Sorry if this been asked before. 99% of the links I get from google is about how to disable middleclicking links (or a single bookmark), but barely any about bookmark folders (except for one link that leads to a vivaldi thread)
Is there a way to disable Firefox from middle-clicking a bookmark folder and opening all bookmarks? I just found out about the feature today by accident, and luckily it wasn't that many bookmarks in that folder, but if I mistakenly do it again on a different folder with many bookmarks... *shrugs*
Vivaldi apparently has a feature that asks you if you want to open more than 2 new bookmarks/tabs at once, but firefox itself doesn't appear to have that (nor a searchable with "middle" in about:config)
I'm using latest (or at least not older than 2 months) version of Firefox on Windows 11

3 weeks ago, my daughter was in a car park, she pulled out of her space (forward facing) and was going towards the exit, she noticed a car further up had its reverse lights and was easing out of there space, she stopped as she thought they might not have seen her, and they reversed out and straight into her car, but she said they reverse out at a funny arc and came further back than what they really needed
There is a very little fracture line on her car, the other car has a bigger fracture (from the pictures i sent to bodyshops they have all said it looks like previous repaifiller that has broken)
daughter is 21, first accident the other car was a older guy, she said he was nice and basically said as she had stopped and was in his blind side then they would have to pay excess and NCB.
I was out of the country so she agreed that both would go to bodyshops and split the total cost 50/50 for both cars. Over the last 3 weeks they have sent some text messages back and forth one she states i will pay for yours first then pay for hers, I just said it reads as if you will pay all for his damage ie, you have accepted blame, but she mean't she will pay for his damage 50% and she will fix her car when she saves up the money.
This was 3 weeks ago and he has text her and said he has spoken to a family friend and they have advised him to go through insurance as its possible that there is further damage underneath the bumper.
I got home friday, and we haven't informed the insurance or the police. Hard lesson for her but will they invalidate her insurance now because she hasn't informed them?
I'm going to sit with her today, and go through it online, she did luckily take pictures of the cars in the car park and the damage and she doesn't believe he did or never even see him use his phone.

Ugh. I’m up late tonight spiraling in my head. I can’t stop replaying what happened today.
I’m always on high-alert when walking my 8 year old reactive pitbull mix. I don’t listen to music, I have a neck like an owl & I always go the opposite direction when I see a dog coming our way..anything to keep my dog safe. Well.. today, we were 1 minute away from home and suddenly a husky came out of nowhere and went straight for my dogs face. I got knocked down to the floor, fighting to keep them apart. I started screaming bloody murder for help. The owner was no where to be found. An angelic man appeared out of nowhere and ripped the dog off of us. I felt like I was out of my body the whole time. I did everything I knew at the time to protect my dog and this dog just wouldn’t go away.
Finally the owner slowly came out, defensive and dismissive. I couldn’t help but scream “my dog could’ve killed yours. DO BETTER!” He told me to go away and that I shouldn’t even be a dog owner. I was LIVID. I still am. This all happened because he left his gate open.. and it’s my fault?
He eventually came around. No apology. Never asked if I was okay..I was literally bleeding and crying. He just guaranteed it wouldn’t happen again. I’m still so shocked. I’m so afraid to walk my dog now.
Accidents are one thing. Negligence is another. I am fed up.
I’m looking into wearing a belt that I’ll attach a horn & gel pepper spray to. Any other suggestions?

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 48%. (I'm a bot)

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I've had an amazing run. I'm 51 years old and I've been actively biking in the city since I was 17. I'm fortunate to live 3 mi from my workplace and I take longer rides on weekends. And in all those years I've never had a serious accident until 10 days ago when I decided to go a bit further afield and have a leisurely bike ride in the park (Forest Park for those who live in Portland Oregon) that has a bike trail that probably hasn't had enough upkeep. Coming down a hill and round a bend I hit gravel and tried to fly through but instead tipped over landed on my right side and finally my helmet hit the ground hard and I got a concussion. For a week I've had to mostly stay off screens, slow down, and drive (ugh) to work. Today I decided to get back in the saddle. I thought I would just try biking around the city but instead of a bike ride it could be more described as a series of panic attacks. I'm extremely depressed. I was so frightened most of the time and was probably biking terribly because I was overly cautious. A park that I've been to many times that I usually fly through, lifting my self up when I hit the pavement that is buckled by tree roots, zip through the small gravel downhill and then over a hump back into the city streets.. well it was like I was geriatric and as soon as I got to the gravel part I walked the bike. I feel like Superman when he lost his powers, I feel like I've aged 20 years in one week. During the whole ride I was afraid of every little bump in the street, at places I know that I would have flown through in the past, I gingerly traversed and often just got off and walked. I called my wife for support and she offered to pick me up but I just couldn't do that and I gritted my teeth and slowly slowly wended my way towards home, an iron grip on my handlebars the whole time. Fellow cyclists what advice can you give me? Has this happened to you? Were you able to regain that flying feeling? Being a bike commuter has also a big part of my identity. People at work think I'm crazy to bike through the rainy Portland winter and I've kept telling them that they are the ones who are crazy. I feel ashamed to be walking in the building without my bike in tow. I'm not really even supposed to be looking at screens too much yet but I could use some advice or even well wishes. Excuse the long post and thank you in advance. I'm going to stay off the screen for the rest of the night but I will check in the morning.

June 3, 2023. 10:34PM Perhaps I am being a little unfair when I say that this place is Hell’s collection plate for those not wicked enough for eternal condemnation but not quite lucky enough to be born to purgatory, which is to say, I am right at home. I suppose Wylwood is my home now. As someone once told me, “You really never can go back.” Not that I ever want to go back home, though I suppose the offer is still on the table. But I am getting ahead of myself. Wylwood is one of those little towns tucked deep in the dark Appalachia forest where everyone knows every single thing about everyone else and their last twelve generations going back. Just ask any person you run across what exactly a “double first cousin” is. Of course, for the towns older women, this is treated as a matchmaking request, so please apply caution here. Wylwood is a small town, population of around 2,200, if you only count people and not the many ghouls, bears, and other large commonly thought to be extinct mammals that call this place home. The town is rather snake-like and follows along an abundant river that carves a path between steep and unforgiving hillside. Incidentally, as a traveling passenger goes by, they will notice all of the towns buildings that haven’t been burned or boarded up are located between rock and river with nearly ludicrous amounts of train track interspersed. Coal, poverty and despair are the major exports of this town. Visitors to the nearby national park are the only true imports. The town also proudly supports it’s very own emergency room, post office, and no less than three dollar stores, and one restaurant in a converted car repair garage. My name is Kate Fugate, you may call me Kate, you may call me Katie, frankly you can call me Fido for all I care. You may not call me by my birth name, and just to make myself clear, no, I’m not going to tell you, so there. I am 27, and I have recently decided that I need to start this online diary as well, this is really, really, REALLY hard for me to acknowledge. “Just accept it Kate.” My inner dialogue says. “Must I though?” I argue, “Nothing is certain, it is not set.” “Damn it, Kate.” The dialogue is much more forceful this time “It happens to EVERYONE, it has spared NONE of them, not one, and you are not special.” “Fine, but let me do this on my terms.” I concede. I, Kate Fugate, probably, though will not say for certain, have a hereditary, issue? Conundrum? The problem is, my entire hereditary line of females, probably going back to Lilith herself has had an early onset dementia with some downright weird symptoms. The great majority of them are able to “pass” as socially normal but everyone always feels something is just a bit off. Would they feel the same, I wonder if they shared a home for as long as I did? The point of this journaling is because I want to retain as much memory as possible and I want a reference point, so when or if my grasp with reality become untethered, I won’t be too adrift. Already, I feel something is very wrong with the picture. Why in one of the biggest coal producing areas is there a hydroelectric plant? You tell me. No, seriously tell me. Most of the locals are opposed to renewable energy as they feel it is a threat to their livelihood but when talking about this specific hydro plant it is considered absolutely crucial. Why is it too, that absolutely no one local would be interested in this job when it was a better option than most in the area? I was offered a very generous sign on bonus with the government after graduating with a Marine Biology degree that, after being given ton of loans, I found out was not in as much demand as the college led me to believe. The contract outlines that I must stay here for 10 years, housing will be provided, but failure to stay my term will result in “severe penalties.” “And what exactly are those penalties, Mrs. Wedgewood?” I ask to the 6ft, very stern woman across a poorly constructed desk from me. I estimate she is in her 60’s going on her 70’s. She is wearing khaki pants and a blue button down shirt and has white hair that is nearly shimmering over with a purple tint. “Listen, Miss, umm, Miss is the name your pare- “ She looked at me inquisitively before I cut her off. “Yes, yes it is. They were non traditional individuals. Just call me Kate, please.” I give her a look to hope she finds it in her to understand. “Okay, Miss Kate, listen if you are unsure about this job, my recommendation is that you don’t take it. I have seen many like you come and go. The job isn’t hard but for whatever reason, people can not handle it. It is no secret, the turnover is high, most don’t last the year. I have seen people driven mad, people have had accidents, people have -“ I cut her off again. “What do you mean, ‘went mad’ ?“ I ask. “Well, one of my men, maybe the fifth or sixth from the last one, said he seen a snake with a million eyes wink at him, then said it started shooting him with rainbows. And that when he drove off a cliff, into the river, we never recovered the body.” She replied almost flatly like this was the fifteenth time she told this story and couldn’t believe it herself. It took me a second of awe stuck silence to realized, “But wait, if he died how do you know what he saw?” “All vehicles are installed with cameras and audio equipment, for insurance of course.” She was getting tired of all my questions. “We do try and make note of unusual events and get Washington visitors to collect recordings and water samples among other things every other week. They are very invested in our operations here and you will get used to them in time. Now dear, what does your family think, it is a big move after all?” I squirmed a bit as I thought out the ‘right answer’ for these situations. “Well you see Mrs. Wedgewood, the thing is I am a, uh well, let’s go with orphan?” I sputtered out hoping she would not ask for clarification like many others have. “Well dear, I am not going to dive any deeper into that, although I am sorry for your loss, and I’ve been there many times too. We can go ahead and offer you a position as a plant operator, and we can start as early as tomorrow. The singles cabins are ready for move in today, though it isn’t much to look at.” Her dark chocolate brown eyes held a look someone gives before announcing to a plane full of passengers that the good news was that none of them would have to pay for their plane today, the bad news was they wouldn’t be the ones collecting the refund. “I’ll take the job.” I said with all of the enthusiasm I could muster as a newly installed lifer“Do you allow cats in the housing, by the way?” She gave me a big smile of slightly mismatched coffee stained teeth. “Yes, we will allow it. But can I see the little thing?” Of course, I led her to my truck. It was a black 1992 Dodge Dakota, the floor was nearly falling out of the bottom, the lining in the roof was being held up by tacks, staples, glue and pine sap. The paint was chipping off, leaving behind bare metal and rust. The gate of the bed was barely holding together by sting and barbed wire, but damn it, she was mine and to me, the most beautiful thing in the whole fucking universe for that matter. It was something of a parting gift from Todd and Ron, the last thing I would ever receive from them. I wonder if they knew that. “Here Stan, psst psst psst.” I call, as you can see a pair of eyes peeking out of under the seat. I pick him up only to be met with terrified screaming coming from Mrs. Wedgewood. “Kill it, kill it now. What even is that thing.” She said with forceful conviction. It took me two hours to convince her that Stan was probably harmless, or at least I hope he is. Hell, I had the same reaction to Stan when I first met him. You see, I was basically living out of my truck before this job. During the trip, I found several gas stations only to find that every single one either had no functioning bathroom or that they were not public bathrooms and the cashier only took payment in oaths of eternal allegiance to the muses. I didn’t have time for that nonsense, so I popped out back long enough to make friends with a tree and get back on that road. I must’ve left my door open just long enough for the little bastard to crawl in. Next thing I know, I have this overgrown buck naked rat licking the salt off my leg. After recreating a PSA on ghost drivers, me and Stan got better acquainted over some chicken salad with cranberry jelly. We then moved to the actual dam site, it was large old two story brick building approximately 12 miles out of town. The building was most likely built in the 20’s or 30’s and had a large art-deco window spanning from first to second floor. There was a large staircase going down the hill in which the under the building sat yet another level partially underground. From one side of the bottom of the stairs was a large metal sidewalk with grated floors overhanging the river, and on the other side was a path leading to the woods. We walked in silence until we stood on the grated sidewalk. “These are the output valves for the plant.” Mr. Wedgewood shouted over the sound of roaring water. This is where the water exited the hydro plant and returned to the river. We then took the path leading into the dark woods. “I’m sorry, these are somewhat inconvenient to get to, but you have to remember that they were built before cars were a common luxury.” She indicated this warmly and apologetically. I looked at the cabins, two in total. “Which one is yours?” I asked. “No, I don’t actually live here, I’m afraid. I prefer to live in town and generally my role is administrative as opposed to operations so other than a few brief visits, you will probably rarely see me around. Feel free to pick whichever cabin you like, we have no other current occupants.” Mrs. Wedgewood gestured to the cabins. After much deliberation, I chose door number two. Mrs. Wedgewood opened the door and to my utter awe I could not contain myself. “Well fry me up and call me dinner, this is something else.” Mrs. Wedgewood quickly apologized, “I know they really are not in the best condition, but you don’t have to live here if you really don’t want. You can rent or buy in town.” “No” I replied “This is perfectly sufficient, thank you.“ The cabin was only a single room with two widows, just big enough for a bathroom with a tub, a small single bed, and an old yellow armchair with pictures of wheat and a tractor. There was a fridge, oven, and small kitchen table that looked remarkably like a picnic bench. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that no only did I have no hope of renting another place, this was better than I had imagined. As she departed into the evening dusk with my promise to absolutely call her if anything happens, I settled into the cabin, I couldn’t help but rummage through some of the cabinets. “Hey Stan, look I found some cans! Looks like we are eating good tonight!” I said excitedly. Stan did not return my enthusiasm, but that is probably because he is an asshole. Oh, Shit! I never did find out exactly what happens if I try and break contract. Well, maybe next time, this is Kate, logging off.

I used to be a devout believer, a faithful follower of my religion. I was convinced that my religion was the truth and it was perfect in every way. I prayed every day believing that I would achieve heaven and I promised myself that no matter what happened, I would never stop believing in my god. But that all changed when I started hearing a voice in my head. At first, I thought it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. But then the voice began to speak louder and clearer, until I could no longer ignore it. The voice claimed to be the voice of God, and whatever it said became real. For example, if the voice said an unexpected guest would arrive at home today, it really ended up happening. So I didn't have any other option without believing that it was God's voice. At first, it was just simple things, like telling me to pray more often, be kinder to my family and friends, or donate to poor people, etc. But then, the voice started to become more demanding, more menacing. It told me that I needed to focus more on my religious prayers, or else terrible things would happen. It threatened me with eternal damnation or killing my loved ones if I didn't obey its commands. And so I tried my best to concentrate, but it was never enough. You see, I have ADHD, which makes it difficult for me to stay focused for long periods of time, and the threats didn't help because the fear of what it would do if I didn't pray properly just distracted me while praying. The voice became more and more frustrated with me. If I got distracted a little bit while praying, it would tell me to pray again and again, and if I didn't, I had to face the consequences. Soon it began to drive me insane. I couldn't escape it, no matter how hard I tried. It was always there, whispering in my ear, threatening me with unspeakable horrors if I didn't do as it commanded. The nightmares were the worst. They started off as simple things, like falling from a great height or being chased by a shadowy figure. But then they began to get more twisted, more horrific. I dreamt of seeing my loved ones die in front of me, of being trapped in a burning building, or being eaten alive by some sort of creature. And then, one night, I dreamt of the end of the world. I saw the sky turn red, the ground split open, and the dead rise from their graves. The voice was there, too, promising me salvation if only I would pray harder. But I knew deep down that it was lying. I tried to tell people about what I was going through, but they just called me crazy. They thought I was making it all up or that I was just seeking attention. But I knew the truth. I was being tormented by a voice that claimed to be God, but was really something else entirely. So I made a decision. I renounced my faith and became an atheist. I came up with my own theory that the voice I was hearing was not God's voice, but the voice of an extra-dimensional being. I convinced myself that God couldn't be so cruel, so the voice must be coming from somewhere else, maybe from a parallel universe where everything is higher dimensional. But I just don't know. I committed blasphemy. I ripped off the holy book of my religion, cursed God, and burnt His name. It was just to show that He didn't own me and I wasn't afraid of Him. I started watching videos on YouTube that provided me with enough information that proved the religion I was following was false and ignorant. And, in a way, it helped me to increase my belief in the idea that higher dimensional entities were manipulating people to believe in stupid nonsense. I also learned the truths about what horrible things the founder of the religion did, and my hate towards this cult rose even more. But the voice obviously didn't like that. It punished me for my blasphemy and caused me mental pain that I couldn't handle and started manipulating reality to make my life a living hell. It forced me to believe that it was God, but no matter what it did, I kept up with my belief that it wasn't. I lost my job, my friends, and my sanity. I tried to fight back, to do things that went against the voice's commands. But every time I did, it punished me even more. It caused accidents to happen, made people turn against me, and even caused me physical harm. I knew I couldn't go on like this. I was tired of being tormented, tired of being a prisoner to the voice in my head. So I made the ultimate decision. I decided to take my own life. But I want people to know my story, so before that I decided to post my story on this subreddit. The voice still whispers in my ear, promising me salvation if only I pray harder.

Today's the day. I'm new here but, I'm going to try my best to get this out, as I have been browsing this thread for a few weeks now yet, have been exmo for approximately 15 years. I have been aware of reddit for some time and would some times listen to reddit comps on YT. I knew that based off of how deep I have delved into certain rabbit holes that I would one day end up here. To read mainly, but today, I have decided to write.
I grew up near the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, NY. I have been to all of the sights there, maybe 2-4 times some of them. The 'grove', I recall taking some nature walk at about the age of what they would call Activity Days, back then it was called Achievement Days. I have been into that temple at least once (twice I think) to perform baptisms for the dead. My life story need be some background no matter how I try to swing it. My biological parents were separated before I was born after having served time in England, in the U.S. Air Force. Father back down South, Mom to upstate NY. They were both relocated to their home states and though my father never stepped foot in NY, he would soon be deemed an 'Abandoned parent' by NY law and granted limited access to any info. about me, his daughter. My mom began lessons with the elders and soon had met the man I call my Dad when I was about six months old at which point she started lessons over again so that he could also hear the word of the decided true Church of God. After a temple marriage, a reception in our gym with plenty of nevermo family/ friends and secular music on the playlist, a sister 4 years my junior and a brother 6 years my junior, my parents split around the time I was 7. I recall peeping out of some crystal glass next to our front door on a Sunday after church and finding, my mom, who had been a prominent member of the Relief Society, was smoking a cigarette on the front steps. Not long after they divorced, she left the church, ended up with someone else for 9 years and the rest is history. Dad however, would later date and end up on LDS singles where he would remarry to a woman who would eventually take us out to Utah where we would meet much of her generational family members and go to plenty of places around SLC, Jordan, Ogden, Logan, etc., you name it, for different family reunions, baptisms, church services, sight seeing in Temple square, etc. The woman and my Dad would seek marriage counseling from a bishop, a very old friend of my Dad who had served in bishopric together. (My Dad has served as first/second counselor). He would one day end up leaving his wife of say, 35 years and making time to spend with my dad's wife he had brought around from out-of-state and had in our family approximately 2yrs at that point. The bishop and my ex-stepmother would be tried in front of the stake president and excommunicated. My Dad was in extremely rough shape at the time to put it lightly and the bishop's ex wife, a friend of the family, looked sickly every time I would see her for weeks, constantly sobbing, as well as not receiving sacrament for whatever reason they saw her needing to be further punished. Sick. I have plenty more but, this seems a great mess to start with. I am 27, I left almost 13. However, I did occasionally attend Young Woman's well after I had left. I went on a spiritual journey. Seeking answers in many forms as many do. Delving into Christianity, atheism, agnosticism, world religions, spirit science, and ultimately referring to myself as an intensely curious, devote Pantheist. I have a little one of my own with a lot of questions to answer about God and Jesus. I'm learning to just roll with the punches. We focus on gratitude largely, and Karma, I'd say. Here I am, free as a jay bird, and the little girl in me, would have never seen it remotely possible. I was a real spokeschild for the doctrine. One who at maybe four, would enjoy hanging out in the genealogy area, or the little girl who at 11 performed in 'Woman at the Well', or got accepted into ward choir despite minimal 18yr rules, or the 3yo who recalls coming out of Pageant half-asleep (in Palmyra) late at night with 'Anti-Mormons' (likely Baptists) holding picket signs in our faces and wearing devil costumes or scream mask and saying we were going to hell, yelling bible verses about the damnation that my little soul would succumb to.... Ask me anything.

It’s embarrassing to talk to my boomer parents and in-laws.
They didn’t know that Columbus was Italian and that he had murdered and pillaged his way through the Americas. They didn’t know about Jim Crow laws, Sundown towns, poll taxes, and poll tests that kept black Americans from being able to vote until the late 1960s. They didn’t know that the GI bill, after WWars, didn’t offer much of anything to black Americans who had served and prevented them from developing much of the generational wealth that was afforded to many white Americans. They didn’t know that the slave owners, in the south, actually got reparations after emancipation. They didn’t know what red-lining was. They have no idea what happened in Tulsa, OK (black Wall Street) or that NY city’s Central Park was a thriving black community called Seneca Village, or that an entire town in GA was flooded to remove the black people, or that Manhattan beach (in CA) was also a black community. They didn’t know Haiti was an island connected to the Dominican Republic (after a long and painful conversation about immigrants crossing the southern border). They didn’t know about American foreign policies in South America which has contributed to the mass exodus of people from their own countries. They are unaware of the current reproductive policies in many states in the USA. They have no idea what it takes to immigrate to the USA, today. They told me that poor people are getting paid by the government to stay home and not work (all that Covid money, apparently). They didn’t know that the second amendment was redefined in a Supreme Court case in 2008 and that is why a lot of gun laws are hard to implement today. They believe that boomers are not the responsible generation because they are not in government and we had to remind them that the average age of congress is almost 60 and that the current, and most recent former, president are boomers.
These are retired, well-educated, highly successful people and they are so ignorant about their own country’s history. I could go on and on.

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Corva fiddled with an empty medicine bottle, he looked at the labels and peeled them, only to stick it on the bottle again, he would screw off the cap and screw it back on repeatedly. It was an old habit of his, just looking at random things and playing with them like a fidget toy, he only does it when he has nothing to do, ever since he got a job that habit disappeared, but now, all he can do is lay down on the bed of a hospital tent, and he's also technically currently unemployed. Since no company is going to recruit anyone in the middle of an invasion from killer robots. He thought back to what happened yesterday, when Lavoss came into the tent and confronted Kawl.
"You're still awake?"
"Hmm?"
He was still curious about it, what did Lavoss mean by traitor? Did Kawl kill someone? He doesn't look like someone who would do such a thing, whatever it was that he did though, it was significant enough for Lavoss to hit him in the head with the stock of his gun knocking him out cold. It was shocking to see, he was awfully calm up until the point he said something about the traitor part and not a moment later Kawl was on the ground unconscious with a gun stock shaped dent on the chitin protecting his head. Everyone gasped, except Mari, the nurse, she looked like she expected it for a long time and stayed calm.
"Do you have trouble sleeping?"
She asked as she came back with another box of medical supplies.
"No, just… didn't feel like it"
"What do you mean you don't feel like sleeping?"
She put the box down and walked up to him.
"Well… i got plenty of sleep yesterday, spent the rest of it sleeping, didn't i? And most of today as well"
"With all due respect that doesn't justify staying up until the middle of the night, besides, you need rest"
"Same thing can be said about you… I haven't seen you take any kind of break, even the doctor's not here, why are you?"
"The downside of being the only qualified nurse left around, not the only one in the camp of course, just the only one left for this tent, besides… it's my duty to watch over the patients, and make sure they have enough sleep…"
She raised her voice a little on that last word, as well as throwing a glance at other patients that were already asleep.
"Subtle…"
"Right i am, now sleep"
"I've tried, i don't think i can"
"So you do have trouble sleeping, hold on, i think i have something for that in stock"
"No thanks, can we just… talk? It's been some time since I've had a friendly talk with anyone, just… Not about anything in particular, you know? Just talk"
"Hmm… fine, when was the last time then?"
"Right before the invasion… right before he lost his life…"
"Let's… not talk about that…"
"Wise…"
"Uhm… What's your job?"
"QC, for quality control, in an arms factory"
"A factory worker? You looked way cleaner than i thought you would"
"If i were working in the assembly i think you would change your mind about that, but no, QC's don't get their hand dirty often, maybe once in a while when a weapon explodes on them"
"Huh… ever had one?"
"Personally? No, have I seen it? Yes, funny story, when i first got accepted i had this instructor, telling us how to check the quality of products, the first rifle he picked up to show us how to check the pulse had a faulty wiring on it, too much energy, it blew up on his face while a group of new QC's was watching, safe to say he doesn't like it when some of us laughed"
"Poor guy, Reminded of someone"
"Who?"
"My sister"
"Oh i…"
"Oh don't worry, it's nothing sensitive, it's like your story, she's a teacher, been one for a while even before she got here, so when she got here to Rosan she was considered a senior teacher, and when new ones needs a tour of their workplace and know how to handle the kids they relied on her, now one day she was guiding a new teacher…"
"Mhm?"
"And she was like… maybe she wants to show off a little bit, I don't know, but from what she told me, she said to this new teacher something along the lines of: 'look at these children! So behaved! If you want to do that you have to learn from me' or something like that… and… not a second after that, one of the kids who were playing threw a wet ball of paper and it hit her right in the back of the head"
Corva had to spend some willpower trying not to laugh, remembering that he was the one who laughed when his instructor blew himself up along with Kasso didn't make it any easier.
"Oh the look of embarrassment on her face, didn't see it myself, but i wish i did, i can feel her esteem crumble every time i mention it, it was cute to see her just shrink and try to hide her face"
"Oh… you'll like it when you see how my friend acts around girls, Kasso, he…"
Mari was a bit confused why Corva suddenly fell silent, why he looked at the ground with a frown, until she remembered what he said, and it clicked on her.
Right before he lost his life
"I'm sorry for your loss"
"It's fine, i'm sure he's in a better place… much better than this… hellhole"
She wanted to comment on his sudden pessimism, but decided that won't be so wise considering he's not wrong, no matter how many times she tries to ignore it, she has to admit, their current situation is a hellhole.
"I suppose that's enough talk for now…"
"...."
"I advise you sleep now, you'll get tired"
He didn't respond, and just went to sleep without another word, and an unchanged expression of sorrow. She sighed and returned to her work, sorting the type of medications into different containers.
"When will it all end?"
—-~----
It was calm… and black… that is about all Schen can think about regarding his current state, he can't tell if he's dreaming, or if he's asleep or awake, it's just that he is aware. It was a strange feeling, like being asleep physically but not mentally, he feels like he's floating, without a body, like there's nothing that can limit him. And yet at the same time he can't do anything, he was just aware, and drifting away in this weird state of half dream. For some reason, he thought of those tales of people who 'died' , people who experienced long comas, and the tale of their supposed journey to this place between the mind and the world.
Ridiculous stories, barely believable, and uninteresting if you ask him. And yet, here he is now, aware of what's happening, he remembers everything, he passed out from blood loss, after fighting one of those things. He wants to wake up, check on his men, maybe meet up with Captain Vaiya and make up a plan on what to do next regarding their situation. But you can't wake up when you don't even have control over your eyes, so it was more of a waiting game, an annoying one, knowing what's happening and yet can't act on it. He'd rather be actually dead over this, at least if he's dead he doesn't have to worry about anything. The problem is, he knows he's alive, it's just that his body is not responding to him, nor can he feel it.
It took what felt like hours, since he wasn't actually asleep, he was paralyzed but still conscious. After an agonizing few hours, he felt the first bodily sensation, his finger, it graduated to the feeling of his hand resting on a soft surface, probably some sort of bed, he can feel his breath as well. He started feeling his body, little by little, unfortunately, now that he feels his body again, he can feel what his body feels, and that is pure unadulterated pain. On his head, on his leg, his back, his arm, everywhere, he doesn't remember getting hit that much, but apparently he did. His back arched from trying to suppress it, and he let out a grunt that was too loud for his standard.
"Calm down! Don't move just yet…"
A voice, good, that means he should be in a friendly area now. He opened one of his eyes with a considerable amount of struggle, and saw the face of an Enovian with a waterproof paramedic hat on through his blurry vision.
"I've had worse…"
What a word for him to say before his back gave up on him and suddenly went limp, triggering pain in many areas of his body.
"Aergh…"
He grunted with some exasperation and regret. Maybe he shouldn't be showing off at this kind of age, it's not good for his bones.
"Where's our painkillers?"
—-~----
"Captain?"
"Yes?"
"He's awake"
"Just? or?..."
"For awhile, he needed some time to actually get up, thought we'll just wait for him before telling you"
"Alright, thank you, i'll be there, a wonder he survived though, and to wake up this early"
"It is, his wounds were near fatal, he was essentially one light tap away from a fractured skull"
"Tough little guy… you can go now, there are others no?"
"Oh…yes, sorry ma'am"
Vaiya turned off her personal datapad, and stood up from her command seat. She dusted some metal dust off her uniform and made her way to the recruitment office turned into a temporary medical bay. She walked through a collection of the remaining crew of the ship, some simply threw a glance at her, some greeted her, and some gave her a salute. She noted the look of despair in their eyes and sighed, but kept on walking as that isn't her goal right now. She arrived at a door with a plate next to it that says: 'recruitment', the plate had an electrical tape with a writing on it that says: 'medical bay now' stuck haphazardly on top of it.
It isn't a neon sign, but it works. She opened the door manually with her hand as most of the doors in administration are now unpowered, inside was simple, four 'beds' laid on the floor, with most of the desks removed, the remaining medical crews stay here now, treating anyone they can. Including the new security captain, Schon, who she spotted sitting on his bed half awake wrapped in blood caked bandages, while clearly struggling to drink from a glass cup. He looked oddly… calm, like he's not surprised he's here at all. Granted, she did rescue him from becoming minced meat, and it's only logical to assume there are survivors holding out somewhere, but he looks absolutely unfazed, as if he had this happen before.
"SC Schon?"
She walked up to him, he gave an unsurprised look and went back to doing his best to drink.
"Captain…"
"Nice to see you awake already, i figured it would take a long time but you prove me wrong…"
"Uh-huh…."
"About that status report you ask for-"
"I already know, stranded, no engine, almost all crew dead, ship's practically scrapped, light's dying, and surrounded by killer machines chewing on the hull, and Rosan IV isn't so lucky either"
"Yes… unfortunate is it?"
"Yes, but right now I don't care, how's my men?"
"Your what?"
"My subordinates"
"Ah… they're… few, 50… down to you and two others, i'm sorry"
"I see… who?"
"Koern, and Ayuna"
Schen wasn't paying much attention to the captain, he simply stared off into the distance, but hearing the young Caevit's name roll off her tongue took his attention.
"Really?... Thank you, but you're not here just for that right?"
Now that he actually pays some attention to her, he noticed her face change, a bit more tense.
"You read my mind, come"
"I can barely move my lips and you want me to walk?"
She looks around for a minute before looking back at him.
"I don't mind carrying someone"
"Huh?"
—-~----
"If i have credit for every time a Tekit lady carries me in her arms while i can barely move, i'll have two"
Schen commented on his current position, it earned him a confused and curious look from the captain. She took him to an uninhabited room to talk, as it turns out most of the administration has been turned to some sort of holdout for whoever's left alive in the ship. She set him down on a chair and followed suit, sitting right in front of him.
"So what is this? Is there something you want to know? If it's about this whole thing then you're talking to a wall"
Her behavior was odd, Schen noted, she seems… agitated, not angry, just stirred, like something's bugging her. He can understand being scared, but the way she moves suggests whatever's currently happening isn't the case.
"Nothing much… i just want… confirmation"
"Go ahead…"
"So… I heard that Koern asked you for help, is that so?"
"Yeah? Got to me after he said you can't help"
"Do you know what his issue was?"
"Yes, random images and voice recordings from his cousin"
"Okay… where does his cousin lives?"
"In Rosan IV and from what i heard, it's about as messed up as this ship"
"That is correct, do you-"
"Wait, can we just get to the point here? What's the issue? Why are you suddenly interested in Koern's problem?"
"I… because…"
"Hmm?"
"...Because i've been having the same problem, what you said, random images, and voice recordings, now i know it's exactly the same, that is what i want to know"
"Huh… okay… so?..."
"There's one difference… his problem started today, during the jump, my problem has been going on for the last five cycles"
"....."
"And I want to know one more thing, please, answer this honestly… do you see it?"
He can feel her agitation increase tenfold as she asks the question. She was normal, now she's visibly shaking.
"See what?..."
"The shape…"
"Shape?"
"Please tell me you saw it too, i… I've been thinking about it… for a long time… ever since I've peered into those images, there's a shape stuck in my eyes, it's burned itself into my mind, and I feel it…. Everyday i think i see something in the corner of my eyes, i hear noises that aren't there, closer and closer every time!…. It… it was getting closer… the shape…"
Her stare became intense, like the stare of a crazed person.
"i… don't know…"
"Oh but you know! You saw it!... Just as I did… it sees you, but you can barely see it, it's there… watching… First it stays in the image, then it creeps into you, haunts you, then you see it hide everytime you turn your head… it follows you, everywhere you go… in your sleep… when you work… all the time…"
Her breathing was rapid, almost uncontrolled.
"Perhaps… that's just you, i do not experience these"
"It may not now, but it will…. Because it has to me, it's like a tumor, and it won't go away, no matter how hard i try… it's still there…"
She calmed down slightly, her breathing was normal again, sort of, and she's no longer shaking, but the stare is still there, the stare of true fear, striking deep into his soul. As she calmed down more and thankfully finally averted her gaze elsewhere, Schen took the downtime to process what he just listened to, and his conclusion was: what the ////?
"Sorry… i… i just… i needed to know… i need to know if i'm not the only one… now i know it's in you too, not now, but soon, t-thank you"
"Your… welcome…"
"Should we return?"
"We…"
He pondered about asking her to take him to the bridge, so he can look out and see what's happening outside the ship, but now he's reconsidering it, because of that… experience.
"...Yes, we should"
She let go of his arms, he didn't even realize it, but she was holding on to him tight the whole time.
"Of course… of course, let's make this quick…"
—-~----
Schen observed Captain Vaiya as she left the medical room, he noted her sudden return to her previous well mannered behavior, he can still see a tinge of anxiety in her eyes and movements however, and realized how similar it was to Koern's behavior. Anxiety, unease, massive discomfort, moving around constantly, and eyes snapping to random positions as if they're trying to catch something on the move. It was unmistakable, Schen recalled back to his conversation with Koern, about something he said.
'it's… distressing'
Koern did look at the images before coming to him, and it was clear the images caused it, if Vaiya had something similar or identical happen, he can assume the cause for her distress is the same. But one question remains that still baffles him: how? How do random images do that? Implanting irrational fear into someone, making them see things that aren't there, what is happening? And now that he considers it, he did see the images, is he going to fall victim to the same thing? Why hasn't he felt anything if those images can do that to someone through just a mere look at it?
One question leads to another, and it all gets more complicated the longer he tries to solve it. He wanted to ignore it, maybe they were just unstable and he misjudged the whole thing, but he can't help but feel there's something to it, it's clear those images and recordings somehow were sent by the creatures currently roaming the ship, he sees the connection, but why? And how? Psychological warfare? Maybe, that was the most rational answer he could come up with. With their clear situation of being in the middle of an invasion, he can only assume such an answer, but applying it to only a few specific targets seems beyond strange.
He pinched his snout in frustration, before taking a deep breath and exhaling it as slowly as he could. Perhaps he shouldn't think of it too much for now, maybe that's how it gets into you, the shape… whatever it is. He looked around his surroundings, a 'medical' room, previously an office, he watched the doctors treat the wounded as he thought of his next step. Looking outside the ship should be a good idea, he had asked a nurse about the whole situation before Vaiya showed up, they told him the entire star system has fallen, Rosan IV was silent, any attempts at communication and call for help were futile, the other planets around the system, some are yet to be named, are the same.
That means those things have been here for a while, and somehow stayed out of the union's radar. He remembered the emerging stories of Rosan IV, how it became a ghost, how communications were far and few between, how many ships that traveled to its system went missing and ones that returned had signs of heavy damage on them, and how their crews looked 'lifeless'. If Rosan's system has been like this for some time, wouldn't that mean any ship that comes here would suffer the same fate as his ship?.
Why would some return and look 'fine' was beyond him, but a thought nestled itself in his mind, a terrifying thought, it made his blood run cold, the thought that these things have spread beyond this solar system, spread silently, in cargo ships that travel to every corner of union space. Suddenly people seeing shapes and hearing sounds after they look at an image doesn't sound horrifying anymore.
"////…"
—-~----
Faen sat in his office, for the millionth time, he stared at his computer, for the millionth time, he opened the files containing the Qrid military spending, for the millionth time, he looked at the reports file, for the millionth time. It has always been like this, being a general wasn't all about giving orders and making war plans, most of his time was spent in front of his computer, looking at the passive activity of his army, and its spendings, receiving calls or calling someone to see if he can learn something new about someone else's army. Look at pirate reports, raiders, terrorists, radicalist, sometimes cultists, it has always been like this, looking away at the computer, looking at files, always has been.
He wouldn't say he couldn't make wartime decisions, if one were to ever occur, he's always confident he can, after all he has learned from both his father and many mentors. He trained for it, for war, he trained how to control an army in such a situation for pretty much his whole life, he doesn't have to, but it's better to know how to fight than not at all. You never know when it'll come, maybe now, maybe in years during your old days, maybe never, but if it ever does come, he knows what to do, whether he likes it or not. It's a part of his pride, his identity, though he couldn't say much about his son, and everyday he worries about not having a successor, not having someone to pass the torch to, and as time marches on indiscriminately, his worry can only grow.
Sometimes he wondered if should've been harsh, and not fulfill his wish to go to university so he can learn computer science, and put him in the very school he himself went through to become what he is now. But that's not a good father, isn't it? It would be against his wish, and he would've needed to force him, it's what his son's grandfather did… to him, he still thinks about it, about his original dream. A singer, a far cry from a supreme general, he remembered the angry face of his father upon learning what he wanted to be, it felt like it happened just yesterday. He never liked it, not once, despite managing to prove himself worthy as a leader of an army in the end of everything.
And to think, he was almost like that, to his own son, he couldn't handle the thought. Faen took his eyes off the screen, just for a moment, and looked at another one, a camera display, showing his son's room. Rana was sleeping, as usual and as he should be at a time like this, he looked at him through the screen, at his arm, and thought about his latest conversation with the woman he loved.
"Disappointment, huh?"
He felt a subtle pain in his chest out of nowhere, he opened the drawer on his desk through a motion that tells of excessive habit, and absentmindedly took his medication without looking. With a sigh, he looked at a small button to his right. There was a screen above it that had a list of people considered significant enough to be contacted by him directly, which ranged from the supreme generals of other species, to the head maiden that cleaned his and his son's bedroom. He looked for a specific one that he recently added, the surgeon that is the head of operation for the trials he had put Rana through for the last few cycles, the trials that he and his mother show complete disapproval to.
He found it and clicked the button, it was answered after some time and he entered a call with the surgeon.
"A pleasure to speak with you general"
"Hrm…"
"Is there something you wish to ask of me?"
"Yes… we should stop, no more trials"
"If that is what you want, then I will gladly comply, but may I ask why for the sudden stop? You seem invested in this when you first called me to arrange it"
"Family issues"
"that is-"
He cut the call short, and continued his work. Looking at the files, looking for differences every so often, making sure everything is stable and taken care of, and glancing at his son's monitor once in a while, and for the first time since his son graduated university, he smiled. Perhaps that's the right thing, to be a father, not a general. At least… for a moment, his smile disappeared as he received a call, it was marked as urgent, and was displayed on his screen instead of just a sound notification. He dusted his uniform and fixed any creases as he noticed the call wasn't just any call, it was a notice for him to join a discussion between supreme generals of each species and their respective leaders, that includes the matriarch.
It is odd he wasn't notified of this earlier, oftentimes these kinds of things have their own schedule that was discussed beforehand, a sudden meeting like this can only mean one thing. He accepted the call, and his screen changed to the display he's all too familiar with, a digital conference room, two lines of camera display, the bottom for the generals, the top for the leaders, they were all present, which is to be expected. The matriarch of Qrids, the Tekit queen, the Caevitan allfather, high empress of Enovia, and the Civean president, the current roster of union council, below them was him, and other generals, including general Cynte of the Civeans.
He still remembers his little offer to make an accident to highlight Rana's name, after the reveal of the Goels and the incident it was kept as a private thing between them that didn't really go anywhere. He doesn't want to talk about it, neither does Cynte, so it was technically a win-win situation, despite the unexpected and frankly out of their favor results. The call was oddly silent, no one was saying anything even the loud ones like his mother, they seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. Faen didn't question it, it would be considered stupid, so he too followed the silence. It was a strange and awkward few minutes of staring at each other not saying anything, up until what they waited for arrived in the call.
Another screen appeared above all ten screens, and on it was something he dreaded to see, the collection of red revolving rings, Cain. Practically every general present felt tense, including him, the leaders couldn't care less, except maybe for the Civean president who expressed the most worry as they all waited for Cain to speak. Sudden meeting, all members, and Cain, and considering their latest development with the Goels, this couldn't be good. The red rings assemble into the shape of a solar system like it did when it appeared on the monitors of his warship, and Cain spoke with his usual low pitched synthesized voice that everyone in the room knew quite well.
'it is no doubt all of you will question why I requested this urgent meeting, i apologize if any of you found it to be too sudden, but what I have to tell you will change your mind, and I will not waste your time, as we are in a race against time itself… the union has been breached by an invader, you are under attack, and in a process of galaxy wide invasion'
No, definitely not good.
"What do you mean by this?"
Faen immediately asked, as much as he distrust Cain, he must agree with his mindset that no time should be wasted. And it seems his question stopped a particular set of leaders trying to speak, stopping them from blurting out what are probably4 going to be pointless sarcastic remarks, so that was another benefit of speaking first.
'your union is currently under the invasion of a race that is arguably similar to me, we call them Shakran'
The display of red rings changed to a scrolling collection of images, images of… Faen doesn't know how to describe it, bipedal creatures, made of metal, and grossly disfigured bodies, with sharp claws and many eyes. Every single thing varies, some of the things in the images looked small and only had claws, some were massive and had what are clearly cannons as a weapon. He noted a certain detail about the images, they were blurry, and not straight, and some strange things were staring at the camera, while looking elsewhere. Something tells Faen these images were taken in the middle of active combat.
'They are a hivemind of machines, their sentience and sapience is debatable, but that does matter currently as their only goal is to destroy and conquer'
"Lies! If we were under an invasion from them, we would've known already! Besides… we already have an invader… we're talking to them right now"
The Tekit queen spoke with clear passive aggresive energy in her voice. Faen sighed in annoyance but kept it to himself.
'i understand the distrust, but it is no reason to make a sarcastic remark, however, you need to trust me on this matter, because their return can only mean danger to the union, and the universe as a whole, they are-'
"Wait, what do you mean… their return?"
'you all must've wondered how and why i and my brother ended up the way we did on that desert planet, what you are seeing on my screen is the answer to your question'
It didn't click for any of the leaders, their annoyed expression stays the same as Cain finished his sentence, but it clicked for every single military leader in the room, and it horrified them.
'my kind have encountered them before, my creators, it led to a war, a million year war, between me and them, they are what wiped my creators out of existence, and soon will be the cause of extinction for every single species in this union if we don't take any actions, since you refused, i have personally tracked every ship that left Rosan IV for the last six cycles, here is the data'
The scrolling images turned into a detailed map of the galaxy, with every single star system currently under union control included in it, there were red lines all over the map, they were all traced back all the way to one specific system, Rosan IV. A heavy weight rested itself on Schen's mind as he realized how far the lines have gone, to a point it crosses itself, wrapping around the galaxy in a circle, like some sort of a chaotic web.
'Rosan is lost, it is highly likely they have turned it into a staging ground, i know that we all have strived to avoid this, but war is inevitable, i have send a complete data regarding the Shakrans to all of you, please review it as fast as you can, and take your moves, as i will mine right now, alert your fleets, if they see my fleet entering a system, tell them they are here as an ally, i have been defeated once, i will not repeat the same mistake again, i hope you can catch up and help me, because there is no telling of what they will do once their setup is complete, and there is no telling whether or not i can do this alone'
"Wait! What should we do?"
'search and destroy, hunt down every ship that left the system, check every station, scan every inch of space, detonate stations, evacuate every planet they have visited then purge the cities and hammer the surface with orbital strikes if you might, but by all means… do not let. them. develop. That is all i have to say, my reinforcements are coming, but i do not know if there is enough time, act now'
And with that, Cain left the conference room, and at that very moment, it shattered, every world leader was either furious or dead silent with a look of horrific realization, his fellow generals went into a panic and contacted their fleets. Except for him, he simply sat there, unmoving and very still, staring at the galaxy map Cain had brought up, looking at one particular star system, crossed several times by the red lines, and surrounded by it, Sheneae XI, isn't that?... The solar system his wife is visiting to look at a newly opened hospital?.
(a TON of RIC's)

These few days I been ranting, I hope nobody will bash me with words. It's okay to read my rant just don't push me down further as I don't even know how to lead in life with a smile, My heart feels so stigmatized, tight and heavy. Being born shortly after by my biological mom, some unverified reason happen between my mom and dad leads to divorce. I was very young back then, probably 3-5 years old and I can't talk as I have not yet learn how to, suddenly as this point of time writing this post, I can't believe how much time has passed, the last time I was a child, I felt small, my hands, legs, and there are less things I know about the world, I wasn't so upset or so depressed, but something wasn't feeling right, that love and emptiness I felt, even though I can't describe how it feels back then but subconsciously I miss my mom so much, I have only a memory left of my mom that before she abandoned me, my dad bring me to visit my mom once in awhile, ok very attached to my mom and would hug her everytime I see her. Even though like I said I can't speak, I enjoyed spending the short time with her at her house with my grand mother, I can no longer remember their faces, I know my mom was a very pretty lady wnd petite lady though she was short. She would buy DVDs something that genz won't understand, of Pokemon and digimon animes but back then I don't know it's an anime _(..)/ I could sit at the bedroom on the bed watching peacefully, I don't know what the story in Pokemon and digimon was about back then but the memory remains there till as I grow up with understanding of Pokemon I know what was the thing of memory I had. The two things I remembered was that Bulbasaur refused to evolve even though his species has all evolve, despite Venusaur wanted him to do so, he was so attached to its trainer and that love force him to remain the same which I do not know why maybe the fear to be no longer the same identity? The another was whereby ash, misty, Brock was put into sleep by Gengar and they saw a giant gengar and Alakazam was fighting, but when they touch Gengar or it ate them they fell into his stomach not dead as of they're inside a giant jar, I also remember my grandma bring me to her work place which was primary school but everytime it was emlty, filled with no students maybe because it's weekend? I don't know but when I was with her, I would just run around the canteen while my grandma cleans the canteen, it was so nostalgic, life was so simple back then. I don't need to care anything else.. it was a very simple and sacred love I had from then, but looking backwards, it was a just call before the storm. Everything bad starts happened, before I notice I no longer able to see my mom and grandma again, I was sent to different of my mom I think from my dad but it was just a short time, and I was constantly move from one place to another, but of course the reason was because nobody want to for free especially without money, fast forward that my dad married another woman, and that was really the nightmare that soon to begin, although when I was told to call her mom, it will never ever replace the love I had for my biological mom even though her love for me and the time spending her was short. As I was growing I will always ask my dad where's my mom and he know I was referring to my biological mom as I was very attached to her. I miss her and I know she will never come back but a child I do not know why and I just only kept missing her. That woman that my dad marries brought me to her family, they are a very traditional kind of mindset family and sort of rich, well selling fishball noodles till able to demolish and rebuild terrace house ya over the last few years and I was living there since then till I'm 12 years old. Moving to my dad's house was the hell period and start of the nightmare, always constantly I get beaten up by canning all over my leg and body, forcing to stand for 2 hours because I was too stupid unable study well. I remembered now suddenly that I was force to keep memorize English words for 2 hours sometimes and while crying and standing I had to repeat the words that I am learning for, spelling test often has in school that's why*
Fast forward to secondary school a new school for me, at age of 13/14, lost my previous friends as they went other schools because I wasn't staying at the woman's family house anymore which was nearer to my previous school. Orientation of the school day which is first day, my days of being bullied starts, was bullied by my group of Malay classmates, and I got angry but I cried while angry that is why the bullying continues for 3-4 years, each time I angry, I'll cry at the same time even when I'm angry. There was once my entire school books in my school bag was thrown into the dustbin according to the teachers and couldn't be found. It will be funny, like who even bring entire year of school books? Yup that's me, that woman wanted me to bring and I hate to bring or put it in my bag. I wanted to make friends with my classmates, even those female classmates but I do not know how, like 13 years old kids nowadays knows how to use iphone and I don't even know how to say: May I be your friend, because this doesn't exist in my brain, which I do not know how to even say or what's sentence so the only way to get their attention was by running around in class, and running to slam myself into the wall, pulling girls hairs to get their attention, it's kind of childish, but what to do? I literally don't even know how basic gestures works. Another reasons why I can't express myself properly was also because of my ADHD symptoms and back then I was very very hyperactive! for my school life, can't go anywhere after school and only home and I only can study at home, there's nothing for me to play and it was very bored as I can't sit still, it feels like a prison especially when holiday comes because I can never go out to play. Although I dislike that woman but I like her mother, she's the only one who will pamper me, and often I go back with her to that family house when I was at the hakwer centre, well they're selling fishball noodles that's why. Always when I wanted those toys from capsule machine, which cost a dollar, she gave me but when that woman knows I always get scolded for asking people to buy for me things. My classmates sometimes ask me why does my legs are full of blackmarks but I was scared, I do not dare to tell them that it was because that woman canes me almost everyday. Something causes my parents to talk to my school counselor because of me getting bullied in school everyday and that was a huge alarm as when I get bullied I would scream to the extend almost the whole school would heard and teachers has to come out of the office to look what's happening, my school counselor advise my dad to bring me to see a psychologist I think which is at child guidance clinic and also a time table where by I can go out 2-3 days, but when I was late on of the days when I called that woman, as my dad was busy driving taxi. She threatened me in Chinese that when I go home I will know what happened, terrified of that I dare not go home and had to sleep outside my classmates house which is at the stairs for 1 night, that woman made a police report not because of me lost but because I didn't return home to get beaten by her. Police didn't understand me either and there's no child protection law back then so I only can constantly get more beatings, as mentioned for going to child guidances, I was given to do IQ test but, of course they didn't tell me and till now I don't even know how high is my IQ level but more importantly my dad and that woman just wanted that medicine as they thought it will call me down even after getting beaten, everytime I get beaten and my anger and fear reach broke I will cried and lost control of myself and when one day I decided not to eat anymore they stop bringing me to see doctor because it can no longer control me. I was given only $4 a day, but my classmate who pity me will bring me out after school to lan cafe to play computer with my other classmates, a group of 5 including me. My dad and that women eventually found out and also knows that my school has a system of giving food coupons and that made that woman make her next move by reducing my pocket money to $2. I forgot to mention too, with my medical condition I was unstable in my mind and emotions but they seems to have a habit of further scolding, beating, and agitating me further and alot of times I only can cry in fear against them in the house as there's no other adults there to protect me. This fear letched on to me and made me very very negative, lonely, till today. Alot of times I wanted to find ways to (sui side, wrote in this way to avoid using sensitive words) there was once in army (19 years old) I went and bought a box of Panadols and swallowed 15 -18 tablets but I somehow knew it wasn't enough or deadly to end my life, ended up me seeing medical doctor at the airbase I was in and went to hospital to have IV drip to also flush out the paracetamol, ever since them I no longer able to take Panadol or tablets with similar taste and size due to allergic or the the featrauma of my body subconscious.
At the end of the day, during my entire growing stage life from child to adult, my brain devloped twice as slow than everyone my age and even till today there are some things I may not understand which sounds complicated to me or I'll never understand. I didn't have a normal love life either having girls comes up to me telling me they like me or me confessing to girls I like because I don't even know what's like and love, there was a girl I like and everytime she saw me she would wave to me, she's from a different class as she's smart, probably express or normal acad and is a sort of student council, a contemporary dancer in her cca, I subconsciously like her back then not know that. I always envy others when I walker pass those children with their parents who bring them out or when I sees them so happy playing or interacting with each other. I could only ask my self in my heart, why am I so different and why I couldn't have what normal people haves. Things that are worse is when I see baby or young child cries, my heart start to beat fast and I start to become Abit distracted and uncomfortable, maybe emotional because of the trauma I got child abused. I always sees many girls confessing to my classmate and his younger brother, envy that why so many girls like them, like felt they're so cool enough for girls to approach them be it irl, or online through Facebook. I guess the most depressing and unpleasant moments was I constantly sees girls going to their house to get **** by my classmate's brother, and I knew those girls like them but to him it's just flings, I felt so engioue everything in my life I'm opposite of what normal humans are, and all these experience and memories letch on to me till today made me unable to express or communicate well with people, I feel very lonely, especially after whek my ex classmate and his family treated me so badly, as I was degraded for not working, and saying my medical condition is nothing compared to people with autism and disability like having no hands and no legs, I was also compared to Michael Phelps through my ex-classmate brother, when I have no money I was treated badly and look down on, especially when they buy food for me and then proceed to say those stuffs towards me but when I have money they became so friendly, they made me left my dad's house which give my dad to tell me not to go back his house anymore as he was planning to "sell his house to buy a smaller house" due to debts. My classmate doesn't bother how I felt or my situation, because they lost job during covid period so asking me to rent there would help them have some cash, fast forward to 1 year ago I was rushed by them to get out of their house we one or their siblings coming back from oversea with his wife. I have no one else so I have to apply for a shelter from social workers, and when that extend from November to December till today they demand me to pay $300 when they knew I have no money even when I'm planning to study. Last few weeks because if that I started crying and got very uncontrollably depressed, I realisi that one of the reason because of them that made me depress and affect my behavior and life was because of them. My dad doesn't talk to me for 2 years and suddenly he message me to wish my birthday wish last year but realized he wanted to borrow money from me. Many people told me just let go off the past but how many actually knows that it's easier said than done, basically like a heavy chain are anchoring to me. Nobody knows how it feels to be alone in this entire world, having no one to be there with you be it, the time where I'm happy, sad, having surgery, suffering and crying alone. Even though I can't end my life because of fear and lack of beavery, I'm living a life of monochrome just to wait for me one day to leave this world be it old, sickness, or accident. I really hope one day I will be free from this anchors of pain, fear and grief.

today I saw a lot of these dead fish washed up along the bay of Queen Ny. What is it? I can’t figure it out with a google search. It has a long tentacle. It’s red and has red broom bristle like stuff on its head.

I (27M) do not have a car, nor a license. I live in a major US city with (believe it or not) great public transport, and have a generously allocated budget towards busses/trains, ubers and flights. I have my groceries delivered right to my door. I also live within walking distance to a hospital and emergency vet. I live comfortably in this life style and I am not reliant on anyone for travel.
I took drivers ed when I was 16 and passed all my tests. I didn't drive poorly, and I don't particularly have any anxiety towards it. However, when I did drive, I noticed myself struggling to focus on the roads ahead of me. I could force myself to focus, but I'd fatigue quickly and then I'd struggle with staying awake. I didn't take my driver's test due to some big life events back then, but even now, I haven't taken my driver's test because I feel unsafe when I drive and I don't feel like I need one. With my attention span though, I don't feel like it's unlikely that I will be the cause of an accident. This is something I'm discussing with my doctor, and am in the process of testing for ADHD/ADD.
No one judges me for this, except for my partner. My partner offers to drive us to friends' houses, to date locations, to pick up food. I'm grateful for that, and it's a privelege for me, but I really don't expect it. I also do not ask for it. They also say they don't mind offering to drive, but there are times where I feel passive aggressiveness. Recently, my partner got hurt, and it made me wonder what would happen if there was an emergency. This motivated to want to get my license, but then my partner said "then you can be the primary driver." That's not the purpose I want to get it for, and I'd rather Uber for non-emergencies. My partner brought this up in front of our friends today, and I felt judgement from them. Now I'm questioning myself.
Is it unreasonable to not have a license at this age? Am I less of an adult, or less of a partner for not having one? Why do people look down on me if I'm self-reliant?

As soon as we got into the store my toddler was talking to every employee, introducing herself and even told them not to touch something unless their mom was going to buy it (lmao we had a talk before we went into the store.) I did tell her she could pick out a hand sanitizer holder, and so she picked one out herself (the hot dog doggy one) and it was in a 50% off container. An employee politely told me it was misplaced there by accident and was not on sale. I said oh not to worry! And had my toddler pick out a different one that was actually half off. The same employee came back up to us and said her manager said we could get it for half off anyways and handed it to my toddler, who lit up with happiness because who doesn’t love a dog that looks like a hot dog? They also gave her a sticker.
Totally just made my entire experience magical in some way. I haven’t shopped at B&BW for a while and stopped in spur of the moment today and I’m so glad I did! I just wanted to share because moments like this stick with me. Little acts of kindness make me so happy!

< Ep 4- Part 1
Based on the fourth round of the elimination contest
Spoiler tag only for basic character spoilers
[Team Looming Lions]
Kaito: Alright Lions we're winning this one again today, right?
Nekomaru: Absolutely! Of course I'm not sure which of us will be performing.
Kokichi: Well, Kaito's a bumbling moron so he's out.
Kaito: Hey, what the heck man! I mean sure being the Ultimate Astronaut isn't that impressive for a show but so is your talent.
Kokichi: So true Kaito! Glad to hear you didn't refute the fact of you being a moron though. Nee hee hee.
Kaito: Why you little-
Angie: Calm down, Tyler. Atua has foreseen what will lead us to victory. I shall take the lead and create a beautiful masterpiece in the name of Atua.
Mondo: Okay, so Angie's doing art. What are the rest of us supposed to do to perform along side?
Mahiru: I could take some action shots of her work. Though I'm not sure how impressive of a performance it will be.
Hajime: Your ability to take perfect photos is still impressive in its own right, Mahiru.
Mahiru: Hajime…
Celeste: So it's decided. Angie and Courtney will be performing with some artistic photography
Angie: Nyahahahah, wonderful though if we're doing artistic pictures, would it help to provide something more visual. Body models for example?
Mahiru: Absolutely not! These boys don't get to see anything like that. Speaking of which, how about you boys pitch in on the performance?
Celeste: Well, we've already established Max and Tyler are out. How about you, Trent. You could hit some tennis balls to add to the action shots.
Ryoma: Sorry, but I've sworn off using my talent ever again.
Celeste: Oh really, then how about a threat. Perform with the girls, or when we lose we'll vote you off immediately!
Ryoma: Go ahead, like this competition means anything to me anyways. This is merely just prolonging my time out of prison.
Chihiro: Stop it. Both of you. Celeste, I think it's clear Ryoma won't do it. Of course, I won't be much help either. Not without some kind of computer to work with.
Mondo: If I had a bike, I could do some tricks around Angie while she makes her art.
Nekomaru: Alright then I guess it's up to me. I'll be the manager to keep the show going and make sure we do it PERFECT!!!
Kirumi: If you need me, I could also be your assistant for the performance and clean up afterwards.
Mahiru: Then let's get started. Time to make something at least mostly coherent.
[Team Ominous Octopi]
Maki: So, who wants to volunteer for this talent show?
Korekiyo: I believe it's pretty obvious that Kaede and Ibuki should perform as a musical duo.
Ibuki: You got it! Izzy and Sky-ede here are gonna rock this camp!
Kaede: Sure, but that's only two. We need a third.
Chiaki: If I had a big screen and a console, I could play video games with you playing the music to it. Too bad they don't have any of that here.
Akane: I could do some flips over you two.
Taka: Too dangerous. Plus we don't want any of you to get hurt.
Maki: Then I guess killing someone to music is out, huh?
Taka: Absolutely!!!
Maki: I was kidding anyway.
Kaede: Haha, wow Maki, never seen that side of you before.
Maki: Don't push it. What about you, Shuichi?
Shuichi: Well, unlike Kyoko I'm not even that talented a detective, but I'm not certain how you'd perform that talent.
Korekiyo: I could give an archaeological lesson with a pleasant backing track by these wonderfully talented ladies.
Maki: No way, after that stunt you pulled with Kaede, I don't trust you alone with her again even with Ibuki there.
Ibuki: How about DJ do the robot to our music. Ha ha, get it!
Keebo: Hey, that's robophobic to assume I could do such a stereotypical dance.
Akane: Well can you?
Keebo: No, I can't dance, however I could sing with them if you'd like?
Kaede: NO!
Shuichi: No way!
Maki: Not happening.
Korekiyo: Oh please, anything but that.
Keebo: Wha….fine.
[Team Nasty Narwhals]
Junko: So let's see talent…talent…which one of you losers has the best talent.
Sakura: I think it has less to do with best talent and more to do with talents that can perform with each other.
Sayaka: If that's the case, I'll volunteer to sing for this talent competition. You guys can make the show more exciting with your talents.
Tsumugi: I like that. I could make a costume for your performance though I'm not sure how much is that me performing with you.
Junko: Besides Beth, if anyone's going to make Ella fashionable it should be me.
Toko: We get it, we have costumes down b-b-but that still not get any closer to who's performing.
Miu: Well it's obvious the moody writer and clumsy nurse shouldn't perform.
Toko: Not like I wanted to in the first place.
Mikan: I'd probably just get hurt either way and embarrass our team.
Junko: Then how about the boys then?
Rantaro: Well, I'm not even sure what my talent is but I could try singing with Sayaka if you need me to.
Gonta: Rodney could bring bug friends on stage to perform with Ella.
Sayaka: NO! NEVER! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Miu: Guess that leaves you and me, baby gangster.
Fuyuhiko: Like I'd do anything with you and what about B and Himiko?
Miu: Washboard chest is too mopey to do anything, and I still have no idea what Big B's deal is.
[They look over at him, but Imposter merely shrugs]
Miu: Besides you should be grateful that I'm offering my genius for the performance.
Sayaka: Okay Miu, what can you do to help my performance?
Miu: Well I'm glad you asked Pop Princess. Behold first up I have a fantastic voice amplifier perfect for singing into.
Sayaka: Oh wow, that actually might be helpful. I'm surprised you came up with something so normal.
Miu: Of course it was originally meant those wild nights when you want your moans and cries to really shake the bed. Hoo Yeah!
Tsumugi: And there it is.
Sayaka: Okay but with me singing, what will you be doing during the show?
Miu: Why adding a little flair to the show. Get ready for your outfit to practically explode for the audience. [Points an invention at Sayaka] Literally I might add.
Sayaka: W-wait, what are you-Agh! [Miu shoots the machine and Sayaka is enveloped in a flash of light] Ugh…why does it feel cooler……. AAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Tsumugi: Quickly cover her up!
Sakura: You boys didn't see anything, right?!
Fuyuhiko[Blushed smirk]: Uh…no not all.
Gonta: Rodney shall not look at the indecency for he is gentleman.
Miu: See, what'd I tell you. Quite the show stopper really! Be glad you didn't go commando today.
Tsumugi: Miu, how is Sayaka supposed to perform when she's left in her underwear?
Miu: Well, four eyes, I thought this is where you'd throw her into a different outfit like the Ultimate Cosplayer you claim to be.
Tsumugi: It's not like I can dress her in an instant. She'll still be seen.
Miu: Well that's for you to work out then dip[bleep]. I merely just provided the genius with my inventions.
Sayaka: WELL YOUR INVENTIONS SUCK!
Sakura: It's alright, Sayaka. Let's just think this idea through.
Sayaka: I don't want her inventions near me ever again!
Miu: Pfft, your loss then.
[Confessional]
Sakura: I really, and I mean really hate to admit it....but Miu might've had something going there with her idea. The act of changing Sayaka's outfits while she's performing would be an impressive display. If only there was a way she wouldn't be seen during the swap.
[End]
[Team Looming Lions]
Nekomaru: Alright, Angie so how this is going to go is I throw tools to you and you work your artistic magic.
Mahiru: And I'll make sure to capture it all on film.
Angie: Absolutely, I shall let Atua guide me.
Celeste: Please dear, enough about Atua this time. Just perform your own talent.
Angie: Oh, but Atua is the one who blessed me with this talent so every work must always be an offering to him. Remember that Lightning and Courtney.
Mahiru: Sure gotcha…
[Confessional]
Mahiru: I don't want to disrespect Angie's beliefs but relying on her God for everything even just a simple talent show may be a little much. But it's fine we have this performance in the bag. Chris is going to be blown away by my photography skills.
[End]
[Team Ominous Octopi]
Makoto: So run it by me again why I'm playing with Kaede.
Nagito: I'm not sure I'm cut out for play the bass guitar either.
Korekiyo: Well Kaede and Ibuki are going to teach you two the routine and with your luck you'll each learn it and play a beautiful duet.
Makoto: I'm not sure that's what being an Ultimate Lucky Student will help with.
Akane: No time to worry about it now we've got two hours left. Besides when we rely on both of you we win…well at least we don't lose.
Miu: Hey Cockoctpi, quit hogging the stage. Some of us have a performance to practice.
Korekiyo: Sorry, but we were here first. You'll just have to wait your turn. Whenever that will be, kehehehe.
Junko: Look, I understand that you need all the practice to not suck complete balls, but right now we need an empty stage, so Sayaka's not seen in her underwear too much.
Sayaka: Junko?!
Makoto: W-w-what? Sayaka's going to be performing in her underwear?
Junko: Oopsie, did I let that slip. My bad!
Tsumugi: It's more we need to work out how a quick change would work on stage, but uh she might still be seen in her underwear while rehearsing.
Sayaka: Will you all please stop talking about my underwear!
Akane: A quick change performance, huh? Good luck, even when I was wearing the skimpiest outfits for gymnastics, it still took a good thirty seconds to change.
Shuichi: Sounds like you'd need a miracle to not be seen then.
Sakura: Wait…a miracle…or magic. I'll be right back.
Miu: What's gotten into the orge?
Junko: Nevermind all that, we still need a stage to perform on.
Maki: Well then you're going to have to get through me, so unless you want to die, I say go practice over on the side of the camp like the Lions.
Junko: ………Fine Miss Assassin, you win. But I won't forget this. Come on team we're leaving. [Narwhals follow her reluctantly]
Kaede: Thanks for that, Maki. Okay Makoto, let's just try a simple scale.
Ibuki: And Harold, how about we try an A-chord.
Hiyoko: Hey, what's the big idea hogging the stage?!
Korekiyo: Here we go again.
Sonia: If it wouldn't be much trouble friends, we'd like to use the stage to practice our act.
Keebo: Is Hiyoko going to dance in her underwear too?
Hiyoko: Ew, gross! What are you saying you perverted robot!
Keebo: Sorry, I just assumed that was how all the girls were performing these days.
Maki: Ignore him, like we told the Narwhals, we were here first.
Byakuya: While I commend your fighting spirit, just know that no matter how much practice you do, you'll never be able to force talent onto those two.
Hiyoko: Yeah besides, we at least have our routine planned out and everyone with actual talent who's going to perform.
Korekiyo: Really, and what would that be?
Leon: Like we're going to tell you guys. Just give us the stage so we can practice already. We need to use the wood backdrop of the stage anyway.
Akane: If that's all it is then-HIYAH! [she breaks the backdrop in half and tosses it to Kazuichi] There, practice with your backdrop somewhere else.
Kazuichi: Seriously…well fine. Let's go Rhinos.
[Cut to Himiko sitting by herself. Sakura approaches]
Sakura: Mind if I sit down with you?
Himiko: Nyeh sure…I'm guessing they called you over to make me help them.
Sakura: Actually, I came over of my own volition. But I am curious if you'd like to help. Sayaka could really use your expertise in magic.
Himiko: Yeah I get it, you just want to use me for my talent but when I'm no longer useful you'll just vote me off the team. Just like how they treated Tenko.
Sakura: I understand why you're upset. It seems the Octopi weren't committed to understanding Tenko; she was a person you comfortably called a friend. Why couldn't anyone else do the same?
[Himiko doesn't respond but gently nods]
Sakura: Well, I'm not forcing you to do anything. I'm just trying to understand your feelings. In the end, it's your decision whether you want to be part of the team or not and I'll respect that decision.
[Himiko still doesn't respond but gives a side glance to Sakura]
Sakura: However, if you do decide to participate, we could honestly use your magical talent to save Sayaka from embarrassment. I've seen your shows, you have a knack for misdirection. It would help to provide misdirection when Miu attempts the wardrobe change. But of course, that's if you decide to help.
[Himiko looks forward again still in silence]
Sakura: Well, that's all I came over here for. I'll be getting back to making sure Miu doesn't embarrass the rest of the team. I hope you feel better, Himiko.
[Himiko quietly watches Sakura get up and leave, before looking forward again in deep thought]
[Confessional]
Himiko: Nyeh, Tenko always believed in my magic but she believed in me as a person too. How can I guarantee the others see me as a person and not just the magician girl. Maybe I really can't…nyeh.
[End]
Junko: Well look what the Princess dragged in. You Rhinos got kicked off the stage too huh?
Hiyoko: Beat it, you skank. We're trying to rehearse and we've wasted enough time as it is.
Junko: Hey, I'm just trying to empathize with a fellow team. Those Octopi jerks shooed us away too. If only there was some way to get back at them. [Stares down Mukuro]
Sonia: Sorry Junko, but we need to practice right now, so no more distractions.
Junko: Fine fine, guess we should probably step away then. Don't want Sayaka's underwear to be a distraction.
Kazuichi: Wait, Sayaka's going to be singing in her underwear?
Sayaka: Stop telling everyone that!
Mahiru: Hey, would you other teams keep it down.
Nekomaru: Yeah, Angie needs complete concentration to work!
Sayaka: Ugh, let's just give up already there's no way Miu's invention is going to work without me being utterly embarrassed.
Miu: It could if you could change faster.
Tsumugi: And how do you suppose we do that. Hide her from plain sight everytime you shoot her.
Himiko: Sounds like you could use a little magic then.
Rantaro: Hey, Himiko's back. You feeling better?
Junko: Oh Staci, I knew you wouldn't let your team down.
Himiko: Nyeh…I didn't really want to do it for you but I'd feel awfully ashamed if I could've helped and didn't. So what's going on?
Miu: Well Shimplette, Pop Princess here is going to be zapped by my clothes cannon. It'll make it easier to change into a new outfit, but she's worried about everyone seeing her pink little panties.
Himiko: So you need a distraction to allow you time to change, huh? Okay, I can do that, just follow my lead.
Sayaka: Oh Himiko thank you so much, you're a lifesaver!
Kazuichi: Great you have your act figured out; now can we please have some room to practice?
[Confessional]
Kazuichi: It took a little bit of creative thinking but with Hiyoko, Gundham and Mukuro we finally had an idea. Mukuro is going to throw knives around Hiyoko's dance while Gundham's hamsters do some tricks on the knives that get stuck in the backdrop. Pretty brilliant, right. I bet Miss Sonia thinks so!
[End]
Kazuichi: Hiyoko, are you ready to begin?
Hiyoko: I was born ready, dummy. This is my talent after all. [She begins dancing]
Kazuichi: Okay Mukuro, now aim carefully as not to hit Hiyoko and strike the backdrop with the knives.
Mukuro: Sure, no problem. [Starts throwing knives around Hiyoko]
Hiyoko: Eeee! [She jumps a little every time a knife whizzes past her, stabbing into the backdrop making little platforms]
Kazuichi: Alright Gundham, you're up!
Gundham: Hmph, while this may be a mockery of your power, for the good of our team do not disappoint me my Dark Devas of Destruction! To the left San-D. The right Maga-Z. Jum-P, the high one. And of course Cham-P, harness all your power and get to the low one there. [They each take a knife pedestal] Now switch it up! [They begin leaping from knife to knife timing it to Hiyoko's dance]
Kazuichi: Yes, this is working. Now Mukuro, just a few more knives to bring home the finale. Just aim true; you've got this.
Mukuro: Aim true, right…
[Confessional]
Mukuro: I'm supposed to play dirty, right? I've never been more confident in my accuracy…and yet.
[End]
Hiyoko: Just throw it already, my dance is almost over.
Mukuro: *deep breath* [she eyes a slit through the backdrop and sees Kaede and Makoto at the piano] HIYAH!!!
[The knife speeds past Hiyoko and she feels the motion] Hiyoko: Hey, watch where you're throwing you clumsy-
Sonia: Oh no, Octopi, watch out!
Ibuki: Harold, come on, it's just a simple pluck and strum like this.
Nagito: Like this [strums his bass guitar. Immediately a string breaks near the top and whips Makoto in the arm]
Makoto: Agh! [He falls from the piano bench in pain] What the heck was that for?!
[As he falls, the knife flies passed and ricochets off the piano]
Kaede: Woah! What the? Makoto, look out!
[The knife comes flying back towards the Rhinos]
Peko: I got this. [She take out her sword and deflects the knife away]
Yasuhiro: Watch where you're throwing that thing, you could've hurt someone.
Mukuro: Apologies, it must have hit a weak part of the backdrop. I'll be more careful nex-
???: AGGHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Peko: Uh oh…
Mahiru: My….my….my camera!!! [The knife finally came to a stop lodging itself directly into her camera lens]
Nekomaru: HEEEEYYY!!! What happened over here?
Mondo: Yeah, what the [bleep] did you just do?
Mukuro: Oh crap…
Kazuichi: L-listen it was an accident, alright. We just had a mishap with the knife throws.
Kaito: You took out one of our performers!
Mukuro: I deeply apologize. It won't happen again.
Byakuya: You're right it won't because you're sitting this one out now.
Mukuro: What?
Aoi: Byakuya, please it was an accident. Besides, we need her for this.
Byakuya: Do we? Every time we rely on this incompetent soldier we either come in last place or second to last place. You're clearly putting too much faith in her. I don't care if we are in the same class, she's only become a detriment to the team even more than the little loudmouth.
Hiyoko: Hey!
[Mukuro looks over to Junko who simply gives a dismissive smirk]
Sonia: Byakuya, we don't need to be so harsh. Maybe Mukuro just needs a little break, if we just-
Mukuro: No, it's fine. If you don't want me anymore, I won't try to help you guys. See you later.
Byakuya: Finally, the girl gets the memo.
Sonia: Mukuro please, you don't have to do this.
Leon: Well, that's just great, so now who do you expect to perform for our team?
Byakuya: Figure it out yourself, and stop relying on one person to solve all your problems. I bet the swordswoman could do just as well. She hasn't been pulling her weight that much.
Yasuhiro: Dude, you can't just call her fat like that!
Byakuya: How about it, Pekoyama? Knives are just like mini swords, right?
Peko: If this is really how you want this competition to go, I'll give it a shot.
Aoi: But just know if we lose, we're blaming you for this, Byakuya.
Byakuya: Typical peasants. Putting all your actions into your emotions rather than your logic.
Sonia: Byakuya, that is enough. Even I, as a woman of nobility, know this is not how you should treat your friends!
Byakuya: So the Princess finally has a backbone.
Sonia: That's right, and I intend to use it and not let my friends be bullied around by you.
Kazuichi: You tell him Miss Sonia!
Byakuya: Fine then bring back the soldier girl but you better hurry because your time is up.
Leon: What do you mean?
[Loudspeaker feedback]
Chris: Attention all campers. Your three hours of preparation are over! Please join us at the stage. Narwhals you're up first.
Peko: Looks like he's right. It's fine, I'll do my best. Just know we're not afraid of you.
Byakuya: The feelings are mutual.
[Confessional]
Sonia: Ooh, that Byakuya. First driving away Mukuro then thinking he can just boss us around. If I weren't trying to be so proper I'd call him a…call him… a [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] with a [bleep] [bleep] in his [bleep] [be-
[End]
To be continued

Background: I rescued my male fixed silver lab when he was 4 and now he’s 13. He’s never had health issues except some minor arthritis in his back which is fairly new and he had a non-cancerous cyst removed in October 2022. He used to be active, in-shape, and wasvery happy.
5 weeks ago he had a seizure and his tongue was blue. I immediately took him to the emergency vet and they diagnosed him with LarPar. My vet had a lab who had the tie-back surgery at the same age and was still happy and active. He had another seizure the same night has the first seizure. He got the surgery two days later.
He was prescribed gabapentin which made him loopy and not himself but he was only supposed to be on it for 2 weeks. He started pacing a lot at night so after his stitches were out so I started exercising him more thinking it could be anxiety. He was still pacing at night. He had a seizure last Monday night.
After that seizure he started going to the bathroom in the house, staring at walls, running into things, and he very out of it.
I asked my vet about this and he prescribed trazodone for anxiety. The pacing and accidents have stopped the last 2 days,l. He was acting like himself today just a little weaker, but around 6:30 tonight he’s back to being disoriented.
I’m hoping to get him into the vet next week, but I think he has Sundowners Syndrome. Could the seizure or surgery have caused this?
Any advice for helping him right now?

Thanks and Credits in the Comments Section due to LONG chapter.
Chapter 31: A Whale of a Tale and it’s All True
“IT’S FUCKING J-POD!”
Kalai watched in shock and awe as the two humans collectively lost their minds, hopping up and down and letting loose a series of high pitched vocalizing as she, Papa, and Mama Sakalbi stared in confusion at the two ecstatic aliens.
Andy turned and ran back to where Kalai and her parents were still staring in amazement and held his hand out, face alight and happier than she’d ever seen him before. “Binoculars! Quick! I want to see who’s out there!” Mama Sakalbi tentatively held them out, and he took them with a nod of thanks before rushing back to the bow. Kalai started as he jumped up on the bow and balanced against the roller horns to spot the black and white whales that were swimming fast towards the net.
“Eyes on Mama Shachi! Look, over there, see her?” Kalai approached cautiously as Andy pointed in the direction of a cluster of porpoising black shapes that were coming nearer.
“Eyes on! I got Grammie Slick out there too; the WHOLE POD’S HERE!” Jackie cut loose an undulating cry and waved her hands as little geysers of water and air shot out from the water on the other side of the net.
Kalai nearly jumped when a miniature version of the Orcas from the clone tank at Headquarters breached the water, leaping almost twice her height into the air before splashing back down in a massive wave.
“Look at that! Butterball’s getting some good air these days!” Andy crowed as he hopped back down from the bow and passed the binoculars to Jackie.
“Butterball?” Mama Sakalbi asked as she and Papa joined them. Kalai stared as the Orcas formed a line and charged at the middle of the ‘S’ bend in the net before diving down in front of it, sending a wave that pushed the corks back. She saw the spouts and the dorsal fins rise again for another charge at the net.
“He’s the baby, only about four years old. Grammie Slick’s taking the family hunting, see how they’re flattening the net out? We’re about to have a great fucking day!” Andy took Jackie’s shotgun and took it back to the cabin as Kalai and her parents crowded the rail.
“What are they doing?” Mama Sakalbi’s question was directed at Jackie and the woman turned to answer with a gigantic smile.
“Herding! See the ones circling around the net?” Jackie pointed to the two dorsal fins that were almost invisible in the fog that was starting to burn off in the morning sun that had started to clear the eastern mountains. “They’ll be starting to round up small schools of salmon once they’re done turning our net into a reef. Right now, they’re running along the line and probably seeing what they have to work with.”
Mama Sakalbi did a double take, “You must be joking, that level of intelligence would almost be-”
“Human?” Jackie interrupted with a smile, “Yeah, that’s our original teachers out there. We learned to fish from them.”
“I was going to say ‘sentient’, but I take your point. What I want to know is, what are they doing?” Mama Sakalbi gestured out at them, with a bewildered look on her face.
“They’re using the net as a sea wall. Thing is, the net’s hard to see in the water, but the fish can feel it. They’ll put their heads into the net, but that doesn’t catch them. They’ll try to swim around it so that’s why we put an ‘S’ bend. That’s where most of the fish get tangled.” Andy returned and picked up the explanation. “See in the center of the line? That fin with the black and white little checkmark behind it? That’s Grammie Slick, the Matriarch. She’s around sixty now, and grew up out here LONG before you all came down. They don’t always do this, but I guess with you all keeping the fishing fleets docked, she saw the net and wanted a big meal for the family. They’re going to keep pushing the net until it’s in the shape of a crescent and herd a bunch of small schools into a big baitball with pickets to keep the fish pinned in the middle. You watch, there’ll be salmon jumping all over in the middle as they school up.”
“That’s when you’ll see them charge up the center and take big old mouthfuls of salmon. It’ll be a smorgasbord for ‘em!” Jackie pulled up Andy’s omnipad and started recording.
“Wait, but you hate seals for competing with you for food, why are you this excited about Orcas who take so much more?” Papa asked as he also took out his omnipad and started recording as the pod of Orcas finished repositioning their net just as Andy described.
“Because they’re using the nets as a reef to trap the fish! See? Look! There they go! The wolves are out scaring every salmon in the area here!” Kalai dug her own omnipad out at Andy’s words and watched as the dorsal fins sank below the waves, with only a faint and fading wake to tell where they’d gone.
“Now watch ‘em set pickets! They’re going to start patrolling the outside of the net. When they get enough salmon in the middle, they’re going to charge. When they do, watch the entire middle section of our corks go under from the salmon trying to get away. They get whole heaping mouthfuls of food and we get a full net!”
Kalai watched the Orcas swimming in circles around the net like Helix Sharks, and felt a pang of fear seeing the big predators that seemed so gentle and inquisitive in the tank. “But what if they get caught in the net?”
Jackie suppressed a laugh before sweeping an arm out at the net. “I’ve never seen that happen before, and I haven’t even heard of it happening before… at least not here in the Salish Sea. All our Orcas grew up around these nets, so they’ll either avoid them or use them like they are right now.”
“I think it’s because they can see them and the fish can’t. Either way, we’re in for a show!” Andy patted Kalai on the back before pushing Kalai and Mama Sakalbi forward.
For a long while, the surface was calm, save for the circling Orcas as they all watched. Then, by degrees, there was movement on the surface of the water as fish the length of Kalai’s arm started to jump and kick in the baitball. Kalai watched, fascinated, as Orcas seemed to appear and disappear along the edges but never approached the middle of the net.
All the fins disappeared from the surface and an eerie stillness settled over the water. Suddenly, the water in the middle of the crescent erupted, with hundreds of fish shooting out of the water and a sudden surge that hit and pushed the corks outward before they sank completely out of sight. Jackie and Andy started vocalizing those strange undulating cries again, raising their fists in the air before shouting something in their language. From as best as Kalai could guess, it was encouragement as the Orcas started breaching and jumping. In those moments, Kalai could catch glimpses of their mouths full of salmon.
Kalai watched as the terrified fish swarmed towards the net, and watched as many seemed to jump over it and swim away as the Orcas gorged themselves on the enormous school of salmon they had trapped. It was an awe inspiring sight to see, and Kalai lost herself in the moment watching the amazing display of symbiotic hunting and fishing between them and the Orcas.
The engine of the boat turning over broke the spell they were all under as Andy moved the boat at a dead slow pace back towards the net. “Alright, let’s haul it in and reset for ‘em! Jackie! Get on the bow with the billhook!” Jackie whooped in agreement and gently pushed passed Kalai to grab a long pole with a small metal hook at the end.
“We’re gonna have to work fast. They’re hungry, and we all want salmon today,” Andy called over the sound of the engine as they approached the giant buoy that marked the end of the net. “Doc! Open that hatch back there and watch your step! Mrs. Vaida, stand clear in the cabin; I want no accidents today, and three on deck’s going to be a crowd with how many fish we’re going to be taking in. Kalai, I want you back in the-”
Kalai shook her head as she put her omnipad away. “I can do it! Let me help!” she was riding the high feeling of watching the Orcas, and seeing Andy and Jackie preparing to go to work while she was to be just a passenger galled her.
Kalai saw Andy give Jackie a look that she couldn’t quite interpret. “Alright, but you’ll work with me picking fish. Jackie, you’re on the Drum; trade places with me!”
Kalai saw Jackie huff and give Andy a piercing look as she handed off the billhook. “Watch out for jellies, they tend to explode,” the native woman muttered to Kalai as she took over at the net drum’s controls. Kalai was about to volunteer to grab the line with the hook, given her longer reach, but Andy had already leaned almost all the way over the side. Kalai had a momentary scare as Andy seemed to dip forward, seemingly in danger of falling overboard, until he seemed to almost levitate himself using his lower legs back into the boat and pulled the line over the roller horns. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do when Andy braced a foot against the side and began to pull on the line and feed it back towards Jackie.
“Way, haul away, we’ll hang and haul together! Way, haul away, haul away Joe!”
Though she didn’t understand the words, Kalai knew a sailing song when she heard one and didn’t wait for any instruction. She moved forward opposite Andy and lent a hand, pulling the heavy line in to the cadence of his chant. After two verses, Kalai heard the whine of hydraulics and the slack in the line behind them went taught.
“Stand back! Here we go!” Andy called to her and the line began pulling the net back aboard. Kalai looked back to see that Jackie had wrapped the line around the center pole of the drum, with the wheel turning to pull the line and net in out of the water. A small set of guide poles that moved when Jackie twitched the controls kept the line evenly distributed on the drum as the first corks and the dripping wet net began to appear out of the water.
“Put your hoods up!” Andy yelled at her over the noise of the machines, and demonstrated the motion. “It’ll keep the water, seaweed and Jellies out of your face and eyes, and take this!” Andy tossed her what appeared to be a handkerchief and he mimed the act of tying it around her face like a mask.
“What about you? You’re sleeveless!” Kalai’s voice was slightly muffled from the cloth as she tied it around her face before pulling up both hoods.
Andy didn’t respond, except to grin at her as he leaned out to watch the net coming up out of the water before it got pulled aboard.
From behind her, Kalai heard Jackie start singing another human sailing song. It was a bit fast paced, and Andy joined in for the chorus. On the third time she heard it, she joined in too.
“Blow ye winds in the mornin’, Blow ye winds, high ho! Haul away your running gear, And blow ye winds, high ho!”
“Coming up!” Andy shouted as there were several loud thunks before six large salmon appeared in the giant fluorescent green tangle of the net. The drum stopped, bringing the fish to a halt as Andy pulled on the corkline and scurried his hands back and forth, gathering the net up as he did until he reached the first fish. Kalai watched in awe as he seemed to magically pull the fish from the tangle and shake it out onto the deck. The second one seemed to be resting on top of the tangle and he flipped it over the corkline and shook the fish out onto the deck.
“Just watch these first few. When you get a feel for how I’m doing this, jump in. Until then, slide these beauties back towards the stern. Jackie’ll pitch ‘em into the hold.”
Kalai nodded and watched Andy’s movements intently. It looked like sorcery, with how fast he moved his hands and zeroed in on a fish. As soon as he was done, he’d whistle to Jackie, who kept singing the cadence out to pull more of the net in, only to stop when more fish were pulled up and over the horns.
The song changed twice before Kalai felt confident enough to jump in. She almost got tangled in the net herself trying to pull out her first fish, but Andy gave the net a quick tug and she was free again. Maddeningly, the fish had simply fallen out of the net without any help from her, and she fumed just long enough for Andy to point to one that was closer to her.
“Hoist up the thing, batten down the whatsit! What’s that thing spinning, somebody should stop it! Turn hard to Port! That’s not Port, NOW I GOT IT! Trust me, I’m in control!”
On the second refrain, Kalai managed to dig her first fish out and drop it to the deck. She let out a whoop, and Andy paused for a moment to give her a quick applause.
“That’s one, girl! There’s a thousand left if we’re lucky!” Jackie called out as Andy sang a verse and tackled another fish in the net.
“Keep an eye on the lead line; make sure it doesn’t go over the corks!” Andy called as Kalai ran down her second fish and was about to throw the excess net over the other side. She stopped, and Andy helped her get the fish without tangling the net.
It took until the end of the song for Kalai to find her rhythm, and soon she and Andy were running down fish in the net in a crisp and quick manner. Kalai felt like she could go faster, but Andy had cautioned her to keep pace with the songs, as there was still a lot of net to go. When Kalai spared a glance at the length of net still in the water, she saw that Andy wasn’t kidding. It looked like they hadn’t even really started to reel it all in. Ok, it’s hard work, but so is sailing, and he’s my size so I should be able to keep up with him. If he can do it, I can do it!
“Haul away you rollin’ kings! Heave away, Haul away! Haul away you’ll hear me sing, We’re bound for South Australia!”
Andy was impressed. Kalai had jumped in without complaint, and she was very coachable. He could feel himself start to flag as they were starting to come to the last third of the net, but Kalai’s persistence, even though she was sweatier and more haggard than he was, kept him going.
The pile of salmon was almost as deep as their calves, and the deck was getting slick with fish slime. For that matter, so was Andy. In a momentary lull in the fish coming over the horns, Andy caught a glimpse of himself shimmering with all the scales that had flown off the fish as they scraped against the net to hit the deck, flopping. He took a big gulp of air and Kalai groaned as she straightened up, cracking her back as she twisted and bent to relieve her aching muscles.
Andy groaned a bit and looked back towards the stern. It was getting hard to see over the amount of net they’d pulled back in, but he could see Doc and Mrs. Vaida doing their best to help throw and shove the piles of salmon into the hold. Everybody’s getting their hands dirty today. Andy smiled and heaved a happy sigh. This, this is what I want. Being out on the water and doing good, hard work.
“SHIT, JELLYFISH!” Kalai shouted as she twisted away to hide her face behind her rain slicker hood. Andy blinked just in time as a wet squelching sound sent a spray of disintegrating jellyfish exploding all over the bow as the net bunched up and got squeezed together.
Andy felt it splatter all over his arms, neck, and face, before he felt it start to slide down his shirt to his chest. Almost immediately, he started to feel the burn. His arms, neck, and chest he could stand, but the blossoming pain on his lips, eyelids, cheeks, and most horribly the inside of his nose overwhelmed all his conditioned pain tolerance.
“FUCK!” Andy screamed. “FUCKING FUCKER! RIGHT IN MY FUCKING FACE! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! FUCK!” Andy only barely avoided bringing his hands to his face. It was a hard fought thing to deny his instinct to try and scrape it off, but he felt his boots loose purchase and his feet slide out from under him. He hit the pile of fish that surrounded him hard. He was aware of Kalai yelling for her father and Mrs. Vaida, while Jackie’s braying laugh carried over everything else.
Andy felt Kalai trying to grab him, but her gloves were too slick to get a grip and all she did was spread the stingers more evenly over his arms. Andy kept his eyes squeezed shut as he heard Jackie start to direct the confused and panicking aliens.
“Hold your breath, cuz, vinegar incoming!”
Andy felt the bitter stinging splash as Jackie poured a steady stream of vinegar out from what he assumed was the giant jug he kept for these occasions underneath the little kitchenette in the cabin. Though nothing about the intensity of the burn changed, in the back of his mind, Andy knew that it was killing the stinging cells.
“Alright, Kally, take that bucket and fill it with seawater from over the side, then dump it on him.”
Andy sputtered a bit and spit as he scrabbled onto his knees. He steadied himself with one hand on the rail beside him and the other which found the corkline. He kept his eyes shut and growled as the burning spread from his hairline down to his navel. A sudden bracing splash of cold water nearly bowled him back over. Without warning, Andy hadn't had time to get a breath and he sputtered and yowled as the water soaked down under his rain gear.
Andy shook his head like a dog, whipping his braid back and forth before daring to open his eyes. “Son of a BITCH!” Andy growled as he got a look at Kalai holding an empty bucket, while Jackie was shoo’ing Mrs. Vaida and Dr. He’osforos away to give him some room.
“Jesus, quit your bawlin,’ you big baby, you’re acting like you’ve never been stung before!” Jackie called back to him as Andy ripped the gloves off his hands and plunged them over the side to clean off the stingers.
“It’s in my fucking nose you horse’s ass!” Andy shouted back as he splashed his face. A few strings of purple stingers fell into the water and Andy reared back aboard. “Ugh, get another bucket of seawater! I can still feel this shit!”
“Andrei, as a medical professional, I advise you to cease work and-”
Andy looked over as Dr. He’osforos spoke but waved him off mid sentence. “I appreciate it Doc, but I’ve had it far worse than this. There’s a brown and yellow bottle in one of the drawers under the bench that says ‘Motrin’. Get me the bottle or enough to tranq a cow, and I’ll go back to work just fine.”
Kalai let loose a piercing scream and Andy looked over just in time to see her rocketed herself backwards, dropping the bucket over the side. The Doctor caught his daughter before she fell into the hold, but he too had a look of fear plastered on his face. Andy and Jackie moved to the side to see what had scared her so badly, and the two of them couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Grammie Slick and two of her daughters were there, sticking their heads out of the water with their mouths open, while Butterball was playing with the bucket.
Jackie laughed and stuck her hand out, rubbing the Orca matriarch on the snout. “Raggedy Andy’s fine, Grammie Slick! He’s just milking it for sympathy from these gullible hwun’eetums!”
“What in the Balance of Nature is going on here?” Mrs. Vaida’s shocked voice caused Andy and Jackie to look at her as she stared dumbfounded at the Orcas that were gathering alongside the boat.
“Oh they’re just saying ‘hi.’” Andy shrugged with a smile, despite the burning.
“More like ‘What the hell, cousins, you still got fish to pick. Quit loafin’ around and get another set in!’”
“Jackie, Motrin… NOW!” Andy growled at her. Jackie blew a raspberry at him before diving into the cabin.
“They’re pretty friendly, if you’d like to be introduced,” Andy held out a hand and motioned for Kalai and her father to step forward. Andy dipped his hand in again to make sure it was clear of any stinging cells, before he gently guided the hesitant Kalai to stick her ungloved hand out toward Grammie Slick.
One of the daughters blew a spout before sliding back under water, but Grammie gave a few clicks before briefly touching Kalai’s outstretched hand. “Kalai, this is Grammie Slick, Matriarch of J-Pod. Grammie, this is Kalai… a purple hwun’eetum.” Andy laughed a bit at the look of incredulity on Kalai’s face and the concern on her father’s.
There was a series of shutter clicks from behind Andy, and he turned to see Sakalbi snapping pictures as fast as she could. Kalai was clearly torn between fear and wonder as she held perfectly still and silent for Grammie, who was letting her touch her before she slid back under the water herself. Andy laughed as several clicks and whistles from the pod reverberated through the hull of the boat and he leaned back in.
“Alright, break’s over,” Andy called as he caught the flying bottle of pills Jackie threw at him. He popped two and swallowed them dry before washing the gloves off and putting them on. The extra rinse would have to wait, and he’d have to tough it out until they got back to shore. His boots squelched as he picked his way through the fish on the deck to get back to his station and nodded for Jackie to restart the drum.
It was another twenty minutes before the last of the net was pulled aboard and they were able to clear away all the fish into the hold. Andy stuck his head in and smiled. In a single set, they’d filled three quarters of it, and they had more than enough fish for the gathering and to feed another ten to fifteen families besides. The spouts and the clicks of J-Pod hanging around the boat, however, told Andy that they wanted their reef back and were still hungry.
Andy ordered them to prep the net for another set and helmed his boat again, only to bomb out in a straight line and let J-Pod take care of the fishing from that point on. Once they’d finished, Andy moved the boat out of the Orcas’ way and stood outside the cabin with Jackie while the three aliens crowded the bow, watching and recording the whales going to work a second time.
“Ok, I think we might get a moment to talk,” Andy muttered to Jackie in Salishian. “New orders from the Council. There’s going to be a raid.”
Jackie sucked in a breath and looked at him, all levity gone. “Cambrians, Militia, or the Dummy Bunnies?”
“Militia and the Interior.”
Jackie whistled softly in surprise as her eyebrows shot up. “Really poking the bear, cuz… When and where?”
“Uncle Willy wants us to hit the Militia Supply Depot out by Tanner on Saturday,” Andy growled quietly as he watched Kalai pointing to Grammie Slick’s dorsal as she swam out on the picket around the net.
“You mean the one close to the Snoqualmish?”
“Yeah. Full raid, we’re to hit it and take any supplies, especially military, that we can and destroy what we can’t. The messier we can make it the better. We’ll meet up with the Resistance on the old Bessemer Logging road by Hancock Creek and they get half for taking the credit. Me and Chuck’ve been assigned to ‘lead’ you.” Andy nodded and tried to flick some of the fish scales off himself, but got nowhere.
Jackie sat down on the rail with a groan before looking back up at him with a smirk. “You mean babysit on overwatch while we do the real work.”
Andy pursed his numb lips together and considered the ramifications of folding his arms on the jellyfish burns that had started to go quiet thanks to the Motrin. “Grandma and the Council want me to ‘get my hands dirty.’” He gritted his teeth in frustration.
“What? I’m sorry, that sentence made zero sense.” Jackie shook her head like she’d just been slapped.
Andy couldn’t keep the frustration and anger out of his tone when he spoke. “Apparently there are doubts about my loyalty to the tribe and whether or not I’ve lost my way.”
Jackie huffed in amusement. “Everyone knows the Council’s fucking stupid, but this is a new level of dumb. You got us land back, you got them to allow you to break the rules to feed our people, they’re fixing the fuck ups on our waterways because of you and they think you’ve gone to the dark side?” Jackie started laughing at the nonsense of the politics.
“Last time we talked, you thought I was playing with fire and-” Andy started to throw back at her before she snorted loudly.
“Results talk, cuz. Three of our Hatcheries returned, and my whole family drawing good money in Imperial Credits? Fuck, even if you had sold out, we need more Clan Heads doing the same thing.” She smiled as she nodded towards their guests on the bow.
“They still don’t trust that I know what I’m doing,” Andy growled as he folded his arms unconsciously and immediately regretted it.
Jackie snorted. “Of course they don’t. You didn’t talk to them or get their permission first. Hell, I’m surprised your grandma didn’t chuck you out on your ear for even suggesting that you should work for the dummy bunnies.” Jackie stretched and hopped up and around Andy to grab a water bottle. “But it’s working out. There’s land being returned, money in our hands, and food about to be on our table. You’re doin’ what a Chief is supposed to do.”
Andy scoffed and started to object. “I’m no Chief-”
Jackie gave his shoulder a slap and grinned evilly as a starburst of pain and burning cut through the painkillers, shutting Andy up mid-protest. “You keep saying you aren’t, but that don’t make it true.” She resumed her seat as Andy fought the yowl of pain back so as not to give her the satisfaction. “I mean, case in point, what are you going to do with all these fish Grammie’s catching for us right now?”
Andy blinked a few times as he regained his composure and thought seriously about his answer. “We’ll pull fifteen for the gathering they got invited to… Then all the fish you can pack into the truck goes to the Exiles. The rest? I’ll call Chuck and get some folks from the Council to claim the rest and distribute it to the families that need it.”
Jackie deepened her voice and adopted a cowboy drawl. “He never eats until he sees the pots are full of meat in the lodges of the widows and orphans-”
“That’s Comanche Law, not Salish, and that’s from a John Wayne movie, you ass.” Andy huffed and Jackie giggled wickedly, flipped him off.
“Still haven’t refuted my point, cuz.” Jackie’s singsong voice caused Andy to glare spitefully at her, until she raised her hands defensively. “Alright, you’re not a Chief. So, Not Chief Tsu’titsi’uqw; you need to get your hands dirty and lead a raid. I’ll scrape up what we need and scout the target. You just meet up with us Saturday night at the Snoqualmish Casino and I’ll put a gun in your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll only get dirty enough to make the Council happy.”
“I’ll be a bit late; I’m escorting them to the Hwatcom Family Gathering on Friday.” Andy took a step back as Jackie stood up and twisted a bit to stretch out.
“No surprise there, grandpa’s an old school traditional Indian. They’re dummies, but they’re trying to do right by us, finally. Again, thanks to you, Chie-” Andy slapped the back of her head hard and growled at her, but she just started laughing, making him even madder.
“Alright, enough. Let’s get on the bow and not look like we’re sketchy Indians plotting to attack an Imperial fort.” Andy snarled, shoving her past him while she just kept laughing.
Andy stomped forward, aware of the wet sounds his boots made as he walked. Kalai turned and smiled at him as he moved to stand beside her and her father. “So how are they doing out there?”
“They just started their attack. This is fascinating! Their coordination, their ingenuity, and adaptation to human activity is astounding! I wish I had brought observation drones!” Sakalbi was glued to the binoculars and holding her omnipad up while she muttered observations into the speaker. Andy was content to watch as the pod put on a repeat performance and the net sagged again until they all came up and started swimming lazily around the net and the boat. All of them except Butterball and one of his older brothers. The two seemed to be getting into a jumping contest.
“He’s feeling a bit hyper. Must be nice to be full,” Jackie commented as the two whales took turns jumping out of the water and twisting in the air. Andy smiled and nodded and felt a hand go to his shoulder. He looked down and saw it was Kalai making eyes at him. Andy hid the grimace at the burn and gave her a wink.
“That one’s getting closer, should we be concerned?” Andy looked over at Dr. He’osforos and Kalai quickly moved her hand as they watched Butterball getting closer and closer with each jump.
Jackie hopped up and straddled the railing as Andy and Kalai shared a concerned look. Jackie hooked a hand around one of the roller horns and peered down into the water. “I don’t think so, I mean he knows we’re-”
The sudden appearance of a flying adolescent Orca only a scant few feet away from the boat right next to the lot of them cut Jackie off. Most of them only had enough time to watch the little playful bastard hang in the air for a moment before he twisted to almost shoulder punch the water as he came back down. Andy had just enough presence of mind to pull Kalai and her father down, and braced himself as the plume of water rose from where Butterball landed.
“Oh shi-” Andy heard Jackie say before water cascaded down on them and drenched them all, sending the boat rocking violently.
It took a moment for Andy to recover and he helped the two Shil back to their feet. “Quick check, is everyone alright?”
“HEY! WHAT THE HELL, BUTTERBALL! GRAMMIE! YOU HAVE A TALK WITH YOUR GRANDSON! HE’S GONNA GET SOMEONE KILLED ONE OF THESE DAYS!” Jackie screamed at the water, shaking her fist.
A camera shutter sounded and a dripping wet Mrs. Vaida stood, wide eyed in fear, staring out over the water.
Andy started laughing at the sight of his boss soaked to the bone, her hair and her fur a dripping mess. “That picture right there? You can title it: ‘Angry Native Woman Yells at Whale.’”
Kalai looked like she was on Krek’s doorstep. Akil’eas knelt next to her as he finished his examination and was looking over the readings on his omnipad. His daughter sat in front of the cabin on the little step, legs splayed out in front of her while she leaned against the railing on the side of the boat. Her father stood next to her as he finished a quick check of her vitals and her viral load.
“Unsurprisingly, you’re a bit elevated, but given your numbers over the last week, that’s saying that you’ve come back up to your normal levels.” Akil’eas had been worried. When they’d hauled in the net the second time, Kalai had stayed on the bow with the boy, Andy, while Akil’eas’d stood over the human woman’s shoulder and studied the controls.
Akil’ieas had also pitched in and helped fill the hold, but when he and Sakalbi could no longer stuff them in, they’d given up and stood out of the way. His old friend and colleague had spent the rest of the time recording, either the large predators that continued to circle and play around the boat, or the seemingly inefficient fishing practice of Andy and his people. No wonder he was so big, and his brother had been that strong. It beggared belief that their people worked at that backbreaking pace for so long, but there Andy stood, proud and tall at the end of it, while he and Sakalbi struggled to stay standing.
Akil’eas had to focus on keeping his hands from shaking and retrieved another water bottle for his exhausted daughter. Andy had them moving at a slow pace back towards a different harbor from the one they’d left that morning. They’d stopped briefly at the pier they’d started from to allow Jackie to disembark. The two humans packed all the fish that couldn’t fit in the hold up to Jackie’s truck and filled the bed of it without any help. She drove off with close to a hundred fish.
Now with the deck cleared, Andy told them they were on their way to the harbor most of his Band used. The trip had been slower going than the morning had been, but only because they were riding much lower in the water than they had been.
“King Triton’s farewell,” Kalai muttered looking up. Akil’eas followed his daughter’s gaze up to see a flock of white and gray seabirds calling out loudly as they kept pace with the boat as it headed towards the docks.
“It means work’s almost over. It’s a great sound, isn’t it?” Andy called out from the cabin where he sat at the helm.
Kalai shifted herself with great effort to look around the door to the cabin. “It sounds amazing.”
The smile Andy gave Kalai caused Akil’eas to have a pang of fatherly protectiveness, and only fatigue kept the scowl off his face. “Just wait, we’ll clean a few once we’ve off-loaded to the families. Fresh salmon tonight for everyone, and I’m cooking! Doc, we’d love to have you, too.”
“I’d love to but-”
Kalai grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Trust me, Papa, you don’t want to miss it.”
Akil’eas chewed his tongue for a moment, looking from Andy to Kalai. Sakalbi caught his eye and nodded emphatically. “Alright, if you’ll allow me to help. You must be exhausted.”
Andy beamed at Akil’eas, “You won’t hear me turn down free help.”
“Vaascon fellas don’t have no frills, Haul away, haul away! They’re plain and skinny as a lodthfish gill, And we’re bound away for Vaasconia!”
Kalai sat back and started singing between sips of water. Akil’eas sat down next to her and joined in the chorus for a Vaascon sailing song. It was strange to think that these humans also sang to their sea gods to placate them and coordinate the work. What else could you expect from a sailorman? Some things call to the soul across time and evidently even the gulf space and peoples.
“So heave him up my Turry Turry girls, Haul away, haul away! Heave him up and let the sails unfurl! And we’re bound away for Vaasconia!”
Andy’s voice joining in on the chorus startled Akil’eas and Kalai and they both turned to look back at him.
He gave them another wide grin, “I started learning some of the sail songs after Kalai told me about sailing on Shil.”
“Akil’eas, a word?” Sakalbi motioned with her head towards the bow and offered him a hand up. He followed her to the bow, leaving the two children singing together.
The harbor mouth was coming up fast, and between the noise of the engine and the net drum keeping them out of sight, there was some privacy. “I’ve heard some rumors about your feelings toward humans…” Sakalbi leaned against the railing, giving him the look that every teacher and professor had when questioning a belligerent student. When Akil’eas didn’t answer her, save to throw her back his own look, she continued. “Kalai is quite taken with Andy. It’s been quite a refreshing thing to see her come out of her shell.”
“It’s a vacation romance, nothing more.” Akil’eas felt his stomach clench and couldn’t stop himself from looking back.
“I don’t think so, Akil’eas. This is the first time I’ve seen her so on thorns and thistles around anyone, much less a male. She’s been very keen around him.” The smile she gave him was a bit galling, but he had to admit, he didn’t really know Kalai as well as Sakalbi and her spouses.
“He is… I’m sure he is a very nice young man, but as a fit consort for a soon to be Duchess? No, and I’ve yet to meet a human that is.” The thought of a human becoming the next Duke He’osforos was absurd. Sure there had been the occasional non-Shil Kho-liebhaberin or even the one Duke Aurar’ian He’osforos who was a Triki, but a human? “They’re far too individualistic and self centered to rise to the responsibilities of the Peerage.”
“That’s not exactly as large a sample size as you think it is, Leas. If you had Andy in your class, or on your crew, disregarding the fact that he’s human, what would your read on him be?”
Akil’eas locked his jaw and pursed his lips, defiantly. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Leas, you’re better than me at reading people, and I’m damn good at it.” He hated how Sakalbi’s eyes flashed and her right ear would twitch when she thought she had the upper hand in an argument. He huffed a sigh and decided to play her little game, just to humor her enough so that she’d drop the subject.
“Dependable, fastidious and competent, judging by the state of his equipment and his boat. Self sacrificing, diligent, hard working, given what I’ve observed today. He’s got a temper, but it takes a bit to get there, and he’s carrying some pretty heavy emotional scars.” He’d not seen very much of Andy, but the old Sailing Master and Professor in him started to come out and assess the boy just as he would any of his students or junior sailors.
“That’s my read, too. Doesn’t sound so individualistic and self-centered to me. Blighted Nature, Leas, from what I’ve learned about him and his people, he broke with several of their traditions and customs to help us. He’s stuck his neck out far further for us than we would have for him and his people, for no other reason than to try and save his homeland. Were he an Erbian on Myr or even back home in Vaasconia, there’d be Groom-War over his hand.”
Akil’eas was a bit piqued about her statement, “What about your daughter? Kalai made no secret about little Sitry mooning after him, and her disapproval of their courtship.”
“She thinks she’s in love, and it very well might be that she is, but Kalai’s disapproval should tell you what it tells me, given your own rather astute assessment of the man.”
“HEY DOC! TAKE THE WHEEL, I GOTTA DRUM US IN!” Andy’s voice cut their conversation short as Akil’eas turned to look back around the drum. Andy waved him back as he slowed their approach to come in. “Take us to Dock 5, straight back and to port.”
“Straight back and to larboard, aye!” Akil’eas rattled off as he traded places with Andy at the helm.
Kalai heaved herself up to stand as Andy grabbed a large leather circle and ran forward to jump up on the bow. As Akil’eas piloted the boat into the harbor and made the turn, he saw a large crowd of humans gathered on the pier and the shore. As soon as they were in sight, he watched as Andy, standing tall, began to drum a beat and vocalize, projecting his voice over the water to those on shore. Akil’eas sputtered a bit in surprise as he guided the boat slowly towards the open mooring.
“That’s their call. His family’s song lets the people on shore know who he is and that he’s friendly.” Kalai looked back at Akil’eas before moving inside the cabin to stand next to her father. “All the families know it, but only he is allowed to sing it. It’s their version of a family crest and coat of arms. Elder Hwatcom taught us about those. There’ll be a reply in a second granting us permission to come ashore.”
There was indeed a response of drumming and singing from the assembly of humans as many started to crowd forward carrying what appeared to be coolers. Andy reappeared and took the controls back and reversed to kill their forward momentum as Sakalbi threw out their mooring lines to the waiting humans. Andy killed the engine and moved quickly out of the cabin to speak in a language that Akil’eas did not recognize. There seemed to be a bit of confusion from those gathered on the dock, but Andy opened the hatch to show the hold full of fish.
“Don’t thank me, thank them. Sockeye and Kings to all comers, courtesy of the Vaidas and the Vaida Warren!” Andy shouted happily in Vatikre as he pulled two giant fish out by their gills and handed them off to the applauding humans.
Sakalbi managed to shoot Akil’eas a smug look before she plunged her hands into the mass of fish and began helping Andy hand them out to the people.
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Possible Late Post Due to Vacation. I will try to post on time, but it may be as late as 6/12/23

Even if it's a task interruption you yourself do.
I have a routine where I put all my meds and supplements out for the week every Sunday.
Last Sunday, I noticed I was getting low on some of my meds, so in the middle of putting everything out, I logged onto my healthcare chart where I can order my meds through. I went back to putting everything together.
However...I forgot to put in my mood stabiliser. This was completely unknowingly. It was an accident. It wasn't me attempting to go off meds because I thought I'd be better off without them.
Fast forward to this past Thursday and I just have no energy to do anything. Even getting through work was hard. Not to mention I was beyond frustrated because my stepdad had set up my ride to the point it completely disrupted my normal bedtime routine.
I only started feeling worse and worse between yesterday and today.
Well, a couple hours ago, I was talking to a friend (they're my mental health buddy) and then was hit with the realisation that something might be off with my meds. I checked my bedtime meds and, sure enough, I had forgotten to put my mood stabiliser in with them. My self-imposed task interruption had made me completely neglect one of my most important meds.
Like my mood has been absolutely abysmal without my mood stabiliser. No motivation, no energy, wanting to do things but just lacking any and all ability to do so, attention span coming and going...
Thankfully I realised my mistake so now I can rectify it and get back on my med. Hopefully I'll be perked back up in the next 2-3 days.

TL;DR: Speeding issue in my work's parking lot causing accidents and close calls and is a safety concern for customers and staff and I need help figuring out how to talk about it with the higher ups about maybe having speed bumps put in or another solution. The last paragraph is a bit more detailed on that bit.
​
Hey y'all, sorry this is a longer post. So one of two of my jobs is working at a fast food place. There's a drive thru and the parking lot kind of goes around the building as a one way. It's a decent size but you have to be on the ball when driving in it as it's always busy.
The issue is people will be speeding upwards of 60km/hr in the parking lot. That would be about 37mph for those that use mph. In town speed limits here are 50km/hr when not in a school zone. There have been accidents, close calls, people almost getting hit, and one instance of a guy going so fast turning into the drive-thru he took out the speaker for the other lane but that happened a month before I started.
I try not to be the person that's pissy about people speeding but c'mon, it's a parking lot and there are families going in and out all day. I try not to let it get to me but I've been having dreams about people getting hit and killed and people getting in accidents. I've thought about quitting but I need the money and the issue will persist even if I leave which I just keep thinking about the dreams I have.
Today was the final straw for me when I was out on my break and I watched this guy speed into the lot and almost take out a family with a baby that had been crossing to go into the building before he even pulled in. He had to swerve to avoid hitting them and almost hit a parked car.
I talked about it with some of my coworkers and they think it's a good idea, especially since we have to take out park orders and the speeding is a safety issue for us as well as the customers. I know it's not a simple task to get speed bumps.
So what would be the best way to bring this up to the main manager and the owners? They are very reasonable people so I know they will listen. Should I go in when not on shift or should I like write a letter? What should I say to them? Should I ask a couple coworkers to talk about it as well so there is different view points? I know it's a possibility it's already been talked about but maybe there's something else we could do or maybe see if it can happen now. Thanks in advance y'all