I’ve been asked what the scholarly response would be to a blog post called “Responding to EVERY verse cited by infernalists and annihilationists,” which to my understanding has become fairly popular in certain universalist circles. Universalism is the theological view that all people without exception will eventually be saved through Christ at the eschaton. This contrasts with the view that some — or many — will ultimately be damned: condemned either to eternal torment or to annihilation. The debate here is naturally over the extent to which these ideas and frameworks are represented in the Biblical texts themselves.
On my initial read-through of the post, my first thought is that it’s quite difficult to take the whole thing very seriously from an academic perspective. It itself has no pretense of engaging with modern scholarship, being completely absent of any academic references. While this doesn’t always have to be a problem, it is when its lack of familiarity with scholarly methods and insights leads to any number of tangible misrepresentations and misunderstandings.
Although it’s pretty clear that the original post veers into non-scholarly theological territory, there are more than enough purely exegetical claims to critique it without delving into any theological or ethical material.
A number of times throughout the post, the Bible is treated as a single unified text, as if different books from entirely different milieus and perspectives are addressing the exact same topics in the same way. For example, a somewhat obscure passage about Sodom’s “restoration” in Ezekiel 16:53 is used to mitigate Jude 7’s statement about Sodom’s perpetual burning being a prefiguration of the fate of the wicked — despite the hundreds of years between the texts, and their entirely different contexts and worldviews. This is all the more egregious when all the author did to argue for their symbiotic interpretation in the first place was to just quote Ezekiel 16:53 and Jude next to each other, with no further analysis of each. By contrast, here are probably seven to eight paragraphs that try to parse the original context of Ezekiel 16:53 and related verses with reference to the current scholarly literature, and how it’s distinguished from the eschatological context of the New Testament.
Es where the post puts forth wild and anachronistic interpretations in order to harmonize material that’s potentially discordant with the author’s preferred perspective. For example, common language of the wicked being subject to eschatological destruction is explained almost exclusively by reference to the death of the "old self" in Romans 6:6:

There are numerous places where God promises to “destroy” all the wicked. Annihilationists/conditionalists (people who believe God completely annihilates the consciousness of the damned instead of torturing them forever) take these as evidence for their beliefs.
Paul explains what this means. The destruction is of the “Old Self”, the sinful shell around our God-breathed spirit: “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom 6:5-6; cf. also Eph 4:22, Col 3:9).

But is there any Pauline scholar who's understood this language and concept in Romans 6:6, which clearly refers to the spiritual status of practising Christian believers, as some arch-principle that applies to all humans and which can be correlated with New Testament passages that pertain to eschatological judgment? I consulted a number of commentaries on Romans here — those of Jewett, Hultgren, Fitzmyer, Dunn, Longenecker, Moo — and found absolutely nothing on this. In fact, up until now I’ve been unable to find a single scholarly source that makes the connection between eschatological destruction and Romans 6:6 and/or the destruction of the old self, no matter how broadly I’ve searched. This is because the rhetorical and conceptual contexts could hardly be more different.
Here's another example similar to the above:

Another thing worthy of observation is that when Paul uses the phrase “aionion destruction” (2 Thes 1:9), the Greek behind it is “ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον”. Where else does the word ὄλεθρον appear? 1 Corinthians 5:5: “you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction [ὄλεθρον] of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” This is further proof that the destruction is not a vengeful annihilation, but a benevolent chastisement for the sinner’s own benefit.

How is the use of ὄλεθρος in 1 Corinthians "proof" of what the term means in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 means? 1 Corinthians 5 offers a unique, highly unusual situation in which a man who's clearly part of the Corinthian church is living in sexual sin, and who Paul curses to some sort of destruction (plausibly physical death, in my view; cf. David Smith’s monograph on the verse) because of this. Some commentators, e.g. Liselotte Mattern, explain that the reason this punishment can be said to "save" his spirit is that it's so grievous that it was intended to once-and-for-all curb any further fall into sin for the man, thereby ensuring the man kept the salvation that he had merited up until that point. Whatever the case, it's clearly addressing a spiritual "insider" in the church; and Paul will in fact explicitly raise the insideoutsider distinction shortly after this.
By contrast, in 2 Thessalonians 1, destruction and salvation aren't two potential modes for the same individual, but something that's sharply differentiated between believers and nonbelievers, the obedient and disobedient, respectively. Here's how NRSVue translates the relevant passages from 2 Thessalonians 1:

7... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in a fiery flame, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

This closely parallels the language and imagery of eschatological judgment and punishment in other Second Temple Jewish texts (cf. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 428), and like them doesn’t even begin to hint at the possibility of any positive function or restoration beyond these.
The author continues:

If you need even more evidence, look at the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. When Jesus refers to the “lost” sheep, the Greek word he uses is ἀπολέσας. This word can also mean “destroyed”, and it is used that way in Matthew 10:28: “fear him who can destroy [ἀπολέσαι] both soul and body”. But look at Matthew 16:25: “those who lose [ἀπολέσῃ] their life for my sake will find it.” The destruction being referred to is of the ‘Old Self’ so that the ‘New Self’ can sprout in its place.

One would think that if 1 Corinthians 5 so clearly differentiates the flesh of the man which is to be destroyed so his spirit can be saved, the fact that Matthew 10:28 plainly entails the destruction of both physical and metaphysical “self” is evidence that the specific soteriological tradition in 1 Corinthians 5 shouldn’t be generalized. For that matter, the contexts in which various ἀπόλλυμι-based terminology is used to refer to destruction versus something being lost are usually quite clear. The saying in Matthew 16:25 may refer to a self-surrender of livelihood or life, but in an idiomatic ascetic context that hardly corresponds to the same metaphysical destruction of self as in Romans 6:6. (Though the broader context of Matthew 16:25 and parallels also uses cross imagery similar to that in Romans.)
Elsewhere throughout the post, there are walls of texts that are just prooftext after prooftext, but with no attempt at any further analysis, and of course no mention of any texts that might contradict the sentiment being defended:

God does not submit us into trials out of vengeance or cruelty, but for our own good: “How happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal” (Job 5:17-18); “let us return to the Lᴏʀᴅ; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him” (Hos 6:1-2); “the Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them” (Jdt 8:27), “the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone” (Lam 3:31-33); “The Lᴏʀᴅ will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the Lᴏʀᴅ, and he will listen to their supplications and heal them” (Is 19:22); etc.

This is where the failure to synthesize the Biblical texts from a more thorough and critical perspective is most transparent. In plenty of other passages, the wicked are subject to unmitigated death and destruction; and the exact same terminology used in the quoted passage from Lamentations to say that God will not reject לעולם — forever — is elsewhere used to describe the forever-destruction of Israel’s enemies and the unrighteous. For that matter, if we were to take other early perspectives of the Hebrew Bible as programmatic, we could just easily use these to portray death as something that was thought to be an irreversible fate: "as a cloud is dispersed and then disappears, so the one who goes down to the grave does not come up again" (Job 7:9).
Here are some other quotes from the post:

Although Christian cultures have grown accustomed to viewing Scriptural references to “fire” as indicating punitive judgment or vengeance, the truth is that the coupling of “fire and brimstone” analogically refers to the metallurgical process of removing impurities from metal. . . . The goal of removing impurities is, of course, to make the metal more valuable, not to trash it.

I’m not sure exactly what they mean by “analogically refers to the metallurgical process.” However, I think Biblically literate readers will pretty much immediately recognize the most well-known narrative where “fire and sulfur” comes from: the destruction of Sodom. David Aune notes, for example, that "[t]he motif of judgment of a city or a land by fire and brimstone is a fixed notion in the Old Testament and early Judaism for which the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone narrated in Genesis 19:24 is prototypical (Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalm 11:6; Ezekiel 38:22; Isaiah 30:33; 34:9; Sib. Or. 3.53-61, 689-92; Luke 17:29; 1 Clem. 11:1)" (Revelation 6-16, 541). Here fire and sulfur are simply agents of destruction; and nothing in the concept entails any subsequent restoration, without e.g. the quasi-fundamentalist harmonization of Jude 7 and Ezekiel.

The fact that “the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched” (Mk 9:42-48) for those cast into Gehenna sounds scary, but it is important to understand that neither of these mean that the people in Gehenna will be there forever as well. How do I know? Because the very next verse in Mark 9, v. 49, says: “For everyone will be salted with fire.” If the worm and fire Jesus was referring to meant eternal punishment, that would mean everyone is damned and unsalvable.

Mark 9:49 has been the subject of quite a bit of scholarly discussion. Adela Y. Collins thinks it means that "each follower of Jesus will be tested by fire" (454; and similarly France, 384). However, opinions are now coalescing around the idea that this draws on and refers to “the similar expectation in several apocalyptic texts and their Zoroastrian antecedents that both the wicked and the repentant would face the selfsame baptism in the eschatological river of fire,” as Daniel Frayer-Griggs puts it — wherein "the eschatological fire will punish the wicked but refine the righteous," as Joel Marcus words it. This universal judgment by fire leading to separate fates is poignantly imagined in the 13th chapter of the early Christianized Testament of Abraham.

Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Although these passages are often interpreted to mean that this sin will never be forgiven into eternity, what Jesus actually says is “whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age [αἰῶνι] or in the age to come”, i.e. the punishment lasts for two aions. He delimits the punishment into a quantified amount of time.

This language of what Jesus “actually says” is extremely misleading. The quote that follows this is specifically the version that appears in Matthew. While I’ll get back to that in a second, the version in Mark says “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin” (NRSVue). This is a perfectly adequate rendering of the Greek: including the clause εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, which is an idiomatic Semitism that means “forever” or “into perpetuity,” and when negated such as is it here means “not ever,” viz. never. The version of the saying in Matthew employs the same noun αἰών as Mark does, but now in a quite different sense and formulation. While αἰών denoted perpetuity in the version in Mark, in Matthew’s idiomatic phrase it’s used to denote “age,” in a formulation that divided cosmic time into the present (“this”) age in which the author lived versus the eschatological age to come — the only two eras that were imagined in early Jewish and Christian literature.
The exact literary relationship between the two passages isn’t certain. However, what is clear is that semantically speaking, Matthew’s formulation functions identically to Mark’s. “Not in this age, nor in the age to come” is simply a more elaborate, “rabbinic style” (Davies and Allison, 347) idiomatic formulation for “never” like Mark’s οὐ … εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; and the exact formulation as a total negation occurs a number of times in later Jewish literature, too, as לא בעולם הזה ולא בעולם הבא: in b. Berakhot 64a; Hekhalot Zutarti §336; and in the abbreviated form לא בעה"ז ולא בעה"ב, e.g. in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. Particularly instructive is b. Menachot 53b: ישראל אין להם בטילה עולמית לא בעוה"ז ולא בעולם הבא, "Israel(ites) will never undergo extinction — neither in this age, nor the age to come." Here the idiom is brought into direct conjunction with “never” and serves to poetically explain it.
The post also offers this bit of interpretation of the story of the rich man and Lazarus:

If it is perpetually true that “no one can cross from” Hades to Heaven, then this passage is contradictory to other parts of the New Testament. Peter says that Christ brought the Gospel to those who were dead in Hades: “He [Christ] was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water” (1 Pt 3:18-20). And later, in 1 Peter 4:6: “For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.” Why is the Gospel being preached to the dead if their ultimate fate is already permanently locked-in?

There are several problematic things here. In the wake of the recognition of the fundamentally Enochic imagery and phraseology of 1 Peter 3:19, the idea that this is a positive proclamation of the gospel to the otherworldly imprisoned has been all but abandoned in modern scholarship. Instead, this “proclamation” is understood analogously to Enoch's own proclamation to the fallen watchers in 1 Enoch: one of their impending destruction (cf. 1 Enoch 12:3-6). This is explored at length in studies like Chad T. Pierce's Spirits and the Proclamation of Christ: 1 Peter 3:18-22 in Light of Sin and Punishment Traditions in Early Jewish and Christian Literature and Dalton’s Christ's Proclamation to the Spirits: A Study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6.
As for a further connection with 1 Peter 4:6, Karen Jobes notes that "[m]ost contemporary interpreters no longer claim an association between 4:6 and 3:19 (Achtemeier 1996: 291; Bandstra 2003: 123; Dalton 1965: 42–51; Dalton 1979; Davids 1990: 154; J. H. Elliott 2000:730–31; Hillyer 1992: 122; Kistemaker 1987: 163–64; Michaels 1988: 237–38)" (272). Despite 1 Peter 4:6’s superficial appearance of an underworld proclamation, νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη is by far more plausibly understood as a reference to the original proclamation of the gospel to Christians who had subsequently died before the author’s present time, as exhaustively demonstrated in J. H. Elliott’s commentary (730-740), paralleled by a theodical passage in 1 Enoch, and adopted by other commentators (Achtemeier, 290-91).
Moving on, the post discusses

Hebrews 6:1-12: “impossible to restore again to repentance”
This passage is carefully worded, and it is important to understand precisely what is being said. The Greek word for “they are crucifying again” is “ἀνασταυροῦντας”, which is in the present active sense, meaning this whole passage is talking about people who are currently, actively defecting from God’s light.

This description misconstrues a scholarly minority position as one that’s obvious and uncontested. While this is indeed a known scholarly proposal (J. K. Elliott, “Is Post-Baptismal Sin Forgivable?”) and is even represented in some marginal translations, the vast majority of commentators on Hebrews explicitly reject it. The present participle ἀνασταυροῦντας is not the only Greek verb in the passage, nor even the focal point; thus it's incorrect to use this to say that "this whole passage is talking about people who are currently, actively defecting from God’s light." ἀνασταυροῦντας instead descriptively elaborates on the prior verb παραπεσόντας, which is an aorist describing those who have "fallen away." Lane argues the aorist here conveys a "decisive moment of commitment to apostasy" (though David deSilva cautions against over-interpreting this) and that the subsequent participles expand on this as the "consequences of the decision to spurn the gifts of God" (142). That is, figuratively crucifying Christ (again) is a further description of their already-decisive apostasy, and not an ongoing act.
To be sure, Ellingworth correctly notes that "the logical links between the main clause and the following participles ... are not specified" (323). But virtually all commentators raise several serious objections to the idea that ἀνασταυροῦντας and the other participle only suggest that it’s impossible to restore these persons while they (currently) "crucify" Jesus. F. F. Bruce, Gareth Cockerill, Koester, and Ellingworth all reject this reading as reducing what’s said to an inane truism. Cockerill further states that “[t]he entire context has the urgency of finality" (276 n. 41), and Attridge that this interpretation is "difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile with the other warning passages, 10:26-31 and esp. 12:17" (172 n. 68). DeSilva's commentary is especially insightful in contextualizing the severe perspective of Hebrews as a religious reflex of the ancient understanding of the patron-client relationship — specifically, the gift of salvation and the affront to the patron's honor represented by any spurned reciprocity: “After defecting from the relationship, the ungrateful clients could not expect to be able to begin that journey to God's promised inheritances again” (228). He illustrates the divine revoking of the gift by analogizing this to the actions of other spurned actors from the Greco-Roman world, e.g. one who "refuses to have dealings twice with a dishonest merchant, or to entrust a second deposit to someone who has lost the first one" (226).

In v. 7-8, the author of Hebrews makes this comparison: “Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over.” Remember that, as explained above, the purpose of fire in Scripture is not to torment, but to purify.

Again, however, this claim is only possible through a selective representation of the scriptural function and purpose of fire.

Revelation 14:10-11, 19:2-3, 19:20, and 20:10: the Beast and his followers
These verses mention an “eternal” punishment, but the wording here is different: it lasts εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων or αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, roughly “to the ages of ages”. The fact that this distinction exists is proof that αἰώνων by itself must be a lesser descriptor of time and thus finite

The distinction to which they refer must mean the repeated or doubled of αἰών/αἰῶνες. However, this is no evidence of it being a “lesser” or finite descriptor than the presence of “and ever” in the English phrase “forever and ever” implies that “forever” must be limited. We have any number of perfectly parallel examples of doubled Hebrew intensifiers that corroborate this, too: see Isaiah 34:10, לנצח נצחים; Exodus 3:15, לדר דר; Psalm 72:5, דור דורים; Proverbs 12:19, לעד ועד. Hypothetically, phrases like these could be hyperbolic. But this itself plays against overly literal interpretations that try to parse these idiomatic phrases as references to finite or more specific “ages.” Overall, the most well-supported conclusion is that these phrases idiomatically denote "forever" or otherwise convey finality. They’re also used frequently in reference to phenomena or entities that were genuinely and uncontestedly expected to be everlasting, like God himself.

So it is perfectly reasonable to conclude that those in Gehenna/the lake of fire will have their names added to the book of life once their cleansing is complete. How can we be sure? Because this punishment is referred to as the “second death” (Rv 20:6, 20:14, 21:8), but we know it was prophesied that God “will swallow up death forever” (Is 25:8), which, according to Paul, will be accomplished at the final resurrection: “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory'” (1 Cor 15:54). If some are in the “second death” for eternity, then these prophesies will never be accomplished.

This is an intolerable understanding of the final chapters of Revelation, even on a surface-level reading. The tradition of the final defeat of death as seen from Isaiah 25:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:54 is indeed also represented in these chapters of Revelation, to be sure. But the idea that the “second death” must eventually be destroyed as part of this destruction of death is precisely reversed from what we find there. Rather, the second death is actually the agent of death’s destruction, insofar as death is destroyed by being thrown into the lake of fire — itself explicitly identified as the second death (20:14). Above all, the defeat of death represents the dawn of immortality for the righteous who are to inherit the new earth; and besides this the second death represents the annihilation of the wicked. Perhaps it could be implicitly surmised that the lake of fire and second death will be unnecessary in the ultimate eschaton. But, again, this is only because they’ve already served their purpose in annihilating death and the wicked. (I mention this only to illustrate the diversity of Jewish tradition here, but in the Talmud — specifically b. Rosh Hashanah 17a — there’s the enigmatic line that for the most egregious of sinners, גיהנם כלה והן אינן כלין: Gehenna could/will come to an end, and yet they still won’t: they’ll continue in torment even after Gehenna’s end.)

Only the elect will be saved in the first resurrection, for the universal reconciliation of all souls will happen later, after the un-elect have spent a time of purification in Gehenna. This is why the elect are referred to as the “first fruits” in several places like Romans 8:23, James 1:18, and Revelation 14:4; being the “first” fruit implies that there’s an entire harvest that comes after.

This is a clear abuse of the intended sense of first-fruits in these passages. In some of these passages resurrection isn’t the topic, and in others first-fruits aren’t even persons at all!
Finally: this has been covered in other recent posts, and briefly above, too, but there's linguistic analysis that doesn't go much beyond what an amateur might glean from things like Strong's Concordance. Its whole section on the denotation of αἰώνιος, “perpetual, permanent,” makes no attempt to parse or even mention the traditions that influenced the New Testament’s employment of this term in eschatological contexts, e.g. used to describe the immortality of the righteous and the perdition of the wicked. Instead, what it does is find rather arbitrary Biblical texts which use this or related terminology, and juxtaposes these with other Biblical texts — usually from another book entirely — which seems to imply the non-permanence of the same phenomenon or entity. The juxtaposition of Sodom’s perpetual burning in Jude with Sodom’s apparent restoration in Ezekiel was an example of this. But even more generally speaking, use of αἰώνιος terminology in other contexts (often mundane or arbitrary) is obviously of significantly less relevance for how we should understood its use in eschatological texts. This is demonstrated simply by noting that these two uses often represent a shift from the mundane to the manifestly supernatural; and that in the ancient mind, the latter obviously wouldn’t have the same “rules” as the former, temporal or otherwise. All this and more is elaborated on at much greater length in this post, which exhaustively covers misconceptions about αἰώνιος and related terminology.
This covers a lot of the pro-“infernalist” or annihilationist passages that the author sought to address, in keeping with the title. The rest of the post addresses the opposite: “the numerous places where the universal salvation is promised and proclaimed.” This would need an entirely separate response.

Hey so this is going to get weird fast.
Last night out host broke down over a dream and wasn't in a good spot at all throughout the day. In the dream she said she was so happy, where she was young (around 7), with her irl dad and a new mom (trauma reasons why old mom is bad).
Well suddenly our inner world began to shift and a new planet appeared in our solar system. We sent a search party and eventually found our host (same age as in dream), an alter who gives off motherly vibes. and an alter who looks like our irl dad holding a sword. They are persistent that our host is their daughter and look at us like invaders. Conversation ensues and things settle down; with our host not leaving and appearing so different than usual.
We elected a new host and can talk with that family freely but things haven't settled on my side. Over 60 alters including myself are somewhat attached to our host because we all are like brother and sisters. Lots of tension, guilt, and frustration flying around and nobody knows what to do. Our old host isn't in any apparent danger but it sits awkwardly amongst us.
Any advice on what happened, why, and/or solution?
P.s. we know that girl is our old host because we can sense her presence and some of out more animalistic alters say she smells the same.

At a height of 130 meters (430 feet), the Flagpole in Aqaba, Jordan ranks as the sixth-tallest free-standing flagpole in the world.It may be visible from Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia and flies the flag of the Arab Revolution. The 2004-built flagpole officially debuts on October 3.
Top Light for the flag . Jordan only has one port, Aqaba. It is located near the Gulf of Aqaba’s terminus. This is the smallest of the two Gulfs that drain into the Red Sea and surround either side of the Sinai Peninsula. Jordan’s coastline measures just 26 km (17 miles), and it is bordered to the west and east by Saudi Arabia and Israel. From the harbor, you may view the Israeli tourist town of Eilat or, if you turn around, the barren Saudi Arabian peninsula.
The towering flag staff is the most noticeable land feature from the ship’s deck. Together with the flag pole in Abu Dhabi and a few other locations, this pole claims to be the highest free-standing flag pole in the world. The flag is displayed in the Arab Revolt Plaza, the site of a significant Arab victory over the Ottoman Empire in 1916.
The Plaza’s historical significance is what makes it so significant. It embraces the Great Arab Revolt banner and Al Hussein Bin Ali’s home, the Arab Revolution’s leader. Being the first Jordanian territory that the forces of the revolution under Al Sharif Hussein bin Ali set foot on, it carries a profoundly significant national connotation. Moreover, it was the location of the first shot fired during the Arab Uprising. https://jordan-travel.com/aqaba-flagpole/
The Big Flag, which proudly flies the flag of the Great Arab Revolt, is presently housed within the fort. Red stands for the blood of the martyrs, green for peace and sustainability, black for oppression, and white for the promising future. Each hue has a significance and a purpose in the revolution. It is also said that the colors stand in for previous Arab dynasties, with red denoting the Macca dynasty, green denoting the Fatimids, black denoting the Abbasidi, and white denoting the Umayyad.
The Aqaba Flagpole is the sixth-tallest unsupported flagpole in the world, measuring 130 meters. It is visible from neighboring nations. The Great Arab Rebellion of 1916, when Sherif Hussein’s armies battled for their independence from Ottoman authority, was commemorated with the flag.
THE FLAG
The Arab Revolt Flagpole Plaza, one of Aqaba’s most recognizable landmarks, blends historical intrigue with breathtaking beauty. One of the highest flagpoles in the world, honoring the Great Arab Rebellion of 1916, rises from its center. Discover the interesting history of the struggle for freedom from Ottoman domination.
As you arrive, take in the expansive plaza’s views of the sea and the striking mountains in the background. Rows of palm palms and the recognizable flagpole, which is 430 feet tall, are seen in the foreground (130 meters). Look up at the flag representing the Great Arab Revolt, which features the colors black, red, green, and white. https://jordan-travel.com/aqaba-flagpole/
HUSSEIN BIN ALI, KING OF HEJAZ
was an Arab chieftain of the Banu Hashim tribe who served as Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 to 1916, when he declared the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. From 1916 to 1924, he was King of the Hejaz, and from 1924 to 1925, he was Caliph. He was temporarily recognized as Caliph following the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate until the Saudi conquest of the Hejaz the following year.
He was a member of the Hashemite family, making him a direct 37th generation descendant of Muhammad. He declared the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916 after promising British backing for Arab independence and accusing the Committee of Unity and Development of breaking Islamic principles by restricting the sultan-authority.
caliph’s Hussein proclaimed himself “King of the Arab Lands” not long after the uprising began. His aspirations to rule the whole Arab world were rejected by the Allies, who only acknowledged him as King of the Hejaz. https://jordan-travel.com/aqaba-flagpole/

My father meets all of the diagnostic criteria for Narcissism Personality Disorder. Sometimes I actually just feel sorry for him because he just DOES NOT understand how things he does can affect other people/is completely unable to empathise over 90% of things unless it is empathising with himself. He will literally ask ‘why are you anxious?’ And then be extremely puzzled. A lot of his behaviour has been very traumatic however at least with my father I am able to understand how his brain and thinking works and therefore I am able to protect my feelings and try not to take his actions personally.
My mother would not meet the definition of a narcissist but she is an extremely toxic individual. I have had to deal with my mum’s emotional manipulation/abuse for my whole life and it has actually affected me more because of its insidious nature. Where with my dad I can immediately spot the narcissistic behaviour and then react, with my mother i often don’t realise what has happened until a long time after and usually she would have left me in a shame spiral by then.
Can anyone relate to this? I guess also for me there is a particularly specific issue with my mother where she forced role-reversal on me and made me become her mother while she acted like an emotionally unstable toddler, whereas my father has naturally gravitated to keeping a large berth from all of his children due to his lack of interest in us (more interested in pursuing his own greatness/image).

You’ve come to the correct spot if you’re seeking for the top things to do in Aqaba. More and more tourists are entering Jordan via Aqaba to begin (or base) their stays in the nation because of the continuously expanding low-cost flights to the Red Sea port city of Aqaba in Jordan. Due to its year-round mild temperature, proximity to Petra and Wadi Rum, Jordan’s desert, the undersea marine life nearby, and the beach resort alternatives, Aqaba is the ideal starting point for a journey to Jordan. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
Sunset Cruise on the Red Sea
See Luxor’s natural environment on an incredible outdoor adventure. On a sailing boat, unwind while observing the birds. take in the beautiful sunset over the highlands of Jordan, Eilat, and Taba. Treat yourself to a sunset sail or experience the joys of an outdoor barbecue. If you choose the sunset tour, be sure to bring your camera since your friends back home won’t believe how beautiful Aqaba is at the end of the day. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
The Red Sea truly lives up to its name at dusk. Being on vacation is all about experiences like this private adults-only boat cruise, which begins with little snorkeling, picks up steam with a BBQ supper, and then reaches a crescendo as the sun slowly sets beyond the horizon. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
PARASAILING ADVENTURE
Go parasailing, a thrilling experience, while admiring the Red Sea’s expansive beauty with family and friends. As you gaze up at the sky and wonder what it would be like to fly, Travel to Aqba will be prepared to give you the sensation by towing you as you parachute through the Gulf of Aqaba. also enables you to fly with a friend to increase the excitement and pleasure. You’ll have the sensation of having wings from Aqaba.
DIVING IN AQABA
For serious divers, the Red Sea is one of the greatest diving locations on earth. If you enjoy diving, make sure you allow enough time at Aqaba for some snorkeling. There are several diving locations. Some are reachable by land, while others require a boat. Every day, boats travel out to the reefs. The lunch is usually served on the boat in between dives, and they usually depart before noon. In Aqaba, there are also beginner-level lessons and certification courses.
WALKING THE CITY
Many residents and guests go for nighttime walks because of the chilly evenings and year-round warmth. Walking the city is a popular pastime in Aqaba, particularly in the evenings, whether it is through the retail district, perusing the restaurants, or simply spending time outside. a place with a long history that goes back to before the period of the Bible. Aqaba, which was governed by the Romans, Mamluks, and Ottomans, was a significant commercial port in the area. A trip to Aqaba is among the greatest things to do in Jordan because of its fascinating history, culture, and beachfront resorts.
Are you hoping to witness Jordan’s Aqaba’s unmatched beauty? Everyone will find something to enjoy in Aqaba, from ancient ruins to Red Sea snorkeling! https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
Aqaba has a lot to offer its guests, whether they are adrenaline junkies or just wanting to unwind and appreciate nature. Continue reading for information on anything from water sports and beach activities to historical landmarks and cultural locations. Prepare yourself for adventure as you all discover what stunning Aqaba has to offer! https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
HISTORY
The City of Aqaba creates a golden triangle for visitors in the Kingdom of Jordan together with Wadi Rum and Petra. Tourists like the Red Sea’s world-class diving and snorkeling because of the relatively inexpensive cost. In addition, Aqaba has a very extensive past. Since the first colony there, which goes back to 4,000 BC, people have lived there. Aqaba is now the sole port in Jordan, making it an essential element of the Kingdom.
Aqaba was transformed into a low-tax, duty-free city in order to draw more investment and tourism, which surprised Western tourists.
ABOUT SARAYA AQABA WATERPARK:
The Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, the first of its type in Aqaba and the biggest in the Kingdom, is situated in the center of Aqaba, the only seaside city in Jordan. It has over 25 rides, slides, and experiences in addition to family-friendly restaurants. The top-notch waterpark offers family-friendly activities unlike any other. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
The Saraya Aqaba Waterpark offers exclusive visitor experiences that are sure to be the pinnacle of aquatic adventures. The Jordanian-themed park, which covers an area of more than 28,500 square meters, offers thrilling rides and attractions that are named after some of the most famous sites in the country, like Jerash, Wadi Rum, and many more. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
DIVING IN THE RED SEA
Do you intend to go scuba diving in the Red Sea during your upcoming vacation?
If you’re interested in diving, Aqaba is unlike any other place. Picture yourself swimming in warm seas off a beach locale while being surrounded by fish and coral of vibrant colors. The shipwreck, the submerged tank, and the Japanese gardens are just a few of the well-known diving locations. The wealth of marine life may be explored while submerged in weightlessness when you and your family or friends don your diving gear.
One of the outstanding benefits of Aqaba is the clean seas, which are a result of the lack of stormy weather and the gentle water currents.
Corals may thrive in warm seas that are favourable to their growth, and a variety of marine species can flourish in waters with a good salinity balance. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
Whatever brought you to Jordan, we are sure that diving in the Red Sea will be among your most treasured memories. Also, if you have a dive camera, you will benefit from having some incredible pictures to share with your friends back home. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
WATER SPORTS
Be enthusiastic! Let your hair unstyled! Fly and have fun at the Red Sea with Aqaba Adventure Divers Water Sports and Fun Activities!
The rough trip on a banana or a four-seat sofa being dragged by a speedboat will be loved by thrill enthusiasts! Twirling and spinning quickly on an inflatable twister couch! This is a test for you and your buddies right now! Do boys use jet skis as toys? Jet skis are undoubtedly toys for boys, even in Aqaba! Parasailing will allow you to see Aqaba from a fantastic vantage point in the air! Please inform your captain about your desired altitude! Impress your relatives and friends by putting your waterskiing abilities to the test while producing waves! The real fun is there!
BANANA BOAT RIDE
Try to avoid falling in as you enjoy an exciting, rough journey around the bay. A hot summer day is perfect for banana boat trips. You may hire a banana boat and experience the thrilling speed while having the wind in your hair and the warm Red Sea waves rushing past beneath you.
A safe and enjoyable water activity for your family, kids, and friends are banana boat excursions. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
DOUBLE INNER TUBE
If you dare, have some fun this summer with your loved ones! Not for the faint of heart, the doughnuts. Each wave on this choppy double ride challenges you to hold on while it attempts to wash you away! https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
FLY BOARD
Future is now! With this hydro flight gear, enjoy a fantastic water flying experience that enables you to stand above the water and pull off some great stunts! You can climb out of the water with this unusual contraption and support yourself on almost nothing while you’re in midair.
The most recent extreme activity is flyboarding at Aqaba Watersports. Check out this novel idea for an expedition, and don’t forget to take pictures of this fun activity!
JET SKIING
Take off around the bay of Aqaba on a jet ski while being at the top of your game. While enjoying the sunlight, a Jet Ski journey is pure excitement. Speed addicts will enjoy this pastime because the dramatic impacts of the wind and waves.
KAYAKING
Kayaking is a developing activity that has sparked the interest of Aqaba’s thrill-seekers because to year-round access to reasonably calm waters. You may get in shape in Aqaba in a social and enjoyable way by kayaking.
Paddle leisurely along the Red Sea while admiring the breathtaking scenery. Enjoy a leisurely morning session or an afternoon excursion to take in the spectacular sunset from the water.
If you’ve never tried this activity before, you may go with a trained instructor who will lead the way and make sure you can safely take in the scenery.
KITE SURFING
Enough of the safe distance observing! It’s time to take up the sport of kite surfing, which involves using a board and a kite to navigate across the sea. By using a huge parachute-style kite, kitesurfing uses the wind’s energy to drive a rider over the sea on a miniature surfboard or a kiteboard.
TAKE A GLASS BOTTOM BOAT RIDE
When you relax on deck, you can see into the depths! Take in the coral reefs and other fish species from above in a glass-bottom boat to get a completely new viewpoint. Without getting wet, you can experience what the local scuba divers have been raving about. Parrot fish, rainbow fish, stone fish, chicken fish, and occasionally even clown fish can be seen, depending on your luck. Local fish sought for by fisherman like the Denis may also be seen. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/
YOUR NAME IN SAND
The sands of time are beautifully poured into tiny bottles in Aqaba to create desert sceneries. The artisans will be pleased to accommodate you, providing you with a keepsake that is really one-of-a-kind. Watch the terms of colors or wish to see your name, or that of family or friends, inscribed in sand. https://jordan-travel.com/adventures-in-aqaba/

I don't think they are bad and this is reason of my hatred. First, they look radiculous at last and bad in general. Like crooked barrel with attached wings, nearly as wide as long. In case of F4U corsair wings looks like they dropped clay model and bent them, but continue to use it as pattern. Ju87 at last look like it was design this way. What's the point with this tiny canopy, how they look backwards?
Second, their specifications are radiculous. I understand weapons because you want to make sure that at least 1000 rounds hit your target. But they are soo heavy that even with such powerful engines climb rate was bad. Fighter-bomber planes were nothing new, but who need nearly 2tons of bombs on fighter? US navy have enough bombers for this task.
And worst od all, they are succesful planes winning with theoretically better japanese fighters. Yes, Zero was slower and less durable, but how you flying practically strike aircraft get on position to shoot down this mosquitos? German planes having advantage on most aspects have problem winnig fight too.

So I’ve done a lot of travelling over the last 7-8 years. Trains, planes, buses. Turbulence on an aeroplane has always been my biggest fear and always gives me anxiety. Butterflies in my stomach, shortness of breath, general panic symptoms. But recently I noticed these symptoms whilst travelling by train from Glasgow to Preston. I’ve travelled all across Europe on trains in the past few years, and I must say that continental trains seem to move around a lot less whilst you’re on them that British trains (and generally are more spacious), but I’ve never experienced these symptoms before whilst travelling via train.
I had a pretty bad experience in January with turbulence whilst flying from Dubai to Manchester so perhaps the feelings and memories are still fresh in my psyche, but does anyone have any suggestions of how I can overcome these feelings and why they maybe are happening in the first place?

I've been trying and failing to make a PVE viable dagger build that has the following features:

• Dual Daggers as primary offense
• Doesn't rely on backstabs for damage. Mostly just something to dispatch unaware trash mobs, not a primary method of attacking.
• Bow or Magic for ranged stuff/utility (either is fine. Mostly used for pulling enemies from hoards or picking off flying mobs, not primary damage. invis is fun, too)
• A focus on movement and avoiding attacks over face-tanking them (I prefer to dodge/quickstep but i know armor is important, too. I expect min 60VIT for any build)
• I want the build to play like a fighting game, pretty much, where I need to use a kit of skills to get stuff done.

I've had moderate success with several builds using Erdsteel fire+ice combo and Greatknife bleed/poison builds, but it seems like as soon as I beat the fire giant every enemy is either immune to one of my effects or just has so much HP that winning takes ages. It's not that I can't win, but it's not really fun dying in 2 shots when the enemy takes 800 and I could just pull out any other weapon and beat them in 3 swings.
I'm not great at understanding how damage works on weapons in this game and everything I find on daggers says "wow daggers are great just use reduva ranged attack" which is fine, but I don't wanna play a mage. That's just a spell. I wanna slice someone to shreds and bounce off walls like some caffeinated accountant who just had their firm fail and has lost all meaning in life.
Any advice for how I can increase my raw damage that's viable in endgame where everything resists status effects and has 40,000 HP?
Educate me, please. I really wanna make this work.
PS: I don't mind having "backup daggers" or using utility items, but I'm not a fan of spending 2min buffing with shields and stuff that I don't use in the fight. I wanna avoid stuff like jellyfish shield unless I gotta. Using spells/items during combat to weaken enemies so I can slice them up is just fine.

Flying is often seen as a means to get from one destination to another, but it can also be an incredible way to take in the world's beauty from above. The stunning landscapes, breathtaking views, and picturesque routes make for an unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after your flight has landed. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most scenic flights in the world, which are worth booking flight tickets for.
New Zealand
New Zealand is known for its stunning natural beauty; a flight over its landscapes will leave you in awe. The flight from Auckland to Queenstown is particularly scenic, with views of the Southern Alps, the glaciers, and the turquoise lakes that dot the region. The flight also passes over Milford Sound, one of New Zealand's most iconic destinations.
Australia
Australia is home to some of the most diverse landscapes in the world, and a flight over its red deserts, lush forests, and rugged coastlines is truly breathtaking. The Qantas flight from Sydney to Uluru offers stunning views of the Australian outback, including the famous Uluru rock formation. In contrast, the Qantas flight from Melbourne to Perth takes you over the Great Australian Bight and its dramatic cliffs and turquoise waters.
Norway
Norway is famous for its fjords and dramatic mountain ranges, and a flight over the region will leave you spellbound. The flight from Oslo to Bergen offers stunning views of the rugged coastline and the snow-capped mountains above it. The flight also passes over the famous Geirangerfjord, one of Norway's most picturesque destinations.
The Maldives
The Maldives is a tropical paradise; a seaplane ride over its islands and atolls is an unforgettable experience. The seaplane ride from Male to your resort offers stunning views of the crystal-clear waters, coral reefs, and white sandy beaches that make the Maldives so popular.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the world is full of scenic flights worth booking flight tickets for. From the stunning landscapes of New Zealand and Australia to the rugged mountains of Norway and Canada, and the tropical paradise of the Maldives, these flights offer a unique and unforgettable experience that will stay with you forever. So, next time you book a flight, consider one of these scenic routes and take in the world's beauty from above.

Najia made a snap decision. She'd already been made by Mellerd, there was no need to pretend she was a low-key criminal looking for a little action.
She leaned forward, resting her hands on Kriss Mellerd's desk, meeting her gaze. "You know who I am. What I don't know, is who you know. I'm getting fucking stonewalled by Ministry-Company interplay," she said. "I can't develop real contacts. I can't develop real contracts. My ships are moving three quarters of the goods in Grand Exchange and half through Eighteen B. I'm tired of being treated like some random schmuck who just floated in with a Frog to haul credit-ante freight. You have connections. I want you to make those connections for me."
Kris sat back, blinking, then laughing, smirking at her. "You're looking for long-term income, mmmh, rather than a quick buck? Well, I'm not in a position to offer you any... Negotiated contracts myself, however, however... Let me talk to a... Third party who might be interested in you. I'll try to arrange something; but don't get your hopes up."
Najia would actually be in even more trouble if Kriss did arrange something, she knew, but she was putting Kriss on the spot. Mellerd stood up, and turned around, plucking a datapad from her pocket and holding it up to her ear. Perfectly, she was looking down and away, and Najia took one soft step to her side, plugging a tiny hack-box into the console at the side of the station manager's office.
"Yes, hi, I need to call in a favor," Kriss said, distractedly. I have a shady character with deep pockets and large resources looking for... You know, alternative contracts. Eager to get into the deep end of the pool, maybe, but not much of a profile yet. New money... Mmhmm, sure, I'll wait." Najia smirked, glad to see that Kriss was getting the runaround. The woman, despite being attractive and stylish and well-spoken, somehow annoyed her. She couldn't put her finger on why, exactly. Kriss' time on hold seemed to drag on, and Najia started to worry it might drag on too long. Then, she spoke up. "All done? Wonderful. Mmmhmm. I'll call you later about that other case." The station manager sat back down, turning around with the comm still to her ear. "Brilliant. Bye."
She put the comm down, but Najia saw the screen of it. It was on its basic lock screen, and Najia barely avoided baring her teeth; Mellerd had pretended to make a call. If the approach had been sincere, she'd have been furious, but even though this fit Najia's plans perfectly, it still pissed her off that Kriss had quite literally simply pretended to place a call rather than to just be straight and say she had nothing for her. "I'm sorry, there's no interest in the market," Mellerd told her, and Najia kept a straight face, as she continued, "the groups work on a trust basis, and prefer to work with people they have a history with, or select for themselves. The fact that you're actively looking to develop contacts raises some red flags. Let's get you a proper reward for a job well done, and have you on your way," she added, smiling sweetly. "I expect you'll find your way out."
Najia snorted, not having to hide the disgust in her expression. Uninterested in whatever petty payment Mellerd planned to remit for abducting her passenger, she turned on her heel and strode out, having no difficulty projecting the air of someone fuming. After all, she was fuming, just not for that reason. She strode quickly to the lift, taking it back to the landing pad, joining Marta and company, and looking around. There were supposed to be fireworks, weren't there? This was when the Arcadian Endeavour and Ace were supposed to show up and start raising a row so she could get into the hangar with the Raven, right?
Silence. A total lack of blaring alarms (which Marta's hacking would have accounted for), and a total lack of incoming weapons fire. Awkwardly, Najia hissed, shaking her head; she nodded to the ship, and the sextuple strode quickly into the loading bay, taking the lift up. Marta ran a scan for bugs as they did, and once inside the bridge, she laughed. "Man, their security was a fucking joke. But, uh... What's going on? Where's the pirates?" "I don't know." Najia strode rapidly to an aux console, and checked the 'Wildcard' incoming data. Then she swore. "Either I misunderstood the plan, Maestro poorly communicated the plan, or the plan has changed; either way, I'm wanted back on the Endeavour."
She looked to Marta, who looked at her, spooked. "Najia, I just hacked the shit out of this place. Right?" She looked to the woman on the gunnery console (who also had the sensors), who looked back to her, nodding. "I'm getting a zero read on their turrets," the weapons officer confirmed. "This place is vulnerable as it's ever gonna be." Najia let out a guttural growl. "We're humped. They're not gonna be vulnerable to a hack like this again. Get us the fuck out of here," she said to the pilot, adding "please and with all swiftness." "Yes ma'am," the pilot answered, lifting the ship.
Najia huffed, and slapped both of her hands over her face. "And it gets better. She fucking made me the moment I walked in." "Made you made you? As in, made you as an Empyrean Cur?" "No, she greeted me by name. I had to think real fast to come up with why Najia Takio was slumming it doing credit-ante abductions for her corrupt ass. I made it out that I wasn't satisfied just taking barrels of Teladi money and was looking to develop real contracts through her contacts. But it gets better still. She insinuated she still has ears in the pirate crew she used to fly with, which as we know is -" "The Empyrean Curs. Well, fuckadoodle-doo," Marta said. "What the hell are we gonna do?"
"I don't know," Najia said, huffing and sighing. The Falx groaned as the pilot adjusted the course, and blasted into Travel speed with almost no noticeable lag. "If the Maestro wasn't so fixated, wasn't so bull-headed about 'live free or die,' I'd just buy the whole fucking lot out and pay them to go very, very far away, and get the hell out of here."
Marta snorts. "Maybe you still can. I mean, what's he gonna do if you out yourself on his bridge?" "Take me hostage?" "That'll go over well with Ace," Marta said, sarcastically. "And then I'll be calling in a fleet to bracket his tiny little pissant scrap-Destroyer with enough firepower to vaporize it in one salvo. Explain to him that the only way the Curs leave alive is when you and Ace are standing safe and sound on my command deck."
Najia blinked, and snorted. "Me and Ace?" She smirked at Marta. "She's growing on you." "Maybe. Fungally. But you'd be despondent, too. So yeah. Hell, he wants a payday out of it, we can do that. But yeah, maybe you should just out yourself to him - the other side knows you now - and offer him a huge sack of cash to just get the hell out of Dodge."
The Paramerion was already sitting on the landing pad on the Arcadian Endeavour when she arrived. Najia was moments from teleporting to it as a convenient reciever and simply walking off, when she realized that that tidbit probably would be noticed, so she had it shuffle with the Shiv. She hustled to the command deck, where Maestro was pacing.
The Maestro looked at her, eagerly. "You finished flipping switch?" "Yes, that's done," Najia answered, sucking in a breath to start asking questions of her own, starting with where the hell were you? "Good job," Maestro preempted her. "What petty crime Mellerd make you do?"
Najia huffed, and sighed. "I wouldn't say an abduction is petty crime." "Who you abduct," Maestro asked, curiously. "Some poor Split fellow in Avarice," Najia said, racking her brain for his name. He had told her, once. "Lu... Lu t'Cca," she said, wincing; "though I have probably mangled that. She took in a breath to ask her own questions, but Maestro suddenly showed more emotion than she had ever seen from him before; fury.
"You handed over my brother?!" Najia's eyes went wide, she took a half step back. The weight of the machine pistol she was still wearing on her hip was suddenly very familiar to her, and she swallowed down the urge to go for it. "B-Brother?! That was your brother?" She gawped. "Mellerd has my brother?!" Maestro raged; behind him, Ace slipped into the bridge, apparently having decided to don trousers. Najia wondered why that was what she had noticed. Ace apparently heard the outburst, and looked to her, startled, pushing her goggles up, then slipping around the central pillar.
"Curs! Report," Maestro thundered, though thankfully he didn't seem about to attack her. Axiom popped up in hologram on the bridge. "What happened?" "Mellerd! Vile traitor!" Maestro answered him. "One casualty not enough! He was out of game! Off limits!"
Ace scratched at her cap-covered crest. "Lu t'Cca?" "Imprisoned," Maestro vehemently responded. "We engage! Attack station!"
"No, wait - wait!" Ace hissed, holding her hand up. "We have a plan to get in. We will get him out." "Yeah," Axiom said firmly, in holo. "We'll get him out." His hologram was running, presumably he was coming to the bridge himself. "Let us finish up preparations, before we engage," Ace said. "I've got a better combat ship," she said. "I'm working on an improvement to the hacking attack," Axiom said.
"We're fucked," Najia said, holding her hands up. Ace, Maestro, and - walking onto the bridge - Axiom - looked to her. "Either we misunderstood the plan, or the plan changed on us. We already hacked the station," she said. "I sent one of my crew in to fiddle with a security junction while I walked into Mellerd's office. I thought the Arcadian Endeavour was going to be hitting the place the moment I walked out of her office; that I'd take the lift straight to the security hangar and lift struts then."
Ace let out a hiss and face-palmed. Maestro gawked at her for a moment. "Split did not communicate plan clearly enough for Terran," he finally said, anxiously. "This puts quite the wrench in our plans," Axiom said. "Even if I can complete a hack to end all hacks, it would still need to be uploaded. They will definitely have physical security in all applicable upload points this time." "And they will undoubtedly call in additional craft, at least for the next few days," Ace said, hissing. "As nice as the fighter Wildcard gave me is, it is still only a fighter." She nervously hopped from foot to foot, tail lashing.
Maestro was silent for a moment, and Najia swallowed. This was something far worse than she had thought it was - and it had been bad enough previously - now there was blood involved. This couldn't be rectified with a payday, even if she outed herself. She could try to overtly buy Lu t'Cca back, but there was no guarantee that would even work; or that Kriss Mellerd could even be trusted. She was, after all, a duplicitous traitor. "Need bigger combat ship," Maestro concluded. "Starfighter insufficient. A 'Ministry' Minotaur has been harassing ships in Windfall. It belongs to the Scale Plate Pact." He pointed at Najia. "Wildcard, you will capture it for the Ace. Axiom, with me; planning to do. Ace let out a trill, her tail lashing. "Do not worry; we will get him out!"
"Yes, we shall. Wildcard! Get that ship for Ace." Maestro turned and strode from the bridge, with Axiom in tow. Najia let out a sigh, running her hands through her hair. "His fucking brother! I wish you'd been with me," she said, huffing, picking Ace up and squeezing her tightly. She didn't care who saw her, and apparently neither did Ace, as she wrapped her arms, legs, and tail around Najia.
"It would have been easy to prevent this mistake, yes," Ace admitted, nuzzling the side of her head. "On the plus side, Sensors and I proved to be a good team, and the Paramerion you provided is a very nice craft." "Sensors? Oh." Najia grinned, smiling weakly; Ace had given Namiko a nickname, presumably on the spot, to refer to her in pirate company. "That's good, at least, and... Yeah. This is a mess." She set Ace down, huffing and leaning back on the railing behind her. "Maestro's fucking brother? Fuck... What do you know about him?"
"Maestro's brother?" Ace shook her head, pushing her goggles up all the way and rubbing the back of her neck. "He was with the crew even before I joined. But... They had a falling-out, and he left to seek new opportunities." "A falling-out?" Najia tilted her head, curiously. "Yessss," Ace said, awkwardly, unable to contain the susurrus hiss that slipped into her voice. She didn't want to keep details - that might be relevant, even - from Najia, but it would get back to Maestro if she spoke of it. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "I... Would rather not discuss their private matters."
Najia blinked, and nodded. "Okay," she said. "Okay. Private affairs, got it - not our business." Ace nodded at her, as she continued, "So... Now what?" "Now, we're going to attack an M-class ship in order to steal it," Ace said, turning and walking brusquely for the lift; Najia turned and followed her, trusting immediately that Ace knew what she was about. "I know well that you have combat-worthy craft and are up to this task," Ace commented, as they headed for the Shiv on the landing pad. "Yeah, we're up for it," Najia said. Fatimah looked back at them, and lifted struts at a gesture from Ace; the door sealed up, and Najia said, "but I could just... You know, give you a Falx."
Ace trilled, but it had an awkwardly vibrating character to it; Najia took it for a nervous chuckle's equavilent. "I would prefer that, but Maestro has given us a specific target. I have never seen him quite this angry, not even when Mellerd... Parted ways with us. Best, I think, to follow through. And I do not imagine you have any qualms about attacking the Scale Plate Pact."
"That's for sure," Najia said, huffing and rubbing her face. Fatimah quickly had them on the landing pad of Jackdaw and she slipped out of the fighter, Ace following her. They bypassed the lift down from the pad and went straight in through the auxiliary airlock. "What a clusterfuck," she said. "Mmmmhmmm," Marta said. "I took a page out of Boso Ta's book and was listening in. We are in deep shit now, sister," she said, then she looked at Ace; walked over to her, and patted her shoulder, firmly. "Deep shit." "The excrement in which we find ourselves is substantially closer to my nose than yours," Ace said, with a slight trill. "I hate to even consider pointing it out lest the idea has not occured to you yet, but... You could extricate yourselves from this mess."
"Yeah, not a chance in hell we're doin' that, scale-sister," Marta responded, before Najia could do more than nod. "We got Maestro's brother into this mess, it ain't our style to leave him to swing like that. We're gonna have to get him out. Somehow." Najia grinned. "Somehow. The ace in our hole - pun intended - is that I did complete the hack in Mellerd's office, and I don't think she knows. She was too busy giving me a smug runaround. The grit in our gears is that we jumped the gun by hacking the station preemptively. What happened, anyway? Did I misunderstand the plan?" "I am not sure," Ace admitted. "Namiko and I were heading to rendezvous in Eighteen Billion when we got a recall order from the Arcadian Endeavour, but it was routine, rather than an emergency. I think we both misunderstood the plan."
A long few moments of silence passed between them in companionable discontent, and then Marta snorted. "Hey, Ace, I've been meaning to ask you. How'd you like that 'game' on Najia's datapad?" Ace blinked, and looked up at her. "Odd time to bring it up. It was creatively challenging, the actual puzzle was good, but the gamification seems to be entirely left out. Is it a beta?"
Najia facepalmed as Marta chuckled. "That wasn't a game at all. You ordered the construction of a monumental facillity in Gaian Prophecy," she said, laughing wryly. Between her split fingers, she peered out and watched with gratification as Ace rocked back, alarmed, and wrapping her tail tightly around herself. "I... Er..."
"Relax," Marta said. "It was her dumb fault for just giving you her unlocked datapad." "Yeah. Also, it's... Actually, you designed a beauty of a station," Najia added. "An absolute gorgeous industrial monstrosity with a fantastic towering habitation center on top." She straightened up, smiling; beaming at Ace, who seemed to recieve the smile gladly. "So," Najia said. "We have a ship to get you. We can totally just have the Eighteen B shipyard put together a Falx, or I could have one called up from reserves..." Ace shook her head. "Maestro will not be happy a direct command was disobeyed. He might be mollified by the ship produced being manifestly superior, but it would jog his attention. He'd start to ask why we disobeyed; where we got the Falx."
"I could just give you Jackdaw," Najia noted, and Ace trilled lightly. "I appreciate it, and that might work, but he's probably going to want you in Jackdaw. We'll have to take the Minotaur."
"Right," Najia said, cracking her knuckles. "No offense, skipper, but I think we'll take the flight deck for this one." The woman with the piratical haircut and the severely 'business' outfit looked back, grinning at her. "Hell, it's about time for me to go off shift anyway."
"I should probably say something cautionary about how big this vessel is, but we are comparable in size and mass. I should warn you about how dangerous its guns are, but we are better-armed, and likely both better-shielded and more maneuverable," Ace noted from the gunnery console. "Yep. He's a big bad boy, or so he thinks," Marta noted, as Najia piloted Jackdaw towards the Minotaur up ahead. "But he's a lot bigger than the Raker Manticore he's heading for with what looks like unpleasant intentions." "Also, you brought friends," Namiko said from the cockpit of the Parmerion that Najia had given to Ace. "Damn right they did," Fatimah called from the cockpit of the Kallis-class starfighter named Shiv. "When the going gets tough, the tough call for close air support," chimed in Raeleen Baner, following Jackdaw from the flight deck of Snapping Tortoise.
"And we'll just, uh, stand by to pick up pods in case this goes completely to shit," added the pilot of the Ninja Taco, Katlin Noore. "I mean, we could make an attack run, but it seems pretty redundant at this point."
A chorus of chuckles from within and without the cockpit surrounded Najia, and she smirked, as she brought the nose of Jackdaw toward the offending disguised Scale Plate Minotaur, who was already firing upon the Raker; who was calling for help. "Break and run," she called to the Riptide scavenger. "We've got this hump."
"Mind your own ledgers," the Scale Plate pirate called back, then she heard a hiss of alarm as the pirate must have seen just how many ships were painting her with targeting sensors. Presumably in a burst of wisdom, she turned to run, but it was far too late. "Bail out or die," Najia ordered the pirate as Fatimah and Namiko roared past the Jackdaw wing by wing, rolling in and unloading with their near-identical starfighters' cannons, letting off a burst to stall the pirate from escaping into Travel Drive. A moment later, she triggered Jackdaw's mammoth rotary cannons, while the single-barreled accelerators that were Snapping Tortoise's forward armament put in their own word.
"Show me your nose and I chew it off," Najia snarled as the Minotaur raider, evidently realizing that escape was not in the cards, turned and tried to close. "She's got Shard cannons," Ace alerted. "Dangerous at close range, but not dangerous enough!"
Najia was more than willing to joust with the oncoming pirate; she had twice the weight of forward cannons, her side cannons and those of Snapping Tortoise kept up the fire as they spiraled towards one another. The Minotaur's shields collapsed totally and she took several salvoes of body blows; the two starfighters executed a wing-over roll and each strafed the Minotaur again as she tried to soar past Najia. Ace was quietly giving the gunners orders to cease fire-with-intent and only give the Minotaur an occasional bite to remind them the clock was ticking, as Najia hit the comms again. "Surrender the fucking ship or die for it. Your call." Her aft turret gave the Minotaur's aft a stitching of pulse fire, then her turrets started firing - intentionally widely, but they were making one hell of a light show.
"Fine, fine," the Scale Plate pirate called, as she saw escape pods appearing on her tactical screen. "You win, Cur! Take it and leave us in peace." Ace huffed at that. Marta chuckled. "Should we pop them sumbitches? Take 'em prisoner at least?" "Let 'em go," Najia said. "Maybe they'll turn over a new leaf, but we got what we came for." She thumbed the comms. "Everyone form up, let's inspect Ace's new prize... Woah!"
An explosion issued from the stricken ship; the starfighters peeled off get clear, just in case, and Najia and Snapping Tortoise backed off to give it room. "The fuck," Marta asked. "They may have sabotaged the ship on the way out," Ace said. "Let us wait, they may have successfully rigged it to blow entirely..."
They stood off and waited. Two more large detonations on the ship occured, but nothing further happened. After awhile, Ace and Najia suited up, approached the ship over the strenuous objections of Marta and the other captains - Najia and Ace were the only ones with real EV repair training. Carefully they checked the ship for outward signs of further destruction, and, with nothing found, proceeded in. The bailing pirate crew had sabotaged the weapons, and tried to sabotage everything, but, ironically, the damage that they had done had prevented the pirates from successfully rigging the whole ship to blow.
"This thing is a wreck. She can move... Barely," Ace noted. "But I don't much like it." "No problem," Najia said, grinning. "I have a plan," she said; they had reached the M-raider's flight deck, a narrow cockpit with no secondary seats, and were examining things. Engineers from both Jackdaw and Snapping Tortoise had teleported over to restore main power and were working on structural integrity, and Namiko had swapped with another pilot from the Tortoise, joining them on the pirate ship. "And what is that," Ace asked as Najia sat in the pilot's seat.
Najia found the Riptide Raker nearby; they had taken damage and were now restoring their own power. "Raker salvage ship, Raker salvage vessel, how are you? We have taken possession of the ship that attacked you, over." "This is the salvage tug Breem. We've had better days, but no permanent damage. You should have blown those pirates to the Tide though," the salvage tug pilot complained. "Yeah, well, they bailed out, so I wasn't gonna renege on my word. How would you like to get repairs and upgrades to your ship on my credit?"
"... I'm listening," the salvager answered. "What do I owe you for it?" "Take this vessel under tow and get us to the Takio Enterprises shipyard in Eighteen Billion. For my own reasons, I need this thing intact. Do that, and you get the works; Terran Mark Three engines and shields, top-of-the-line thrusters of your choice if you don't already have them, full hold of laser towers and countermeasures, and top-of-the-line software if needed. And of course, any hull repair. Just no questions."
After a long, tense moment, the Raker pilot commed them back. "Done deal." Najia smirked, looking back at Ace, who trilled at her.
"There we go," Najia said. She and Ace were standing under the prow of the repaired Minotaur, which Najia had caused to be painted in a shinny green-scale-and-brass scheme, and named La Tora. The vessel was now sporting a single forward pulse cannon, a launcher, and its turrets were bolts. The original thrusters had, surprisingly, been both Mark 3 Combats already, and were wholly intact, while the totally-shot crap engines had been replaced, as had the shields. "Think that will do?"
Ace trilled at her. "This is such a vessel," she said. "A jolly pirate indeed would captain this vessel." "Yeah, well... If you say so. I'm still worried it's a little... Undergunned... Undershielded... Flimsy. I'd rather put you in one of my Falx frigates, but, this will hopefully do." She huffed, and hugged Ace again. "You ready?"
"As likely I will be. Namiko is waiting for me in La Tora's bridge. I already told Maestro that the ship was badly damaged and you were paying for repair and retrofit, and had already bargained for it before I could ask the Curs for assistance. He accepted that," Ace said, pressing her head into Najia's chest. "Thank you. For not abandoning us." Najia grinned, and simply kissed the top of Ace's crest. She then let go, patting Ace's bicep. "Let's get to our ships and see what Maestro wants." She gestured to the Jackdaw; it, and all of 'Wildcard's' ships, had been repainted in a beautiful, eye-searing neon-yellow-and-stark-white set of colors, and had been given nondescript generic transponders. That would likely not fool anyone who was looking too closely, but... "Indeed. I may have to rename the ship, though... 'La Tora' means something very rude in Teladi." She trilled. "Let us be off," Ace said. She pulled out her datapad, and Najia stepped back as Ace activated the 'teleport-me-aboard' function. Moments later, Ace became visible in the high flight-deck window, leaning over Namiko and waving at her. Najia waved, and recalled herself to the Shiv.
Najia stopped by the bridge of the Arcadian Endeavour when first she landed, but though it was fully-staffed, Maestro wasn't there. One of the crewwomen informed her that the senior planners were meeting in the crew quarters. She headed for the lift; Marta had come along, wearing her 'piratical' outfit and projecting an aura of 'this woman is my sister, mess with her and you mess with me'.
They found the core members of the Empryean Curs in a lounge aboard the Arcadian Endeavour. Najia noted, with a slight twist of the lips, that it looked as if the room had undergone a recent makeover - with fixtures and sundries procured at her stations. She wondered if that was a subtle message.
The lights were low, and for a moment Najia was worried it might be an ambush. Clearly the same idea occurred to Marta, but Ace was relaxed, at ease, so Najia patted Marta's hand as they entered the room. There was no ambush. "Everyone attending now," Maestro declared. "Good. Split allowed all time Split could spare for Wildcard to prep." Ace let out a soft trill, looking over at Najia. "Yes, and my shiny new combat ship could come in very handy, once it is time to disengage!"
Najia grinned at Ace, nodding. She sucked in a breath to ask a question, but Maestro beat her to the punch. "Now, time for decisive action! No longer just plan of petty revenge, or even business! Mellerd looking to strike low blow, involving someone who no longer in game!" He huffed. "Curs can play game too, but better! Breaking out Split's brother now priority."
Najia nodded, and cracked her knuckles. "Got it. After all, we got him into this mess." Ace nodded, and looked from her to Maestro. "Are we still going after the Science Division prototype?" "Yes!" Maestro responded. "After prison break-out, Wildcard make way through internal ducts, connected to hangar. Then, proceed to make escape in prototype ship."
Axiom made a satisfied-sounding rumbling. "It's a sound plan. They'll not expect you to use their precious ship for the getaway." "Right. Because you'd expect a prison break to have an exit strategy arranged outside, so they'll probably pull security from the hangar to respond to the cells."
Maestro nodded. "As to how you gain access to station in first place, Axiom will tag along. Hack into their system. Serve as on-ground supervisor. No time to waste. Get to it!" He gestured to the door, vehemently, clearly unwilling to brook dissent or entertain questions. Najia started at that. "But..."
Ace grasped her hand. "We've got this. Trust Axiom to hold up his end of the plan," she said, preempting Najia's objection, as Maestro strode out. Najia sighed, huffed, and nodded. "Alright! So, back to the Shiv?" "No; we procured one of the Ministry's petty patrol vessels just for transport. Less recognizable vessels involved, the better. Besides, the ship that lands is probably not leaving again. Best it be one of theirs."
Najia let out a sigh. The plan sounded slapdash at best, but she nodded. "Right."
"The ground infiltration is not a three person task," Ace said, as she, Najia, Axiom and Marta arrived on the pad. "Wildcard, you will have to go alone with Axiom." Marta snorted, and sighed. "I don't like it. Be safe, sister," she said, punching Najia's bicep, enough to ache slightly. Najia smirked back at her, as Axiom hurried to climb into the Callisto procured for the infiltration. "Don't worry, I'll keep Axiom safe," Najia said, smirking back at Marta. "Ace, keep her safe." "I'll deliver her to Jackdaw once we've transferred to Carefree Whirlwind."
Najia grinned, and hastened to climb aboard the Callisto after Axiom. She looked around the cockpit of the small craft, and winced; it was small indeed. "Buckle up, Wildcard," Axiom said from the pilot's seat. Najia laughed incredulously. "Where," she demanded, and got a hearty, deep laugh for her troubles, as Axiom piloted the craft up and off the landing pad. Moments later, they were zooming ahead from where the Arcadian Endeavour was lurking, outside of Wormwood Scrubs' customary sensor perimeter.
"I have to admit, I am nervous!" Axiom declared. Najia stood behind him, clutching an upright chicken-stick and peering around his side. She winced at his declaration, as he continued, "Sure, I have been involved in large-scale operations before, but never quite like this." Wormwood Scrubs loomed in the distance, and Najia wondered why what was ostensibly a prison complex had large fabrications facillities built in. She didn't imagine it was ever a good idea to put prisoners to work building things they could sabotage that would be vital. "I just hope the Maestro can keep his cool throughout it all," Axiom added.
"Mmmhmm," Najia agreed nonverbally. "The fact that his brother is now involved is weighing heavily on him. Mellerd sure knew how to provoke a reaction!" Najia snorted. "Yeah, well... The smug bitch is gonna regret that, that's for damn sure. How much her ability to make us regret making her regret this day, well, that's an open question. There'll be recriminations to go around one way or another, I think."
Axiom made his own nonverbal sound of agreement, as he swept the ship in to a landing, over what looked like the prison module, and landing at the conventional small craft dock. "Okay, this is it. Initiating docking," he said, pointlessly, Najia thought. "You know what to do, right," Axiom asked, as he turned his chair aruond. Najia noted that the incredibly-tall Paranid piloted whilst standing; the standard-issue pilot's chair had actually extended into something like an amusement-park-ride standing back-rest for him. "I will spoof your credentials, so that you can gain entry into the prison complex again. Then locate Lucca. I'll talk you through the rest." As he said that, he departed, and Najia pressed into the tiny airlock to let him pass, then followed him down and out the aft ladder. "Good luck," Axiom said, as he headed for his left. Najia pulled the pistol from her hip, checked its magazine, chambered a round, and returned it to its holster.
"Hope I don't need this," she muttered to herself, heading for another lift. She slipped in, and pulled the bug-checker app that Marta had loaded onto her commlink up, checking it with her free hand. Unless the Ministry had access to way better spy gear than she did - and knowing what penny-pinchers they were, and Boso Ta's opinion of their cleverness, she doubted that very much - she was in the clear. She had a comms tap to the Curs - and her own crew - and it was unobstructed, unobserved. Neither were any security devices capturing her images; either Marta's previous hack was still in effect, Axiom's work was being done, or both.
Najia's heart raced as she exited the lift into the first level of the prison complex. This was, she thought, insanity; she wasn't a covert operative. Her martial arts skill was amatuer at best. If she ran into any prison guards, her only hope would be to shoot them. She had confidence that her Predator pistol's armor-penetrating, 10mm magnum rounds would do the job; but she'd never shot in anger at anyone else face-to-face before, and she really didn't want to start doing so on a Ministry prison station where her real identity was known. And she was going into a prison. If she could think of any one place where the Teladi would not pinch pennies on personnel, it would be a prison. Yet, instead of finding a security checkpoint outside the lift, she walked into an empty corridor.
Najia blinked, as Axiom placed a call to her. "According to our intel, Lucca should be somewhere on this floor." Najia huffed, and followed the line projected in her HUD. Every step down the corridor seemed to Najia as if it echoed like a cannon discharge, and she nervously checked each way at every intersection, pistol in her hands, selector switch set to two-round burst. Every heartbeat felt like an eternity, at every corner she expected to be jumped by a guard, yelled at, or simply shot. She made it to a cell block - three rooms off a guard room with a desk, seperated from the main room by bars. She swept side to side, thinking surely there must be a guard actually watching prisoners but after an anticlimactic moment, realized there was not. She was alone, save for that one cell was occupied, by Lu t'Cca - or Lucca? She was fuzzy on that.
"Hmm," Axiom's voice came over her earpiece. "That console's connection to the cell doors has been severed. Standard procedure." Najia wondered how in the hell that made sense - but then, the consoles were actually within arm's reach of a prisoner inside the cells. And if the cell blocks were going to go unsupervised...
The phrase 'criminally negligent' crossed Najia's mind, as Axiom continued, "This will slightly raise our profile, but I should be able to... Adjust it remotely." Najia nodded, took a deep breath, walking to the darkened cell door. Lu t'Cca was within. He did not look pleased to see her, as he pushed himself up from the too-narrow, Teladi-sized cot. "You! Creature! Worst taxi driver Split ever met! Creature blind or just stupid?!" His vehemence was understandable, and it still made Najia step back on her heel, as he thundered at her, rising to his feet, "Split kill you after escape! Beat first, then kill! Or pretend Split is Taxi driver, deliver creature to blood-traitor, then beat, then kill!"
Najia felt a tremble run down her back, stiffening her shoulders. She was mightily tired of being disrespected, belittled, or downplayed; by, it seemed, just about everyone in the sector, from Boso Ta calling her 'Assistant' to Maestro giving her names on a whim to Brantlee Northriver's dismissive and smug attitude as if he was the biggest big-shot humanity had ever produced to Kriss Mellerd's faking a call as if she were taking her seriously to, well, Lucca (a) calling her a taxi-driver and (b) threatening her a violent and graphic death. The urge to bellow 'shut up' and hold him at gunpoint welled up deeply inside her. Her hand twitched with her firearm in it... Then she huffed, and with a decisive motion, holstered it. "Calm the fuck down," she snapped at him. Not very diplomatic, but considering that her first notion had been to literally hold him at gunpoint, it was fairly moderate.
"Split not calm down!" he retorted, seething - though his eyes were drawn by the motion of her holstering her weapon. "Creature calm down first, or... Or...!" He inarticulated a sound of exasperation. "Split realize creature still here. Why come? What else creature want but gloat?" He did, in fact, sound calmer now; perhaps the fact that she could have shot him, or threatened to do so, and that many of his past life's associates would have done just that after the violent death he had promised them, and yet she had not, got through to him. Or perhaps he simply mastered his temper because she was armed.
"Look, The Curs -" "Split want nothing to do with filthy, dishonorable Curs!" Lu t'Cca ranted. "Except if making amends," he added, almost parenthetically, seemingly swinging wildly between reconciliatory and fury. "Split tried to make peace, leave past behind. Brothers, sisters, friend-foes, conflict, tangle, chaos! No honor! Only choice, was no choice!" He ranted, on a roll, and Najia decided to let him wind himself down. "Enough talk! Creature take responsibility, now! Help Split escape, then Split not kill. Maybe!"
Najia rolled her eyes; she wanted to point out that she could still just shoot him. Instead, she said, "Let's get the hell out of here." "What creature waiting for," Lucca thundered at her. "Open cell, or eat fist!" Najia restrained her ire to a low growl in the back of her throat. She was really tired of receiving physical threats from an imprisoned man, even if he had every reason to be pissed at her. She was about to point out again that she armed, when Axiom thankfully interrupted. "If the Triangularity wills it... There we go! The door controls should be enabled now. Try them."
Najia stepped over to the console next to the prison door, and started to look it up and down. Numbers scrolled on the screen rapidly, she flicked through menues, but though she started to search more and more frantically, it was just a bio of the prisoner with everything redacted, and a log of routine entries - prison mealtimes and stuff. She started to hiss, low in her throat, as she frantically flipped back to the root menu, but there was nothing useful there. Paranoidally, she glanced over her shoulder, but there was noone at the door. She took her hand off the hilt of her pistol, scrambling to the desk. There was no active console on it, but one beside it, on the wall; she hurried to it, but it was simply mirrors of the console on the wall, reflecting all three cells. Frantically, she dropped to a squat, looking under the desk, above it, feeling under it, but she couldn't find any hidden consoles.
Near to panic, she looked up, and saw there was a tiny, easily-overlooked button next to the cell door, trivially within reach of the prisoner. No, she thought. That couldn't possibly be it. It was too exposed. Any careless slip in forgetting to disconnect it, and a prisoner could be out anytime.
The words criminally negligent ran through her head as she reached out and tapped the button. Of course it opened.

Change in body Structure

Sometimes, there are often a breakage of a body. It will turn out kind of arrangements.These arrangement have an effect on the genes of that body. There area unit following sorts of body structure changes;The loss of a part of body is named deletion.Addition of genes during a a part of body is named duplication.Rearrangement of genes inversion.

Deletion or Deficiency

The loss of a part of body is named deletion.Fragments while not centromeres area unit sometimes lost throughout biological process. Therefore, the body can miss bound genes. This causes many serious genetic diseases.
Change in Chromosome Structure

Causes of Deletion

Deletion could occur due to;A) Losses from translocation.B) Cross over with in Associate in Nursing inversion.C) Unequal crossover.D) Breaking while not rejoining.

Types of Deletion

There area unit deletions;

A) opening deletion:

In this case, internal a part of body is missing.

B) Terminal deletion:

In this case, there's only 1 break homologous body fail to rejoin. therefore tip of the body is lost in biological process.

Effects of Deletions

Small deletions aren't fatal. however giant deletions area unit sometimes fatal. Some medium sized deletions cause human disorders.

1. Homozygous deletion area unit fatal.They cause abnormal developments.
   
2. Frameshift mutation, In some deletions, variety of nucleotide isn't equally separable by
   
3. It causes a frameshift mutations.Thus all of the codons returning once the deletion area unit browse incorrectly throughout translation.It produces a severely altered and non practical supermolecule
   

.4. Disorders, Deletions cause male sterility, And common fraction of cases of duchenne congenital disease. A deletion of a part of the short arm of body five leads to Cri du chat( a disorder ,a cat like crying throughout infancy provide the syndrome its name). it's found in one in 50000 live births. The living infants have a particular cry, severe backwardness, and shortened life.

1. Heterozygous deletions, shows abnormal pairing in meiosis. the traditional body doesn't have a homologous region for pairing. therefore a loop is made. Its example is polytene chromosomes of fruit fly.
   
2. Pseudo-dominance, heterozygous deletion could cause a pseudo-dominance.In this case, dominant gene is missing. Therefore, recessive gene categorical itself.
   

There are a lot of tales in Greek mythology, but one is more misunderstood than the others: the legend of Icarus. Throughout time, the legend has stayed mostly the same; there are very few variants, but the meaning isn’t what people have been thinking it is.
The tale is already short, but here is a brief summary: back in ancient Crete, there was a man by the name of Daedelus and his son, Icarus. King Minos had Daedelus build him a labyrinth, but to keep the secrets of the dungeon, he kept Daedelus and Icarus in a tower, so Daedelus devised a plan.
Daedalus created wings out of wax and feathers for himself and Icarus, though he was nervous. Icarus’ age isn't known for certain, but he was young; in the tales, he’s described as a boy, as though he didn’t have the time to grow up. Icarus was young, but he decided to try and flee with Daedelus anyway, though he gave Icarus a small warning: don’t fly over the sea or too close to the sun.
When fleeing to Sicily, Daedalus decided on taking a route over the sea, and Icarus flew too high. The wax melted against the sun, and Icarus fell into the sea, thus drowning. Daedalus didn't realize what had happened until after Icarus died.
The typical interpretation of the story is that you should listen to your elders because they know better than you do since they have more experience on Earth than you do, but in reality, how could that be the meaning of the story? Daedalus never specifies what is ‘too close to the sun’ and he’s the one who was choosing the route, there are other ways to get to Sicily from Crete other than over the water. There are three other meanings that this story could have, and none of them are aimed at the child, but rather at the adult, with life experience.
The tale could be telling parents to pay better attention to their children and to show they are their children’s most important influence. Since Daedelus wasn’t paying attention to Icarus, he fell into the sea and drowned, but he wouldn’t even have had the chance to drown if Daedelus hadn’t picked the route over the sea, despite knowing that flying over it was a horrible idea.
The second way the tale could be thought of is to take your time. Daedalus knew Icarus was young, but he was impatient. He wanted to go back to his home in Sicily, but he couldn’t just walk out of the tower. He should have waited until he thought Icarus was old enough to fly responsibly. Icarus didn't get to leave the tower every day; in fact, he never did, and few people ever get to fly. He was obviously going to be irresponsible and test his limits because he was only a boy; it's normal for anyone, especially children, to do this to see how far they can go and how skilled they are at certain things, though that wasn't even the true meaning of the story.
Before the events of Icarus’ death, Perdix, Daedelus’ sister, asked her brother to teach her son, Talos, and Daedelus agreed. But over time, Talos got more intelligent and was beginning to surpass Daedelus, so Daedelus attempted to kill him, though Talos was turned into a bird called a Perdix, named after his mother, by Athena. Once he became a Perdix, Talos flew away and was never seen by Daedelus again.
The tale of Icarus’ demise happened years later, but karma knows no timeline. Icarus died from falling while using the power of the bird, flight. The same thing Perdix used to get away and be free after Daedalus tried to murder him. The tragedy that was bestowed upon Icarus was punishment against his father. Daedelus took away his sister’s son, and now he had to pay with his own son’s life when flying in the same domain that Talos was now a master of thanks to Athena.
When one person was told this, she said it was a "messed up mindset to believe that," but it also wouldn’t have been the first time that Greek mythology had a darker, more sinister side to it. Many ancient tales are twisted and horrifying if one looks into them, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Icarus' death was karma and justice being bestowed upon Daedelus for attempting to murder his nephew out of spite and wanting to be the best architect and inventor to exist. Athena has already intervened in the matter before, so she may have had the help of the other gods and goddesses to devise a plan that would essentially be payback for his wrongdoings upon Daedelus’ sister and her son.
Alas, all of these are only theories compiled over the years, and this Pandora’s box of mythological mysteries may never be opened; one thing is for certain, though. While the patterns of the box may be bright and vivid, they don’t always show what is truly within, and the same is with the legend of Icarus and his infamous father, Daedalus.

I’m probably a fossil compared to some of you other Reddit ENFJ’s being 33 so I need your advice. I’ve moved to another state and got a kick ass job. And my coworkers are cool as hell. But I have no clue how to make new friends anymore.
I didn’t even own a cellphone until I was 22. (Really I had no use for one 11 years ago). Wherever I went or moved I used to be able to make friends everywhere I went. I’ve maintained my friendships over the years and am still friends with people I’ve known since childhood. (That’s the nice thing about social media and technology) We call, FaceTime, chat, send gifts and occasionally visit. I miss them to death.
11 years ago, we only used our phones to call or text to hang out in person, get info on a party, or really for important calls. We hung out in person. Social media was mainly used on laptops and desktop PC’s and for uploading stupid party pics or blogging. No one hangs out anymore. It’s not even about getting older. Even the friends who didn’t have kids never spend time with each other anymore. Nothing beats spending time with people in person.
Here’s another thing. I’ve watched with my own eyes people or humanity go from at least trying to be friendly or decent to having zero manners. It’s like they don’t know how to act in public or real life. Old people especially seem to be the most entitled, and those middle aged- middle class you know what.
I suck at social media. Like, I don’t wanna heart a pic of your baby, I wanna come over and hold her and babysit and have tea. I don’t want to like your plate of food. Invite me over or I’ll invite you over for something delicious. Let’s all go out! Let’s sit and chat and make stupid jokes. I remember my apartment or house used to be a place where my peeps would just knock on the door (even being a young adult). Even if they had kids. Mi casa su casa. They’d check on me and I’d check on them. What happened? Obviously I can’t thanos snap technology out of existence or pray a solar flare knocks out our smartphones.
I know about 4 friends who struggle with what I’m going through but they live far away. I’d never thought I’d ask this, but can anyone give me some tips on how to make friends in a new place? Should I add my coworkers to my very private social media? I keep it very small with only close friends and people I’ve known since childhood because they get me, but new people wouldn’t get it. Should I make new accounts and make it g rated for everyone? My husband is a shut-in and I love him but he’s more like his dad and I’m more like his mother. We get along great but she also struggles with what I do since her friends are out of state too. She literally flies her friends up and has them stay in the guesthouse/cabin on their property but I don’t have that kinda money yet lol.

I know Commerci is not everyone's favorite, but what Nexon did was just absolutely disgusting.
This change is mainly effecting newer players who dont have access to carries.. After ~6 months i managed to get a pap mark on my DK, i invested HEAVILY in my pap mark and after a few billions i got a flame good enough for transposing, then i hit 16 stars with safeguarding so i can transpose it. i started running Commerci on a daily basis (solo and PQ), a process of 2 months just to get Dreadnaught ship, got enough denaros to buy the Monocle and started my transposing attempts.
after spending ~4B on my pap mark, another 2 months running solo voyages and CPQ for ~15 mins a day (so thats more than 10 hours total, closer to 20) i just woke up to figure out all this was for nothing. All of this - Just to have my item out-scaled by BLACK BEAN MARK.
We got notified on Totems removal a month in advance, with the totems being available until 1 month after removal. so that's two months in advance. Alien visitors or MONAD whatever that was (never bothered) doing it) had a 2 months notification aswell.
Unlike Commerci, these two didnt require you to spend hours and hours in advance and yet, Nexon thought to themselves it's okay to just remove the transposing system entirely overnight, without giving those who spent time a chance to finish what they started.
Commerci was my bread and butter, a break from RNG, time to text GF, it was perfect :') This content is available for almost 10 years, transposing has been a significant thing over the past and after that long you "fix" commerci by making everything viable about it completely useless? I'm the only one who's mad AF? i always think Nexon can't surprise me anymore with their nonsense, but that's a whole new level of "I don't give a flying f**k about my community".
Do you think there's a chance it will come back at some point or do i just boom my pap mark along with everything i spent on it? I wish i was more rational - at least enough to quit this shitshow hosted by Nexon lol

Hi friends! I submitted a diary in February 2021 that you can find here! Since then we’ve sold one house, started higher-paying jobs, moved states to be closer to family, rented a kind of busted house, bought another charming fixer-upper of a house, and given in fully to lifestyle creep, especially when it comes to plants and gardens.
❤️ Section 1: Assets and Debt
Total Net Worth: $108,763 if you believe the equity calculator I reference below. Negative tens of thousands if you think the housing market is about to crash or even just reset!
Retirement Balance: $10,000 for me, split just about evenly between a Roth and a 401k; $25,500 for my husband, L. This will make more sense when you get to the “income progression” section, and after you accompany me as I spend money like I have money to spend, every day.
Savings Account Balance: $17,000 split between an “upcoming house repairs & dental fund.” The first $7k is spoken for already between a big chimney repair ($3k) and an expensive upcoming dental appointment for L ($4k), both in April. The remaining $10k we don’t touch – it’s for an emergency fund.
Checking Account Balance: About $1200. I try to keep this pretty low to discourage my own spending, which works only sometimes.
Credit Card Debt: $12,100 left from our home renovations and move last October. We got two 0% APR cards to finance this, and will pay both off before the APR jumps at the end of this year.
Student Loan Debt: $80,000 for L’s undergrad and MAT. $18,000 for my undergrad and (unfinished, womp womp) MAT. We aren’t paying on this til we have to, and are hoping it will be forgiven – mine via Biden, since I was a Pell Grant recipient, and L’s via PSLF.
Equity: $145,000. This number is from an online equity calculator, and is for our century-old house in a very walkable neighborhood in a popular Southern city, but who knows whether it’s real or not. Numbers that are real: We paid $575,000 for the home last fall, including a 20% down payment that my dad split evenly with us – his portion from his recent inheritance, our portion from the sale of our previous home.
When we started looking in 2021, our “stretch budget” was $450k, but the housing market exploded and it seemed like overnight the base budget for kind of place we were looking for was more like $650k (I’m committed to city living, and we wanted to make sure there was enough space for my sister, J, and her boyfriend to continue living with us, given the skyrocketing rent prices). We bit the bullet on this place after my dad offered to pay for half the down payment. That gift helped us avoid PMI, so that the rent we were paying for a worse place was comparable to the monthly payment on this one. We spent the remaining $15,000 from our previous home sale buying down the rate and on moving costs, repairs, furnishing, gardens, appliances, etc, and then still took out about $12,000 more in credit card debt to renovate the bathrooms and make a few other upgrades.
❤️ Section 2: Income
Monthly Take Home: My base pay is $125,000, and L’s is $55,000. We bring in about $11,400 a month after taxes. The whole family’s health insurance is paid in full by my work, and our pre-tax retirement contribution details are below.
Income Progression: I’ve been working since I was 15 years old, moved out at 18, and paid my own bills starting that year, but income below starts the year I graduated college.
Year 1: $15,000 (part time ABA therapist, full time baby anarchist)
Years 2-8: $28,000 (This is a rough average of my income across these years. I accepted a spot in Teach for America right out of college in order to have a salary, despite my maximalist politics at the time, and kept working with young people for years after my TFA service ended. I paid for L’s expenses in college and supported a few other family members off and on while I taught. When I took a big pay cut to do youth organizing work for a couple years, L’s teacher salary helped support us).
Year 9: $45,000 (got a full-time nonprofit fundraising job, quit teaching)
Year 10: $55,000 (got a raise)
Year 11: $65,000 (got a raise and promotion)
Year 12: $75,000 (was promoted again, realized I was still underpaid)
Year 13: $98,000 (was hired by my current employer)
Year 14: $125,000 (was promoted!)
❤️ Section 3: Expenses
Mortgage, Taxes, & Insurance: About $3,000. My sister and her boyfriend currently live with us and contribute $600 of this total payment each month, but we budget as if we pay the full mortgage ourselves.
Investment Contribution: L’s retirement is pulled out of his check before he receives it: it’s $289 a month. I put $170 into my 401k, directly out of my check. I also contribute $100 to a Roth IRA through Acorns each month. Through Acorns we also have a UTMA/UGMA account for B which gets $100 a month, and we put $40 a month into a taxable brokerage account.
Savings Contribution: We tally an extra $1.5k-$3k a month beyond expenses, and are expecting $6k back from our tax return this year. But we aren’t prioritizing savings right now, and instead are: 1. cashflowing L’s timely dental work (found out in the course of this diary that we’re looking at about $11k this year); 2. paying down the debt on our credit cards ($12k, see above); and 3. cashflowing a few must-do house projects (estimating about $8k for those).
Debt Payments: See above! As I mentioned, we have student loan debt to the tune of $100k but aren’t paying right now. I actually paid my loans down by $10k during COVID with money from our first house sale. But I panicked when Biden said he was going to forgive loans and got my full payment during the pandemic – all $10k – reversed. That money is now our emergency savings account.
Electric/Gas: $150ish, varies significantly. We installed a high-efficiency wood stove when we moved in, which cuts down on the cost of our old furnace a bit.
Internet: $80
Water: $75
Cellphone: $100, for L & I both
Subscriptions: $10 Spotify; $10 Youtube music; $2.99 Apple data; $22 NYT, for newspaper and cooking app; $5 for Acorns. I also pay yearly: $40 for the Freedom app, $20 for Hobnob, and $60 for Insight Timer.
Car Payment and Insurance: $200 for insurance. This covers both of our used cars and my dad’s used handicap van. We paid off our 2012 Honda Fit when we sold our last house, and recently paid cash for a Honda CRV with 180k miles which we use for family trips.
Medical/Therapy: $0. My therapist is $181 a session, and I see her twice a month – but this is covered by my job’s MERP card. I also get an inhaler at least twice a month - that’s reimbursed too, but would cost $60 otherwise.
Pet Expenses: Our precious pittie suffered some injuries before we adopted her. She’s on Gabapentin daily for pain management which is about $60 a month.
CSA: $40/week minimum – this is a special CSA service that has all kinds of tempting goodies, so I usually spend more.
Coworking space: $150. I expense $100 of this to work.
Gym memberships: $75 for a family Y membership, and $120 for my spin studio; I also buy 10-packs to the yoga studio down the street every few months, which are $120 a pop**.**
Donations: Varies. We give $10 monthly to our local Democratic Socialists of America and $10 monthly to the Working Families Party. We give one-off donations when asked or when we come across a need, usually $50-$100 at a time. Once we have less immediate debt, I plan to up our recurring gifts.
Childcare: $600. B goes to the best public preschool in the land – he was on the waiting list for 18 months. We previously paid double this for a subpar Montessori school run out of a church basement. Often babysitting is an extra $100 or so a month.
Kids’ Activities: $120 every three months or so – think swim lessons, toddler soccer, etc.
Outdoorsy memberships: $110 yearly for memberships to nonprofit parks, botanical gardens, etc etc. These are not too expensive and a fun way to spend a day with little ones.
House cleaner: $320. They come twice a month and charge $160 each time. This is some of the best money I spend each month.
Nuuly: $94. This has been a gamechanger for work travel.
❤️ Section 4: Money Diary
✨DAY 1: TUESDAY✨
5:00 am: I wake up wheezing with two pudgy legs draped right across my chest. My three-year-old, B, gave me a cold that I’ve just recovered from, but my asthma is still a bit aggrieved. I disentangle myself from B and head downstairs to make a french press and get some work in before everyone’s up.
6:30 am: B comes running downstairs, naked and boisterous as ever. I spare a thought for my little sister, J, and her boyfriend, who share a wall with him. J and her boyfriend have been living with us since the deep pandemic when we all moved together, which has been a blessing for us. But the early mornings and constant circulating upper respiratory infections are doing them in, and they’re moving to a nearby apartment in May. This very basic one-bedroom will double their monthly rent D: And, since J is finishing up school right now and doesn’t have a steady income, L and I had to cosign their lease in order for them to even qualify for the place. Big sigh on housing across America right now.
7:15 am: B and L head out, and I get dressed and do a little more work. At 8:30, I head to my first-ever dermatologist appointment. My mom recently treated me to a mothedaughter facial where I learned that the creeping redness on my nose is likely hereditary rosacea! The facialist suggested I make an appointment with a dermatologist after I informed her that my skincare routine has to date involved only a wet rag and a heavy moisturizer.
The dermatologist suggests a gentle papaya cleanser; a phyto vitamin c serum; a rosacea triple cream; and a moisturizing sunscreen. The cost for the appointment itself ($150) is covered by my MERP card from work**,** but I pay for the cleanser, serum, and sunscreen from his office ($141) and the rosacea triple cream from an online pharmacy ($49) out of pocket. Thus begins my first-ever skincare routine. Sadly, the dermatologist’s proprietary packaging is ugly, so if you use something similar but cute, please share a link.
10:00 am: I’ve walked the dog, made another cup of coffee, turned on Freedom, and am settling into my laptop for a day of toggling between Google Docs and Zoom rooms.
12:30 pm: M barks rancorously as I’m wrapping up a Zoom call. The Tubies I ordered last week for me (and B) were delivered. It’s SPRING and we are about to eat SMOOTHIE POPS, everybody. It’s also time for lunch, so I heat up this very yummy soup (we subbed veggie sausage and it worked well) and toast a piece of focaccia. I read “I Went On A Package Trip for Lonely Millennials” while I eat. It is every bit as unsettling as it sounds.
1:40 pm: L calls — B has had diarrhea at school and needs to come home. B’s preschool is in the public school where L teaches, which means L handles all pick up and drop off, but my work schedule is much more flexible than L’s so I often do early pickups like this one. I shift my afternoon meetings, notify my direct reports that I’m signing out early, and stop for gas on the way to pick up poor little B. ($40)
4:30 pm: B and I spent the afternoon doing quiet things together – he took a bath, played with toys, and watched some PBS Kids, and I took a few minutes to tie up some loose ends at work. When L gets home at 4:30, we set up the sprinkler on our tiny front “lawn” (currently actually a patch of very-tilled dirt), where we recently seeded low-growing wildflowers.
6:00 pm: I want to drink wine with L while we make veggie fried rice for dinner, but think better of it given that I just got over a cold. L offers to make me a hot toddy (yesssss) but then realizes we’re out of lemons. He and B head to the grocery store around the corner while I finish up dinner. They get lemons, a lime, and a giant bag of lollipops for L’s students. ($11) The hot toddy is delicious.
9:00 pm: B’s bedtime routine is a wrap and my new skincare routine is complete – turns out my face does feel cleaner after a cleanser! I take a nebulizer treatment and read my favorite book that has completely transformed my life, Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts, until we turn out the lights. Goodnight!
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $241
✨ DAY 2: WEDNESDAY✨
5:00 am: I wake up wheezing deeply again. I head downstairs to eat a cold banana and take a prednisone left over from the last time my asthma was aggravated by a cold. I decide to sit for a little Sarah Blondin meditation by the woodstove before I start my early-morning work block. Lesson 8 in this course is my go-to, and is alone worth every bit of the yearly Insight Timer fee.
7:00 am: B and L are awake, but B is staying home from school today so things are a bit slower. I make a mango smoothie for B and then add kale and protein powder for L and I. At 7:45 I don my favorite lilac workout onesie (I have it in black too) and head to my spin class.
9:00 am: I am but one month into spin classes and totally enamored. The dark room and loud music extremely do it for me. After class I stop at the coffee shop next door and buy a big drip coffee to split with L, a sticky bun for L and B to share, and a bag of coffee beans cause we are almost out at home. ($28)
9:30 am: Take a quick post-spin shower while I listen to Iris Dement’s new album, which serves the sound I grew up on and a very earnest progressivism that reminds me of my parents and their sweet Boomer friends who care deeply about abortion access and post anti-racist memes on Facebook. I cover my body in Warm Feelings, spritz on Winter (the best), wriggle into some cheetah-print overalls, and head down to work until L leaves in about an hour and a half.
12:00 pm: My meeting with my boss ran over so L had to leave for work while I was mid-call. I extricate B from Disney+ (we use J’s login) and receive only a moderate tantrum in response. After some breaths, B lays on his blue rug and pretends he’s eating his lunch (a mango pop, grilled cheese, & berries) in the shallow end of a swimming pool. Pre-nap, we read Gabito, a recent fave, and B’s eyes flutter closed during the last few pages. Back to work!
3:30 pm: B comes running into my office but I need to wrap up an important task, so we listen to superhero stories together while I tappity tap. It’s raining out, and L isn’t due home til 6p, so I make a gametime decision to spend the afternoon doing one fun inside thing for me (pick out berry bushes for our garden!) and one fun thing inside thing for B (ride rides inside the mall near the garden center!). B and I gather $2.50 in quarters for his rides, and he dons his Ironman costume and rainboots for the occasion.
At the garden center, we pick out two triple crown blackberry bushes, two chandler blueberry bushes, one heritage everbearing raspberry bush, and, after a quick phone consultation with L, one black tartarian cherry tree. L loves cherries and is very excited to use them in his cocktail-making. We also pick up a galvanized steel watering can since my old thrifted one keeps leaking all over the floor when I water my inside plants. The total is $253. Because I am very excited about this purchase and it’s for our house, it counts as free in my heart.
4:30 pm: B and I are the only nerds in the mall wearing KN95s and clutching quarters in our fists. So far B has purchased a ride on a train ($1) and some tiny banana candies ($.50). He settles on a very exciting race car for his final four quarters – but the greedy car eats his money!!! ($1) We are both very sad, and start searching for a ride that might take a debit card. Then, suddenly, to our left, appears a LEGO STORE. B dashes in and we find that you can build your own tiny Lego person. He happily obliges and I spend $5 on a three-inch-tall Lego man with a spider face and a big helmet.
6:30 pm: Back at home, L and I discuss our most exciting news of the week – L’s youngest sister and her partner arrive at their new apartment in our city TONIGHT! They’ve been living several states away for years. L’s whole family lives in the area and we are all thrilled these two are coming back home. L, B, and I plan to help them unpack tomorrow, and I think we should take them a gift. L heads out to the bottle store down the street to buy two bottles of Morphos (one for us!) ($52), and then goes to the grocery store to buy White Claws and some pull-ups for B. ($25) We could save more money but life is for living.
Dinner is leftover fried rice, and B doesn’t fall asleep til 9. L and I take our favorite CBD gummies before bed and I read the “soft fruits” section of Down to Earth to prepare for our big planting this weekend.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $365.50
✨ DAY 3: THURSDAY✨
6:00 am: I wake up late today – I had trouble sleeping because I couldn’t breathe all night. I make my favorite smoothie for breakfast (which is something like this but incorporates protein powder and frozen kale and cayenne), L eats oatmeal, and B eats two mango smoothie pops plus a cereal bar. They leave around 7:15 am and I get myself together to walk the dog before heading to my coworking space for the day.
8:30 am: I pack up my stuff and ride my bike to my pretty coworking space. The sun is out! It’s spring! The trees are blooming! Everyone is glad.
1:45 pm: I heat up fried rice and drink some of the on-tap kombucha. While I eat, I read Today in Tabs and consider adding it to my monthly expenses so that I can read it more. Our cleaner texts that they’re done at the house, and I Venmo her $160 (included in monthly expenses).
3:10 pm: I decide to bike home before the final Zoom call of the day. I cannot stress enough how glorious it is outside. It’s also glorious inside, thanks to our fabulous cleaner.
Post-call, I make some smol avocado toasts and L calls to say his sibling is not in fact up for a visit tonight – they are whelmed by boxes. We pivot: bike ride to the playground! While at the playground, B is the first kid to hear the ICE CREAM TRUCK approach. Chaos ensues and we spend $5 on one scoop of cookie dough ice cream.
7:00 pm: For dinner we make mini pizzas on TJ’s cauliflower crust. I also make asparagus with a delicious flaked salt left by my bestie the last time they stayed over, and the result is pretty enough to text to them. L makes us gin fizzes with strawberries and with mint from the garden. 🌱
8:00 pm: Teeth brushing is always a slog with B, but on this night I am visited by a stroke of genius. Tonight, I explain to him that the tooth fairy has been hired for a residency at our place and is listening in while he brushes his teeth and uses the potty. If he does a good job, she’ll leave him a coin somewhere in his bedroom. L overhears and makes tooth fairy sounds (think tinkling giggles) from the hallway – B is delighted and brushes his teeth with aplomb. This is a big win! While he uses the potty, I steal away and hide a quarter under the toe of his stuffed Spiderman. He requests tooth fairy bedtime stories and falls asleep listening. ($.25)
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $5.25
✨ DAY 4: FRIDAY✨
6:00 am: Another late wakeup for me. I have a spin class at 8 and a packed workday, so I make my favorite smoothie again and walk M while it’s still dark out. Afterwards, I help B with his teeth brushing/potty routine, and it continues to be so much smoother than ever before thanks to our friend the tooth fairy. This time, L stashes a dime under B’s stuffed bear. B proudly puts the dime and last night’s quarter in his coat pocket and, as I buckle him into his car seat, announces he is NOT sharing his money with his teacher today. I suppose the discussion about whether money should be treated as a public good or a personal asset can come later. On the way to school, L stops for gas. ($25 for gas, $.10 for the tooth fairy)
8:00 am: I arrive at the spin studio and learn that the teacher I expected overslept. His sub unfortunately leaves half the lights on and plays lots of Eminem. I survive the weird vibes and head home for a quick shower before work – no coffee shop stop this time! I am a disciplined and frugal Recessionist millennial.
10:15 am: Our CSA is delivered! It includes spinach, heirloom tomatoes (!! new this week!), apples, lacinato kale, meyer lemons, limes, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, red onions, shishito peppers, and mixed cherry tomatoes, plus a delivery charge, for $63, $23 more than the monthly minimum I included in set expenses. I fetch it from the sunny porch and am reminded that urgently want a pair of white platform Birkenstocks for spring. I find a pair in my size in EUC on Poshmark and buy them now: $60 with shipping, a steal compared to $110 new!
1:00 pm: My delightful neighbor and I take lunch together! We walk to a nearby eatery where I get a tempeh reuben and diet soda (my vice), $18 including tip. Over lunch we discuss parenting, gardening, her upcoming major home renovation, and how squirrels can sometimes relocate crocus bulbs. Meanwhile, B and L have early release at school so they head to a kid’s play place as a special treat to B. ($23 with snacks)
3:30 pm: B is home early but, curses, I still have much work to do! He and L chill while I tappity tap for a while longer. I eventually wrap up, but will have to do more work over the weekend.
L wants to work in his shop for a while, so B and I take the bike to the playground. He is a very good friend at the playground, running around happily with a couple of 7-year-olds he’s never met and then, when they leave, chatting amicably with an 18-month-old and his parents. He periodically begs me to let him take his pants off so he can better pretend he’s in the pool. The answer is no, but he is shirtless, shoeless, and covered in “tattoos” (washable marker), and I think that’s a pretty good compromise.
7:00 pm: Back home, L is making dinner (avocado tacos!), and I announce to him that we need a few more spring items: new (unscratched) oversize sunglasses and a beaded eyeglass chain for me, and little kid Tevas for B. I use my dad’s Amaz*n to buy the glasses and chain for me ($20) and three pairs of Tevas for B to try on. They’ll only charge us for the ones we keep, which will be $21.
L and I spend the evening drinking the Morphos he bought earlier this week and hanging out with J and her boyfriend. We turn on the AC for the first time which reminds us that we need to get an HVAC repairperson out here to check out some weird details of the old AC system our inspector caught. I mentally add it to my to-dos for the week.
We get B in bed late again – around 9 – and we watch Schitt’s Creek til almost 11. We will never tire of re-watching this show.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $185.10
✨ DAY 5: SATURDAY✨
6:45 am: I wake up breathing easy today! Blessings, prednisone; blessings, springtime.
8:00 am: L and I make eggie toasts with heirloom tomatoes, and L reveals that he had a long-awaited budget chat with the medical hospital where he’s been getting dental work done. They’re estimating we’ll need to spend an additional $11k this year to get L’s teeth in order. This kicks off a Big Conversation, during which we realize we absolutely need to be spending less than $8k monthly in order to cash flow his teeth, cash flow our must-do house projects, and pay down our cards by end of year. This should be doable, in theory, but will be a big adjustment as for months we’ve been splashing out on everything from gifts to travel to furniture to tools to fabric to support my baby-clothes-making hobby. As the conversation drags on, tension rises, and we’re both mad at each other but not sure why.
After a few breaths, I realize: we are just launching big numbers back and forth across the room, completely unmoored! I offer to make us a big fancy draft annual budget with monthly projections and schedule a date night to review. HOW FUN! L obliges after I convince him that I actually, truly, want to do this, and I find a very nice budget template on Etsy. ($20)
10 am: I run down a hill and across a parking lot to yoga, and slip in some vom along the way. Meanwhile, L and B head to the gym together.
12 pm: I take our e-bike (the one we’ve been riding around all week) to the shop and tell the bike guy that the lights and the breaks are in rough shape. He tells me they’ll fix it up, but that we should consider replacing it with a Yuba Spicy Curry which is $5200. I think not, but in my heart, I do really want to sell this one and buy a RadWagon or a Blix Packa Genie. Ebike moms and dolls, send thoughts.
When I get home, L heads to Aldi and spends $125 on berries, lots of bananas, eggs, rice, oat milk, oatmeal, snacks for B, frozen berries, fresh broccoli, yogurt, and a bunch of other stuff including Aldi swag that he is very stoked about: a matching pullover, socks, and tumbler. He then goes to Ace Hardware and buys s’mores sticks for use with our fire pit and some light bulbs ($37). B takes a nap and I plant the berry bushes and cherry tree while he snoozes!
6 pm: We head out to dinner to celebrate the big move with L’s sister and her boyfriend. It’s a long walk to our favorite taco place, but a beautiful day. B rides his pink scooter and is very cute, but reader, he is a spirited child and today he is having A Day. We field multiple meltdowns and lots of not-listening on the way to the restaurant. Dinner itself is delicious, though, and we watch the sun set over the water as we eat. It’s $58 with tip for the three of us, including a coconut margarita for L and a watermelon sangria for me.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $240
✨ DAY 6: SUNDAY✨
5 am: Up and thinking about parenting. L and I had a long conversation after B fell asleep about what we could do differently to help him manage his emotions. He’s a big child in size and in personality – at 3 he’s wearing size 6 clothes and talking as much as any child that age too. He has big joy, big wonder, big imagination, and also big anger and big sadnesses. We’ve tried to follow Janet Lansbury’s teaching since B was born, but at times gentle parenting, which Janet teaches, has seemed too lax for B. I decide to return to her work anyway. I read the transcript to her newest podcast episode, and wonder if maybe we’re overengaging with B’s big feelings. Then I read this one about another child struggling with aggression, and am glad that B is at least not spitting, I guess?
10 am: B’s morning is going great after all, and we decide to pack a lunch and head out for a hike. B makes himself a ham, cheese, and hummus sandwich, and I make L and I veggie sandwiches with pesto. We happen upon a plant sale on the way home and L approves a “Fuzzy Mystery” peperomia for our bathroom. ($8) Afterwards we drop off my Nuuly at UPS (prepaid!) and head home to watch a movie while it rains. I do work things and start our new annual budget spreadsheet during the movie.
5 pm: J takes a walk with us and M the dog to a playground nearby, and while we’re out, our neighbor texts to suggest once-a-week family dinners on Tuesday (yes please!). For dinner tonight, I make Smitten Kitchen’s tomato sauce with onion and butter using the heirloom tomatoes from our CSA and it’s very good as always. L and I drink some Pinot with dinner, and B eats his spaghetti with his hands.
9 pm: My anxiety (her name is Esther) visits while I’m putting B to sleep, so after he’s down, I decide to get to the bottom of a few things via Google. As usual, this is a bad idea! I walk to bed crying and lay on L’s chest. I cry a lot more, including about the trailer for You Hurt My Feelings which I saw three days ago, and about how scary it would be if L were to die, and about how L’s parents’ best friends’ lives have never been visited by tragedy and is that possible for us too?
Therapy is on Tuesday, everyone! We will make it.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $8
✨ DAY 7: MONDAY✨
6:30 am: I wake up later than I wanted to after a fitful night. B was coughing a lot (post-nasal drip, ick), and I was thinking a lot. I have back-to-back calls today with lots of prep beforehand so I get dressed quick and grab a pre-made smoothie from the freezer for breakfast. B and L leave at 7:15; I light my Gardener candle and tuck in to work.
1:00 pm: Lunch is fried rice with a chonk of a Trader Joe’s milk chocolate hazelnut bar, yum. I eat on a call but politely turn off my camera.
4:00 pm: B and L are home and I’m still wrapping up. On the way home, they picked up some natural honey cough syrup stuff for B ($12).
6:00 pm: L and I drop B off at the Y childcare, and find out they are hosting a spring break camp for 3-5 year olds. L wants to build B’s long-awaited tree house over the break, so we sign B up for four days of camp. Very cute! And also less than half the price of other camps in the area. ($100)
6:15 pm: I check the NYT as I start up the elliptical and am sent reeling by news of the school shooting in Nashville. I try to distract myself with The Crown. Unfortunately, Princess Di is really going through it, so the distraction is a bust. I turn on Sarah Blondin’s Learning to Surrender meditation instead, and listen to it twice. I’m trying desperately to trust the universe but the hellscapeness of it all makes that difficult sometimes.
Life marches on anyhow: After our workout, we head to Trader Joe’s to buy the items Aldi didn’t offer over the weekend (fancy bag salad, plantain chips, challah, frozen greens, a Galia melon, a few other things), plus a lot more broccoli because we need it for the tofu and veggies we’re making with the neighbors tomorrow. I love this peanut butter tofu recipe, in case you’re looking for one. ($31)
8 pm: We three look at videos of baby B over dinner, and L says maybe he is ready for a second. I think I am too.
adrienne maree brown posted today,
put your attention on suffering – which is constant and everywhere – and it is all you will see. joy will come, and laughter, but you will find it brief, possibly a distraction.
put your attention on joy, being connected and feeling whole, and you will find it everywhere. your heart will still break. you will know grief. but you will find it a reasonable cost for the random abundance of miracles, and the soft wild rhythms of love.
return to love as many times as you can.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $143
❤️ Section 5: TOTALS
Total Expenses: $1228.85
Food & Drink: $376
Fun & Entertainment: $130.85
Home & Health: $557
Clothes & Beauty: $101
Transport: $64
❤️ Section 6: REFLECTION
This week was spendy for us between the plants and the skincare routine – but I’d say we usually have at least one week a month where we spend like this. I know that needs to shift if we’re going to pay for all the things we need to pay for this year without drawing from our life savings. I’m also aware that N’s student loan payments will likely resume, and that having a second baby isn’t cheap – so I’m excited to finish our budget spreadsheet and treat it like a goal rather than a suggestion (I currently track our spending obsessively in Mint but treat the budget limits like unsolicited advice).
I do like everything we spent money on this week, though, and feel very lucky to be able to cover so many wants and needs in a given week. Thanks for reading!

I am quite new to the world of credit cards, but I mostly use them for online spends and travel. I want to accumulate miles. My dream card is the EW Krisflyer World MC. I will be trying to apply for this soon when my ITR comes out.
I will be flying out to the US for a little over a year soon, do you suggest that I keep all these cards or to stick with EW when I get approved? Thank you in advance.
I currently have the following cards: BPI Gold MC Citi Rewards MC (NAFFL) Security Bank Platinum (dual currency) AMEX Explorer

WE FUCKING GET IT. YOU VAPE. You fucking emo reptile with your fucking emo death and darkness stuff is not cool bro.
See, I just had a very pleasant and fun fight against Acidic Glavenus. It's hard, but it's fair, see?
BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO FUCKING RUIN THE REST OF MY FUCKING DAY WITH YOUR GAS BULLSHIT.
Oh, you want to fight at range? FUCK YOU MEGAZORD BEAAAAAMMMM
Oh you want to approach? DODGE THIS FART CLOUD AND WATCH ME MOONWALK MUTHAFUCJA
Oh you want to fly over everything at once? I DON'T USE FUCKING DEODORANT AND I'M PROUD OF IT SO CHOKE ON IT AND DESPAIR
Oh this area looks nice to fight in ain't it? It'll be a shame if SOMEONE LEFT FART CLOUDS ALL OVER IT THAT SOMEHOW TICKS A MILLION HP A MILLISECOND EVEN AT LVL 3 EFFLUVIA RES LIKE BITCH WHAT???
Fuck you BV I'm out. Uragaan brought me to the edge but good job launching me off it farther than the rangpe of your AOE.

Well, after a long suffering 5 years and taking a lot of time off to physically recover from the nightmare and regain my old self back, I stumbled into my absolute dream job. A job that is so good that it triggered jealousy in a number of people I had thought were squarely in my corner and rage in the flying monkeys tied to my narc job. A job that could easily have been loaded with narcissists but through some miracle is not, and is powered by positive reinforcement and people that are happy to have me working there. This is consistent with every job I've ever had other than with the narcissist, which was why that period of my life was so mind boggling.
I have been able to hit the ground running and perform at a high level. Since the job is a tremendous ego boost and since I did not feel 100% prior to taking the job, I have to assume that a bulldozed and demolished ego/self esteem from the narcissist was a major factor in how miserable I was there and the perception that the healing time was taking longer than anticipated. Ultimately, I took the perfect amount of time off (6 months part time work and then 4 months or so off) to allow my stress tolerances to return to normal and address the physical issues I developed slowly from the severity of the narc workplace over 5 years.
The silver lining from the negative experiences is that I feel like I can handle a lot of stress and bs going forward to a greater extent because I learned to be hyper vigilant in all things and trust a tolerable outcome in high pressure situations. I am not sure the bad times were "worth it" but the silver lining is that I feel like I grew up 20 years over those 5 years.