I'm pretty sure this website (https://hundredpushups.com/) is about as old as the internet itself. For those who don't know, or can't guess, it's a program that aims to help you work towards doing 100 consecutive push ups.
I love doing push ups, and although I do them regularly and I do more difficult variations of push ups, I seem to have some mental block that limits how many I can do in one set.
I remember years ago having a go at this program and I got disheartened when I plateaued but recently I decided to have another go at it.
I think I've matured a lot since last time I tried this program and I know how to deal with those plateaus better. I've been concentrating on being really strict with the prescribed rests between sets, and using drops sets to make sure I finish each set, even if the intensity is lower.... I figure if the last 5 reps are on your knees and you're still struggling then you're definitely in the right zone.
I'm enjoying that buzz / lift you get when you switch up your work out program for the first time in a while and I feel like this time I might make more progress with it than I ever have before.
Even if I only get to 50-60 push ups before I get bored and feel like changing my workout program again then I'll feel like I've accomplished something
Has anybody ever done this kind of program before?
(Needless to say I don't ONLY do push ups. I'm still doing a full body workout)

I'm pretty sure this website (https://hundredpushups.com/) is about as old as the internet itself. For those who don't know, or can't guess, it's a program that aims to help you work towards doing 100 consecutive push ups.
I love doing push ups, and although I do them regularly and I do more difficult variations of push ups, I seem to have some mental block that limits how many I can do in one set.
I remember years ago having a go at this program and I got disheartened when I plateaued but recently I decided to have another go at it.
I think I've matured a lot since last time I tried this program and I know how to deal with those plateaus better. I've been concentrating on being really strict with the prescribed rests between sets, and using drops sets to make sure I finish each set, even if the intensity is lower.... I figure if the last 5 reps are on your knees and you're still struggling then you're definitely in the right zone.
I'm enjoying that buzz / lift you get when you switch up your work out program for the first time in a while and I feel like this time I might make more progress with it than I ever have before.
Even if I only get to 50-60 push ups before I get bored and feel like changing my workout program again then I'll feel like I've accomplished something
Has anybody ever done this kind of program before?
(Needless to say I don't ONLY do push ups. I'm still doing a full body workout)

Hi, Sir! What a pleasant day to you but not to me since you made us feel shitty even though all of us haven't seen you irl since the very first day of our supposedly meeting during the second semester. I hope that you also feel shitty to yourself and may the odds be not in your favor. f u! why did you even chose to teach in an institution.

I am a side sleeper. Although I might be capable of sleeping on my back, I typically don't stay asleep as long as I usually do on my back. Side is simply more natural to me.
I side sleep by having head and upper part of my chest on the pillow, then putting my head on a smaller pillow with my "lower" hand placed between both pillows. Then I put another small pillow between my knees with my "upper" leg bended a bit forward, sometimes a lot closer to my body (this way, my body gets slightly tilted on stomach). This is my norm, however, it gives me some regular issues:

• Wrist of my lower hand may hurt in between the pillows.
• Sometimes I feel pain in my collar bone (the lower one), probably due to tilted head.
• More often I feel a bit of discomfort in the shoulder I lie on (any tiny discomfort won't let me sleep).
• I don't know how to position my upper hand, because ...
  • if I put it on the elbow of my lower hand (slightly under the smaller pillow), I get discomfort in the wrist or fingers (mostly my thumb needs some gimmicky positioning).
  • if I put it next to me, I breathe on it (somehow I haven't found anyone having this issue).
  • my hip feels too hard to put the hand on.
  • pointing the hand forward isn't possible due to small bed.

I wish to know how to get rid of these issues, because I found that comfort is crucial for good healthy sleep (yes, I am pretty much the princess who cannot sleep on a pea).

CHAPTER 9 – ENTROPY
DATE: MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION) LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
CAPTAIN HENRY O’TOOLE
"Ah, there you are Commander. Your message said there was something you wanted to talk with me about, right?" Henry asked as his executive officer approached the system map.
“Aye Captain, now's a good a time as any. As you know, the rate of disciplinary incidents has more than tripled in the last two weeks. We've had six fistfights, one near strangling, a few dozen counts of sexual harassment amongst different parties, and a few more incidents of a nature that I would rather not get into for fear of derailing the point of this conversation. I need additional resources to allocate towards ship internal security. With your permission, I'd like to borrow some of our more trusted marines to help the MA's out on their off shifts.” Commander Alvarez asked.
“Yeah, of course, take what you need to nip this in the bud. I can't say I'm entirely surprised; we expected a certain amount of this with the stresses of FTL travel. With everyone cooped up like this, maybe we should brainstorm some new outlets for the crew. Were there any specific incidents I need to get involved with?” Henry replied as he looked up from the list of updates and reports on his own console.
“No, I have it covered. It's just the regs state I need to ask permission to use marines for internal security matters.” The Commander waved it off.
“Excellent, continue to keep me in the loop then. Can I ask you a question?” Henry took the opportunity to ask something that had been bothering him.
“You just did. Hah! Just kidding, put the axe away boy! Now what would you like to know?” He said with a twinkle in his eye.
“I've seen your file, well, the parts that weren’t redacted anyway. If anything, I should be taking your orders! I mean, you're the Space Wolf! Nobody came even close to the number of ships captured or destroyed than you in the early days of the battle for the belt. Why would they want me to be captain when they had someone like you coming along the whole time? Why aren't you a captain anymore? By all right this should be your command, not mine.” Henry asked, after taking one last look around to verify they were still alone around the system map.
Commander Alvarez seemed stunned for a moment before he settled into a more pensive look.
“Listen, son, you're all full of the vigor and high passions of youth. By that I mean you've got a certain fire and aggression in you, yet I've seen you keep it balanced by wit and wisdom. You are a perfect match for the job, even if you could use some more real world experience. With some guidance, you'll do just fine, if you can keep strict standards for yourself and crew and a cool head when things get tough. I... got a lot of damn good men and women killed in an impossible situation when we lost the Michigan-II, and I never truly got over it. No amount of medals, captured enemy ships, or the fact that I've saved many more lives than I lost can make up for that. I finally found peace with that, but that peace required that I relieve myself of any chance of future command. My legacy, for better or worse, is set in stone. Joining this expedition gives me another chance at adjusting the scales without breaking my former vows, even if the only people who will ever know it are here on the voyage with us.”
“So, you claim you have no aims or desires for leadership, but here you are a mere heartbeat away from it.” Henry said, carefully studying his executive officer's every reaction.
“My time for glory is mostly gone, yours is at your feet before you. To the world, I am retired in comfort and isolation. In reality you have me here to help make your will law. You can relax. I already turned down command of this expedition. I was plan A, why do you think they had to scramble to find you? I will take command of this mission only if you are incapable of doing so yourself, Sir. In the meantime, let my experience and whatever wisdom I can offer guide you.”
An emergency alert snapped both of their attention out of their conversation. "There's a fire in one of the officer's cabins?!" Henry’s pulse quickened as he referenced the map to find which one.
“Fuck, it started in Chantal’s room!” Henry said, horrified.
“I've got the CIC under control. Go on and get her, I'll ensure help is on the way!”
“Thank you, Commander.” Henry called back over his shoulder as he rushed for the quick lift.
The officer cabins were the in the very next deck overhead, so he was able to arrive quickly and break into a sprint. The ship shifted as it dodged some antimatter, causing Henry to slip and scramble back to his feet. As he rounded the corner he saw her door was closed and the keypad powered was off. He could hear thumps and muffled screaming from within the room.
"HANG ON CHANTAL, I'M COMING!" Henry shouted in the hope that she could hear him as he pried at the manual override panel.
Two modified Paladin exo-combat armor suits rounded the corner seconds later with a hospitalman trailing behind pushing a medical cart.
"WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE, SIR." A speaker-amplified voice spoke from behind him.
One of the Paladin suits accessed the manual control override and forced the door open enough for the other suit to reach in and pry it the rest of the way open as smoke plumed into the corridor. The second suit charged into the room with its flood lights on as a water cannon mounted on the right wrist sprayed flame retardant from a pack on its back. The first suit abandoned the door control and entered, emerging moments later with Chantal awake and coughing from inside the darkened door frame. She was quickly ushered into cleaner air, set gently down, wrapped in a blanket, and was quickly attended to by a hospitalman who began to check her vitals.
Relief flooded Henry’s mind as his adrenaline surge broke against the wall of worry he had built up during his mad dash from the CIC.
“Baby you came for me! I honestly thought I was going to die for a moment in there." She pulled him into a tight embrace as she wept in cathartic release.
"Of course I did! I couldn't stand to lose you, especially not over something like this. So, what the hell happened in there?"
"Well you know me, I was all burning the midnight oil and then I smelled smoke! Then there were some sparks, the outlet pops then whoosh! My computer station and my desk are all ablaze along with half my notes, then the damned door wouldn't work! I had to drop to the floor under the smoke and pound on the door in hopes that someone would hear me. God, it was horrible... I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." She replied with a deep shudder.
"You're safe now, it's going to be alright."
"I know, but what about my work?" She replied with a forlorn look back at her smoke damaged room.
"What about your work?"
"As you know, I lost a ton of it just now, but what’s worse is I don't even have the ability to recover them! Remember how I lost my backup drive last week? Like, I know I packed it and it is not here anywhere! It’s like some sick cosmic joke on me or something. Sorry! Gotta keep it positive, girl! I get to rethink my last few weeks’ worth of work from scratch... that was almost positive! I probably have most of this recoverable from email sent box backups. Fuck, what do you do if there's no good silver lining?” Chantal bemoaned.
Henry couldn’t help himself but laugh for a second, while his girlfriend stared at him, waiting for a response.
“I’m sorry, is this funny to you or something?”
“No, no of course not. This might be one of those times where the only silver lining is that you're alive. Plus, if anyone can remember and rebuild their notes, you can." Henry smiled down at her.
“Fine, fine, at least I am alive. I was only breathing smoke for a few seconds after all.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Thank you for rushing down here right away anyway, it means a lot. You're amazing, you know.”
Henry smiled, slightly uncomfortable for a moment, so he changed the subject.
“I do my best... Anyway, it seems like these electrical issues seem to be getting worse instead of better. Whatever patch these clowns have slapped on my ship to get her to pass inspection is clearly coming undone. What do you think is going on here?” Henry asked in mild exasperation.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you without digging into the systems myself, which I would rather avoid. My plate is full enough as it is right now, especially having to reproduce so much of my own work now. This ship has kilometers of power cables running throughout it, after all, and you have an entire loyal, capable team down there in electrical, so it should only be a matter of time before they sort it out for you. Let them do their jobs without harassing them too much, please?”
Henry felt a little irked at her for not giving him credit to know not to go overboard, but he stowed it, seeing as she was right.
“The crew has been under a lot of stress, too, having technical issues with the lights going out, or losing power to workstations. More than a few people have tried to convince me to turn us around and return to S33 for a more in-depth refit and repair cycle before we try the mission again. So far, everyone has accepted the fact that we are not turning back now without much argument, but I fear what may happen if these issues are seen as getting worse. Our orders are clear, though, we must continue the journey.” Henry said, uncomfortable with the implications, even if he didn't dare voice it.
“You should get on the Q-Comm to report the fire to S33. Maybe they will order us back to base after this.” She offered, looking for a solution to an impossible problem.
“Good idea, at least the Q-Comm is still working. It’s incredible to me those particles maintained their entanglement once we passed through the baryonic barrier. That alone has been a huge morale boost, being able to contact home base with no time lag.” Henry replied.
“It’s incredible to you because you only have a basic grasp of the science, hon. But that’s alright, very few people truly understand it. That’s in part what you have me here for anyway. Einstein called the effect spooky action from a distance; I always liked that line.”
Henry ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Chantal, with a shake of his head and a smile.
“Listen, Henry, I just had a crazy stressful experience and I need to unwind. Plus, I haven’t slept in almost a day, so I am bone tired. Let’s go to bed, huh? What do you say doc, am I clear to go?” Chantal asked.
The hospitalman closed her eyes and shook her head before responding. "Yes, you are cleared to rest, only to rest, do you understand me?"
Chantal mouthed a thank you before she took Henry by the hand and led him off to the captain’s quarters. Henry felt no desire to fight it, nor flaw with her reasoning. Sleep sounded good, really good. Plus, he was about an hour from the start of his sleep shift anyway, and Alvarez had the CIC well covered. The lights flickered again, but Henry very purposefully ignored it.
“Hey, since we have a little time and we are both a little wound up, Why don’t we take a shower together real quick?” She said with genuine enthusiasm and a wink.
“Madam, I like the way you think.” The couple raced just a bit faster than regulations would have liked, and arrived at his door in record speed. Inside the room they fell upon each other in great passion and need, stripping each other out of their BDU’s and underclothes. Henry tossed a giggling Chantal onto the bed, kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear causing her to purr in anticipation before he moved down her chest, past her navel, and then eagerly began to move his kisses in between her thighs.
“Hah…. I haven’t showered. Are you sure? Oooookay! I think…. Hah…. Okay.” She said breathlessly as Henry began to work his tongue until she began to shiver and squirm before she cried out and melted in his mouth.
“Enough, please, I can’t take it anymore! Just fuck me already!” Chantal pulled herself together enough to beg for it. Henry stood rigid and ready and set himself to granting her request, first slowly, and with a growing intensity. She once more began to squirm as he paid close attention to her hip’s cues, knowing very well by now what she liked.
As she climaxed again, Henry lifted her from the bed and pushed her up against the wall, and then bent her over his desk for a bit before he could take it no longer and they finished together.
“Holy shit… my legs aren’t gonna work for a bit after that one. Help me up?” Chantal said in between shallow breaths.
“Yes, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.” Henry said as he helped her to her feet and into the shower, staying in longer than was strictly necessary.
Henry left the steam first, once more thankful that his cabin included its own small bathroom, rather than a communal one. Being captain had its perks, after all. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then handed another to Chantal who gratefully accepted it before it dropped to the ground as she stared straight past him.
“Henry!" She squeaked as she pointed past him.
"What?" Henry asked, confused.
"Henry, someone was in here!”
On their bathroom mirror, wiped from the steam were the words TURN BACK.
Henry's blood ran cold and his adrenaline spiked him into overdrive. He waved Chantal back into the shower and put his finger to his lips. She nodded then wrapped herself in her retrieved towel and dropped to the shower floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, whimpering slightly. Henry moved silently along the wall, watching the visible half of his room for any movement. He then burst round the door frame, only to find everything perfectly, precisely as they had left it. The shock of finding nothing collided with the spike of his adrenaline surge, which only fed his growing unease.
“There’s nobody here!” Henry called out after checking the closet, the only other place someone could have hidden.
“Did you lock the door?” Chantal asked, her mind already working on the mystery.
“I set the security protocol to auto lock every time it closes.”
“Paul. We need to talk to Paul.” Chantal said, squeezing her BDU’s up over her hips with a few hops. Henry pulled on his undershirt before tossing over hers.
“Why would we want to bring that weasel into this?” Henry asked, incredulous at to how he could possibly help.
“Because he has access to the surveillance tapes, why else?”
Henry stared at Chantal, brimming with rage, trying his hardest to keep it isolated to Paul over the invasion of his privacy.
“Did you just say surveillance tapes!?!” Henry asked in an icy tone. “That does it, I’m going to strangle him.” Henry said, moving with a purpose toward the door.
“Stop. Turn around and give me a kiss. I already disabled the video cameras, at least all the ones I could find. He has audio at best, even that I doubt. What he does have that I want is the data from the motion sensor that he had installed just in case you found the more obvious bugs. Unfortunately, I sabotaged its effectiveness by blocking the sensor with dense foam, but there might be enough of something to give us a clue."
“How in the hell do you know about all of this anyway, and why the hell didn’t you tell me?!” Henry roared.
“This entire enterprise is run by an intelligence agency; how can you not have seen that one coming a mile away? I have gotten very good at catching bugs over the years. Just because I expect the invasion of privacy to be happening, doesn’t mean I have to make it easy on them.” She replied firmly while staring him in the eyes with raised eyebrows.
“You’re incredible, I love you.” Henry blurted out before he could catch himself. Chantal beamed and tackled him to the bed sitting on his lap.
“What took you so long? Never mind, don’t answer that. I love you too, I have wanted to say that one for a while now.”
“You know these things aren’t easy for me. I had to be sure, I also didn’t want to mess anything up. We need to be able to work together even if we had turned out to be a bad couple.” Henry admitted, Chantal made an show as she thought it over, but she then smiled and helped Henry to his feet.
“Alright, my captain. You speak great wisdom. While I have certainly felt, and thoroughly enjoyed, the depths of your passion, it is really nice to hear about it too. I do think it makes it all the better that you rule said passion with reason. It’s one of the many things I love about you.” She said, laying her hand over his heart.
Henry took her other hand and kissed it before replying. “I think above all, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t take you for granted, nor suffer the same in reverse. A wise woman once gave me some great advice there that I have taken to heart.”
“Okay, Romeo, maybe you have a better handle on these things than you think. Now… Let’s go interrogate Paul.” Chantal had a fire in her eyes that Henry was loving very much at that moment.
“I have wanted to turn the screws on that spook for a while now.” Henry smiled as he spoke, and he opened up the connection to the ship’s intranet through his neural implant to send a message.
MEET ME IN YOUR QUARTERS IN 5 MINUTES FOR A DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE – CPT. O'TOOLE
“That ought to get him there and alone.” Henry smirked. “Let’s go.”
Together, they made their way to Paul’s equivalent-sized quarters, which he had somehow secured for himself in the ship design to help facilitate his role as the official thorn in Henry’s paw. I guess being the captain’s handler has its perks as well. Henry’s eye twitched at the corner.
After making them wait far too long, Paul opened the door and gesturing them inside. The door closed and Paul turned towards them, narrowing his eyes, studying them both.
“Is this about the fire?” Paul asked before Henry punched the weasel right in the diaphragm, forcing him to gasp for air. The look of shock on his face as he bent forwards was priceless.
“What the fuck, Henry!?” Paul managed to choke out after a minute between gasps.
“Relax, I didn’t do any permanent damage, yet.” Henry said, Paul for just a second showed actual fear in his eyes before he sneered in defiance. “Oh? That got your attention, did it? Why were you spying on me?” Henry growled.
Paul closed his eyes, dropped his head, and began to laugh before Henry grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Foolishly, Paul even then kept laughing amidst the gasping. So Henry squeezed until Paul started slapping his arm, looking genuine fear once more growing across his face.
“Orders… I was following orders!” Paul managed to say amidst gasps and coughs.
“I thought it might be something like that. You're going to open up those files, now, and you're going to show me everything.” Henry said, dropping him to his feet at last.
“Fucking hell, Henry, I thought you of all people would have anticipated this was going to be the case. Do you think the people who made this all possible would simply let you fly around the most dangerous, advanced warship in human history without some insurance?”
“Don’t try and weasel out of your own personal culpability here. You may also want to think back to other people who were “only following orders” while performing acts they knew were wrong before you wave that line around like some get out of jail free card.” The fact that he had nothing to say spoke volumes.
“You should have told me Paul.” Henry growled.
“That defeats the purpose! Plus, your girlfriend sabotaged them all before we ever left S33 anyway, and once more after! That type of tech doesn’t just grow on trees you know, and I don’t have an unlimited supply. You should be thanking me for covering for her and reporting back like things are normal!” Paul shouted in indignation.
“This is pointless, show me the files from around fifteen minutes ago, motion trackers, thermals, anything you have that's not blocked or sabotaged.” Henry commanded. Paul’s eyes narrowed, but after a long moment he huffed and closed his eyes. Paul then sat down at his station and fired it up.
“Like I said, I've got practically nothing. No video, muffled audio and readings from what I assume to be a faulty motion sensor, that’s it. What are we looking for?”
“Chantal and I were, well, together. After we got out of the shower we saw that someone had written turn back in the condensation on the bathroom mirror. Only problem? My door auto locks when closed and only opens for my biometrics. That is why all of this even came up in the first place.”
“Motherfucker. That's a whole heap of bad news.” Paul said. Henry merely nodded, paying rather more attention to the screen to see if he could catch Paul in a lie about the extent of the spying.
“There’s nothing. No disturbances in the air that would even remotely resemble human movement between you two getting in the shower and you charging into your bedroom. With the noise of the shower and the distance to the microphone, there is nothing I can discern that is anomalous. You can see it all right here for yourself.”
Henry found himself even more confused and alarmed than before.
“How is that possible? Look again, run through some filters or something. There must be some evidence somewhere!”
“Alright, relax, I will get to work on this and get you a report by the end of C shift. In the meantime, you look like a mess. Get some sleep man! I can take care of it from here. Oh, and I want you to remember that I forgave you quite magnanimously for that little episode back there where you attacked me.” Henry and Chantal gave each other a look as Paul spoke.
“Wasn’t gonna apologize anyway, you had it coming. I’m going to hit the rack. I expect that report to be detailed and ready when I get up.” Henry took Chantal by the hand, and they left together, not waiting for a response.
“What a snake. Did you see him in there? Zero guilt or recognition whatsoever about spying like that. It just makes my skin crawl. Gives me bad memories.” Chantal said, turning pensive and quiet.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Henry asked, seeing that there was something clearly bothering her.
“I… had an uncle that lived with us from time to time and he would spy on me when I was dressing, try and sneak looks in the shower, stuff like that. Never touched me or anyone else that I know of, thank god, but man did it screw me up a bit still. Played havoc with my sense of security and even my sanity, never being quite sure it was real. I wish I had said something, but I was afraid everyone would think I was overreacting or imagining it. I saw it in his eyes though, that look of... predatory lust. At least I didn't see anything like that in Paul's eyes. To this day it makes my skin crawl.”
“Good God, I can see how alone you must have felt in the middle of all that.” He squeezed her hand, she smiled up at him.
“Yeah, that was one of the hardest parts. I don’t think Paul is some raging pervert or anything, but it concerns me how normal it was to him. Even if he isn’t being a creep with it, as if we can take his claims to be covering for me at face value. There is still no way I am going to let him have easy access to intimate videos of us, if I can possibly help it.” Chantal said before adding, “I’ll be all right, don’t worry about me. Let’s just get some sleep.”
Henry put his palm against the biometric scanner outside his room and the door slid open for them. They definitely needed some sleep after the emotional roller coaster of the past few hours, and the irresistible warm embrace of his bed called for him. The Q-Comm report could wait until he woke, he decided. Better to have the electrical inspection done too.
I WANT A FULL REPORT AND INSPECTION PERFORMED ON THE ELECTRICAL FIRE IN CHANTAL’S ROOM BY THE START OF A SHIFT. – CAPT. O'TOOLE
Good enough. Henry thought as he sent the message. Now he could sleep. The chief would handle it.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
DATE : MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
FIREMAN APPRENTICE SARAH CALLAHAN
It'll be back again tonight...
Sarah’s haunted thoughts repeated like a mantra. She had to be ready, but how? Her skin crawled and itched, the long sleeves of her BDU’s prevented her from being able to do anything about the painful sensation from the inflamed scratches they hid. She blearily rubbed at her sunken eyes, and she drained the rest of her coffee. All the numbers on the screen had started bleeding in together and her eyes hurt horribly, with the throbbing pain in her abdomen only compounding her misery.
“My god, Sarah, you look a wreck, hon. How have you been sleeping?” Yvonne, her shift partner asked, with concern in her voice.
“I have a monster tension headache, if the meds are going to kick in, I hope it’s soon. Can you check my math? I need to get out of these white lights for a few minutes. Close my eyes for a bit, something, anything. I've been having nightmares again.” Sarah felt good, being able to admit it, and Yvonne had long since proven her friendship, so it was easier to actually speak.
“Yeah, no prob. As soon as I am done here I will check your readings and we can get out of here. Do you mean nightmares from the invasion?” Yvonne asked, carefully picking her words and tone.
“Kind of the same general themes, but different. Everything is going wrong, like the worst possible outcomes of my worst nightmares are all combining together. Like, it feels malicious, I don't know, its hard to explain...” Sarah said, bleakly.
“That’s hard, I am sorry. You need a shower, and an uninterrupted nap. Sleep deprivation plays all kinds of hell on the body and mind. I had a friend who went through an insomniac phase so extreme he would go days without sleeping. Wound up in the hospital after trying to drive to work while hallucinating his dead fiancée was sitting in the passenger seat screaming at him to watch out. Wound up rear-ending the car in front of him. Thank God he lived to tell the tale, but that is why it worries me to see you like this.” Yvonne planted her hand on Sarah’s shoulder as she told the story.
“Yikes, I think I slept like two hours into my sleep shift before I started having the nightmares again, woke up, and passed in and out of some restless sleep. It got really bad around oh three hundred. There were sounds... noises like scratching and a loud bang, and the shadows were moving. I just kept feeling like I was being watched, but everyone else seemed to be having disturbed sleep in their bunks. God, it was a creepy feeling.” Sarah took a moment to compose herself.
“I know how crazy this will sound, maybe that I am sleep deprived and likely hallucinating like your friend, but just hear me out. There was something there Yvonne, in the dark at the edge of perception, I could feel it. I also know I wasn’t the only one tossing and turning either. I could also hear scratchy whispering, too. I just hid, strapped in under the weighted blanket. At some point I slept some more, I must have, but not for what felt like a few stressful and draining hours. I'm just making a total mess of explaining this, aren’t I?”
“No, you're fine, girl! I am sorry that happened, my dorm has been pretty quiet, but I have always slept like a rock. Is there anything I can do?”
“I could use a hug.” Sarah said, which caused Yvonne to laugh, breaking some of the tension. They embraced warmly for a good minute, which did wonders for relieving some of the headache and her black mood.
“Thanks, Yvonne, I know it’s all in my head and it’s a vicious feedback cycle due to lack of quality sleep. Thanks for listening without calling me crazy.“ Sarah said, shying away from the last thing she hadn’t the courage to say.
She didn’t dare mention how she had hidden under the covers as she felt it get near. How she had felt something pushing on the mattress. How as her fear peaked, she herself peeked over the covers to find nothing there just to have the oppressive feeling evaporate along with the sensation of pressure by her feet. Her dorm mates all seemed to stop stirring after that, and only then did the nightmares stop for her that night. By then she was left with barely enough time for one last short sleep cycle before the start of A shift that very morning. This was a secret she would have to keep to herself, nobody would believe her anyway.
“I think I'll ask the Chief for a break from my duties today to rest and to visit med bay. Maybe they can give me something to help catch back up on my sleep.” Sarah said.
“Good idea, can I come with? I’ll back you up.” Yvonne said. Sarah smiled at her friend before she nodded at her before they checked off the last of their duties on site and headed away to find the Chief.

30F, 5’3, 104 pounds, 15 mg vortioextine. In perimenopause and suspect hashimotos.
My mid back is very tender when I press what feels like a lump on my spine, but not the area around it. It doesn’t really hurt to move except if I sit up super straight and arch back a bit or curl completely forward and it’s just a slight ache then.
I have two dimples on my lower back and they’re very painful to touch.
I have had symptoms for the past 6 months like odd sensations like electric shock feelings in my feet and back of knee. Also cramps at night in my shin and knee that aren’t relieved with movement, increasingly in day too. Also pain in my wrists and fingers and sometimes upper arm

Ever since i've been a child i've had these dreams about a man, its like im awake but dont realise i aint awake?? first dream i had was when i was 7-8. i was in my childhood room, keep in mind i cannot sleep for the life of me, and at that time i didnt have sleeping pills. so i was doing my normal playing with plushies late night game. my room was on the second floor and i lived in a small town, my house was ontop of a mountian with a big forest right outside my window. but a small road just before it. as i looked out it was raining, the small light coming from the street light but it was flickering cuz it was old, i watched the rain drop but got an uneasy feeling as i looked further into the forest i saw him, he was a man, tall, strong but not too strong to it being his only feature. he looked like a normal man. his left hand had an axe. and i started to sweat as he walked slowly towards my house. stopping under the dim light. then up the driveway, then watched me like i watched him. he threw the axe at my window, and i must've woken up, but i didnt realize i was dreaming it, so i fell off my bed and ran to my parents room yelling at them that 'hes here' and call the cops. i still to this day dont remember it being a dream.
as some time went by, i didnt sleep at all. but only night i fell asleep, but woke up to an uneasy feeling like the first dream. then i heard it, our doorbell. i somehow didnt get scared and just walked downstairs, knowing he was there. i opened our door, and walked out. it was propally in the middle of the night cuz it was fully dark. i started to walk towards the forest. knowing he was there. my ma stopped me. asking the hell i was doing. i straight up told her 'hes here' but then realised what i was doing. keep in mind, i was too scared as a kid to even leave my bed at night. i still dont get how i just walked out of the house without sobbing.
my dreams slowed down. i felt uneasy sometimes but kept telling myself it was a dream and i was okay, even tho i was actually awake. it fully went away in some years, moslty cuz i never slept. but when i moved to a diffrent place he came back. first one after a while was while i was babysitting this dog for two weeks, he had been there for a week atleast at that point. i woke up and went upstairs, sitting on the arm rest on my sofa and scratching the austrelian sheperds ears. he was pretty big so he was perfect height for it, but then he got a freaked out face on. like he knew someone was there but didnt dare to look. i was confused and got the uneasy feeling again, i looked over at this corner, as i look down i saw two shoes. and i know for a fact no one was home cuz it was summer break and everyone in my fam was at work. i didnt say a word, my breath stopped as i saw the shoes move a bit. then i woke up, with a full on panic attack. it felt so real.
some days later i dreamt another dream. it felt so real, i was doing my morning rutine, but when i came to the living room which is upstairs. i saw my whole family, mom, dad, and my big brother. they were towering over something on the floor. it was an dark aura around it as i kept asking them why there were home and not at work. but they had the same as the dog in the other dream had. i looked more down. the shoes were at the floor with some jakcet over them. but then somone started to crawl out of it, hands gripping the floor as it came to life. and i woke up.
after that he kept coming. one dream i had was while i was sleeping at my aunts in my childhood city. i dreamt like i was walking back to my old house, going to check it out. but when i came there, all the windows, door and carage was fully open and fully dark inside. all our stuff was thrown out of the house laying at the drive way. i went up and kncoked on the wall next to the open door. no one came so i turned around going to leave. but when i turned around someone grabbed me, dragging me inside the dark empty house. i looked down as it happened and then i saw it again, those shoes.
im starting to lose track on what happens after what, but i remeber always feeling awake as it happens, to the point i dont know if im awake or dreaming anymore. ive had plenty of dreams of just living and then seeing him stareing. then waking up. i wont name them all but imma name the worst ones.
still during the summer i was laying in my bed, my room is very small, and my window is next to my bed, but i got curtains over the window to block the sun light, i was watching tiktok as i layd there, but then i got that uneasy feeling again, i looked to my door, and the light in the hallway made it easy to see two shoes blocking the light. i sat more up, grabbing some scissors i had next to my bed on my desk. as i sat started to sit even more up i heard knocking on my window, i fully turned my eyes there, and it was a gap just with the curtians enough to see some of the window, and there he was sititng, leaning down to meet my gaze. same shoes as always. i woke up in a panic. i didnt even know if i was awake or not. but i looked towards my window, and it was a gap with my curtians, its never a gap there cuz its creepy.
Another dream i had was that me and my family was at this place, my pa was sunbathing and i was chilling inside. its like a hotell. i kept going out to check on my dad as it started to get dark and i got an uneasy feeling. i knew something would happen. as i went out again, i found my dad laying on his sunchair, only that his limbs had been awfully ripped off. just where is knees started his leg stopped, just where his elbow started his arm stopped. and he had that look on his face like in the others dreams whenever someone saw him. i ran inside agsin and got met by his gaze as i woke up in panic. i ran to my parents room as they were dead asleep. but i needed to check if it was real cuz it felt so real.
im seeing that im writing a lot so imma just hurry up with the newest ones.
one dream i was back at my childhood home, i was with my two friends from there as we were playing in some tunnels made from WW2. me and my friend was supposed to find our other friend cuz he ran away somewhere. but as we looked she also dissepeared. i looked around. i saw some stairs, i know exaclty where i am and is 100& i was there, the stairs leads you to the dakrest point of the tunnel, its like your eyes are closed cuz its fully dark, as i went down i stood still for a second trying to hear them. but only thing i heard was the mans heavy breathing. in every damn dream he has this heavy breathing. i woke up with a scream as i dreamt that.
this is the newest one, only last week i dreamt of him again.
i was biking to my nearest shop for a drink, as i went back my bike had stopped cuz something happened with it, it does that sometimes. so i walked instead. it was fully dark outside and raning just so slightly. but as i looked forward in the small street, i saw him walking towards me. his head slighty turned to his side like hes watching me. with a knife in his left hand. i woke up with my breath knocked out of me, i went out again with a friend, we were getting some snacks to watch a movie, it was late, so it was dark. she sat behind me on my bike as we biked the same way i did in my dream. i got like a deja vu from my dream. but i was awake for sure, cuz i had already dreamt. but then i saw him again. the sight made me crash the bike into a small hole. she fell off as well did i. i quickly sat up a bit and went to help her sit up from the fall. but then as i was helping her i felt that uneasy feeling. but i didnt turn. her face went like everyones face whenever they see him. i didnt have time to turn. the knife he held in the other dream went straight into her collarbones. i turned around in fear only to be met by him sitting close to me, watching me with a damn mask on, the mask is fully black wiht a white lines a cross of it with some 2-3 other small lines over it. i had, had a double dream. it felt so unreal. and i never know if im awake anymore.
i went to a therapist for it one time cuz i hadnt slept for two week straight, and my parents got worried, and they tried to sign me up for pills. but i told them i was getitng better cuz i didnt wanna take pills and get worse.
PS. one dream i had was that i was in school, i had a morning rutine. getting ready, biking down there, sititng in fucking math class, learning math!! but then i got an uneasy feeling as i saw him just stand next to the door to the classroom watching me. that was an annoying dream cuz when i woke up i actually had to do it all over again.
but he seems to alwyas hurt people i know but never seems to hurt me, just stare, watching or some touches. ive had one dream where he shot my two best childhood friends in my old woods at where i used to live. it felt so real, i saw their pain as i hid behind a rock, as he just shot them with a hunting gun. and while they're brains were dripping everywhere he just stared at me and walked closer till i wake up.
i srs dont know what is happening, its creepy and idk if im dreaming or awake anymore. i be hanging with friends but get the uneasy feeling and just run off. into the woods or hide or legit start to sob.

it just occurred to me that like… i’ll eat maybe some fries for lunch— no breakfast obviously, have a few cookies in between meal times, and then have a ‘cup-a-soup’ for dinner (yes this is oddly specific. yes this happened). on days my mom cooks it’s easier for me to eat actual meals cause hey man i’m hungry and it’s there so why not but on the days i have a say in it? i barely eat and when i do it’s garbage/junk. it makes me feel bad because i think i’m developing arfid+ (arfid + anorexia) so i really hope im not alone 😭 idk a lot of my safe foods are junk so it kinda makes sense i guess??? idk. please tell me im not alone 👽

Don't know about anyone else, but I feel really deflated and more than a bit anxious about how Ange reacted in the presser last night.
It's a complex situation but I think the focus on the fans and their reaction to the loss are a little overblown. "Inside and outside" the club is where Ange is saying the problems are.
The fans; obviously the situation we were faced with last night was a strange one. Dumb luck with scheduling left us in a position where this was our game in hand. We were mathematically still chasing Champions League but were still banking on Crystal Palace doing us a favour. If Liverpool hadn't rolled over in the last 10 minutes against Villa, then I think the dynamic of last night's game in terms of the fans attitude would have been much different. If we'd won the game, Champions League would have felt genuinely within reach, but with Villa snatching a draw, I think most of us felt that fourth was as good as settled. That left us in a position where beating City would have, realistically done nothing more than hand Arsenal the title whilst not changing anything in regards to our own position in the table. Just a shitty situation to be in.
We've got a lot of foreign fans in the sub and on social media and genuinely, they wouldn't have any idea of the genuine rivalry with Arsenal. Admittedly, I'm not a local but I've been following Spurs for over 30 years and have managed to afford to get to a handful of games. I know enough and I still, despite not being there in person, grasp the depth of the rivalry. I wasn't going to land into work this morning and get ripped to shreds by Arsenal fans, but I still appreciate that that is the reality for the local fan-base, and you guys, the match going fans for the most part, have a different experience from the majority of the fans who have been crowing on social media. This is football. I understand if Ange is pissed off with the fans last night, watching on TV, it was a strange atmosphere. I felt torn watching the game, when Sonny went through I was willing him to put it away, but when the keeper made the save, I felt an odd sense of relief. It was strange, strange experience watching the game last night, one I don't want to have to experience again anytime soon, because the joy in the game as a supporter is embracing the full throttle emotions of watching you team score big goals, in important games. The shitty thing about last night, the game, just wasn't important enough to warrant those emotions... like I said, Champions League football was as good as gone.
But "inside the club"? We can't be sure what this means, but Ange's presser last night felt eerily like Conte's did, eerily like Mourinho's did towards the end. It felt then, that they'd come to realise that the scope of their ambition wasn't going to be matched financially by the club. It felt like they'd come out of a meeting having been told that promises made were to be been reneged on. I don't feel like that's what we saw last night.
I think what Ange meant with his "last 48" hours comment was purely about mentality. Is it wild to think that there were jokes made around the club the last few days leading up to the game about what winning would mean? I don't think it's beyond reason to think a kit man, or a groundsman, or Doris from the ticket office, or Steve in the dining room wouldn't have made a comment here or there about how "winning isn't everything".
Like it or not, rivalry or not, Ange and the players are professionals. He wanted to win. He wanted us to beat City and put the pressure on Villa to get something at Palace and secure, somehow, in a season where nobody had any hopes for us, Champions League football. But the club maybe, the fans certainly, just didn't. Not at the end, not when we have already consoled ourselves that Champions League football wasn't "realistic" with Villa's draw at Liverpool.
At the final whistle some of the players didn't look all that annoyed. Pep was prancing around congratulating Son, flirtingly punching Romero - it was as though the team were content that everyone in the ground seemed perfectly comfortable with how the game panned out. And that's not a winning mentality. That's not the attitude that wins trophies, or brings success. The playing staff didn't look distraught, they didn't look like a team who had just missed out on Champions League football.
Apologies for the long post (especially if you made it this far). I thought we were brilliant last night. I don't remember anyone outperforming City in the manner we did in the first half. There were so many positives, one being Ange's ability to kill City's ability to dictate tempo by using Sarr as a false 9. We were fantastic and for me it was one of the most impressive performances of the season, especially considering injuries. But I get where Ange is coming from and I hope this was one of those games that we look back on as a turning point and acts as a catalyst for a long overdue change in the club's mentality.

Recently I got surgery on my knee from a football injury. They took my blood before it, and because I do biology at school, I looked at the results when I was bored afterwards. One of the things it said was that my blood type is AB positive, which I thought was quite cool, since it isn’t very common. I already knew my father’s blood type is A negative because he donates blood, and I had gone with him a couple of times. My mother had come to visit me, and I had asked her if her blood type was AB positive or B positive. I wanted to know because I find genetics really interesting, and I’d always liked doing punnett squares and knowing how things work. She asked me what I was talking about, and I asked her which one of those her blood type is. She said it was O positive, and asked me why I wanted to know. I said that was impossible, and she must be confused. She said I was the one on pain medication, so I was confused. And that it was just blood, I’m healthy and fine, so that’s all that matters.
I thought I must be confused, so I looked it up online, and like I thought, it was literally impossible that I could have that blood type. My mother had to have either AB positive or B positive blood, because otherwise I would have A type blood or O type blood. I figured that maybe she had just forgotten, since both my test and my father’s ones had to be right. But it just seemed a bit weird, so when I got home I looked at one of the papers my mother had kept in the drawer from when she had some medical tests done. And it said that she had O positive blood. I was just confused. I knew there had to be a mistake, somehow. Maybe the hospital had done my blood wrong, or they had written my mother’s blood down wrong. I didn’t even consider my parents weren’t my parents, it just didn’t seem possible. There were photos of me as a newborn, my mother holding me, I look like all of my siblings.
I could have just let it go, but it just didn’t seem right. While my mother was at work, I went through more of the papers. Every single time, it was O positive. I just thought rationally, and decided that they must have taken my blood wrong. I had gotten a couple of blood tests in the past as a child, and I managed to find them at the bottom of the drawer. They all said AB positive. There had to be some kind of explanation, so when my mother came home, I went and talked to her and I told her that with our blood types, I couldn’t be their child. And I wanted to know why, and if she knew why, and if I got mixed up in the hospital or had a blood transfusion or something. She said to wait until my father came home. I was just so confused, I didn’t get how this was possible.
Then when my father got home, they ended up telling me what had happened. My sister, or my actual mother, became pregnant at fifteen. My parents wouldn’t tell me anything about my father, I don’t know much they do know, but they said that instead of having my sister be ashamed and tied down with a child because she was sixteen when she gave birth, as soon as I was born, I became their child. My parents lied to everyone and said it was a cryptic pregnancy. Because my sister didn’t show much, and they didn’t tell anyone, no one knew. They adopted me when I was very young. The rest of my parents’ children were all quite young when I was born, the eldest was eleven. She knew, but the rest of them didn’t and thought I was my mother’s baby, because that was what my parents told me. Everyone thought I was, because I look a lot like the rest of my family. I always thought I looked a little bit different, but I figured it was genetics, I’m never going to look the same as everyone else. My parents said they didn’t want me to know about it, I didn’t need to know, but there was no way they could explain this and I was old enough to understand it now.
Now it feels like everything I thought my life was isn’t real at all. I thought I had six siblings. Four sisters, and two brothers. I thought I was the youngest, I only very recently turned eighteen. My sister, or my mother, lives in a city about three hours away. I don’t know a lot about her because she moved away from home when I was three. I would see her occasionally, and sometimes at holidays, but not often. Maybe about four or five times a year. She doesn’t seem like she is my mother, I always thought she didn't really care much about me. While quite a few of my siblings would fuss over me and play with me when I was little and go to my important games, she mostly ignored me. I only have a couple of significant memories with her and she definitely wouldn't be proud of me or anything, there's nothing special about me.
I used to ask my mother about her but she never told me much about her. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do next. I have a good life, I know I do and I'm lucky. But now I don’t even know who my father is, it’s like part of me is missing. I don’t know why I look like I do, literally all I know is what his blood type is. I'm really confused. Now I know, I don't know if I'm supposed to talk to her about any of this, or if she just wants to leave her alone, which I would understand. I really don't know what I'm supposed to do now, I think my parents are a bit disappointed I know now, and in some ways I am too because now I know everything I thought was real isn't. I want to know about my father, I want to know about part of who I really am. But my parents won’t tell me, and I don’t know if she will either. She probably just wants me out of her life, and probably never wanted me and wishes I wasn’t there at all. I don’t want to disrupt her life either. When I asked my mother, she said I should just leave it, and she won't want to talk to me, but I don't think my mother has talked to her for a while either. I don't know if I'm supposed to do anything, or just leave it, but I feel like it's quite an important part of my life and although I love my parents, or my grandparents, I still want to know about my biological mother as well.
English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if any of this is incorrect. I did read over it, but if something doesn't make sense I can clarify it :)

I’ve Been with my Gf for 9 years (M27) (F26) we’ve had our ups and downs but always worked it out. Recently, we’ve been going through a rough patch due to me wanting to travel and possibly emigrate, she wants to stay home but travel. However she keeps putting off saving to go travelling etc, so we’ve been at odds. But trying to build our relationship again and make time for each other.
I ended up going out with my friend and we ended up meeting up with his friend who sadly passed away, GF to see how she was doing. She was out with a couple of friends and I got talking to one of her friends casually about life in general like travelling etc. She’s tells me about how she loves to travel and has lived in other countries etc, we ended up getting on really well to my surprise usually am not too fussed with being overly chatty with people.
I’ve developed a bit of crush on this girl, and I don’t know what to do because am trying to make things work with my girlfriend because I love her but I’ve been down about maybe we aren’t a right match for each other.
Just feels like the universe or something is testing me or trying to show me that there’s other people who I may be more suited too, but it’s hard because I love my gf, I’ve been with her most my life and felt I’d spend the rest of it with her. I didn’t actually think we’d get to a point of wanting different things in life and it sucks. I don’t know what to do, it’d be crazy to even pursue that girl because I’d need to time for myself to heal, but it’s like she’s shown me something I never thought was possible. I was ready to almost give up on my dreams and just commit to my GF.
Tldr; developed a crush on a girl, who I have similar wants in life. Came out of the blue, been having issues in current relationship of 9 years due different wants in life. If I was to come out of a relationship I’d want time to heal for myself but this girl has opened my eyes to a different reality.

When I was young around grade 1, I had this friend in my street, I can't remember much of the time I spent with this guy but I can remember him hurting me like hitting me and shit when I didn't do what he wanted. He smacked my knee with a wrench once. I just fell to the ground. We were decent friends until I told him that I wanted to be girl, I remember him telling me how to do certain things to men. (Seems like he was a victim too). Anyway, throughout my childhood my mother was pretty abusive, she was dealing with psychosis and paranoid delusions, she coped with alcohol and taking it out on dad and I, we would be kicked out, he would be hit manipulated screamed at all the sorts. Anyway it got too much for her one day and she decided to try and smother Me, she then attempted suicide. (I don't remember how it ended I just remember waking up on my bed)
All throughout primary/highschool, I would let people use me. I had very little back bone for myself, I think I was half trying to figure out things that had happened. One time when I had to leave home for a bit cause dad was being violent the persons whos house I was staying at made me touch him in exchange for the place.
I had this friend, he stayed over one night. I think it was one of our birthdays (btw I've had very mixed gendered friends, all very close) Anyway, we were drinking and smoking and eventually he started to ask me if I wanted to do things. I said no, repeatedly. He just kepted asking and was acting all bummed I just felt like shit, I got more drunk and just said yeah sure. The next thing I remember I was bent over my bed, my god it was horrible, it's just flashes of pain and crying and asking him to stop before I moved and pushed him away. I can't remember how the night ended but the next morning was so horrible, I bled from it all. In the future I wasn't so resistant, he would just make me feel bad, I would let him do whatever, the feeling of bits of him left inside me, makes me want to die all by it self. I felt so disgusting I feel so disgusting
Anyway, later on I had gotten into a relationship with this girl. We were together from the ages 17-20 (She like everyone else in my life knew who I was) She knew that sex was horrible for me, I still put out for her when I could. But when I couldn't, she didn't care, she would tell me I'm responsible for her mental decline and things. So I would just give in, most of the time I would just give her oral I preferred this. Sometimes though she wanted to touch me, i would protest and offer alternatives but she didn't care she would just start touching me, eventually she started to insert her fingers and I would literally have tears I my eyes saying no and she'd just keep going if not harder when I said to stop.
I just, fucking hate myself so much, I can't get it out of my head that I did this shit to myself. I feel so disconnected from it all, like the pain and emotions are there but it's just like watching a movie. I feel so disgusting, on edge I'm always In fight or flight, I'm tired I just want to die most of the time.
I just, idk, I still consider these people friends. I can't convince my brain that this was fucked. Like do I just not care and move on? Not talking with em about it or what idk I'm lost I just wanna cry
Idc if the main account causes problems, I just need my possible reasons heard

Hi idk why I'm posting this really but I have been ewan it's bothering me for the past few days and I can't sleep because of it. I must say both of my yaya's have a point naman and for context why I'm not asking my parents or anything let's just say it's quite complicated either way school was rough on me like real bad it affected my mental health to the point of no recover I suppose? Used to be a star student but I'm failing but hey for some odd reason I got an award and well everyone just assumes I want to be at the graduation kasi I would be insane if I don't want to yaya said. But me and my classmates (or my so called friends na suddenly betrayed me) had a recent argument I mean as in the whole class ha for context I was assigned to list those who didn't do the activity and yup all of them except me nagpasa. Well point here is bakit ako magpapaapekto ng ganon it's my life why do I care so much? And maawa daw ako kay dad kasi well he's paying for my education and baka hindi nadaw ako pagaralin because of my attitude and yung mga requirements ko kailangan ko yun and mahirap maghabol sa teachers well may point but at the same time It's just this feeling na I can't shake to the point I'm nauseous kapag iisipin ko na ilang araw ko pa sila titiisin plus the grad na ilang hrs pa. I know it's such a selfish request but it goes deeper than that I don't want to talk about it further since sobrang haba ng story pero I really don't want to go but at the same time everyone keeps lecturing me to do so. What do I do?haha.

I had quite the weird roommate experience. To preface, my situation wasn’t terrible, but did have a major impact on my mental health, academic performance, and socialization this past freshman year of college.
To start off, I met my roommate through a college bios page. What seemed great over the phone turned into a quick nightmare as soon as the end of august rolled around. The first day we were in a room together, you could feel the awkwardness and disconnect and it never went away, even at the end of the second semester. Basically my roommate became good friends with this girl down the hall, and started to treat me and the other girls roommate like garbage.
Long story short, I became friends with the other girls roommate who was in the same situation as me. There was a football game the one day and I was getting ready with my friend in my room, and my roommate was getting ready with my friend’s roommate in her room (2 doors apart). My friend went to grab something from her room and prompted me to get out in the hallway. Not even a foot out of the door, they are blowing us up in that room to some random chick. Mind you, they had NO reason to be talking about us. Their reasoning was that my friend and I came home late and made “too much noise while they were sleeping.” HELP ME NOW BC THEY WERENT EVEN SLEEPING, AS HER ROOMMATE WAS AT A PARTY THAT NIGHT AND I DIDNT EVEN SEE HER LMAO. As for my roommate, she was in her bed on her phone with the big light on. You weren’t sleeping. It was nearing 10pm on a Friday night.
I know this sounds ridiculous up to this point but it’s just hypocritical, because she would have her friend in my room or would be in my friend’s room all the time making noise. My roommate used to let her friend in early in the morning because we all had an early class together, and she would literally come and start socializing when i wasn’t even awake yet. Talk about disturbing someone’s sleep. Well anyway, this may have been wrong on my part as im being fully transparent here, but I muted her contact that day because my friend and I were about to go to the football game, and my roommate and her friend were going separately. I saw them in the lobby and glared at them when they smiled and waved because they had no clue ts I just heard them say. I partly muted her contact for the day so I didn’t have the urge to send her something nasty if Im gonna be honest. I had simply had enough of her.
Well come the next day, I’m laying in my bed feeling so alone. I wanted for the life of me to be able to be friends with my roommate, but after hearing what she said about me, it was pretty disheartening. I put a lot of work into our room. I was the only one who ever cleaned. I was the one to buy the fridge and microwave because she was out of state and I didn’t want her to have the hassle of transporting those things. I was just in a really bad headspace and missing home that I didn’t get out of bed that morning until late. Well, I start to hear fingers slamming the keypad. You don’t have to use the keypad unless you’re in a lock out situation. Here it comes…
This annihilation of a human being bursts into the room and goes, and I quote, Is there a reason you fing blocked me? (Because I wasn’t getting her calls as she was still muted). And I straight up said, yeah there actually is, I heard all the sht you said about me yesterday. The woman was too stunned to speak. But she spoke. “Still that isn’t a reason to not answer my calls. I’m not obligated to you. I swear if you touch any of my s**t, I’m gonna call the cops.”
Runs out and slams the door
Gave me no room to talk whatsoever. And what’s funny about the last part is that my roommate and her friend, while they were talking about us, did in fact touch my friends stuff as her closet was rummaged through, her shoes were messed with, her mirror was broken. Not to mention my stuff was starting to be out of place too. She was really just reflecting herself. She helped herself to all of my food, ate an ENTIRE box of chips my mom had gotten me to take to college. This chick was loaded with money too, there was no reason she was eating my food when I could barely get by.
There’s a lot of small things that happened after that. She apologized the same night but I never saw her the same after. What really burnt me was the fact I gave her a phone wallet for her student id and she never even put it on to this day. She had no reason to be locked out given the fact she wanted the wallet and never put it on. That’s entirely her fault. And up to that point, I’m honestly glad I had her contact muted. This was her karma.
Another comical karma story was when it was a Sunday or something, and I went to the library that day for 6 hours. That’s not terrible long for me for a weekend, but that day I was exhausted. I was heading back to my room when she texted me, “how much longer will you be out of the room?” because her boyfriend was there and she wanted time alone with him. He was also from out of state and would come see her. Mind you, at this point, they weren’t even in the room. They were at a sporting event. I’ve honestly had it up to this point because I would give them PLENTY of time alone all the time, whether they were on the phone together or in person. She never did the same for me, and my relationship is longer than hers.
I simply replied “well I just got back but I guess I can leave again” which was honestly kind of passive aggressive but like atp I was so fed up with her garbage. She had my location and purposely made it a big deal that I was going back to the room. I just grinded for 6 hours, and she never even told me her boyfriend was coming that day. On the way to the room she sprained her ankle and had to be taken to urgent care. Needless to say I got some sleep that day actually. But I walked into my room and her packages were thrown all over my desk, because my space was just hers i guess lmao.
Karma is real. Don’t be a terrible, inconsiderate roommate. Also here is a list of less explained occurrences that have happened throughout this unforgettable freshman year
-took multiple pictures of me while I slept
-she got so sick and coughed all over everything, blew nose loudly all night but complained when I got sick to my face
-bribed me with a stanley cup after threatening to call the cops on me for not answering her
-flooded our room with water from the bathroom when i wasn’t there and posted about it on her instagram story without even texting me about it (the water was mostly on my side and she tried blaming in on someone else)
-left old food in the fridge, the fridge that I bought (and im talking like months old food and drinks
-would call her bf for hours every day but not talk (he could just hear and see me and i wouldn’t even know he was on the phone)
-offered me to live with her next year and oddly enough backed out last second (we were on semi good terms at this point)
-would make me feel unwelcome in my own room
-would look at me weirdly if I came in during one of her day and night long phone calls with her bf
-would be loud asf while getting ready and then expected me to tip toe around her when I got ready
-posted a picture of me on her instagram complaining about having a roommate because she couldn’t cry over her chem grades with me in the room, when she never even left the room for me to do so when I experienced 2 deaths in the span of a few months
I’m sure communication on my end could have helped some, but it came to the point where it was pointless. I didn’t care for her at all. What burnt me is that she started being super nice to me the last two weeks of school which made it hard to just block her like i originally had planned. Would I look like a bad person for doing so, or is this completely validated with my experiences with her. I’ve never met someone so oddly unaware of themselves. It makes me cringe DEEPLY whenever I think about her and what I had to put up with. I also want to mention I did go to my RA and Res Director about this early on, so it’s not like I blatantly didn’t do anything about it.

When I was young around grade 1, I had this friend in my street, I can't remember much of the time I spent with this guy but I can remember him hurting me like hitting me and shit when I didn't do what he wanted. He smacked my knee with a wrench once. I just fell to the ground. We were decent friends until I told him that I wanted to be girl, I remember him telling me how to do certain things to men. (Seems like he was a victim too). Anyway, throughout my childhood my mother was pretty abusive, she was dealing with psychosis and paranoid delusions, she coped with alcohol and taking it out on dad and I, we would be kicked out, he would be hit manipulated screamed at all the sorts. Anyway it got too much for her one day and she decided to try and smother Me, she then attempted suicide. (I don't remember how it ended I just remember waking up on my bed)
All throughout primary/highschool, I would let people use me. I had very little back bone for myself, I think I was half trying to figure out things that had happened. One time when I had to leave home for a bit cause dad was being violent the persons whos house I was staying at made me touch him in exchange for the place.
I had this friend, he stayed over one night. I think it was one of our birthdays (btw I've had very mixed gendered friends, all very close) Anyway, we were drinking and smoking and eventually he started to ask me if I wanted to do things. I said no, repeatedly. He just kepted asking and was acting all bummed I just felt like shit, I got more drunk and just said yeah sure. The next thing I remember I was bent over my bed, my god it was horrible, it's just flashes of pain and crying and asking him to stop before I moved and pushed him away. I can't remember how the night ended but the next morning was so horrible, I bled from it all. In the future I wasn't so resistant, he would just make me feel bad, I would let him do whatever, the feeling of bits of him left inside me, makes me want to die all by it self. I felt so disgusting I feel so disgusting
Anyway, later on I had gotten into a relationship with this girl. We were together from the ages 17-20 (She like everyone else in my life knew who I was) She knew that sex was horrible for me, I still put out for her when I could. But when I couldn't, she didn't care, she would tell me I'm responsible for her mental decline and things. So I would just give in, most of the time I would just give her oral I preferred this. Sometimes though she wanted to touch me, i would protest and offer alternatives but she didn't care she would just start touching me, eventually she started to insert her fingers and I would literally have tears I my eyes saying no and she'd just keep going if not harder when I said to stop.
I just, fucking hate myself so much, I can't get it out of my head that I did this shit to myself. I feel so disconnected from it all, like the pain and emotions are there but it's just like watching a movie. I feel so disgusting, on edge I'm always In fight or flight, I'm tired I just want to die most of the time.
I just, idk, I still consider these people friends. I can't convince my brain that this was fucked. Like do I just not care and move on? Not talking with em about it or what idk I'm lost I just wanna cry
Idc if the main account causes problems, I just need my possible reasons heard

I'll start first, and I'll go high-effort with the last three games I played.

1: Nina, 30XX

Assuming that 30XX hit points translate 1:1 to D&D HP, she's going to be an absolute monster because she starts with 120 of them, and comes equipped with an energy blaster that by rights should ignore worn armor. She can spam fast attacks, or charge up more powerful attacks. Even without any other powers or pickups from her native game, she's a pretty major character in any D&D type game. It's questionable whether her Buster would count as magical for damage resistance purposes, but it probably should be typed as Force damage either way.
Nina is a sweetheart though, and so she wouldn't really get into conflict with the party. She'd probably join them to try to find a way home, and save the world along the way.
She would probably struggle against save-or-suck spells and other magic, though.

2. Misako, River City Girls 2

Misako would be an interesting one. Obviously she's some kind of pugilist, but "discipline" is anathema to her. Sarcastic, loudmouthed, and violent, she would fit right in with most PC parties. Oddly enough not quite a murderhobo in that she seems to always have her fists set to stun and doesn't usually punch first unless the other side is clearly intent on violence... But she absolutely will sarcasm and sass "threatening" encounters into violent ones.
It's a mixed bag about whether or not she'll be able to thrive violently, but probably; she is from a beat-'em-up game, and regularly punches her way through several entire street gangs just going to the shopping mall, which can be foes ranging from violent schoolgirls (who are absolutely dangerous to underestimate) to Terminators sent back from the future. She would not do well against magic, though.

3. The British Empire, Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts

Rule Britannia shall be the order of the day. No sailing ship afloat can withstand the might of the British Empire’s secondary guns, let alone the primaries, which can lob high explosive/incendiary shells well over 35km. Foes below will be depth-charged, foes above will be flakked and shot down with AA guns. (And that's assuming that, like in UAD, powered aircraft are not a thing.)
Magic is powerful, but it cannot withstand an industrial power that's already achieved economy of scale. And frankly, all these fractious, bellicose bastards need some rule of law; they will be made to bow knee to His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India and [insert name of campaign setting here].

Hello and welcome to my post. I would like to make a friend.
Here are my interests:
History. I have had an interest in history for almost a decade now, it started back in school and developed from there. Well, now that I think about it one could argue that it started even earlier in my life as I liked watching the odd historic documentary or film aired on television but it wasn't regular back then, I never actively sought it out. I am mostly interested in European history in the period between the 18th-20th century but I sometimes branch out to other time periods and other parts of the world. I watch various channels related to history and read articles and sometimes books. I have recently got a few books on the German revolution of 1848/1849 and a historical magazine on the Thirty Years' War. Besides that I try to visit museums sometimes.
Literature. Especially old novels. I like to immerse myself in the Worlds of these books, I tend to read them while listening to thematically fitting music and take my time with them. One time you are following a troubled Youth in his quest for spiritual understanding of the world, another you see the aged and decrepit Doctor gambling his very Soul on the promises of abtaining satisfaction in earthy pleasures, then again your olfaction notices the most pleasant scent known to man even as the one eminating it has the appearance of a revolting Frog. These and many other stories open up to you once you decide to set foot into the literary World.
Languages. I know three, with one being a bit rusty. I am currently working intently on strengthening it. I believe that if I continue to apply myself in this regard then I should be able to finally conquer it. What language am I working on? Well, if you were to stack all the major works in it they would be as tall as a house... It is fun to go through different works in multiple languages, the same goes for film, games and such.
Games. I recently played Cyberpunk 2077. Well as recently as I played any major story centric game. Now that the dust has settled and the bugs mostly removed...It's not that bad. The main questline at least. Besides that I tried Fallout 76 (Very average, I'm dissapointed with what they made the "RPG" system) and I might give Deus Ex Manking Divided another spin (since it's somewhat similar to Cyberpunk when it comes to its aesthetics). Dark Souls is one of my favorite series, I still haven't beaten Elden Ring though. When it came out I wasn't in the right mindset to invest a hundred hours into it, with all those bosses and difficult locations. I think I'll only consider playing it if I am streaming it to someone. I am generally interested in either streaming games or having the person I am talking to stream them to me. To be specific I mean streaming to a single person while being on call. Besides that I'm a big fan of Paradox strategy games, especially Europa Universalis IV and Heats of Iron IV, I tend to only play single player since I find multiplayer with many people to be rather stressful but on the other hand I have nothing against a co-op game. I'm not the best player though, despite the ammount of hours I have in them. Another great game I would mention would be Dragon's Dogma. A very underrated RPG. I recently beat it again and it was an atmospheric and interesting experience. It is one of those games that feel like they have an endless ammount of depth and constant new secrets to discover.
Anime and Manga. In recent times my interest in them has waned but I still watch the occasional series here and there. Like Cyberpunk Edgerunners (Which I found to be rather mediocre) and the very good first season from the new arc of Bleach. Some of my favourite series include: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Death Note, Fate;Zero, Psycho Pass, Code Geass and Attack on Titan. I wouldn't mind if you were to introduce me to some new series, maybe based on the ones I mentioned. My favourite Manga is Berserk which I still follow, althought I am still not certain on the direction that the new author is taking. I suppose it really is a matter of contention whether a somewhat (or considerably warped) vision is better than an unfinished work. One could argue that a few novels remain unfinished and possess a macabre appeal to them as such.
Music. Classical music has a very special place in my heart. A few of my favourite pieces would be: Clair de Lune, Nocturne Op. 9 No.2, Devil's Trill Sonata, Danse Macabre, Valse Sentimentale, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Alegreto (by Beethoven) and Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20a: I. Scene. Moderato. There are more but these ones always invoke something in me when I listen to them. Besides Classical I also enjoy listening to Synthwave, old Western pop and J-pop, both modern and from the 20th century.
Well that about wraps it up for my interests. I would like to add a few things before I finish. I am neurodivergent (autism spectrum) and struggle with mental health. I respect the struggles others have but due to certain negative experiences I would prefer to find another Aspie. I am rather introverted and I do not have a large social circle. If I like someone I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I have been hurt in the past by caring about someone much more than they about me so I would like to avoid such things now.
If you decide to message me I ask that you send a DM instead of a chat and tell me about yourself. Take care.

Hello and welcome to my post. I would like to make a friend.
Here are my interests:
History. I have had an interest in history for almost a decade now, it started back in school and developed from there. Well, now that I think about it one could argue that it started even earlier in my life as I liked watching the odd historic documentary or film aired on television but it wasn't regular back then, I never actively sought it out. I am mostly interested in European history in the period between the 18th-20th century but I sometimes branch out to other time periods and other parts of the world. I watch various channels related to history and read articles and sometimes books. I have recently got a few books on the German revolution of 1848/1849 and a historical magazine on the Thirty Years' War. Besides that I try to visit museums sometimes.
Literature. Especially old novels. I like to immerse myself in the Worlds of these books, I tend to read them while listening to thematically fitting music and take my time with them. One time you are following a troubled Youth in his quest for spiritual understanding of the world, another you see the aged and decrepit Doctor gambling his very Soul on the promises of abtaining satisfaction in earthy pleasures, then again your olfaction notices the most pleasant scent known to man even as the one eminating it has the appearance of a revolting Frog. These and many other stories open up to you once you decide to set foot into the literary World.
Languages. I know three, with one being a bit rusty. I am currently working intently on strengthening it. I believe that if I continue to apply myself in this regard then I should be able to finally conquer it. What language am I working on? Well, if you were to stack all the major works in it they would be as tall as a house... It is fun to go through different works in multiple languages, the same goes for film, games and such.
Games. I recently played Cyberpunk 2077. Well as recently as I played any major story centric game. Now that the dust has settled and the bugs mostly removed...It's not that bad. The main questline at least. Besides that I tried Fallout 76 (Very average, I'm dissapointed with what they made the "RPG" system) and I might give Deus Ex Manking Divided another spin (since it's somewhat similar to Cyberpunk when it comes to its aesthetics). Dark Souls is one of my favorite series, I still haven't beaten Elden Ring though. When it came out I wasn't in the right mindset to invest a hundred hours into it, with all those bosses and difficult locations. I think I'll only consider playing it if I am streaming it to someone. I am generally interested in either streaming games or having the person I am talking to stream them to me. To be specific I mean streaming to a single person while being on call. Besides that I'm a big fan of Paradox strategy games, especially Europa Universalis IV and Heats of Iron IV, I tend to only play single player since I find multiplayer with many people to be rather stressful but on the other hand I have nothing against a co-op game. I'm not the best player though, despite the ammount of hours I have in them. Another great game I would mention would be Dragon's Dogma. A very underrated RPG. I recently beat it again and it was an atmospheric and interesting experience. It is one of those games that feel like they have an endless ammount of depth and constant new secrets to discover.
Anime and Manga. In recent times my interest in them has waned but I still watch the occasional series here and there. Like Cyberpunk Edgerunners (Which I found to be rather mediocre) and the very good first season from the new arc of Bleach. Some of my favourite series include: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Death Note, Fate;Zero, Psycho Pass, Code Geass and Attack on Titan. I wouldn't mind if you were to introduce me to some new series, maybe based on the ones I mentioned. My favourite Manga is Berserk which I still follow, althought I am still not certain on the direction that the new author is taking. I suppose it really is a matter of contention whether a somewhat (or considerably warped) vision is better than an unfinished work. One could argue that a few novels remain unfinished and possess a macabre appeal to them as such.
Music. Classical music has a very special place in my heart. A few of my favourite pieces would be: Clair de Lune, Nocturne Op. 9 No.2, Devil's Trill Sonata, Danse Macabre, Valse Sentimentale, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Alegreto (by Beethoven) and Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20a: I. Scene. Moderato. There are more but these ones always invoke something in me when I listen to them. Besides Classical I also enjoy listening to Synthwave, old Western pop and J-pop, both modern and from the 20th century.
Well that about wraps it up for my interests. I would like to add a few things before I finish. I am neurodivergent (autism spectrum) and struggle with mental health. I respect the struggles others have but due to certain negative experiences I would prefer to find another Aspie. I am rather introverted and I do not have a large social circle. If I like someone I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I have been hurt in the past by caring about someone much more than they about me so I would like to avoid such things now.
If you decide to message me I ask that you send a DM instead of a chat and tell me about yourself. Take care.

I've got a friend who is currently knee-deep in his startup, and let me tell you, he is feeling the heat. It's been six months in, trying to do it alone, buried in code, drowning in emails, and struggling to stay afloat with it all.
I've heard from others that these are signs it's time for some backup. You know, like bringing in a developer to ease the coding load and maybe a virtual assistant to handle the admin stuff. But here's the thing: how do you even go about finding the right people?
I'm hoping you could share some advice or tips on when it's time to reach out for that extra help and how to find the best guys for the job. Any thoughts?

The RAD system implies much shorter reach than standard height-based guides on manufacturer websites, and e.g. Hardtail Party says he puts no stock in that system. Apart from riding lots of different bikes, what are the alternatives? What do professional bike fitters use, and does that apply to MTB as well as road?
I have slightly odd proportions:

• 170cm (5'7) tall
• 175cm (69 inch) wingspan
• 81cm (32 inch) inside leg

So long legs and arms relative to my height, and a short...back?
I'm riding a medium Pace RC529 hardtail (465mm reach, 76* STA, 65* HTA, 430mm chainstay, 642mm stack, 32mm stem, maximum spacers under the stem, 140mm fork, 165mm cranks). My current bike doesn't feel too big/long for 'normal' riding - fast DH, or XC without steep climbs - but is a bit of a handful on slower, techier stuff. I find I need to have a big stack and my seat all the way back, or else my weight is too much on my hands on flattish ground. But then my front wheel wanders or washes out on steep climbs, jumps, and slow tech (e.g. tight switchbacks). I might try a longer stem with the seat more forward, but then I might need even higher bars for riding on flat ground (so the weight doesn't all go on my hands). RAD suggests I need about 425mm reach with that 32mm stem and stack, which is a pretty big (40mm) difference. Lots of models (e.g. my Pace, or the Banshee Paradox) don't even come in sizes that small.

A fanfiction of The Nature of Predators by SpacePaladin15 https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/u19xpa/the_nature_of_predators/
Previous Prologue Next
Memory Transcription Subject: Slanek, Venlil Space Corps
Date [standardized Earth time]: August 21, 2136
Walking into the lab, we were welcomed by a Pokemon that looked oddly familiar to me, a pink creature with predatory eyes and small wings that looked completely vestigial. It wasn’t until I saw the Human inspecting a large screen embedded in the wall that I recognised them. Lilith and Sara, who were among the first Terrans to have visited Venlil Prime. Lilith, whose species was the ‘Clefable’ if I remember correctly, gestured for the three of us to come further into the lab.
“Hello there, thank you for coming so soon after settling in! It seems a lot of Venlil are quite excited to do the Infinity Energy tests.”
I give a slightly nervous ear flick in response.
“I uh, really just wanted to get this over and done with.”
“Right, well in that case you’ll be glad to know that this takes no time at all. It’ll be over before you know it, and you’ll have your exchange partners beside you through the whole process.”
I look up at Marcel and Felix, who both give me further reassuring glances. Marcel seems a little nervous though, awkwardly standing just in front of the door and obviously having no idea what he should be doing. As the Clefable leads me over to a chair and gestures for me to take a seat, she passes over a piece of paper and a pen.
“This is the consent form, please read it out completely and carefully before writing your basic information and signature.”
Lilith then bounds away to converse with Sara, who is still looking at the large screen teeming with strange writing and graphs. As I read through the consent form, I only grow more worried.
‘Permanent Infinity Energy infusion.’
‘Monitored for remainder of Space Corps service.’
‘Possibility of previously unknown side effects.’
I look over to Marcel and Felix, beckoning them over with a wave of my tail. Marcel kneels down beside the chair, bringing the three of us to roughly eye level as Felix rests on his shoulder.
“Sorry, but can you two just… stay close? This seems a bit more intense than I was expecting.”
Felix nods furiously, followed by Marcel giving a small, closed mouth smile.
“Of course, we’ll be right here.”
“After this is over, we can all get some food from the cafeteria. A nice salad or something, alright?”
The Human’s suggestion sounds nice, and my tail sways in agreement. I sign the form after reading through it a second time, and Lilith soon comes over to collect it. As she does so, I see Sara walking over with some wires and wool clips. She places them on a nearby table before turning to finally address me.
“Hello Mr Slanek, sorry for the wait. It’s just, the data we’ve gathered so far from the other Venlil is beyond fascinating. It's an amazing opportunity to investigate how life not native to Earth reacts with Infinity Energy and uh… you probably don’t care, sorry.”
With a lightly red hue showing in her cheeks, she grabs the wires and clips, and gets started on attaching them to various points on my body. From my knees to my paws, snout, ears, stomach, chest, tail… almost everywhere, really. This all only makes my nerves grow even more.
“Now, just as a warning, this will probably hurt a bit. It’s only for a moment though, and it just means that everything is working.”
As Sara attaches the last clip to the wool on my back, she walks back over to large screen on the opposite wall, which I am surprised to find now displays a wireframe model of myself. I notice my paws are beginning to shake slightly, and I turn towards my exchange partners, hoping to find solace. Not so long ago, I would never have even fathomed the idea of looking to predators for comfort, but now…
I reach out a shaking paw towards them. After hesitating for a moment, a look of surprise coming over his face, Marcel reaches out and takes hold of it. Felix scurries down the Human’s arm and places his own small paw on top of mine as Marcel gives it a gentle squeeze.
Turning back to the rest of the lab, Sara is swiping her hand to rotate the wireframe model of my body, while Lilith is retrieving something from a large, formerly locked box nearby. She pulls out a small yellow crystal, and walks back over to me. Sara sidles up beside her partner, and double checks the wire clips one last time as the Clefable holds out the crystal to me.
“This is a revive, which will inject Infinity Energy directly into you. Make sure you hold onto it tight, ok?”
I take a deep breath, giving Marcel’s hand and Felix’s paw a gentle squeeze as I do so.
“Understood.”
I reach out with my other paw, and grab onto the revive. For a moment, nothing happens, but then the revive begins to glow. I shut my eyes tight against the blinding light, and tighten my grip on the crystal. A strange sensation, like waves of pressure, emanate from where the revive touches my paw. Through my arm, across my chest, up my neck and down my navel un-
“BRAKH!”
I cry out as pain suddenly engulfs my snout and legs. A loud beeping noise comes from the clips attached to them, which I silently pray means that everything is working as it should. It feels like my legs are trying to rip themselves apart at the knees, and I understand instantly why I’m sat down for this. My snout too lights up, as if on fire without the heat, forcing me to grit my teeth until my jaw starts hurting as well from the preassure alone. I tighten my grip on both the revive and my partners. I feel weight shifting, and Felix’s paw disappears. Not a moment later, something warm and fuzzy jumps up onto the chair beside me, reaching up to rest a paw on my shoulder.
“It’s alright, we’re right here.”
I go to wrap my tail around him, only to find something strange. My tail has gone numb. The mixture of sensations, from numbness to pain, continues for a little while. As the revive breaks down into grey dust, I can finally open my eyes and unclench my teeth. Steadily, the searing pain fades, leaving my tail numb and my snout and legs sore. I breathe deeply again, and I turn my attention to Felix and Marcel. I retrieve my paw from Marcel’s grip and Felix hops back down from the chair. The Human reaches over to lightly pat me on the back.
“There we go, all over now. You did great, Slanek.”
“Th-thanks.”
Lilith comes over and begins detaching the clips from my wool, while Sara is already tapping away at the screen, the wireframe model of my body now looking very different than it was before. The majority of it is now coloured a stark white, although notably my snout and legs are a dimmer shade of muted grey. The only splash of actual colour is in my tail, the entire limb a vivid purple, most intense at the tip. After inspecting it for a moment, Sara turns back around to address me.
“Thank you for coming, Mr Slanek. The full results of this test will be sent to your holopad shortly, but I’ll give you the most important information now.”
Sara taps the screen a few times, and labels written in Venscript appear as a key for the colours.
White – Mixed
Violet – Poison
Grey – Unknown
“Your results are consistent with what we’ve seen in all the other Venlil that have been tested so far. Most of your body contain a mixture of all Types of IE, similar to Humans. Different Venlil seem to have the Poison IE concentrate in different areas of the body, I’ve seen it in arms, abdomen, throat, wool and elsewhere. For you it’s in the tail, which so far seems fairly common. The grey zones are the most interesting, as they’re in the same areas for each and every Venlil; the snout and legs. Combine that with how this energy isn’t quite Normal but also not Typeless, not to mention it’s almost complete lack of reactivity to external or internal stimuli… it will certainly be an area of research I'll happily dive into soon.”
As Sara explains the results of the test, Marcel helps me to stand up again. At first, I’m a little unsteady as my legs still feel slightly odd, but leaning on his arm helps. The numb feeling in my tail slowly fades, and I experimentally shake it back and forth a few times. There is… Poison in it? It doesn’t feel any different, at least at the moment. After Lilith and Sara once again thank me for my cooperation, the three of us are ushered out of the lab, left standing together in the hallway as another mini herd files in after us. I turn to look up at my companions, a slight bloom making its way onto my face.
“Hey, uh, sorry for what happened in there. To predators it’s probably a show of weakness to need someone sticking nearby but-”
“Okay, we’re nipping that ‘weakness’ shit in the bud right now.”
Felix’s surprising angry voice catches me off guard, and for a second I’m worried that I said something to make him mad. I realise that, in a way, I had… but not for the reason I thought.
“Needing a friend ain’t weakness, Slanek. Just look at Marc and I!”
Marcel smiles at the Buizel, before turning his gaze back down at me. His predatory gaze seems stern, and yet somehow friendly, despite that being essentially oxymoronic.
“Slanek, if I’ve learned anything from my time in the military, it’s that ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ are meaningless words in isolation. People can only reach their full potential when they have others lifting them up, whether they be a Human or Pokemon. I doubt Venlil are any different.”
Something flashes through my mind, a memory that Marcel's words invoked. Of course. One of the first pieces of Terran media I saw after First Contact; 'The Power of Us'. Felix nods along excitedly, jumping down from the Human's shoulder to be a bit closer to my level.
“Never call yourself weak again, alright? Marcel and I were already growing stronger with just the two of us, but now we have a brand-new friend? The three of us together will be unstoppable!”
Marcel snickers slightly.
“Not really the angle I was going for, but sure. Anyway, that packet of chips wasn't nearly enough. Like I said earlier, let’s go grab something from the cafeteria, alright?”
Seemingly immediately forgetting the previous topic, Felix’s eyes light up and his tails whir into action.
“Oh! I hope they have Wacan berries!”
As Felix rapidly ascends back up onto Marcel’s shoulder, my own tail begins to sway back and forth again. The predators’ kind words lifted my spirits and cast aside the embarrassment I had felt, spurring me to happily step forwards and follow the Human’s lead towards the station’s cafeteria.
As we made our way through the halls, I paid more attention to the various pairs and trios we passed. The Venlil all ranged from bubbling with excitement, a spring in their step as they walked joyfully beside their partners, to barely containing their fear, shaking slightly as they stuck close to the walls and avoided looking at most of the more predatory looking Pokemon. I wasn’t at either extreme, though I was leaning towards the former. I strode beside Marcel with contentment, mentally thanking my past self for signing up for the program. I was nervous to meet them at first, but it took almost no time at all for me to recognise the friends I had already been speaking to over text for whole herds of paws at this point.
When we reached the cafeteria, the place was already alive with many Terrans and Venlil. Some sat just with their exchange partners, while others gathered into larger herds, with the countless conversations happening between them melding together with the clinking of cutlery. Even out here on this station, with by far the strangest creatures in the Universe, the sound of people enjoying each other’s company was oh so familiar.
The three of us collected our meals and decided just to sit by ourselves, eventually finding a spot near a rather short Venlil sitting with a large, purple serpentine Pokemon that was presumably their partner. As Marcel and I set our meals down on the table, Felix quickly grabs a pastry from Marcel’s tray.
“I call dibs on the Wacan muffin!”
Marcel has selected some sort of soup for himself, while I chose a simple bunt leaf salad, although my serving seemed to have some sort of fruit in it that I didn’t recognise. I prodded the yellow chunks around, trying to determine if I had gotten some underripe juicefruit or something, catching Marcel’s attention.
“That’s Shuca berry. Not really my thing, but it’s decently popular.”
“Oh, it’s an Earth fruit?”
“Yep, looks like the kitchen’s experimenting with mixing cuisines. This soup is… surprisingly spicy.”
Looking up at the Human, I find that his face has turned a slight reddish hue, the flush no doubt signifying that he was struggling. A quick peek at the contents of his meal provides an answer, making me whistle slightly in laughter.
“Ah, that would be firefruit. Fitting name, isn’t it?”
“Fuck, you can say that again.”
As I watch my Human partner gulp down his glass of water, I pick up a few bunt leaves along with a small chunk of the Shuca berry and pop them in my mouth. The yellow fruit goes well with the bunt leaves, providing a mild but nice sweetness with the slightest kick of spice. Though, obviously not nearly as much as Marcel’s firefruit. The Human soon excuses himself to refill his water, Felix throwing a teasing quip his way between bites of the muffin.
“Fire Type doesn’t suit you, Marc!”
While trying to stifle my laughter at my friend’s misfortune, a slightly alarmed, raspy voice coming from my right catches my attention.
“Ssssevik, are you alright?”
Turning to my right, I find the large serpent Pokemon sitting nearby looking at her Venlil partner with concern. He is holding a paw over his stomach and groaning slightly.
“Y-yeah Arbok, I’m fi-fi -hurk-”
He gives a horrible sound somewhere between a burp and a retch, grabbing the attention of a few other people around us.
“Wassss it the berriesss?”
“N-no it’s -hurk- I think is the Pois- -hurk-“
Thinking quickly, one of the nearby Humans passes the Venlil a plastic bag. He accepts it and tries to thank them, only for his attempt to be interrupted by more retching. Just as he seems to lose control of his meal completely, he cries out.
“Gastro Acid!”
Instead of the typically yellowy green, the Venlil expels a thick, deep purple fluid into the bag. After a single powerful heave, the Venlil looks back up, seemingly slightly dizzy. A moment later, a sizzling sound can be heard coming from the bag, the bottom of which soon breaks. The acidic substance spills onto the floor, having corroded through the plastic like it was nothing. For a while, nobody makes a sound, nor barely moves. Venlil, Human and Pokemon alike in our little section of the cafeteria are all staring at the poor little Venlil who in turn has his eyes glued onto the now useless plastic bag. As for the purple acid, it soon fizzles away into nothing, leaving the floor spotless with no evidence that it ever existed.
The sound of approaching footsteps makes me turn around with a slight jump, finding Marcel returning with a new glass of water. His eyes dart first to the silent crowd, then to the small Venlil, then finally to me and Felix.
“Uh, did I miss something?”
Previous Prologue Next
~~~~~~~

NoPokedex

Humans - Typeless
Gojid - Steel/Rock

• Sovlin: Metal Claw & Rollout

Venlil - Normal /Poison

• Kam: ??? & Poison Jab
• Slanek: ??? & ???

Arxur - Dragon/???

• Isif: Dragon Pulse & ???

Tilfish - Bug/Dark
Zurulian - ???/???
Farsul - ???/???
Kolshian - ???/???
Yotul - ???/???
Mazic - ???/???
Dossur - ???/???
Sivkit - ???/???
Krakotl - Flying/???
Harchen - ???/???
Duertan - Flying/???
Thafki - Wate???
Sulean - ???/???
Iftali - ???/???
Drezjin - Flying/???
Jaur - ???/???
Letian - ???/???
Leshee - ???/???
Yulpa - ???/???

I'm looking for unity programmers for an RTS inspired by Red Alert, Tiberian Sun, Supreme Commander and other games from the golden age of RTS games. Are you looking for a project with a clear goal in mind? Then this might be for you!
Right now we have tanks, helicopters, 6 playable maps, basic multiplayer and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Alpha gameplay here
This game will take place in the near future and will feature slightly scifi units but with a very military feel to them. We are currently working on a demo for publishers and we are at about 85% of the way there. We already have a great audio SFX guy and some good programmers.
What are we looking for? - Programmers (at minimum 5 hours per week. Direct correlation between time spent & quality) - 3D artists (show portfolio) - 2D artists (concept art, GUI art) - Map creators (who can actually create the map in unity or are willing to learn) - General game developers (basically any role that knows a bit about development in unity but can spend a lot of time creating or improving levels, visuals, explosions, particle effects, animations or anything else that increases the projects quality even more - People who love to make social media posts - People who love to do marketing
What are you getting? Once funding comes in (roughly 2 months after the demo is completed, but no guarantee of course) you will get the choice of either a percentage of the profit or being paid an hourly amount of money, or a combination of both. Whatever you prefer at that point.
This game is also guaranteed to finish and the odds of getting a decent publisher are also higher than average. This is based both on past experience and the current agency that already does this professionally. I know the word 'guaranteed' is going to trigger some people, so let me rephrase that to 'unless I die or fall seriously ill this project will get done'.
About me I myself have 15 years of experience in the IT industry of which 4 years very intensively. My experience (and tasks) include programming, marketing, art, team/project management, business management, HR related stuff and game design. For this project however I will be doing none of the programming since that won't leave enough time for all the other tasks. Some of which could easily be fulltime jobs in their own rights as industry veterans can vouch for.
I've talked to 100+ publishers and about 300 programmers in those 4 years. I've declined most publishing deals and have signed some others. The goal right now is to get a demo ready for a good publisher and we do have one that's a really good fit currently lined up. We just need to wrap up the demo for that and depending on everyone's input that could take anywhere from 1 to 4 months really.
Future prospects If working together is pleasant and productive then I also intend to actually hire you for future projects should you be interested. My own personal goal is to have a healthy company of gamedevs who are as enthusiastic as me to work together with within the next 3 years.
Interested in completing a decent quality game?
Send me a DM with your portfolio / experience and why you want to join and let's talk! If you're applying as a programmer and don't have a portfolio just tell me a bit about what networking experience you have and if there are any projects you've completed so far ^^