My wallet was also drained about 3 A.M. EST. I only found out when my cointracker app showed i didn't have any staked ETH left. I lost 15.6 stETH which is about all I had on that wallet. I only use atomic wallet on desktop it's on an old computer that I rarely use. I rarely log in to atomic wallet less than every few weeks. I immediately saw no ETH left so I clicked to see the transactions. Currently I don't show any transactions having happened in the wallet. I searched my ETH address to see if it was for real or just a bug. On etherscan it definitely shows that I got the .10 eth deposited to my wallet and then they drained the ETH and stETH right out. I'm using version 2.70.12 for windows and I've only ever done updates through the app except one time when I got a notification that I'd need to download the update from the website directly for windows users. I know I've never shared my seed phrase or private keys so there's not much I could have done other than not use atomic wallet. I know at this point it's pretty obvious that this was a true atomic wallet hack and not on users, but I know the first instinct is to blame the user. I moved this ETH from celsius avoiding the bankruptcy by a few months. I bought a ledger and use that for some other tokens and whatnot. With the ledger news and now this I'm starting to wonder where really is safe? If 30 years from now the answer all along was coinbase I'm gonna be amused.

(Common Artillery W💪)

Here are my thoughts and suggestions after FT from 2022! It’s in no particular order but I wrote out most everything that I did:
​
— bring the good kind of cough drops (the berry Halls breezers)
— tape for your heels and the back of your feet
— laminate print offs of 9lines and EODs
— bring as many gummy vitamins :)) the good tasting kind! Worth the investment
— small scissors (large ones will be contraband)
— for moleskin make sure you cut it before you go
— I always bandaged my feet the night before to save time (you can do this during foot checks or after lights out of you need to)
— practice EODs. We did a lot of finding IEDs and bombs etc. we did that way more than medical stuff
— for medical stuff, literally just know how to wrap a wound since people get shot. Tourniquet. The basics and you will be good
— be prepared to do tactical scenarios where you are in the woods with paintball guns and you have a mission. The missions are usually find a fallen pilot or find UXOs + IEDs etc (like finding explosives)
— know how to do the 5Cs since we did that a lot
— it’s good to know the basic formations, like wedge, column, line — and know when they are good for. It’s good when you are leading a scenario to call out “now we are doing XYZ formation because…”
— be prepared for long hours on the classroom doing GLPs that are honestly boring. You literally are planning an air show or planning evacuation of people/ aircrafts on an island
— bring a ruler. It’s helpful in some classroom GLPs and it’s helpful for measuring your bed. Your pillow is 12in away from the bed frame to the start of your sheets
— know how to do hospital corners since makes it much faster in the morning
— get good at tying your boots / tucking in the laces. For me when dressing into OCPs, tying my boots took the longest
— remember to always use the 7 basic responses
— KNOW DFAC PROCEDURES! Know the verbiage when you get to the mess checker. Know how to move throughout and the order where you sit. Make sure you know how to sit at attention— especially have your feet at 45 degrees and not looking down or tilting your body
— KNOW HOW TO DO COLUMN OF FILES / building entry procedures. Know the verbiage well!! Know the verbiage if you are an element leader
— be prepared for lots of destination marching. You March everywhere!
— KNOW HOW TO DO COUNTER MARCH!! This is so SO helpful for reveille and retreat
— know how to do a lot of half movements — Column half left and right. It’s very helpful for marching on sidewalks or orienting.
— full column movements are slower because you put your flight in half step after. Hence why I suggest doing column half movements when you can
— my flight didn’t use route step. Check in the DNC how to March on grass and uneven terrain. We did “At ease, march” when we entered grass. Then to get out of it “flight, attention”. If you want to turn, you say “guide, incline 90 degrees to the right “. We would also use “cease guiding” at the end. Check the DNC for marching on sidewalks. We used “Guide, guide right to the right side of the troop walk”— and this would allow you to March on the sidewalk without have to constantly do half movements
— know how to detail march (pretty easy)
— warrior knowledge was not a big part of my FT. Only for the interview and then if you are academic officer. If you are academic officer and your flight is just standing around you can be like: “As academic officer, now would be a great time for some WK! The airman’s creed is as follows…”
— be prepared to have time hacks for EVERYTHING
— know how to write memos! I wish I wrote more memos!! You can write memos to request different things from your CTA/ FTO
— as flight commander, know the process for marching from pace to place. ** 1) always set a time hack (or ask for the time from your time hack — depending on what you do) 2) you need to fall in your flight 3) get accountability from your deputy flight commander 4) then you report accountability to your FTO/ CTA 5) have road guards don your gear 6) turn your flight and get ready to March
— when you see a road up ahead, prepare for putting your road guards out (you will have 4 road guards). Make sure you estimate the time correctly; when in doubt put your flight in “mark time harch” to give your road hoards time to run out and so you don’t just go into the street
— pay attention to where things are since directions as flight commander is a big thing since you are going from place to place
​
— know how to unlock your lock quickly. It can be helpful especially when you have to lock your duffel bag at Vigilant Warrior
— know how to properly fold your duffel bag
— know how to security lock your duffel bag
BEFORE YOU GO:
— make sure you label all of your clothing items and towels. It’s the first letter of your last name and then the last 4 digits your social security number
— bring sharpies and erasable pens!! You will def want erasable pens
— bring a bright colored duck tape. It’s helpful for your flight and putting it on your backpack, etc
— bring extra ziplock bags (different sizes) and trash bags
— *** make sure everything is standardized within your flight. Standardization is a big thing! Make sure your patches are in the right spot, ** especially the flag!! Check to make sure your laces are tucked in. Put your OCPcap on the right pocket, etc
— I brought tiger balm with me and that actually helped me stay awake during some long hours lol

I know it's a bit vague but I'm wondering if there are any good tips/tricks for science.
I play Civ 6 a lot with friends and I find that they all almost universally out compete me in science. By about turn 200 I'm on flight and one of my friends (the best player) will be getting Giant Death Robots.
At that point it quickly becomes game over. Happened 4 games in a row now. I just can't outproduce machine guns to fight their GDR's.
Perhaps there are some obvious things I'm missing. I come mostly from Civ V.
Hell maybe I just need general civ 6 advice lol.
I asked my friend what he does and he told me to take advantage of adjacency bonuses. I do and there's no way +2 science setting a campus down next to a mountain is the reason he makes 3x the science that I do.

I definitely understand the sentiment behind going SEAL Team 6 and cleaning house on Valley of the Dolls. I mean, you bought the game, play how you want. But in my opinion, taking the high profile suspects alive and being impartial with your RoE is what makes your SWAT team the best. The rest of LSPD is either corrupt or burnt out, and your precinct is in shambles, your team is the last line of defence between chaos and justice. I know it's a game, but I shouldn't have to expressly mention I want to take suspects alive, I feel like that should be a given, then if we want to go John Wick, we can offer it up. I dunno, I'm just salty that every match up wants to go guns blazing and it kinda ruins the challenge and immersion, for me at least.

Demographics
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Residence: SoCal
Income Bracket: Upper Class (No Aid)
Type of School: Public (10 to T20s yearly)
Hooks: None
Intended Major(s): Econ (Prelaw Track)
Academics
GPA (UW/W): 3.92/4.46
Rank (or percentile): N/A# of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc: 13 APs, 5 DEs
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, Multivariable Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Environmental Science, AP World History, AP Studio Art, DE Marketing
Standardized Testing
SAT: 1600
PSAT: 1510
AP/IB: 4s on 3, 3 on 1 so far (will get all 5s on my 4 this year fs)
Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Board/Director at a 501(c)(3) PVSA certified npo that fills a huge niche niche related to poverty. have 500+ volunteer hours (10-12)
   
2. local in person unpaid economics think tank internship, published a lot (11)
   
3. upcoming National paid remote research internship with a US economic institution (12)
   
4. upcoming hybrid research internship at T5 university, maybe authorship? (12)
   
5. Book about economics for hs/ms students, have a literary agent and getting it published, but not till after applying (11-12)
   
6. DECA club president, 3x intl qualifier, state champ 6x, one of the biggest chapters in the state, helped a bunch of members win at internationals (9-12) (prez 11-12)
   
7. Forensics Event Leader, won a lot of small tourneys, placed at states, TOC bid tournaments, and nsda quals in my event. Broke to quarters at NIETOC and finalized at states. Also will prob be an academic all american (11-12)
   
8. MUN Club vp, organized trips and attended national conferences, 80+ members, global econ committee (9-12) (vp 11-12)
   
9. Varsity Pickleball (11-12)
   
10. Paid Tutor to family friends (9-12)
    

Awards/Honors

1. News Features for NPO
2. TOC Quarters, NSDA hopefully? State finalist
3. DECA Intl 1st & 2nd
4. National Economics Challenge Top 5
5. Scholarships (National Merit Semi/Fin, Coolidge Senator, future stuff etc.)

What more can I do to improve my chances? I’m aiming either for HYPSM or a T20 on a very high merit scholarship…?

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

So, I told one of my good gaming buddies that, in my opinion, Minor Illusion is the most useful and most powerful cantrip in the game. We are playing in a long-term campaign together. I'm playing a 6 Creation Bard / 1 Genie Warlock. My character is a gentlemen cowboy gambler whose personality is a cross between Doc Holiday (Tombstone movie) and the X-Man Gambit. So essentially, he does card based Illusion control magic and shoots his gun for Eldritch Blast.
Our party has an airship in a very planes focused campaign that we are working on turning into a spell jammer.
What kinds of unique ideas do you have for Minor Illusion outside of the standard things (imaginary wall to hide behind, fake floor over spike trap, hide in a box, project a voice, etc)?
Our party consists of a shadow monk, a gloomstalker, an armored artifice (he's the one I made the bet with), a chronometer wizard, and me. They've elected my character as the ship captain due to his gentlemen ways and his high charisma (face).
Hit me with your zaney ideas!
*edited for typo.

TZ-45 Submachine gun
The TZ-45 was an Italian blowback-operated submachine gun produced between 1944 and 1945, with an estimated 6,000 made.
Quick Facts Type, Place of origin ... TZ-45
A TZ-45 Type Submachine gun Place of origin Italian Social Republic Service history In service 1944-1945 Used by Italian Social Republic Wehrmacht Burma Wars World War II Production history Designer Tonon and Zorzoli Giandoso Designed 1944 Manufacturer Fabbrica Fratelli Giandoso Produced 1944–1945 1952-55 (Burma) No. built 6,000 (Approx.) Variants TZ-45 (Italy) BA-52 (Burma) Specifications Mass 7 lb (3.2 kg) Length 33.27 in (845 mm) (stock extended) 21.5 in (550 mm) (stock folded) Barrel length 9 in (230 mm) Cartridge 9×19mm Parabellum, 9mm Fiocchi Caliber 9 mm Action API[dubious – discuss] Blowback-operated, selective fire Rate of fire 800 Rounds Per Minute Muzzle velocity 380 m/s (1,200 ft/s) Effective firing range 150 m (490 ft) Feed system 40 round detachable box magazine Sights front sight, rear sight Close History The TZ-45 submachine gun was designed by two Italians; Tonon, a lieutenant colonel in the National Republican Army whose first name remains unknown and Aldo Zorzoli, a gunsmith, and was produced by the Giandoso company. The vast majority of the estimated 6000 TZ 45s produced were issued to R.S.I. (Repubblica Sociale Italiana) units fighting against Italian partisan forces during the civil war in Northern Italy (1944–45). A few TZ-45 were possibly used by the Wehrmacht forces engaged in similar operations. After the war, the remaining guns were given to the military of the British and the American forces where they were evaluated. The general opinion was unfavorable due to the style of manufacturing and finish.
The projects and manufacturing rights for the gun were later sold to the Burmese army where it was manufactured as the BA-52 and colloquially known as the "Ne Win STEN". The Burmese copies were roughly manufactured and unreliable. The weapon remained in service into the mid-1980s with the Burmese infantry and into the early 1990s with support troops.
Design and construction The TZ-45 was manufactured by a stamped process and was then welded together with a simple finish applied. The blowback-operation was similar to other submachine guns at the time, though the return spring differed as it was assembled around a telescoping guide rod. A muzzle brake was fitted to the firearm, and the shoulder stock of the weapon was formed out of steel rods that slid alongside the receiver when retracted.
Safety mechanisms for the gun included a fire selector that has a safe position that locks the bolt in the forward or rearward position, a grip safety behind the magazine housing preventing the bolt from moving in the direction of cocking or firing unless properly held, And a pin wedged in a specially designed notch in the bolt, preventing it from rolling back in case of accidental shock.
Accidental discharges were a common occurrence in similar submachine guns such as the Sten gun and M3. However, the double safety system the TZ-45 utilized proved to be a breakthrough which would inspire later submachine guns, such as the Danish Madsen M50.
Users Italian Social Republic Kingdom of Italy Italian partisans Burma N#zi Germany Next copypasta: Blowback (firearms) MP 18 Sa 23 Uzi Vz. 23 SIG SG 540 Madsen M-50

So I have a friend of 15 years.Anyways, we have always been close and talk frequently, almost every day. She had a child about 6 years ago now and the child is an absolute Ray of sunshine. She loves that baby so much and she’s such a great mother. My issue I have is the baby’s father is abusive as hell. Only to my friend and never the child, he’s insanely manipulative and just…. All around a disgusting human. Some examples of why I think that: he left her in the hospital when she miscarried their second child bc he didn’t wanna deal with her crying. He left her alone at home with a severe infection with their 4 y/o child (at the time) after that. He’s held a gun up to her head and beat her when their baby who is 6 now was less than a year old in her arms, bashed her head into furniture when they argued and so so much more things not to mention the mentally abusive things he has said to her. He also within this last year got another woman pregnant and she just had his baby. So he’s done a lot of damage to her and yet….she’s taken him back again after being broken up for months bc the last time they broke up not only did she find out another woman was pregnant by him but he tried getting her kicked out of her place and moving the other woman in! But yet she’s forgiven him now bc he helps around her house and he “doesn’t drink as much” anymore so I guess that fixed everything … I’m disappointed in her and I do not support this relationship. It’s been almost 8 years now of me panicking and answering her calls in the middle of the night to her sobbing how he’s beat her again… I wanted to go visit her and baby soon but now I feel like I can’t bc I don’t want to be around her pos baby daddy. I don’t feel safe around him. And idk if I should tell her how I feel or just keep my mouth shut. I’m just so scared one day I’ll get the call that she’s dead. She’s not taking it seriously and I’ve been supportive for so long I’m tired and feel like it’s just a matter of time until he kills her… what would you do?

So, I told one of my good gaming buddies that, in my opinion, Minor Illusion is the most useful and most powerful cantrip in the game. We are playing in a long-term campaign together. I'm playing a 6 Creation Bard / 1 Genie Warlock. My character is a gentlemen cowboy gambler whose personality is a cross between Doc Holiday (Tombstone movie) and the X-Man Gambit. So essentially, he does card based Illusion control magic and shoots his gun for Eldritch Blast.
Our party has an airship in a very planes focused campaign that we are working on turning into a spell jammer.
What kinds of unique ideas do you have for Minor Illusion outside of the standard things (imaginary wall to hide behind, fake floor over spike trap, hide in a box, project a voice, etc)?
Our party consists of a shadow monk, a gloomstalker, an armored artifice (he's the one I made the bet with), a chronometer wizard, and me. They've elected my character as the ship captain due to his gentlemen ways and his high charisma (face).
Hit me with your zaney ideas!
*edited for typo.