. Why would he put his rappelling gear on again.
I was the assistant foreman no more. Now the buck stopped with me. As they took Tom to the morgue we all knew the show must go on – our client demanded it, Jim demanded it and Tom would have wanted it that way. The same police investigator from the guard's disappearance met with me over Tom's death. They said it was standard procedure with work place deaths. I gave him a copy of the footage on an SD card and left the moment after it left my hand.
I had the recording queued up to the time of the commotion. The video we provided had a poor angle and was focused on the door to monitor access – the comings and goings of people. It was shift change so people were filing in and out Tom was somewhere in the crowd. The pool was one of the areas which required both foot patrols and constant video monitoring. I hit the rewind button on accident and watched his body lie there and lie there and then the timestamp sped past the 1900 hour mark. We were in traffic from meeting with Jim at that time. This was impossible but I kept my finger on the rewind button. Around 1400 the camera shakes a bit and there is slight glow reflecting on the doors so I let it play back to the shake. There is a soft green glow and then could hear a heft thud in the room. I gulped knowing that was Tom falling into the pool around the same time he fell into the hole in the roof. The soft glow turned brighter and brighter like a laser shining into the lens – something that wasn't present on the rewind. There was a flash of an incomprehensible shape or form on the screen. I was physically hurt in my eyes like I had just stared into the sun. I was left dazed with the shaped burned into my eyes with each blink. Then the camera system shorted out and a tiny puff of smoke left the memory module. The cameras blinked off wall to wall, the whole system was dead.
With the cameras fried, regulations required someone high in the company to be on site or we'd have to leave for the night. So I stayed knowing we couldn't afford to lose an hour much less an entire night. I circled the pool between approving payrolls and directing the increased security guard traffic required to monitor more areas. I was thinking about what I would say at Tom's funeral. I was thinking about Tom's family and what they would think about his apparent suicide.
I was forced to patrol the rest of the sub-basements as well since most of the guards were at the site perimeters or higher levels. I would have to follow paths of Phillipe, the disappeared guard, and all of the other guards who had mismatched timestamps on their increasingly strange reports. If not for today's incident and the recording of Tom's death, I would have stood fast to the idea that these reports were the product of night jitters and drugs but now, no.
I gritted my teeth as I exited the pool area to patrol the lower levels. I hated this building I muttered to myself. I couldn't wait to see it all rumble. I thought about which part I'd like to keep from the site to place in Tom's casket – then I realized it probably wasn't going to be an open casket funeral. I was lost in my thoughts and hatred for the building as I roamed through the parking garage into the utilities basement. I lost track of where I was as I weaved down stairwells.
I shown my flashlight on the wall and the floor level sign said “Sub-basement 999”. I stopped cold in my tracks. I was hoping it was a prank but I knew it was no prank. Then I thought maybe I'd have some answers. Maybe I would finally see what all the strangeness was about. But then I freaked out about Phillipe's disappearance and turned to run back up the stairwell. I ran up four levels to what I thought was the lobby and I pushed the door open.
My jaw hit the floor when I saw a black and white galaxy – the stars were black and the space was white with gradations of gray. The whole room was just white outer space and the whole universe swirled fast counter clockwise. I tried to breath and when I did the galaxy shrunk before my eyes until it was the size of a tiny of marble and then even smaller to a speck of dust. I reached out as it floated towards me. I stared at the speck in a cold sweat. As I stared, I was looking deeper and deeper into impossible detail. In the dust I found the milky way galaxy, I found our solar system, I found Earth and then I found North America, and then I found myself back in the pool room dripping in sweat.
Time seemed to skip and space was malleable in that hotel. As we approached the deadline to drop it, some jobs which would take hours took days and some jobs which would take days took minutes. The anomalies seemed to swarm tonight and day and yet we pressed on. Tom was buried and I couldn't go.
We met the deadline and the city came out in numbers to watch us drop the thirty floor structure. They gathered nearly two blocks away clad in ponchos and dust masks bracing for the implosion triggered by half a ton of high explosives.
I was so burned out and demoralized. My mantra became “this is for Tom, this is for Tom” and it was the only thing carrying me to this day. I chalked up all the anomalies and even my own experience on 999th sub-basement level as a reaction to shock, loss, grief, and exhaustion.
We were on the thirty minute countdown and Mr. Rohmer's attorney was designated as the trigger man. He stood there with Jim and I in the command trailer with the detonator remote. The remote triggered a two minute countdown on the charges from a master control station in my command trailer. All the charges had to be hardwired old school style because we were getting too much walkie talkie and radio interference from inside the structure for any other method of trigger to be reliable. I was too tried to make a stink about insisting I do it. I just wanted it to be over but suddenly a freak thunderstorm brewed up over the city. The skies were overcast and we were on the verge of having to abort the implosion until the next day – despite the next day being a day past the deadline. If we didn't abort and went through with the implosion, there was a strong chance the shock waves from the blast would bounce back off the lower cloud base and shatter windows and ears across the city.
I sat in my command chair at the perimeter in dismay, almost in tears as it started to rain. I felt my heart drop into the acid of my stomach as I ordered the suspension of the implosion for the day. The lawyer, surprisingly, did not resist. I watched as the crowds dispersed from the viewing lines and police started to permit traffic back through the streets surrounding the site.
Then a group of unauthorized personnel threw open the door of the trailer. They were a mass of men and women clad in pressed white suits, stoney faces with thin maroon lips, one of them carried a white covered book.
The attorney dropped his eyes and head in deference to elderly man at the head of the congregation. The attorney addressed him as Monsignor. The man introduced himself as Monsignor Rohmer and he placed his hand on his attorney, calling him a cousin of the congregation, stating there will be no postponement and no delay.
Rohmer, a man I judged to be in his late 50's or early 60's was bald and covered it with a white derby hat. He was tall, about six five, and thin, so thin his suit fit him like snake half shedding its skin. His was face long and his cheeks thin and worn like a mountain side. His voice was steady and low like waterfall. Everything he said bloomed with authority and confidence. He ordered the building would be dropped in twenty minutes.
I told him I didn't care if he was the owner, the building could not be blown in this weather and I snatched the detonator out of his attorney's hands. Rohmer, moving faster than I believed humanly possible with some kind of martial arts move swiped the detonator from my hands. Simultaneously, he had two of his followers press Jim against the wall. They put him in a sleeper hold and he slumped down to the floor barely getting a word out. Then Rohmer gestured to his flock to follow towards the building.
They left in a fast deliberate almost choreographed walk like a flock of geese flying in formation. I grabbed the radio to get police help but I realized that was hopeless. I watched as our trailer was shrouded in the same interference we experienced in the building's interior. The CCTV monitors flickered out and the radio squawked static. Then I realized Rohmer had no control over the detonation and no way to contact his followers still with us in the command trailer. So I did what I had to and pulled the master key out of the master detonator in the command trailer and chased after the flock. I needed to know what was happening I needed to see with my own eyes what all of this was all about.
The Congregation had reached the lobby and I saw the trailing end of the clad white congregate into the stairwell. I darted at my best speed to follow them.
I reached the stair well door. I found Rohmer standing on the top step, apparently waiting for me. I was out of breath while he began to speak to me in his booming voice. He explained to me that if the building did not fall in the next twenty minutes, all of Earth would be pulled, sucked, inside out and down through the building into the black and white universe. The entire building, but especially the atrium dome, he continued, was designed and built to create and then temporarily contain an impossible shape, a living form, a 4 dimensional object, a tesseract, when struck by lightning in the presence of thirteen self-sacrificial Congregate members. This shape would slowly expand and cause space and time anomalies before growing so large inside compared to its size would pull us all into place with no life.
The shape was still in the process of forming even as we spoke, he said. It would reach critical mass and dimensional contortion and the only way to stop it was to disfigure and crush it in the hotel's collapse. He led me into the pool level where his entire congregation was sitting cross-legged where Tom fell. A green pulse, like a laser, came down from the ceiling into the group's center, where their white book lay open on blank pages. I had a feeling this glow was being projected down from the ballroom where the dome of the atrium was taking its final fourth dimensional form.
After a loud chant from the white clad followers, the book slammed shut and turned from a brilliant white shimming cover to one black as night. As they passed around book, their white suits turned black and the formed a single file line. Rohmer left my side and pulled the detonator from his suit. He showed it me and tossed it at me. In my panic I reached out with both hands to catch it but I forgot I still had the master key in my sweat slick hand and it fly out and fell at the foot of Rohmer.
I asked what he planned to do with the key without a lock and a jammed detonator. Rohmer bent down and grabbed the key and looked me without a hint of concern. He took the new black book into his hands and opened it facing the wall of the pool. A new green pulse launched from the book and flickered on the tiles. An octagonal outline appeared to frame a hazy image of a tropical beach. One by one Rohmer's congregation walked into the side of the pool, into glow and seemed to arrive safely on the otherside of the beach.
Once all his compatriots were on the beach, he turned a page in the book and reopened it, projecting another octagon portal on the side of the pool. I could see his destination – it was the command trailer. He stepped through portal and yelled to me from the other side that I had two minutes. The portal sealed.
I could hear the warning sirens we installed going off above me. Needless to say, I made it out, just barely. I reached the perimeter fence screaming to anyone who was in ear shot to run away. The building imploded as planned but I was caught in the dust cloud and developed tinnitus severe enough to be comparable with combat veterans.
The shock waves from the explosions were reflected off the cloud base and channeled down the street by other skyscrapers. Virtually every window in a two block radius around the site was shattered and hundreds of people were hurt in the resulting stampede and vehicle collisions caused by fleeing from the flying glass cascade. Parts of downtown looked like a war zone for weeks afterward.
Rohmer and the rest of his group, including the lawyer, had disappeared out of the trailer in another portal leaving a suitcase of gold equaling the twenty percent promised. Our company was fined, sued, and threatened with criminal charges and eventually put of business. There wasn't much left after paying the cities fines and lawyer fees.
Though I was spared any direct sanctions, I forced into an early retirement. I've had time to research Rohmer's group. There are at least six mentions of figures like Rohmer on the deepest parts of the conspiracy web. They seem to show up at a locale experiencing paranormal activity with a white book and then leave with a black book. Their departure usually marks the end of any strangeness. I can't be sure but this congregation seems to be summon demons, which they exorcise, by trapping them in their books. Trapping maybe a poor term to use since, as in the case of the Grazer hotel encounter, they can apparently cleanse the anomalies and then use the book containing them to weaponize a portion of the traits of whatever their unholy creations posses.
I suspect Rohmer and his congregation, now with the ability to teleport, are accelerating their plans, to whatever ends these paranormal means enable them.
Theo Plesha - Sequel to "Flush" by Theo Plesha on The Chilling App
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I Was a Foreman at the Grazer Tower Demolition
By now Grazer Tower has faded as a household name but to some the rumors and madness surrounding it refuse to die. The demolition of the massive three hundred twenty foot octagonal hotel left a gap in the Atlanta skyline but little fondness in anyone's hearts. I have no particular first hand insight into the freak lightning strikes on the 30th floor atrium which killed 13 people but I am willing to tell my side of the story about the demolition effort leading to the botched implosion. I tell this as a full, open, and honest disclosure. The legal maneuvering and ink has dried, all of the dead are buried, and all the bleeding stopped. The scars remain, the pain persists, the things I saw there are burned in my head even after they've been discredited into the conspiracy theory woodwork of the internet. The lightning storm struck on a Sunday afternoon and the next day for all we knew the bodies were still warm when a lawyer representing the owners of Grazer Tower entered our corporate office. I look back on it now with open and clear eyes and realize it was all very strange from the start when my Lead Foreman, Tom, and I were called into the meeting in progress.
The lawyer and now our client, looked like a fairly normal man in his mid thirties aside from his impeccably white suit which was ironed to the point of looking like stone rather than cloth. Beside the white suit his lips were an uncomfortable maroon and glossy. Besides this he spoke in a plain, clear, and disarming manner refraining from legalese and maintaining a firm but not imposing eye contract with whomever he was speaking directly to.
He told us in no uncertain terms he was instructed to contract with our firm to take down his client's building. Tom and I were shocked when we heard this after all, the lightning disaster, while tragic and perhaps undeservedly tarnishing in the short term to the Grazer Hotel's reputation, did not render the structure unusable nor unsafe to its surroundings. The worst damage was that the steel dome of the 30th floor atrium had collapsed into the vaulted restaurant and ballroom of the 29th floor but that's where the structure damage started and ended, in fact aside from the 28th, 29th, and 30th floor, city engineers working overnight already declared the building sound. So while perhaps still time consuming and costly, repairing the building was definitely possible and cost effective but owners, to make an analogy, were basically insisting on totaling a car after a minor parking lot fender bender. They gave us a specific date by which the building needed to be taken down. When our Boss, Jim, rebuffed the lawyer, not only because the date was challenging and soon but also because it was possible we could have it dropped BEFORE the date specified. The lawyer insisted the building go down on the date given – not later and not earlier. Jim swallowed hard and then glanced at Tom and I. Then the lawyer involved the name of the head of the owner's group, a Mr. Rohmer.
Mr. Rohmer, according to the lawyer, was offering our firm one hundred percent of the cost upfront and another twenty perfect of the total cost plus any overruns – stating if the implosion came early or late, it would mean all very little – no, that's no a typo, that's how the lawyer phrased it from his client, Mr. Rohmer. With that detail out of the way, you can see how the car totaling analogy breaks down considering the owners did not stand to profit from it's demolition – in fact quite the opposite.
The lawyer chuckled a bit to break the tension. He explained his clients and Mr. Rohmer in particular were an unorthodox bunch and then even insisted he wear the white suit in any of their dealings. The lawyer produced a tablet PC from his messenger bag and leveled it to Jim. On the tablet was all the banking confirmation codes ready to go for a direct deposit into our firms account alongside a contract. Jim seemed to hiccup or belch in excitement as he hurried around the short side of his desk to sign it since his stubby t-rex arms could not reach across his desk.
The firm was committed, we were committed – I was committed and I started to mentally cramp up over the challenges we all faced. The Grazer Hotel was in the middle of a dense urban grid. It had to be precise drop with virtually no margin for error. Jim poured us a dram of scotch from the bottle hidden under his desk. None of us a second thought about Rohmer's cryptic remark – after all, how often did you get a one hundred twenty perfect no-bid contract walk in off the street, out of the blue?
A combination of exhilaration over the money and anxiety over the work load kept us all from sleeping that night. Jim and Tom ended up going out and having a wild night to celebrate while I went home to mentally prepare not only myself but also my wife and kids. As a family they were staring down a month and a half of late nights and weekends with no dad. My wife was frustrated until I told her about the bonus and then she said she'd fill the lonely time making plans to send the kids to Disney World and then find a place for us to spend alone together. The promise of a much needed vacation after this only super charged the butterflies in my stomach further in anticipation of this challenging season ending.
As the assistant foreman I had office and on-site duties. Most of it was coordinating between the two. This included personnel, setting up site security – including guards and cameras to keep urban explorers and vagrants of out the dangerous site and satisfy OSHA hazardous work place safety requirements. The most challenging duty was site prep which included disposal of furnishings, removal of windows and other flourishes of the structure's facade which could become deadly shrapnel during an implosion. Fortunately, despite all of this, the nagging questions about permits and clean-up contracts were already handled by the lawyer. Rohmer's group also waived any rights to furnishings which means they could be unceremoniously hauled out in any way we chose to and disposed of.
Now I suppose some of these things should have came as red flags to me – or at least some one in the company but we all justified it as the group must have connects and short cuts to permits and it was a relatively new building, only about twenty years old in fact and furnishings – whether old or new probably weren't of any antique or sentimental value. All in all these were blessings since they freed our hands a bit and made a near impossible deadline more possible.
Of course the good news came with some bad news. The city engineers forbade us from working at the 28th, 29th, and 30th floors – unless we brought in a separate crew to stabilize those levels first. This was quite the fly in the ointment for the controlled implosion plan we sketched out. The 30th floor wasn't as much of a problem but the 29th floor ballroom and the weakening of the 28th floor meant we can't inspect for how compromised they were by the steel atrium dome. For all we knew if we blew the 27th floor on down the dome could shift and topple over the top three floors outside of the implosion safe zone, imperiling people and nearby structures.
I raised holy hell about it while Tom stood calm. It could take months to stabilize and clear those floors and far more money than I thought our eccentric client would pay in overruns. Jim waved me off mid sentence and simply told me he'd take care of it. That was good enough for Tom so it had to be good enough for me. I went back to my job – securing site and planning drop.
Although we had a problem with the top floor our saving grace lie in the basements. It had a three story subterranean parking garage, a basement level pool, and a utility sub-basement. We could easily smash the first ten or twelve floors into that deep footprint. Also the utility sub-basement gave us a clean cut off from the grid and a fairly convenient way to protect the surrounding grid without interruption. Still, at least part of our team would take have to take three weeks out of our six and change to handle the utilities.
The first week was hectic, they always were but we hit no major snags. By the end of it were on schedule and all of the parts were coming together. We thought maybe, just maybe, we were well on our way to an early Christmas bonus but nothing could prepare us for what was coming.
If you work on a site long enough and work anywhere on the site security reporting chain you're bound to get a few questionable reports from your night guys. Let's face it, for folks who are wake all night five or six nights a week poking around with flashlights chasing shadows, every building every where is haunted. I've been on the site security chain for thirteen years so it was easy for me to dismiss reports from the night guys about unusual glows on gutted floors and stairwells, elevators which moved on their own with no one calling for them or inside when they opened on a random floor, or the security cameras and cellphones constantly going offline on the 27th floor and the utility sub-basement.
I wasn't convinced anything of concern was going on until I got called on site by the test drilling team. This team was responsible for sampling the support materials to determine where it was best to place the explosives and what explosives would be best to use. They reported the interior supports were designed in an unusual way with a honey comb of unorthodox metals and concrete not reported on the building's records or blueprints. Specifically, they reported the concrete was impregnated by some kind of metal veins which gave off a bright shimmer. I was asked to come identify it but they claimed it disappeared by the time I arrived.
I was irate at the team and their supervisor for having me to come on down on site for something that sounded so wrong to begin with. They showed me a grainy cellphone video and told me they would swear on a stack of Bibles the sparkling compound welled up in the test coring like mercury, turned blood red and bled on the floor before disappearing into the torn up carpet. I chastised them for making this up and threatened to get new sub contractors if they kept wasting my time. I spoke with a separate sample team on the lower levels and they too discovered some unusual metal compositions – ones which were different then the ones found the top floors. One of the engineers speculated that the contrast in metals between the top and bottom floors could be cause the building to hold an electrical charge, like a battery or like a capacitor. Either way, the engineer said it would require more explosives than initially thought to take down the structure.
A couple of weeks later we were painfully behind – glass removal in particular was going slow because those contractors claimed they were constantly losing their toys. They also claimed one night to have cleared the top five floors on the east side of all their glass – only for all the windows to appear fully intact the next morning. I was forced to end their sub contract due to misrepresentation of work accomplished.
The glass wasn't the only thing slowing us down. The wire and plumbing removal was hindered by the wires somehow were fused to the pipes and in some places, the pipes were fused to the load-bearing members – we thought maybe it was due to the lightning strikes but that really didn't make sense since all of the wiring and plumbing otherwise seemed to work fine before we turned off the utilities. The only thing going for us was the helicopter loophole. Instead of accessing the 30th floor through the condemned floors we were able to get work teams on the atrium floor by helicopter. The bodies of the 13 were removed before we started working and before the atrium fully collapsed into the ballroom but the teams working on the roof reported many unusual artifacts including stained glass and Greek letters comprised of unusual amalgams of metal.
All of the strangeness culminated in the disappearance of one of the night time security guards named Phillipe. I say disappear because his girlfriend filed a missing persons report with the police and when they came to investigate Tom was busy with the atrium operations so the job fell to me. I walked the investigator through guard's smart phone filed reports from the previous evenings. Admittedly I was behind on my end approving the reports so I was embarrassed when things in the report took a turn. His reports including the same odd glows the others were reporting in the stairwells and seeing metallic veins throb on the walls.
His last reports stuck in my head: Report: Sub-basement 4 clear, 0312. Report: Sub-basement 5 clear, 0305. Report: Sub-basement 6 clear 0237.
His “all clear” reports documented levels of the building which did not exist and the further he went into the areas which did not exist, the automatic timestamps went backwards in time. It made no sense – unless he was confused as to where he was due to intoxication and there was software glitch with the timestamps. I was forced to give the investigator no firm explanation.
It's easy to write off a high security guard – they're flaky by their nature and have plenty of reasons to ghost a part time gig and even to pull prank on their final reports. I almost wrote it all off until I saw his girlfriend – apparently his fiance, handing out missing persons fliers outside of the site gate one morning. She seemed absolutely heartbroken and I got stabbed in the gut thinking maybe this wasn't a ghosting and prank after all. Seeing is believing and the next week I started to believe. Tom was finishing up on the atrium level. We used some heavy lift choppers to remove the rest of the frame and glass. Now we could get a better look into the section which collapsed into the 29th floor. We started by using a series of video drones to investigate the melted twisted dome through the collapsed roof. We quickly learned that the drones were being interfered with as their feed would cut out or their batteries would die almost immediately upon entering the ballroom.
So, we had to cut some corners, against city regulations, we let Tom and two others rappel in from the roof on secured anchored lines with helicopter over watch support. We needed to do this because we needed make sure that collapsed wreckage would not move and potentially change the implosion direction. Tom got twisted in his gear as he tried to lean into one of the holes in the roof. He slipped and fell in, disappearing from sight. We frantically radioed for Tom as the other two workers abandoned their own attempts to peer in and scrambled to Tom's aid. Tom was pulled out of the section uninjured but he appeared to be in shock, he looked wild eyed and shook as he was put on the helicopter and lowered back to ground level. Within minutes, Jim called us back to the office to discuss the near miss.
Two weeks to go and week behind, a missing guard, and now a near fatal accident. That for Jim, was the last straw. Tom and I had run out the rope Jim gave us to hang ourselves with. Jim slammed his hand on his desk as he catastrophized, red in the face, nearly breathless, he yelled we could very well kiss that twenty percent goodbye with the way things are going. He pressured Tom to go on the record after his dip into the structure that the atrium debris ball in the ballroom posed no threat to the implosion. Tom was elsewhere. He stared off in a thousand yard stare before replying to Jim that it posed no threat. Then Tom headed for the door. Jim screamed at him that he wasn't done chew us out but Tom only said he had to get back to it. I supported Tom and followed him. He and I headed back to the site to secure the night shift changes – another night not at home and having a late dinner.
I asked Tom in the car ride back what he saw in there. Tom was fixed in a trance and barely responded. He said it was wild. When we got back to the site, Tom separated from me through the gate while I strolled across the street to grab us some dinner from a street vendor. As I stood around waiting for two gyros and two cokes I could help but be mesmerized by the gutted tower. It seemed to breath in the spotlights inhaling puffs of the dust and dirt on the site and then exhaling it. A faint glow, barely perceivable against the light pollution, seemed to brighten, dim, and fade from the upper floors with each of the building's breaths. I was transfixed on it and it was the first time the building gave me an eerie feeling.
I got back on the site, food in hand, there was a buzz in their air as the night shift streamed in and the day shift streamed out. I barely had my hardhat seated corrected on my head when the site's emergency alarm blew. The interim foreman tossed me a radio as I was swept with him and our site occupational safety and emergency personnel to the basement.
Our increasingly panicked footfalls blotted out the squawk of the radios but I could hear one name again and again in the equally panicked messages – Tom Tom Tom. Whatever was happening was happening to Tom.
We reached the pool level and a trail of gasps proceeded me into the pool. There was Tom in his vest and hardhat face down in the middle of the pool with crimson oozing out him into the cerulean tiles lining the drained pool. We piled in from the ladders and shallow end to get to him. It was apparent when the first folks reached him that he was dead. They hauled him out on a stretcher and to our shock he looked like he had been dead for much longer than possible and his skin was water logged despite there being no water. He had died of fall trauma possibly despite the pool only being six feet deep. The paramedics also claimed he had water in his lungs. Then I noticed he was wearing his rappelling harness weaved in his vest – but that made no sense – he took it and his vest off when we were getting chewed out by Jim. Why would he put his rappelling gear on again.
I was the assistant foreman no more. Now the buck stopped with me. As they took Tom to the morgue we all knew the show must go on – our client demanded it, Jim demanded it and Tom would have wanted it that way. The same police investigator from the guard's disappearance met with me over Tom's death. They said it was standard procedure with work place deaths. I gave him a copy of the footage on an SD card and left the moment after it left my hand.
I had the recording queued up to the time of the commotion. The video we provided had a poor angle and was focused on the door to monitor access – the comings and goings of people. It was shift change so people were filing in and out Tom was somewhere in the crowd. The pool was one of the areas which required both foot patrols and constant video monitoring. I hit the rewind button on accident and watched his body lie there and lie there and then the timestamp sped past the 1900 hour mark. We were in traffic from meeting with Jim at that time. This was impossible but I kept my finger on the rewind button. Around 1400 the camera shakes a bit and there is slight glow reflecting on the doors so I let it play back to the shake. There is a soft green glow and then could hear a heft thud in the room. I gulped knowing that was Tom falling into the pool around the same time he fell into the hole in the roof. The soft glow turned brighter and brighter like a laser shining into the lens – something that wasn't present on the rewind. There was a flash of an incomprehensible shape or form on the screen. I was physically hurt in my eyes like I had just stared into the sun. I was left dazed with the shaped burned into my eyes with each blink. Then the camera system shorted out and a tiny puff of smoke left the memory module. The cameras blinked off wall to wall, the whole system was dead.
With the cameras fried, regulations required someone high in the company to be on site or we'd have to leave for the night. So I stayed knowing we couldn't afford to lose an hour much less an entire night. I circled the pool between approving payrolls and directing the increased security guard traffic required to monitor more areas. I was thinking about what I would say at Tom's funeral. I was thinking about Tom's family and what they would think about his apparent suicide.
I was forced to patrol the rest of the sub-basements as well since most of the guards were at the site perimeters or higher levels. I would have to follow paths of Phillipe, the disappeared guard, and all of the other guards who had mismatched timestamps on their increasingly strange reports. If not for today's incident and the recording of Tom's death, I would have stood fast to the idea that these reports were the product of night jitters and drugs but now, no.
I gritted my teeth as I exited the pool area to patrol the lower levels. I hated this building I muttered to myself. I couldn't wait to see it all rumble. I thought about which part I'd like to keep from the site to place in Tom's casket – then I realized it probably wasn't going to be an open casket funeral. I was lost in my thoughts and hatred for the building as I roamed through the parking garage into the utilities basement. I lost track of where I was as I weaved down stairwells.
I shown my flashlight on the wall and the floor level sign said “Sub-basement 999”. I stopped cold in my tracks. I was hoping it was a prank but I knew it was no prank. Then I thought maybe I'd have some answers. Maybe I would finally see what all the strangeness was about. But then I freaked out about Phillipe's disappearance and turned to run back up the stairwell. I ran up four levels to what I thought was the lobby and I pushed the door open.
My jaw hit the floor when I saw a black and white galaxy – the stars were black and the space was white with gradations of gray. The whole room was just white outer space and the whole universe swirled fast counter clockwise. I tried to breath and when I did the galaxy shrunk before my eyes until it was the size of a tiny of marble and then even smaller to a speck of dust. I reached out as it floated towards me. I stared at the speck in a cold sweat. As I stared, I was looking deeper and deeper into impossible detail. In the dust I found the milky way galaxy, I found our solar system, I found Earth and then I found North America, and then I found myself back in the pool room dripping in sweat.
Time seemed to skip and space was malleable in that hotel. As we approached the deadline to drop it, some jobs which would take hours took days and some jobs which would take days took minutes. The anomalies seemed to swarm tonight and day and yet we pressed on. Tom was buried and I couldn't go.
We met the deadline and the city came out in numbers to watch us drop the thirty floor structure. They gathered nearly two blocks away clad in ponchos and dust masks bracing for the implosion triggered by half a ton of high explosives.
I was so burned out and demoralized. My mantra became “this is for Tom, this is for Tom” and it was the only thing carrying me to this day. I chalked up all the anomalies and even my own experience on 999th sub-basement level as a reaction to shock, loss, grief, and exhaustion.
We were on the thirty minute countdown and Mr. Rohmer's attorney was designated as the trigger man. He stood there with Jim and I in the command trailer with the detonator remote. The remote triggered a two minute countdown on the charges from a master control station in my command trailer. All the charges had to be hardwired old school style because we were getting too much walkie talkie and radio interference from inside the structure for any other method of trigger to be reliable. I was too tried to make a stink about insisting I do it. I just wanted it to be over but suddenly a freak thunderstorm brewed up over the city. The skies were overcast and we were on the verge of having to abort the implosion until the next day – despite the next day being a day past the deadline. If we didn't abort and went through with the implosion, there was a strong chance the shock waves from the blast would bounce back off the lower cloud base and shatter windows and ears across the city.
I sat in my command chair at the perimeter in dismay, almost in tears as it started to rain. I felt my heart drop into the acid of my stomach as I ordered the suspension of the implosion for the day. The lawyer, surprisingly, did not resist. I watched as the crowds dispersed from the viewing lines and police started to permit traffic back through the streets surrounding the site.
Then a group of unauthorized personnel threw open the door of the trailer. They were a mass of men and women clad in pressed white suits, stoney faces with thin maroon lips, one of them carried a white covered book.
The attorney dropped his eyes and head in deference to elderly man at the head of the congregation. The attorney addressed him as Monsignor. The man introduced himself as Monsignor Rohmer and he placed his hand on his attorney, calling him a cousin of the congregation, stating there will be no postponement and no delay.
Rohmer, a man I judged to be in his late 50's or early 60's was bald and covered it with a white derby hat. He was tall, about six five, and thin, so thin his suit fit him like snake half shedding its skin. His was face long and his cheeks thin and worn like a mountain side. His voice was steady and low like waterfall. Everything he said bloomed with authority and confidence. He ordered the building would be dropped in twenty minutes.
I told him I didn't care if he was the owner, the building could not be blown in this weather and I snatched the detonator out of his attorney's hands. Rohmer, moving faster than I believed humanly possible with some kind of martial arts move swiped the detonator from my hands. Simultaneously, he had two of his followers press Jim against the wall. They put him in a sleeper hold and he slumped down to the floor barely getting a word out. Then Rohmer gestured to his flock to follow towards the building.
They left in a fast deliberate almost choreographed walk like a flock of geese flying in formation. I grabbed the radio to get police help but I realized that was hopeless. I watched as our trailer was shrouded in the same interference we experienced in the building's interior. The CCTV monitors flickered out and the radio squawked static. Then I realized Rohmer had no control over the detonation and no way to contact his followers still with us in the command trailer. So I did what I had to and pulled the master key out of the master detonator in the command trailer and chased after the flock. I needed to know what was happening I needed to see with my own eyes what all of this was all about.
The Congregation had reached the lobby and I saw the trailing end of the clad white congregate into the stairwell. I darted at my best speed to follow them.
I reached the stair well door. I found Rohmer standing on the top step, apparently waiting for me. I was out of breath while he began to speak to me in his booming voice. He explained to me that if the building did not fall in the next twenty minutes, all of Earth would be pulled, sucked, inside out and down through the building into the black and white universe. The entire building, but especially the atrium dome, he continued, was designed and built to create and then temporarily contain an impossible shape, a living form, a 4 dimensional object, a tesseract, when struck by lightning in the presence of thirteen self-sacrificial Congregate members. This shape would slowly expand and cause space and time anomalies before growing so large inside compared to its size would pull us all into place with no life.
The shape was still in the process of forming even as we spoke, he said. It would reach critical mass and dimensional contortion and the only way to stop it was to disfigure and crush it in the hotel's collapse. He led me into the pool level where his entire congregation was sitting cross-legged where Tom fell. A green pulse, like a laser, came down from the ceiling into the group's center, where their white book lay open on blank pages. I had a feeling this glow was being projected down from the ballroom where the dome of the atrium was taking its final fourth dimensional form.
After a loud chant from the white clad followers, the book slammed shut and turned from a brilliant white shimming cover to one black as night. As they passed around book, their white suits turned black and the formed a single file line. Rohmer left my side and pulled the detonator from his suit. He showed it me and tossed it at me. In my panic I reached out with both hands to catch it but I forgot I still had the master key in my sweat slick hand and it fly out and fell at the foot of Rohmer.
I asked what he planned to do with the key without a lock and a jammed detonator. Rohmer bent down and grabbed the key and looked me without a hint of concern. He took the new black book into his hands and opened it facing the wall of the pool. A new green pulse launched from the book and flickered on the tiles. An octagonal outline appeared to frame a hazy image of a tropical beach. One by one Rohmer's congregation walked into the side of the pool, into glow and seemed to arrive safely on the otherside of the beach.
Once all his compatriots were on the beach, he turned a page in the book and reopened it, projecting another octagon portal on the side of the pool. I could see his destination – it was the command trailer. He stepped through portal and yelled to me from the other side that I had two minutes. The portal sealed.
I could hear the warning sirens we installed going off above me. Needless to say, I made it out, just barely. I reached the perimeter fence screaming to anyone who was in ear shot to run away. The building imploded as planned but I was caught in the dust cloud and developed tinnitus severe enough to be comparable with combat veterans.
The shock waves from the explosions were reflected off the cloud base and channeled down the street by other skyscrapers. Virtually every window in a two block radius around the site was shattered and hundreds of people were hurt in the resulting stampede and vehicle collisions caused by fleeing from the flying glass cascade. Parts of downtown looked like a war zone for weeks afterward.
Rohmer and the rest of his group, including the lawyer, had disappeared out of the trailer in another portal leaving a suitcase of gold equaling the twenty percent promised. Our company was fined, sued, and threatened with criminal charges and eventually put of business. There wasn't much left after paying the cities fines and lawyer fees.
Though I was spared any direct sanctions, I forced into an early retirement. I've had time to research Rohmer's group. There are at least six mentions of figures like Rohmer on the deepest parts of the conspiracy web. They seem to show up at a locale experiencing paranormal activity with a white book and then leave with a black book. Their departure usually marks the end of any strangeness. I can't be sure but this congregation seems to be summon demons, which they exorcise, by trapping them in their books. Trapping maybe a poor term to use since, as in the case of the Grazer hotel encounter, they can apparently cleanse the anomalies and then use the book containing them to weaponize a portion of the traits of whatever their unholy creations posses.
I suspect Rohmer and his congregation, now with the ability to teleport, are accelerating their plans, to whatever ends these paranormal means enable them.
Theo Plesha - Sequel to "Flush" by Theo Plesha on The Chilling App
2023.05.31 17:43 Beautiful_Island_251 I Pulled in Ignorance lol
(Discussion Question at the bottom after rant lol)
Super quick context: I'm a very casual F2P player who only got the FGO game for one reason and one reason only: To get Raikou. And I did! Got both the 5 star ver. and her Summer Alt. Cool! So I ended up sticking around for the story and stuff and I've been liking the game since.
Now for the...annoying events of last night. I was playing the Summer Event and I saw the character Murasaki (Rider) and I'm like: She's cool and hot and it just so happens she on the current banner so I thought 10-20 pulls wouldn't hurt right?
WRONG. I saw that the rate up 5 star was some girl named Abigail Williams (Summer). I was worried cause I'm not a really a fan of loli characters in general but I thought: "Well I have to be very lucky (unlucky) to get a 5 star in 20 pulls. The rates in this game are bad!" Surely I'll get a 4 star instead...
I do play other gacha games so you'd think I'd do some research beforehand to see if the 5 star was any good JUST IN CASE as to dissuade me from wasting precious Saint Quartz.
Well I think by this point you know what happened. I DIDN'T get Murasaki (Rider) and ended up getting Abigail unfortunately.
It was only AFTER I got her that I found out that she's one of, if not the WORST 5 star currently in the game (according to the Gamepress tier list) and again she's a loli character which makes it EVEN WORSE.
I usually just work with what I have since this game (and most gacha games) are very strict with it's currency so this one in particular kinda stung (but it was mostly funny).
To add insult to injury, I also did like 4 pulls (on Super Orion's banner to end up with exactly 91 Saint Quartz left) and got Satou Danzo (4 star) which ALSO is a low tier Servant somehow. So that sucks.
So all in all, I've learned to just not snipe 4 stars if I don't like the 5 star. Also do my research on units before pulling to see if I actually like their kit (I still can't believe I forgot this ONE TIME and it back fired HARD).
So now for the discussion part: Since I'm a casual player I usually end up pulling on characters I just like cause the "meta units" are usually either too far away in the timeline or I just end up getting really unlucky.
Is there a specific set of Servants I should be saving for? I want a goal but it was already met as soon as I got Raikou, so I'm kinda just aimlessly playing the game. Maybe there are some OP supports or something to support her?
(For more context on my account I always use: Raikou (5 star Berserker), Raikou (Summer Alt. Lancer), Muramasa (Saber) I got him somehow by the grace of God, Galatea (Berserker), and Mash (The Goat). I do have other 5 and 4 stars like Achilles and Ganesha but the ones I listed are the ones I always use/are willing to invest in).
Any recommendations would be awesome to make clearing content easier. Or Servants that can better support my current roster (like maybe Merlin!) Even units for endgame (if there is one) would be great too.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the super long rant lol.
(And lastly did anyone else make a stupid mistake like I did lol?)
submitted by Beautiful_Island_251 to grandorder [link] [comments]
Super quick context: I'm a very casual F2P player who only got the FGO game for one reason and one reason only: To get Raikou. And I did! Got both the 5 star ver. and her Summer Alt. Cool! So I ended up sticking around for the story and stuff and I've been liking the game since.
Now for the...annoying events of last night. I was playing the Summer Event and I saw the character Murasaki (Rider) and I'm like: She's cool and hot and it just so happens she on the current banner so I thought 10-20 pulls wouldn't hurt right?
WRONG. I saw that the rate up 5 star was some girl named Abigail Williams (Summer). I was worried cause I'm not a really a fan of loli characters in general but I thought: "Well I have to be very lucky (unlucky) to get a 5 star in 20 pulls. The rates in this game are bad!" Surely I'll get a 4 star instead...
I do play other gacha games so you'd think I'd do some research beforehand to see if the 5 star was any good JUST IN CASE as to dissuade me from wasting precious Saint Quartz.
Well I think by this point you know what happened. I DIDN'T get Murasaki (Rider) and ended up getting Abigail unfortunately.
It was only AFTER I got her that I found out that she's one of, if not the WORST 5 star currently in the game (according to the Gamepress tier list) and again she's a loli character which makes it EVEN WORSE.
I usually just work with what I have since this game (and most gacha games) are very strict with it's currency so this one in particular kinda stung (but it was mostly funny).
To add insult to injury, I also did like 4 pulls (on Super Orion's banner to end up with exactly 91 Saint Quartz left) and got Satou Danzo (4 star) which ALSO is a low tier Servant somehow. So that sucks.
So all in all, I've learned to just not snipe 4 stars if I don't like the 5 star. Also do my research on units before pulling to see if I actually like their kit (I still can't believe I forgot this ONE TIME and it back fired HARD).
So now for the discussion part: Since I'm a casual player I usually end up pulling on characters I just like cause the "meta units" are usually either too far away in the timeline or I just end up getting really unlucky.
Is there a specific set of Servants I should be saving for? I want a goal but it was already met as soon as I got Raikou, so I'm kinda just aimlessly playing the game. Maybe there are some OP supports or something to support her?
(For more context on my account I always use: Raikou (5 star Berserker), Raikou (Summer Alt. Lancer), Muramasa (Saber) I got him somehow by the grace of God, Galatea (Berserker), and Mash (The Goat). I do have other 5 and 4 stars like Achilles and Ganesha but the ones I listed are the ones I always use/are willing to invest in).
Any recommendations would be awesome to make clearing content easier. Or Servants that can better support my current roster (like maybe Merlin!) Even units for endgame (if there is one) would be great too.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the super long rant lol.
(And lastly did anyone else make a stupid mistake like I did lol?)
2023.05.31 17:43 lmorris123 The real Twat
So a previous post has me thinking. Any guesses on Twat’s real life situation vs what she posts on SM? Here’s mine. 1. She’s broke and she’s barely making it by. Does she post her Uber eats/ door dash meals anymore? Her daily coffee runs? Shopping trips? Restaurant visits? I don’t think she has a lot of disposable income. So where’s she getting her money?
submitted by lmorris123 to TalynnGracee [link] [comments]
- She has a job that’s more embarrassing than her tanking OF. Someone mentioned she probably door dashes and I totally agree. I think it was part of a deal with her parents. She’s in her car a lot from what I see in her videos. But, she uses the excuse…
- She is going see her therapist or AA. I don’t think she physically sees a therapist. I think she has a doctor who prescribes her medication and that’s it. I also think she doesn’t go to AA either. I believe it’s all for content. Which brings me to my next point.
- She uses TT and Instagram to come up with content. She has all the time in the world to sit at home and be on her phone. She’s desperate to get that following she once had. I’m guessing almost all her content are lies. She can’t afford to live an exciting life that is worthy of interesting SM content so she creates one in her head.
- Her parents bail her out financially all the time. That’s why they expect her to come home for holidays and family celebrations. She must hate it. Taking their help also means she has to abide by their rules. Our doodle bear can’t be controlled like that so she acts out.
- I think we all know the real Twat is a 💩 person. Which is why she’s so miserable. It’s one of the reasons she doesn’t have any real friendships. She has to make up these imaginary friends or come up with weird scenarios where strangers see her as “likable “. It must be hard to make new friends when your whole life on SM is a lie.
2023.05.31 17:43 muarist [C64] [1982-1988] Simplistic platform game with little green man and conveyor belts
Platform(s): C64 Genre: Platform Estimated year of release: 1982-1988 Graphics/art style: Notable characters: green froglike man. Notable gameplay mechanics: Jumping from platforms, evading, yellow conveyor Other details:
Main character was a green froglike man.
Remarkable feature were these (probably yellow) conveyor belts which made you move automatically over an platform and made you switch to the underside of a platform.
The first level consisted of loads of platforms. I think you started in the upper left corner. You had to evade creatures and jump from platform to platform. Precise timing of jumps, especially on these conveyor belt, was essential. Saves were not possible. Background was just black as far as I now, so no specific setting.
We almost never made it to level 2 and very often were doomed in seconds. Atmosphere was so different compared tot the first level that it felt a little creapy. I think you just walked on ground level the whole time and had to evade creatures. Never finished the game, but back then and now I doubt if the game has a (working) end.
The whole game felt like an unfinished Beta version. Especially the second level. But maybe we didn't understand the mechanics and controls.
Always thought the name of the game was something like Hubble Bubble, but probably I mixed that up with Bubble Bobble.
submitted by muarist to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]
Main character was a green froglike man.
Remarkable feature were these (probably yellow) conveyor belts which made you move automatically over an platform and made you switch to the underside of a platform.
The first level consisted of loads of platforms. I think you started in the upper left corner. You had to evade creatures and jump from platform to platform. Precise timing of jumps, especially on these conveyor belt, was essential. Saves were not possible. Background was just black as far as I now, so no specific setting.
We almost never made it to level 2 and very often were doomed in seconds. Atmosphere was so different compared tot the first level that it felt a little creapy. I think you just walked on ground level the whole time and had to evade creatures. Never finished the game, but back then and now I doubt if the game has a (working) end.
The whole game felt like an unfinished Beta version. Especially the second level. But maybe we didn't understand the mechanics and controls.
Always thought the name of the game was something like Hubble Bubble, but probably I mixed that up with Bubble Bobble.
2023.05.31 17:43 Information1324 Has anyone had a tyramine reaction from movie theater popcorn?
I’ve been taking parnate for several months now. I’ve taken a few adjuncts for fatigue over that time which is my primary side effect. Right now I’m on 40mg parnate and 200mg Modafinil and this combo is working pretty well for about 6 weeks or so now.
I’ve grown pretty comfortable and lenient with the maoi diet over this time as I haven’t had any serious reaction to food. The only time I had a noticeable adverse reaction was several months ago now after eating a pretty large bowl of a homemade stirfry with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Even then my symptoms were fairly mild. Mainly fast thumping heartbeat and feeling generally anxious and unwell for about an hour. My blood pressure was only moderately elevated, maybe 140-150 systolic.
I haven’t eaten such large quantities of that kind of food since then, and no other reaction like that has happened with anything else really.
Until yesterday I was seeing a movie in the theater (AMC I believe) and ate like half the bucket of a large popcorn with the butter oil topping added and about 15mins later started getting that same reaction almost exactly which lasted again for about 30-45 mins. I have no idea what could have caused it but it’s so unusual and I’ve eaten MANY “restricted” foods and have been completely fine. Also I’ve eaten plenty of popcorn from the microwave and nothing similar has happened.
Does anyone know what the specific ingredients are at that cinema chain (AMC) for the popcorn and the butter flavoring? Only thing I can think of is soybean oil but didn’t think that was super high in tyramine.
submitted by Information1324 to MAOIs [link] [comments]
I’ve grown pretty comfortable and lenient with the maoi diet over this time as I haven’t had any serious reaction to food. The only time I had a noticeable adverse reaction was several months ago now after eating a pretty large bowl of a homemade stirfry with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Even then my symptoms were fairly mild. Mainly fast thumping heartbeat and feeling generally anxious and unwell for about an hour. My blood pressure was only moderately elevated, maybe 140-150 systolic.
I haven’t eaten such large quantities of that kind of food since then, and no other reaction like that has happened with anything else really.
Until yesterday I was seeing a movie in the theater (AMC I believe) and ate like half the bucket of a large popcorn with the butter oil topping added and about 15mins later started getting that same reaction almost exactly which lasted again for about 30-45 mins. I have no idea what could have caused it but it’s so unusual and I’ve eaten MANY “restricted” foods and have been completely fine. Also I’ve eaten plenty of popcorn from the microwave and nothing similar has happened.
Does anyone know what the specific ingredients are at that cinema chain (AMC) for the popcorn and the butter flavoring? Only thing I can think of is soybean oil but didn’t think that was super high in tyramine.
2023.05.31 17:43 elefantsnabel03 Is Hurriganes still a ‘big thing’ in Finland?
Also, does anyone here have any personal experiences/stories related to band/their music?
The first time I heard them I was about 13, it was in my dads old Cadillac Deville from 1970, he had just bought it so we were going for a “test run” and he put on the Roadrunner album and from that moment on — Hurriganes was the official soundtrack for the beloved Deville.
I am currently rehearsing to do a cover of “In The Nude” which led me to making this post
submitted by elefantsnabel03 to Finland [link] [comments]
The first time I heard them I was about 13, it was in my dads old Cadillac Deville from 1970, he had just bought it so we were going for a “test run” and he put on the Roadrunner album and from that moment on — Hurriganes was the official soundtrack for the beloved Deville.
I am currently rehearsing to do a cover of “In The Nude” which led me to making this post