Tl;dr: Hold your self back from selling at all times, show empathy & understanding
Agree a lot, try hard to avoid disagreements!
Everything can be formed into a question
Let the client find the answers himself instead of telling
Focus on the pain he has without your product
Remember the last time you told a client something in a very clear way, and made sure they understood it?
Then later they cancel because they worry about the exact problem you made clear they understood your product will solve...
It's frustrating right?
But what if I told you it's your fault? "But I did everything perfect, and it worked so many times!"
Basically the customer lost focus of the pain his situation will produce and locked his focus on the pain your product will produce.
First of all, if you are frustrated you most likely lost the student perspective.
With most "no's" and cancelations I beg you to think of what you could've done better.
I am working purely on cancelations. People who we lost in the sales process and who don't want to come back. They discussed it and don't want another sales meeting, in fact they'd be bothered. But I manage to get them back by doing this:
Try to think of everything you could tell a customer as a question.
Let's do one of the hardest objections: "It's way overpriced!"

1. Hold yourself back 2. Imply you understand the client's feelings, and agree it's a big investment (reframed now) 3. Hold yourself back, the client is about to give you Intel why he feels that way. Otherwise ask how he compared the price and why he feels that way. 4. Hold yourself back, don't tell the customer why it's actually a good deal! Even if you think he is delusional, you will solve that at the end. 5. Find other issues: If you'd get your dream price, what else is holding you back? (often the client tells 1-3 reasons before he get's to the core issue, maybe he already bought somewhere else and you can end the call here, save time.) 6. Hold yourself back! Don't start to sell here, ask and find the actual motives. Finding the motive can be difficult, but you should know most motives. 7. Listen and validate the client's need in other words. Best would be words that solve the discrepancy between motive and decision to cancel. (So you want to save money and security?) 8. Show further understanding of the client's needs without giving the slightest idea of telling them you have a solution. • Example: "I understand how important security is in times like these, especially in a situation like yours with three kids and one on the way. I wouldn't know what to do either, I just have one kid and that wasn't easy to get my head around" ○ You are acknowledging the struggle of your client and ensure him that you are also not having all the answers. That way he listens better later when you give him advice later. He now feels like speaking to a person who also has interest in his situation and not just interest in commissions. ○ The deeper you go in here the more trust and openness to your ideas is build here! 9. The customer probably gives you more Intel why it's not easy to make such a decision. At this point you will address the pain of not making the decision for your product, but without mentioning it. What are the consequences he was afraid to have without your product? "It would be horror to sell the house/business because you can't afford it anymore..." • To go deeper and less pitchy: Compliment "It seems like a purposeful business, I wouldn't like to see that going down. It's a beautiful house and a tremendous task to manage a family, I wouldn't like that to happen" 10. Unsettle the client: Now we come closer to the sales part, still hold yourself back, ask don't tell! • Simple example, You are selling a house and the customer lives in rent "You told me you are afraid you can't afford university for your children in the future. So you are afraid of rising rents while house prices rise too and in ten years you don't have a choice anymore. From what you told me, I see you want to escape this situation to be able to afford a good life for your family. You have to have another idea in mind, what is it? " ○ Actually I don't and that's my struggle... • Now you have him! Now you can start selling and it can be in different roads here are some examples 11. Why are you not fixing this then with our solution? • From what I see we have a good solution for you but maybe what was presented to you doesn't fit. I checked the offer and wanted to ask if this is really what you need or want? Why did you ask for specifically that? • So price can't be it, tell me what your real worries are? • Now for example when you identified a false expectation e.g. by a wrong calculation it could go like this: 12. "Ok how did you come to these numbers" ○ Customer tells you and you see where he went wrong • "Okay, have you thought of this in your calculation?" ○ "No, oopsie" • "So can you tell me what you will invest in sum with our solution in comparison to your costs now?" • The point here is, let HIM come to the solution and don't just tell him. What we say we expect to be true. You can go fast or slow to this point but this is basically where you want to land. • He should want another meeting or presentation now without you telling him. At this point I often leave a big pause until I hear the customer say "Hey, I can we talk again sometime, I think you could help me with this." or he will ask for the close right there. Sometimes you will need to introduce the close, and the but best is if the customer is asking for the close himself. • Imagine it like having a date. Nobody is saying it, you say you have best ice cream at home and she will ask to try it. Even when you are at home, it's "Should we watch a movie?" Never "Do you want to hop on my D?" although both of you knew what will happen in the end of the date the entire time. • Other option: It can be that the client is not a good fit for your product and that he actually has no benefit. 

Notes: We are both 16
I know the title sounds bad, I completely get it. You would never want to call someone overly dramatic when they experience emotions. This is just tiring, she is constantly arguing with me over trivial things (I constantly agree of if you feel something thats enough to make it real). She got mad at me for asking her “are you gonna watch the Spiderman movie with julie (fake name). Her response was “Im hanging up” proceeds to go on a rant about how she hates being correlated with her friends and how she feels like im always relating them to her and I did ask her before but she has done things like go with her friends before when I’ve asked first. After that I sit there and validate every single feeling and its like 11:30 at night and i got home at 10 ish and argued at 10:20 I came home from a 9 hour shift as well so i was tired. After all of that me sitting there and just telling her she is right and i was being stupid she calls me and i tell her im sleepy and im gonna sleep so she hangs up on me very petty and i call her back and i just like in a really stern and aggressive voice i told her like “Why did you hang up? I always sit there and validate how you feel and you get upset that im tired after working all day?” She stayed quiet the whole time, I even like said hello and she just stayed quiet so I hang up. After i text her like why do you just stay quiet after all of that and she just says “im sorry” like 8 times and she spams calls me but at this point I just want to sleep. I answer her call, i ask her like why did she not respond and she says “i couldnt move, i just couldnt say anything to you, i was scared” I respond with “are you okay? like do you feel like i abuse you i feel as someone would only have this reaction if they were being abused” (In my head i literally am like what the hell I dont even yell at this girl let alone even touch her) she says “you were just being so mean and aggressive, so i just was so scared” what i do after that is talk to her in a more callming voice and im like “I dont yell at you yet its almost like you attribute me to being abusive, i dont call you names and i sit here all the time and listen to your feelings and just validate them” she just stays quiet and like she just starts bawling and crying a lot and i just im just lost at this point like its gotten nowhere and its already like 1 in the morning at this point and after she just like im sorry and im tired and like i love you goodnight i get pissed after this like said a petty comment and i shouldnt have said it but i said “all i wanted was to talk to you and look where we are” and she like starts bawling again and im just like im sorry and we go to sleep fast forward to like right now she is still upset we havent talk all morning and she is just like “im tired, my heart hurts, being in a call with you hurts me more” I ask is it about yesterday and she says yes and i go and say “ Oh if you would like to be alone i understand , you dont have to be in the call, im sorry if im bothering you at all” she says after this “idk what to do anymore, it hurts sm, like why can you love me but make me feel so horrible” I said “Im sorry i make you feel that way, i dont intend to make you feel that way at all, its okay to still be bothered by yesterday, there isn’t much to do, we talked about it and came up with the solution and talked about what we could do better, its just a matter of us moving on from the situation.” She just says after that “yea, do you want to watch a show” Like im just so confused like im horrible a person one second and she just wants to watch a show with me now?? please i need advice i really love this girl.
Edit She just sent me this “i just cant. i cant be with your presence and trying to be okay when im not okay at all. i cant ignore how i feel when im with you and its unfair to you so its better if im just alone. we didnt come up with solutions you did. what solutions. you are right half my problems are not real and last night was dumb, i just needed to be alone. i regret talking about how i feel with you and feeling that way cuz you just get annoyed. Like i dont feel safe when you get aggravated that way like i already been telling you how i feel that way and my anxiety. like i just want to be heared and i dont expect you to do that because you are human and have your own thoughts. i dont even feel human around you because it feel like your so mean to me. but it doesnt even matter. And i did acknowledge you trying. I dont know what to do i feel like shit rn like i wanted to die last night. snd we wake up feeling worse. like i understand how you got annoyed when i didnt reply to you when u called out my name like what else can i say i was hurt i couldnt talk like you dont understand how it felt. i was so helpless and scared. like why do you say you love me but your so mean and dont treat me oike a princess. i’m not even mad i just remember how i felt and it hurt so much. like this is all i have to say and i dont want you to reply like sorry if this is repetitive and makes no sense i’m just promising to protect myself and not cause myself to feel this way ever again” I dont understand this at all., she is saying all these things and i just dont know what to do like i want to hear her out but like i mjsut like i dotn know what to do “hopeless and scared” like idk thats just so foreign to me, i grew up in a really physical household and this to me is somethign i think only people with domestic violence..i dont even yell at her i just want to get better for her and me i just dont know where to draw the line i havent replied to her but she also said this
“my heart just feels broken and this may be over exaggerating thats just how i feel i think its cuz i put every ounce of trust with you and thats so unfair, and i apologize for everythjng”

"Name Lastname 1 Name Lastname 2 Name Lastname 3 and Name Lastname 4 as Character McCharacter"
Why is that?

Hello, I am looking for long term friendship. My name is Brandon and I am 29 years old. I live in the USA. Some of my hobbies are gaming, movies, tv shows, collecting and learning new things.

Trigger warnings: depression, emotional, mental and physical abuse, child abuse, abortions, suicide idealations and attempts.
Backstory: I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 13 years old, although some doctors believe I'd been having seizures since I was as young as 6 or 7. I was also diagnosed with manic depression/bipolar disorder when I was 16.
At 21 I gave birth to my first daughter, M. A little under two years later I had my second daughter, A. The first pregnancy wasn't easy and I had a lot of seizures during the course of the pregnancy. Many trips to the hospital to make sure baby was safe. But after I gave birth I jumped straight into motherhood. I lived roughly 4 hours away from my parents and struggled with feeling homesick frequently. I called my dad daily for parenting advice, to vent, to update him, and also to help subside that homesick feeling. Regardless though, I was a very attentive and active mom. I spent all of my time with M. She was my best friend. I LOVED being a mom and I was THRIVING. After M turned 1, I moved back "home" and moved back in with my parents. My second pregnancy was much the same. Uncomfortable pregnancy, many seizures. However with this pregnancy I had some complications that caused A to be born 10 weeks early. This caused A to spend the first several months of her life in the nicu and even had to have gastral intestinal surgery before she was even 4 months old. Due to my epilepsy I do not drive, but I did everything I could in my power to see my A as frequently and for as long as I could. Visiting hours were somewhat restricting though.
At some point in time I started displaying symptoms of postpartum depression that was heavily exasperated by my manic depression. I was at an all time low. The physical pain of a depression that immense had crippled me. I felt like I had concrete in my veins. Just getting up and going to the bathroom was an exhausting task. I spent most of my days sleeping as an escape from the pain and exhaustion. Thankfully I lived with my parents, my younger daughters father (J), and some of my sisters. I would say I had plenty of help and support, but a more accurate statement would be "the children were looked after". I on the other hand was mocked, teased and belittled at every opportunity. At the time I thought nothing of it. I thought "that's just how my family is" I was raised with the motto "the more I tease you, the more I love you". Before my dad knew I was pregnant (I kept it a secret for 18 weeks because J was pressuring me to get an unwanted abortion.) my dad pointed to my stomach one morning and said "you know, some situps would help with that" I was devastated, already feeling fat and disgusting, and went to my room to cry.
Without me even realizing it, the negative comments and belittling nature of my family took a toll on me and I was getting deeper and deeper into my depression without a light at the end of the tunnel. I HATED myself for not being able to get up and play with my children. I couldn't understand how I could be so active and attentive with M at that age but I just didn't have it in me for A. I felt like I'd failed her in so many ways. I tried my best to find solutions to the problem. Often times I'd try to find games to play with them that involved me lying or at least sitting on the couch. Puzzles, coloring, movies, cars. Anything low impact, but kids want to run and play and be active.. I felt like the worst mom of all times and I wasn't being told differently by those around me. In fact my greatest fears were being confirmed daily. One day I finally broke and had a full mental breakdown in front of my mom. I had confessed to my mom that I was having suicidal idealations. I knew deep down I didn't want to end my life, but I wanted the pain to stop. I couldn't breathe under the weight of my depression and I desperately needed help. I sat on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, confessing all of my deepest darkest thoughts and feelings at that time. My mom, in my opinion, brushed me off and said "well look into counseling or something" and then walked away, while I stayed sitting against our front door, crying my heart out. I felt devastated. All I wanted was a hug and some comfort but it was clear I was barking up the wrong tree. I got myself together, went upstairs, and went to sleep in order to escape the heartbreak and numb myself again. This entire timeline is a blur to me, so I'm not sure how much time passed between my melt down and this next conversation, but I feel like it was less than a week when my mom sat me down to have a conversation about the girls.
She suggested to me that my parents take temporary custody of the girls until I was able to "get on my feet". She kept pushing this narrative that it was what was best for the girls and their safety. She used my epilepsy as an excuse. Telling me that it was unsafe for the girls to be under my care when my epilepsy was so unpredictable. She also used my mental health, feeding into all of my fears and my own perceived shortcomings. A decent way into the conversation, my dad joined us. His whole demeanor radiated "this is a waste of my time. Just do what we say so I can go do other things" but maybe that was me reading too deeply into his behavior. Once he sat down it felt like my mom leaned even deeper into this narrative that they were clearly the better option for the girls wellbeing, but it would only be for a short time and that they were mainly concerned with the girls quality of life. I really struggled with what to do. I already felt like I was failing my children because I was so mentally and emotionally drained and detached. I didn't want to abandon them or lose them, but I also didn't want to harm them in the ways I had been harmed growing up. I figured my mom knew best because she had been in my shoes for all of my childhood. The vast majority of memories I have of my mom are of her sleeping on the couch, or raging out over the most minuscule things. I didn't want my children raised like that... So reluctantly, I agreed, truly believing I was doing a selfless thing and putting my children first. (This would later be used against me at every opportunity) I signed a piece of computer paper that my mom had scribbled an agreement on, stating that I was signing over temporary custody of my kids to my parents, with the understanding that I would get full custody back at an undisclosed time.
One day while I was down the road at a friend's house, my mom called me frantic, demanding I get home immediately. I rushed up to the house to find out that A's dad, J, had her wrapped in three blankets, in her car seat (it's the only place she would sleep). She was drenched in sweat (apparently new borns aren't supposed to sweat, especially not that much) and she was crying hysterically due to discomfort. J was irate, screaming at her and aggressively shaking the car seat. My mom said she heard him scream "shut the fck up or I'm going to *unalive you". She was under the impression that him and I were arguing again, and had come to break up the fight. (This always seemed odd to me seeing as how she never once intervened in our arguments before) When she realized I wasn't home and he was talking to A, she grabbed A and went downstairs. As she walked down the hall, j punched a hole in the wall near her head. He claimed he was "only trying to scare her" because she was "stealing his child from him" I was outraged and mortified. I tried multiple times to leave him and kick him out, but I had no support from my family. At one point I even resorted to packing up all of his belongings and throwing them out on the lawn. I'm not proud of that but I felt I had no other choice, and rushed to lock the doors when he went to get his things. My sister promptly unlocked the door and let him back in, claiming I was "acting psychotic" I felt trapped... But I had grown up around this behavior. My dad was an angry drunk and I had grown up believing that those behaviors were "passion" rather than aggression. So I accepted my fait and went on as if nothing had happened, certain that this would be the rest of my life.
One day when J was driving me to work we got into an argument and he repeatedly told me "your dad was right. You should do the world a favor and just unalive yourself. Everyone would be a lot happier" he kept repeating it over and over until I finally had it. He pulled up to a stop sign and I got out of the car and started walking down the road. He immediately started freaking out, begging me to get back in the car, using everything he could think of to manipulate me into getting back into the car. I finally caved and got back in. J dropped me off at work and as I got out of the car I told him "we're over. I'm breaking up with you". I closed the door before he could say a word and walked into work feeling like I was on cloud 9. It felt like all of my troubles had been wiped away. When I got inside, I told a friend what happened and explained that I didn't want to go home that night because I knew a guilt trip was waiting for me when I got there. I knew there would be an argument that would last hours and I would finally break due to exhaustion and would inevitably take him back. My coworker seemed to understand and let me stay at his house as long as I needed.
I called my mom and told her what had happened. I begged and pleaded with her to kick J out, but she refused. She was concerned that he'd try to take A if she kicked him out. I told her I was certain he wouldn't. He only ever cared about himself and his own self preservation. A baby would only make things harder for him and it was a responsibility and a role he didn't even want in the first place. I told her J had spent 18 weeks pressuring me to abort A and was evening willing to drive me out of state to get the procedure done, until I finally put my foot down and told him no, I was keeping my baby. I stayed away for 2 full weeks, the entire time begging and pleading with my family. Pointing out his abusive tendencies and his history with verbal and physical abuse and outbursts. My mom held her ground and refused to help me in any capacity. Every time M asked where I was, my mom would say "your mom's at work" rather than have her call me and talk to me. This created a lot of psychological trauma for M. She had severe seperstion anxiety, having panic attacks any time someone had to leave the house, convinced that if they left they'd never return. Still to this day she has abandonment issues as well as severe panic attacks.
After two weeks, I started coming over for visits but I never moved back in. During this time, J informed me that he was talking to another girl. He made it abundantly clear that she was 16. He was roughly 25 or 26 at the time. I later found out that they weren't talking. In fact, she had a boyfriend who was age appropriate, but J had been going and telling their entire friend group that they had been messing around together. I was then informed by my younger sibling L, that J had made advances on her that she quickly shut down. I think she was roughly 18 at the time. When this didn't pan out and J didn't get the reactions he expected from myself or L, he moved on. Years later I was told the same time xact story by both J and my oldest sister Al. "We had been hanging out, drinking, smoking. Ya know, the usual. And then well... Because I was so inebriated, they took advantage of me and we slept together" Knowing the both of them well enough, I knew it was consensual and they were just embarrassed and scared of my reaction. I laughed and told them they deserved one another.
As you can imagine, J's questionable life choices caught up with him and he was rejected from every friend group he had, to the point where he left the state and broke all contact with myself, and my family. It was a weight off my shoulders when he was finally gone. At that point I had gotten my own apartment but it was the first time I lived alone, paying my own bills, and I was not good at it. I was missing bill payments left and right. My power was shut off in the middle of winter and before long I was evicted. I was homeless and asked my parents if I could move home. They said no, that it would be too confusing for the girls if I moved back in with them. I ended up staying with friends on the couch in a one bedroom. It was extremely uncomfortable, but I had a roof over my head. When their lease was up, they invited me to get a new place with them. I agreed and I started learning about finances and how to be a functioning part of society.
My parents said I was welcome to visit the girls any time I wanted, but when I'd ask, it was a whole ordeal and guilt trip because they had to come pick me up and refused to bring my kids to my place. They said the car ride was too much for the girls to handle. Mind you, Ms dad B, still lives 4 hours away. My parents regularly drive both of my daughters up to see B and his parents whenever Bs parents request it. However, a 30 minute drive was asking far too much of such young and fragile children. When I argued that point they would use other excuses why they would not be bringing my children to see me. Once again I felt powerless and like a bad mom, being paraded by my parents for not being more active in my kids lives, but when I tried to make the effort it was scorned and met with negativity.
I self isolated for awhile, but still tried to be apart of my children's lives.
Over the years I've brought up the custody agreement, pointing out that it was supposed to only be temporary. I think my parents got frustrated with this because once the girls started school, my mom pressured me to sign over full custody, claiming it would make filling out paperwork a lot easier on my parents. But it was still only temporary, supposedly. Again, I continued to press for custody back and I would be met with argument after argument, bombarded with all of my shortcomings. On multiple occasions my mom told me "if you take custody of the girls back it will destroy mine and your father's marriage. Some days the girls are the only thing keeping us together" I was also told "if you take custody back it will literally kill your father. He won't survive." A year or so ago I told my mom we needed to go to therapy because I could not speak to her without a mediator. She finally agreed and we had two sessions. The first of which she cried her eyes out, telling the therapist that she's always done her absolute best for us kids and that we never appreciate anything she's done for us. She said "I took on the responsibility of raising two young children while she was out there f*cking anyone and everyone she wanted" mind you, during the time frame she was talking about, I had one intimate partner. When I confronted her about it outside of the session she said "I said that to highlight the poor life choices you were making at the time"
Fast-forward to now, A and I have a good relationship, but she's closest to my dad over everyone. M and I still have an incredibly tight bond though. She tells me everything. I'm her best friend.
The things she's been telling me the last couple of years are bringing up a lot of PTSD and trauma for me from my childhood. It's been opening my eyes to the level of mental abuse I suffered at the hands of my parents.
At this point you're probably thinking what I thought for most of my life. "This girl's mom sounds like a monster" It wasn't until recently that my father's facade was irreversibly shattered in my eyes. M had come to me and asked "what would you say if I asked to be called unisex name". I told her "I wouldn't say anything. I'd just call you by the name you chose. I love you no matter what I call you. I will always love you no matter what. There's nothing in this world that will change that, especially not a name." In time M came to me and said "how would you react if I told you I like girls" I said "the same way I reacted when you wanted to change your name. I will always accept, support and love you, no matter what"
She had gone to my mom with the same questions and my mom had roughly the same response. My dad on the other hand had a much more viseral response. When the name was brought up, he hit the roof, yelling "I'm not having another kid try and change their name. That's stupid. You have a name." (L changed their name when they were in school and my father always hated it and still refuses to call L by their chosen name) When the topic of sexual preference was broached he'd just roll his eyes, huff and act like M was being stupid and childish. As I touched up on previously, M has severe panic attacks. I can relate because I also suffer from them and they were extremely bad around the same age that M is now. From things M had told me in passing I'm under the impression that she was being bullied at school. Every morning was a struggle. She would beg my parents to let her stay home. If it was up to my mom, she'd get frustrated and give in, saying "whatever. Do whatever you want. You do anyway. None of you ever listen to me or respect anything I say" and M would go lie in bed and call me crying that she "upset nana" If it were my dad however, he'd yell at her to get her @$$ in the car and that he wasn't dealing with her $ht. She would have full fledged panic attacks in the car to which he would yell and scream at her to knock off the teenage bllsh*t and to suck it up. One day he even threatened to institutionalize her if this behavior continued. She called me, mid breakdown, telling me everything that had happened and asked me "what even does that mean? Is he gonna lock me up in a psych ward because I'm having panic attacks?" I assured her that no one was doing any such thing. I then called my parents and tore into them for treating her like that. My skin was crawling, I was so appalled at his behavior.
He tries his best to mask his negativity and what I consider to be narcissistic tendencies. He went from being an angry alcoholic to being a sober helpful part of the church he attends. I told my mom recently that I believe he swapped one addiction for another. He portrays this happy healthy life and family all over social media, showing my kids off to the people at his church, claiming they're his kids. So much so to the point that I had attended a few services and people thought I was their sister, not their mom, because my dad refuses to refer to them as his grandchildren. He's even taken it so far as to claim that he BIRTHED them. I don't know what level of psychosis it takes for a man to claim that he carried two children in his womb, but that's besides the point.
Also to Ms detriment, he will tease her about her weight, her eating habits, her sleeping habits. He will also make snide comments about LGBTQ+ related and adjacent topics.
L, had also suffered this same emotional and mental abuse for years from our dad and subsequently my mom who is too scared of my dad to stand up for her own beliefs. L finally made the difficult decision to go no contact for their mental health. This was extra difficult for them because that meant they had less access to their nieces and nephew, but they had to do what was best for their mental state and they took a step back. At one point my dad had brought L up, calling them by their dead name and misgendering them. When M corrected my dad he scoffed and said "people who change their names and gender are just people who weren't loved enough as a child" M responded with "k.." and went to her room to call me, explaining how incredibly offensive that statement was, especially seeing as how that's his own child. She said "who's fault is it if L wasn't loved enough as a child?" (She's extremely aware for her age)
I got a phone call from A one afternoon. She was crying and told me "I'm just sad because I'm never going to see L again because she abandoned us." I asked who told her that and she said "papa said dead name abandoned us because she doesn't care about the family anymore" I explained that none of that was true and that L missed them very much, and wanted to see them very much.
I spoke to L regularly about the situation at hand, being as supportive as possible while trying to stay out of the family drama. After months of distancing themselves from our parents, they came to me for help and guidance. They wanted to have dinner with our parents to try and mend their relationships. However they were scared of the response they would receive, so I offered to be the buffer and reach out on their behalf.
My mom's response was perfect. She said "I would love to have dinner with them. Tell me when and where" My dad's response was less ideal. He said "we would love to have dinner with her. If she's ready to respect our family and our beliefs we would be happy to have dinner with her" I lost it on him. I told him that I was sick and tired of his behavior. He puts on a holier than thou facade but he doesn't actually act very christ like in reality. I pointed out that when the prodigal son returned he wasn't met with "are you ready to ahere to our rules and regulations now? Are you prepared to act the way that we want you to? If you are then you can come home, but if not, get out" he was welcomed home with open arms, regardless of anything he had done or said. He replied with "I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't have responded to that text. I should've listened to that gut instinct"
I've gone no contact with him since that argument, but as you can imagine, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
On mother's day, my dad was out of town but my girls went to church with my mom. There was a guest speaker who had an extremely antitrans message. The way my mom explained it was "if your kid comes out as trans, you're a failure as a mom" I was dumbfounded to hear that they'd have a message like that at all, but especially on mother's day, shaming parents, but specifically mom's, into rejecting their children's self identification, as if one person has control over another person's identity. M told me she didn't ever want to go back. I told her I understood and I'd do my best to make sure she didn't have to.
Today is my birthday and my girls are coming over. M texted me this morning saying "I'm getting ready for church. I was told that if I wanted to go to my mom's house, I had to go to church first" This used to be a place that she felt safe and happy in and now it's become a place of contention for her. She'll ask my mom if she can stay home (never my dad) and although my mom usually caves and lets her stay home, it's always with some stipulation.
My dad is a controlling, manipulative, homophobic, close minded fraud of a Christian who is emotionally and mentally harming and abusing my children, and my mom isn't much safer for either of them, always siding with my dad out of fear and exhaustion.
I desperately want to remove them from this situation and regain full custody but I don't know where to start. I work two jobs in order to make ends meet. I'm behind on my rent. I have to take buses and Ubers everywhere I go. I have a very small two bedroom apartment (the girls each have their own rooms at my parents house). They have friends and a sense of community where they are, with a nice sized backyard, a trampoline, two of my three siblings are close by so they get to see their cousins daily. I don't want to rip them away from the only home they've known for years. I don't want to uproot them and disrupt the little amount of structure they do have. I don't even know how I would manage two jobs as well as a 10 and a 12 year old, but I also don't want to leave them in this toxic suffocating and damaging environment when all along I thought it was a better and safer environment for them than what I had to offer.
I feel like I'm still brainwashed to some extent by my parents, second guessing my abilities as a mom. Telling myself I'm not capable of the things I need to do for these girls. I'm at a loss for what to do at this point. Do I fight for custody back? Do I leave them as they are? Do I continue to try and advocate for them even though it either falls on deaf ears or makes matters so much worse, because that frustration is then taken out on my kids?

Hey Swap! Rounding out the weekend with some good ones up for grabs.
Timestamps
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Spartan Harsey SHF “Spartan Babe” - Full size Spartan Harsey SHF in the discontinued "Spartan Babe" special edition. 3.95” S45VN blade. Etched and ano’d titanium framelock. 8.9” overall length. Prior owner reported to have never cut, never carried, and neither have I. Somehow got light scuff on show side pivot and a small mark on the clip. I was going to mod this knife but can’t bring myself to strip such beautiful ano. Comes with box. SV: $450
Chaves 229 Redencion "Lee Williams Kickstop" PVD - This knife is a sold out eknives exclusive Chaves 229 Redencion with the Lee Williams kickstop disappearing flipper tab. 3.6" PVD drop point blade. PVD titanium handles. Framelock. 8.2" overall length. Bright orange peel finished clip. Reate production. Bought as LNIB from original owner and I haven't cut or carried. No blemishes of note to my eye. Satisfying snappy action and unique closing action sounds with the kickstop flipper mechanism. Comes with box and normal clip. Love this knife and not pushed to sell it, but would trade it for a "silver bullet" version, so if anyone is looking to trade a Chaves 229 Redencion Kickstop Silver Bullet, please send me a chat/PM. SV/TV: $400
Terrain 365 / PDW Invictus-AT Titanium - Collaboration between Terrain 365 and Prometheus Design Werx. 3.5” Terravantium rust-proof blade. 8.125” overall length. Milled titanium scales. Framelock. Ceramic bearings. Titanium hardware. Thumbstuds glow in the dark. Prior owner cut and carried lightly, and had the scales modded with a heavy matte stonewash that adds some nice grip. I have not cut or carried. Comes with box, pouch, oil, cards. SV: $250
WingmanEDC Jett - Dustin Turpin design. 3.5" M390 tanto blade frosted satin with hand satin flats. Titanium handle. 7.625" OAL. Bought from original owner as never cut, never carried, and I haven't either. Serial #10. Comes with pouch, box, dog tag COA, and pivot tool. SV: $250
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Prefer to sell but will consider trades.
*Trade Interests\*: SOC JCape V4 (satin), TW Price Dawn V2, Bradley Marais Vector (full ti harpoon tanto), Laconico Revel, Holt Specter, SBD Evo Typhoon (embossed or aspirated Ti), Arcane Design Anti-Matter, Rob Carter fullsize BBM, Chaves 229 (silver bullet, kickstop, modded, etc), large CRKs with inlays. Open to others. Prefer LNIB or very close to it.
Payment via Paypal FF, Venmo, or Zelle
Please comment on the post before sending chat/PM. If I don't reply to your chat please resend via PM, my chat has been a bit weird lately.
Yolo >
Thanks!

Will AI really take over the world? - Some thoughts, comparisons to tv, movies and real life!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8UyKJM8Ac

Hi everyone.
To Kill a Predator is a work of fan fiction set in the Nature of Predators universe originally created by SpacePaladin15 whose Patreon you should subscribe to.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Depiction does not equal endorsement.
Hope you enjoy it!
[First] [Previous]
---
Memory transcription subject: Martin Russo, Human Refugee
Date [standardized human time]: November 30th, 2136
​
“Wait”. The voice is so sudden I don’t even realize it’s my own at first.
Mosun looks up at me, confused. I’m confused too. Thiva’s right in there. I want to storm in, but there’s something wrong, there’s
A recording of a crying baby
I shake my head and step back, motioning for him to follow me.
Another scream echoes through the hall. Mosun swallows, but lets go of the handle.
Think. You’re in charge of a bunch of terrorists all gung-ho to go Helter Skelter on humanity. You’re a sadistic alien psychopath. You mutilate animals. You keep trophies. You don’t give a damn about your sister. You kill humans. Your tools for that are firebombs that go off when they open doors, and recordings of vulnerable things in distress.
But why here? Why set the trap here? Taking her to a second location makes more sense. Why your base, or this close to it? Why are you luring the human here?
It’s not because he’s here too soon. You expected the warpath right away. You know their empathy and protective instincts overrides their rationality. You might not have expected him to gather a posse, but you know the humans are social animals. You had to know it was a possibility.
So why… Here…
Mosun whispers. “Martin, what’s the matter? Why aren’t we going in?”
There’s something I’m missing. Think. Think! You were happy to get the first human kills while you weren’t even in the area. You might’ve placed the traps or had your mooks do it but either way you were fine with being absent when they went off. Why is this time different?
It’s because the humans were gathered in one place, isn’t it? The fire wasn’t about killing us. It was about scattering us and leaving us solitary enough to hunt. Or maybe... Maybe it didn’t satisfy, didn’t scratch that itch. No trophies, no mutilations.
Because you are a predator. An ambush predator. You want to be close to the trap, like a spider. You want to look the human in the eyes as he dies, and take something to remember the kill by.
You’re here, somewhere.
​
I swallow, and look at the door. It slides open, like almost all Venlil doors.
Alright, time to Human.
I take the strap to my rifle, and gingerly unsling it from the weapon. I grab one of my last zip ties and loop it around the handle, and in the buckle of the strap.
Mosun flicks his ear in a Venlil-esque sign for understanding and agreement at once, and moves down the hallway. I follow him.
The strap and zip-tie together are perhaps two meters in length, so with a bit of an annoyed grunt I take off my belt and add that to the makeshift rope. That gives me a little under a meter extra.
I hand the rifle to Mosun, and hold a hand up to him while clutching the rope in the other.
Three. Two. One.
I close my eyes and turn away in one single motion, tugging at the door handle. As soon as the door parts from the frame there’s a blast, sending me and Mosun to the ground. The air stinks of wood-pulp, smoke, and dust.
Jesus Christ!!
My ears are ringing as I get on my unsteady feet and grasp the rifle from Mosun, stumbling my way to the ruined doorway and peering inside.
The room is empty but for shrapnel and debris and a cloud of dust. None of it looks like it was alive.
Oh thank God, the bastards weren’t using live bait.
With the high-pitched ringing slowly subsiding I take a few steps down the hall, before falling to one knee from disorientation.
I don’t hear the Exterminator storm up the stairs. But I see them just fine.
​
The visor’s reflective. The armor’s bulky. The flamethrower’s lit.
With Mosun behind me in the small hallway, there’s nowhere to run. No time to think.
This isn’t aiming at someone’s back, or a sleeping and prone body. I don’t have time to hesitate, so I don’t.
I start shooting from the hip and raise the gun to my shoulder while firing. The weapon jumps in my hand with each pull of the trigger, and from my awkward stance I have quantity stand in for quality. Wood splinters fly from the wall behind the Exterminator, who jerks as some of the shots strike true.
After swaying for a second and losing their grip on their flamethrower, they tumble right down the stairs. The weapon clatters down after them, connected to their fuel tank.
I get to my feet and try to rush over to the stairs. I slam into the wall for my trouble, but get my bearings and raise the rifle.
The Exterminator’s laying prone at the foot of the stairs. They stir weakly and move a paw toward their weapon.
I fire another salvo of rounds. The sound echoes and makes my ears hurt even worse than the blast already did. The Exterminator jerks a couple of times, lets out a shuddering breath, and then goes still.
They’re dead. This is it. I killed someone.
I expect it to hit me like a sledgehammer. I expect to end up doubled over, hurling my guts out. That’s what you always see in the movies.
Instead my response is as anticlimactic as the killing itself: I just hope it was Renak.
​
I feel Mosun’s hand on my back. He speaks with quiet sympathy. “…Are you alright?”
I sigh slowly. “Yeah… Yeah. Predator, remember?”
Some of his usual energy creeps back into his voice. “Oh, I see how it is. You get to say it.”
We head down the stairs while I fiddle with my makeshift rope to restore my belt and rifle sling to their proper places. The sling needs to be tied into a knot to be put to use, as the buckle is beyond saving. “Yeah. I’m sure I’ll break down later, but for now we have a- MOVE!!”
I see a cylinder about half the size of a Pringles can roll into the room, and push Mosun forcibly into the kitchen. To his credit he doesn’t question it, instead lunging past me.
Instead of a pipe bomb blast as I had feared, the grenade starts leaking thick white smoke.
They don’t have CS gas and that thing looked homemade. So probably phosphorous.
I look around the kitchen desperately before finding a salad bowl in the dishes. I immediately turn the faucet to full blast to fill the bowl with water while the hissing grenade spreads its noxious fumes. I can start to smell and taste the acrid, garlic-like stench. My body starts coughing, my eyes watering and lungs itching.
Yeah. Phosphorous. Fuck.
Mosun coughs a few times and tries to cover his mouth with his arm. “What are you d-doing?!”
As soon as there’s enough water in the bowl, I turn around and lunge at the grenade. Using an awkward double-handed dunking motion, I trust centripetal force to make it work as I flip the water-filled bowl and slam it down around the grenade.
There’s a mess of sloshing, and a lot of hissing, but no more gas escapes. Water slowly starts to leak out from the bowl’s edges, but by the time it’s done it’ll have stopped the reaction.
“Mosun, w-wash your… Oh FUCK OFF!!”
Halfway through my statement I see another Exterminator enter the room. They step over their fellow’s body without a glance and raise their flamethrower toward us.
I raise my rifle in turn and begin firing: three shots in rapid succession.
Before I’ve had time to adjust my aim they’ve already disappeared from view down the hallway beside the stairs, long tail visible for a split second before vanishing. I’ve never seen a Venlil move as sinuously and quickly as that.
​
I cough a couple of times and wipe my eyes. It doesn’t help. When Mosun appears with a glass of water however, I can dump it directly onto my face. My stinging eyes cry out with relief.
After just a few seconds of exposure to the gas, I’d love a date with an eyewash station. But it’ll have to wait.
Mosun takes the lead wordlessly, motioning with a paw for me to follow. So I do, stepping over my kill in the process. Unlike the Exterminator, I can’t help but look down at it.
There’s so much less blood than I expected.
As Mosun rounds the corner into the next room, he’s forced into an awkward duck against the doorway as a stun rod swishes through the air. He kicks out at the assailant with a growl, and lunges forward into the other room.
I follow as quickly as I can.
In the living room, the two are already locked in a brawl. Mosun’s shorter than the Exterminator, and has less range.
I make a guess and try to distract them. If the Yotul gives me some distance I can shoot. “Renak!”
The Exterminator freezes for a split second, and Mosun gets a good kick in.
Guess that’s you then, motherfucker.
Renak rolls with the kick and manages to get Mosun’s leg caught in his arm. The stun rod swings down, and Mosun’s forced to block it with his arm. The electricity courses through him and he gasps out, dropping to a knee.
Without a good angle, I drop the rifle and trust my sling to keep it from hitting the ground. Instead I charge in to join the fray.
​
With a wild and poorly planned left hook, I manage to get Renak to take a single step back. Enough for Mosun to rise to unsteady legs. The little badass weaves a few times as he moves into an elegant-looking stance. “Ambush, ambush, ambush. You only know the one trick, huh?”
In response, Renak drops into his own stance. The stun rod’s held in one paw, high near his shoulder. The other paw’s held outward in a warding gesture.
Feeling left out, I get into a boxer’s stance. Though all this excitement’s making the wounds on my right arm ache and act up.
The three of us are still for a moment. “…There’s just you left, Renak. Your terrorist group’s done for.” Technically there’s one other Exterminator left unaccounted for. But I don’t see a reason to tell him that.
He tilts his head toward me for a second. I see myself reflected in the visor.
Mosun’s the first to move, lunging in low. I charge in right after. Renak doesn’t step back, instead swinging the rod down.
Mosun leans back so far he’s almost prone, using his tail and one arm as leverage to kick up at Renak’s arm and stop the descending blow. The movement is beautiful, and wouldn’t look out of place in some sort of Capoeira. By all rights it should break the arm, but the heavy Exterminator armor takes most of the force.
I come in with my own simple straight punch with my left, but I overextend and Renak swats it aside sharply with his own free arm. Instead of relenting, I jab with my right. I catch him on the shoulder and do little damage.
Renak shifts his stance and raises his baton to swing it downward at me. Mosun moves to intercept, but Renak’s leg lashes out and catches Mosun’s knee from the side. The swing that was coming my way turns into a descending thrust at the Yotul, who gets the baton jabbed straight into his torso.
Mosun’s shriek fills the room as he thrashes under the coruscating electrical blow, and I strike Renak with everything I’ve got in a desperate and unrefined haymaker.
I catch the bastard right in the visor and hear a loud sound. It hurts. Renak staggers back with a yelp, dropping the stun rod, and turns to look squarely at me. I’ve cracked his visor, and probably broken a finger or two in the bargain.
I stare for the length of a breath at the cracks in the reflective surface, seeing my own rage reflected in a dozen fractured images.
​
Renak calmly reaches behind him and pulls out his sidearm. He doesn’t even glance aside as he extends his arm and puts two bullets into Mosun. The gunshots echo in the enclosed space.
“NO!!” I hear myself shouting as I fumble for my rifle. Renak turns his arm toward me and fires again. I hear the crack and a whistle as a bullet flies right past my head.
A second bullet whizzes past and strikes the door frame, tumbling past with a ricochet whine. It missed only because I’m falling to one knee.
With my own rifle raised, I return fire. We’re firing at each other from mere feet away. I fire three times. I miss the first shot, but the second hits him in the thigh. The third takes him in the side somewhere.
He’s spun around, but empties the gun in my direction as he staggers into a dash out of the room, toward the basement.
It’s only when I rise to my feet that I realize I’ve been shot too. My left leg burns, and can’t carry my weight. I awkwardly hop over to Mosun and kneel to investigate his wounds.
​
His collarbone’s been shattered by one bullet. Another has caught him on the inside of the shoulder. I don’t know Yotul anatomy, but I’m guessing if it’s caught a lung or an artery he’s in real trouble. “Come on, you can’t leave me alone here; you’re the only one I can talk to.”
He takes a slow breath and doesn’t even bother trying to get up. He simply looks at me and plainly says “Ow.”
I can breathe again. The wound’s leaking, but not spurting. Oh thank God.
“Christ, okay, we gotta get you out of here. I don’t think it’s immediately fatal, but the blood loss is gonna get you if we don’t stop it.”
“Later. Get him, then help.”
I shake my head. “I can’t just-”
He swats at me with his good arm. “Not safe to extract. And still need the girl.”
I look around and end up taking a blanket folded over the couch and handing it to him. “Press this into the wounds, as hard as you can. I’ll be back.”
“Y-You better be. I’ll be upset if you m-make me walk back to the truck on my own.”
I get up and grasp my rifle, and limp my way after Renak.
Unless he’s got another ambush planned in the basement, Thiva is his last chance. And the bastard knows it.
​
I make my way down the basement steps, but it’s slow going. I have to use my injured right arm to brace myself, holding the rifle ahead with the left. My adrenaline’s starting to go down enough that the leg is starting to really hurt. So’s my left hand.
At the foot of the stairs, Renak’s discarded the helmet. The room contains several boxes of explosives, and flamethrowers.
Their weapons stores. Great.
In the middle of the room there’s a chair. Bound to it is Thiva. She’s got cuts and bruises over her body, and her beautiful fur is matted orange all over.
Behind her stands Renak. He’s got a knife to her throat.
I raise the rifle and stare right at Renak. “Let the girl go.”
Thiva gasps out as she sees me. “Martin!” She tries to lean forward, but the blade presses harder into her neck and she shrinks back into the chair.
Renak stares back at me, head-on and with both eyes. When he speaks, his voice is emotionless and without inflection. He sounds bored. “Move a muscle, predator, and Thiva dies.”
I look at my friend. She looks terrified. “Hey Thiva, don’t worry. I’m here. Everything’s gonna be fine. Alright?”
She gives the tiniest nod.
Renak growls. “Look at me, predator.”
My eyes shift back to his again. They’re dull and empty. Just black beads of glass set into his face. It’s like looking at a machine. A complex structure, but no soul animating it.
My leg is trembling, and I feel hot and sticky blood running down it. “You don’t need the girl. You can just let her go, and we can leave, and nobody else needs to die.”
He blinks slowly. “My sister is better off dead than as a predator’s mate. If I can’t save her body from you, I can save her honor.” To emphasize his point, he lets the knife dig further into her throat. I see some orange running down it, and the fur beneath Thiva’s eyes are damp with tears.
My breathing is heavy, and my aim is shaky. “I stormed a terrorist compound to get this far. I’m not leaving without her. You can have her over my dead body.”
​
He stares silently for a moment. “Fair enough.”
He raises his other arm toward me with a smooth and mechanical motion. His sidearm is in it.
I pull the trigger.
The bullet takes him in the head. With his strings cut, he drops in a heap.
​
I drop the rifle and rush forward to undo Thiva’s bindings. As soon as I do, her arms fly around me painfully tightly. I return the hug as best I can.
“Thiva, listen to me. Can you walk?”
She gets up and winces, but nods. “Y-yeah.”
“Okay, good. There’s a Yotul upstairs named Mosun. He needs immediate medical attention. We’ve got a truck waiting, we’re gonna head up and get both of you out there.”
One of her eyes suddenly moves up and stares behind me. I turn in place.
Vansi’s standing in stairway, taking in the scene.
“Thiva… Go. Now. Now!” I rise to my feet and put a hand on her back, walking alongside her for a few steps before she rushes the rest of the way past her mother and up the stairs.
Vansi doesn’t move to stop her. She just stares at the crumpled corpse behind us.
It’s only after I take another step that her eyes snap to me with fury.
And I realize my rifle’s right at her feet.
​
She snatches it up into trembling paws and aims it right at me.
“Vansi, listen, I-”
The weapon goes off.
I fall to my knees. My hands reach my stomach and feel sticky and wet.
She pulls the trigger again, and it clicks dry. She pulls another few times, but it’s empty.
​
I rise to my feet and try to lunge past her. But she simply swings the empty rifle at me. It hits my wounded stomach, and I fall to my side. She swings it down on me several more times, snarling and cursing, until the weapon breaks enough that she simply tosses what’s left aside.
It hurts. Jesus Christ it hurts so fucking bad.
I try to think of a way out of this as she staggers past me toward her son. I try to get to my feet again, but fail. I drag myself to the wall, and use it to pull myself up bit by bit. I limp along the wall, smearing trails of my own blood with my hands as I go.
I’m almost at the stairs when I hear an inarticulate scream and feel agony blooming out from my right side. I look down and see the knife, in Vansi’s paws.
Fuck.
​
I collapse on the ground and try to fend her off with my hands. She stabs me straight through the palm of my right hand, then stabs twice more at my left arm and shoulder. My left arm doesn’t respond to my signals, simply flopping down limply.
With only one chance left, I punch her with my right. Again and again, while she stabs at my torso.
There’s a cold math to blood loss. The more you lose, the weaker you get.
‘So you see, that's how I am going to die.’
Each of my blows does less than the last. My hands and feet feel ice cold, while my chest burns.
‘I'll sneeze in the sunlight, or turn my head a bit too fast when someone wants my attention from my blind spot’
Before long I can’t fight back. I simply lay still and hear my flesh tearing and Vansi screaming in my ears.
‘or show happiness with a smile or a laugh’
I can’t lift a finger or even turn my head as Vansi staggers off of me. My shallow breaths are agony, and I can feel one of my lungs has collapsed.
‘or god forbid I might try to save a life again.’
She returns with something else in her hands. I close my eyes.
‘And then someone like your son will show up and burn me alive for it.’
/// ERROR /// Memory transcription fragmented /// Subject no longer conscious.
---
[First] [Previous]

In my attempt to not make this much of a read, hi! I'm a 6'1, hispanic guy living in New York city that's been through quite a lot of ups (being able to meet a lot of people through here in person, some of whom I had wonderful relationships, both romantic and friendly with) and downs (poorly timed ambition with covid getting in the way in the timing that it did), and well, I feel like I'm in a place in my life where I've finally got everything I want (in the way of a job, a roof over my head with space to share) except for someone consistent to share my time and space with. This is where I turn to you, the reader, to see if you can help me on my quest to solve the task at hand.
I'm here, like many of those who browse through in my experience of reading posts trying to find my own, am looking for someone who wants to create something simple. Whether that's a relationship (my ideal goal), consistent conversation with potential to have it lead towards a greater goal, or just someone honest to spend my days with getting to know, because while I'm happy to be employed, doing it from home with no one to talk to throughout the day sucks. hard.
Here's a few things about me to see if you think we'd click (and before you continue, if you want to see one, there's pictures of me on my profile!):
Interests: Sports (basketball's a favorite, but I enjoy many), chess, world of warcraft, shows (both irl and TV/anime), traveling (been dying to have a reason to take a vacation after living in WA in 2020), fitness (via the gym or outdoor activities like hiking as I've never been), board games, and so much more.
Views and wants important to me: Left leaning, I want to have biological kids one day (so I am not in the child-free camp), I am open to the idea of marriage, not currently open to the idea of relocation (should I find someone serious from my search) as I'd love to offer my situation to someone open to something new, but I'd love to travel often. Honest, open to any topic of conversation as a talkative person, family oriented (I'd do anything to make sure my mom (and yours) live a good life if I can help it), and totally in the camp of open to settling down.
Desires: I would love a relationship (long term) with someone living in New York City (or open to living here one day) with someone my age or younger (as I've experienced the other way far too many times), but friendship and daily conversation with someone of any age that's available often, is fine, too. I would love to find someone that actually wants to meet up sometime in the city, as its been hard finding someone to connect with. I can't seem to understand people, no matter how well you think you know them. I'd love to just find that one person who gives me exactly as advertised, because playing games with emotions isn't fun.
If you think we might click, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you! Tell me what stood out, let me have something to work with and I'll give you a mile of conversation!
Hope to hear from someone soon :)

If you'd like to see more of my take on the Guardians 3 movie please check out this video podcast that I co-host (also available on all major podcasts):
Movie Review – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 #filmmakersreview
https://youtu.be/bx0MGRDTub0
I have noticed in recent MCU moves this year from Ant Man: Quantumania to Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse that the superheroes are appearing more human-like. Specifically with there social interactions. To me they have more of a real person feel who try to relate to humans instead of the almighty righteousness who had no time to carry a conversion because the fate of the universe was at stake.
​
Guardians 3:
What would we do without the Guardians of the Galaxy!?And what would the Galaxy be like without them? With that being said this movie is a good reminder and gave me an overall feel of how small Earth really is to us and I would imagine that astrophysicists are well aware of the fact that everything is just simply relative. Even the tallest building could appear small if you are looking at it from far enough away. Basically, I am just saying that I am thankful for the Guardians movies.
The comic humor is quite refreshing. The line of dialogue from the film ‘… Does this look cool?..) was said several times throughout the film.
Cast
Chris Pratt – Peter Quill
Zoe Saldana – Gamora (Unsure, lower-key villain) for the most part it seems like she is trying to still come off as a good individual even though she is a major villain. lol
Karen Gillan – Nebula (Sharp and witty)
Dave Bautista – (Meathead) Funny character with charisma and dumb-witted comedic relief. Entertaining on screen.
Comparable Movies:
Puss In Boots: Last Wish Perrito is similar to Rocket (Raccon in the sense of character development and what the characters in the movie had to go through and endure throughout the film. Their journey.). Ant Man: Quantumania (with heroes having humanlike characteristics and feelings. Showing off more of their emotions throughout movie).
Side Note: Rocket (Raccoon) being tested on and the abusive power, control hungry villain (The High Evolutionary) animal tester from the future keeps trying to create what they he calls perfection.
My Take
The main characters seem to display a bit more visible emotions. Almost humanlike. Even the gold villain (Warlock) said that he didn’t like an emotion feeling that he was having while empathizing with another actor. They are more about discovering and meeting their basic needs and some of what life and living is actually all about.
In general, I have noticed that the dialogue that has been present in recent theatrical release movies has been much more direct and not as transparent as in the past, meaning that instead of hinting at what they are trying to say the message is being said in very creative and quite often funny ways.
Again, is in several recent theatrical films the camera moves quite a bit especially during action scenes from the start of the movie.
Written by: Anthony Gaita

So I've never, ever had a nightmare caused by a movie, show or video game but I think it finally happened last night.
It started with me having trouble sleeping and wandering around the house in the middle of the night. Now that I think about it, I might have dreamed the wandering as well as I do that sometimes. Next thing I know I'm waking up on the ground at night, outside on my back patio. I don't drink or anything like that so this is not a situation I've ever been in and so I immediately feel a sense of dread and paranoia and at no point will I realize I'm dreaming. I stand up but but I'm confused and barely have control over my own body, as is often the case in dreams... then I hear it.
Flap. Flap. Flap. Flap.
It was unmistakably the sound of a demon from Metro flying around above me. It was dark and there is a roof over my patio so I could not see the sky above me... and I didn't want to. I was now in complete terror and made my way towards my back door, slamming it shut behind me once I was inside. It was just in time, as the screen-door proceeded to blow off it's hinges and now there was a strange blue glow shining from out of view to the left of the windowed door. I think it was sparking (an anomaly?) but it actually looked more like blue flames defying physics coming from the side. Terror growing I fled upstairs to my kitchen as it has a view of what might be happening in my back yard. It was very dark but the whole property was bathed in a sickly blue light that would change back and forth to an orange light, the effect was very creepy and I think I wrote it off in my head as clouds moving past a full moon or something, but really it was nothing that could have been created by nature. There were also the sounds of creatures in the darkness and the trees and bushes were rustling as if something was moving behind them.
After a few minutes of staring at this bizarre scene, frozen in complete terror, I woke up.
Thanks Metro.

Ok before this starts i should give some context minimax is a Serbian kids channel which is mostly for movies and cartoons it's still going and cartoons are mostly low payed cartoons.
Minimax was and still is a kids channel it's still running. You don't need cable for it thare were cartoons like master raindrop, Marta the dog that talks and Masha and a bear the shows were mostly cute with life messages no horror or scary aspects. The horror begin
after 20:00, it was kinda like adult swim but they had a little bit of a filter the only rule is that no matter what no gore and no corn, but by my knowledge no one was looking for no one was looking for what movies and shows were playing you could take request for what was playing. Anyways the people that we are mostly was requesting hardcore corn. one show that played every night it was playing at exactly 20:05 it only lasted for about 10 minutes but some episode lasted as long for an hour it was kinda like an intro first of it started Like any show on thare next thing you know all of the characters are missing it was just Rolling shots about the back ground that was the only the first 5 minutes always the same premise it was in first person you were always getting in but not in your own house...
Some kids that were watching the some other program the man slowly grabbed them as soon as he did the other showed rolled all of that was actually a made show telling kids not to stay up at night the main man who filmed edited and "captured" the kids was just a nice man the kids were mostly his cousins sisters and brothers and other kid actors but one kid never got found
He wasn't captured during the production this kids name was Milos narkovic he got captured after the school the question is who did it the principal said he got sick so his "parent" came and pick him then he simply entered in the green bmw and just went on his way his parents has been looking for him since October 4 2015
He was never found dead but neither alive he was just missing the shows name was blank since that was the first 5 minutes pure shell of a cartoon
I remember this ever since I saw him in the class for the last time Im not a teacher either a student I was just thare ask yourself why would I know what Color the bmw or how did I know he edited and filmed...
So everyone what do you think about my firsts creepypasta my first idea was for nickelodeon resort hotel creepypasta inspired by abandoned by Disney.

I've noticed recently that some of my movies sound does not go through the app. I go to the channel and there's no sound at all. I think I've found the issue, which is the audio codec.
Another example, I was playing a movie and it had the commentary audio going, which is not the typical sound track. I looked and all I saw was the commentary and not the normal audio.
In plex the audio for normal movie sound is DTS and the commentary track is AC3. Is there any way to fix the sound on quasiTV other than editing the audio?
Really really appreciate this app though, it has helped me find out my wife has never seen Aliens, so I get to scare the crap out of her soon!

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A staredown soon ensued.
One that neither of us seemed to be willing to let up on.
But as far as staredowns went, this one was pretty evenly matched as neither of us really had the ability to ‘blink’, or at least as far as an outside observer could see.
My whole schtick was pretty obvious, the tinted lenses were more or less just doing the job for me, taking blinking out of the equation entirely and adding a solid plus ten to my intimidation base stats.
The shadowy cloaked figure’s approach was just downright bizarre though, as instead of eyes, there were just these two trapezoidal ‘lights’ that I assumed were supposed to be a placeholder for his actual eyes hidden somewhere underneath the shadowy void casted by his hood.
A void which was downright pitchblack, and completely impenetrable to the naked eye.
The figure gave off a surreal vibe as his rogue-like attire, coupled with the hood and the impenetrable shadow it casted, looked like it’d been ripped straight out of a Castles and Wyverns art book or a high-fantasy comic. The pitch-black void that obscured his face, and those two trapezoidal eyes that hovered and shifted with increasing scrutiny, just didn’t look real.
While most would leave it at that, I wasn’t one to leave a mystery hanging, I was a human with an entire visual sensor suite to work with for crying out loud. So before I even knew it, I reflexively went to activate my night-vision cameras. Only to see that the shadowy effect covering up his face was still there.
This led me to only one solid conclusion.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 140% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
A quick localized environmental scan made it clear to me that this was yet another one of the Nexus’ weird mana-fueled acts of tomfoolery.
“What say you, first years? Are you here for healing, or are you here for a visit? For as I have stated, the healing wing is not accepting visits at this point in time.” The hooded figure answered with this strange mix between a sing-song voice and an attempt at sounding gruff and gravely.
“We have an unfulfilled point of personal privilege that requires addressment.” Thacea stepped up to the plate, promptly placing herself by my side, then taking several steps forward. “Along with an unresolved conflict which requires immediate resolution by the party with which the aforementioned point of personal privilege was evoked but was halted due to unforeseen circumstances.” The princess began flexing her courtly-talk with the hooded figure, which clearly seemed to have some effect as he reached up a single gloved hand up to where his chin should be, only to have his fingers disappear as soon as they entered the dark shadowy effect currently covering up his face.
“And with whom is this unresolved matter incurred?” The figure inquired plainly, though the way he spoke shifted to something a bit more accommodating, perhaps even a little bit more hospitable than the gruffer tone he’d initially directed towards me.
“An apprentice, good sir. Apprentice Larial to be precise.” Thacea clarified politely, using what I could only describe as this flighty, chirpy, almost haughty tone of voice that was an exaggerated version of the cadence she used during our first interactions together.
“Hmm…” The hooded figure replied with a concerned grumble. “I was going to waive this particular matter, allowing the fair lady-” He paused, before making a point to stare at both me and Thalmin. “-and her two knights to pass on through, under the points of exceptional circumstances.” He continued in a less restrained, more flighty cadence. “However, you must excuse my inability to do so, my lady. My hands are currently tied via the powers that be, and I simply cannot grant your request.” The man began weaving a string of apologetics, giving Thacea a genuine and polite bow in response. “I must apologize for this discrepancy in expectant decorum.”
This didn’t make things any better for our circumstances though.
And it was clear Thacea understood this as she continued pressing forward.
“May I have your name and title, my good sir?” Thacea chirped lightly.
“Appointed-Deputy Magistrate Sir Arlan Ostoy, Senior Apprentice of the Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. May I have the honor and the privilege of requesting your name, my fair lady?”
“Princess Thacea Dilani, of the Aetheronrealm, First Year and Scholastic Peer of the Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts.” Thacea replied with a full bow, and a half-curtsy of her own.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The shadowy figure bowed yet again.
“The pleasure is all mine, Sir-Magistrate.” Followed by yet another bow by Thacea.
There was some serious song and dance going on here, and one that I was observing with bated breath.
“Might I inquire further as to the particular reasoning behind this unfortunate and unseemly inability to respect the rights of expectant decorum?” Thacea quickly shot back.
“As I have alluded to, your highness, the powers that be prevent me from furthering the natural solution to your particular grievances. If this were any other instance in time, at any other location or place, I am sure this matter would have been resolved in an expedient and timely fashion. This situation, as you have alluded to yourself, results from a very particular set of unforeseen circumstances. Circumstances which currently dictate my actions in a manner which just so happens to be in conflict with your points of personal privilege, your highness.” The man’s posture, the way he stood, even the way he talked seemed very particular when addressing Thacea.
It was at that point that something changed. I didn’t know what, and I wasn’t sure why, but Thacea seemed to be shifting towards a tactical retreat, as she clacked her beak several times before addressing the both of us. “This is absolutely preposterous, I will need a moment to clear my mind but when I do return…” Thacea turned towards the magistrate/guard/apprentice person yet again. “There will be words exchanged.”
At Thacea’s prompting, we all left the room, but not before slamming the door behind us shut in a similar manner to Ilunor’s drama-filled exits.
We continued walking away from the medical wing at a steady pace, until another privacy screen was suddenly brought up.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 275% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
“I have a plan.” Thacea began. “And this is entirely relying on you two having the physical prowess to back up your military backgrounds.” She continued ominously.
“Oh princess, you sully the Havenbrock name if you believe my mercenary heritage is in any way, shape, or form a mere decorative mantlepiece.” Thalmin responded with a sarcastic, yet excitable tone.
“I assure you, Thacea, I think my training has almost every eventuality accounted for.” I added with an affirmative nod.
“So what’s the plan?” Thalmin barked out excitedly as we stopped right in the middle of this long, wide hallway connecting the main castle with the medical wing. Thacea was quick to answer this question by wordlessly gesturing to a lone door on the right side of the hallway.
Windows lining either side of the hallway made it clear that this entire structure was just an elevated bridge connecting the main castle to an entirely separate compound.
This made the presence of a door smack-dab in the middle of its length sort of bizarre.
Upon entering it though, we were treated to an open-air rooftop terrace with a few seats and benches. The whole outcropping gave us an unparalleled view of the roaring waterfall beneath the Academy, and a direct line of sight to the medical wing and its five distinct towers.
The princess continued walking silently as we reached the edge of the terrace’s balcony, overlooking the sheer cliff face at a height that more or less put me in mind of your typical open-air rooftops on your typical Acela Corridor skyscraper.
“I’ve observed that the medical wing seems to consist of a large tower-atrium, with several more towers connected to it via additional corridors. Similar to spokes on a wheel. As you can see from this vantage point, it seems as if most rooms have private balconies. If we cannot make our way to the apprentice via conventional channels, then I plan to reach her via more unconventional means.” Thacea turned towards me with a hardened look in her gaze. “Emma, is your… insect artifice ready for use?”
My eyes widened at that, as I nodded affirmatively. “Just for the record, we call it a drone.” I quickly corrected Thacea. “But, yes, I can designate individuals and targets for it to track down or follow. However, I can’t just have it poking around in every room since there’s no guarantee that the drone will be able to get a lock on them. There’s too many variables involved that would get in the way of the drone actually being able to zero in on a person’s face. From the beds facing the right way, to bandages possibly covering up her face, to-”
“I don’t want your artifice to observe every balcony and window, Emma. That will most certainly take too much time, and as you’ve stated, there’s no guarantee of actually identifying a face considering the multitudes of factors involved.” Thacea interjected. “What I plan to do is to return to the Deputy-Magistrate, and to attempt to reach a compromise that he will abide by. I plan for him to take us, or rather, your drone straight to the apprentice.”
“And how will you accomplish this?” Thalmin whined,his head tilted in curiosity.
“I will draft a letter, addressed directly to the apprentice, and request that it be taken straight to her room. This way, the Deputy-Magistrate will in a sense be able to accomplish his obligations to the Expectant Decorum, and in doing so he will lead your insec-, drone, straight to the apprentice’s room.”
I stared at Thacea with wide eyes, as her back and forths with the deputy-magistrate began taking on a completely different meaning in this new light.
“That way, we can find out exactly which room the apprentice is in.” I replied bluntly.
“Correct. However, from there, I cannot say my plans are in any way foolproof.” Thacea replied with a sullen coo.
“Well go on, princess, it sounds pretty good so far!” Thalmin urged.
“Ascertaining the apprentice’s room is only half of the stated objective. Actually getting there is another matter entirely. Because depending on where the apprentice is located… my idea for the latter half of this quest involves you two scaling your way towards her room.” The princess spoke with an immense level of trepidation. “On the exterior aspect of the castle, if that needed to be said.”
My heart skipped a beat as the princess laid out her plans. I looked across the absurdly spindly hallway-bridge that this little terrace was somehow attached to, and towards the five towers that made up the medical wing.
Thalmin did the same, although his face seemed to indicate that he was at the very least, considering the plan at least somewhat seriously.
“Alright.” I muttered out loud, instinctively trying to place a palm on my forehead, only for the glove to bonk straight off. “I have several ideas. First, we might be able to do this remotely. I’m thinking once we find out which room she’s in, we fly in a larger drone, one carrying with it a deployable holographic projector or some other two-way communications device so that we can talk to her remotely.” As soon as I spoke that idea out loud however, things started to fall apart. “But because of how thick the walls are, and considering the distance between the tower and our dorm, I might have to deploy repeaters in order to daisy-chain the connection all the way back to the dorms. I mean, we can’t just set up shop out here in the open after all. At which point we’d have a continuous chain of signal-repeater drones flying all across the Academy… which wouldn’t be ideal. No, scratch that, that won’t work.”
The pair stared at me with varying degrees of confusion, but seemed to have collectively decided to ignore the idea after I’d scrapped it.
“I say we just climb it!” Thalmin yelped out, but not before another idea hit me. One that could work, but that required me consulting Thacea first.
“I mean, we could, but…” I turned to face Thacea. “What’s the Academy’s policy on noise? Or rather, do you think we could get away with something really really loud, buzzing outside of the towers?”
Thacea once more stared at me with a look of just utter confusion, but shrugged it off and went with it anyways. “I would highly recommend against generating too much noise for this particular quest, Emma. It would most certainly garner a lot of unwanted attention.” Thacea spoke plain and simple.
I couldn’t help but to groan internally in frustration at that.
That makes flying over there a no-go… it would’ve made things so much easier though…
“Alright, well, that more or less places us in a very awkward situation with not a lot of options available to us, huh?” I thought to myself outloud again, as I craned my head over to an excitable Thalmin.
“I guess I have to climb on over.” I stated in no uncertain terms.
“Wait, I?!” Thalmin responded with a shocked and incredulous bark. “There’s no way I’m allowing you to climb over there yourself without assistance or-”
“Thalmin, there’s no need for you to climb on over with me.” I interjected. “This whole mission is hedged on me talking to the apprentice one-on-one. Remember the gardens? The apprentice wouldn’t allow you anywhere near us when we started talking. It’d be a waste of time, energy, and more importantly… a huge risk to your safety. I don’t want to risk your life needlessly, Thalmin. Not especially for a fight that isn’t your own.”
“Well you’re part of our peer group, so it’s my fight as well.” Thalmin replied with a dejected growl, but eventually relented. “But you’re right, Emma. I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”
I nodded at Thalmin’s slowly. “Besides, there’s an important job I need you to do.” I began scrounging through one of my pouches, and began palming for my spare in-ear earpieces. “I need you on lookout, to keep me aware of anything fishy developing in case I need to pull out.”
Thalmin looked over the side of the terrace, towards the raging waters beneath this side of the Academy as he let out a sigh. “That shouldn’t be too hard. Hardly anyone will be passing by this terrace, and beyond that there’s no way anyone can spot you from below, given there’s nothing but the cascading rapids below us. There’s no one that can spot you from here, save for perhaps the foxes in the library. We’re most certainly on the right side of the Academy for this quest, that’s for certain.” Thalmin pointed at the library in the far distance.
“Oh, I’m not too worried about anyone seeing me. I’m more concerned about someone compromising my extraction point, i.e. this little terrace here.” I acknowledged.
“But, surely you must be worried about someone seeing you scaling the walls…” Thalmin scanned me up and down, as if wanting to comment about my size but- “You’re massive.”
“Okay, first off, rude.” I spoke sarcastically, and raised both hands up for added effect. “But in all seriousness, I have another device that can mask my visual presence.” I pulled out a plastic-like poncho from one of my pouches, activating it, and revealing its active-camo properties as it projected whatever was behind it, albeit with some imperfections. “It isn’t perfect, but from afar it should actually work pretty well.”
Both Thalmin and Thacea stared at each other in utter shock as they saw this.
“A mana-less-”
“I think… this is a matter worth discussing another time, Princess.” Thalmin interjected with a polite exasperated breath. “But I expect a good explanation for this one, Emma.” Thalmin pointed a finger right at me.
“In any case, I will be diverting the Deputy-Magistrate’s attention by preoccupying him with needless and vapid chatter. This should take attention away from the apprentice and your intrusion, Emma.” Thacea quickly added, and promptly tied this whole impromptu operation up nicely.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road then. We’ll head back to the dorms and get that letter drafted so-”
“Already done.” Thacea interjected, bringing up a parchment that she promptly began sealing into an envelope.
“Wait, when did you-”
“Whilst we were talking, I used a dictation spell. The letter is written and signed.” Thacea spoke nonchalantly, as she held a neatly sealed envelope in one of her talons.
“Wait, what, when did you, how did you-?”
“I carry a quill and extra parchment in my bag of holding. This is to account for any eventuality where a statement in writing, a legal affidavit, or a notarized letter may be required.” Thacea responded a-matter-of-factly.
“Alright then.” I tapped the pouch with the INFIL-DRONE, the small little thing peeking its head out much to the visible disgust of the pair. “So we’re ready for phase one of the operation. Misdirection and information gathering. We’ll go in, drop the letter, and have the drone do its thing. After that, we wait for the drone to return, and we’ll take it from there on whether or not we can continue with Phase Two: penetrating the enemy lines.”
“What would be stopping us from continuing with phase two?” Thalmin quickly asked.
“Well, simple. If the apprentice is still conked out from her injuries, there wouldn’t be any point in attempting to meet her. So hopefully, she’s going to be in a good enough state to talk to. We’ll know when we get the drone footage back.”
“Fair point.” Thalmin nodded.
“So, is everyone ready to begin?” Thacea asked.
A series of affirmative nods later, we began our quick walk back over to the atrium.

The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts, Extraction Point Alpha (Open Air Terrace Overlooking the Medical Wing). Local Time: 1420 Hours.
That took way more time than I’d initially thought.
In fact, it took so long that I was beginning to wonder how two people could have an unending conversation where nothing of value was spoken and nothing of value was gained.
It was basically elevator small talk, but written by the same writers who wrote Bridgerwesson Lane, and adapted to a theatrical release with a trilogy that ended with a movie arbitrarily cut up into a two-parter.
I honestly zoned out for a few moments during those hours, as I decided to use the spare time to review the grappling hook and mountaineering gear I’d be using on this little quest.
Eventually however, the Deputy-Magistrate relented, at which point I let loose the INFIL-DRONE to do its thing.
It’d been twenty minutes since we left and made our way back to this open-air terrace, and all of us were waiting with bated breath for the results the drone had in store.
“So, how fast can that drone of yours fly anyways Emma-”
Thalmin was immediately cut off as the drone in question buzzed right by his ears, causing them to flick this way and that, before flattening out entirely.
“Speak of him and he will come.” I chuckled, as I outstretched a gloved hand over for the little drone to perch atop of.
Once again, the pair stared at it with a look of mild disgust, and then panic as it crawled all the way back into its docking port, and began uploading the data we needed.
“Alright, let’s see what we have here.” I spoke to no one in particular before shifting my attention to the EVI. “EVI, isolate and replay relevant footage, and calculate the target’s location.”
“Acknowledged, parsing…”
“Location Parsing. Footage isolated. Play Footage?”
“Affirmative.”
I immediately pulled out my data-tab for the gang to be able to watch as well, as the footage began just as the Deputy-Magistrate, and by extension the drone, arrived at the apprentice’s room.
The door, and all details posted in the front were all captured, and so too was the state of the apprentice revealed to us in short order as I braced myself for a mangled and bandaged-up mass of broken bones.
What I instead saw, was… still a heavily bandaged up figure. However, the most important thing was that they were awake.
And what was remarkable, was the fact that they were able to move without assistance. As the apprentice reached over to receive the letter wordlessly, shifting a bit in bed as she did so.
“This is a letter addressed from a Princess Thacea Dilani of the Aetheronrealm. I have fulfilled my duties and obligations as per the Expectant Decorum. I will now take my leave, Apprentice Larial.” The deputy-magistrate spoke with the same air of overbearing properness, seriously making me consider whether or not this was how he was all the time.
Whatever the case may be, the apprentice seemed to be healed enough to move her arms at the very least, as she grabbed the letter and spoke hoarsely back in response. “Thank you Senior Apprentice.”
There wasn’t much to the footage beyond those interactions, but it was good enough for the purposes of this mission.
“Alright.” I spoke, as I pocketed the tablet. “We have our answer. The apprentice seems healed up enough to speak to, so phase two of this operation is a-go.”
The pair nodded in response, just in time for the EVI to be done with whatever calculations were needed to determine the apprentice’s precise location.
I turned to the tower, as the room and its balcony was highlighted.
It was just about five stories above from where we were.
Meaning it’d be a hell of a climb.
“The room’s about five floors up.” I announced with a sigh.
“Are you sure you can make that journey, Emma?” Thacea responded worryingly. “I… I will be honest, Emma, I am having some second doubts about this whole idea. The concept just came to me as flying between tall structures and towers is just second nature to us Aetheronrealmers. Considering the heights involved, and your inability to fly, I’m wondering if this whole quest was a folly of my own shortsighted-”
“It’s fine, Thacea.” I cut the avinor off. “I can do this, trust me.” I placed a single hand on the princess’ shoulder, and squeezed it once for effect.
Meanwhile, the EVI began doing what it did best: attempting to minimize the risk associated with my hairbrained schemes, as it deployed the suit’s primary lookout drone in order to start mapping out the best possible route forward.
This spooked the pair yet again, as they both jolted backwards.
Thankfully, the drone was deathly silent, so it shouldn’t bring too much attention to it.
It was at this point that I brought out a pair of earpieces I was scrounging my pouches for earlier, one for Thacea, and another for Thalmin.
“These will help you stay in contact with me throughout the climb.” I stated plainly, as I attempted to latch it onto my own ear for demonstrative purposes, only to realize that I could not, given the suit was in the way.
I sighed, as I turned towards Thalmin. “Do you mind if I put it on for you?” I asked sheepishly.
“Erm, what is it, Emma?”
“It’s…” I paused, as I attempted to find the best way to describe this without taking up too much time. “It’s a communication artifice, Thalmin. It’ll allow us to talk to each other remotely, relying on that drone there-” I pointed at the lookout drone still flying away from us. “-to relay our voices to each other.”
Thalmin, as expected, looked at me with an expression of partial dumbfoundedness whilst Thacea seemed completely transfixed by the earpieces I held in my hands.
“So it’s like a hearing-sense?” Thalmin responded with a questioning bark.
“Look, I’ll just demonstrate.” I managed out with a sigh as Thalmin reluctantly nodded and allowed me to begin hooking in the earpiece, looping it around his fluffy triangular ears.
This inevitably resulted in my hand brushing over the lupinor’s fluffy head a few times, which seemed to elicit some large tail-wags and a dulcet rumble.
I tried to ignore that, as I pulled back and began demonstrating. “I’ve turned off my speakers, can you still hear me, Thalmin?”
“Yes, I can.” The lupinor spoke after clearing his throat.
I turned my speakers back on immediately after. “Alright, I’ll get into the specifics of how it works later, but as for now, just know that I can hear whatever you say.”
“I’m afraid I don’t think that artifice will be compatible with my… anatomy, Emma.” Thacea spoke calmly, as she pointed at several aspects of the earpiece that required an actual ear canal to fit into, and an earlobe to loop around.
“This complicates things a bit, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. How long do you think you can keep up the distracting conversation with the deputy-magistrate for, Thacea?”
“We just went through several hours discussing nothing in particular, I can most certainly continue that trend from dusk till dawn.” The avinor spoke confidently, and frankly, rather proudly. “The issue lies not in how long I can manage to maintain the conversation, but in how long it will take you to accomplish this quest, Emma.” Thacea shot back.
“An hour.” I nodded confidently. “Twenty minutes to scoot my way over there, twenty to talk to the apprentice, and twenty to get back.”
“I’ll make that two hours then.” Thacea responded without a second thought. “We need to account for potential complications, and an extra hour of senseless dialogue will most certainly not be an issue for me.”
With an affirmative nod from me, and an approving glance from Thalmin, I now turned towards the exterior of the two hundred foot corridor leading to the concourse, and the extra five hundred feet it would take to get from the atrium to the tower in question.
It was at that last minute that the EVI brought out another suggestion, one that was formulated with the aid of the new datasets provided by the FEBNPMS lookout drone that had been busy mapping out the best route forward.
It was… an inherently riskier approach, one that my aunt would definitely not approve of, but it definitely beat scaling a wall and wedging spikes into it.
“Actually… I have a better idea than simply scaling the walls.”

The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts, En Route to Medical Wing Tower C, Room 705. Local Time: 1430 Hours.
“Grapple secure.”
I will never forget the feeling of falling.
The very wrong feeling that came with leaping off of solid ground into empty sky, of suddenly seeing and feeling the world whizzing by me.
It was a visceral feeling, a gut-churning sensation, dominated by an overbearing sense of impending doom that takes over your terrestrial brain that wasn’t designed to feel the ‘freeing’ sensation of being unbound to the ground beneath you.
Leaping over from the edge of the terrace was the worst part of it. But after that tentative jump, things started to become just a little bit easier.
The Academy’s proclivity for over-aggrandized architectural design would finally serve a purpose beyond just decorative aesthetics.
Because it was clear that the walls weren’t really designed to ward off anyone daring to scale them. As there existed several, if not hundreds of these little greebles and outcroppings that served no purpose but to act as decorative pieces on the side of the castle. Some held stone flowers, whilst others had lamps or other light pieces of varying designs.
No matter what they were, or what meaning they held, all were equal and valid targets in the eyes of my grappling hook.
As I dangled there from the first outcropping, held in place by a single high-tensile cable, I looked up to see Thalmin looming over the edge “EMMA?!” I heard him shout in a panic. It was clear that he was unable to see anything, as my light-refraction cloak was currently doing its job well.
“I’m still here, Thalmin. You can’t see me but I’m dangling from this weird outcropping that looks like an overinflated vase.”
“NEXT TIME, BE SURE TO INFORM ME AS TO THE NATURE OF YOUR IMPOSSIBLE ARTIFICES BEFORE USE, UNDERSTOOD?!”
“Of course. You’ll know if I’ve fallen if you hear a long scream followed by a large splat.”
“That’s not funny!”
I chuckled nervously in response, before turning to face the grueling, gut-churning journey ahead of me. “Humor’s my way of dealing with stress, and trust me, I have a lot of stress to work through right about now.”
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(Author’s Note: Hey guys! Time for some unconventional solutions courtesy of Emma and the gang! We're going to meet the apprentice one way or another! I hope you guys enjoy! :D The next Chapter is already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 34 of this story is already out on there!)]

Hi perfect people!
I’ve seen quite a handful of posts lately about CC, particularly writers wondering if this is a dealbreaker for readers as they make decisions for their upcoming stories. I wanted to share my personal perspective on why it is a deal breaker for me, personally.
The most obvious reason is I am a POC. Where I live, the default setting is White. I don’t want to escape into one of my hobbies and be forced to that setting in fiction as well. A majority of stories with limited or no CC default to White characters. It is an absolute, instant dealbreaker for me personally.
Moving on to perhaps a not so obvious perspective: The simplest way that I can explain this is that on Episode, I am an active reader whereas when I’m reading stories via novel or even fan-fiction, I am a passive reader. Because I am an active participant on Episode, I want stories where in a sense, I am playing as myself. I’d extend this line of being an active participant to my other hobbies such as video games. I am typically going to customize and play through the game as myself (keeping in mind the plot and how I’d react if that was the scenario I am in). For what it’s worth, this line of thinking is part of why I don’t enjoy self-insert/yn fan-fiction. The story is what it is, it’s already been written. I am a passive participant with no control over anything so I don’t need to picture myself.
I’ve seen some writers express that they want readers to to play through their Episode story almost like a movie and not necessarily view their stories as self-inserts but rather as developed characters as they (the writer) have intended. I think that this is fine and I seriously encourage writers to do what works best for their story. The platform is huge and there is an audience for everything. That said, again, to offer some perspective on why this may be a dealbreaker for some: we are immersed in the story through decision making. It simply isn’t a passive experience akin to watching a movie or a show. This platform just doesn’t feel that way so that’s where the disconnect is for readers like myself.
Hope this helps someone, even if it’s to provide the encouragement needed to take creative agency and move forward with limited or no CC options. There’s seriously an intended audience for everyone. 💖

Body:Hello everyone,We're excited to share our latest video from Mindfilm - "Antisocial Personality Disorder: Sociopathy Uncovered". This video is the first part of a two-part series aimed at dissecting the complex concepts of sociopathy and psychopathy, using compelling examples from popular films and TV shows.Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), commonly known as sociopathy, often remains misunderstood due to its portrayal in the media. In this video, we strive to offer a comprehensive and accurate depiction of ASPD. We explore the seven key diagnostic criteria for the disorder as outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).Our objective is to demystify the concept of sociopathy, breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions. We carefully analyze character behaviors and traits, offering a vivid, relatable understanding of the disorder.Please note: the video is not intended to diagnose or stigmatize anyone. It is solely for educational purposes, aimed at raising awareness and fostering understanding about this complex disorder.Feel free to engage in discussion, share your thoughts, and ask questions in the comments section. We value your input!You can watch the video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1BsGUq\_t8I
Stay tuned for the second part of the series where we will delve into psychopathy. Remember, understanding is the first step towards empathy.#MentalHealthAwareness #ASPD #SociopathyUncovered

I usually watch tv series with my family and their preference is for short or already completed series. I was thinking of suggesting this show but I wanted to know if each season had its own case with its own conclusion or if there was an overarching plot throughout the different series (i tried to search it but couldn't find a conclusive answers while also avoiding spoilers). Thanks in advance for the help.

A father petitioned for custody of his child. The child was in danger in mom's custody, the authorities were aware of this danger, but they denied dad's petition for custody. The child later died in mom's custody.
Here is my response in the hopes that it will help families who face injustices, and in the hopes that it will help parents to protect their children from child abuse.
I'm not an attorney and this is not legal advice.
You wrote about a father who wanted custody of his child, the child was in danger in mom's custody, the authorities were aware of this danger, and denied dad custody. The child later died in mom's custody. (Anonymized)
Judges often have judicial immunity for their decisions.

JUDICIAL IMMUNITY HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE JUDGES, TRADITIONAL QUASI-JUDICIAL INDIVIDUALS, AND SOME COURT-RELATED PERSONNEL, SUCH AS COURT CLERKS AND COURT REPORTERS
VARIOUS TYPES OF ACTS ARE NO LONGER RECOGNIZED AS JUDICIAL CONDUCT WITHIN THE PROTECTION OF IMMUNITY: (1) ACTS SHOWING LACK OF GOOD FAITH; (2) ACTS CRIMINAL IN NATURE; (3) ACTS IN ABSENCE OF AUTHORITY OR IN EXCESS OF JURISDICTION; AND (4) ACTS OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE OR MINISTERIAL NATURE.
OVERVIEW OF JUDICIAL IMMUNITY US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/overview-judicial-immunity

It is often the case that judges rely on Title IV-D funded child support agency to exercise judicial authority to make custody recommendations. (They sometimes literally give the agencies rubber stamps and allow them to make orders).
Sometimes these agencies focus on their own financial interests or have sexist biases which can impact their recommendations and decisions.
Carol Rhodes is a whistleblower to described such wrongdoings:

Carol Rhodes Former FOC Enforcement Officer Former Enforcement Officer and Investigator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M7cEi61W24

If dad was denied custody because of financial conflicts of interests or sexism:
Possible failure to respect:

"There is a fundamental right under the Fourteenth Amendment for a parent to oversee the care, custody, and control of a child."
Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000)
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/530/57/
"protection of civil rights".
"use of the reasonable and prudent parenting standard"
42 U.S. Code § 671
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/671

Possible cause for a federal civil rights action under:

42 U.S. Code § 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1983

US courts provide forms:

Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Non-Prisoner)
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms/pro-se-forms/complaint-violation-civil-rights-non-prisoner

Making child custody recommendations using these biases rather than the factors mandated by law knowingly or through negligence may be possible:

Fraud
Fraud is both a civil tort and criminal wrong.
In civil litigation, allegations of fraud might be based on a misrepresentation of fact that was either intentional or negligent. For a statement to be an intentional misrepresentation, the person who made it must either have known the statement was false or been as to its truth. The speaker must have also intended that the person to whom the statement was made would rely on it. The hearer must then have reasonably relied on the promise and also been harmed because of that reliance.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fraud

Intentionally endangering the life of a child through fraud may be depraved indifference.

To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime.
https://definitions.uslegal.com/d/depraved-indifference/

Fraud or other felonies which cause the death of victim may be:

As of August 2008, 46 states in the United States had a felony murder rule,[18] under which felony murder is generally first-degree murder. In 24 of those states, it is a capital offense.[19] When the government seeks to impose the death penalty on someone convicted of felony murder, the Eighth Amendment has been interpreted so as to impose additional limitations on the state power. The death penalty may not be imposed if the defendant is merely a minor participant and did not actually kill or intend to kill. However, the death penalty may be imposed if the defendant is a major participant in the underlying felony and exhibits extreme indifference to human life.[20]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_murder_rule#United_States

Please note there is no statue of limitations on the crime of felony murder.
A social worker worker who may have knowingly or negligently manufactured a false child custody recommendation may be abusing that child. In so doing they are failing to report their own abuse, or if they are aware of it, the abuse of their coworkers, a crime.

A person who, while engaged in a professional capacity or activity described in subsection (b) of section 226 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 on Federal land or in a federally operated (or contracted) facility, or a covered individual as described in subsection (a)(2) of such section 226 who, learns of facts that give reason to suspect that a child has suffered an incident of child abuse, as defined in subsection (c) of that section, and fails to make a timely report as required by subsection (a) of that section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year or both.
18 U.S. Code § 2258.Failure to report child abuse
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2258

The United States pays for the child support agencies under Title IV-D and that law requires protection of civil rights, including the rights of parents. Denying them those rights to get more federal funds is possibly defrauding the United States:

If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
18 U.S. Code § 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/371

If they are knowingly or negligently defrauding the public and the United States, it is also possible honest services fraud:

For the purposes of this chapter, the term “scheme or artifice to defraud” includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.
18 U.S. Code § 1346.Definition of “scheme or artifice to defraud”
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1346
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honest_services_fraud

Possible criminal conspiracy against rights:

"If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or"
18 U.S. Code § 241.Conspiracy against rights
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/241

Other possible federal crimes.
State child support, parenting time, and child protection, and elder abuse are all primarily funded under federal law Title IV-D and Title IV-E. Consider filing complaints.

HHS Office of Inspector General
Phone. 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/contact.asp
HHS Office of Civil Rights
https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html

Department of Justice Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.
https://www.justice.gov/crt

Anyone may report federal crimes to the FBI.

(202)324-3000
http://tips.fbi.gov/

Possible basis of a class action lawsuit for similar situated people:

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS?
There are many cases and issues that can be brought as class-action lawsuits. Often, class actions fall into one of the following categories:
...

All parents who pary for any services, including recommendation services, parenting classes, etc which are offered under the deceptive pretext of allowing a parent worried about their abused child to enable them to have more time or custody with them in order to protect them, could form a class action lawsuit.

Consumer: These class actions hold accountable business entities who engage in systematic and fraudulent or illegal business practices that scam or harm the consumer. Examples include antitrust cases like price-fixing, market allocation agreements and monopolistic schemes.

All individuals denied employment, promotion, or who simply quits in disgust because their moral beliefs prevent them from participating in any deceptive acts or crimes could form a class action lawsuit.

Employment: Employees who have been discriminated against, employees with immigrant worker issues, workers who have hour and wage issues and employees who have on-the-job injuries or suffer because of employer safety violations can bring class-action lawsuits against employers.
https://www.hbsslaw.com/about/what-is-a-class-action-lawsuit

All parents and children who suffer as a consequence of deceptive acts or crimes could form a class action lawsuit:

CIVIL RIGHTS CLASS ACTIONS:
A SINGULARLY EFFECTIVE TOOL TO COMBAT DISCRIMINATION
For over 50 years, class actions have been among the most powerful tools to secure civil rights in America. Brown v. Board of Education, 1 which outlawed school segregation and set the stage for the entire civil rights movement, was a class action lawsuit. More recent examples include the case portrayed in the Hollywood movie “North Country,” based on the case Jenson v. Eveleth Mines and considered to be the first sexual harassment class action lawsuit.
CENTER FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY
https://centerjd.org/system/files/CivilRightsClassActionsF.pdf

I wish you the best of luck in your search for justice.

I'm really into old and classic movies but most people I show them to immediately write them off as being too out of touch with today. I think this goes double for comedies, especially since they often reference celebrities, topical events, or slices of life that we have no context for nowadays. My wife's family is staying over and I want to find a movie that her little brother (16) will find hilarious that also defends the relevance of old movies.

My toddler is 2 years +4 months old and way too smart and growing so fast physically and mentally. Where did the time go!? He knows where to find the Nintendo switch as well as how to turn it on, get to YouTube, and find a video to play while he holds it all by himself! He wakes up, gets off our bed all by himself (unfortunately still crawling into our bed or managing to only want to fall asleep there)- it’s not low to the ground, and grabs granola bars out of the drawers asking for us to open it or open a fruit snack package when he is hungry by saying “snack please” or “help me please.” He grabs the remote and says “car movie on” or “want car movie” for us to put a show on involving cars or monster trucks. Crazy! He knows what he wants and how to ask for it. He even grabbed one of his 3 month old sister’s toys and handed it to her while telling me “Baby sissy toy” but then squawking when she tried to touch it. Lol.

My toddler is 2 years +4 months old and way too smart and growing so fast physically and mentally. Where did the time go!? He knows where to find the Nintendo switch as well as how to turn it on, get to YouTube, and find a video to play while he holds it all by himself! He wakes up, gets off our bed all by himself (unfortunately still crawling into our bed or managing to only want to fall asleep there)- it’s not low to the ground, and grabs granola bars out of the drawers asking for us to open it or open a fruit snack package when he is hungry by saying “snack please” or “help me please.” He grabs the remote and says “car movie on” or “want car movie” for us to put a show on involving cars or monster trucks. Crazy! He knows what he wants and how to ask for it. He even grabbed one of his 3 month old sister’s toys and handed it to her while telling me “Baby sissy toy” but then squawking when she tried to touch it. Lol.