Healthfirst essential plan dental

Howdy gang - throwaway account, the walls have ears and the hills have eyes.
So my flatmate and I have had a falling out and she had decided to kick me out for essentially no good reason (claims I’m messy but hasn’t said anything in months, apartment is clean, cleaners come). I had disrespected her in front of the roach exterminator that we really didn’t need because I didn’t want to pay for a service for a place I might immediately get kicked out of (spoiler alert). She is on the lease and therefore has the power to kick me out and I get no say. She is also planning on leasing out her room soon and moving home, while still controlling the lease so she can come back whenever she wants. Now, she is planning on leasing my room as well, which is against lease rules. On top of this - she has had a dog in the apartment for over a year. The dog barks a lot but no-one complains, however dogs are also not allowed under the lease rules.
I’m genuinely going to try and bridge the gap with her and resolve things, but if she refuses then I will send info about the dog and the sub-leasing to the property manager. If I do this, the property manager has already said that I might be able to take over the lease.
Am I the asshole here? Am I being a rat?
For further context - she has brought in the dog with no regard to the other flatmates, brought in and made us pay for cleaners without asking us, when one flatmate left she decided that we would split his rent and have one less person in the apartment for ‘more space’ in the midst of a housing crisis, makes me pay equal rent when her room is literally more than twice the size of mine, threatens me with eviction over minor issues, gave me 4 hours notice before bringing in a second dog which didn’t get along with the first, and the last time I asked to get on the lease she unsurprisingly tried to evict me and I had to convince her to let me stay. The dog is very sweet but has bit me countless times and barks loudly and often. I don’t blame the dog I blame the owner.
Kinda venting here. Thanks for the feedback

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is finally here. Find how to watch Miles Morales's highly anticipated animated superhero film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse online for free.
​
🔴🎬Watch Here➡️ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Online Free
​
Animated Film! Here are options for downloading or watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch Miles Morales's latest adventure movies at home. Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 available to stream? Is watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Peacock, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found an authentic streaming option/service.
​
🔴𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐃📷 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Online Free
​
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse’s very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most. Anyone can wear the mask – it’s how you wear it that makes you a hero.
​
After a grueling five-year-long wait, Marvel fans everywhere will finally be able to return to the animated multiverse with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The upcoming sequel's predecessor requires no explanation, as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only ensnared audiences and critics alike but also caught a prestigious Oscar win with a Best Animated Feature award. With "New York's one and only Spider-Man," Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), now becoming a household name, fans of the first film eagerly awaited the day they could see young Miles swing into the Spider-Verse again.
​
Thankfully, the wait is almost finally over, as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will return to screens soon. This time Miles will not only be reunited with Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) but he'll also be introduced to an entire multiversal society of Spider-people created and led by a particularly pessimistic variant of Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Though some of the other variants in this secretive organization view Miles as a nuisance more than anything else, they'll have to learn to put those apprehensions aside if they hope to save the multiverse from an all-new terrifying threat. As the release date for the sequel to one of the most celebrated Spider-Man films ever made crawls closer and closer, here is precisely where and how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse when it premieres this Summer.
​
If you’re like just about everyone else on the planet who saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 and loved it, you’ve probably been waiting for the sequel. You won’t be waiting long, as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally coming out in 2023, a full five years later. It’s been a long wait but by all indications the film is going to be a blast for fans of comic book movies, Miles Morales’ version of Spider-Man, and this new animated franchise featuring the iconic webslinger.
​
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the most highly anticipated animated superhero films of 2023. Serving as a sequel to the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), this upcoming installment promises to continue the exhilarating adventures of the Spider-Verse. Fans from all around the globe are eagerly awaiting its release. In this article, we will provide you with all the essential information on the film's release date and how to watch it online from any country, ensuring you don't miss out on this exciting cinematic experience.
​
This is especially true for many superhero films, which are often tied directly to specific streaming services. Disney+ and HBO Max - now rebranded as MAX - often house the new streaming releases for the MCU and DCU respectively, usually releasing anywhere between 1–3 months after theatrical release. However, with a film like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the situation is slightly different given Sony's lack of a dedicated streaming service, here's where to watch and stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse online.
​
When Is the Release Date for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
When Is the Release Date for Spider-Man: Across thMiles, Gwen, Peter, and several dozen other Spider-people will be swinging into action when Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premieres on Friday, June 2nd, 2023. This almost undoubtedly gives Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Flash a run for their money as the biggest superhero movie event of the Summer. Spider-Verse?
​
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on May 30, 2023, and is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on June 2, delayed from an initial October 2022 date because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
​
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online:
As of now, the only way to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on June 2, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
​
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Movie Online Free
​
Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube or Apple, or become available to stream on Netflix.
​
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
How to Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
There's been no official announcement regarding Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's streaming release date, though we know it will eventually be released on Netflix, rather than Disney+ or HBO Max.
​
In terms of which of the streaming giants Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be released on, Netflix will house the film upon its streaming debut. While again, Sony does not have its own dedicated streaming service, a deal was struck in 2021 between the studio and Netflix. The deal, stating that Netflix would stream Sony's films after theatrical release, was penned for 5 years meaning Across the Spider-Verse is part of the arrangement.
​
While Sony's Spider-Man content is also streaming on Disney+, due to the collaborations between Sony and Marvel Studios in recent years, Across the Spider-Verse will be a Netflix release. While the deal struck between Marvel Studios and Sony may extend to this film, Disney+ is only allowed to begin streaming Sony's Spider-Man releases upon their release on Netflix. As a result, Netflix will be the first streaming service that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be available on after its theatrical release.
​
Because it’s airing on FX, you can of course fire up Into the Spider-Verse via FX Now. But in addition, the animated flick is streaming on both fubo (which offers a free trial and has cord-cutting plans starting at $74.99/month; sign up here) and DirecTV (which also offers a free trial and has cord-cutting plans starting at $64.99/month.
​
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Theaters?
Not only was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse the subject of rave reviews, but it also pulled in some gargantuan levels of cash at the international box office, with a final tally that quadrupled the film's ninety-million dollar budget. With incredible success like that, it's only natural that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would also be taking advantage of a theatrical release. That is the case, as the upcoming film will be exclusively available in theaters when it premieres on June 2nd, 2023.
​
When Will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Be on Streaming?
The Spider-Man franchise is in a pretty interesting place regarding streaming. The various films of Sony's franchise have typically been scattered across multiple services. That said, following a historic deal between Sony and Disney, the many stories of Peter Parker and beyond are now available on Disney+. This includes the original Sam Raimi trilogy, the first Amazing Spider-Man film, and, starting mid-May, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Venom. Notably absent from the Disney-streaming platform so far are The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Morbius, and most significant of all, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
​
Some of the films are not currently available on the service because Sony has pre-existing partnerships with Starz, as that's where most of the absent films are available to stream. That is except for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is instead only streaming on Fubo TV and FX Now.
​
If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse comes to Disney+ before Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's theatrical run concludes, that would make the House of Mouse's service a likely contender for a streaming release. However, Sony has also historically partnered with Netflix for streaming releases. Up until recently, that's where Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was available to stream, and Sony still brings their other big releases to the service, like Bullet Train and The Woman King.
​
When will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse be streaming on Netflix?
Sony Animation’s big new Spider-Man movie is about to hit theaters and will be headed to Netflix (at least in the United States) later this year. For a prediction as to when and a bit more about the new movie, here’s what you need to know.
​
As we covered in 2021, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be headed to Netflix as the service gets both Sony’s animation and live-action content via a first window deal struck in April 2021.
​
The deal stipulates that all Sony theatrical movies come to Netflix in the first window, which at a minimum, is 120 days after its theatrical release date. If it arrives exactly 120 days after, it’ll be streaming from September 30th, 2023.
​
With that said, given how big this movie is, we may see it release a few weeks after the fact. Either way, we expect the movie to be available between late September and November 2023.
​
Will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Be Streaming On Netflix?
Yes, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is coming to Netflix approximately in December 2023.
​
In 2021, Sony and Netflix signed a five-year deal that gave the latter exclusive first-pay-window U.S. streaming rights for Sony Pictures titles after their theatrical and home entertainment windows. Fans can expect to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix six months after the film’s theatrical release, thus in December 2023. The date seems reasonable considering that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dropped on Netflix on June 26, 2019, six months after its U.S. release on December 14, 2018. The pay-one window usually begins about nine months after a film’s theatrical release, but it might start earlier in particular cases.
​
Will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Be On HBO Max?
No, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will not be on HBO Max since it’s not a Universal Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
​
Will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Be Streaming On Disney+?
Yes, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is also coming to Disney Plus approximately in 2025.
​
Once the pay-one window runs its time and Netflix’s exclusive rights expire, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be available on Disney Plus. The pay-one window might last as long as 18 months, which means it will be a while before Disney Plus subscribers can watch the much-anticipated sequel. Unlike in other countries, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn’t yet available on the Disney-owned streamer in the U.S.
​
American fans will have to wait until 2024 to watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and at least until 2025 for its sequel. We will update this post once there is an official Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Disney Plus release date.
​
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Available On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new Marvel's animation movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series streaming at this time. It will be exclusive to the MTV channel, which you get by subscribing to cable or satellite TV services. You will not be able to watch it on Hulu or any other free streaming service.
​
​
​
How to Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online For Free?
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
​
There are a few ways to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
​
When Will Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Be on DVD and Blu-ray?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will likely be coming to DVD and Blu-ray around the same time as the streaming release. With theatrical films, on average, coming to streaming sooner than ever (usually ninety days after theatrical release), we'll likely see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse get a DVD, and Blu-ray release no later than Fall 2023.
​
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast and Characters
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was written by Dave Callaham, Phil Lord and Chris Miller and directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson. It stars the following actors:
​
The following cast members are confirmed to provide their voice talents for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
​
Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man
Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman
Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis
Luna Lauren Vélez as Rio Morales
Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man
Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ohnn / the Spot
Issa Rae as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman
Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India
Daniel Kaluuya as Hobart “Hobie” Brown / Spider-Punk
Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara / Spider-Man 2099
Greta Lee as Lyla
Rachel Dratch as the school counsellor
Jorma Taccone as Vulture
Shea Whigham as George Stacy
Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider
What is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse About?
Returning with many of your favorite characters, including Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, Peter B. ParkeSpider-Man, and of course Miles Morales as our primary Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set one year after the events of the previous film. Miles (Shameik Moore) is coming into his own as Spider-Man when he is unexpectedly approached by Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) with an extraordinary opportunity. Does Miles want to help a team of Spider-People, led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) protect the multiverse from the terrifying threat of a man known as The Spot (Jason Schwartzman)?
​
Obviously, Miles is going to say yes, setting him up for an adventure that will expand this movie’s concept of the multiverse in every possible way. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse promises tons of new characters and worlds, without losing sight of what people have come to love about this particular Spider-franchise.
​
Miles Morales has become a massively popular Spider-Man, and you can be certain he’ll be at the center of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s chaotic blend of action, comedy, comic book aesthetics, and large-scale science fiction. It seems more likely than not that Across the Spider-Verse will be the biggest animated release of 2023.

Background:
The Maryland Port Authority has to constantly dredge the Baltimore Harbor, shipping terminals, and shipping channels to keep them open. Much of the dredge removed from the Baltimore harbor and Patapsco River near old industrial sites is contaminated with heavy metals, oils, and other toxic "forever" chemicals. The Maryland Port Authority (MPA) has to dry and store this dredged material in special "containment sites" because it is unsafe for human exposure. (See https://maryland-dmmp.com/). Before the 1970s, this material was often dumped back into the Chesapeake Bay. After ecological awareness arose in the 1970s and dumping was regulated, MPA was forced to create diked land-based dredge containment facilities to dry and store dredged material.
These sites, once created, are forever contaminated. MPA has done its best to create these sites where they make the least impact - often in already-contaminated abandoned industrial areas. MPA also creates conservation areas to make amends for the harm, makes clean dredge available for shoreline restorations and construction projects, makes contaminated dredge available for re-use research, and in some cases recreates islands lost to erosion (Hart-Miller Island, Poplar Island, and James and Barren Islands) using dredged material.
After significant pushback from communities near Hart-Miller Island for decades and years of litigation, MPA shut down the Hart-Miller dredge containment facility before its completion and shifted their attention to creating dredge containment sites near Baltimore in already-contaminated industrial areas next to Fort Armistead (Cox Creek DMCF) in Anne Arundel County and in Masonville next to Brooklyn. Ongoing dredging activities and plans to fill these sites to heights of 60 feet or higher with contaminated dredge and their runoff are already a significant concern for the quality of the water and the aquatic life in the Patapsco and its tidal tributaries. A potentially even greater concern is that because MPA is running out of land-based locations to contain contaminated dredge, it now plans to create Confined Aquatic Dredge (CAD) sites in the seabed of the Patapsco River to essentially bury contaminated dredge underwater in the sea floor. The first MPA full scale CAD site is planned to be built one mile off the shore of the communities of Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach near the entrance to Stoney Creek.
The planned Patapsco CAD site will be up to 220 acres in size. MPA plans to remove clean seabed material from the site for several months and make it available to construction companies and for shoreline restoration efforts and then replace it with contaminated dredge material for several more months sometime in the next year. MPA asserts that unlike historic dredge dumping, this CAD site will be "capped" and "safe". However, there will inevitably be a significant release of contaminants and turbidity into the Patapsco from this activity and permanent impact within and near the CAD site. Contaminated dredge material suspended in water can't be totally contained. Moreover, long-term ecological impacts from leaching and seabed shifting can't be predicted.
Concerns:
Northern Anne Arundel communities near the planned CAD site are very concerned about several potential issues related to its creation:

1. The noise from planned 24/7 dredging for several months at a time as well as spotlighting at night since this will be over a mile closer to Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach than the shipping channel.
   
2. The safety of residents in nearby waters to swim, fish, and engage in watersports on the Patapsco and in Stoney Creek, Cox Creek, and downstream tributaries during and after dredging from exposure to chemical and biological toxins released into the water.
   
3. The impact of such dredging on aquatic life and ecosystems including waterfowl that depend on it.
   
4. The long-term ecological impact on the CAD site, nearby shorelines, and the tidal waters around it.
   
5. The potential short and long-term geographical extent of ecological and human exposure to released toxins given unpredictable winds, currents, storms, tidal swings, and sea level rise.
   

We have questions related to these concerns and would like a greater understanding of how impacts will be measured and mitigated and what the potential risks to our communities might be - including being exposed to chemical and biological toxins. Of particular concern if this program moves forward is how will toxins be measured, where will they be measured, how will communities be notified if toxins in the water around their shoreline reaches harmful levels, and what might the long-term effects of such toxins be that might settle around our shorelines?
While we are concerned, we also appreciate that MPA is creating conservation sites such as the Swan Creek Wetlands next to the Cox Creek facility and making clean dredge material available at little or no cost to communities engaged in shoreline restoration efforts - including Stoney Beach which is planning an important natural shoreline project to protect a highly eroded natural area at our point where the Patapsco meets Stoney Creek. This greatly reduces the cost of shoreline restoration.

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

We purchased this house that was built in the 1920's its pretty charming on the outside and its technically 3 stories. Most of the experiences have happened in the basement where my girlfriend and I stay at but aren't limited to that area. The basement is essentially its own apartment, it has a bedroom with two walk-in closets, a laundry room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a wine cellar, a maintenance room, and a living room area. When me and my girlfriend first moved in with her mother we had the basement to ourselves. (Keep the living in your moms basement jokes to yourselves, we own the house too 😂)
Anyway first night of moving in we both had night terrors of an old frail lady in white walking around in front of the bed. We were creeped out but just figured it was nothing. Few nights later we were getting more stuff unpacked and organized in one of the walk in closets and we both heard whispers right next to our ears. My girlfriend ignored it but right after I said "did you just hear that" and repeated the whisper sound. She got freaked out because she heard that noise exactly.
Fast forward to maybe a month or two in, we heard shuffling upstairs almost like someone walking around with slippers. Her mom wasn't home so figured someone maybe broke in, (honestly this house is old and likely an easy target for a break in) but hadn't triggered the alarms or glass break detectors. I grabbed my Glock 19 and checked upstairs and when I got to the stairs that lead to the third floor I could hear the shuffling right next to me. The shuffling was going up the stairs and eventually stopped when it got to the top. After this the same thing happened again the following day.
At this point I'm pretty confident this house is haunted, my girlfriend and I can feel it. We tried researching the previous owners but really couldnt find much but maybe I just haven't searched well enough.
Fast forward to the next encounter, me and my girlfriend were doing dry fire training in my living room late at night on a weekend my girlfriend's mom was out of town. (My girlfriends mom leaves every other weekend to go hang out with her boyfriend and he comes over on the weekends that she doesn't visit him.) I'm a stickler for firearms saftey, I triple check every firearm to ensure its unloaded as well as the magazines before I train and I make sure to leave ammunition in another room while I'm doing my dry fire. So we are practicing draw stroke, proper presentation, getting to the wall, target transitions, and tactical/emergency reloads and my girlfriend hears someone whisper "be careful" next to her ear while she's timing me. I didn't hear anything so when she told me what she heard, I grabbed her and went to the room to load my firearm. I got freaked out when she told me because my first thought when she told me that was somones breaking into my house and is whispering to their buddy to be careful. (Keep in mind its 1am or 2am me and my girlfriend were on a nocturnal schedule for the weekend so we can get more time under nods.) Anyway she explains it was next to her ear and not coming from outside or anything and I calmed down.
Next encounter I had was by myself when I was getting ready to do the dishes. I had my ear buds in and they have the ambient noise feature where you can still hear with them in. I heard a deep breath in my ear. It made me jump and I turned around thinking it was my girlfriend trying to mess with me or something but there was nothing there. I wasn't listening to music when it happened either so have no idea what it was.
The last encounter we had was when my girlfriend and I were hanging out upstairs with her mom and boyfriend. We were just listening to music and having a couple drinks and I grabbed a glass of water and sat it down on a small table to my left. The glass knocked over on its own and we all watched it happen. Firstly it tipped over towards the table not off the table, I got up and tried jumping and stomping near the table to get it to wobble and nothing, I tried to tip the glass over by bumping it and it wobbled but didn't fall. I tried hitting the table with my knee or elbow but nothing. When the glass fell on its own it just knocked over it, didn't wobble first or anything. Everyone saw it happen and nobody saw me bump it or anything and I didn't feel myself bump into it either.
To my knowledge thats all thats happened so far, we kept trying to tell my girlfriends mom about the weird stuff thats happened but she wrote it all off until the night the glass tipped over on its own. Its possible she's had experiences but if thats the case she hasn't told us about any. Maybe these experiences are nothing maybe they are I have no idea. I do plan to try and capture evidence by setting up cameras inside so if I capture anything I will post it here.

Hi lovelies, I wanted to start a series on basic guides for healthmaxxing topics based on data/science. This is what I am going to focus on and write up some basic guides for people over the coming month. I plan to write some posts on the basics of nutrition; exercise (strength training, cardio and flexibility), skincare, haircare; hygiene; sleep and also other health related guides and will include all easy to read references on the side so you can actually verify things (much easier than journal articles which requires some basic knowledge of stats and metrics). Prior to getting into this, I want to say all of these are my recommendations based on what I've researched and experienced (been doing this for a while and wrote up an extensive data driven guided for myself ages ago which worked for me). I know everyone has individual circumstances/experiences and so want to preface by saying whatever works for you is great but please try and make discussions/comments below value add for others reading with any data/scientific basis if you are suggesting. As a refreshe//I've written previously, my recommendations for your glow up journey starts with
Cycle 1: high reward/low risk cosmetic procedures and development of a basic grooming routine to get some confidence and feel better about yourself (about 3 months) Cycle 2: Healthmaxxing over a prolonged period (6 months - 1 year) to get yourself at the epitome of health that you can maintain for hopefully the rest of your life. Cycle 3: Hardmaxxing. Once you are at the epitome of health + have a fantastic grooming routine, you can start your surgery journey if need be and intelligently make decisions on what you actually need/have the health basis to recover. *** then cycle through again and again as you learn more. Basic Nutrition 101 Healthy Plate: To start with, we want to understand exactly what is a healthy plate and what does it comprise of. A summary of the Harvard School of Public Health Healthy Plate Guide (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/)

• Half plate = vegetables (not potatoes) and fruits. Aim for colour + variety *** note these are the carbohydrattes we want
• Quarter plate = whole grains such as wheat, barley, quinoa, oats, brown rice. Not white bread, white rice and other refined grains *** note these are the carbohydrates we want
• Quarter plate protein = mostly fish, poultry, beans (legumes + peas). Limit red meat and completely stop having processed meats
• Health plant oils in moderation such as olive oil.

Grains: According to the Harvard School of Public Health Whole Grains Guide (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/)
Avoid:

• Anything processed
• Fried
• White grains
• Potatoes
• Highly processed foods
• Refined sugar

What to have lots of :

• 100% whole grains because whole grains because they contain three parts: the bran (fibre-filled with B vitamins and minerals, as well as phytochemicals that help with disease prevention/protect against some cancers); the germ (nutrient pack core with B vitamins, vitamin E, phytochemicals and antioxidants) and the endosperm (starchy carbohydrate middle layer with protein and some vitamins). Outside of this the components have fibre that will allow for better digestion, maintenance of steady blood sugar, prevention of small blood clots etc.
  
• To tell if a food is high in whole grains choose unprocessed whole grains like: Amaranth Barley Brown rice Buckwheat Bulgur Millet Quinoa Rye Oats Wheat Berries Wild Rice
  
• Otherwise to tell if high in whole grains, Use the five USDA criteria to identify whole grains in a food product
  
  • Whole grain listed as first ingredient (most important thing to look at)
  • Added sugars not in the first three ingredients
  • Whole before any grain ingredient
  • Carb-fibre ratio of less than 10:1
  • Industry sponsored whole grain stamp

SUGGESTION: mix grains with lentils to get some extra protein when having rice dishes (and for a good meal, add some roast vegetables, spices and olives) Protein Key takeaways of some especially healthy protein sources:

• Legumes (Harvard School of Public Health Legumes guide - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/ )
  
  • Legumes (including peas and beans) because they are an inexpensive source of protein, vitamins, complex carbs and fibre
  • Be more discriminate with products made from legumes such as tofu, hummus etc. because you want to be on the lookout for added sodium, sugar and saturated fat
• Canned oily fish (Harvard Medical School Article on canned fish - https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/ask_the_doctor_is_canned_fish_good_for_the_heart and Harvard School of Public Health Fish guide - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fish/ )
  
  • Canned salmon, tuna, sardines, kippered herring, and other types of fish are pretty much on a par with fresh fish
  • They are full of health omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the heart, protect against inflammation and formation of blood clots in arteries. They also are high in vitamin D, selenium, protein and saturated fat
  • Smaller fish is better for less mercury and if you choose canned, fish canned in oil is better than water to retain more omega 3 fatty acids
  • Benefits from eating fish, outweigh costs of mercury exposure and at levels commonly consumed, there is limited and conflicting evidence for effects of mercury in adults (but those who are pregnant should be cautious and follow the above guidelines)

Getting into the specifics as based on Harvard Medical School Guide on Protein -https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096#:~:text=For%20one%2C%20don't%20read,legumes%2C%20nuts%2C%20and%20vegetables and Harvard School of Public Health Guide on Protein - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/
What to avoid:

• Read meat including Beef Pork Lamb Veal Goat meat
• Processed meat Bacon Sausages Cold cuts
• Dairy in moderation
• Soy in moderation because it has other stuff on the label which you need to pay attention to(Harvard School of Public Health quick tips - - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/02/12/5-quick-tips-choosing-healthy-protein-foods/ )

What to eat lots of:

• Legumes - and if most of the protein comes from plants, make sure you mix up sources so no essential components of protein are missing. Examples include Lentils Beans like black, chickpeas, kidney, lima, mung, pinto Peas like green, snow, snap, split Edamame/soybeans and products made from soy like tofu, tempeh
• Nuts Almonds Pistachios Cashews Walnuts Hazelnuts Pecans Help seeds Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Flax seeds Chia seeds
• Upgrade source of animal protein to:
  • Seafood (fish, crustaceans, molluscs)
  • Eggs
  • Poultry
    • Chicken
    • Turkey
    • Duck
  • Dairy
    • In moderation of 1-2 servings a day
    • Yoghurt is better than servings all from milk and cheese
• note that animal based foods (meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy) tend to be good sources of complete proteins whereas plant based foods (vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds) often lack one or more amino acid.
  
• General guidelines: (NSCA2 )
  
  • Weight loss of about 1% of total bodyweight is a common guideline
  • During caloric restriction, have daily protein intake of 1.5-2g/kg of body weight
  • Consume protein prior to and immediately after a workout along with carbohydrates
  • Also better to choose higher protein foods instead of protein shakes and powders loaded with sugars (Harvard School of Public Health quick tips - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/02/12/5-quick-tips-choosing-healthy-protein-foods/ )

Suggestion: Eat a variety such as eggs/canned fish breakfast, beans/poultry lunch, salmon/tofu dinner. For cheap easy eats, grain bowls with legumes and tinned fish on toast with picked vegetables is a good go. Vegetables: After doing an analysis via cronometer on the best foods for various micro intakes (highest amounts and most efficient), here is what I came up with:

• Fibre = Black beans; whole grains like oats; raspberries, artichoke hearts, rhubarb
• Iron = oysters, mushrooms, molluscs, spinach. Liver (and animal sources are better absorbed)
• Calcium = rhubarb, milk; cheese; yoghurt, spinach; okra, tofu,
• Vitamin A = liver (like across all sorts of liver), kale, spinach, lettuce, carrots, yellow and orange vegetables like carrots and pumpkin
• Vitamin C = acerola cherry, red and yellow peppers (particularly this), pineapple, melon, peaches, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, strawberries
• B12 = supplement
• Folate = green vegetables like edamame, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, spinach, beans, lentils, liver
• Potassium = rhubarb, amaranth leaves, legumes, Bok choy, mushrooms, leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard)
• B1 - B12 = nutritional yeast and whole grains, also liver and mushrooms, eggs
• Vitamin D = mushrooms (all sorts!!!), super high. oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, eggs
• Vitamin E = acai berry; sunflower seeds, almonds, red pepper, spinach
• Vitamin K = kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados
• Copper = liver, oysters, kale, mushrooms
• Magnesium = Swiss chard, legumes, spinach, kale hemp seeds
• Manganese = acai berry; chickpeas; blueberries; brown rice, quinoa, chia seeds, liver and zucchini, peppers
• Phosphorous = milk, meat and fish hemp seeds
• Selenium = fish, nuts, eggs, mushrooms (particular tuna, oyster, mixed nuts)
• Zinc = supplement it
• Omega 3 = 3 flaxseeds; chia seeds; mackerel, salmon
• Omega 6 = sunflower seeds, pine nuts, watermelon, sweet and green peppers, kale, spinach

What can be concluded from the above about things that come up the most:

• Eat lots and lots of leafy greens! This is a fantastic bang for your buck for nutrition
• Supplement B12 and vitamin D also add in nutritional yeast
• Some seeds are particularly good like hemp seeds chia seeds; flax seeds and sunflower seeds. Add them to salads and grain bowls
• Mushrooms ( Shiitake, oyster, maitake, and king oyster mushrooms have the highest concentrations of ergothioneine. - harvard)
• Berries for antioxidants

​
What I personally like to do to stay within calorie limit and meet targets
Use two apps:

• Chronometer to track intake
• Dr greger's daily dozen for inspiration and general guidelines in my head on portions (even though I am not vegan, I use it to help think about how much rice I should have or say intake of leafy greens for a side salad)

For my meal plan:
I personally find it difficult to have a new meal for all three meals and don't like to spend so much time cooking and having to come up with creative ways to meet micro goals (it's hard because there are so many). So instead I spent a few hours on cronometer to experiment several basic meals I can have during my day to hit most of my micro goals and give myself room for dinner to choose something healthy that isn't so strict.
For me this looks like a:

• Fruit smoothie in the morning with Greek yoghurt; almond milk, berries and other fruits in season. (I struggle to get calcium otherwise in my day and this is the easiest way to make sure I get it)
• 1 big grain bowl lunch OR dinner consisting of:
  • Steamed whole grain e.g. wild rice, quinoa.
  • airfried easy chicken breast OR tofu/tempeh OR fish depending on what I'm feeling like
  • Roast veges/legumes ( I change up the vegetables depending on what's in season and same with legumes depending on what I have).. To do this I simply toss 1 can of a legumes and vegetables with olive oil; spices, a bit of nutritional yeast.. For vegetables I choose vegetables in every one of the below categories for a variety of textures and will alternate depending on what is in season.
    • Round root vegetables (like beets, sweet potatoes)
    • Mushrooms (compulsory) , Bell peppers, Onions , Cherry tomatoes
    • Long root vegetables (like carrots and parsnips)
    • Cruciferous vegetables (brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli)
    • Greens
    • Soft vegetables (like other stuff, eggplant, zucchini)
    • Then to top of it off, I will add a bit of lemon juice + cheese and nuts and seeds depending on what is in the pantry
• As a snack/on the side, I will always have a big bowl of mixed greens with easy low calorie dressings I make myself with avocados, nuts, olive oil, herbs (I actually enjoy eating it separately). I don't snack otherwise
• Dinner will be anything I like that is healthy (but isn't so rigid about number of veges etc. because I already have met most of my nutritional needs already) e.g. thai cashew chicken; alison roman's shallot pasta with anchovies with a side salad; dumplings and steamed vegetables; salmon poke bowls; chicken roasts

** I always track my calories to make sure i'm eating well and this keeps me

hi guys upcoming storrs freshman here. as of right now, im planning to major in chem (might change to allied health sciences) on the pre dental route and be a part of the honors program. the issue is im looking at the dorming options and im kind of confused. should i be dorming at northwest because of the honors learning community nearby? or are there other dorms that might be a bit more suitable for my interests? i just don’t want to be too far from my classes which will mainly be the sciences (not shitty dining halls and gyms nearby would be nice lol) Planning to have 1 or 2 roommates. any help would be greatt😭

Finally getting around to making this post lol, when I started out Project: Broken System, I knew I would have to start seeking out some help for it since from the start the mod was going to be a massive undertaking and I knew this. Fast forward a bit and I had managed to drag some people on to help me.
Some time after this happened I found out there was still interest for my older Project (Secret Pain) despite the fact I had essentially canned it over a year ago, but knowing people still wanted to play it, it made me want to pick it back up after BS has been made... and then I realised I know have a bunch of extremely talented people that would be able to help me with this so instead I turned the group in a more official team to start going down this path.
​
Anyway, who's on this team right now? Well:
​
There's obviously me (Luma) as the lead, specifically though I just do whatever I can, writing, coding, and of course OST.
Then there's the other writer who those in the Discord would know as F i T, 100% a very talented writer and helping the story of Broken System to shape up to it's full potential.
I can't do all the OST on my own so for help I've managed to somehow convince Empyre to provide his skills, so all in all anything ImaDevs comes out with is guaranteed to have a banger soundtrack.
Now that's writing and audio, but what about visuals? Well, I'm happy to announce that StormBlazed is also part of the team and will be handling sprites and CG's. It's funny as things have come full circle on this one as fun fact, his first commission came from me for a CG that was meant to be in the full release of Secret Pain's first chapter :D
For help with coding, I have brought in someone I believe to have a lot of potential, AwesomeNinjaXD, since there is a lot of story writing planned it's not going to be the worlds smallest job to translate that to script and so I found someone to help with that.
Finally, as I really want this mod to come in with a bang, I've managed to bring on the epic 1SingularEgg, or you may know them better as RandomGuy_DDLC to help bring up hype for the mod as it gets closer to release.
​
Be aware I'm still on the look out for people, there are a couple of holes to fill such as making BGs and someone to cover the more advanced coding stuff, so this certainly isn't going to be everyone that ends up working on the mod, but for now it's a pretty good overview.
​
To end of this post I just want to put up the current projects that are planned to come from ImaDevs, note these aren't all being worked on at the same time, BS is the current focus, don't worry I'm not that crazy lol.
So, here's a brief sumarry of each project.
​
Project: Broken System: Based in the future where all of the club members have grown up and started living their own lives, MC has reached out to Monika for help as his nephew he's been looking after has suddenly started going through a depressive stage and he can't figure out why. After all, Monika must have to know something having adopted her own child some time ago. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as straight forward as either party hopes...
Secret Pain: As parents are away on a business trip, MC is stuck at home being looked after by his sister, Natsuki, which of course means he's going to have to attend the Literature Club for the time being. Despite this dread things turn out to be better than expected and he finds himself even starting to get along with the members... especially a certain purple haired individual. But after a while he starts to notice something strange, things in this club don't quite add up, something just seems... off... Little does he know how correct he is about it... and how much he may regret it.
A New Reality: My very first mod. Set in a world where being a 'Doki' is a title people are born into, making them something more than human with enhanced abilities and talents that can be taken far further than the average person. However, due to the code they have to abide by (not game type of code) their contact with 'normal people' is extremely limited, which is what tore the MC away from the only friend he had, Sayori. However, there are brief cracks in said code, and the MC has managed to find himself in one after being invited to the Literature Club for a trial as the school requires every club to trial a new member at least once a year, and he just happened to be picked for the one with Dokis. Now with one week to be able to freely interact with Sayori again he's going to make sure he can make the most of it, but as the days progress he starts finding out more and more about Dokis and the secrets contained within this mysterious group... as they also start to find out MC may be hiding a couple of secrets of his own...

One common trait of primary psychopaths is calm under conditions that the general public believes should make everyone hysterical.
I am not a primary psychopath, though my parents both were. I do, however, exhibit many primary-psychopathic traits.
I am including some personal anecdotes, slightly colorful to be sure, to encourage discussion.
Primary psychopaths are basically anhedonic, mistrustful, and often apathetic. Their sensation-seeking, rule-breaking, attention-seeking, paraphilias, criminal versatility, etc. stem largely from just being bored and depressed. I lack sensation-seeking: I prefer not to use mind-altering substances. I avoid entertainment and sex.
Sullen indifference is not lost on any reasonably intelligent person and repels them even when masked, leading to attention-seeking tantrums. Two friends who were firestarters as children grew up to set themselves on fire for the same reason: boredom and numbness.
Primary psychopaths are characterized by enlarged striata, visible on MRI, which leads to increased need for stimulation, and by the Warrior Gene. Warriors are routinely called upon not only to take lives but to sacrifice their own.
Intelligence is essential in any great warrior, so it makes sense that a warrior caste would be suspicious, bored and indifferent (callous), and more interested in ends than means (duplicity, lying, manipulation, ruthlessness, violence): if you enjoy life, how will you take pleasure in being a shadow on the battlefield, knowing that you may not survive the engagement?
If a normal person is threatened by Medicaid fraudsters, he will probably just take the medical care and hope the goons won't hurt him. In such a situation, I knew their goal was life insurance, not Medicaid fraud, so I tried to kill myself in ways that would have killed most people (attempted drowning in extremely polluted water, marked as a drowning risk due to strong currents, then drank my own urine for 3 days while stopping antibiotics midcourse, hoping to develop a superbug to thank my friends and neighbors) but barely hurt me: I am the son of an unrelentingly brutal special forces commander, who raped his own soldiers, castrated Blacks for sport, prided himself on devising new methods of killing with his bare hands, and lamented the unscrupulousness of people selected to provide information under torture. He and my mother -- a pedophile, castration fetishist, FGM fetishist, rape fetishist, trafficker (cocaine, children, slaves), arranger of murders for hire, money launderer, and money other interests -- conceived me with inconceivable impulsivity while cash-strapped, then took out a life insurance policy on me, circumcised me instead of reassigning me at birth as indicated, and waited for me to die. They threw in some fake psychiatric diagnoses, medications with disfiguring side effects, many medical rapes, substandard education, time in GULAG...
Daddy's second wife, who did her family of guards at GULAG in Siberia proud by getting a promotion to surveil rich people and push them out windows, stalked me for years, then decided to castrate and enslave me. I wish I had been reassigned at birth, but being 40-year-old nutless Lurch just doesn't seem like fun.
I refused slavery, so she robbed my friends to make me disappear into GULAG ( State psych). I let my friends know, so they demanded the money from the life insurance policy. Failing that, extirpation of everyone who robbed my friends. It'll happen.
Instead of killing myself, it may be advantageous to move somewhere other than a kleptopsychocracy. I have earned respect from homicidal psychopaths for staying cool when beaten bloody.
I have some classic primary psychopathic traits. For instance, I was struck by a speeding Jeep when celebrating my 26th birthday and Thanksgiving in 2010..
I was strolling across 3rd Avenue and paused to let the speeding Jeep, two blocks ahead of the other traffic, go by, figuring I would then just stroll to he curb.
My best friend at the time had a fight-or-flight reaction and risked his life to pull me into the path of the Jeep, himself falling down and being grazed in the process.
I was slammed directly in my left side, then grew giddy as I bounced of the hood, then the windshield, then the roof, which gave me a really beautifully blurred view of the white Christmas lights on the trees. I thought of the 1995 season finale of Law and Order, in which Claire Kincaid, played by Jill Hennessy (a then-famous Cover Girl model), was distracted by her conversation with her boss, Jack McCoy (played by Sam Waterston), and was killed in a driver's side crash. The lights in that episode were just like what I was seeing. How the hell did the producers know how it should look? I thought of asking a childhood acquaintance whose dad worked on the show to tell his dad, then lamented they would never know because I would be dead. I hit the pavement, landing on my back. The tires touched my left hip. I thought having crushed c&b in the middle of 3rd Avenue would be really gross, so I was relieved when the Jeep didn't run over me. I wiggled my toes and figured everything would be a stupid formality, which was true.
My friend stood over me, screaming. His hair looked so thick, he looked so beautiful, and so... bothered... I was thinking of how unfair it was that my birthday was being ruined by ordinary people with their procedures.
I was lying in the middle of 3rd Avenue, staring up at this amazing specimen, only for him to scream hysterically instead of helping me up so we could continue celebrating at the nearest motel.
They would inevitably call an ambulance and blame me for waiting for the speeding Jeep to pass, which indeed happened. Then tragedy struck: the ambulance crew had the unmitigated gall to tell me not to sit up and take off my shirt.
That was a vintage Brooks Brothers navy blue Golden Fleece tennis shirt. I was scarred for life as they cut the shirt, the scissors moving menacingly toward my face, just to remind me that I would be a miserable failure (true, but not because of the shirt).
I had struck my head on the pavement and could not urinate. I stayed on a Foley catheter for a while and walked out of the hospital the evening.
My only injuries were bruising, a scrape on my right hand, and a hairline fracture, barely perceptible on x-ray, in my lumbar spine.
My mother insisted I have physical therapy. I pointed out that there was nothing to do but wait for my body to heal. I knew she just wanted to play the hysterical mother, worried about her adult son who didn't know how to cross the street by himself. Yup...
When my mother was dying, I was livid that people were upset: I was the person closest to her. If I don't mind, how dare they encroach on my indifference?! I remarked around that time, quite sincerely and incessantly, that people who mourn the dead should be killed: not only for coveting the dead but for pretending to they feel sorry for the dead instead of admitting they feel sorry for themselves.
I really enjoyed exposing my crooked family to my former friends they robbed: they fucked up their payment plan and now they and their American friends, to whom they spread around my friends' money, cannot be saved.
I really hope they really, really spread it around, because then there will be mass casualties. If good Russians won't starve Europe, can they at least liquidate New York? It's like blowing up Syria: someone has to do it.
It would really work out well for me: I live in New York and my life sucks, so that way I shouldn't have to keep sleeping and metabolizing and would die knowing that the people I see every miserable day would never make trouble again. I could just die instead of making more decisions.
I always regretted not having killed my parents before I turned 12. Mommy got away scot free, but Daddy and his nearest and dearest fucked themselves.
I actually asked if I could help out with the torture, but no one needs me for anything. I'm always ready to roll up my sleeves to help a friend. If you can't kill your family, how are you supposed to kill strangers?

Hello, I am looking for help as I start preparing to make student loan payments for the first time ever at the end of this summer. I'm 24F, and the pause started before I graduated college, but in May 2021 I graduated and have been working ever since. I have around $26,000 of student loans in my name, and there are just under $40,000 in my mom's name. I currently make $50,000/year and have been saving as much money as I can the past two years. I've saved $50,000 and *really stupidly* did not have any of it in a HYSA until recently. I'm sure feeling like an idiot/burden/loser isn't rare here - like, I shouldn't feel so ashamed but I definitely do and just hate that I was even allowed to make a decision at 18 like go to college without a real plan but with the ability to take out an insane amount of student loans. Having to think about starting to make payments in just a few months is giving me a lot of anxiety, but I know I can't push it off. I have a few different ways I'm thinking of going about it. I could put most of the money I have saved (leaving enough for an emergency fund for myself) towards the loans in my name and my mom's name, then start making payments but putting as much money as possible towards them every month, and maybe I'd be able to have them fully paid off within a year or so? But I'm thinking about taking a teaching job, and if I can just do that and/or some other public service job for ten years and make regular payments the rest will be forgiven. Or, I've considered enlisting in the Navy (extreme but I have always kind of wanted to so it wouldn't be only because of my student loans - the only difference would be I'd have to enlist rather than going the officer route) because their repayment program is one of the best, and if I am in the Navy for just three years they will pay up to $65,000, which would essentially get rid of my student loans. (Please don't comment about how this idea is dumb, I'm sure I will come across as super naive in this post but I will think this through, talk to multiple recruiters, and possibly even comb through any contract I receive with a lawyer *if* I do decide to do this. I have already done research on what it's like as a young woman in the Navy and I will not come close to enlisting if I don't think it's a good idea for me.) I have to think about my options seriously and pick one, but what I really need help with is how it all works considering some loans are in my name, and some are in my mom's name making her legally on the hook for those and me legally off the hook. I have told my mom I would pay for the ones in her name, I don't even know if she knows there is nothing legally tying me to them, but I know if I were to screw her over (which, someone who is in a desperate situation might do) and refuse to put any money towards them it would destroy our relationship forever. I believe there are ways to get the loans she took out for me transferred from her to me, but (God forbid) if anything happens to her, having them stay in her name could save me. She's only 52, I definitely don't expect her to pass away anytime soon, but like freak accidents happen all the time and $40,000 is a lot of money so I wonder if there is some benefit/if it is clever to leave them in her name. If I were to, in the future, start taking part in the PSLF program as a teacher, would the 120 payments leading to the remaining balance being forgiven only apply for my student loans, the $26,000? I want to get the most bang for my buck. If I were to enlist in the Navy, only to find out they will only pay off the $26,000 in my name, I would be so mentally unwell. It would not be worth it. Is there anything definite anyone can tell me? Is there a way the $40,000 in my mom's name could be a part of any deal I may make/contract I may sign, such as the Navy route? Would I actually have to have them be transferred to me, and then enlist in the Navy? I also welcome opinions if you have one that you think would be helpful, like what is the best route/the route the makes the most sense to you? I'm just very confused, and I appreciate you if you took the time to read all of this and reply!

So, i wanted to gush about in two ways, one about the spot and the other on bring light to the Death of Captain Stacy.
One, with the spot, I love that the movie rightly highlights a great aspect of spider-man villains that often doesn’t get highlighted as much, and that his villains are quite often INSANELY powerful and dangerous, but (aside from Doc and Norman) are either so inept or just DUMB that they barely villain of the week. The spot starts the movie a joke, but by the mid-way point has trained so much that he essentially becomes a cosmic level threat. A similar situation happened with Ends of the Earth, where with some upgraded and Doc planning, the sinister six managed to take on the avengers and, for a short time anyway, WIN.
Likewise, them actually acknowledging the other major tragedies of spider-mans life, particularly Captain Stacy. While the andrew garfield films did put a emphasis on Captain Stacy and his death, they were the only ones that did so, and fumbled it hard with the second one. This one actually puts a legitimately LARGE amount of importance on his death, and how much tragedy spider-man actually deals with.

I am a 32yo woman. In 2020 I went through a divorce w/ my ex husband, who we will call J. I caught J cheating on me for months. He made think I was crazy till I finally wised up and pulled our phone records out. When I confronted him, I had the intentions trying to forget about it and fix our marriage (we had children together). My ex husband told me he didn't want a divorce but he didn't want to be w/ me either. This went on for months. I finally gave up and filed for a divorce to be done, with his knowledge. At that point in time he was still with the girl he cheated with.
I started talking to an old friend, from childhood, of mine. His name happened to be J as well so we can call him J2 (eye room for my stupidity). Everything was going great untill Joe1 found out I was talking to J2. J went through my social media accounts, as he knew all my passwords and sign in info from being married for 10+. J decided to message J2 (on my account) telling him we were still actively trying to fix our marriage, that there was no divorce. J2 had already been warning that J1 was a heavy manipulator. J2 believed everything and broke things off w/ me w/ the understanding that we could try again once I had the paper to prove a finalized divorce (a divorce can take a year here) even though i did not want the relationship to end like that.
In that time period my friends, seeing how unhappy and depressed I was, encouraged me to go on another date. I agree finally after alot of encouragement. That's when I met my now fiancée. We will call him Steven (thank God it wasn't J 😂). Steven is an amazing guy. Didn't heist to let me know I was everything he wanted. Within a year of dating (and of course that divorce being finalized) he proposed to me. I have hardly looking back since as Steven has been a dream come true. We are to be married a month from now.
This is where it gets a bit crazy. J2 messages me saying how upset he was that I was with Steven. I can tell he is looking for closure after all this time (over a year). I explain to him that I didn't plan it. That I still value him as a friend, however I'm marring Steven. That I'm sorry he felt that I wronged him, I had no intentions of hurting him. I reminded him that he broke things off with me. I encouraged him to keep dating and find that person he wasn't willing to let go of so easily. From that I have been called alot of names and essentially told I'm the worst kind of person for allowing myself to be happy with Steven after ruining what I apparently "had" with J2. So am I the A-hole or did I dodge a bullet?

📷 A Versatile Accessory You Must Pack In Your Luggage - A Waterproof toiletry bag

Introduction

When it comes to packing for a trip, one of the most important things to consider is how to keep your toiletries organized and protected. This is where a water-resistant DOPP kit comes in handy. A DOPP kit is a small bag designed to hold your toiletries, and a water-resistant one is perfect for keeping your items dry and safe from any spills or leaks. In this guide, we will explore the benefits of a water-resistant DOPP kit and how to choose the right one for your needs.

The Benefits of a Water-Resistant DOPP Kit

A water-resistant DOPP kit is a must-have accessory for any traveler. Here are some of the benefits:
​

• Protection: A water-resistant DOPP kit will protect your toiletries from any spills or leaks that may occur during your travels.
• Organization: A DOPP kit is designed to keep your toiletries organized and easily accessible.
• Convenience: A DOPP kit is small and compact, making it easy to pack and carry with you wherever you go.
• Versatility: A water-resistant DOPP kit can be used for more than just toiletries. It can also be used to store other small items, such as electronics or jewelry.

How to Choose the Right Water-Resistant DOPP Kit

When choosing a water-resistant DOPP kit, there are several factors to consider:

Size

The size of the DOPP kit will depend on how many toiletries you plan to bring with you. If you only need to bring the essentials, a smaller DOPP kit will suffice. However, if you need to bring more items, a larger DOPP kit may be necessary.

Material

The material of the DOPP kit is important for its water-resistant properties. Look for a kit made from a waterproof material, such as nylon or polyester.

Compartments

Compartments are important for keeping your toiletries organized. Look for a DOPP kit with multiple compartments, including a separate compartment for wet items.

Design

The design of the DOPP kit is also important. Look for a kit with a sturdy handle and a durable zipper. A hanging hook is also a useful feature, as it allows you to hang the kit up in the bathroom for easy access.

Conclusion

A water-resistant DOPP kit is a versatile accessory that every traveler should have in their luggage. It provides protection, organization, convenience, and versatility. When choosing a DOPP kit, consider the size, material, compartments, and design. With the right DOPP kit, you can travel with peace of mind knowing that your toiletries are safe and organized.
References:
​

• Travel + Leisure: The Best Toiletry Bags for Travel, According to T+L Editors
• SmarterTravel: How to Pack a Toiletry Bag

Article by None
When it comes to , there are many questions and debates that still need to be addressed water-resistant dopp kit.

¡TW! Mention of s3xu4lizat!0n
A group chat that was recently created by me and 7 other individuals is mainly utilized to plan and update each other on our daily lives. A key point to make is that we always joke around by poking fun at each other. A few weeks prior to the incident one individual we’ll call C added his very close friend, A, whom which we have no real relation to. One day, me and two other friends of mine, B and M, began sending photos of C, which was one of our inside jokes. All of a sudden, A began complaining to us about it and how uncomfortable it made C. The rest of us were confused since C has never really brought this up to us until now when A was added. M was pissed since they thought that A had no right to not only ruin the mood, but to also get involved with something that had no real involvement to them. A large argument took place a few minutes later with A stating that C has always been insecure about their appearance and does not consent to their photos being used in the group chat, which is something we’ve always done until now with no complaints or issues from C themselves. M rebuts by elaborating on how C has never had an issue with this and that A should not be making a big deal out of it. A says it makes C uncomfortable and that we should basically be mindful of their feelings. However, M expresses how inconsiderate C has been of their own feelings and even went as far as to say that C has been constantly sexualizing them. B confirmed this as they witnessed it all firsthand and also thought that A was out of line for creating a large problem over something so small and trivial. The argument carried on for a while and I couldn’t help but begin laughing at the stupidity of it all. A few minutes passed and it seemed to die down until I was added into a separate group chat with all of the people involved. I was essentially appointed as their therapist, or guide, through this mess even though I couldn’t take it seriously at that given moment. I instructed M, A, C, and B to further elaborate on the situation and explain their actions. M went first and explained that A has no reason to start an uproar over a small issue that concerns another person other than themselves. Especially after saying that we are the ones making C uncomfortable after C has done far worse by over-sexualizing us on multiple occasions. A then states that we were the ones sexualizing C for calling them zesty. After reading that, I couldn’t help but laugh until I couldn’t breathe. I sent a definition of what sexualizing is while laughing and A says that sexualizing someone and something are two completely different things, essentially calling me and a few others an object since C has mainly made such comments toward us. M continues to argue with A whilst I remained laughing like a maniac until the whole argument ended with them leaving. Although I never saw the seriousness behind C’s actions until now, I still can’t help but laugh at the fact that this was started over a PICTURE.

I am a 32yo woman. In 2020 I went through a divorce w/ my ex husband, who we will call J. I caught J cheating on me for months. He made think I was crazy till I finally wised up and pulled our phone records out. When I confronted him, I had the intentions trying to forget about it and fix our marriage (we had children together). My ex husband told me he didn't want a divorce but he didn't want to be w/ me either. This went on for months. I finally gave up and filed for a divorce to be done, with his knowledge. At that point in time he was still with the girl he cheated with.
I started talking to an old friend, from childhood, of mine. His name happened to be J as well so we can call him J2 (eye room for my stupidity). Everything was going great untill Joe1 found out I was talking to J2. J went through my social media accounts, as he knew all my passwords and sign in info from being married for 10+. J decided to message J2 (on my account) telling him we were still actively trying to fix our marriage, that there was no divorce. J2 had already been warning that J1 was a heavy manipulator. J2 believed everything and broke things off w/ me w/ the understanding that we could try again once I had the paper to prove a finalized divorce (a divorce can take a year here) even though i did not want the relationship to end like that.
In that time period my friends, seeing how unhappy and depressed I was, encouraged me to go on another date. I agree finally after alot of encouragement. That's when I met my now fiancée. We will call him Steven (thank God it wasn't J 😂). Steven is an amazing guy. Didn't heist to let me know I was everything he wanted. Within a year of dating (and of course that divorce being finalized) he proposed to me. I have hardly looking back since as Steven has been a dream come true. We are to be married a month from now.
This is where it gets a bit crazy. J2 messages me saying how upset he was that I was with Steven. I can tell he is looking for closure after all this time (over a year). I explain to him that I didn't plan it. That I still value him as a friend, however I'm marring Steven. That I'm sorry he felt that I wronged him, I had no intentions of hurting him. I reminded him that he broke things off with me. I encouraged him to keep dating and find that person he wasn't willing to let go of so easily. From that I have been called alot of names and essentially told I'm the worst kind of person for allowing myself to be happy with Steven after ruining what I apparently "had" with J2. So am I the A-hole or did I dodge a bullet?

Some games (and other media) I interacted with that have similar themes and atmosphere with a brief (spoiler-free) description of the game and what aspects of it reminded me the most of F&H (spoiler free of course), I'll stick to games I played but if you have any other recommendations feel free to share, I recommend playing all the games here blind. I might add more if I remember them. Beware that some of the games and media here have themes of Sexual Assault and other Dark topics (some more implicit and some more explicit).
​
Corpse Party: Blood Covered: Atmosphere and some Themes primarily. Essentially a visual novel with RPG Maker Horror game exploration (original game was an RPG Maker game, but I recommend playing this one before playing original due to original spoiling some story-aspects that may detract from certain reveals here since this is a reboot of sorts with a more developed story) with light puzzle-solving and a focus on making decisions that can lead to a brutal end to your characters (no combat here), Voice Acting and Soundtrack are amazing and Atmosphere is genuinely oppressive as hell, very few games made me feel this powerless, warning though there is some fanservice revolving around the characters and considering they are high-schoolers that is rather uncomfortable so beware of that (specially when it comes to Yuka, those that played the game know).
​
2021 version is probably the best, but I don't like the screen clutter on that version so 3DS and PSP are also good options, if you enjoy it check out Corpse Party Rebuilt (a faithful remake of the original version) and Book of Shadows (a follow-up that focus on what-if scenarios and prequel chapters), the other entries I didn't like as much.
​
Pathologic: Atmosphere, Themes and Gameplay. Haven't finished this one, I'm in the middle of the second route, but I can really easily recommend this, beware that the game is very much not fun, but it is a great game, Atmosphere is great, Story is intriguing with you not knowing you can and can't trust, you can easily mess up side quests and even the main quest if you pick bad answers (and you can also finish some quests in multiple ways), combat is clunky and disincentivized, you have to manage your hunger, immunity, exhaustion and time while walking slow as sin to try and finish things before the day ends, and that is not accounting for other things trying to kill you dead, gets more manageable with knowledge and planning just like F&H.
​
Check the keybindings there are some important hotkeys the games doesn't tell you about that will make things more manageable, by the way you can trade with kids to get drugs and bullets, you'll thank my later for that, play Pathologic HD on Steam, original has a strange translation.
​
Demon's Souls and Dark Souls series: Dark Fantasy, Atmosphere and Challenge. Great series, interesting story that you have to piece together, Atmosphere is on-point, Combat is challenging and rewarding, word is falling apart, people are dying, and everything is going to shit, fairly depressing and frustrating and even when you defeat great foes you never fell like your victory meant much in the grand schemes of things (at least that is how I felt), Funger 1 specially has a bit of that Dark Souls lineage to it, which is interesting since I've seen some DS fans become Funger fans, check out King's Field series the spiritual predecessor of sorts if you are into some clunk (I know I am), the pre-Souls From Software catalog also deserves love.
​
Amnesia: The Dark Descent: Atmosphere and Themes primarily. Interesting story with a lot of dark themes that explore horrors both Cosmic and Human, Atmosphere is oppresive and makes you feel small, it was from a time where "Stalker Horror" (where you can't fight back and only run and hide) was more novel and not oversaturated like it kind of is now, rewards paying attetion to notes and dialogue to understand the full scope of what is going on, not much in terms of emergent gameplay and choice making outside of the endings since it is a fairly linear experience, Justine is a cool DLC and a Machine for Pigs is fine but doens't care the same vibe and it is also more walking simulator-esque, haven't played Rebirth.
​
If you enjoy it I recommend the Penumbra series and Soma, from the same devs, Penumbra is more similar to Amnesia but set in modern time while Soma is more futuristic with a bigger focus on existential horror over a Cosmic one.
​
Silent Hill 1-4: Survival Horror Gameplay, Atmosphere and some Themes. Termina is obviously very inspired by it, if you enjoy the different take on God-hood that Funger has you'll probably find the occult aspects of the Silent Hill, and even outside that there is a lot of macabre imagery for you to savor, Atmosphere is oppressive and relentless, you are playing as just an average Joe in a really terrible situation fighting against horrible odds, if you enjoyed the depth the characters of Funger has you'll definitely enjoy the character of the Silent Hill series, a lot of human tragedy amidst all the horror just like Funger, gameplay is focused on managing your health and resources like healing items and bullets, no meters here.
​
If you enjoyed them I recommend playing Shattered Memories, it is a cool game, the less I say about it the better, I didn't enjoy the post-Team Silent games as much, though they have some cool things going for them.
​
Haunting Grounds: Atmosphere and Themes. More of loose recommendation, game made me feel like a piece of meat, an object to be used and abused for the ends of people that don't really care for my safety, Womanhood as horror is a big theme on this game, so it will probably resonate with you even more if you are a Woman, I specially enjoyed how Alchemy was a big aspect of the Lore, even with the reveals a lot of things are left up to interpretation, "Stalker Horror" with light combat (you can surprisingly fight back with certain options, but the game doesn't lend you tools for that on a silver platter, and it is only a temporary solution).
​
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Atmosphere and Themes of Death and Hopelessness. Another looser recommendation, inspired Termina in some aspects, the game is surprisingly dark and depressing especially if you go out of your way to do side quests and interact with the NPCs around the world, Death and Existential dread is a reoccurring aspect of the game, Three-day time limit can be really stressful, better to experience it for yourself, there are some references to the previous game Ocarina of Time so beware of that.
​
Berserker: Read The Manga if you want to trace the lineage of Funger, the series is heavily inspired by it, Dark Fantasy on a Crapsack World full of misery and tragedy (reductive I know but I'm trying to keep this spoiler free).
​
Hellraiser 1 and 2: Explores themes of pain and pleasure and otherworldly, Eldritch beings that live on a different plane than ours, the Cube of the Depths reminds me of the Lament Configuration, Funger has references to it.
​
Perfect Blue: Doesn't have much to do with Funger but it is a great movie that you should watch anyway, while you are it play Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Final Fantasy XII, some of my favorites games (ok this last one is a jest but I do genuinely recommend Perfect Blue if you like being mind-fucked).

Medical insurance in Pakistan is essential for providing both financial stability and access to high-quality healthcare. Having the appropriate medical insurance coverage can offer peace of mind and shield people and their families from unforeseen medical costs in Pakistan, where healthcare costs are growing. This article will discuss the idea of medical insurance in Pakistan, the many insurance plans that are offered, their advantages, and how to maximize your medical insurance coverage. is essential for providing both financial stability and access to high-quality healthcare. Having the appropriate medical insurance coverage can offer peace of mind and shield people and their families from unforeseen medical costs in Pakistan, where healthcare costs are growing. This article will discuss the idea of medical insurance in Pakistan, the many insurance plans that are offered, their advantages, and how to maximize your medical insurance coverage..

Understanding Medical Insurance in Pakistan

What is medical insurance?

A contract between a person or group and an insurance provider is known as medical insurance, commonly referred to as health insurance. It offers coverage for medical costs incurred because of a disease, an accident, or other healthcare need. Individuals or organizations can ensure that they are financially protected from excessive medical costs by paying a premium.

How does medical insurance work?

The basis of medical insurance is risk sharing. A contract is made with the insurance company when a person or group buys a medical insurance coverage. The insurance provider undertakes, in return for the premium payments, to pay all or a portion of the medical costs in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy. Hospitalization costs, doctor visits, diagnostic tests, prescription fees, and other acceptable healthcare services are covered under this policy.

Types of Medical Insurance in Pakistan

To meet the various needs of individuals and families, Pakistan offers a variety of medical insurance options..

Individual Medical Insurance

Plans for individual medical insurance in Pakistan cover a single person. These policies are appropriate for people who desire individualized coverage but do not need to provide coverage for their family members.

Family Medical Insurance

Family medical insurance policies provide coverage for the policyholder, their spouse, and any dependent children. These programmed provide complete healthcare coverage for the entire family and are a practical choice for families looking for group insurance.

Group Medical Insurance

Employers or groups frequently provide group health insurance to their staff or members. A single insurance covers a number of people in a group. Compared to individual plans, group plans frequently have lower rates and can offer extra benefits like dental or maternity coverage.

Benefits of Medical Insurance

Numerous advantages of medical insurance that improve the general wellbeing of people and families are available.

Financial Protection

The financial security that medical insurance offers is one of its main advantages. In case of medical emergency or unanticipated
View Poll

So recently I’ve had a few issues come up with my NF regarding expectations, roles & responsibilities, and boundaries. Full disclosure we don’t have a contract (I’ve been with them for 3.5 years) I know bad move on my part but I didn’t stumble onto this thread until probably a year ago so didn’t realize this was a thing. Context follows for those who want it. If not, skip the next paragraph.
I’m salaried (still get time and a half after 40 hours) and some weeks I may only work 25, making this a pretty good gig. Full transparency, i make roughly 30k/year taxed. We landed on this after I told my NF I wasn’t making enough to live so I could either drop down to set hours to get a second job or I would need to be paid more. My hours are weird (6:30am-8 some mornings to bring kids to school) and then the afternoons and some weekends. Their biggest concern was having care when kids were sick from school, working through holiday breaks, date nights, etc. so the expectation was that I would make this set amount and be available up to 40 hours a week. I also started coming in to do moderate house cleaning (kitchen, living room, vacuuming) and do weekly grocery shopping (going to 3-5 stores every week) This has since become somewhat of a nightmare. I never have a set schedule made before the start of a week so often I’m getting my hours the day prior (including weekends) so my ability to make plans in advance even in my personal life is nonexistent.
This past week, dad texted me about babysitting for a date night, told me the reservation time was 6:30 and asked if I could work “until” to which I agreed. Previously mom said she had to work that day, but given conversation with dad afterwards, I was under the impression that 6:30 was new time they needed me. Mom texted me the night before to confirm I was coming in at 8am. Very confused I mentioned I thought the reservations were at 6:30. She said she had to work and that me being with the kids all day was priority number one. I explained I understood, was just confused based on conversation with dad. She then proceeded to tell me “just know he has no idea what’s going on with the kids at anytime so in the future, reach out and double check with me to confirm final schedule” followed by “and if you can’t do tomorrow, that’s okay. I’m really tired I wouldn’t mind an excuse not to go” Honestly, the whole interaction made me super uncomfortable because I felt that mom was in a way asking me to fall on the sword so she could skip her dinner without upsetting him and blame it on me not wanting to work a 12+ hour day. Additionally, it’s putting a lot of the responsibility on me to work out my own hours and coordination of schedules because they don’t communicate with each other beforehand, during, or after asking me to do things? It’s a lot of “check with him and figure it out” or “check with him and tell me what he says” I feel like they should be speaking with each other and then asking me for the things they need once they know the schedule.
I get to work the next day and I’m asked to do all of the laundry from a 10 day vacation (both child and adult on top of the normal laundry that was at the house—four loads total) which took me off guard because typically I’m asked to not wash adult clothes (she has certain things that are delicate etc) but I do that happily because I want to be helpful. This week I was also asked to do a grocery run to get “essentials” with no list so their fridge would be stacked when they got home from vacation and do a two hour round trip drive to go get their dog from boarding.
They end up going to dinner and 5B has epic tantrum right before bed, which is not out of the norm as he has some pretty moderate to severe behavioral struggles. They ended up coming home around 8:30 and mom went up to do damage control because he was still crying and upset and I was folding/putting away laundry. She came back downstairs and made it a point to tell me that 5B said “he didn’t think I should be their nanny anymore and that I don’t love him”. I know kids say things they don’t mean all the time but the fact that she would make a point to tell me that…. I don’t know if it felt like a threat that I might lose my job but more so a jab to insinuate that I’m a bad nanny. I’ve tried numerous times to have discussions with them about how they want me to handle his tantrums because he will scream at me and tell me to get out of the room he’s in, go away, hit me, tell me he hates me etc and on top of that will refuse to do anything i ask (including bath, bedtime routine, etc). I have never been able to get a solid answer or feedback on this and it’s left me feeling very helpless.
Finally today I get a text of a pile of food on the floor (all stuff she asked me to buy specifically for her over the last few weeks) and a text that says “All of this is expired…please always feel free to toss out anything expired”. Cleaning out the fridge has never been stated as one of my responsibilities, although from time to time I will take it upon myself to clear out leftovers I know are old and am always on top of making sure the kids aren’t eating moldy fruit or expired yogurt. I respond and explain I’m usually hesitant to throw away the adults stuff (do you guys throw away like $50+ of food out of your NF’s fridge????) but said if she would like me to add that to my list of weekly responsibilities, I’m happy to do so. She leaves me on read and later sends me a second full grocery list to do tomorrow. Did I mention I pay for their groceries and have to wait to be reimbursed by dad? He still owes me $300 from the grocery trip two days ago. :)
I feel frustrated because there seems to be a lot of animosity around me not doing specific things that I’m unaware are expected of me or doing things in a way they don’t agree with. They don’t take the initiative to address things (unless it’s something really big) and now I feel like I need to call a meeting or something to clear the air and address the backhanded comments. The work environment is starting to get so uncomfortable it’s making me question if I want to continue with them.
If anyone has advice on how to handle this, how to ask for a meeting, if I should quit, AITA, literally anything is appreciated.

Demo: Lower middle class, white female, rural hs, southern state, lesbian (??? idk if this matters lmao but i've seen other people mention it)
☆☆☆ psych major, with either a bio minor or a bio double major. i can't decide yet😭 my plan is to get a psych PhD tho
☆☆☆ Hooks??? psych major, i plan to try and tie my experience with my ed into my college app (main focus will be recovery bc i don't want to trauma dump too much yk). my apps "theme" is psych and food if that makes sense
☆☆☆ Stats: 3.8uw, 4.4w SAT haven't taken yet but should get 1500+ based on practice tests i've done
ACT, same situation as SAT, probably somewhere around 33
Class rigor: 12 honors
AP's: sophmore yr APWH, APHG, APPSYCH,
junior yr AP LANG, AP LIT, AP CALC AB, APUSH, APES, APSTATS, APGOV
sr yr will be filled with whatever ap's i haven't taken + dual enrollment classes, will also do DE summer before sr yr
☆☆☆ Honors/Awards: a few reigonal/state art + writing contests, service learning diploma (250hrs)
☆☆☆ school ec's:
-psych club joined 10th, leadership 11th + 12th
-service learning diploma
-technical crew for school musical + a play (10th, october and december 2022 respectively)
-assistant stage manager spring musical feb they may 2023
☆☆☆ out of school ec's (i do more out of school imo)
-my citys youth council. member 10th, leader 11th + 12th
-lgbtq safe prom planning committee 10th, co captain for committee 11th+12th
-research assistant at bio lab, at local uni summer after sophmore yr
-my own research summer after jr yr, trying to get a paper published 😘
-an "art therapy" workshop programy thingy. meets monthly or bimonthly and is essentially an art workshop that's meant to be calming and stress releiving. hard to explain without doing myself lol
-the same as the art therapy thingy but baking instead
-a podcast about psychology and food😭 talks about how disorders affect relationship with food and research and stuff.
-an online easy art store that donates half profits to mental health organizations
other stuff -published author, 2 poetry books (that talk abt mental health) and one that talks about the history of psychology and stuff -2 published Lit reviews, one on bio and one on psych
☆☆☆ schools. not applying to any ed. get a fee waiver and i love !!! essay writing so i'm applying to a lot 😭
-all the ivies (yale dream school)
-unc
-uncg
-duke
-wake forest
-davidson
-elon
-georgetown (dream school 2.0)
-george washington
-mit
-barnard
☆☆☆ might apply to some of these, need to research more tho idk😭 trying to find unbiased stuff abt schools seems so hard :/
-nyu
-bryn mawr
-cmu
-hamilton
-swarthmore
-vassar
-stanford
-uboston
-colgate
-colby
-st johns college
-mount holyoke
-umich
-wellesley
-uchicago
-northwestern
♡♡♡ If anyone has any ideas or things that they think will increase my chances at any of these schools please let me know !!! thank you to anyone who read this far😘

As you may know, the Reddit Admins are in the process of restricting access to API that makes third-party software like browser extensions and applications effectively impossible to support and use. IWH made a post in support of /ModCoord's open letter of protest against their decision.
Since then, the ball has begun rolling and an official Blackout protest date has emerged.
On June 12th to June 14th, /ImaginaryWarhammer will be set to private in protest of Reddit's decision to restrict access to the API that makes Reddit as we know it possible.
I am sorry is this is frustrating. I suggest anyone bothered by it aim their frustration at the admins. Specifically, I suggest you sign the open letter on /ModCoord and send a polite but direct message to the mods of /reddit.com making it clear that fair access to reddit's API is essential for both users and mods.
On the days of the blackout (June 12th-14th), I also suggest that you just don't use reddit. If it's made clear that their plan will not only cost them moderators but users in general, they are more likely to rethink their plan. So please do something else instead. Goonhammer will have detailed coverage of all of 10th edition's leaks and releases. There's a really good audiobook bundle on Humble right now that includes The Murderbot Diaries and The Long Winter series; Get that and listen to those for a few days, and then we'll see where things stand.