Hey, folks! Chapter 6 is here! Sorry for such a long wait—I decided to go ahead and give myself some extra time to write and edit (and deal with irl shenanigans). This is my longest chapter yet—nearly 4.4k words! o_O
Anyway, thanks to u/CruisingNW for the title, and of course, thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for this wonderful universe! Well, without further adieu, let's get into it!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Meyra Yeirel, Spacecraft Engineer Apprentice
Location: Veyr, Veyrian Homeworld. Outer Orion Spur.
Date: September 11, 2182.
I pushed myself away from the table, staring at the unconscious Veyrian. In my hysteria, I hadn’t been able to process much aside from what she had said. But her golden eyes… there had been something wrong with them, but I hadn’t caught precisely what it was. I glanced around at the trio. I wasn’t an expert at reading predators’ expressions, but they were undeniably shocked. Galya as well. She sat frozen in her seat, her blue eyes staring into space. I couldn’t fathom why they were so shocked. Was it what I had told them? They should’ve known everything already. Did the Veyrian say something particularly important? If so, why was it so important?
The predators snapping into action derailed my train of thought, causing me to flinch. My heart seized up as I saw they were going for the Veyrian.
Oh, Myern, they’ve snapped, haven’t they? I thought frantically as they crouched next to the Veyrian. I closed my eyes and grimaced, preparing to hear the horrid sound of flesh ripping and the pain-filled screams of the Veyrian.
. . .
. . .
I opened my eyes. To my surprise, the predators had flipped over the Veyrian and were apparently checking if she was alive. I put my paw on my chest, trying to calm my breathing. At every turn, these predators subverted my expectations. Not killing me on sight—both last night and today, not killing me in my sleep, preventing the house from burning down, and remaining calm despite me apparently rocking their entire worldview. Next thing I knew the gray would tell me that it was a herbivore.
“Connor,” the gray growled, “help me out here.”
The ape moved to the other side of the Veyrian and helped the gray. They hauled the Veyrian to her feet and dragged her to the couch. I tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but I couldn’t see anything since her head hung low. They laid her on the couch. The gray tucked a pillow under her neck.
“Go get some water,” the gray commanded, swatting the primate’s arm. It obeyed, hurrying away to the kitchen. “Hey, Galya.” It snapped its claws. Galya flinched and looked at the gray. “Get some pillows.”
Galya put a paw to her head. “Y-yeah. Alright, then.” She stood and got the gray the pillows it wanted. She sat down as the gray tucked the pillows underneath the Veyrian’s legs.
“Thanks, by the way,” the gray added, glancing at Galya.
“You’re w-welcome.” The Venlil stared into space, obviously perturbed by something.
I couldn't believe the brainwashing on Venlil Prime was so overbearing that the Venlil were completely unaware of the galaxy around them. Same for the Terrans and the Arxur. I shuddered to imagine what sort of techniques their governments used to subjugate their populace.
The ape returned with a glass of water and handed it to the gray. The gray took it and stared down at the Veyrian, apparently watching for something. From my place at the table, I couldn’t the Veyrian’s face. The gray didn’t seem to be particularly disturbed by anything, so maybe I had just been imagining things. But… my mind still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
I shook my head and gathered my nerves. “H-how did you learn to do all that?” I shuddered as the gray laid its eyes on me.
“My mom was a nurse,” it growled. “She taught me how to handle this sort of situation. In case of emergencies, you know?”
The ape made a strange, sharp chuffing as if something was caught in its throat. I stared at the ape, trying to guess what that sound meant. It was baring its teeth—was it angry? Did the gray say something wrong?
“Looks like it paid off, eh?” The primate swatted the gray’s shoulder. “You always complained about your mom lecturing you on how to perform CPR or how to do the Heimlich m—”
The Veyrian bolted upright, gasping for air. Everyone in the room flinched in unison. The gray acted immediately and handed the Veyrian the glass of water. She took it and began drinking with reckless abandon, spilling the majority of the water on herself. She breathed deeply and put her arm over her eyes. The ape sped away to the kitchen once more.
The thought of a gray possessing medical knowledge shocked me. They only knew how to maim, maul, and murder. They weeded out the weak, making no allowances for undesirables. No amount of UN and Dominion propaganda could change the fact that the gray were bloodthirsty monsters. And yet… here one was in my home. No one was dead. The walls weren’t painted red and orange with the blood of Veyrian and Venlil alike.
The primate returned once again and sat in front of the Veyrian. It gave the glass to her and leaned forward, steepling its long, gangly fingers in front of its face. It looked like it was struggling for words as the Veyrian drank—much slower this time. As the Veyrian finished, the ape lowered its paws.
“So, uh, how are you doing?”
Despite not understanding primate body language, I could tell it had just died inside.
“I mean uh… damnit.” The ape’s head hung low.
The Veyrian removed her arm from her face. “I have not… have not been d-doing well.” Her voice was raspy as if she hadn’t used it in a very long time.
“You uh, you don’t look the best either,” the ape commented. It gestured toward the Veyrian as a whole.
It was right. The Veyrian’s fur in the morning light looked even worse than it had the night before. The Veyrian coughed and turned her head to look around the room. That’s when I realized. I stared at her head, expecting to see her eye appear on the side of her head, yet it never came.
Not until she had turned to look
right
at
me.
I felt a bolt of terror through my chest. I staggered backward, knocking my chair down. A scream built in my throat as I stumbled and fell against the wall. They all stared at me, a mixture of shock and confusion scrawled across their faces.
But they were all a blur. Those two golden eyes stared right into my soul, delving into my psyche and shattering it.
I sunk to the floor, tucking my head between my legs. I hyperventilated, my heart racing. All outside sounds were faint. I barely registered them. Calm down, Meyra, it’s ok. You’re ok. I thought frantically. No, you’re not ok. You have several predators in your home, and she has something extremely wrong with her. They must’ve been torturing her. Changing her DNA. I should’ve snuck out in the middle of the night and run down to the exterminator’s office. Oh, Myern, I’m next aren’t I? I started rocking, unable to control myself. You’re fine, it’s fine, I’m fine. It’s all just a dream. It’s all just a dream. It’s all just a dream it’s all just a dream it’s all just a dreamit’salljustadre—
I flinched as a paw touched my shoulder. I looked up, shaking.
“H-hey, ma’am, are you alright?” Galya asked gently. “What’s wrong?”
I pointed at the twisted Veyrian and curled back into a ball. “Her—her eyes. Wh-what did you d-do to her?”
Galya’s ears drooped in confusion. “Her eyes? What’s wrong with—” she glanced at the Veyrian and back at me. She took a step backward, her eyes widening. “W-wait, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Galya, can’t you see that she’s pani—wait, what?” The primate growled inquisitively.
I took a glance around the room. Fear had dawned on their faces. They stood in a semi-circle, stuck in a state of tension. I couldn’t understand why.
But those eyes.
Those two golden eyes.
They stared at me, echoing the horrors of the cruelty of the UN and the Dominion. Myern knows how they had done it. And I was sure I was about to find out. To my horror, she stood slowly, baring her teeth as she went.
Oh, Myern, I thought helplessly. They’ve brainwashed her, too.
“I apologize for thy situation,” she rasped. The trio snapped to look at her, causing me to flinch. “I know… I know this must be quite a shock. To all of thee.”
I breathed shallowly, listening as she spoke. She had a strange accent, alongside her deeper, raspier voice. I had never heard her accent before. Despite my sheer terror, I was intrigued.
“I am Xertalis, goddess of time and space,” she proclaimed. “The former goddess, I should say.” Her head hung low as she stared at the ground.
The trio glanced at each other. The ape closed its eyes and waved its paws around. “Woah, woah woah—hold on. Let’s take this one step at a time. First off, what the ffffffuck? You’re saying all that back in the library really… really happened?”
Xertalis’ silence was enough of an answer for the primate.
“And so… and so all the stuff on TV is real?” It glanced at me. “And that I’m not imagining things?”
“You sure as hell aren’t imagining things,” the gray growled. “I’m seeing this shit.”
Their lack of disturbance surrounding Xertalis and her eye placement was almost more terrifying than the situation I was in. I mustered the courage to speak, despite the voices in my head screaming for me to shut up. “Wh-what the farrik is wrong with you?!” My voice faltered as three pairs of binocular eyes stared at me. “Why are you s-so concerned about my eyes? What about hers?” I waved an indignant paw at Xertalis.
“There’s nothing wrong with her eyes!” The gray roared, causing me to flinch. It put its claws on its head and paced back and forth. “This is fucking insane! What the fuck happened last night? Did our drinks get spiked? No, we didn’t bring drinks. Was it the snacks?” It sat down heavily on the couch, holding its head in its claws. Its knee bounced erratically as it sat.
Nothing the gray had said made sense to me. What drinks? What snacks? Did Galya feed them in the middle of the night?
Galya put her paws in front of her in a placating gesture. “Guys, let’s—let’s just eat some food, and then talk about this. I get that this is pretty insane, b-but yelling isn’t gonna get anything done.” Galya glanced at me. “Besides, I’m sure we’re all starving. Right?”
“Y-yeah,” the ape said. “Let’s do that. Maybe a hot bowl of oimal will help clear our minds.”
Galya put her paw on the gray’s shoulder. It looked up at her, its eyes glossy. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Kiile. You’re the only one who knows how to cook, and well, you saw how well it went when Connor tried.” She bared her teeth. “How about it?”
The gray took a shuddering breath and bobbed its head. “A-alright. Okay.” It stood and closed its eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. “Let’s g-get this.” And with that, it headed towards the kitchen. As it left, it wiped its eyes.
I stared at Galya, completely floored. A gray. Crying. No, grays can’t cry. They don’t have emotions. They have two modes. Murder, and Stalking. They don’t feel panic or sadness or fear, I thought. But a small, creeping voice asked, Then what was that? I shook my head, trying to shake it off. That was fake. Manufactured. The apes must’ve been teaching the gray how to fake emotions. And yet, the voice persisted.
Galya didn’t notice me staring and instead walked up to Xertalis. Her snout scrunched up as she approached the filthy Veyrian, yet still attempted to speak to her.
“We uh, you should probably get showered,” Galya said. She stood as if she were uncomfortable.
Xertalis didn’t pick up on her discomfort. She flicked her ear inquisitively. “I know not what a… shower is. But I shall dine, for I am quite starved. My long slumber has taken all my energy.” As if to accentuate her plight, Xertalis swayed on her feet.
“Okay, then,” Galya muttered. “Um, well, let’s get you some clothes? Or a blanket at least?”
Xertalis tilted her head at Galya. “What are clothes?” She echoed my thoughts exactly.
“You know what? It’s fine. I’ll just go get a blanket.” Galya grabbed the primate’s paw. “Connor, c’mon.”
Xertalis sat down and watched as the two sped down the hallway. She looked around the room, her ear flicking as she laid her eyes on something new. She seemed particularly interested in the analog clock hanging on the wall. It wasn’t anything special. The numbers and the claws glowed faintly. The [seconds] claw ticked constantly. I swore I could almost hear it over the sound of the gray cooking in the kitchen.
The gray cooking in the kitchen, I thought, amused. I chuckled. The gray cooking in the kitchen. I let out a short laugh. The gray cooking in the kitchen! I started laughing uncontrollably. The absurdity of the whole situation finally got to me. I rocked back and forth, gesturing helplessly with my paws. At some point, my laughter turned to sobs. I put my head in my paws and cried, my tears running down my snout. The gray cooking in the kitchen. Oh, Myern, what am I going to do?
I looked up, and Xertalis was staring at me, perplexed. “What is thy sorrow? Why dost thou act in such a way?”
I gestured vaguely at everything in the room. “Wh-what can I say? I… I’m fucked! I have two p-predators—three predators—in m-my home, and I sure as Xyek c-can’t call the exterminators, otherwise I’ll b-be accused of harboring pr-predators!” I splayed my paws in front of me helplessly. “H-how in the ever living fuck did they g-get here?! The closest UN planet is-is-is—” I gesticulated wildly “—I d-don’t even know how far. Did they u-use FTL? But how did they g-get planetside?” I put my paws on my face and screamed. The sound came out muffled.
I looked up at Xertalis. I could barely hold her gaze, yet her eyes held undeniable sorrow and guilt… and an odd hint of fear. “I will explain,” she said quietly. “Everything. Just… wait.”
I put my paws on my chest and breathed deeply. I tried to calm my mind, yet it was near impossible. All these thoughts bouncing around in my brain like stray bullets. The voices telling me to run away screaming, and the voices telling me to stay and learn. Should I stay or should I go? Should I stay or should I go? Back and forth, back and forth! I wish I could make it stop. I wish I could just wake up, and wake up to a nice, hot bowl of oimal. I wish I wasn’t alone. I wish they were still here.
My thoughts were interrupted by Galya and the ape returning. The primate was carrying a blanket—one of the blankets from the guest room. It approached Xertalis and held it out.
“Sorry we took so long,” Galya apologized. “We sorta had to dig around for it, and we didn’t figure she’d like us going into her room.”
I cringed internally as Xertalis took the blanket and wrapped it around herself. That’s not going to wash out very well, is it?
“Thou are fine,” Xertalis said, taking the blanket. “I thank thou, for it is quite cold in here.”
The gray came around the countertop with a steaming pot in its claws. “You guys came back right in time,” it growled. It placed a pad on the table and set the pot on top of it. “I found some brown sugar, thankfully, so it’s not gonna be too bland.” It hurried into the kitchen and returned with a bowl. “There were also some apples, but there wasn’t any milk, so we’ll just have to do with water.”
The ape stopped Galya in her tracks. “You go and sit down, alright? I’ll help get the bowls and stuff.”
Galya stared at the primate for a moment. “Are you sure? This whole thing has been pretty stressful for you, I imagine.”
The ape made the same, strange chuffing noise. Except it somehow sounded… sadder? I tilted my head. “I’m fine. Just almost became a human flambe last night. At least the mattress downstairs was comfortable.” The primate glanced at me before moving into the kitchen.
Galya took a seat at the table. Xertalis sat across from her. “So you weren’t uncomfortable?” Galya asked.
I pushed myself up and leaned so I could see into the kitchen.
The primate shrugged and glanced at the gray. “Well, as comfortable as I could be while sharing a mattress with Godzilla over here.”
“Ha!” The gray barked, causing me to flinch. “That’s rich, coming from King Kong, Lord of Mattresses.”
My gaze bounced between the two nervously. Their words didn’t seem friendly. But… their tones. I didn’t know ape or gray social cues, but they almost sounded friendly. Yet another piece of a constantly shifting puzzle. Their moods seemed to have gotten better while I was having my breakdown, which struck me as oddly ironic. Slowly, I moved to the table and took a seat at the far end. The primate and the gray returned with bowls, spoons, and cups full of water, which were being transported on a tray.
I watched in surprise at how deftly the gray moved the cups to the table. I had only ever known gray to be clumsy and brutish. But there was almost an artistry to its movements.
“How did you do that?” I blurted. I cringed as everyone turned to look at me.
“Put the cups on the table?” It shrugged its shoulders. “I don’t know. Practice? I’m a waiter at the Toreros on main street.”
Toreros? That’s not a real restaurant, I thought, perplexed.
I watched as they passed the oimal around themselves. Galya, who was closest, pushed the pot and apples toward me. I sniffed it suspiciously. It didn’t smell any different, but I knew some drugs didn’t have a smell. But… I was hungry. Reluctantly, I served myself and pushed the pot away. Everyone began eating—aside from the gray. The fact that an ape was eating oats and fruit surprised me. I almost couldn’t believe it. And yet, there it was, right in front of me.
Xertalis scooped up some oimal daintily and blew steam off it. “I suppose I shall tell thou my story, and explain thy plight.”
The change of mood was palatable. The entire table stared at Xertalis, prepared for what she had to say.
“As I have said, I am Xertalis, the former goddess of time and space.” She raised her paw as the gray opened its mouth. “Many centuries ago, mortals believed in gods. They believed that they could bestow miracles, rend mountains and valleys to pieces, and offer enlightenment. Alas, those beliefs have faltered. That is why I am so weak.”
She took a slow sip of water.
“My powers have waned as mortals’ beliefs have waned.” She held an apple slice between her paws and turned it over. “I could not even age this fruit if I desired. If I tried to open a portal to your universe, it would kill me.”
The primate steepled its paws in front of it. “So how did we get here? Why did that book teleport us to… wherever the hell this is?”
Xertalis pondered the apple slice for a moment before popping it in her mouth. Once she had chewed, she spoke. “I would not rule out the fact there might be other forces at work. I might have been the goddess of time and space, but I am not the only deity with the ability to twist reality.”
The trio glanced at each other. “That’s not concerning at all,” The ape stated. “So… what do we do?”
“There is not much,” Xertalis said quietly.
“So we’re stuck here?” The primate cried. “Stuck in a universe where humans and gray are being genocided? Where the police shoot at innocent people? Where crazy bastards with flamethrowers run around?!”
“Wait,” Galya butted in, “what if we like, spread word of your existence?”
Xertalis stared at Galya. “And who would believe? Who would believe that a god walks amongst mortals?”
Galya tapped the table with her claw. “Uhhh… shit.”
“Well, there’s gotta be some sort of religious group somewhere, right?” The gray asked. “There’s the Church of Myern just down the street if I remember correctly.”
I flicked my ear affirmatively. “Yes, there’s a church. But… they might not be t-too fond of her eyes.” My voice faltered as they all looked at me. “Her eye placement? It’s abnormal.”
“So you’re telling me that normal Veyrians in this universe look like you?” The gray growled.
“Y-yes…?”
The gray rubbed its eyes. “Holy shit.” It held its claws up. “Look at this. I’m shaking.”
As the trio was processing what Xertalis had told them, she ate her oimal. Despite the fact she must’ve been starving, she ate slow and daintily, as if she had practiced eating in such a way for years and years. The fact she was eating calmed my nerves a little. But she’s a goddess—apparently—she might be immune to drugs. Or was she a goddess? Xertalis’ monologue confused me.
Nevertheless, I was hungry, and I didn’t function properly when I was hungry. I lifted a spoonful of oimal and ate it. The flavor caught me off guard. It was sweet and perfectly cooked; masterfully put together. I hadn’t ever expected oimal to taste as good as this. I found myself taking bite after bite.
The table was silent as everyone mulled over the information that Xertalis had disclosed. I glanced around the table. I felt a pang of bittersweet nostalgia as I watched the four of them eat. I physically recoiled in surprise. Galya glanced at me, perplexed, but I ignored her.
I turned over the feeling of nostalgia in my mind. It was strange. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about my literal enemies. And yet…
I looked at the wall opposite me. Among the paintings was a frame. And inside that frame, a family portrait. I stared at it for a long moment, emotions boiling in my chest.
You shouldn’t be feeling like this, Meyra, I thought half-heartedly. These are your enemies. They’d gladly rip you to shreds or stab you in the back if given a chance.
I glanced between the portrait and the small group at my table. It’s been so long… surely I could…? No. I took another bite of oimal, burning my mouth. I sipped my water quickly. No. That would be a death sentence. But the way Galya elbowed the gray and the primate playfully, and how they talked as if they were good friends…
Lost in my train of thought, I hadn’t noticed Xertalis had finished her food until she had stood up. “That was a most delicious meal,” she said. “I thank thee for thy culinary skills.” Xertalis bowed her head to the gray, who bowed its head in return.
“You’re welcome,” it growled. “It’s the least I could do.”
“I must now bathe myself. Where might your bathing room be?”
I pointed down the hallway. “Last door on the right. You can’t miss it.”
“Most appreciated.” And with that, Xertalis left the table.
I noticed the trio watching her as she left. I felt another pang of nostalgia in my chest. I immediately quelled it. Now wasn’t the time to be feeling sentimental.
The primate turned around. “She’s got an interesting way of talking, huh?”
The gray bobbed its head. “Yeah. But she’s a goddess apparently.” I tilted my head as I recognized the sound of skepticism in its grating voice.
Galya furrowed her brow and flicked her tail. Before she had a chance to speak, she was interrupted by Xertalis.
“I require assistance,” she said. “This bathing room lacks water.” She tilted her head slightly. “I know not how to draw it. Perhaps the girl could help me?”
Galya choked as she was taking a sip of water. Water dribbled down her chin. She recovered and turned to Xertalis, her cheeks tinted orange. “Uh—I’m sorry, b-but that’s like, not um… that—I don’t…”
Xertalis looked at the predators. “Perhaps one of the boys, then?”
I gawked as the primate’s face turned a bright shade of red. The gray’s face had grown noticeably darker as well. They glanced at each other and exchanged a silent conversation.
“Um, couldn’t—couldn’t she d-do it instead?” The primate pointed a long, gangly claw at me.
I stiffened. Me? I thought. “I-I can’t,” I blurted. “There’s, uh—I hurt my leg when I fell.”
“Your leg’s fine,” Galya said. She squinted at me. “It’s not really appropriate for kids to help an adult, anyway.”
“She just wants someone to help her figure out how the bath works!” I said indignantly. “That’s hardly inappropriate.”
“You’ll know how your bath works better than we do,” the ape interjected. “Besides, it is a little, uh, odd to make us do it.”
“But—” I began.
“I do not care who assists me,” Xertalis said in a low, steely voice. “Stop thy bickering and make thy choice.”
The trio stared at me. I stared back in disbelief. Did they want my heart to fail? Galya flicked her tail, indicating for me to hurry up. It was obvious that they weren’t going to move.
So it was all up to me.
I took a deep breath and clenched my paws. With great effort, I pushed myself away from the table. I tried to keep my breathing stable as I walked over to Xertalis. I avoided her eyes and motioned down the hallway.
“J-just this way,” I muttered. I glanced at the trio. Galya swished her tail supportively. The primate displayed its thumbs and bared its teeth. The gray whipped its tail across the floor erratically and flashed its razor-sharp fangs.
Suddenly dealing with Xertalis’ eyes didn’t seem like such a bad deal. Without another word, I speed-walked down the hallway.
Meyra, how in Xyek did you get yourself into this situation? I thought helplessly.
[Next]

When I was around 5 years old, I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder called selective mutism. The name of the disorder is misleading- whenever I was anxious or stressed my body got locked in a ‘freeze’ response and I was physically unable to speak in certain situations- mostly social situations. It’s like my vocal chords would lock up and I couldn’t get any sound out. I never chose when it would happen and it was completely involuntary. Because of this, I was mute for over ten years. I physically couldn’t speak to anyone who wasn’t an immediate family member or close friend. I could only speak to 6 people until I was around 11 years old. It took years of therapy and medication but I finally broke down the barrier and found my voice- I still struggle with social anxiety but it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
I have four close friends, all of which I’ve known for over 10 years. I got extremely lucky as a child by being ‘adopted’ by a very social and outgoing extrovert while in kindergarten and we’ve been inseparable and joined at the hip ever since- we’ve been best friends for nearly 25 years. Through him, I was able to meet my two other friends in high school. My other friend was one of my caregivers as a child that I reconnected with in my late teens/early 20s who is like a second mom to me. They’re the only people that I’m 100% comfortable speaking to other than my parents.
As an adult, I’d say that I’m probably around 60% recovered from selective mutism (SM). I can talk to anyone, but I still feel extremely uncomfortable and stiff and awkward while talking with people who I’m not familiar with and the conversations are usually very brief. My case of SM was extremely severe and despite not being where I would like to be in my recovery journey, I’m so proud of myself for making it this far.
I moved away from my hometown to a different state a few years ago, and twice a year I come back up for a visit with my friends. I’m currently on day 3 of my visit and so far I’m having a great time, but while we were hanging out there was something that crossed my mind that I couldn’t shake off.
This is how ‘normal’ people feel while socializing with everyone- completely at ease with the conversations flowing so effortlessly and naturally. It’s so mind-blowing to me. It’s such an amazing and freeing feeling to not be trapped in my own body, not being controlled by the debilitating anxiety. It’s bittersweet.
On one hand, I’m happy that I found a group of amazing people who helped bring me out of my shell who I feel comfortable and confident around, who bring out the best in me. I’ve discovered so much about myself because of them, like finding out my true personality that the anxiety has always suppressed. I’m funny, witty, and kind hearted. My favorite compliment a friend had told me was that I’m one of the nicest people she’d ever met and how happy she was that we became friends. That meant so much to me- because of the SM I come across as rude, stuck up and uncaring. I’m so incredibly grateful that she was able to see through that.
But at the same time, finally experiencing what SM has taken from me is difficult to wrap my head around. Knowing that speaking and using your voice is so easy and natural for most people but hasn’t been for me. Spending my entire childhood and teenage years fighting like hell to utter a single word whereas it’s something that everyone else doesn’t think twice about. I spent so many years being angry about that and hating myself for it, that it wasn’t fair that I had to struggle so much when all of my other peers didn’t. Wondering why I was given this awful disorder.
It took a long time but I’ve accepted it now, it’s a part of who I am and it’s something I’ll have to battle with for the rest of my life. I’m also just a naturally quiet person and it’s nothing to be ashamed about- I’m fine just the way I am. My experience with SM has taught me one thing: that I’m a badass motherfucker by being so strong and resilient to keep fighting this beast.

Effective employee scheduling is a critical aspect of running a successful business. Properly managing your workforce’s time not only ensures smooth operations but also promotes employee satisfaction and productivity. However, there are common mistakes that employers often make when it comes to employee scheduling. In this blog post, we will explore these pitfalls and provide valuable insights on how to avoid them, ultimately leading to a more efficient and harmonious work environment. Let’s get started –

Employee Scheduling Mistakes To Avoid in 2023

1. Lack of Proper Planning One of the most significant scheduling mistakes is a lack of proper planning. Failing to plan employee schedules in advance can lead to a host of issues. When schedules are not thoughtfully organized, businesses may face understaffing during peak hours, excessive overtime costs and dissatisfied employees struggling with last-minute changes. It is essential to consider workload forecasts, peak hours and employee availability when creating schedules. Inefficient scheduling practices can cost businesses up to 7% of their annual payroll, as reported by the Aberdeen Group.Efficient planning involves analyzing historical data and forecasting future needs. By taking into account factors such as seasonal fluctuations, anticipated sales volumes and special events, businesses can proactively allocate the right number of employees for each shift. Additionally, considering employees’ availability, preferences and skills is crucial in creating a well-balanced and efficient schedule. Read more about Employee Scheduling……..

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Alternate Perspectives Inc	Technical Training Manager	Riverton
Alternate Perspectives Inc	Career Technical Training Instructor-Petro	Riverton
Medical Resource Group, Inc.	Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Rock Springs	Rock Springs
Medical Resource Group, Inc.	Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant	Sheridan
Spine & Injury Clinic of Laramie, PC	Immediate Openings Doctor Of Physical Therapy Laramie	Buford
Dragline Service Specialties	Yard Coordinator	Casper
Advantage Solutions	Retail Stocking/Shelving Associate	Casper
Wyoming Machinery Company	Forklift Technician	Casper
Hercules Industries, Inc.	Delivery DriveWarehouse Worker	Casper
Boot Barn	Receiving and Inventory Specialist	Casper
Liberty	Warehouse I	Cheyenne
Harbor Freight Tools	Retail Stocking Associate	Cheyenne
City Of Cheyenne	Fleet Maintenance Parts Runner (Part Time)	Cheyenne
Usagov	Supply Management Specialist	Cheyenne
Menard, Inc	Part - Time Outside Yard & Receiving	Cheyenne
L&W Supply Corporation	Warehouse Material Handler (7197)	Cheyenne
Harbor Freight Tools	Senior Retail Stocking Associate	Cheyenne
GoExpedi	Warehouse Associate - Starting at $16/hr - 4 weeks PTO	Cheyenne
Laramie County School	Warehouse Delivery Driver	Cheyenne

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

As much as I love to shit on Belift I have to give it to them. They really played 4D chess with this. Even if the reaction was unintentional, the choice to use dancers for bite me’s choreo was definitely a good move in hindsight, even if it isolated a few angry kfans lol. And sure, it could be argued that it had an affect on their kcharting but when has that ever been a factor for them (even if it’s not the best anyways, it did peak on melon and is still charting without free falling so I’d consider it an improvement.
Not only did it bring lots of attention to the song and the cb but anecdotally I’ve noticed being an Enhypen fan is alot more peaceful this era. Of course being one of the most hated 4th Gen groups never means complete peace, but generally speaking I’ve noticed more people including nonfans talking about them positively, sympathizing with them, giving them attention that wasn’t there before, and less negative and hateful comments generally speaking. Due in part to the album being amazing of course but also due to this “controversy”. The hate I do still see usually gets ratioed or downvoted into oblivion moreso than being agreed with by default like before. I curate my experience but there will always be antis so the fact that I’m not seeing much more than an odd comment or general passive aggressiveness is nice.
Sometimes I forget how short the attention span and cycle of trends in kpop fandom works generally because I find it almost insane how Enhypen went from having a year long, very widespread and active hate train to being treated and regarded relatively normally and getting some praises within the course of less than a month. Knock on wood that it stays this way, but I just find it hilarious how this one little thing has improved my fan experience tenfold lol thanks for one thing belift ig 😅

Branch: US Army Playstyle: Semi-Serious Milsim Language: English Time Zone: US Eastern Standard Time
Operation Times: Regular Operations are conducted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30pm EST. We also attend and host joint operations very frequently. We also may substitute an FTX (Field Training Exercise) for the Wednesday operation for unit training.
Operation Types: Mechanized Infantry, Combined Arms, Air Assault, Conventional & Special Operations (Basically Anything)
Mod Information: RHS, CUP, AH-64D, H-60, Project America, KAT, ACRE2 and more
Additional Information: An active, dedicated, group of friends that came together, with prior US Military members possessing real-world combat experience. At the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment "Manchus" we are a specialized US Army Milsim (semi-serious) Battalion (former US Army Infantryman as our Commanding Officer) with multiple MOS's to choose from. Our unit consists of 6 companies: HHC (headquarters company) takes care of all field support roles (Medic, JTAC/FO/RTO, Artillery, Mortars), Alpha company is our mechanized platoon using many types of tanks and APCs (M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, etc.), Baker company consists of our infantry and air assault, Charlie company consists of fixed and rotary wing aircraft (AH64D, H-60s, CH-47, and various fixed wing aircraft), Delta company consists of our special operations detachment taking care of any specialized needs on the battlefield, and last we have Echo company which is just an honorary company for the Spartan Corps unit that we are partnered with currently.
**Requirements:**16+ (There is a waiver for those who are younger but show maturity)
Have Arma 3
Have working mic
Be able to attend ops in EST time zone (25%)
We have a BCT but it is only for players that need/request it
ENLIST TODAY FOR:
ALL MOS OPEN (Air, Armor, Infantry)
You are restricted from joining any specialized MOSs until you obtain the rank of PFC which comes in 2 to 3 ops. If you want to play as any specific milsim role, join up! We can fit you in somewhere.
Just hop into the discord and ask for a recruiter (S-1) if you want to enlist or have any questions.
Discord: https://discord.gg/xt4gaxENWE
Unit Commander: https://unitcommander.co.uk/communities/73

Previous
Captain Vohr’Doe was waiting in the hangar as Kahv’Hosh set the shuttle down, a slew of emotions raging inside her, all vying to be the leading sentiment. Though, she - of course - would probably have to lean more towards 'gratitude’, if made to pick a single one. She was more than grateful that her crew were no longer in danger - and yes, that even included him - and that those pirates were no longer a threat to anyone else, either.
And then there was the obvious awe at the humans had weaponized gravity; she had heard the horror stories of what could happen if a gravity plate malfunctioned - she had to have electrical replace the ones in the gym just a few days ago, as Kyle had pushed them up to 15G in his training - but to actually use it as a weapon?...
And, of course, there was an overwhelming amount of anger. Well, maybe not anger, per se; but there wasn’t really a word for the feeling between extreme frustration, and anger. What kept her from completely registering it as anger was her wholehearted belief that he had good intentions for having something so destructive on board her ship. But that only just tempered the vexation she felt at him having smuggled a gravity bomb onto her ship! Not only that, but there were two crates that had been marked as ‘gravity generators’, which she had initially assumed were for his comfort, to put his room - or possibly his campsite - to a more comfortable gravity. But she could see now how very wrong she was.
As the door to the shuttle opened, she watched first Admiral Shane, then Kahv’Hosh exit the craft. Kyle exited after a delay of a few seconds, and after sweeping the hangar with his gaze, he lowered it when it met her’s, looking for all intents like her nephew when he gets caught doing something he shouldn’t, and - not for the first time - an almost motherly feeling came over her. Which wasn’t so far out of the question, seeing as - according to the data provided on them - humans were by far the shortest-lived people in Galactic Records, where the shortest-lived species after them - the rahv’oyeck - averaged around 500 years, give or take a few decades.
Not to mention the fact that - for however short a time, he was a part of her crew, and as such, she instinctively felt protective of him, the fact that - as his captain - she was responsible for him notwithstanding. Plus, he really did seem to be almost ‘childlike’ at times, with a simple - almost naive - attitude towards the goings on around him. Not that he was clueless when it came to interacting with others; as many of the crew had come to find out, apparently.
But it was his obvious contrition that tempered her attitude, so that when they had made their way over to her, it had simmered down to intense irritation. Once they were standing before her, Kyle finally looked up to meet her gaze, and she felt her heart soften further at the expression on his face; not that she would let him know that, of course.
“Would you care to explain yourself, Mr. Redding?” she asked, being sure to keep the edge to her voice; she couldn't be seen as ‘soft’.
“I didn't know that they were sending it,” he began quickly, ”I only found out about it after I got to my equipment room, the first time.”
“Them,” she replied, and at his confused look, continued,
“Them; plural: there were two crates listed under ‘gravity generators’, and they were both the same size. I don't believe that the other one actually contains gravity plates stacked up; not this time.”
Kyle gave a look of understanding, and she believed that he really did momentarily forget about the other one.
“Right,” he said, “Two. Yeah, I didn't know they were gonna send them…”
“And afterward, it never occurred to you to tell me that you had two bombs on board that could make this entire ship - and everyone on board - become one dense atom?!” A little more edge crept into her voice than she would have liked at that moment. It was Admiral Shane, however, who answered; taking a step forward, he cleared his throat.
“Captain, if I may?...” It was the respect - the deference - in his voice that gave her pause, and helped to calm her thoughts a bit. She nodded in affirmation, and he continued,
“What would happen to us - in the immediate sense - if this ship were to lose all power right now; primary, and emergency backup power?”
The question seemed so random, that her mind basically blanked out, and she found herself saying the first thing that came to her mind.
“We would all begin floating, seeing as the artificial gravity would be out, as well.”
“Precisely,” he continued, “And short of directly supplying power to the artificial gravity, how could we get the plates to work?”
She began to understand his point.
“I see where this is going, Admiral, but unless I’m very much mistaken, there were no ports on that box that would accept any power crystals with the required energy to fuel that miniature black hole. Which means that it had power the whole time.”
“That's true,” he said in a mollifying tone, “But the power to the core was disconnected, and needed a code that would cause even an A.I. trouble hacking it, as it's a 300,000-page code, randomly coded in every written language known to humankind. There are even symbols in the code that don't show up on the screen, if someone were to try to hack it manually; an A.I. is needed to even crack the code within a year. And only Kay’Eighty has the codes for those two programmed into her memory.
“So,” he concluded, “While I agree entirely with you that he should have let you know about them, I can give you my word - on behalf of the honor of all humans - that no amount of damage could cause an accidental activation. While I won't say that the other one is harmless, I can assure you that there is no chance of it going off by accident. However, I won’t hesitate to take it off of your ship, if you so desire.”
She took a moment to digest everything that Admiral Shane said, and eventually came to a conclusion.
“No, I’ll allow him to keep it on the ship; I would say that there's likely never going to be a reason that we would need it, but I would have said the same thing this morning, and we can all see how wrong that was.”
“If you like,” Kyle offered, “We could attach it to like, a missile, or something, and Kay’Eighty could give you a data chip with the code for it.”
She thought for a few seconds, then nodded.
“That sounds acceptable; but what if we need it detached?”
“She can attach it to the outside on a molecular level with her nanobots, and detach it the same way.”
She nodded her head, and then sighed.
“Well, I won't pretend that I’m not happy about the way this all played out; still, I’m just glad their cargo holds and brigs showed no signs of life. At least we didn't send any innocents to their doom with that ploy. You could have at least told me what it was when I asked you why you needed the scan of the pirate ships in the first place.”
“Yeah,” he replied in that casual tone of voice that she would tolerate from few others, further enforcing that matronly feeling over him, “But we didn't have time for you to be pissed off at me, then… But - for the record - I am sorry for not telling you; I should have let you know a lot sooner.”
She gave him the sternest look she could muster in that moment, and replied,
“I’ll accept your apology if - and only if - you let me examine this fruit tree of yours.”
Kyle's face brightened, and a wide smile appeared as he said,
“Of course; you could've come seen it any time.”
She smiled at him, and turned to leave, passing Kah’Ri, who had held back - as per her request - while she talked to Kyle about the heavy ordnance he had on her ship. She heard the impact of the two, and the sound of them kissing, that was immediately mixed with the sound of hurried footsteps as Kahv’Hosh and Admiral Shane gave the two their privacy.
The meeting with the Council went smoother than she could have expected, with them simply stating that - as a interstellar ambassador - Kyle was authorized for a higher level of weaponry utilized in his protection, and as his current ship of transport, the Golden Egg had the authorization to use such weapons, if need be. They did - however - require any and all recordings of the interaction to be sent to the Council, for analysis of their capabilities.
There was also the matter of Grol’Rosh, the suul’mahr representative who had watched the probe’s descent into the dark of the planet below. The doctors felt that it was best to keep him in a medically induced coma, as when he was conscious - and heavily restrained - he was moaning and whimpering, rambling incoherently about the ‘darkness that sees, hiding the sea of flesh’, of ‘clawed feet on chitinous arms, too-long hands reaching from fanged tentacles’; and the sound, which he mentioned as the ‘screams of the damned from so many mouths, they know all, 'THEY ARE THE HOLES LIKE EYES!!!’
She noted the looks that ranged form disquiet, to disgust, but it was between the humans that she saw a look of understanding horror pass.
“But…” Kyle began weakly, looking at Admiral Shane, “That was just a movie. Wha-…?”
“Well,” the Admiral replied in a slightly dazed voice, “I think it’s safe to say that blowing the planet up is out of the question.”
“Or what?” Kyle began in amused incredulity, “A piece of it’s gonna hit a wormhole, and go back in time to Alaska sometime before the 1980’s?” The laugh he ended this with was close to hysterical, to which the Admiral shrugged.
“At this point, I wouldn’t rule anything out. However, the more likely scenario would be that it lands on a different planet, wreaksand havoc from there. Even worse would be for it to hit a previously uncontacted, sapient species’ home world. The results of a single cell of this… thing’s biomass were to make it to a planet with living creatures on it would be beyond catastrophic. There’s no amount of destruction - short of throwing it into a star, or a black hole - that I would trust the safety of the galaxy to, when it comes to the lifeform that calls this planet its home.”
Chairwoman Hahss’Chom spoke up at this.
“While I obviously have no knowledge of this movie the two of you reference, I must say that your assessments of this seem to be at least plausible. I don’t know so much about the time travel aspect, but it would seem that this would be the best summary of the events, here. It would appear that a sapient race evolved on this planet, and that their Gift was that of assimilation. At some point, it would seem they began assimilating each other, until they reached a critical mass, and ‘they’ became ‘it’. And from Grol’Rosh’s description, it doesn’t sound as if this is a pleasant experience for whatever they… it has become. I believe that it is not only a matter of protection for the wider galaxy - universe, even - but also as an act of mercy that we should put this… thing out of its misery.” There was a general murmur of agreement around the council chambers as no one seemed to want to disagree with that sentiment.
They moved the Golden Egg to the other side of the system from the planet, keeping the sun between it and them. Upon hearing about the ‘darkness that sees’, Kyle had exclaimed that that was what had bothered him so much about the planet; the darkness was watching them. They didn’t want to find out if the life form on the planet may be able to ‘stack’ itself ‘up’, away from the planet, and reach out to the ship were they to get over the dark side, but at the same time, no one wanted to be under the gaze of such a massive predator.
They were parked in that system for almost an entire Standard week, though, it should have been longer; however, with their A.I. able to make the calculations for them, they were able to drop further into subspace, where not only do the ‘shadows’ become larger - therefore reducing the ‘space’ needed to travel - but the speed of your craft rose exponentially, so it was extremely easy to overshoot one’s target, going a ‘shorter’ distance at a greatly multiplied speed.
The moon/ship was amazing to behold. It had - originally - had an outer layer of ice, with an inner ocean, and a deeper ice layer, followed by a rocky mantle, and heavy iron core. The humans - but really, the A.I. - had mined out the iron core, and used it in building the outer shell of the craft. The water was harvested - according to their records - and support columns on the inside were used to maintain integrity of the craft. It now appeared for all intents and purposes as a giant metal moon, with engines on one end, and millions of lights that dotted its surface, obviously viewports. A close-up scan showed that it was blanketed in guns, but those were obviously only big enough to serve as defense; it was apparent that this ship wasn’t built as a gunner.
Once it had come into the system - keeping out of ‘view’ from its dark side - they enveloped the planet with the craft’s tractor beam, the space around the planet lighting up to an almost gray aura, as the beam took hold. Once they had reported a full grip of the planet, the Europa Contingency dropped back into subspace, the planet ‘disappearing’ with them, only to ‘reappear’ around an hour later, the ship’s massive engines working more efficiently in subspace to move the much larger planet. Once they reappeared, the light around the planet went out as the Europa Contingency released it from the tractor beam, dropping back into subspace for an easier retreat from the sun.
No one wanted to go to look at what was happening to the planet, which would entail either getting into its range of ‘vision’, and also the possibility of seeing whatever it was that drove the suul’mahr representative insane. Readings showed the loss of mass, as the planet was burnt up in the corona of the star, and everyone watched on as the sun continued to consume its wayward planet. With the planet also having been thrown - not simply having 'fallen' - into the sun, it wasn’t long before it had been fully encased in the cleansing fires of the star.
She was also relieved to see that the humans had appropriately somber expressions, obviously taking no joy in the destruction - the mass loss of… ‘life’ - that they were responsible for. They watched the reading coming in with the seriousness of attending a loved one’s funeral, and never spoke a word, not in praise, or even the acknowledgement of what was happening. She was glad to see that they weren’t entirely aggressive, that while they had the capacity to not only think of these types of weapons, but to also create them, that they weren’t the type of people who would use them so willingly. She could see in their faces the regret they had in destroying this planet, even as it was done to save countless others; for someone would eventually break quarantine, either to try to exploit the resources ‘available’, or to use the ‘lifeform’ on the planet for their own twisted ploys. And so this was a necessary evil; though they were empathetic enough to realize it for the evil that it was.
After they had witnessed the destruction of the planet, the Admirals insisted on escorting the Golden Egg to Captala’Ellats, the space station that was the next stop on their itinerary. Not having any reason to refuse a military escort, Captain Vohr’Doe graciously accepted, and they were soon on their way; this had certainly earned a bit of a reprieve for her crew, and she wouldn’t say no to a bit of shore leave, herself.

The time it took to travel between that system, and the station went by fairly quickly for Kyle. He’d been alone most of his life, with little to no friends, so to have a group of friends now - who actually wanted to spend time with him, who would seek him out to do so - brought him to a new high that he had never acquired in his memory. But having acquired a girlfriend - one who came from a people whose culture emphasized affection - brought him to a level of bliss that he didn’t think was possible. Kah’Ri had taken to spending her nights in his room, as the only real difference between general, and officer’s quarters was a bigger gym, that also served as a bit of a lounge for the officers.
He had - of course - applied for shore leave, and it had been immediately approved. Kah’Ri had also applied, and likewise was approved immediately; she had apparently never really gone on shore leave that much, only ever going at certain spots that were closer to any drahk’mihn colonies they happened to go near, or similar space stations. They had opted to get a hotel separate from the one that the Captain would be hiring to room the crew, as staying in the same hotel as the rest of the crew on the same space station would be little different than being on the ship. Zeck’Tish had recommended her cousin’s hotel, stating that he could use the business. Not that he was failing - Captala’Ellats was a major space station along the trading lanes - but with the divide between insectoid, and vertebrate species, he didn’t get as much business as others might. Of course the insectoid races all patronized his hotel, but with the insectoid species making up only about a third of all known species in the Federation, that wasn’t as much business as one might like.
And so he was currently on a call with Kohr’Sahr and Kahs’Hahn, having invited them to meet up a few days prior.
“... and so we’ll have to stop by the Council Headquarters to give our testimony of our time spent with you,” Kahs’Hahn was saying through Kohr’Sahr, “But we should be able to meet up tomorrow; we’ll send you a message when we arrive on-station, and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds good,” Kyle said, just as he heard the door open; he’d given Kah’Ri the authorization to unlock his bedroom door without her security card, and she’d authorized him for her’s, in turn, “We’ll see you, then.”
“We?” Kohr’Sahr asked - he had long since learned to tell the difference between their slight accents when talking.
Kyle turned to Kah’Ri, smiling as he put his arm around her waist, and she slipped her tail around his, while wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He noticed her eyes widen slightly as she saw who was on screen, and he looked in time to see Kohr’Sahr’s eyes also widen in shock. He opened his mouth slightly, and Kyle noticed the barely perceptible shake of Kah’Ri’s head. Kohr’Sahr then cleared his throat, and said,
“Well… it seems as if we made quite the impact on you, eh Kyle?” ending in an awkward chuckle.
“Well,” he continued, “I don’t want to keep you from packing; Kyle, we’ll talk later. It was nice meeting you,” he added to Kah’Ri, and before either of them could reply, he cut the call short. Kah’Ri gave a soft sigh, then turned to walk to the bag she’d left on the floor by the ‘wall’ in front of the door.
“Come on,” she said, “We’ve docked with the station, and it’s time for us to go.”
Grabbing his own bag from the bed, he followed after her, locking his door behind them, and slipping his arm back around her waist.
“Did you know him?” he asked as they made their way to the elevators; she sighed lightly, but answered with a simple,
“No.”
“Well,” he pressed gently, “He seemed to know you… What are you, like, a runaway princess, or something?” While he finished with a light chuckle, Kah’Ri gave another slight sigh, and stopped walking. Kyle looked at her, feeling a growing sense of unease.
“Holy shit,” he said as she remained silent, “Are you?!”
She closed her eyes for a second, then turned to look into his eyes.
“I promise,” she said, and he was absorbed by the genuine care in her gaze, “I’ll tell you everything; but not right now. Later, when it’s just you and me, I promise I’ll tell you the truth.”
He looked into her eyes for a second, seeing the tears that wanted to come, and simply reached out, putting his hand on her cheek, and drawing her in for a kiss. As they separated, he gave her a small wink, and said,
“C’mon, let’s go see this station.” She gave him a shy smile, and they set off again.
After they’d been checked out by one of the other security chiefs, they were met by a crowd of their crew mates, all of whom were milling about outside the ship. They were soon informed why, as the Captain came up to them and informed them that the Federation Council was conducting interviews with a number of the crew, most notably those who’d had contact with Kyle; they would be conducted by the Council Representative for their people. Kyle also had an interview scheduled, though his would be with the suun’mahs Representative, in a mirror reason for the interviews of the rest of the crew: where the crew was obviously being interviewed to see how the newest species fit in from their point of view, he would be interviewed to see how other humans might react to the Federation, along with a chance to voice any grievances of his own.
Soon enough, they had all been contacted by their respective Representatives, and led off into separate rooms. Kyle was glad to see that this wasn’t an interrogation room, again, looking more like a general conference room. The suun’mahs who was to be interviewing him was male, and hadn’t seemed taken aback by the presence of Cheshire, indicating that while he may - or may not - have known about Cheshire himself, the human drive to turn predators into traveling companions was nothing new to him.
“Well, Ambassador Redding, this shouldn’t take too long; a few questions about your time in the Federation, so far, and then we can have you out of here, and enjoying your time off.”
“Thank you,” he replied, “And please, call me Kyle.”
Representative Ran’Teek smiled as he put what Kyle recognized as a holocamera on the table.
“Of course,” he stated, “You don’t mind if I record this, do you?”
“Of course not,” Kyle responded.
The questioning indeed didn’t take very long, barely even ten minutes worth of explanation, while other parts he was able to supply with a simple transfer of video data. Kay’Eighty made her appearance for that, and Representative Ran’Teek had a few questions for her, as well. Mostly about what she may need for the A.I. to be properly accommodated in the Federation, though he was obviously in untrodden ground, on that topic. Soon enough, they were done, and had exited the room.
“Well, Kyle,” Representative Ran’Teek stated as they made their way to the ‘streets’ of the station, “I guess this is where we part ways; unless you’d like for me to show you around? I still have quite a bit of time before our ship leaves, and it would be my pleasure to show you a few sights.”
Kyle checked the time on his wrist, and seeing that he also had no message from Kah’Ri telling him she was done, he could see no reason to refuse.
“Sure,” he replied, smiling, “That would be great.”
[Next] Patreon

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Raleigh General Hospital	Temp RN - Critical Care Step Down	Beckley
Music and Arts	GUI Application Developer	Harpers Ferry
Music and Arts	UI Engineer	Harpers Ferry
Music and Arts	Merchandise Planner	Harpers Ferry
Five Guys	Crew Member - Starting at 13.00	Triadelphia
Charleston Area Medical Center	FP Outpatient Employment Position with No Call and No Weekends	Charleston
BayMark Health Services	Full Time Master Level Counselor	Fairmont
BayMark Health Services	Full Time Registered Nurse (Night Shift)	Gallipolis Ferry
BayMark Health Services	Full Time Substance Abuse Counselor	Gallipolis Ferry
National Radio Astronomy Observatory	Software Group Lead: CASA Pipeline	Green Bank
National Radio Astronomy Observatory	HR Generalist (4859)	Green Bank
National Radio Astronomy Observatory	Software Engineer II - IV (4852)	Green Bank
Pickering Associates	Structural Engineer	Parkersburg
Pickering Associates	Structural Project Engineer	Parkersburg
BayMark Health Services	RN	Point Pleasant
BayMark Health Services	Addiction Counselor	Point Pleasant
BayMark Health Services	Full Time Substance Abuse Counselor	Point Pleasant
Pickering Associates	Structural Engineer	Vienna
STG Logistics	Owner Driver	Charleston
STG Logistics	Immediate Openings Owner Operator Wanted Home Nightly Charleston	Charleston
STG Logistics	Immediate Openings Owner Operator Wanted Home Nightly Morgantown	Fairmont
STG Logistics	Immediate Openings Owner Operator Wanted Home Nightly Morgantown	Morgantown
STG Logistics	Owner Driver	Morgantown
KAG	Diesel Mechanic	Newell
KAG	Diesel Technician	Newell

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Several hours after I was left to browse the web I began to get hungry, but I have no idea how to get food since we’re supposedly in orbit and I didn’t see a cafeteria on my way to get my new arm. I look around the room for one of those buttons that will request a nurse to come to your room but I couldn’t find one, either they’re hidden, blending in or more likely there just isn’t one. I go back to the holo screen and look in the manual to see if it can call someone, but nothing, strange, do they expect all patients to be mobile? Or maybe their medical tech is so advanced that anyone who is immobile is unconscious, maybe I’ll ask a nurse on my way to get food. I walk up to the door and it slides open sensing me, looking around I don’t see an alien nurse, just those guards slithering around, going left I walk towards a guard with dull yellow skin and bright red eyes, she notices me right away and gives a wave and smile before waiting for me in place,
“Hey pretty human, what are you doing out of your room?” Do all of them act this weird?
“Um… I got hungry and was wondering where the food court was.”
“Oh I think I’m staring at a buffet.” her eyes look me up and down, seeming to ignore or not care that I have a robotic limb.
“I-I… um… can you please just tell me, I’m really not in the mood for… this.” Maybe if I’m blunt about this she’ll get the message, or maybe all female aliens are persistent creeps.
“Oh, I uh, I’m sorry, just keep walking that way and take the first left then keep going you’ll be in a big room, sorry I just thought, sorry.” well that worked better than expected, strange how easy these people seem to get embarrassed about confrontation, I’m no better though.
Giving her an awkward thanks I speed walk towards the court while I hear mumbling behind me. Following her directions I end up in a massive room filled with delicious smells and decorated with planters bursting with red trees and orange bushes, the food stalls are built into the walls just like an earth mall, the inhabitants are mostly Argochuria wearing uniforms but the occasional human breaks up the crowd here and there. One human lady arguing animatedly with an alien, gesturing wildly with both arms being cybernetic.
Ignoring them, all the food I see others holding is in some way exotic, green meats, yellow grains, pink fruit, purple bread among them, some prepared in unique ways, others look like earth foods re-colored and some are just in a blue foam like box. I decide on a stall with pink and lime flashing light that has a sign reading “Lukanog’s,” the cashier is a very bored looking Argochuria with red skin dotted by discolorations, she looks down and dead pans, “chit or bill?” I assume those are payment methods but I have neither.
“Uhm, I’m a patient from earth, do I get a free meal?” it’s worth a shot at least, worst case I go hungry for a day, maybe the job I’m being forced into will give free food.
With a sigh through the face scar she replies, “that would be a bill sir, get it now pay when you can,” ah, HOW THE FUCK WOULD I KNOW THAT DIBSHIT
“Oh ok, can I get…” shit, I have no idea if any of this is good, “can I get a Hadner with a side of Regon” on the menu it looks like a green and purple hot dog with a side of some sort of berries.
“And your drink sir?”
“Do you guys have fruit juice?” A simple nod is all I get before she taps away at a holo screen. After a few seconds of standing in silence she looks back at me and hands me a small coin object made of some sort of plastic like material with a number on it ‘2348.’ I go to an open table and sit by my lonesome, assuming that she will call my number up. I watch the other people in the enormous room going about their business, talking, eating, just relaxing, or yelling in the case of some who seem to be getting ignored. A few minutes of alien watching later I hear a deadpan voice call my number, I walk up and grab my food giving quick thanks before I return to my spot. Just as I pick up the hot dog thing and open my mouth I hear a female alien voice ask me, “you Yagak Grolgem?”
“Yeah? Who are you?” I look up to see an 8 foot tall orange skin Argochuria with blazing pink eyes staring back at me
“Can I sit with you?” she seems to avoid the simple question
“Uh, sure?” I don’t think I should piss of the giant muscle girl for my own safety
“Thanks.'' She takes a seat, she wears a white tank top with a sort of jean skirt that has two belts pulled taught on both ends. Her face looks like she’s trying to remain neutral but with cracks of emotion peaking through, anxiety, frustration, and… regret? “I suppose you don’t know who I am.”
“Not a clue.” seeing that this was to be a conversation I put the hotdog down on the tray
“I am Lengu, a soldier who liberated earth, and I know you.” she huffs it out like she’s been working up the nerve for weeks, sucks for her because now I’m leaving
“Well it’s been great but I gotta go, I think someone’s in my room waiting for me.” total bullshit but my past experiences say these women get the message quick. Standing with my tray I only make it a few steps before her hand grabs me on my organic arm, no one seems to notice or if they do they don’t care
“Please, please stay and listen to me, I'm begging you.” she really does sound like she is begging me, while I don’t trust her I am in a hospital already so I sit back down, “thank you.”
“Yeah just don’t try and claim my other arm for yourself, the last military invader I ran into already took the left.” she gives a little snort and shakes her head
“I would like to say…” she clears her throat and waits a few second before breathing deeply, “I would like to say that I am truly and deeply sorry beyond what words can express, if you do not forgive me you would be in the right as I changed your life forever, but I am sorry.” She stares at the table, trying to remain stoic but with flakes of emotion showing. I think I know what this is about but it’d be real awkward if I was wrong, swallowing my hate and rage and ask
“Are you the one that took my arm?”
“... yes.” is all she has to say for herself. A solid minute of silence passes between us but it feels like hours, Argochurian hours.
“I… I don’t know what to say. You want me to say you're forgiven? All's Well that ends well? I don’t care, you invaded my world, took my arm, and had me shipped off to god know where!”
“No, I just needed to have my apologies spoken to the one I wronged, whether or not you forgive me is not my choice.” the audacity. I feel like screaming like a human voice on the other end of the cafeteria, or making her go through what I went through, maybe both, but I sit there in silence.
What do I even say, I mean I wish she were dead, but for me not that much time has even passed, I’ve only been conscious and without an arm for a few minutes at most. My rage hasn’t had the time to build into a true grudge, and seeing the guts in this bitch… seeing the bravery and regret… I’m at a loss and struggling to stay angry, it seeping away like my blood, three days ago. And with a great sigh,
“I forgive you.” rage is good, a part of existence really, but you can’t let it guide you, you’ll become lost and lose more than you ever thought you could. “On one condition,” she already had been staring back at me in utter shock, not even trying to hide it, but now she nods frantically.
“YES, yes anything you want!”
“Pay my hospital and food bills.” may as well get something out of this, don’t want to be forced into my new life and find out that aliens also have ridiculous medical bills too.
“But the hospital is free?” she has a quizzical look about her
“Well that's good to know, but what about my food?”
“Oh, that's like 12 credits… done,” she pulls out a pen that emits a Holographic display, “How about we go and buy you some new clothes too.” well shit she is right, I do need new clothes.
“I think I’ll take you up on that, just let me eat.” she awkwardly stares at me as I finish my food. The hotdog tastes of beef while the berries are bitter sweet, the drink tastes like fruit punch. Once I finally finish, I stand up whipping my hands with a napkin and I ask, “alright, so where do hospitals sell clothes?”
“There’s an essentials store for patients about to be reassigned, follow me.” as we walk, slither, the sound and smells of the food court slowly fade away. A couple of guards give us the side eye as we pass by. I know they are not against species mixing, if what Ullgo said is true about all of them, maybe they’re just jealous? Or maybe it’s actually not allowed but they do it anyway? A couple turns later and we come to a hallway lined with glass windows peaking into shops of several sorts,
“Alright, being part of the military means I get paid well, I’ll buy you two outfits and some sort of personal device.” she smiles down with a proud look about her, like she finally can move on with life after this. Giving a nod I choose the store that appears to feature males of several species, one of which is human, and walk in. How they got a guy to agree to a photo shoot and mass produce enough clothes to fill god knows how many shops in three days is beyond me. and these aren't just clothes stolen from earth, most feature some some sort of alien sense to them, whether the material, add-ons, or the patterns, few are either from or inspired by earth fashion. As we enter a small yellow Argochuria male behind the register greets us.
I walk towards a section clearly labeled “human” and look around at my options. Browsing the strange alien wares I settle on; a tank top made of some sort of water wicking material, a pair of shorts made of the same stuff as the tank top and has zipper pockets, a sort of t-shirt that has sleeves that go to my elbows, and a pair of deep pocket jean like pants, oh and underwear and socks. “Can I get shoes too?” I ask her to which she says yes. I pick some boots, can’t go wrong with boots.
“Hello, chit or bill.” the man isn’t as tired sounding as the food court clerk but he’s not enthusiastic, who would be
“Chit.” Lengu says
As he begins to scan the items, which don’t have tags weirdly, he smirks and asks, “I knew soldiers were desperate for a husband, but to immediately start dating a human only three days after liberation?”
Lengu begins to turn a deeper shade of orange before firmly stating, “we are not dating, I just wanted to make it up to him.”
“Oh, what’d she do to you.” he says with only slight concern
“... She took my arm…” the room falls deadly silent, I can hear the hidden AC unit working away somewhere, I can hear my own heart beat as he clears his throat
“62 creds” he seems timid, like at any second I’ll snap
“Thank you…” she says as she pulls out the pen sized device and scans it on the computer
“Have a good day.” I say trying to ease him up, which thankfully works, the poor fella was so stiff you could mistake him for a board
“You too sir.” walking over to the tech store Lengu gives me a couple of glances and I sigh
“I already said I forgive you, let's just get this last thing and you don’t have to see me ever again.” she opens her mouth to say something but closes it
The tech shop is much more boring, different pens lined up based on size and that's it. The cashier here is just a very bored looking red skinned male. I pick out one that sticks just barely out of my hand and walk up to the counter, “chit or bill” he says in the neutral voice of boredom, clearly not much traffic in here.
“Chit.” Lengu says, the same scan as before and we’re back out and walking back to the food court in silence, then back to my room in utter silence aside from passers by. I see a few humans pass us by, all with escorts, and seeing what was done to them… maybe I got lucky.
When we arrive outside my room we stop and stand in silence for a few seconds “Listen I’m sorry again, that was supposed to be fun or interesting but I made it awkward… again.” she seems frustrated and embarrassed, with a hand on her neck and all her eyes staring at the floor
“Well you helped me alot in a short amount of time, so thanks, and hey I got a cool robot arm out of the deal.” At that she bursts out laughing as I start to chuckle,
What an absurd situation I’ve been forced into. Maybe this ain’t all so bad after all, maybe there’s good Argochurians as there are bad Humans, maybe I’ll enjoy my new forced life just a little. Hey, the arm is pretty cool and hard to remember it’s metal with how real it feels
“I hope we meet again Yagak, you're a kind soul” she wipes tears from her lower eyes.
“Yeah me too.” I drop my stuff and give her a bear hug. She grunts in surprise but picks me up in return, “see you again sometime, Lengu.” I say picking up my stuff and walking into my room
“See you.” she waves while smiling, and to think I wanted to kill her for taking my arm, guess it was just one really fucking bad accident after all.
first
previous

Police were called to the grounds of an exclusive private London boarding school after a brawl erupted between a group of Year 10 (Fifth Form) and Year 11 (Sixth Form) pupils during a model government session.
A model government parliamentary session was being held in the Upper School Hall of the Henry Jackson school for boys - an exclusive private boys' boarding school in Walton-on-Thames with fees exceeding £20,000 a year - when the "Prime Minister" - an unnamed pupil at the school - reportedly got into a fight with the "Leader of the Opposition " - reportedly a sixth former and prefect at the school playing the role of the leader of the Conservative Party. The unnamed pupil playing the role of Prime Minister (and leader of the Labour Party) is said by pupils to be a "well-known pupil of Polish heritage".
A shouting match erupted after the "Leader of the Opposition" reportedly made "derogatory remarks" about "Eastern Europe and Poland", which some other pupils "took personally". Despite a teacher being present in the Upper School Hall, a "serious brawl erupted" and "punches were thrown", with another teacher - hearing the commotion and quickly entering - also being injured, causing police to be called.
Surrey Police confirmed the existence of the incident in a general statement.
"Police were called to a disturbance occurring in one of the school buildings of the Henry Jackson school. After officers were happy that the situation was under control and no individuals required medical assistance or wanted to press charges, officers left the scene and left the school's authorities to deal with what was essentially an internal matter. No arrests have been made at this time."
Youth model governments usually exist in local areas for children of all school ages to partake in, but many private schools and institutions sometimes have their own model governments set up for their own pupils to take part in.
The Henry Jackson school for boys has a long list of famous and successful alumni including New York hedge fund manager Poul Lehrner (who runs the Golden Star International Fund out of its Manhattan office), British violin virtuoso Mario Paulini, popular children's author Hawk Dean (who now resides in Alberta in Canada) and British-American Hollywood actor Tristan Blake (who lives in California). British popstar and former boyband member Harry Knightley also attended the school on and off for 2 years before leaving after his tour commitments disrupted his studies. Disgraced Member of Parliament Sir Ronald Zahedi (who now lives in Cordoba in Argentina with his girlfriend) was also a pupil at the school in his final year of school as a sixth former twenty years ago. £25,000 a week Manchester United footballer Chris Herring also attended the school for one year as a Year 7 pupil before transferring to the Fred Pike football training academy, a Manchester-based boarding school for "talented, promising and aspiring footballers". Marlon Harding, the Chief Astronomer and Director of the Dalton Space Institute which runs, operates and co-manages (along with the ESA and NASA) the enormous Dalton SGBT (Special Ground-Based Telescope) which is based in Chile, attended the school for three years as a teenager before transferring to a boarding school across the Atlantic in New Hampshire.

OK so let me start off by saying that I know everybody’s body is different, and we all react differently to different medications. Okay, so my doctor adamantly convinced me to start taking this birth control (Blisovi fe 1/20) to help even out the peaks and valleys of my hormones and hopefully help some symptoms subside. Online, it has a 4/10 rating from users. Any personal experience or thoughts to share?

There were clear skies and a cool breeze, the day They started watching me.
With the benefit of foresight, it makes sense they’d choose what would’ve otherwise been a perfect day, for every grasp I have of peace or complacency is anathema to them. I can only wish that I’d had the sense to cherish what I had before it was stripped from me — but youth is wasted on the young, is it not?
My memory of the day is like a vivid dream, one so clear that I can still taste the spry dew of the morning upon my lips, feel the sun flow through the wisps of my hair and beam warmth upon my pale skin. But like all dreams, it is interesting only to the one who experienced the depths of its emotions, who’ve personally felt that surreal poignancy beyond what words can express… and to all other ears, it sounds like any other story.
Emotions are fickle things themselves, and in time, the passion of a dream fades even in the memory of its dreamer, until at last it is dull, lifeless, like a vibrant field of color turned to grays. Yet even now, I cling to this memory breathlessly, as if the moment I waver, the moment my grasp weakens, it will be unmade.
We were picnicking, you see, in a field only we knew: a sunny hill, wild grass adorned with daffodils and azaleas, flowery bushels like splatters of paints in reds and purples and yellows upon a deep green canvas. It was the caliber of beauty that a poet would wax philosophical about in classical times, but I was oblivious to it; I was more concerned with rumors and gossip at work, and those dreadful stories I’d been hearing on the news, and those little tells my husband had been demonstrating that all the self-help books claimed were surefire signs that our marriage was doomed (and could be salvaged only by purchasing more self-help books, of course).
My life had been a miasma of petty squabbles and fleeting pleasures, moving from experience to experience, consuming product after product, sucking them dry of their novelty before moving to the next. It should’ve, by all accounts, been miserable; but my failings hardly mattered, as happiness came to me so easily then. I didn’t yet know what it’d be like to have to fight, to zealously defend every scrap of contentment or hope against the burning embers… until at last, I felt a pair of eyes settle upon me.
It had only been a creeping feeling, at first. I could not see Them then, only sense Them — looming from the bushes, peeking from the shadows between blades of grass, staring from the clouds and the trees and the flowers. At first, it had felt merely rude, as if they had committed some impropriety and would soon realize their mistake and politely avert their gaze… but the feeling remained.
As the feeling continued, questions plagued my mind. Why would They be watching me? To ruin this perfect autumn day? Was there something about me They wanted to know? When the feeling grew intolerable, I confessed it to my husband, but my words themselves only seemed to go unheard; but his brow furrowed, as if he’d only heard the tone of my voice, and knew it pertained to something which would inconvenience him. Only through hours of persistence could I earn the right to any support.
“It is merely the stress wearing down your mind, my love,” my husband told me. “You will take time off of work, and that will be the end of it.”
I was relegated to a townhouse along the moors, a brick building choked by the dust of passing cars, the only human interaction one could find in such a place. While Their gaze never wavered, I at first could find some solace in my leisure, throwing myself into my passions and my hobbies in some vain hope of keeping the creeping dread at bay. But Their terrifying gaze was like daggers upon my psyche, a cloud that loomed over every passing instant of every day and surely burned away any reprieve, any distractions between us until their presence became ubiquitous to me.
I could see Them, now, with gradual regularity, peeking out from bushes, from the cracks in doorways, from windows with the curtains drawn back late at night, from cupboards and beneath the stove and down the basement stairs — always the same milky white eyes and beady little black pupils, above a pearly smile, held aloft upon figures made of a stygian, swirling black. What I could once call a home was now a prison to me, built as if to mock the meaning and safety that this place once symbolized.
“It is merely your brain playing tricks on you, my love,” my husband told me. “We will take you to the psychiatrist to be diagnosed, and that will be the end of it.”
It is only upon emerging into the open world that I realized how deeply They had sewn their roots. The hospital, with its blinding whites and cacophonous beeps and cries and whispering, was clearly designed for my personal torment, and it was too obvious that the patients in the waiting room had been placed there to stalk me, that each doctor and each security guard had been carefully positioned in my path to dismay and intimidate me.
The psychiatrist spoke, but his words were a dull blur, neutered by apathy; even if I could not see the malice hidden in his eyes, his true allegiance would’ve still been betrayed by the presence of one of Them behind him, their cool smile looming over me as they puppeteered the psychiatrist’s every movement along blackened strings. I could not trust any of them. Even in my addled state, all I could be certain of that they were part of some grand machination designed to doom me; but my husband did not listen, and I could only sit quietly and endure as I was poked and prodded, examined and analyzed, interrogated and scrutinized, until at last I could return home with a bill of health. Yet my husband had grown cold to me, and in the coming weeks, his disposition only worsened.
“It is merely a matter of mental delusion,” my husband told me. “We will double your daily dosage, and that will be the end of it.”
The pills were the most obvious tricks, and the most easily evaded; the moment they touched my tongue, I could taste the poisons they were laced with, the concoctions no doubt designed to dull my mind and blind me to the veil that was being lifted. My eyes were being opened for the first time, and I could not let that be taken from me. I took my medication dutifully beneath my husband’s prying eyes, only to retch the vile taint into the plumbing once his gaze had passed.
Yet despite my every precaution, They only grew more fearless, more daunting. My nights were long and sleepless, as I could feel Them skitter across my room like cockroaches, gently surrounding my bed as I closed my eyes and whispering foul blasphemes into my ears, words of pure malevolence I cannot bear to recite here. For weeks my nights would be monopolized by bouts of screaming, of thrashing, of desperately fighting at the air where They had once stood, and my days were tyrannized by the sightings of Their execrable forms whenever I felt like my mind may finally be calming. All the while, my husband languished.
“It is merely a way of provoking me — a means of seeking attention,” my husband told me. “You will stop being so childish and dramatic, and that will be the end of it.”
But this was not my husband. My husband had the most gentle eyes, like channels of a flowing love I could retreat to after a strenuous day. My true husband’s eyes weren’t so full of malice, of disdain, as the man who currently bore his name and wore his skin; this family was not my own, but some pitiful reproduction of those whom I once loved, replaced with wardens who stalked my prison and punished me with their cold and distant gazes.
They were loathe to so much as be near me, and I hated them in equal measures, for I could see Them guiding their every footstep, looming over their shoulders as They commanded them like puppets, taunting me with beaming smiles as if daring me to react. It was unconscionable, and before long I told them everything; told them I could see clearly that they weren't the same people I had once loved, exposed them as the pale replicas they now were.
“It is you. You are some sort of monster, some demon sent to torment me,” the thing that called itself my husband told me. “You will never speak to me or my children again, and that will be the end of it.”
That home is long behind me, now, replaced with a new prison they call a group home, overseen by therapists with dead eyes and fake smiles. They claim they only want to help me, but I can see the forces that puppeteer them, that guide their hands and pry their lips apart into those knowing grins. In the world outside my window, those who are puppets loathe me, and those who do not pity me; but it is I who should be pitying them, for they are the ones unaware of the peril creeping upon them, sleepwalking through life just as I did until it is their turn to finally have Their gaze settle upon them.
For those few who are unburdened by the truth, and who may happen to read this, I have but one warning; nothing beyond your own senses can be trusted, not even the words of this very account. For even as I type this, I can see blackened strings poking out from the skin along my knuckles, some unseen force guiding my hands.

Synopsis:

In the realms of Skysea, where destinies are moulded by the pantheon, one young man defies the established order.
Denied Aether on his Adulthood ceremony, Zaire was dragged by cruel whims of fate to somehow awaken Emerald Aether, setting him on the path of a Mage.
But his awakening hardly had anything to do with the pantheon. Deeper secrets reside within him and in the System. Why was he exiled to the backwater village? What did those recurring nightmares and visions entail? And what's with the cursed dagger?
Zaire will search for the answers to them all, but before that, he must master his power. Great evil lurks near his village.

​

Chapter 01: Faithless

Carmel Village, Spring, 3617 years of the System
As the morning of System Inauguration Day dawned, countless individuals awakened with hopes and dreams for what the future held for them. Sadly, Zaire was of a completely different sentiment.
He had risen before the break of dawn, and went through all the rigorous training his mother demanded, and now, found himself on the receiving end of her ruthless thrashing in the spar.
"Move with purpose," Ella barked, her blade poised for the next strike. "I didn't teach you to be sloppy."
His limbs ached from all the exhaustive exercises, leaving him far from his peak during their spar. Not that it would have made a difference—Ella was in a particularly foul mood this morning.
Gritting his teeth, Zaire shifted into a defensive stance, though he didn’t see its purpose with Ella being... Ella. With narrowed eyes, he observed her approach. Despite her tall and heavy stature, she was light on her feet. Her training rod, held high, swung mercilessly towards Zaire in a threatening arc. He managed to block the first strike, but struggled to parry the following ones, barely delaying her advances.
There was no room for him to push forward. Zaire found himself constantly on the defensive, forced to withdraw under the unrelenting onslaught. Each contact between their weapons sent electric spasms through his arms, intensifying the ache.
"No," Ella yelled, her voice piercing the air. Unsatisfied. "I'm not seeing it yet. You are better than this."
Those words struck a nerve within Zaire, prompting him to shift his weight onto his front foot and mount a more committed front. His moves lacked refinement compared to hers, but he put more force behind them, although he knew it would hardly make a difference against a Retired Knight who was well over 200 levels.
But Ella would be more content seeing him trying to get a hit.
"That's more like it," Ella remarked, parrying his attack, a hint of satisfaction in her smile.
They continued sparring for another two minutes, leaving Zaire utterly spent and sprawled on the ground. At that moment, he couldn't help but wish that someone else had adopted him, someone who wouldn't subject him to such gruelling training sessions every morning.
She seriously needed a man in her life, Zaire thought.
"Clean the weapons and tools and you'll have your day," Ella instructed, placing the duelling cane among the rest of the equipment.
Zaire responded with nothing more than a grunt.
"I'll go check on your sister," Ella continued. "Hopefully, she's finished preparing the meal, so we can go to the temple for her awakening."
Zaire remained on the ground, still catching his breath from the exertion his mother had put him through.
Today marked System Inauguration Day, an event where individuals who had reached the age of sixteen would awaken their Aether and embark on the path the gods set for them.
A year ago, Ella was adamant about moulding Zaire into a Knight like herself, despite his fervent aspirations to pursue the path of a Mage. While he displayed considerable skill in swordsmanship and other weapons, Zaire's true passion had always been spellcraft.
He had tirelessly studied spell models and diagrams, fearing that the gods might mistake his talent for swordsmanship and force him into becoming a Knight Squire, as his mother had always desired. Zaire had invested double the effort in learning the spell models than in honing his swordsmanship skills, but it seemed the gods were merciless in their choices.
On his Age day last year, Zaire's dreams of becoming a Mage remained unfulfilled. Matter of fact, he hadn't awakened any Route at all. Completely no reaction from the Aethers.
Even the most humble and unfledged youths of the village had awakened as Woodcutters, Farmers, or Merchants, but Zaire was left without any designation.
The gods had deemed him Routeless. A Faithless Cur.
If only they would grant me another opportunity, Zaire thought, clenching his jaws in frustration. However, he couldn't be certain that it would make any difference. They had attempted various other methods, infusing him with different types of Aether, but most only resulted in agonising concussions and rendered him unconscious.
"Stop gazing at nothing with that long face," a feminine voice broke him through his contemplation abruptly.
Startled, Zaire found himself face to face with Faye, clad in a simple white gown, ready for the Awakening Event. The siblings were strikingly dissimilar in appearance. Faye stood with a full head shorter than him, her features set her apart from the villagers. Her hair was of burning silver, cascading over her shoulders, in contrast to their foster mother Ella’s blonde and his black.
Had it not been for Ella's integrity, Zaire would have suspected that the retired knight had stolen Faye from a noble house. Yet, he was even more perplexed by the implications of her unique features.
It was very likely that Faye was blessed by the Aether. Her pearl eyes and silvery hair were hints of that. He couldn’t think of them as just a coincidence.
His frustration grew with those thoughts.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mum asked you to hone all the weapons and clean everything else," Faye reminded him, breaking the silence. "You're going to get an earful for that."
Zaire grunted as he rose from his seat and made his way to the toolbox. His fingers deftly manoeuvred a knife against the grinding stone, the metallic scraping sound filling the air. Faye lingered in the yard.
"Aren't you missing something?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
Pausing his grinding, Zaire lifted his gaze to meet hers. Clueless
"Aren’t you going to wish me luck?"
"I don't think you'll need any luck from me," he replied with a sigh. "But for what it's worth, I wish you good fortune, Pumpkin. Hopefully, you'll awaken a formidable Route, and Mum will stop nagging about training me to become your Knight."
Ella had expressed her desire for Zaire to become Faye's Knight since she had adopted them. However, Zaire wasn’t so sure about her requiring protection. As far as he was concerned, it was the others who needed protection from her.
Faye arched an eyebrow, looking at all the items scattered around him. All this could take over an hour to finish easily. "I understand that this is difficult for you, but I hope you'll be there during the ceremony."
"What are you talking about?" Zaire responded, his smile beaming brightly. "There's no way I would miss this occasion."
He made sure his words carried genuine excitement and support, assuring her.
Faye beamed as she excitedly returned to the house to prepare for the ceremony. Zaire couldn't help but release a sigh and refocused his attention on his sharpening task.
A few minutes later, Faye emerged from the house along with their mother. She informed Zaire that they expected him to join them in the temple. Knowing that the ceremony would last for a couple of hours, Zaire was confident he would be able to complete his work and catch up with them in due time.
Zaire hastened his grinding pace, swiftly honing the blades one after another. Fatigue began to take its toll, and his arms throbbed. In his haste, the sharp edge of the blade sliced through Zaire's index finger.
“Damnation,” Zaire cursed, jolting his finger, causing crimson blood to splatter across all weapons and tools that surrounded him.
It had already been over half an hour since Faye had departed for the ceremony, and he still had a few daggers left to sharpen. If he were to tend to the cut properly, he definitely would be delayed. Exhaling, Zaire gave a couple of minutes for the blood to stop flowing out and clutched the next weapon in line—a worn dagger with a hilt that had seen better days.
Prepared to resume his grinding, Zaire steadied the dagger against the sharpening stone, this time putting pressure with his palm instead of fingers.
However, to his astonishment, the moment his fingers made contact, the blade began disintegrating into a swirling cloud of black smoke.
“What in the world!” Zaire broke into a fit of uncontrollable coughs as the thick smoke enveloped him, obscuring his vision. Within moments, the smoke dissipated, leaving behind nothing but empty air.
The dagger had vanished, dissipating into thin air as if it had never existed.
Zaire stood frozen in disbelief, his gaze fixated on his empty hands where the weapon should have been. He blinked repeatedly, hoping to get a hint to explain the inexplicable turn of events. He had spent years cleaning and sharpening tools, but he had never encountered anything remotely similar to this disconcerting phenomenon.
"I hope Mum will understand," Zaire muttered to himself, a sense of relief washing over him as he realised that the vanished dagger was not one of the cherished weapons.
After completing his errands, Zaire swiftly changed into a more presentable tunic, eager to make his way towards the temple.
Carmel Village, situated on the very fringe of the empire, could easily be labelled as a secluded backwater village. Despite its remote location, it possessed an old temple devoted to Goddess Solas. Solas, one of the twelve prominent deities of the Skysea, the Mistress of Union and Harmony. The folks of Carmel were pretty diverse in their faith, but it didn’t stop them to crowd over the old temple on occasions such as this.
Nestled amidst a serene expanse of wheat fields, the temple stood as a weathered and unpretentious chapel that seemed to have withstood the test of time. Clearly failing to reflect the true grandeur and influence associated with the primordial goddess.
Time had taken its toll on the temple, evident with the stonewalls bearing marks of weathering. A similar, if not more, withered stone arches led his path to the sanctuary where people crowded over, clamouring. As Zaire crossed the arches, a modest statue at the heart of the plaza came into his sight. One simply couldn’t assume that to be a statue of the goddess without context, considering it was challenging to determine whether the statue depicted a male or female figure.
Zaire ventured inside, only to be met with a sea of people obstructing his path. The number of adults in attendance far surpassed the youths present for the ceremony. Zaire's eyes swiftly located the two women with their distinct blonde and silvery hair, positioned on one side of the gathering. To his surprise, it seemed that they had also noticed him, as Ella pointed him out to the young girl and waved her hand in his direction.
After a couple of good minutes of shoving and wrestling with the people, Zaire managed to reach them, but he was already breathless by that point. It appeared that Faye was patiently awaiting her turn, as the guest priest called individuals forward one by one to the Ascendant Pool in the other chamber.
Fortunately, the priest conducting the ceremony was not the same one who liked to blabber too much during Zaire's previous visit. Nevertheless, an unsettling restlessness settled in his stomach as he regarded others.
"Are you alright?" Ella asked, concern laced in her voice.
"I'm fine," he replied, "just a bit breathless from the sprint."
"It's good that you came," his foster mother interjected. "I understand this isn't easy for you, but you must realise there are other paths beyond what the gods set us for."
Zaire clenched and unclenched his jaw, choosing to remain silent as he settled himself in a corner, leaning against the wall. They had indeed explored other avenues, ones that diverged from paths the pantheons chose for them, but none had brought about any meaningful change within him, except subjecting him to excruciating agony.
Regardless, it was Faye's special day, and he couldn't make it all about himself. Taking a deep breath, he adopted a carefree expression and engaged in conversation with his family.
The newly appointed guest priest for the ceremony appeared to be a stern man. Observing the chaotic gathering in the hall, which was no better than a bustling fish market, he dismissed the families who had already completed their ceremonies. Even among those still present, he allowed only two relatives to accompany the youths of appropriate age.
In a matter of seconds, the hall grew more spacious as more than half the attendees dispersed.
"Now we'll have fewer people bothering Faye once she completes her ceremony," Zaire joked, playfully nudging the silver-haired would-be maiden on the shoulder.
Faye snorted in response. "What, you think I'd enjoy when boys pester me until Mum has to brandish her sword to scare them away?"
Faye glowered at him, but upon witnessing his laughter, she couldn't help but burst into giggles herself. Her nervousness about the ceremony subsided significantly.
Zaire scoffed, exclaiming, "What are you even worried about? You got this."
“It’s just that. . .” Faye's voice trailed off. She didn't need to finish her sentence because Zaire understood her fears all too well. She dreaded the possibility of her ceremony turning out exactly like his. Her unique traits made her more apprehensive than confident.
"You'll be fine," Zaire reassured her, gently patting her head. Being a head taller than her, it was effortless for him to make her feel small and comforted. But that’ll end soon. . .
In quick succession, people gradually cleared out, and within half an hour, the hall was nearly empty, with only three more families remaining for the ceremony.
"Oh, crap! I need to go," Zaire exclaimed abruptly, startling both Faye and their foster mother. "Nature calls." He provided a curt explanation for his sudden departure and hastily rushed out of the temple.
Zaire swiftly made his way out of the hall, the sparse number of people remaining making his way out easier. However, in his haste, he failed to consider the possibility of encountering folks just outside the door.
Zaire caught sight of locks of golden hair just before colliding with someone the moment he emerged from the door. It was a young girl who had just undergone her age ceremony and ended up falling alone from the impact.
Zaire stumbled, barely regaining his balance and scattered attention until he could finally discern who he had collided with.
"Diana," Zaire instinctively called out, stooping down to extend a helping hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
"You shouldn't be running inside the temple," Diana said, raising her right arm to inspect the bruise on her elbow. Her eyes were teary.
"I’m really sorry," Zaire repeated, more genuinely.
"It's alright," Diana sighed, accepting his arm and allowing him to assist her in standing up. Her expression showed she was bothered by something else entirely other than the little bruise she got from the collision. It could be that she didn’t get the right class she desired.
If it weren’t for the urgency, Zaire would have stayed there for a few minutes to listen to her and reassure her. But the growing pressure in his bladder made it harder for him to be considerate.
Regardless, the situation didn’t conclude there as Zaire hoped, as he found a group of youths led by Alex, a blond youth who went through Ella’s for a few months.
There was no way in hell they could resist the urge to aid a damsel in distress. Granted, in this particular instance, the damsel was only mildly bruised, but you try to explain that to them.
"I wondered who else would have the audacity to act so impudently within the sacred temple," Alex interjected. The blond youth had undergone his ceremony last year, along with Zaire. "Of course, it had to be you, Zaire. Why are you even here? Hoping to partake in the awakening ceremony once again?"
Alex didn't miss the chance to strike where it hurt the most. However, his counterparts were one level above him.
"Fat chance of that," Kash, a short, mousey-looking black-haired boy of their age, chimed in. "Ignoring everything, his blatant behaviour in the goddess's temple alone shows that he's unsuited for the path."
"Kash, we're all aware of your lack of intelligence," Zaire retorted, more irritated than angry. "No need to open your mouth and prove it to us again."
The mousey-looking youth glared at Zaire before turning his attention to the others. "Did I say something wrong?" he barked. "You have no fibre of reverence for the goddess. Why do you think you're still lost and—"
Zaire stifled a yawn. "I have more important matters to attend to than engaging in a pointless argument with you lots,”
The persistent pressure in his bladder reminded him of the true urgency at hand. With an apologetic smile directed at the blonde maiden, he hurried away.
Tackling the argument, Zaire now faced another predicament he had no time to dwell upon. While the temple may have been humble and worn out, it still resided within the holy embrace of the goddess. How could he commit sacrilege by pissing in its vicinity?
However, the pressure continued to mount, leaving Zaire with no other option but to retreat to the rear of the sacred grounds. Discreetly, he found a secluded spot merely a few blocks away from the hallowed area.
To an outsider, it might still appear blasphemous, but he clung to hope that the goddess would be more understanding than her devotees.
Zaire let out a deep exhale, a mixture of relief and frustration intertwining within him. His shoulders slumped as he directed his gaze towards the imposing statue of the goddess perched atop the temple's peak.
Zaire gritted his teeth. Why was it only me? What have I ever done? He wanted to ask her, but he had asked such questions countless times already. The goddess, to her credit, remained silent all these time.
Abruptly, he found his attention fixated on a small window high on the stone wall as Alex’s words resurfaced in his mind.
Without conscious thought, Zaire found himself scaling the walls, driven by an inexplicable force. He climbed towards the window that led to the ceremonial chamber.
Zaire wasn’t even sure what he was trying to prove or if he even thought of the consequences when he latched himself on the window ledge. It was simply an impulse.
Soft rays of sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, casting a gentle glow upon the worn stone floors of the ceremonial chamber as Zaire cast his sight inside. Amidst the hallowed walls, tapestries, and murals that tell stories of the goddess, Zaire found the small pool next to the altar where another Goddess’s statue stood, in far better shape than the one outside.
A young boy, now an adult, just completed his ceremony and departed. Within a minute, Zaire caught sight of the blond priest ushering Faye into the room. Instinctively, Zaire lowered his head, ensuring to directly not to stare at the high-level priest of the goddess.
The priest focused solely on his sister, guiding her towards the pool. Faye approached the small pool with a reserved expression, her gaze fixed upon the clear and dense water that seemed to possess an otherworldly quality. The surface of the water reflected light differently from ordinary water, as thin misty smoke puffed out.
Faye hesitated for a moment, her mind enveloped in a flurry of unknown thoughts.
"Do not resist the Aether, Daughter," the priest advised, his voice carrying a tone of solemnity. "Embrace its essence, open your heart to the Goddess and let her lead you to your designated path."
Gathering her wits, Faye stepped into the pool, allowing herself to be completely submerged in the hallowed water. Zaire, observing from above, couldn't help but feel a tinge of anxiety.
However, any doubts he harboured dissipated as he witnessed a radiant white glow emanating from the Ascendant pool. Faye emerged from the water, her figure outlined by a blinding light that enveloped her form.
"Blessed! Solus!" exclaimed the priest, his voice filled with astonishment. "The Dream Aether, I knew it."
The intense white light faded as swiftly as it had materialised, leaving Faye slightly disoriented. Her eyes shimmered with an ethereal glow, reminiscent of light dancing through her pearl eyes. A moment later, everything returned to normal.
Dream Aether, Zaire thought, that has to be the rarest form of Aether under ordinary circumstances.
Zaire had his suspicions about it for years. Regardless, this changed everything.
The priest knew it too. If the priest had previously held a mild interest in his sister, now he was entirely captivated, granting her his undivided attention.
"Come on," the priest ushered her out. "I'll explain things more clearly to you, and I shall need to have a conversation with your mother. You have a bright future ahead of you, Fair Lady."
With them gone, Zaire had the room all to himself for whatever he wanted to try. However, he still waited for a couple of minutes, even though the priest had shut the door behind him, signalling the end of the ceremony.
The latch of the stained-glass window opened effortlessly as if it were a sign from the goddess to guide him into the ceremonial chamber. The opening was spacious enough for him to slide in without any trouble. However, the landing posed a challenge, considering he was still about three and a half metres above the ground.
Zaire couldn't afford to cause any disturbance, so he held onto the window ledge and dangled his legs downward. Preparing himself, he leapt like a house cat, albeit only on his feet.
His landing was nearly perfect, causing minimal disturbance. But that didn't give him an advantage; he had to finish this quickly and make his exit before anyone noticed.
Zaire cast one last glance at the statue of the goddess on the altar, his right palm clasped over his heart in a praying manner.
Then he submerged in the cold water. Instantly, a chill rushed through his spine. Unlike what happened to Faye, nothing developed in his case as he remained underwater, controlling his breathing.
The priests had instructed them to be open to the Aether and not resist it. However, how could Zaire resist anything when there was no reaction from the water, except for the uncomfortable shivers coursing through his body?
It was exactly like the previous time, no reaction, and… Zaire's thought process abruptly halted as he noticed the water starting to swirl around him in a terrifying surge.
Zaire couldn't even comprehend what was happening to him as the chill spread through his body and mind, completely stunning him. The priest had advised not to resist, but he wasn't sure if he could even if he tried.
[Awakening conditions met... Initiating Protocol... Analysing...]
[Soul curse remnants discovered.]
[Creating link.]
[Link complete...]
Zaire was completely taken aback, overwhelmed by the unfolding events. And before long, he lost consciousness...
[Purging the curse remnants...]
[ETA: 11:43:12]

Okay, I've been around Reddit for a decade. Finally joined 7 years ago- have so much anxiety about posting that I only have 70 karma. I'd promise I'm not a troll, but isn't that what trolls do? Anxiety be damned the results I'm seeing from keto are so life changing that I feel compelled to post if it helps another person in my position. (This is not medical advice, I'm not a doctor, common sense rules and of course you should be in charge of your medical care and work with your medical team.)
I'm a 39 year old mom of 4- 2 of my children have special needs. I have narcolepsy, EDS, POTS, IBS, Lipedema, MCAS, and a slew of other autoimmune issues. My energy is so low- my cortisol sky high, I was getting insulin resistent. After trying traditional meds to "fix" problems and not having success, but having more health problems develop I turned to more natural methods over the years. I have a lot of supplements, tried all organic, plant based, AIP, so many different diets. My BMR was so low. I was eating 1100 calories a day and gaining weight- I got up to 205 lbs on a 5'6" frame. I still go to my primary care doctor who has been supportive of more natural remedies. I haven't bridged the keto subject with him, but I think the results will speak for themselves.
With all the reading I did on my health problems there were signs pointing to keto. They didn't come from mainstream medicine, but keto kept coming up. I tried once about 5 years ago, but didn't make it through the "keto flu" period. I couldn't function and had too many demands on my time to keep up with my kids/work etc... This time before trying I found the group here and did a lot of reading. I learned that "keto flu" is an electrolyte imbalance. Due to POTS I have tons of electrolyte options and salt tablets on hand. Reading so many experiences and tips from real people gave me the motivation to try again.
I bought the "pee sticks" even though I know they're not the end all be all, they let me know my body was doing something besides feeling worse. After a few days I learned to manage my electrolytes better. Now I can address it before it gets bad.
In the 7 weeks that I've been in ketosis I've lost nearly 20 lbs. That is a huge win for me. I know a lot of it was water weight because I'd always go up and down the same 6-8 lbs. every couple of days. It's staying off now, and I can see the swelling, inflammation, and now fat starting to melt away. As a vain person that is a huge win, but the increases in my health are the real story.
After the first couple of weeks I have been able to go through most days without laying down to rest. I haven't thrown up once from chronic pain. The pain levels are down 40%. I'm hoping to see an improvement in sleep soon. The brain fog is lighter. I'm still not a "normal healthy" person, but I can't expect to undo nearly 4 decades in a few weeks.
Possible TMI, but for the first time in a decade I haven't been dealing with IBS issues. Having regular solid stools is something I never expected. There have been a couple of days where I've eaten something that's thrown me back into it- now I'm learning things to avoid, as opposed to that being my norm.
It is amazing to not be hungry all of the time. My sleep doctor told me that due to narcolepsy, and because the part of the brain that craves sleep and the part that craves food are so close together, it's normal to constantly feel hungry with my disorder. It was somewhat true- I'd feel hungry, but also nauseated most of the time, and a lot of the time I felt worse after eating. Now eating is in the background. There is no panic feeling about finding something to eat and hoping it doesn't make me feel worse.
I'm probably still doing "dirty keto." I haven't tracked everything and am using allulose, and monkfruit sweetener in things I bake. I still have a hard time eating a lot of meat, but for now nuts, cheese, and when I feel like eating meat, are doing a great job providing satiation. I'll often have a homemade creme brulée for breakfast- with berries for the topping. So it's heavy cream, egg yolk, a little allulose, and the berries. I eat until I'm full- sometimes it's just a few bites, sometimes all of it. I make almond floupeanut buttedutch pressed cocoa powder cookies, and almond flour cheese crackers for a quick snack. Lunch is often a salad with cheese, and a full fat dressing. I add meat in if it sounds good. It's amazing how little sweetener it takes for things to taste "sweet" now. I aim for 20-25 net carbs a day. Most days I'm not hungry for dinner. If I am I eat something that fits. I pretty much grain free at this point, but it wasn't even a goal when I started. I can tell if something I eat makes me feel yucky now, and it's easy to avoid it without feeling like I'm depriving myself.
If/when I plateau or feel poorly I'll track and adapt. The beautiful thing is that I feel my energy and mental clarity getting to place where I'm capable of doing that.
Food is beyond secondary to living now. When I feel hunger- real hunger I'll eat something. There is no need to clean my plate, my body tells me when it is full.
I thought I'd never feel well again. I have hope now. I also am excited to see the changes that this diet can have for my kids. The brain and body need fat and protein.
I was so scared of eating fat. I always thought, "I am fat, I can't eat fat! Everyone says how bad fat is!" Don't let the fear hold you back. I know it is so hard to look at changing your diet when you have no energy and constant brain fog- you don't have to make it too complicated. You deserve to feel better.
Thank you so much to everyone in this group who has taken time to share, and help others like me get their life back.

Hi all! I would greatly appreciate any advice or insight on my school list. With how much luck goes into getting anywhere, my list is currently 45 schools. I’m not sure if I should cut down any schools, especially if they don't take too much out of state people or if my application doesn't fit what the school is looking for. I preferably would like to stay east coast, but as you can tell by my list, I'm willing to move if I must. In terms of pre-writing secondaries, I'm going to first focus on the schools I like then move from there. Not sure if 45 schools is just way too much. Thank you in advance!
Stats: 3.92 cGPA, 3.92 sGPA at a T30 school; 522 MCAT (131/127/132/132).
ORM, NJ resident with strong ties to NY, low SES and first generation
My personal statement revolves around having to help out at my parents small business and watching them develop health issues as working class individuals. I'm really passionate about working with lower SES populations.
Research: A total of about 5000 hours, with 2000 hours anticipated.

• First lab (650 hours): Molecular pathology lab focused on creating a neonatal sepsis point of care test
• Second lab (170 hours): Virtual research (due to the pandemic) focused on a specific transcription factor associated with the blood and immune system. One second author publication in a decent impact journal and one “national” poster (online due to COVID).
• Third lab (4000 current hours + 2000 anticipated hours): I have two projects. My main project is related to an understudied parasite. The second project is related to a lipid transport system located in the membrane of bacteria. I have one six author paper in a decent impact journal and I will have a second author paper to be submitted soon. I also have one undergraduate poster (online due to COVID), one national poster, and one national presentation (not by me but I’m second author). I got a $1000 research grant from my university as well as an award for the strength of my proposal.

Clinical: A total of about 820 hours, with 200 hours anticipated

• ~420 current hours + 200 anticipated hours as a hospital volunteer in two different hospitals in various departments (pediatrics, ER, infusion, inpatient), all with direct patient interaction.
• 400 hours as a medical assistant at a pain management clinic

Non-clinical volunteering: A total of about 370 hours

• 70 hours as a fundraising volunteer at a nonprofit geared toward supporting nearby free clinics.
• 130 hours at a daycare center for low income families.
• 170 hours going to under resourced high schools to teach about mental and sexual health information and resources.
• As you will see, one of my leadership experiences is also technically non-clinical volunteer related

Leadership: About 750 hours, with 300 anticipated

• 50 hours as an elected president to help promote a sense of community for a group of 100 students.
• 700 current hours + 300 anticipated hours starting a division within a medical practice to provide clinical opportunities to disadvantaged students in medicine. (This could technically be non-clinical volunteering but I listed it under leadership)

Hobby (and kind of leadership): 2000 hours as an artist (also mentioned a leadership position in an art related club at university)
Shadowing: 110 hours with a pain management physician, anesthesiologists, a pediatrician, and cardiologists.
LORS: I have a committee letter which contains letters from two science professors, one non-science professor, one PI, and one physician (who I shadowed and worked for).
School List:
"Safety" (I know there is no such thing as a safety and I might get yield protected):

1. Albany Medical College
2. New York Upstate Medical University
3. Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
4. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
5. Drexel University College of Medicine
6. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
7. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Target:

1. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
   
2. Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
   
3. SUNY Downstate
   
4. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
   
5. New York Medical College
   
6. NYU Long Island School of Medicine
   
7. Hackensack
   
8. Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
   
9. Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
   
10. Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
    
11. Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
    
12. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
    
13. University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
    
14. Georgetown University
    
15. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
    
16. Tufts University
    
17. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
    
18. Emory University
    
19. Unviersity of Colorado School of Medicine
    
20. University of Virginia School of Medicine
    

Reach:

1. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
   
2. Yale School of Medicine
   
3. Cornell
   
4. NYU Grossman School of Medicine
   
5. Columbia University
   
6. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
   
7. John Hopkins University School of Medicine
   
8. Harvard Medical School
   
9. Washington University in St. Louis
   
10. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
    
11. Boston University
    
12. Duke University School of Medicine
    
13. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
    
14. Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
    
15. Northwestern University (Feinberg)
    
16. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
    
17. University of Chicago (Pritzker)
    
18. Case Western.Reserve University
    

Eto ang list kung bakit ako aalis: - pag mag SL ako or VL, interview ang ginagawa saken pero pag ibang co-worker oks lang. Hindi ako iniinterview pag emergency leave (kasi pag eto pinagkait pa ewan ko na lang). - sinabihan na ako na hindi naman ako mukhang sakitin (kaya start nun hindi na ako halos nagfafile ng SL at pumapasok kahit may sakit. Hindi ko na sinasabi sa kanila, sasabihin ko lang pag hindi ko na kaya at ifile as Leave na walang bayad kahit meron akong leave credits. Pag magfile ka kasi ng SL, kailangan mo magpakita ng medical certificate at wala akong extrang pera) - may nagresign na co-worker sa company pero panay joke pa din sila sa gc from time to time about sa dating worker na yun. Before, funny naman ang jokes pero ngayon medyo below the belt na and hindi na nakakatawa. - every time na may mali ang co-worker at ako ang gumawa ng output, sa akin ang balik nang sisi kahit na out of my hands na yung responsibility. (hindi kasi ganoon kapulido ang pagquaquality check nila before magpublish or print, Never ko etong naranasan sa previous companies ko) - pinaparinggan din ako sa group chat (nakakaoffend lang) - team daw pero pakiramdam ko sila lang ang team - karamihan nang reasons ko pag pinagtatanggol ko ang aking sarili ay hindi daw katanggap tanggap. - Nawalan na ako ng gana pumasok. - pachill lang daw ako sa work (pero yung iba, ganun din naman ang ginagawa in between working hours pero ako lang ang nacall out)
Nag-aapply pa din ako nang ibang work.May mga nagreach out na din. Masama na magreresign ako na walang back up plan pero hindi ko na talaga kaya. hehe. Kapagod na.

In my 30 years, this has always been my experience, even before I knew what ASD/Asperger's was. I finally figured out why being in a group was more comfortable for me. It all comes down to masking.
A good analogy would be like singing in a choir. It's easier to match the pitch and tone of the person next to me without actually understanding how to read music. But if you put me alone on stage and handed me a sheet of music, I could not sing to save my life, even if you played a piano for me to sing along with.
When I'm in a group, I feel like I have an easier time talking because it's easier to mask. I can observe other people talking and mimic how they interact. Most people would mistake me for a social butterfly.
But when I'm alone with someone, I suddenly feel like I'm lost at sea. I can't create sentences and my thoughts become scrambled. I end up picking topics that are random and stupid, or that the other person has zero interest in. I literally become a different person.
In this manner, talking always feels like performance. I feel like I'm talking AT someone as opposed to talking WITH someone. I've gotten into the habit of avoiding this all together, always coming up with an excuse on the fly to explain why I have to leave. I don't like planning events because there's always the chance that only one person can attend, and I'm stuck trying to talk with that person. And failing, miserably.
I know that everyone has this experience at some point in their lives, but for me it's ALL the time. Even with people I've known for years. I can't tell NTs about this because they always say "That happens to me as well!" No, it doesn't. You literally went on a date LAST weekend and you're going on another this weekend. So.... it doesn't happen to you. If it did, you wouldn't be able to have a conversation alone in a coffee shop.
I know the classic advice is to just ask questions, but that doesn't always work. Especially if you already know about the person. And I can't ask "how is your week going?" because a lot of times I don't get a response. How am I supposed to respond to "Fine"?
I've started taking anxiety medication to help. It doesn't magically give me the ability to spin up conversation, but it does help me relax when I sit with someone and don't say anything. At least I'll look cool and mysterious being silent in my corner, instead of screaming "I HAVE AUTISM" as I pull conversation topics from my grab-bag of aspergers.

Many people around the world are suffering from this condition called Glaucoma. It is actually a group of vision related conditions that can lead to vision loss and blindness, and is caused by an increase in pressure inside the eye, which damages the optic nerve. This nerve is responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain. Those suffering from this may need to wear sunglasses in Sri Lanka when going outdoors or even order specific contact lenses online or spectacles online in Sri Lanka in order to be able to see better, when the condition gets progressive.
Glaucoma is often referred to as the "silent thief of sight" because it has no early symptoms and vision loss can occur slowly over time. Risk factors for developing it include age, family history, high intraocular pressure, and certain health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Regular exams are required for this condition, especially if you have a family history of it, and prompt treatment to slow or prevent further vision loss.
Glaucoma can have a significant impact on a person's daily life. Depending on the severity and progression of the disease, individuals with this condition may experience:
● Difficulty with daily activities such as reading, driving, or watching TV.
● Increased dependence on others for help with daily activities.
● Decreased ability to participate in hobbies and leisure activities.
● Reduced quality of life and increased anxiety or depression.
In advanced stages of the disease, individuals may experience significant vision loss and blindness, which can greatly affect their independence and ability to perform daily activities.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
The symptoms of glaucoma vary depending on the type, but some of the most common symptoms include:
● Gradual loss of peripheral (side) vision.
● Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision).
● Halos around lights.
● Blurred vision.
● Pain and redness of the eye (this is generally a symptom in acute angle-closure glaucoma, a rare type).
In many cases, the condition has no symptoms at all in the early stages and vision loss can occur slowly over time. This is why regular exams are important to detect it early. In some cases, it can even cause sudden vision loss, which is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.
What are the treatment options for people with Glaucoma?
The treatment for glaucoma depends on the type and severity of the condition. Some common treatment methods include:
● Medications: Medicated drops, pills, or ointments that help reduce pressure inside the eye.
● Laser therapy: A non-invasive procedure that uses a laser to improve the outflow of fluid and lower pressure.
● Surgery: In more severe cases, surgery may be needed to create a new channel for fluid to drain or to remove part of the its drainage system.
● Monitoring: In some cases, regular monitoring of the eye pressure and optic nerve may be all that is needed, especially in early stages of the disease.
It is important to follow the treatment plan prescribed by your eye doctor, as the goal of treatment is to slow or prevent further vision loss. In some cases, vision loss from glaucoma cannot be reversed, but treatment can help to slow or prevent additional loss of sight.
What can you do to prevent Glaucoma?
There is no sure way to prevent this eye condition, but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk:
● Regular exams: During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor will assess your risk for the disease and perform tests to evaluate the health of your eyes and optic nerve. If it is detected early, your doctor can begin treatment to reduce the pressure inside your eye and slow or prevent further vision loss.
● Control other health conditions: Managing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease can help reduce your risk of getting it.
● Protect your eyes: Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or participating in other activities that put your vision at risk.
● Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol can help reduce your risk of glaucoma and other health problems.
● Know your family history: If you have a family history of glaucoma, be sure to inform your doctor and consider having more frequent examinations.
It is important to talk to your eye doctor about your individual risk for glaucoma and what steps you can take to reduce your risk. Early detection and prompt treatment are key to preserving vision and preventing loss of sight from this condition.
What are the eye exams required to detect Glaucoma?
A comprehensive exam is the best way to detect glaucoma. During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor will perform several tests to assess the health of your eyes and evaluate your risk, including:
● Measurement of intraocular pressure: This is the pressure inside the eye and is one of the most important factors in diagnosing this condition.
● Visual field testing: This test measures your peripheral vision to check for blind spots, which can indicate damage to the optic nerve from glaucoma.
● Optic nerve head evaluation: Your doctor will examine the optic nerve head to look for signs of damage or changes, which can indicate glaucoma.
● Pachymetry: This test measures the thickness of the cornea, which can affect the accuracy of intraocular pressure measurements.
● Fundus photography: This test takes a photograph of the back of the eye to document the appearance of the optic nerve and blood vessels.
Your doctor may also perform other tests, such as gonioscopy or optical coherence tomography (OCT), to further evaluate your risk for glaucoma and monitor its progression.
Glaucoma is a progressive disease that can cause vision loss over time, but with early detection and prompt treatment, it is possible to slow the progression of the disease and preserve vision. It is important to have regular comprehensive ocular exams, especially if you are at increased risk for the disease, to ensure early detection and prompt treatment. If you have a family history of glaucoma, high eye pressure, or other risk factors, it is especially important to have regular exams to monitor your eye health and detect any changes.
Don’t forget that your vision is one of your most important assets; preserve it!

I am in a general coach in the afternoon during the peak of summer, heading to the university for some paperwork related to my medical degree. There is no place to sit or even stand for that matter. People are fighting for space, and Bhojpuri songs are playing on the speaker.
A woman offered me a seat, but there are already five people sitting, so they adjusted themselves to make room. I am now sitting, but my ass barely touch the seat.
On the other hand, there is a middle-aged man selling khaman. His shirt is completely soaked with sweat, and he uses a napkin to wipe his hands and sweat, using the same hand to serve the khaman. At some point, I will reach home and only have to endure this for a day, but he has to do it every day. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I were born in similar conditions. Would I be doing the same thing? Could any choice, action, or hard work have changed this outcome for me? Is suffering just a random occurrence without logic or reason? Am I truly that helpless? Or perhaps he is happier than me with all that he has. Maybe he is content. It is me who sees suffering because I am suffering.
With these thoughts, staring into nothingness, sweating profusely with the noise and frustration of the people around me. But suddenly, for a few seconds or minutes, I feel a sense of calm inside. I have accepted myself, my suffering, my frustrations, and my helplessness, if only for a brief moment. I am still in discomfort, but there is a sense of tranquility. Right now, I don't want anything; I don't want to go anywhere. I simply wish to sit here for an eternity, if possible, with this stillness. In this state, there are no thoughts, no emotions, no ambitions, no goals, and no hunger for more. My mind is blank, and I feel free. I am at peace.
I understand it may sound like bs, but I felt what I felt. I have experienced this sensation briefly while meditating, but in this environment, it felt strange. However, I have come to realize that peace has nothing to do with your surroundings, circumstances, thoughts, fate, or your physical body.
Peace is not something you will magically find on a mountaintop or through specific yogic poses. If you are ready, you will find it anywhere, even in the most unexpected places.