Good morning honey gif

I'm grateful for the fact that Hogwarts Legacy gives me something I've always wanted: the coziness and good feelings of being in Hogwarts and the surrounding area. It's beautiful.
That being said, it misses the mark on so many OTHER things I've always wanted in a Wizarding World game, and I realized that somehow many of them were solved by/done better in Persona 5, of all things. If Hogwarts Legacy had merged it's storyline/graphics with some of Persona's systems, the game would be mind-blowingly good.
Daytime Management: I hate that you have the quest "Attend Herbology" all day and all night for as many days as you leave it there. It feels fake and unrealistic and takes me out of the immersive experience. One thing Persona did great is that it structured your school day such that you had to attend classes during the morning/afternoon, and it gave you the opportunity to work jobs on certain hours and on certain days. It had a "sims" element to it that I think really would've benefitted Hogwarts: Legacy. Another idea, rather than the structured "you have to be in class" format that Persona offers would be to simply have a day with a live clock: Herbology is at 10am, e.g., and you're welcome to skip it and go adventure instead if you like -- but you miss that class' lesson and might get a talking to when you get back. That way it really has the feeling of attending classes, going to lunch with friends, attending clubs after school, and for God's sake -- sleeping every night in your bed!! It felt obvious to me that we'd wake up most mornings in our bedroom and leave via our common room. Sure, some nights we might be up late, or out in the wild, or somewhere away from the castle entirely, but I felt un-immersed (is that a word?) that we could just stay up 24 hours a day, for 2000 days on end, and rarely have to return to our bedroom.
Companions: How did Persona do better at this than Hogwarts: Legacy? We can go on a few adventures with a few students/professors, but often they won't otherwise talk to you or interact with you, and you may never see some of them again. I'd much prefer the "Confidante" system from Persona in which there are many teachers/students/non-Hogwarts people you might meet, and by choosing to spend more time with them (maybe, choosing to take them on a quest with you), you "level up" with them, increasing certain bonuses when travelling with them as a friend (one friend is great at potions! Another negotiates better prices in Hogsmeade! Etc). This means that some characters may remain unexplored and others might attain "best friend" status... but it's a little more under your control (and adds to replayability).
One random complaint that isn't a Persona comparison, necessarily: the world feels really superficial and un-lived in at times. When you eat a handful of nuts or an apple, it's... really unsatsifying. Nuts go flying randomly out of the bowl and we're to assume our character has eaten some. It feels very 2002 PS2-level graphics when they could've taken the extra time to put a hand to their mouth, show them with full cheeks, saying "Mmm!", etc. One of my favorite feelings in the books was reading about their great feasts and midnight snacks, and that whole feeling was lost and incredibly superficial in the game. Not to mention the lack of available conversations or interactions with a world full of people during the days and nights... here, I think of Witcher III which felt incredibly bustling, alive, and lived-in.
I recognize that no game can be everything (except Witcher III, which is near-perfect)(oh, and Persona 5 Royal, which is near-perfect)... but I would've loved it if Hogwarts: Legacy had pulled off a game that was likewise near-perfect in that way that makes it an unimpeachable classic. For you angry apologists, I totally get that CD Projekt Red got to make Witchers I and II and that Atlus got to make Personas prior to producing such excellent products... so I of course have hope for future improvements! But the game felt a bit flat for me, and I wanted so many more feelings of comfort, fun, thrill, and comeradeship from this game than it gave me -- despite being really beautiful, points there for sure.

We are Azure Infinitum
Visit us at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/)
You may have seen us in the Aether data center's party finder during our weekly events, or may have seen our recruitment shouts around the realm in-game in Midgardsormr, but there just isn't enough space in those places to really explain everything wonderful about what our Free Company and community is.
Azure Infinitum is an LGBTQ+ friendly community, and welcomes players of all experience level, play style, and availability. We're a warm home with a balance of online players, weekly optional activities, and flexible ranks from our membership, to our support & leadership categories. We have a 24/7 Support Team, a Councilship that governs each tier, seasonal events of our own, and many resources between the games we support and online services.
Who We Are
We are an established 9-year old community who's home is in Midgardsormr Server of Final Fantasy XIV. We are a structured, well-rounded, welcoming, friendly, and organized community that hosts daily events (check out our calendar: https://azureinfinitum.com/events/ ) that provide opportunity for members to excel. We work to provide an arena and opportunities to establish strong bonds and camaraderie between our members. As a community we are driven, we carry each other forward, and we are proud.
Our Name & Philosophy
Learn more about our global community here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/aboutus/)
Learn more about our FFXIV Free Company here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/ourffxivfc/)
Azure Infinitum means "Azure/Blue Infinity or Infinite Blue/Azure" and there is some mythos behind the name that stems from our guild-wide philosophy of kindness, freedom, vigilance, diversity and activity. We promote positive fellowship among members in an organized guild, with our sights open to our unending endless skies, full of possibility and success together.
Our motto is "As Free As The Azure Sky!" which stuck well when our FC was restructured from an old guild in 2014 as Azure was founded, and it was first shouted as we looked out at a clear blue sky above. has continued to be our electric victory as we continue to snowball in success and activity, our members soaring high through the Azure Sky, flying together!
Ranks
Click here to learn more about our community ranks: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/ranks/)
Our community has an organized ranking structure beginning with Members who comprise the majority of the roster. Scouts are our support team of Members who've stepped up to more officially support the FC, some work on obtaining a future leadership rank. Lieutenants and Officers comprise the proud Azure Council, a diverse group of players of different specialties and services to the FC, making up lower and higher tier leadership, seeing over the Scouts and the FC weekly events, aside from being admins. The FC Infinitum Master oversees all and leads the Azure Council and the company forward while always keeping the heart and vision of the community alive and in sight. Currently we are re-assessing ranks in the free company, giving more support permissions and duties to our Scouts, while the current council operates as a small team of Lieutenants lead by the FC Master.
Everyone Welcome and Who Fits Best
We have an open door policy. Whether you're casual, a returning player, a veteran, or a newbie, we have a vast array of players in our member roster. Our weekly schedule is organized and provides an array of activity for players of most levels, however we like to ask players who're pretty new or under the level cap, to be extra vocal about their needs while they're still unable to attend some daily events or higher level content that most of our weekly lineup focuses on. We want everyone to have as much fun as possible and have the most success. We find that most players enjoy Azure Infinitum, many have stated that they subscribed to FFXIV much longer than they ever would have imagined after they have been around in our community, as they've gotten involved and experienced all that we offer.
Our FC keeps a daily schedule (see here: https://www.azureinfinitum.com/events/) of events that are hosted by permitted Scouts and Council ranks, these range from 8-man and 24-man raids and map parties, to WT journal groups and trial clear parties or farms, and more- and attending anything isn't mandatory at all here. We're happy to have you, and its up to our members how much they'd like to get involved. Attendance is optional! There's never any stress to attend FC functions.
Savage Raiding Statement
We find that some hardcore raiders looking for free companies just to join their statics who don't already have one, might not fit well if savage raiding is their only or greatest focus, because traditionally Azure does not have a Savage Static, but focuses more on allowing members to organize their own groups and also provides resources to do so. Despite not supporting an official static for the FC, we hope that hardcore raiders enjoy the wealth of our community's wealth of harmony and overall fun, and that everyone may take initiative to seek out or build a raiding static within our community if they are interested, as opposed to missing out on experiencing Azure. Depending on the content season, we may have an Unofficial static lead by a leader, and routinely offer limited time Savage-learning events that may run for a number of months.
Rules and No Drama Policy
Please take a moment to look over our Rules Page at (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/rules/), we find that rude individuals and people who create drama are the outsiders here that don't fit well. We know its a big page, so at least visit the General Rules section before joining.
Recruitment Care & Activity
People of Azure Infinitum are often if not always good natured players who found their way to our community looking for a place with structure, friendliness, organization, and great activity, or they've been scouted during recruitment drives and have been well screened. Its a place where one can be social and attend everything, or relax in the background and enjoy the services and facilities of being in an active, organized, and friendly FC. We actively recruit periodically to assist with upkeep of community activity levels, and to meet new comrades. A community that closes recruitment can be doomed to stagnation. Its normal for a community to have an inner core of die hards who log in daily regardless of content releases, and also have an outer core of individuals that range from those with less availability to those who check in during Patches. This is why we take extra care in keeping the fresh blood flowing into Azure, cautious recruitment, and support our active model by always staying welcoming and sometimes running recruitment campaigns and other services. Like this ad!
Handling Online Drama
Because we keep a no-drama policy and have a strong communication network, it is leadership's ultimate priority to handle any issues that may come up as soon as possible, and most people appreciate our problem solving which has inspired many other communities. Between our Support & Leadership ranks, we use a number of report and resource channels to handle situations, and perform problem solving protocols & tactics to fairly address issues as possible. Drama is inevitable at some point for any online community, so its important to have a large and strong list of moderators (currently around 60!) and a council of leaders (15+) to quickly handle any problems. Luckily, we don't have a lot of drama, but we're always very well equipped and very prepared. Our community has been commended by game staff in the past for our methods, and we have worked with the FFXIV Special Task Force to ensure as much safety to our community as achievable. It should be stressed that it is up to our membership to report to GM's in-game, and to Azure Leadership should any issues or concerns come up. Its also highly recommended that our members appropriately document evidence that can be used to help us assess situations and make proper decisions. Documenation such as screenshots of harassment is a great example! Our members online safety is greatly important to us and is a number one concern of our leadership team. Our Rules Page at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/rules/) describes a bit more in Chapter 3, including other entries on avoiding/ignoring trolls, playing while intoxicated, depression, and more.
Our Philosophy
We believe in our community and its people, how far we can go, how much we can do for each other, being an experienced community who's core values are positive fellowship, formation of bonds, and indomitable unity.
Azure Infinitum tightly grasps success and masters a casual and lucrative weekly play schedule while inspiring motivation and providing avenues for further success, friendships, and camaraderie among all who freely fly together among our Azure skies.
Founding on the principles of intricately forging a generally drama-free experience with keen leadership and a zealous and mighty membership, Azure has striven to guide and support many hundreds of players through every era of Final Fantasy XIV.
With an illustrious history, company lore, impressive statistics, and a model that is adaptable and blessed with innovative ability, Azure Infinitum claims a dominant presence of excellence and player growth that is possible in our community and extended services.
Estate Organization
We have the entire set-up at our estate, from gardens for members and Krakka Root production (free for members' chocobos), to our stables, nicely uniform clean lawn with hangout spots that are popular, with crafting stations, all available NPCs for simple mats and repairs, cut-scene viewer, toybox, triple-triad board, a fully operational and geared fleet of airships and subs, and our Azure Infinitum Assembly Chamber on the top floor for our meetings where announcements are made at our Grand Assemblies. Check it out if you like at Mist Ward 7 Plot 1.
We also have an organized form of gathering for weekly events in the yard, places to relax, food that is always available on tables at our Cellar, and hold a lot of special events and social games at our Hall. We're also conveniently located next to a Market Board and a Retainer Bell outside of our estate.
Communication and Extended Azure Services
We have multiple services of which none are mandatory, but we provide being (azureinfinitum.com) where our Forums, Event Calendar, News, Company Meeting Summaries, Seasonal Merch Giveaways, Contests, Rules Page, and more take place and can be found. We also have a popular and active Discord Server.
We also have a Facebook Group, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Steam Group, (Look us up! Or visit: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/socialmedia/) and Linkshells like our Infinitum Alliance LS for contact and aid from our allies if needed, our Azure Hunters LS for Hunters, and our Azure Industry LS which connects our members to our inner crafting/gathering community for newbies to pros.
Also worthy of mention is our big Company Meetings in-game, known as Azure Infinitum Grand Assemblies. Even though we have several avenues that keep people connected, our live assemblies gather the FC in unity where announcements are made first, and all proposals, ideas, and more, can be decided together live with the Azure Council present.
This network ensures a lot of information and communication gets around and has been exceedingly useful to us.
More On Events
One part of our reputation that often precedes us is our event crafting and hosting.
First, let me make sure its clear that attendance is never mandatory, but those who can make use, when possible, of what we provide each day, benefit from our events each week.
Since our beginning, traditions like our Thursday Treasure Thursdays events have run each week. Our weekly line-up presently begins on Tuesdays post-weekly reset, and consists of Raid Tuesdays, Wondrous Wednesdays (WT Journal Parties, often doubles as Trial Clears and Pony Drops), Treasure Thursdays (Endwalker's timeworn maps with groups of 8 doing up to 3 rounds of maps allowing for up to 24 maps ran), 24-Man Tuesdays (full pre-formed Azure 24-member alliances are made and raids are cleared, will be returning upon the release of EW's 24-man), Super Azure Slayer Sunday (our weekly meetup to do all sorts of PVP content be it Rival Wings or Frontline), and Monstrous Mondays (helps clear the current and previous patch extreme trials).
Special, Seasonal, and Quarterly Events
More info here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/azureday/)See the latest event news & more at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/news/)
We also have what we call Special and Quarterly Events. These types of events are Weekend-Long-Events that usually consist of a theme or celebratory social events we craft. During these events we hold big Riddle Races, Costume/Glamour shows and contests, 3-Story Mansion Maze Races, Speedrun Dungeon Races, Hide and Seek games, Custom Quest Events, Discord events like Cards Against Humanity nights, Comedy events, PVP Tournament Circuits, and more.
Our Special and Quarterly events are Azure Day Weekend (Takes place 3 times a year across a weekend, celebrates the FC), Azure Summer Festival (3-days at the end of August in partnership with Child's Play, raises money for children in long-term care, anniversary of historic FC event called the Lunar Rebellion), Anniversary Azure Day (a big weekend event in November that celebrates our Founding), Azure Day Saint's Wake (celebrates Halloween/All Saint's Wake), Azure Starlight Day (celebrating Starlight Day/Christmas/December Holiday Season), Azure Grand Melee and Duel Tournaments (PVP Circuit series crowning our PVP Champions) and more.
Azure Day Weekends
If you've been around our server you may have heard of our Azure Day Weekends. Our Azure Days take place quarterly as mentioned just above, with four evolved editions called Azure Summer Festival, Azure Day Saint's Wake, Azure Starlight Day, and Anniversary Azure Day. With Azure Day Weekends and related events traditionally occuring quarterly our members are always excited to see the next big weekend of crazy and fun social games, and our showering of the free company in gil and prizes galore. We go all out when we celebrate the free company, and Azure Days are another way we find for leadership to give back to the community. 2023 and beyond is now host to additional seasonal Azure Day events!
We're always giving our members a chance to have fun, win big, and make some great memories in the in-game family we've become. Something fun is always on the horizon in Azure.
Community
I almost can't stress enough how friendly our community is. We have a vast variety of members from hardcore gatherers and crafters, social butterflies, chill veterans, experienced raiders, level grinders, support teams, PVP aficionados, mechanic specialists, and mentors. We're also very friendly to all casual players as well and we keep an open door so long as recruits are always aware that we have a no-drama tolerance here.
​Evolution into a Gaming Clan & Network
Plans are in the works and foundations are being laid that is slowly turning our community into a larger gaming network, with our first established Azure Wing with regular occurring activity being founded in Monster Hunter World, this has led to a successful Destiny 2 clan and more. Becoming a member of our Discord and/or Free Company now means access to things like our huge discord, Azure Wing membership in other games, and being able to join in on any of our other activities in the general community. Azure Network as its being called at the moment, is growing with an all-new website and community features for playing together across Final Fantasy XIV and to Azure Skies beyond!
Activity
We rank high as one of the top FC's in Worldwide Activity on lodestone, and have for a long time. Most of our players are divided between the US East and West Coasts, members in East and West Canada, and a few outside the US or in EU or Aus zones. Because we do have an activity policy (mentioned below) we keep a standard flow of people, and have crowds in the early morning, late morning, early afternoon, afternoon, evening, and late night crowds.
Elitism isn't our style. Our community boasts a broad range of characters, great personalities, the proud, and also some silly goofs. But elitism isn't welcome, no matter how successful we are or how large we grow. We're always welcoming towards fresh faces interested in joining our guild, and the in-game activity ranges between 30-60+ online at once during prime time hours, sometimes around 70+ on patch days, and usually always with half the roster logging in throughout a 24 hour period, and around 15-30+ during the night.
Activity Policy
We ask that our members do not go missing without logging in for more than 60 days straight. If we hear word from someone or have some kind of decent excuse, we place our members on our On Vacation rank, which lasts presently until 90 days have passed. Exceptions are made for military deployments, hospital stays, financial issues, disability/health related issues, moving, or other reasons that might fall on a case-by-case basis.
All members not heard from in 60 days (roughly 2 months) or currently 90 days (roughly 3 months) are discharged. We allow 3 joins to Azure Infinitum in total, but exceptions can be made due to reasons listed above. If removed for inactivity, or you've left our FC for another reason and haven't already joined 3 times, you're always welcome back, but please remember, we are not a revolving door.
Keeping our roster full of members who have been online and presently play the game actively ensures an active environment for our players who play often. It also keeps our credits and clerical processes balanced across our network, and allows space for new faces to join our big happy in-game family of comrades.
How to Join
Quick Instructions here for joinin us in FFXIV & more: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/howtojoinazure/)
If you are interested in joining our Azure Infinitum free company, please register an application at our site and/or FC in-game. You can also seek any of our Scouts, Lieutenants, Officers, or the Master of Azure Infinitum in-game and ask for an invite. You can find their names on the roster page at our website.
If you read everything on this page, you are awesome, and you should let anyone you talk to who recruits you know that you read everything on this page which will greatly expedite your invitation to join.
If you have any questions whatsoever feel free to send a /tell in-game to me or any of our Scouts or Lieutenants listed on our official roster here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/freecompany/9232519973597911137/membe
You can also message us at our FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AzureInfinitum
Discord here: https://discord.gg/azureinfinitum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/azureinfinitum
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/azure_infinitum/
Main Site: https://www.azureinfinitum.com/

Hey there reddit!
I am trying to apply for a Business development representative (BDSDR) job in the USA (I am a citizen).
My questions are:
1) On my current resume, for some of the companies I previously applied to, I did not mention the company I was working for (Ie: I tried to apply to Google in October, but didn't mention that I worked for my current company for around 4 months). The reason why I did this was because, originally, I didn't think I was going to stay (I was hired as a BDR at this company as soon as I turned 18, was trained during the summer, before heading to college in D.C). I had to leave college because of my father's health condition and went back to work effective January of 2022.
A) What would I do here? Should I still apply to these companies? What would happen if I were to apply to one of these companies and they were to note that my current resume is different (not mentioning prior experience) to my previous resume?
B) Would I have a chance to explain to the company (via phone call or email) the reason i didn't mention my prior work experience after they, lets say, reject my application because they think I am lying (would that make a difference, post rejection)? How about if were to (or should) mention it to a recruiter during an interview, assuming they didn't notice the change (how would they react)?
2) I used to work on a large family YouTube channel centered in the Middle East. I had worked there for 2 years. In those 2 years, I had grown it from 1.6 million subs to 3.4 million subs and by 100 million views. I had decided to resign due to ethical issues and, with that, they are unwilling to provide verification of my work. Notably, I wasn't paid a salary and they are centered in Jordan.
A) How would I go about including this information on either my resume or in an interview? Should I? I am worried that I might include this info and then, when verification time comes around, I will be flagged for not being able to verify my experience!
B) I did apply to a few companies with this on my prior resumes. With that in mind, What would happen here? Will I ever be asked questions about why I didn't include this on my current resume, be seen as suspicious, or be required to have this experience verified?
3) I was speaking to a recruiter Thursday morning when she gave me an email that prompted me to include my resume so that she can submit it to a company. I wasn't able to submit it Thursday or throughout the weekend due to a family emergency. I still need to make edits (the information gathered from this post) and then plan to post it on Monday morning.
A) Do you think I still have a chance of being taken seriously or having the recruiter understand why I was late to submit my resume? What should I say or do?
4) Assuming I don't include my picture (or job title near my name), does this look like a good resume template for someone interested in a BDR tech job on the West coast? How about any BDR job (not tech) in the U.S?
A) https://www.canva.com/p/templates/EAFIBif6GP0-blue-white-retro-copywriter-resume/
Thank you all for your responses, I can't wait to read and respond back!

Maya's heart was racing as she ran through the dark streets, her eyes darting around for any sign of danger. The entire military and every law enforcement officer in the country would be looking for her right about now and she knew without a single doubt they'd find her. But for now, none of that mattered. She had to find Anika Medhas before it was too late.
Of course it was raining. Maya was used to bad luck. The military had all the high-tech gear, including specialized weaponry, night vision equipment, and helicopters. All she had was a lack of coordination that had nearly gotten her killed before all of this. Now, she was caught in the middle of this mess, with nothing but her wits to keep her alive.
It was a funny thing, luck. Maya's bad luck is what got her in this situation to begin with. Her parents deciding that they didn't want her and putting her into the foster system? Bad luck. Walking into that school building at seven-thirty in the morning? Bad luck. Her subsequent departure from that school building in federal custody? Bad luck. In fact, every bad thing that happened to her seemed like it happened not because of her own faults, but because of her terrible luck.
She didn't ask to be an orphan. She didn't ask to be arrested for a crime she didn't commit. She didn't ask to be sentenced to death. And she certainly didn't ask to be a pawn in a war she barely understood. But, here she was, fleeing the highest security prison in the country to deliver a message to the rebellion. Hopefully, the madness would end, but Maya knew it was too much to ask for it to be in her lifetime.
As the helicopter blades grew louder, she crouched behind a pile of garbage bags, her stomach churning at the stench of rot that surrounded her. The city was a wasteland, a place where poverty and decay had left their mark on every building and every street. She had to move quickly, but the garbage bags were her only cover.
She held her nose and tried to breathe through her mouth, but the smell was overpowering. It was a sickly-sweet odor, like something that had been left to fester in the sun for days. She could feel the maggots crawling over her skin, and she had to fight the urge to scream. Any noise would certainly mean her death, so she kept her mouth shut and let the tears stream silently down her face.
Just as she thought she couldn't bear the stench of the garbage any longer, Maya heard a sudden silence fall over the world around her. She dared to peek out from behind the sludge and saw that the aircraft was gone. For a moment, she felt a sense of relief. But as she listened to the distant wail of sirens, she knew that danger still lurked around every corner. She took a deep breath and prepared to move on, her heart pounding in her chest.
Maya moved through the debris with surprising ease. The rubble and broken concrete around her made it difficult for anyone to follow her movements. She hoped that she’d soon be able to spot the residential districts in the distance, where she'd be able to blend in and disappear. She repeated the address over and over in her mind, committing it to memory. 151 Second Street, Residential District 3. The streets were empty, and the only sounds were the crunching of her boots on the concrete and faint sirens in the distance. She felt a sense of urgency, knowing that every second counted and any moment she could be detained.
Maya's thoughts drifted to the inner zones, the place she had always dreamed of living. The idea of having plenty of food and a cozy home was almost too good to be true. She remembered running away from her group home years ago just to catch a glimpse of them. Those RD’s were reserved for the wealthy and connected, and Maya had neither of those things. She had no money and no one to turn to except her prison buddies, who were more like people she had to sleep next to hope and that they didn’t kill her than friends. The thought of living in the inner zones was like a fantasy, something that could never be possible for someone like her.
Maya couldn't help but wonder how Anika managed to live in RD 3 and have ties to the rebellion while her mother was locked up in the Penitentiary District, facing certain death. But she pushed those thoughts aside. It wasn't her place to question the specifics of Anika's life. All she needed to do was find the girl, pass on the message, and then she could die in peace. That was the deal she had made, and she intended to keep her end of the bargain. She had to keep her thoughts clear, any distraction could get her killed. She was determined to see this through, no matter what.
Maya never thought she'd reach a point where all she wanted was a peaceful death, but that day had finally come. Instead of facing the public execution that had been scheduled for her 18th birthday, she was determined to die on her own terms. She was trying to make the world a better place, or at least that's what she told herself. She knew that what she was doing was dangerous, but it was also important. She hoped that her actions would make a difference, that they would help to bring about change. In the end, that was all that really mattered. She was going to die anyways, why not bring an empire on it’s knees in the process?
Maya couldn't help but wonder how Anika's mother had looked her in the eyes and chosen her to deliver the message to her daughter. Isis had planned this for eight months, under the heaviest scrutiny, and so far, everything was going according to plan. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special about her that had caught Isis's attention. She wondered what it was that had made her stand out from their cell mates. She knew that she had to focus on the task at hand, but the question lingered in her mind. She couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity about what made her so special.
She was the youngest person she’d ever heard of sentenced to death. Maybe that’s why Isis thought she’d be a good fit? Her stature was smaller compared to her adult cohabitants, so maybe Isis thought she’d be able to remain undetected better than anyone else?
Whatever. It didn’t matter, Maya told herself with a scowl. It was just her desperation for paternal affection reminding Maya of the hole in heart. Nothing to dwell over. Their were lives at stake, for crying out loud.
Maya walked through broken glass and heaps of garbage that littered the area. It was no wonder that this place had become home to the worst offenders - traitors, killers, and the like. The place was barely habitable for any kind of civilized being. The stench of the garbage mixed with the muggy scent of the polluted rain, making it even more unpleasant. Maya couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust at the sight and smell of the place.
She walked cautiously through the rubble of the Penitentiary District. The buildings around her were nothing more than piles of debris, and the stench of decay hung heavily in the air. She stepped carefully, her boots crunching on the broken concrete. As she moved further away from the district, the debris thinned out, and she could see the residential districts in the distance. They were like a beacon, a promise of safety and comfort.

So this all started back in 2019 before covid, me and the ex started the process for divorce. Now when we initially split up she decided on this very restrictive schedule for me to spend time with my kids, i didn't have a lawyer at the time and i was so fragile and distraught from the entire ordeal, finding out she cheated on me, kicking me out of the apartment etc. So i just agreed because i didn't know any better and was emotionally a mess. The schedule i had was (looking back on it) an absolute joke it was Week 1. 5pm-7pm Wednesdays Week 2 Friday 5pm-sunday 5pm
That's it, after several months of this and therapy on my side, i got the strength and money to get a lawyer, and we fought for a more fair schedule, we managed to get me an extra day, so week 1 we added overnights on Thursday, not the best but it was something. I am not going to go into all the other details of the divorce but essentially at this point i had finally moved to my own apartment (2bedroom so the kids could have their own room) and i was getting my mental health in a much better spot as time went on so i started to fight her more for more time. We had to attend mediation which we did not agree to anything, then i requested a GAL to get involved. The court initially refused my request for more time since we had been on the current schedule for a while. So per my request the GAL got involved, did home visits and established that my place is fine, the kids love me, i love the kids, there bonded to me, and i provide a good/safe/healthy environment. So she put in a recommendation that i get more time. so the schedule i got, and have been on for nearly 2 years now is
Week 1 Wed 5pm-friday 9am Week 2 Thursday 5pm-sunday 5pm +vacation and birthday/holiday schedules
Which is a lot better, but its still not really what i wanted but i had to accept it and just move on. over the past 18 months i have been taking every opportunity for more time with the kids that come up, sometimes she will ask me if i can watch them an extra day for w/e reason, sometimes its a logistics reason to make life easier etc, i tracked this data until..well even now, i did this so i could prove to the court that there is no issues with me having time, and i actively seek time out. There is no safety issues or concerns from her, otherwise why would she be agreeing so much to give me random days here and there. Now we lived in the same city so logistics were not to bad, but then early last year she moved about 45 min away, so now the kids had to go to school 45 min away from me when they were with me. Since she is listed as "primary" cause there needs to be 1 i had to adjust things to include 45 min to school in the morning, 45 min home to get to work, then 45 min to pick them up, and 45 min home. i had to do this only 2.5 times every 2 week cycle (since she would pick them up on week 1 Fridays)... so needless to say this was very hard.
i decided to save up and move closer to the kids, i found a house and moved so im only 10 min (with traffic) from my kids so the schedule is alot easier to maintain logistics, as well as nearly doubling my living space and having 3 bedrooms so each kids gets their own room + a play room, and a basement.
So in feb of this year i pulled the trigger on taking us back to court so i could get more time with the kids, i want an even 50/50 and there is no reason why i shouldn't be able. The fact that i have been seeking extra time and getting it by her either asking me directly, or me asking her and she agrees, as well as me moving 40 min away to be closer to them, +upgrading my place for the 2nd time to make sure they have enough room was enough to get it started. Now we had to go through mediation (again) of which i knew we would not agree but its a necessary stage to get to the court date, which is on tuesday. I am seeking a true 5050, which equals out to 1 more overnight/week. She did counter offer my request with more time with the kids, but its not consistent, its 1 more week of summer vaca/extra days here and there when the kids dont have school the next day for some reason, it averages out to half of what im asking so if this fails at the very least i should be able to get that as back up, but there really is no reason why i shouldn't be able to get more time with my kids, hopefully this is the last time i need to go through the court systems for stuff like this, but i will continue to fight the good fight in order to spend more time with my kids.

can someone pls help me establish a good routine, morning and nighttime. I have sorta sensitive skin but not that bad. And not too expensive plssss. Need moisturizer( nighttime and daytime that will go well under a sunscreen) a good sunscreen that doesn’t peel or have a cast, serums? Toners ? Allllll the things. Thank you so much in advance ❤️🩵

I know how everyone here feels about design tests, but when given one during an interview process and you end up proceeding with it, how do you complete it? As in, do you follow their rules/instructions and be as creative as possible? Or do you make something that looks just like something the company would make/use? The reason I ask this is because I recently finished interviewing with a company for a graphic designer role. It was 4 rounds - screening, 1.5 hour panel interview with a “live” task that I only had 30 minutes to complete, a “take home” design test and then final interview with the CEO.
I found out a little over a week later after the final interview, I was not selected. I asked for feedback and I got feedback alright (which was a relief, because I ask for it every time I do not get an offer and 99% of the time get the generic “we went with someone else who has more experience”) This was proper feedback. Besides the part where I was not “organic” enough, the part that stuck out to me was what I did for the design test. Clearly it was good enough for me to pass and get the final interview, but with the feedback given about the design test it makes it sound like I didn’t go about it the right way. The hiring managemarketing director said several other candidates took the time to review their magazine and other collateral on their website to align their take-home test more closely to their brand. My skill-level and speed made me stand out, but what other candidates did outshined me. The test was to make a 4 page spread with the 3rd page using a supplied ad. The directions were to be creative, use supplied ad, fonts, and copy, use at least one picture related to the copy and make sure the tone/vibe was business professional as that’s their audience. I did exactly what they asked for. Even asked for opinions about it from my designer friends and they thought it looked great, but I did not look at their magazine content first because I didn’t want to accidentally copy/mimic it as that’s how I always approach design tests. It’s about being creative? After finishing it though and before submitting, I did take a look at their content more and noticed what I made was pretty similar to their magazine and worried about if I should change what I made. Instead I submitted it.
I’m now wondering if I should’ve made my test even more like their company standards or if I did what I could. I tried, but I guess not hard enough. Based on the feedback, why even invite me to the final interview? Just don’t invite me back. I hate design tests with a passion, but I know if I don’t do them I’ll lose out on an opportunity. I just hate wasting my time. I have another interview with a different company tomorrow morning (it’s the interview after screening) and it’s in person. A design test will be involved after this round. Then I have a final interview with the VP of another company Tuesday afternoon (passed design test round for that company). Really hoping either of these companies will result in an offer, as I have been trying for nearly a year since I’ve been out of FT work (freelance and PT job not enough) but wondering if for future design tests for other job opportunities I need to approach them differently.
TL;DR: Do you follow a companies rules/instructions for a design test and be as creative as possible? Or do you make something that looks just like something the company would make/use? I do a little of both, but lean more on following rules/instructions and be as creative as possible.

Hey there reddit!
I am trying to apply for a Business development representative (BDSDR) job in the USA (I am a citizen).
My questions are:
1) On my current resume, for some of the companies I previously applied to, I did not mention the company I was working for (Ie: I tried to apply to Google in October, but didn't mention that I worked for my current company for around 4 months). The reason why I did this was because, originally, I didn't think I was going to stay (I was hired as a BDR at this company as soon as I turned 18, was trained during the summer, before heading to college in D.C). I had to leave college because of my father's health condition and went back to work effective January of 2022.
A) What would I do here? Should I still apply to these companies? What would happen if I were to apply to one of these companies and they were to note that my current resume is different (not mentioning prior experience) to my previous resume?
B) Would I have a chance to explain to the company (via phone call or email) the reason i didn't mention my prior work experience after they, lets say, reject my application because they think I am lying (would that make a difference, post rejection)? How about if were to (or should) mention it to a recruiter during an interview, assuming they didn't notice the change (how would they react)?
2) I used to work on a large family YouTube channel centered in the Middle East. I had worked there for 2 years. In those 2 years, I had grown it from 1.6 million subs to 3.4 million subs and by 100 million views. I had decided to resign due to ethical issues and, with that, they are unwilling to provide verification of my work. Notably, I wasn't paid a salary and they are centered in Jordan.
A) How would I go about including this information on either my resume or in an interview? Should I? I am worried that I might include this info and then, when verification time comes around, I will be flagged for not being able to verify my experience!
B) I did apply to a few companies with this on my prior resumes. With that in mind, What would happen here? Will I ever be asked questions about why I didn't include this on my current resume, be seen as suspicious, or be required to have this experience verified?
3) I was speaking to a recruiter Thursday morning when she gave me an email that prompted me to include my resume so that she can submit it to a company. I wasn't able to submit it Thursday or throughout the weekend due to a family emergency. I still need to make edits (the information gathered from this post) and then plan to post it on Monday morning.
A) Do you think I still have a chance of being taken seriously or having the recruiter understand why I was late to submit my resume? What should I say or do?
4) Assuming I don't include my picture (or job title near my name), does this look like a good resume template for someone interested in a BDR tech job on the West coast? How about any BDR job (not tech) in the U.S?
A) https://www.canva.com/p/templates/EAFIBif6GP0-blue-white-retro-copywriter-resume/
Thank you all for your responses, I can't wait to read and respond back!

Hi,
Today marks 4 months clean from Clonazepam, after tapering down from 2mg over the space of about 3 months and being on them for about 5 years (I think).
While I feel good in myself for having accomplished this, I still feel functionally dreadful. The nasty acute withdrawal period has passed, but I am still having bouts of intense anxiety, especially in the mornings, right after first waking up. This always accompanied by fatigue and malaise. I also have very intense cravings for benzos, but I have an agreement with my doctor not to prescribe me any.
I find myself with such dismal energy levels the only way I can face the day it to drink stupid amounts of caffeinated beverages. While this leaves me alert it leaves me dehydrated and trembling and with headaches by days end. Then to calm down I drink alcohol, and then this messes with my sleep.
I know this sounds stupid and it seems like a self-inflicted vicious cycle, but I'm seriously thinking of going back on the benzos, just to regain some stability.
Is anyone experiencing the same sort of thing? If so, did you find anything to help??

I woke up at 7:00AM and decided to jump in the shower and give myself a good ramming with my toys. I started with my smaller dildo and became comfortable with it. I leaned forward and wanted to jerk my cock...and my dildo shot out of my ass and went down the drain! Oh, fuckballz...I was frantically searching for it...couldn't find it! I finally surmised that it had flopped down the drain. It was nowhere to be found. I said: Fuck it...took the bigger one and started to finish the job. Drain wasn't backing up - so I said: I'll get it out later and hope I don't have to call a plumber. Finally got the other bigger one in and was riding that one and blew my load. Left it in there all day - had guests over all day and was thinking about it. I guess I'll get it out in the morning!....but it was hot!

I've dabbled in skincare routines for a few years now, but I've never reamined consistent. However, I'm looking to chnage that now that I've gotten older and don't want to keep going through rounds of failed skincare stages.
To start, I had a really good skincare routine going during covid. My face was FLAWLESS. I was eating right, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and being consistent. Granted I was using glycolic acid and retinol at the same time and my skin paid for it, but my skin was the clearest it had ever been. Fastforward two years, I'm constantly dealing with blackheads on my cheeks, jaw line, chin, and on my neck. I'm lost and just need a simple consistent routine that's not too much of a pain to follow.
The biggest skincare issues I'm looking to resolve are blackheads, uneven skin tone, and rough texture. I'm currently using vanicream cleanser in the morning and at night. Some nights I like to use the La Roche Possay salicylic acne cleanser. My cheeks sometimes get extremely dry while my t-zone is extremely oily (warmer weather= oil, cooler weather= dry). For toners, I mainly use thayers witch hazel, followed up with a tumeric facial oil, and nivea water sunscreen. I have tons of different face washes, serums, and toners at my disposal so I'm open to trying anything.

Hi, this is my first post here, also, English is not my first language, so please, forgive my grammar. So this is the situation, I (29M) got dumped very unexpectedly by my (36F). I don't really know where to start, this just happened a few hours ago and I really need a place to ask for advice and also to let this out. I had this nice relationship of about 4 years with this lady,( I'll avoid her name as a show of respect) in my mind I thought that everything was OK, we don't saw each other much because I work a lot and she is busy in school, so we used to see each other every weekend, before she got back to school to finish her degree about a year and a half ago we used to see each other much more often, but that wasn't a problem for me. I noticed a couple of months ago that she was really distant, like she was not really paying attention at the moment with me, I asked her why, she said that she was just tired from school and that she has been sleeping very little, I tried to be understanding, I told her that if she Wanted to rest a day instead of having a date with was completely fine with me, she just said "thank you but I really want to see you", because of that I thought that everything was fine, we began to see each other about two days a month, that was no trouble for me, I understood that she was tired and busy. At around the same time, she began to go to the gym. After a couple of months of this situation, she sent me a message this morning, that she wanted to have breakfast with me, of course I said yes. I thought that we where gonna have just a regular breakfast, but everything turned upside down all of the sudden. We had breakfast at her place, after that, she told me to go upstairs with her to her bedroom so we could cuddle a little bit, I said yes. Once we were at her bedroom she told me that she wanted to talk with me ( yeah with that tone you know). I replied OK, what do you want to tell me. She said that she was feeling very tired and distracted, that she is not good with herself at this time and that she wants to break up, this got me really off guard, because I thought everything was OK. I asked her if this decision was definitive, or if she wanted just some time, she just said I Don't know. I'm not going to lie, I felt my heart crushed by a million needles, I usually don't cry, but this just made me feel I'm the deepest and darkest of holes. She wanted to keep explaining but I just couldn't keep going, I stormed out, I got my helmet on and ride my bike back home. I cried like never before when I got home, I got in the bathroom turned the shower on and got in the floor and cried for about 20 minutes. All this happened this morning, I still cry unexpectedly, I'm broken.
I really need advice friends, for me, she is the love of my life, I know that probably my reaction was not a good one, I'm probably being selfish and irrational and she probably needs that space, or maybe she is saying all this things because she doesn't want to break my heart. Maybe she is into someone else, I don't know. Should I try to talk to her?

A little backstory: So I (24F) move to across the country about 7-8 months ago to be closer to my sister. Moving is expensive so I stayed with my sister (25F), her boyfriend (30M) and two kids, step son and bio daughter(6M) (6F) until I could save a bit to save it a deposit down on a new apartment in a busier city because she lives in a small with not many jobs in my field. The plan was to come out and work until I could move to the city, get an apartment and go back to school. When I move, I find out my sister and her bf are having trouble. They fight, he’s out until 3am-6am every night, paying woman on for their attention, talking to other women in town, and this isn’t the first time. My sisters bf has always been an alcoholic. Eventually there was a pretty bad night where her bf put his hands on my sister. Cops were called, it was bad. So we moved out and found a place of our own in town. I put my plans on hold because my sister didn’t work a lot and her bf didn’t want her to, to stay with the kids. So I helped her out. We had planned to move out of the town and start fresh after a few months of saving money. A few months down the line, she’s going all the time and I end up watching her daughter a lot of nights, which I don’t mind because I love my niece more than anything, but it got to a point where because I just moved to a small town and had no friends it was more expected and that got infuriating because I felt like a free live in nanny. She starts seeing her ex again. He’s still drinks and he’s still emotionally manipulative, but as far as she knows he doesn’t cheat so he’s good as new.
So here’s what put this all in motion. Last night she went out and said she was just going to her exes house to let out the dogs, but instead she leaves to the bar her ex works at and and leaves the kids asleep on the couch without letting me know. So I’m sleeping and I hear my niece (who is sick) screaming for her mom at 2 o’clock in the morning. After a while I realize no one is getting up to get her. So I get up and my sister is nowhere to be found and calm my niece down. I text my sister and tell her what happened and ask her where she is. She came home from the bar soon after. She then threw up all over the bathroom and then had extremely loud inter course with her ex until 4:30 am after knowing I had a long work week and just wanted to sleep. I addressed all of my feelings in the morning (keep in mind this isn’t the first time I’ve expressed I’m not comfortable with him being over at the house all the time and sleeping over). This blew up and she said she felt like it I wanted her to cut everyone off so she can just spend time with me. I don’t feel like that’s how it came across although I can’t speak for her perception. But I was fed up and told her I’m done being disrespected/walked over. That I’m not going to continue to watch the kids and act like I’m okay with him being over all the time when she assured me he wouldn’t be. On top of this they are together every second of free time they have, so if we have plans she’ll invite him, or go to his family events instead of whatever plans we had. She invites me so I don’t feel alone, but I don’t think she keeps in mind I’m just not comfortable around her bf. So I’m moving in with my parents which is in a completely different state and she thinks I’m a horrible person because her relationship is none of my business and she can’t support her and her daughter by herself. She’s right about her relationship being her personal business. I just can’t do it anymore. So AITA?

A day befoe she turns 12 weeks and we went all day without an accident in the house!
AND! We've been dealing with diarrhea from me being careless when switching her to the new food from the breeders food, and she's has a solid proper poop today!
AND AND! SHE REALLY ONLY GOT UP ONCE LAST NIGHT TO POTTY! I still woke up at 4 cuz I thought I heard her being restless but she was GOOD! And she even snuggled us from like 7-8 this morning.
Maybe we'll make it to the promised adulthood after all.

so my husband recently got a job in another state so obviously i have to quit. i don’t love this job anyway, but i was trying not to quit because so many other people are quitting right now. anyway my boss is being really annoying about it and scheduling me days i can’t work. like for instance i specifically wrote on the calendar that i can’t work one day because i have a doctors appointment (i’m pregnant) but i can work that night. she scheduled me for the morning. i told her that and she ignored me completely. when someone else said they couldn’t work because that were on vacation, she apologized and revised the scheduled, leaving my schedule the exact same. i managed to get someone to switch with me but i’m still annoyed about it. i don’t want to quit yet because up to this point she’s been good to me but i feel like if she can’t respect me i have no reason to respect her. am i crazy?

I can never find a job that’s easy for me to work for at and enjoy doing. I did have one job that I loved and it was working at Pizza Hut as a delivery driver but then my boss got fired wrongfully because they wanted to cover up their tracks of doing something illegal and put in a new boss that trastes everyone like shit causing most of the employees to leave if they didn’t do things his way. (I think he got fired eventually because I don’t see him working there anymore.)
I keep going to job to job and it’s the same thing the work can be hard and sometimes I screw up because I can’t focus or remember certain things and I get in trouble for it. I even almost got fired because I couldn’t show up on time I’m not an morning person. But they kept me because they say I was a good worker even though most employees or management also treat me like shit. I finally quit when that new job made me feel like doing suicide.
I got a new job my therapist recommended me and it’s pretty good management is nice, open, and accepting. And I get three days off. But the problem is I have to be crossed trained on too many things and it’s hard to remember and focus on all of them. And then they keep switching me around even though they already assigned me to a spot. What’s the point of working there if they are just gonna keep moving me. If you don’t want me to work at my asignes spot just say that and put me in a place you do want! And it stresses me out because some positions are the worst positions.
It’s great I get threes days off during the week but the job stresses me out and I almost feel like quitting. But I can’t because I need the money and I’m still currently working at my parents even though I’m 21. They get mad that I leave my job early (even if I have pto) or if I quit a job without having another one lined up.
They always think I’m lazy. I wish I could work at home but I can’t find any jobs that I like. I’m an artist and wish I could make a living doing commissions but I know it won’t ever happen..

Part 4
Day 14

**Chloe and Fred stood guard by the doorway to the stairs, their guns trained on it. Multiple screeches could be heard upstairs and slowly carefully they both started going up. SCREECH! One of the hounds appeared** **Fred looked like he was going to argue but he lowered his head and nodded.** **“Wait, where's mom?” I asked the worry heavy in my voice.** **Fred looked down somberly and Gretchen started sobbing.** **“N… no sh… she’s… she can’t be dead.” I stammered out.** **“I’m sorry Joey, if I could’ve done something I would’ve.” He apologized.** **I looked down in despair beginning to fill my very soul. My mom, the person who’d raised me, was gone. She was gone forever. I felt the tears begin to pool in my eyes and Chloe gave me another tight hug.** **SLAM! The pile of junk against the door rattled and one of the boys screamed. Chloe let out a small yelp and then we all stood there in silence. SLAM! This time it was followed by a cracking sound.** **“They’re going to get in,” Fred growled, “We all need to be quiet.”** **We all sat there for a moment as the things tried, again and again, to break through, but finally, they stopped. Fred turned back to us and his eyes went wide.** **“Y’all need to get patched up real quick.” He said.** **The next few minutes were a stress-filled roller coaster. Chloe sat me down on the couch and ran to the bathroom to get the medical supplies, and she also got the sewing kit. I thought getting my back and leg stitched up while still conscious was painful, but what I felt that day I never want to feel again. I felt the needle go in and out of my face. I felt my face slowly begin to pull back together, and it was all excruciating. While Fred did his work Chloe had to sit there and cover my mouth to hold back my screams. Even through the pain and the tears in my eyes, I could see she was also crying. Finally, after what seemed like an eon he finished the last stitch and was done.** **Then he started with Chloe. I was too weak to sit up, but I held her hand as he quickly stitched up her shoulder. With each stroke of the needle, I saw the pain in her face. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he finished his work. We were all patched up, but oh I wish that could’ve fixed the sorrow we felt.** **Chloe helped me walk to our bedroom to finally get some shut-eye. My whole body hurt and ached and it all felt broken. She sat me down on the bed and gave me a grim look. She looked tired and worn. Her normally straight hair was a curly mess and little specks of dried blood were about her face.** **“I suppose you need to get changed.” She said, looking at me.** **I looked down at my still blood-soaked clothes and then back at her.** **“I suppose I do,” I said, a little embarrassed that she would have to help me.** **Once we were both settled I finally laid down with Chloe crawling into bed next to me.** **“I’m so happy you’re ok,” I said, leaning forward and kissing her.** **She smiled but it quickly faded, “Joey I’m scared.”** **“I know, I’m too, we just have…” I started but she interrupted me.** **“It just… I don’t know what’s going on. It shouldn’t be snowing still. It's almost May.” She said, her eyes tearing up, “I’ve been trying to stay strong, but I just can’t anymore. I'm scared.”** **“Chloe, it’s ok to be scared. I’m terrified.” I told her.** 

“I… I have to be the brave one,” She said.
“No, you don’t, you can just be the wonderful person I love. I don’t care if you’re scared or afraid I love you.” I said, pulling her into a tight hug.
She started crying, totally sobbing is probably a better word.
“I don’t want to lose you,” She sobbed.
“I’ll be ok, I promise.” I tried to say but she wasn’t hearing me so I just held her tightly while she sobbed.
Finally, after a long while of crying, she pulled away and looked at me.
“Can I tell you what happened?” She asked shyly.
“Yes of course,” I said, knowing that venting always helped.
And so she finally told me what had happened that day in the Garrison’s house. Every little detail. When she finally finished I felt a shiver go down my spine.
“I’m sorry,” Was all I could manage to say.
She didn’t say anything else, she just cuddled up next to me and cried softly into my shoulder. I gently ran my hand through her hair and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Day 15

**We spent the early morning preparing supplies and everything we needed then finally around noon we loaded the jeep.** **“Chloe, I’m going to get the snowplow you stay here and keep everyone safe.” He said quietly.** **“Ok, be careful,” She said, all too happy that the man wasn’t expecting her to come with him.** **Fred slowly made his way upstairs quietly and carefully creeping one step at a time. Each step he took felt like a marathon. His heart was beating so fast he thought it might burst. One step, then another, then another still, and despite his fear he finally made it upstairs.** **It looked just the way he’d seen it the evening before. Thrown around with the creeper’s large body lying near him. The massive amounts of blood around it had frozen making a large icy sheet on the carpet.** **He couldn’t help but look at the body. Its black exoskeleton reminded him of beetles. It was smooth with no color variation. There were small gaps around the joints and the legs had more exposed flesh than the exoskeleton. He looked at the small gap where the back met the thighs. He drove his fingers into the gap and started peeling the section of the exoskeleton off. It peeled nicely until he got to a certain point where it wouldn’t budge. Annoyed, he walked away and towards the front door. A frozen trail of Gretchen’s blood was still visible and partially buried in snow was my mom’s body. Fred grimaced at the sight and hurriedly continued onward. The quickest route to the snowplow lot was through a few backyards.** 

The fences were mostly buried and at this point only stood 6 inches or so out of the snow. Stepping over them was easy, and they hardly hindered his path. What did begin to hinder his path was the storm. It howled and screamed at him throwing all the snow and wind it could at him. It reminded him of an angry toddler throwing their food at you. It was odd but that was the best way to put the storm. It was angry, very angry, and he didn’t know why.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Fred stopped and slowly scanned his surroundings to see where the sound had come from but he saw nothing. He wasn’t sure why he looked; he could barely see his hand if he held it out. He guessed it was out of instinct but he wasn’t sure. He stood there listening but whatever had made the sound seemed to have also stopped. He was somewhat confused because that wasn’t really what the creatures sounded like on snow. Nor did it sound like other animals he knew. Suddenly a thought crept into his head, and in a either very dumb or very intelligent move, he spoke.
“Who’s there?” He asked in as loud and as stern of a voice as he could muster.
There was a small pause of silence and right as Fred began to worry he’d made a mistake he heard something on four legs sprint off in the other direction. Must’ve been a deer he thought a little annoyed that he’d thought even for a moment that it was a person. He continued onward with even more caution. He kept the shotgun up constantly now worrying something would sneak up on him. He couldn’t control his now-shaking body despite how much he tried to calm himself.
He stopped walking and started taking deep breaths. In and out. In and out. He said to himself as he did the breathing exercises. After a minute he pulled himself together enough to continue. He walked on and on for what seemed like an eon before finally he arrived. He saw the large building ahead of him. It was a large warehouse-type building with multiple massive garage doors on the sides.
He saw a normal-sized door the size of the building and pulled at the handle. Locked! Of course, it was locked. Slam! The first kick shook the door. Slam! The second it started to cave slightly. Slam! Crash! The door toppled onto the ground and Fred walked into the building, gun raised and ready for a fight.
Chloe sat on the couch eyeing the stairs to the first floor. The responsibility to keep everyone safe was now on her, and she was determined to do that. All she could think about was the monsters outside and likely right upstairs. For all, she knew they were right upstairs conspiring to kill them. She didn’t know how right she was.
CRASH! The window in the window well next to her burst open sending shards of glass all around.
“What’s going on?” Gretchen asked from the other room.
“Babe?” I asked in a worried frenzy.
She pulled herself from the ground in a daze. She felt odd then she felt a wetness begin trickling down her face. She’d been cut up pretty well in a few places on her face. Before she could think of anything else SCREECH!
She looked over and saw a hound crawling in through the now-shattered window. Shoot where’s the gun? She thought scanning the room. Her eyes scanned until they met the semi-automatic. She’d set it on the couch right where the hound was crawling through. She dove for the gun but its large clawed foot slammed onto the gun pinning it under the beast. Darn, it! Slowly she eyed the creature as it pulled itself in. It was just standing there watching her, it seemed very odd and not normal behavior. Then a faint ticking sound came from outside. SCREECH! It charged for her and she pulled her knife. BANG! The blast threw the hound off balance slamming it into the ground. She found herself looking over to see Gretchen wielding the smoking shotgun.
Chloe was about to thank her when the thing got back up changing its course for Gretchen. BANG! The second shot hit the thing square in the face and it screeched in anger and pain. Chloe took the opportunity and jumped atop the thing plunging the knife deep into one of the eye sockets. It screeched again and jumped up, throwing Chloe off with the knife still wedged in its eye. In the meantime, Gretchen reloaded the shotgun BANG! She shot it in the face again, but it only seemed to anger the thing.
“LEGS!” Chloe screamed, pulling herself off the floor.
At the same moment, Gretchen pulled the trigger and two more hounds started their way through the window.
The shot hit the first hound square in one of the back legs, shattering it, and the two hounds were already halfway through the window.
Fred walked into the building relieved to see it was nothing more than dark and empty. He scanned the room he’d entered. It was a small office area. His eyes fell on the small cupboard near the door. Each drawer was small and numbered 1 to 4. He pulled one open and saw keys on a hook. His heart leaped with excitement and he took his eyes and turned around. There was a small door that looked like it would be to the garage so he popped it open. Inside the garage were four large snow plows with big numbers painted on the side of them. He checked to see he had 4 so he ran to the other side of the garage to snowplow 4. Fred climbed up the door and tried to pull it open. Locked. He put the keys in and unlocked the door then hopped in and started the vehicle. It roared to life sounding like he’d woken a large sleeping lion. On the dashboard were a few bobbleheads and a small remote. He grabbed the remote and pressed button 4. Slowly with the sound of breaking ice accompanying it the garage door in front of the plow began to lurch open.
He scanned around the mess of levers and buttons until he found the truck's lights. He switched them on and then slowly put pressure on the gas. The massive plow immediately began to roll forward. He’d have to be slow as even with its powerful lights it was still extremely hard to see. So with much caution, the plow pulled out of the garage pushing the snow out of its way and making its way for the road.
The two hounds hissed and growled as they both pulled themselves fully through the window. Then in a quick move one made for Gretchen while the other charged for Chloe. Gretchen finished putting in the new bullets. BANG! The shot was aimed at its leg but hit it on the side. Chloe looked around and realized they’d kicked the semi-auto onto the floor. She reached for the gun, grabbed it just in time, and turned around. RAT-A-TATATATA!! Its two front legs were instantly shattered, toppling it over, causing the rest of the shots to hit it square in the face. BANG! Gretchen's second shot broke one of its front legs, but the creature unfolded its mantis arms and continued on those. Chloe didn’t even think she saw the hound going for Gretchen and pulled the trigger. RAT-A-TATATATA!! She nailed perfect shots. She hit all six limbs right at the joints causing them to collapse to the ground.
They both looked around at the three broken hounds. All three still growled in pain and tried to get up, but each attempt just seemed to break them more. Chloe walked over to the first one and pulled the knife out of its eye. SCREECH! It continued letting out progressively weaker screeches until as blood poured from its eye finally, it was silent. Silently and efficiently, Chloe opened the mouths of both the others and stabbed upward piercing the brain instantly killing them.
The plow soured through the snow pushing all of it aside leaving mountains of snow on both sides of the road. Suddenly there was a loud metal scraping sound and something big was thrown over and to the side. Fred stopped the plow and looked out the rearview mirror to see a now-destroyed car lying in one of the snow piles. He couldn’t help but be impressed; he didn't think the plow would be so powerful that it could hurl a car like that.
He continued on and then he slowly turned onto the street the house was on. He now drove down the road and noticed as he got close to the house a large creeper standing outside. It stood there menacingly, looking down into the window wells. Worry shot through him and in an instant, he turned the plow toward the creature and rammed straight into it. He pulled forward pinning the creeper between the plow and the brick wall of the house. It lay there pinned screeching its lungs out in pain. Slowly and nervously Fred stepped out of the plow shotgun gripped tightly. SCROAr! Its call becomes much weaker. Its body was a twisted broken mess and its head only barely poked out above the plow. He walked over to the creature looking into its eyes.
Jess. He thought staring into the brown eyes he’d once loved. BANG!!! The bullet tore through its already broken exoskeleton and its head exploded onto the brick wall next to it. Tears rolled down his face and he fell to his knees.
“I love you, honey,” He said to the dead creature. “I’m sorry.”
He hoped in his mind that she was free now, or better yet that she was already dead. Although, those eyes, those eyes, it seemed that until the moment he’d shot her she was still inside there somewhere. He started sobbing, dropping the shotgun and collapsing onto the snow.
The flow of snow finally stopped and Chloe pulled herself off the ground. She looked around to see the entire basement had been partially flooded with snow. She helped me up and Gretchen hurried her kids and the dogs out of the basement. Slowly and patiently she helped me up the stairs and onto the first floor. My eyes landed on the corpse of the creeper; it was covered in icy crystals made of its own blood. I looked out the window and saw the snowplow right next to the house except it was missing a driver. Chloe sat me on the couch and hurried outside.
After Fred collected himself we all packed the jeep and snow plow. Me and Fred got in the plow while the others got in the jeep. Slowly the plow lurched forward and the jeep pulled out of the driveway and followed.

I wrote in here about 9 months ago and was really hoping I would be in a different place by now with my husband but I’m sad to say that things are significantly worse.
That being said, I can’t seem to actually pull the plug, per say. We have two kids and I have had this fantasy my whole life about being the family I never got. The one that was married for 50 years. I don’t know if I’m just desperate to hold on to that or if I don’t believe my own feelings (or both).
Things were relatively good for a couple of months before my son was born in March (good enough to keep my thoughts about leaving at bay). But then the day we drove home from the hospital after my son was born, he saw that I made a small mistake in payroll for our business (yes, to add to it, we own a lawn care business together) and was yelling at me about being absent minded. I apologized and told him that I was working while having contractions so I had a LOT going on. I started crying and told him he needs to give me some grace and it could easily be fixed to which he responded, “if you can’t handle your emotions, you don’t need to be running a business.” Two days after giving birth. I was inconsolable walking into our house with our son for the very first time and that moment will always be ruined for me.
More recently, we hung out with friends and he had a little too much to drink (very normal for him anytime we do anything social) and when we decided to go home, I suggested driving but he swore he had sobered up. Not wanting to get into a fight or make him think I didn’t trust him, I let him drive. Pretty quickly I realized that was a bad idea when he started swerving into other lanes (with our two kids in the car). I told him he needed to pull over and let me drive to which he got very defensive and angry. Not 2 minutes later, he reached down to his feet, grabbed a beer and cracked it open. We got home safely but I was shaking with anger. He manages to turn the conversation by saying I “always ruin the day” and he never does. I’m assuming he meant that by getting angry with him about drinking and driving with his entire family in the car, I ruined the day. He apologized the next morning, which was pretty pointless. What really sucks is he is actually a great dad when he isn’t doing $hit like this and our kids adore him.
I’m not sure what I’m waiting for but I know what keeps running through my head is that this would implode my life and what if I’m over reacting and I end up imploding my kid’s lives just to regret it? What finally convinced you to do it?

Part 4
Day 14
Chloe and Fred stood guard by the doorway to the stairs, their guns trained on it. Multiple screeches could be heard upstairs and slowly carefully they both started going up. SCREECH! One of the hounds appeared
Fred looked like he was going to argue but he lowered his head and nodded.
“Wait, where's mom?” I asked the worry heavy in my voice.
Fred looked down somberly and Gretchen started sobbing.
“N… no sh… she’s… she can’t be dead.” I stammered out.
“I’m sorry Joey, if I could’ve done something I would’ve.” He apologized.
I looked down in despair beginning to fill my very soul. My mom, the person who’d raised me, was gone. She was gone forever. I felt the tears begin to pool in my eyes and Chloe gave me another tight hug.
SLAM! The pile of junk against the door rattled and one of the boys screamed. Chloe let out a small yelp and then we all stood there in silence. SLAM! This time it was followed by a cracking sound.
“They’re going to get in,” Fred growled, “We all need to be quiet.”
We all sat there for a moment as the things tried, again and again, to break through, but finally, they stopped. Fred turned back to us and his eyes went wide.
“Y’all need to get patched up real quick.” He said.
The next few minutes were a stress-filled roller coaster. Chloe sat me down on the couch and ran to the bathroom to get the medical supplies, and she also got the sewing kit. I thought getting my back and leg stitched up while still conscious was painful, but what I felt that day I never want to feel again. I felt the needle go in and out of my face. I felt my face slowly begin to pull back together, and it was all excruciating. While Fred did his work Chloe had to sit there and cover my mouth to hold back my screams. Even through the pain and the tears in my eyes, I could see she was also crying. Finally, after what seemed like an eon he finished the last stitch and was done.
Then he started with Chloe. I was too weak to sit up, but I held her hand as he quickly stitched up her shoulder. With each stroke of the needle, I saw the pain in her face. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he finished his work. We were all patched up, but oh I wish that could’ve fixed the sorrow we felt.
Chloe helped me walk to our bedroom to finally get some shut-eye. My whole body hurt and ached and it all felt broken. She sat me down on the bed and gave me a grim look. She looked tired and worn. Her normally straight hair was a curly mess and little specks of dried blood were about her face.
“I suppose you need to get changed.” She said, looking at me.
I looked down at my still blood-soaked clothes and then back at her.
“I suppose I do,” I said, a little embarrassed that she would have to help me.
Once we were both settled I finally laid down with Chloe crawling into bed next to me.
“I’m so happy you’re ok,” I said, leaning forward and kissing her.
She smiled but it quickly faded, “Joey I’m scared.”
“I know, I’m too, we just have…” I started but she interrupted me.
“It just… I don’t know what’s going on. It shouldn’t be snowing still. It's almost May.” She said, her eyes tearing up, “I’ve been trying to stay strong, but I just can’t anymore. I'm scared.”
“Chloe, it’s ok to be scared. I’m terrified.” I told her.
“I… I have to be the brave one,” She said.
“No, you don’t, you can just be the wonderful person I love. I don’t care if you’re scared or afraid I love you.” I said, pulling her into a tight hug.
She started crying, totally sobbing is probably a better word.
“I don’t want to lose you,” She sobbed.
“I’ll be ok, I promise.” I tried to say but she wasn’t hearing me so I just held her tightly while she sobbed.
Finally, after a long while of crying, she pulled away and looked at me.
“Can I tell you what happened?” She asked shyly.
“Yes of course,” I said, knowing that venting always helped.
And so she finally told me what had happened that day in the Garrison’s house. Every little detail. When she finally finished I felt a shiver go down my spine.
“I’m sorry,” Was all I could manage to say.
She didn’t say anything else, she just cuddled up next to me and cried softly into my shoulder. I gently ran my hand through her hair and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Day 15
We spent the early morning preparing supplies and everything we needed then finally around noon we loaded the jeep.
“Chloe, I’m going to get the snowplow you stay here and keep everyone safe.” He said quietly.
“Ok, be careful,” She said, all too happy that the man wasn’t expecting her to come with him.
Fred slowly made his way upstairs quietly and carefully creeping one step at a time. Each step he took felt like a marathon. His heart was beating so fast he thought it might burst. One step, then another, then another still, and despite his fear he finally made it upstairs.
It looked just the way he’d seen it the evening before. Thrown around with the creeper’s large body lying near him. The massive amounts of blood around it had frozen making a large icy sheet on the carpet.
He couldn’t help but look at the body. Its black exoskeleton reminded him of beetles. It was smooth with no color variation. There were small gaps around the joints and the legs had more exposed flesh than the exoskeleton. He looked at the small gap where the back met the thighs. He drove his fingers into the gap and started peeling the section of the exoskeleton off. It peeled nicely until he got to a certain point where it wouldn’t budge. Annoyed, he walked away and towards the front door. A frozen trail of Gretchen’s blood was still visible and partially buried in snow was my mom’s body. Fred grimaced at the sight and hurriedly continued onward. The quickest route to the snowplow lot was through a few backyards.
The fences were mostly buried and at this point only stood 6 inches or so out of the snow. Stepping over them was easy, and they hardly hindered his path. What did begin to hinder his path was the storm. It howled and screamed at him throwing all the snow and wind it could at him. It reminded him of an angry toddler throwing their food at you. It was odd but that was the best way to put the storm. It was angry, very angry, and he didn’t know why.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Fred stopped and slowly scanned his surroundings to see where the sound had come from but he saw nothing. He wasn’t sure why he looked; he could barely see his hand if he held it out. He guessed it was out of instinct but he wasn’t sure. He stood there listening but whatever had made the sound seemed to have also stopped. He was somewhat confused because that wasn’t really what the creatures sounded like on snow. Nor did it sound like other animals he knew. Suddenly a thought crept into his head, and in a either very dumb or very intelligent move, he spoke.
“Who’s there?” He asked in as loud and as stern of a voice as he could muster.
There was a small pause of silence and right as Fred began to worry he’d made a mistake he heard something on four legs sprint off in the other direction. Must’ve been a deer he thought a little annoyed that he’d thought even for a moment that it was a person. He continued onward with even more caution. He kept the shotgun up constantly now worrying something would sneak up on him. He couldn’t control his now-shaking body despite how much he tried to calm himself.
He stopped walking and started taking deep breaths. In and out. In and out. He said to himself as he did the breathing exercises. After a minute he pulled himself together enough to continue. He walked on and on for what seemed like an eon before finally he arrived. He saw the large building ahead of him. It was a large warehouse-type building with multiple massive garage doors on the sides.
He saw a normal-sized door the size of the building and pulled at the handle. Locked! Of course, it was locked. Slam! The first kick shook the door. Slam! The second it started to cave slightly. Slam! Crash! The door toppled onto the ground and Fred walked into the building, gun raised and ready for a fight.
Chloe sat on the couch eyeing the stairs to the first floor. The responsibility to keep everyone safe was now on her, and she was determined to do that. All she could think about was the monsters outside and likely right upstairs. For all, she knew they were right upstairs conspiring to kill them. She didn’t know how right she was.
CRASH! The window in the window well next to her burst open sending shards of glass all around.
“What’s going on?” Gretchen asked from the other room.
“Babe?” I asked in a worried frenzy.
She pulled herself from the ground in a daze. She felt odd then she felt a wetness begin trickling down her face. She’d been cut up pretty well in a few places on her face. Before she could think of anything else SCREECH!
She looked over and saw a hound crawling in through the now-shattered window. Shoot where’s the gun? She thought scanning the room. Her eyes scanned until they met the semi-automatic. She’d set it on the couch right where the hound was crawling through. She dove for the gun but its large clawed foot slammed onto the gun pinning it under the beast. Darn, it! Slowly she eyed the creature as it pulled itself in. It was just standing there watching her, it seemed very odd and not normal behavior. Then a faint ticking sound came from outside. SCREECH! It charged for her and she pulled her knife. BANG! The blast threw the hound off balance slamming it into the ground. She found herself looking over to see Gretchen wielding the smoking shotgun.
Chloe was about to thank her when the thing got back up changing its course for Gretchen. BANG! The second shot hit the thing square in the face and it screeched in anger and pain. Chloe took the opportunity and jumped atop the thing plunging the knife deep into one of the eye sockets. It screeched again and jumped up, throwing Chloe off with the knife still wedged in its eye. In the meantime, Gretchen reloaded the shotgun BANG! She shot it in the face again, but it only seemed to anger the thing.
“LEGS!” Chloe screamed, pulling herself off the floor.
At the same moment, Gretchen pulled the trigger and two more hounds started their way through the window.
The shot hit the first hound square in one of the back legs, shattering it, and the two hounds were already halfway through the window.
Fred walked into the building relieved to see it was nothing more than dark and empty. He scanned the room he’d entered. It was a small office area. His eyes fell on the small cupboard near the door. Each drawer was small and numbered 1 to 4. He pulled one open and saw keys on a hook. His heart leaped with excitement and he took his eyes and turned around. There was a small door that looked like it would be to the garage so he popped it open. Inside the garage were four large snow plows with big numbers painted on the side of them. He checked to see he had 4 so he ran to the other side of the garage to snowplow 4. Fred climbed up the door and tried to pull it open. Locked. He put the keys in and unlocked the door then hopped in and started the vehicle. It roared to life sounding like he’d woken a large sleeping lion. On the dashboard were a few bobbleheads and a small remote. He grabbed the remote and pressed button 4. Slowly with the sound of breaking ice accompanying it the garage door in front of the plow began to lurch open.
He scanned around the mess of levers and buttons until he found the truck's lights. He switched them on and then slowly put pressure on the gas. The massive plow immediately began to roll forward. He’d have to be slow as even with its powerful lights it was still extremely hard to see. So with much caution, the plow pulled out of the garage pushing the snow out of its way and making its way for the road.
The two hounds hissed and growled as they both pulled themselves fully through the window. Then in a quick move one made for Gretchen while the other charged for Chloe. Gretchen finished putting in the new bullets. BANG! The shot was aimed at its leg but hit it on the side. Chloe looked around and realized they’d kicked the semi-auto onto the floor. She reached for the gun, grabbed it just in time, and turned around. RAT-A-TATATATA!! Its two front legs were instantly shattered, toppling it over, causing the rest of the shots to hit it square in the face. BANG! Gretchen's second shot broke one of its front legs, but the creature unfolded its mantis arms and continued on those. Chloe didn’t even think she saw the hound going for Gretchen and pulled the trigger. RAT-A-TATATATA!! She nailed perfect shots. She hit all six limbs right at the joints causing them to collapse to the ground.
They both looked around at the three broken hounds. All three still growled in pain and tried to get up, but each attempt just seemed to break them more. Chloe walked over to the first one and pulled the knife out of its eye. SCREECH! It continued letting out progressively weaker screeches until as blood poured from its eye finally, it was silent. Silently and efficiently, Chloe opened the mouths of both the others and stabbed upward piercing the brain instantly killing them.
The plow soured through the snow pushing all of it aside leaving mountains of snow on both sides of the road. Suddenly there was a loud metal scraping sound and something big was thrown over and to the side. Fred stopped the plow and looked out the rearview mirror to see a now-destroyed car lying in one of the snow piles. He couldn’t help but be impressed; he didn't think the plow would be so powerful that it could hurl a car like that.
He continued on and then he slowly turned onto the street the house was on. He now drove down the road and noticed as he got close to the house a large creeper standing outside. It stood there menacingly, looking down into the window wells. Worry shot through him and in an instant, he turned the plow toward the creature and rammed straight into it. He pulled forward pinning the creeper between the plow and the brick wall of the house. It lay there pinned screeching its lungs out in pain. Slowly and nervously Fred stepped out of the plow shotgun gripped tightly. SCROAr! Its call becomes much weaker. Its body was a twisted broken mess and its head only barely poked out above the plow. He walked over to the creature looking into its eyes.
Jess. He thought staring into the brown eyes he’d once loved. BANG!!! The bullet tore through its already broken exoskeleton and its head exploded onto the brick wall next to it. Tears rolled down his face and he fell to his knees.
“I love you, honey,” He said to the dead creature. “I’m sorry.”
He hoped in his mind that she was free now, or better yet that she was already dead. Although, those eyes, those eyes, it seemed that until the moment he’d shot her she was still inside there somewhere. He started sobbing, dropping the shotgun and collapsing onto the snow.
The flow of snow finally stopped and Chloe pulled herself off the ground. She looked around to see the entire basement had been partially flooded with snow. She helped me up and Gretchen hurried her kids and the dogs out of the basement. Slowly and patiently she helped me up the stairs and onto the first floor. My eyes landed on the corpse of the creeper; it was covered in icy crystals made of its own blood. I looked out the window and saw the snowplow right next to the house except it was missing a driver. Chloe sat me on the couch and hurried outside.
After Fred collected himself we all packed the jeep and snow plow. Me and Fred got in the plow while the others got in the jeep. Slowly the plow lurched forward and the jeep pulled out of the driveway and followed.

I’m doing my final quit. I started back up again in January when my best/friend roommate started smoking again. I couldn’t resist bumming one and the rest since then has been history. I cut back to about 3 cigs a day and now am my first 24 hours without. I have major cravings and Im stressed because it’s so easy to bum a cig from my roommate.
When I smell them smoking outside each morning with their coffee I get so fiendish. Is there a good way to solve this? Do I have to stop living with them or avoid our routines overlapping for a bit?
For those with partners or spouses that kept smoking when you quit what was your strategy?