Apartments near la jolla

Sofia University - True Review

1. Location: Great

Both campuses are in California: Palo Alto & Costa Mesa. Super convenient for those who work in the bay area or near LA.

1. Tuition: cheap

The total program cost is $21,840 (2 years). my friend applied via www.day1cpt.org. They helped her waive the application fee and apply for a scholarship.

1. CPT Major: not much to choose from

My friend enrolled in the MBA-IT program which is a STEM program. Sofia also has MSCS.

1. Workload: so so
   
2. Student service: can be improved
   

My friend complained about their response rate. This is one of the things I care about the most, and also the reason why I didn't choose to go there with my friend. Sofia is a small university, they don't have many staff working for CPT students.

1. Accreditation: ok enough

It's ok safe. But not as accredited as Westcliff University. Sofia is a small university. I guess you get what you paid for. Westcliff is good but also very expensive.

1. CPT Policy:

• CPT needs to be renewed every semester
• Can work full-time during the quarter off.

1. Application and SEVIS Transfer Timeline: apx 2 weeks - 1 month.

My friend used the expedited service provided by www.day1cpt.org, which allows her to get everything within 3 working days, though you have to pay extra. She was not prepared on time. If you plan ahead of time, paid service is not necessary. You can just use their free consultation service and apply it yourself.

My partner and I have been living in the same apartment for nearly two years with our current lease ending on June 30. We let our landlord know back in March that we wouldn’t be resigning due to a number of reasons which include: — being manipulated into resigning the year prior — harassment issues with multiple tenants in the unit above ours (one of the current “tenants” is largely part of the reason we are leaving and want to get out asap) — lack of care for the apartment and concerns not being fully met
That night our apartment was up for rent and within a week they had someone sign for the apartment. (good luck to those suckers). The new tenants asked our landlord if we could be out by June 22 (8 days before our lease ends), rent would we prorated. We said that we could make that doable and would let them know when we sign on a place and plan to be out. Fast forward three weeks and we signed on a apartment (which is SO much nicer than our current apartment) and we let our landlord know that we would be out by June 15 (7 days before we were asked to, 15 days before our lease ends). Our landlords response was “Sounds good I'll plan on that. I have you paying thru June 22 as agreed”. Now, we agreed to be out by the 22nd but since we are moving out before then and will be handing off the keys at that point, should we be paying for those extra days?
Realistically, we will be done and out of the apartment before the 15th but are willing to pay to that date (15th) to keep some peace. The tenant in the unit above ours has a partner that is not on the lease but is here 24/7 and has been harassing us for months to the point we bought Ring cameras for protection. Due to this, our landlord being unhelpful, and other reasons, we want to be out of the unit asap. We checked our rent online and it still says that we owe full rent by June 1st, and a few hundred will be prorated on the 20th. We want to message our landlord but are a little unsure about our options here. We already won’t be paying through the end of our original lease date (6/30/23) which is nice, but should we be paying until the “agreed” upon date of the 22nd if we will be done, out, and handing over our keys by the 15th?

Hi everyone, I need some serious advice here.
I have 3 cats: 3 year old sphynx female [Pea], 1.5 year old sphynx male [Pickle], and a 6 week old female Siamese rescue kitten I’ve recently decided to care for and adopt [Tigra]. My two older cats go with me everywhere. From car rides, to stroller walks around my city.
I’ve had Pea since she was 2 months old. Raised as a single kitten but was with her litter for a decent time. She was very energetic, playful, and communicative as a kitten but has become increasingly reserved and independent as she’s gotten older. She still has that previous side to her, but tends to want her space more often, isn’t afraid to communicate that, and is bonded/affectionate primarily towards me. She very much has princess behavior.
I got Pickle at 4 months when Pea was like 1.5yrs. Before Pickle, I’d often be gone a couple days out of the week. Pea would free feed and always seemed to be fine/even enjoy the alone time; but I thought that (considering her amount of energy) a companion would be more beneficial.
I was very careful about taking introductions slow. Regardless, Pea was very mean, hissy and grumpy for a while. When they finally began to interact face to face, Pea would bully Pickle a lot, it would stress me out and make me cry because he was so tiny. Eventually though, Pickle grew and overtime they’ve become pretty bonded.
Pickle is almost 2 now but he still behaves like a kitten: veryyyy playful, energetic, talkative, dog-like. I feel like Pea’s personality has slightly changed since getting Pickle (possibly why she’s more reserved?) but also thought that was just due to her age. Pickle is twice Pea’s size and definitely annoys her, she’ll hiss, but she likes him overall. They groom and sleep with each other regularly. And when we leave the house for travel, they even prefer being in the same carrier.
I have an apartment, but I leave once a week for two days (for work) and stay at a relatives house, where I have my own area/set up for the kitties. So they come with me. This is a routine that they’re very used to and fine with. They’ve grown to even enjoy riding/listening to music in my car. They also seem to enjoy themselves my relatives home, but there’s more traffic there so they (especially Pea) feel more relaxed in my apartment.
So recently I took on this new kitten Tigra. She’s very chill, cuddly, gentle and sweet. I’d been thinking about this for a while, because I felt as though Pickle was too energetic for Pea. And because Pea loves cuddling up with warm, soft fur. New kitty could simultaneously entertain Pickle enough for Pea to have her space sometimes, and also be the more chill, warm fuzzy companion Pea needs.
So far, Pickle is sooo friendly and aside from a few swats, has been pretty accepting and playful towards the kitten. But introductions have been rough with Pea. She’s been grumpy, swatting at her brother, hissing at me occasionally, growling, hiding in her bed.
Tigra was rescued near my work, so I’ve been at my relatives house for nearly a week with them because it’s a bigger (separated) space & Pea has been so aggravated by the scent of the new kitty that I’m nervous to travel with them/bring them all back to my (smaller) apartment.
Tigra and Pickle are becoming friends fast and Tigra thankfully travels well too. I’m wondering if I, for now, should leave Pea at my apartment when I’m gone to help the transition? I keep them in separate spaces in my apartment also so I figured it would give her time to be alone andget used to Tigra’s scent without the stress of her being present.
I used to leave her alone and free feed her when she was a single cat and she was happy. But if I’m traveling with the other two like usual, will she stop recognizing Pickle’s scent too and get more angry? Will the repetitive coming and going be MORE stressful/confusing for Pea or will the scent of Tigra’s area combined with time alone be enough for Pea to recognize/get used to a new kitten in the house? I’m home 5 days in a row each week so they WILL be around each other the majority of the time.
HELP!!!!!!

In the second quarter of 2023, businesses reported that they continue to face a variety of obstacles over the next three months related to supply chains, rising inflation and the rising cost of inputs, as well as obstacles related to hiring and retention. However, pressures continue to ease in comparison with the first quarter of 2023. Below are some highlights from our latest data release :

• Nearly one-quarter (22.9%) of businesses expected supply chain challenges of some kind over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (26.3%).
• Over one in four businesses (28.3%) expected to raise prices over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (32.9%).

We are Canada’s national statistical agency. We are here to engage with Canadians and provide them with high-quality statistical information that matters! Publishing in a subreddit does not imply we endorse the content posted by other redditors.
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :

• Près du quart (22,9 %) des entreprises au Canada s’attendaient à être confrontées à des défis quelconques liés à la chaîne d’approvisionnement au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (26,3 %).
• Plus du quart (28,3 %) des entreprises prévoyaient de hausser leurs prix au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (32,9 %).

Nous sommes l’organisme national de statistique du Canada. Nous sommes ici pour discuter avec les Canadiens et les Canadiennes et leur fournir des renseignements statistiques de grande qualité qui comptent! Le fait de publier dans un sous-reddit ne signifie pas que nous approuvons le contenu affiché par d'autres utilisateurs de Reddit.

I have been with the love of my life since 2019, but we were best friends for four years before that as well. He is not the love of my life, though, because we are breaking up at the end of our lease.
All of our friends and family members are happily cohabitating with their romantic partners, including us. This news will shake up a lot of foundations, will shake relationships. And we don't even want to break up. We just have to.
When we got together in 2019, it was after years of desperately wanting to be together. It was like a dream coming true, and I've never loved anyone like this. He knows my soul, I know his. But very quickly after we officially started dating, we realized that I wanted kids, and he did not.
We were very young. We thought it was so unfair, so ridiculous that we had finally found our happiness, only to realize that it couldn't possibly last. Why shouldn't we get to be happy for a while anyway? I don't plan on having kids for a long time. Why should I be miserable and heartbroken when I could just be with my favorite person on earth instead? So we agreed to table it. And we tabled it for four years.
From time to time, it would come up. When we moved in together. When we adopted a cat (he gets the cat, by the way). When we started splitting holidays between our two families instead of going separately. We would bring up "The Thing," absolutely sob, talk about how neither of us had changed our minds, sit in miserable, thoughtful silence, and then table it once again for several months, or a year.
When we moved in to our most recent apartment last August, somehow we both seemed to know it would be our last. We are nearing our late 20s, and it is starting to dawn on both of us that we are definitely wasting each other's time. We know that.
In January, he bit the bullet. He stood in the hallway, psyching himself up for ten actual real life minutes straight to come into the living room and say those words to me. "I think we should talk about The Thing." I felt like I was going to drop dead, like someone had vacuumed the air right out of my lungs. I knew exactly what he was talking about, and so we did talk about it. For real this time. Talked about the fact that it was time to let it happen, to let it separate us.
We have been deliriously happy for four straight years. Living with him has been the happiest, freest, safest, most joyous I've ever felt. He is my home, he is everything to me. I love our life. I love it so much, and it kills me to know that it is ending.
We kept this between just us and our therapists (I had never told my therapist about The Thing before, and he got his own therapist to help deal with this immense trauma as well) for the last six months. We decided we'd tell everyone in June. Our parents. Our siblings. Our friends, mutual and non. Everyone will suddenly know the thing that we've both been burdened by for four straight years. The thing that has kept me awake at night for four years, has caused me to avoid being alone with my thoughts for four years, has caused me to fear and avoid mentions of children or the future around my love for four years, has made me feel like I'm living a secret life that no one but my love can understand for four years.
We are best friends, but we are not meant to be together, and that kills me. I don't know how to get through today and tomorrow, doing my work, doing my chores, casually talking with friends, as if I'm not about to light myself on fire tomorrow evening in front of everyone I hold dear. I just don't know.
Today, I toured an absolute shitbox apartment that made me just want to give up. I don't want to face the life I have waiting for me, a life that changes completely from the one that I love and get to currently live. I don't know. I'll keep going, but I am not going to be happy again for years and years to come, and I don't know how to face that either.

In the second quarter of 2023, businesses reported that they continue to face a variety of obstacles over the next three months related to supply chains, rising inflation and the rising cost of inputs, as well as obstacles related to hiring and retention. However, pressures continue to ease in comparison with the first quarter of 2023. Below are some highlights from our latest data release :

• Nearly one-quarter (22.9%) of businesses expected supply chain challenges of some kind over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (26.3%).
• Over one in four businesses (28.3%) expected to raise prices over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (32.9%).

We are Canada’s national statistical agency. We are here to engage with Canadians and provide them with high-quality statistical information that matters! Publishing in a subreddit does not imply we endorse the content posted by other redditors.
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :

• Près du quart (22,9 %) des entreprises au Canada s’attendaient à être confrontées à des défis quelconques liés à la chaîne d’approvisionnement au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (26,3 %).
• Plus du quart (28,3 %) des entreprises prévoyaient de hausser leurs prix au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (32,9 %).

Nous sommes l’organisme national de statistique du Canada. Nous sommes ici pour discuter avec les Canadiens et les Canadiennes et leur fournir des renseignements statistiques de grande qualité qui comptent! Le fait de publier dans un sous-reddit ne signifie pas que nous approuvons le contenu affiché par d'autres utilisateurs de Reddit.

After 4, admittedly rushed, failed attempts, I finally got my licence this morning. Nearly a perfect test apart from a single minor error. Feels like a huge weights been lifted off my back.
Word of advice to those who are going for it; you will do it. If I can do it, you most definitely can too.

With accelerated development due to the influx of new manufacturers into the Hypercar category and updated BOP, pole for the recent race at Spa was nearly two seconds faster than last season. Spa-Francorchamps being a high-speed circuit similar to La Sarthe last year’s 3.24 lap will assuredly be eclipsed, but considering the latter is more than twice as long, it’s possible we could see a sub-3.20 pole for the first time since the LMP1 days.

Previous
That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."

The Meeting With the Contact
In one of Unity’s darker and less maintained districts, several miles down an unassuming maintenance tunnel, Aster knocked on a rusty steel hatch. The moment her knuckles finished rapping on the metal door hidden mechanisms squeaked as an internal bolt was undone and the door swung open. She heard the soft ween of servos as they struggled against the bulk of the door.
Without a moment of hesitation Astarte strode through the door knowing full well that the dark corners of the room could have held a waiting ambush. It did not do to show any fear when dealing with the mysterious shadow league. She had heard from Greyson how the contacts valued confidence above everything else. She wasn’t sure why, but had followed the advice anyway.
The contacts never worked through proxies. They had no known dead drops. And were notorious for handling everything in person.
It was a strange practice since logic dictated that information brokers as influential as the Shadow league should act with much more caution. But that same flaunting disregard for common convention was the trait that unnerved Astarte the most.
It unnerved her because it proved that the powerful brokers had nothing to fear.
Maybe it was arrogance, but her instincts said otherwise.
The door closed behind her, the harsh clunk telling her that she was now locked in. Soft lights in the room flicked of a slowly grew brighter to a level comfortable to human eyes. Aster’s cybernetic eye went red and flickered through several different spectrums of light as it scanned the room.
“An interesting piece of hardware.” A soft murmuring voice said from behind the desk in the center.
Astarte momentarily ignored the voice as she finished her scan. Her eye picked out only a single camera behind a fake patch of wall that looked completely normal from the outside. She focused on the camera, telling the rooms only other occupant that she was fully aware of the device.
Her scan complete she turned her head to focus of the short fuchsia froglike person within a bubble-like excursion suit. No word in the Union’s common tongue, or her own could pronounce the name of the person before her. Instead the Union had simply labeled them as Toxoid amphibians. A rather cold, but concise name.
There were many defense mechanisms used by prey species to ward off predators. Some opted to be big, strong, and move in large herds like the Trikes. Some just flew away. Others hid. But very few instead went for the survival strategy of being very visible and toxic as hell.
The creature before Astarte was one of only three Toxoid species in the Union. While safe to members of their own species, their skin could instantly paralyzed and kill any non-deathworld species on Femeri. And if Astarte had touched that bright purple skin she would be instantly floored with the worst pain imaginable. Not dead, but really wishing she was.
The Union definition of Toxoid was any highly toxic species, regardless of the atmospheric conditions. Though this particular species did in fact come from a world with high methane and ammonia content, less then Venus, but still deadly to Terrans. The only reason they weren’t classified as deathworlders was because the low gravity and gentle nature of their star made the claim seem a little absurd compared to your average Deathworlder.
The Toxoid met her gaze and held it without fear. Knowing that Astarte wouldn’t/couldn’t do anything to harm them. There face was pulled into a constant smile. Though this was a factor of their facial structure and not any sort of actual pleasure. This, matched with their small colorful appearance gave off the vibes of something small and harmless. An instinct she would have to actively suppress.
“Surprising, most of your kind are overwhelmed with nurturing instincts upon first seeing me. Especially females of your age.” The creature commented. The internal translator of her suit taking the creature’s hypersonic humming and giving it a squeaky, almost cartoonish, tone in galactic common.
“I’ve encountered your kind before, and the pain I felt that day from just one touch is enough to wipe away any cute impressions.”
The creature made a sounding like birds chirping “So its true, humans really can touch us without dying?”
Astarte grimaced at the memory “Yeah, but I sure wished I was dead. Only touched them with my hand, but in seconds my whole body was wracked with the worst pain my nerves could conjure. Couldn’t black out either.”
The Contact looked amused “And yet you survived.” They said pointedly. “We are in our own ways more dangerous than deathworlders. Even the Kruhur leave our few ships alone. As do most pirates. So why would you attack that particular merchant ship six of your Terran years ago?”
Aster wasn’t surprised by their knowledge, the sources of the shadow league stretched far and wide. “They had something I wanted, so I took it.”
The big eyelids of the Toxoid closed slowly. “Yes, weapons grade plutonium. I heard you made good use of it. Such inventive weapons too. Most think fusion weapons are pointless in space compared to pulse cannons and conventional missiles. Leave it to a human to find a way to make good use of an underutilized weapon.”
Astarte kept her face placid, but on the inside she was roiling at the knowledge that the Shadow League knew about the shield breaker cannon.
“You needn’t worry” the Contact continued “the Union doesn’t know, and even if we stole the plans we would be troubled to find crews with the nerve to detonate a super critical mass of plutonium within their own ship. My kind are quite cowardly compared to your people.”
“Fools rush in where angles fear to tread.” Astarte remarked absently. Downplaying their achievements.
The Toxoid leaned forward “and yet those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”
This time Astarte couldn’t hide her surprise. “Kennedy? Really?”
More bird chirps “Yes, I am quite amused by human history and the words of your past leaders. Your people strove for the stars long before they had the proper technology to reach them like every other species, on a high gravity world no less. And despite these hurdles you made it to your moon in record time, had stable colonies on a barren world like Mars, and launched one of the most interesting if a bit crude ships. A ship you recently purchased. Had you not met the Union so soon then I believe your people would have continued to shock the galaxy. In some ways your people were cut short, and yet in other ways they were given the opportunity to leap into the future. You are most intriguing, and it would be folly to not keep an eye on you. The Union believes your people to be on the decline, soon to be no longer a threat to their might. I am of a different opinion.”
It was surprising to meet a person who had her completely figured out. From just the subtext Astarte was sure this contact knew all her plans and secrets, or had at least a few very good guesses. And seemed to want to help her out.
Astarte gave the Contact a shrewd glare. “What are you playing at?”
Their heavy eyelids dropped into a lazy half blink before opening back up. She thought the gesture was either one of annoyance or amusement. “A favor, given to the right person, can pay dividends in the future.”
“And what kind of returns are you looking for?”
Another half blink. It probably meant amusement. “That isn’t for me to say. You’ve had a very positive relationship with our agents in Femeri, or Orion as you Terrans call it. it is the League desire to continue nourishing that relationship.”
Suspicious, but one didn’t deal with the galaxy’s most powerful info brokers without some ominous undertones. “Then I take it you know why I’m here.”
Another long blink, this time fully closing their lids. “Yes.”
“Can you tell us where it is?”
“No. Amaterasu was thorough in covering their trail. I can only say that its still on Unity.”
Fuck. Why can’t things ever be easy? “Can you narrow down our search?” Astarte asked changing directions.
“Yes. Property info, delivery schedules, informant reports. And much more. It’ll take time to narrow things down.”
“I’m not short on manpower. Or patience.”
“Good. Now there is just the matter of the price.”
“I get the sinking feeling that you’re not talking credits.” Astarte stated dryly.
“An accurate feeling.” The Contact retorted. “We are an organization of information brokers and middle men, but even we need our own middle men. We cast a wide net to pull in much, but sometimes our needs require a more direct approach.”
“Spies?” Astarte guessed.
“Yes, or simple muscle to get what we need. Lately that muscle has been disappearing, I’m sure you noticed the aggressive way the Station Security treats your kind.”
“Yeah, the charges they tried to stick my men with were downright asinine, never would have stuck.”
Another long blink. “Yes, but the Union doesn’t need to make them stick. You more than most should know that the Union will imprison individuals on suspect of a crime before an investigation can be done to assure innocence.”
Astarte almost heard a click in her head as she connected the dots. The charges had seemed absurd and unfounded, and she had wondered why they bothered. But the Union could, in cases of an extreme crime, arrest and imprison without a trial or evidence. It was one of the major ways the Unions legal system differed from the local laws of the Sol system.
Guilty until proven innocent. It was the precedent that had gotten her mother imprisoned when Aster was four. While they had arrested a terrorist responsible for thousands of deaths and billions in property damage, they didn’t actually have the evidence. And once the lack of evidence had been undeniably proven in a court room Lucile’s sentence was ended and her record expunged of the black mark after spending ten months in the prison on Parox.
Asters throat was tight “How many have been…”
“Thousands. Tens of thousands. I would like to give you a better number, but someone has done a remarkable job at obfuscating that information. People are arrested on petty misdemeanors, if any, and then prosecutors from the central office apply some grander crime. They’re taken to a holding facility, where they stay for a short time before a ship comes to take them to parts unknown.”
“And no one’s done anything about this?”
“Oh, no. There were plenty of riots. But shouting, screaming Deathworlders committing acts of arson and clashing Station Security did little to sway the public. And after the ADCU was born things got even worse for the Terrans.”
“Motherfuckers” Astarte growled through her teeth. She didn’t know where all those people went, but everything so far pointed to some sort of genocide. Unity was purging itself of its Deathworlder nuisance.
“Yes, as effective as the ADCU has been at rooting out actual criminal organizations they have also been a highly effective at smother discontent.”
“And what do you want me to do about it.”
Their head tilted to the side. “You already have an in road with one of their top Officers, one who is the personal protégé of Chief Gin.”
“Do you want me to see where they’re taking people, or figure out why?”
“Both if possible. This has all the odious whiffs of politics, and the League needs to know why the Union is making such bold moves. Any and all information you dig up will be appreciated.”
Astarte drummed her fingers on the desk as she worked through the problems. Something dangerous was happening in the heart of the Union. Something that threatened her own plans. She had idly wondered why Amaterasu had been so bold in making their terraforming equipment disappear, why openly slaughter an entire office of insurance investigators? But now she saw it was par for the course her, and she was only now noticing the rot.
The contacts request was also in her own best interest. She needed to know where this all led.
But you never took the first offer. That was just good business. “It seems to me that our own investigations might help you in yours. I don’t see why we can’t do both at once.”
Another long blink. “You won’t be overextending yourself?”
Aster scoffed “of course not.”
The amphibian’s permanent smile became a little wider, “good. Its always a pleasure working with a professional.”
The contact then reached under their desk to retrieve a small flash drive, preloaded with all the info Aster needed.
“Just a heads up” Aster said as she retrieved the flash drive. “Our plans usually end in chaos and bloodshed.”
“Oh, I know. I’m looking forward to it.” the contact said with a self-amused giggle like gurgling water.
Their business concluded Astarte stood to leave. But the door she entered through didn’t unlock itself. Instead a hidden panel Astarte hadn’t noticed during her scan slid open and revealed a hidden stairway.
Astarte blinked in surprise before shaking her head. never underestimate the Shadow League.
She walked through the door, and ascended several flight of stairs until she exited into the reception room of a small law firm. The Drohodron attendant nodded their furry rabbit like head and gestured towards the exit.
The ride home was mostly uneventful. A group of SS tried to tail her, but some speed walking and a sudden turn down an alley was all it took to shake them.
She left the tram station and entered the industrial district where her ship was moored. She had been so relaxed on her walk back that she even began to whistle a jaunty little tune. She almost mixed the gentle thump behind and slight rush of wind as a blade swept from behind her, nearly taking her head off.
She had only an instant to lean forward to avoid the strike. With the strike barely avoided she took one step forward before drawing Tenken in swinging overhead chop.
Two green tinted blades strapped to her attackers wrists rose into a crossed guard to catch her sword the two of them struggled against each other’s strength. Aster was surprised at the strength the assassin possessed.
They struggled for a few seconds before breaking apart just as swiftly as they had met.
They both took several steps back and began to size each other up.
The assassin was short, standing at maybe 160cm. Their tight-fitting clothes marked the assassin as both human and female. Two curved blades were attached to the assassins wrists, looking like the curved pincers of a praying mantis, which matched the mantis-like mask she wore.
The assassin despite her failed sneak attack, and their inconclusive clash, had the gall to look smug. “Glad to see you haven’t grown weak in our time apart, Daisey.” The assassin gurgled through a heavy voice filter.
Previous/Patreon/Next

I've had upstairs neighbours that I've never heard at all, no steps, no voices. Then new people moved in, discovered that the hardwood floor doesn't have any insulation, and did repairs for most of the floor, apart from the kitchen, which they left as it was, since there is a lot of heavy furniture there making removal of floorboards complicated.
Somehow the issue got much worse, every step they make in their kitchen area is shaking my walls. When they walk around the insulated area - it's quieter, but still very audible. And I can also hear their voices very clearly when they are near their kitchen.
What could have possibly gone wrong to cause this? The floorboards are the original ones, and the previous neighbours didn't have any carpets, or anything that could have been hiding the issue.
Location: Netherlands

My bf and I had been looking on and off for rescues for over half a year, and we were generally looking at small/medium breed mixes including pugs, beagles, bassetts, etc - basically mixes of breeds known to be “lower maintenance”/less hyperactive. My bf loved watching videos of huskies but we agreed we probably would not have one for years and years until we were more experienced pet owners and had a yard.
When an alleged husky/kelpie mix popped into my feed that checked all our boxes, I reached out to the rescue and asked if he’d be okay in an apartment community with a balcony and multiple parks for walking; rescuer replied he is “low key” and , well, we adopted him!
When I tell people I have a husky mix they make comments about how hyperambunctious he must be, make comments about how that isn’t “an apartment dog”, how he probably needs more exercise, etc… ya’ll, he is so lazy. He doesn’t always want to go in after walks but as long as he gets 4-5 small walks around a day (anywhere from 10-30 mins at a time) he generally lazes around and chews bones (he shows little interest in playing with toys but cuddles them). He will play ball at the park for maybe a couple of minutes before sniffing around or digging a spot for himself to lay in. We have brought him to house parties with other dogs and he plays with them a bit before generally chilling out around people.
Besides some issues around crating and separation anxiety that are not nearly as bad as they could be, he is perfect for us. I literally never thought I’d have a husky because of them generally being high need, but we really feel we hit the jackpot with our boy.

"Okay," Sookie called out. "That's a wrap!"
A ragged cheer went up from the cast and crew. Deacon walked around, clapping his hands and cheering loudly, making sure everyone else was cheering, too. Sookie walked over to her chair and sank into it, her feet throbbing in time to the cheering people around her. She smiled at anyone who caught her eye and just relaxed.
This was the end of a grueling, forty-five day shooting schedule that had been supposed to be ten hour days, but had ended up being more like thirteen to eighteen hour days for her. They weren't done filming the season. Far from it, in fact. But these were the worst shots, and the cast and crew involved had all agreed to push through hard until it was done. After this, they had about two more months of shooting on a more normal schedule, and then editing could begin.
Deacon, despite his enthusiasm for the end of the push, had not had to attend most of the shots they got, and had instead, been spending 'quality' time with a couple of local groupies and the White Lady. Sookie didn't begrudge him this, of course. She worried a little about the amount of booger sugar going up his nose at times, but his agent had repeatedly assured her that he was using far more often during shoots than during his off time.
Besides, it was only fitting that the star of the show should enjoy the fruits of his fame. Sookie herself had picked up a bisexual couple a week or two ago, when they had a shoot end 'early' (at nine PM) and the next's day's shoot wasn't scheduled to begin until eight AM. She had left set almost immediately and headed to a local gay bar, where someone had recognized her from her OnlyFans days and insisted upon introducing his boyfriend.
She sighed, remembering the sensation of two well-endowed men thrusting into her, and how she'd simply melted when the one behind her leaned forward and around to kiss the other. Bi men were soooo hawt...
She promised herself she'd try to find another bisexual 'gay' couple, now that she had the time.
Deacon had finally got everyone sufficiently enthusiastic -which was a credit to his charisma, really, as everybody was exhausted- and came over to sit next to her in his own chair.
"I am so ready for a couple weeks off," he said.
"It's one week," Sookie reminded him. "And then you need to be ready for the fight scenes. Have you been working with your choreographer?"
"I haven't really had the time..." Deacon whined, causing Sookie to sigh.
"Deek," she said, sitting up in her chair and turning to face him. "You haven't needed to be on set for the past two weeks. You've been coming to, in your own words, 'help keep morale up'. And while I do appreciate your efforts in that regards, it is far more important for you to be ready to shoot your fight scenes in a week. I'm serious here. You need to get with your choreographer and get your moves nailed down tight. We don't have time to push those shoots back any further."
Deacon held up his hands in surrender. "I'll be down at the dojo tomorrow, I swear."
"Tomorrow morning," Sookie insisted.
"Tomorrow morning," Deacon agreed. "In fact, I'm going to get the playbook and go over it tonight, to try to get a head start."
Sookie smiled and patted him on the knee as she rose. She didn't want to be here anymore. The PAs and crew could finish cleaning everything up so the teardown crews could get started tomorrow.
She found her personal assistant and instructed her to make sure everyone knew to do their own breakdowns, then left. Filming on set had certain advantages, including the fact that she was within walking distance of her hotel.
The security guard that Julie had insisted she maintain since that incident a few years ago with the psycho stan peeled herself off the wall she'd been holding up and fell into step behind her. Sookie wouldn't have minded so much, except Julie had carefully picked married, monogamous men and women to fill her security schedule with, to avoid any 'conflicts of interest'.
This gal, Linda Gottlieb, was probably the worst of all. She had a girlfriend and a boyfriend, and yet refused to sleep with anyone else. On top of that, she was as slender as Sookie, flat chested (which Sookie found to be a major turn on) and hard as a rock, with veiny arms and shoulders and even a few visible on her belly.
Sookie was a woman of many tastes, but skinny girls with visible veins and no tits were one of her more notable favorites, and so Linda's categorical refusal to so much as let Sookie slip a hand down her pants was grating.
Linda wasn't wearing a uniform. She wore a tight tank top and a loose flannel with the sleeves rolled up and the front unbuttoned over a pair of blue jeans and hiking boots. Sookie knew she had a gun on her somewhere, but couldn't speculate as to where.
Well, that's not true. Sookie imagined the handle sticking of her ass, riding up between the cheeks of that ass that all flat-chested women seemed to have that was categorically unfair to better-if-still-modestly endowed women like Sookie. She slowed down to get a peek at it.
"Looking at my ass again?" Linda asked.
"Yes," Sookie said. "I was wondering if you keep your gun there. The handle could fit between those cheeks and nobody would be the wiser."
Linda laughed and lifted her flannel to show a handgun tucked into her belt on her hip. "Sorry to disappoint," she said. "But I kinda need to keep it where I could easily get at it."
Sookie sighed, her pleasant illusion ruined.
They turned left out of the studio gates and walked up the road. Despite the presence of the studio, this was kind of a rough area, so Sookie appreciated having some security as she made the walk. Not that she couldn't handle herself, but she'd learned the hard way that being taken by surprise left her as vulnerable as anyone.
They hadn't gotten more than a half a block before a ragged looking man approached them, reeking of booze and shit. His clothes were filthy and torn and he had a scraggly beard that ranged from a centimeter to three inches long, seemingly at random.
"Spare a dollar?" he asked.
"No," Linda said, stepping forward to catch his attention so Sookie could slip past.
"S'just a dollar, lady. I'll lick your pussy for it!" The man leered at Linda, who didn't blink or flinch, but rather gave him a hard shove back.
"Don't you fucking crowd me, talking shit like that," she said menacingly, taking another step forward to keep him off balance.
"Be respectful," she added with force. The man looked like he wanted to argue, but something in the way she looked or held herself made it clear to him that Linda was not to be trifled with. He stepped back until his back was to the wall of the building behind him and watched as Linda turned and caught back up to Sookie, who was watching the whole thing over her shoulder.
"Fucking Dykes!" the man shouted. "Suck my dick!"
"You'd think that at least one of them would figure out that being aggressive like that doesn't work," Sookie mused.
"It doesn't work on you or me, but that's because we know we could take his head off if he tried to get violent," Linda said. "Most women aren't fighters. They'll give him cash just to get him to stop harassing them."
"Fair enough," Sookie said.
This was a common occurrence. Almost every time Sookie walked to her hotel, at least one homeless person would try to panhandle her. Sometimes, if she had any cash, she'd give them some. Once in a blue moon, one would engender enough sympathy for a good payout, a hundred bucks or so. But most of the time, they struck her as entitled ruffians, living on the street thanks to their own bad decisions and trying to get by on other people's labor.
She knew that was an old-fashioned mindset. She knew a lot of these people would, if they got clean of whatever they were using, sort out their lives and take care of business. She knew that the DCM Group even had a charitable arm who straight up gave condos and large sums of money to many homeless people, who immediately used that gift to get back on their feet. She knew the stats, too.
But this particular area seemed to attract the sort of homeless people whom right-wing motards used as an archetype for all homeless people. Twice, someone from the crew had been assaulted, causing Sookie to declare that she and the stunt coordinator were the only ones allowed to walk to and from the studio.
"I wonder if they're actually even homeless," Linda said, her thoughts echoing Sookie's.
"Me too," Sookie said. "I mean, it's a very poor neighborhood, adjacent to a place where very wealthy people work. There's no rule that says you have to be homeless to panhandle."
Linda nodded. Sookie wondered idly if she'd been following her own logic, or seeking out a belief that made her feel better about judging the people here. She wasn't sure which, really.
The area they moved through got progressively nicer as they continued. They turned the last corner, with three blocks still to go when Sookie saw the next one.
This one was older. he only had about a week's worth of beard on his face, though Sookie could see that it was mostly gray. He wore similar clothes to the other one, the once-vibrant colors having long since faded towards a muted gray tone. His clothes, however, looked cleaner and the holes had all been neatly stitched. As they drew close, Sookie could read his sign.
Please help Leave a dollar or take a resume Will work for food
Sure enough, he had a stack of resumes weighted down with a rock next to him. Sookie stopped, intrigued and bent down to retrieve one. She handed the man a folded ten dollar bill at the same time. A reward for creativity in his panhandling, she thought.
She looked at it. The man had a pair of enlistments in the Marine Corps at the top of his work experience. It was back in the early 2000s, and it mentioned Helmand Province, which Sookie recalled had been at the center of a lot of the fighting in Afghanistan.
The next few lines were security companies, starting with a high-end competitor to the Group, and then a long sequence of construction and day-labor work, ending on his current work, which was "Self Employed - Private Investigations". Below that, he had a string of qualifications, including armed security, close protection and bail enforcement.
"This is actually quite a good resume," Sookie told him. She glanced up at the top to get his name, Eric Stephens.
"I'll work," he said hopefully. "I can swing a hammer and do plumbing. I'll do a full day's work for lunch and dinner, or a hundred bucks, whichever you prefer."
Sookie handed the resume to Linda, who looked down at it.
"Ain't much different than mine," she said. "Oorah."
"Oorah," Eric muttered back, seemingly on pure instinct.
"So why are you out here, Eric?" Sookie asked. "Your resume says you're self-employed as a private eye."
Eric shrugged. Sookie noted the redness and swelling of his nose. "Work's been scarce," he said. "Been getting fewer jobs for the last few years. Fewer jobs means less money, less money means losing my office, not being able to afford nice clothes, which leads to fewer jobs."
Sookie looked a question at Linda, who shrugged. "We're always looking for investigators. It can be hard to recruit former cops, and those we do are often old enough not to stay on for more than a few years before retiring."
Sookie smiled and nodded, turning back to Eric. "You want an interview?"
"Hell yeah," he said with some enthusiasm. "As long as they don't mind me looking a little rough around the edges."
"Where do you live?" Sookie asked. Eric gestured around. "Lost my apartment last month," he said. Sookie pursed her lips and then nodded and held out a hand to him.
"Come on, Eric. I'm Sookie, and this is Linda. I'll make you a deal. I'll get you a nice outfit to wear and arrange an interview at the LA office tomorrow. I'll put you up on my couch for the night, too. That way, you can shower and shave and look presentable for it. What do you think?"
Eric took her hand and let her help him up. "Are you serious?" he asked. Sookie nodded.
"Holy crap, thank you, lady. Sookie, I mean. Thank you." His eyes began to get watery. "I don't... I don't even know what to say. That would be amazing."
Sookie smiled, her heart wrenching for the guy. She knew he had a drinking problem, but she also remembered all those people the Group's charities helped. Get someone on their feet, and there was a good chance they'd stay there.
"Do you have stuff to get?"
"I uh... I have a storage shed. It's paid up through the end of the year," he said. "My stuff is safe there, I just need to go get my toiletries."
"Don't worry about that," Sookie said, stepping to the edge of the sidewalk and waiting for the traffic to clear enough to cross the road. "We can stop by a drug store, too."
----
Sookie and Linda took Eric shopping and got him everything he needed. Which wasn't much, really. Sookie had a spare toothbrush, razors, shaving cream and cologne at her hotel room. It was all stuff she kept on hand to be the best slut she could be, and make her dishes du jour feel welcome. They bought him deodorant and an electric beard trimmer, and decided to take a pit stop at a hair and nails salon next to the pharmacy.
The girls there had cooed and gooed over Sookie and Linda helping this man out, and refused to accept any money for the trim he got. Unfortunately, they weren't set up to shave a man (all of the other clients inside were women), but Eric protested that he was perfectly capable of shaving himself, so it all worked out.
The next stop was, at Sookie's insistence, one of the ultra-high-end men's clothing stores near her hotel. Linda had protested that simply taking a car to Walmart would be good enough, but Sookie would have none of that.
"Linda, it's been over six years since I've seen a person in Walmart that I'd be willing to give a handy to. It's been even longer since I've seen any clothing there that looked like it didn't come from Walmart, especially the suits. We're not going to Walmart."
As a result, Eric got fitted for a custom-tailored suit and outfitted with a tie that was a pleasant, deep blue, bespeckled with tiny, gold-embroidered Marine Corps logos. He seemed pleased with it, and had to keep wiping his eyes as he repeatedly and profusely thanked her.
When all was done, they finally went to the hotel. Sookie had a full suite on the top floor. It wasn't the biggest suite, but it was close, with two spare bedrooms, a living room and a full kitchen, in addition to a balcony that afforded her a great view of the city (so long as the smog wasn't too bad) and a private elevator to the rooftop pool.
Linda took her usual spot at the door to await her relief for the evening while Sookie showed Eric the large bathroom and made sure he had everything he needed. While he showered and shaved, she decided to review the script.
She walked over to the safe in the living room and carefully punched in her combination on the keypad.
The scripts for The Legend of Jimmy were like solid gold. Every studio out there wanted to get their hands on one, to steal ideas from. Every fan wanted to get one, just for the thrill of knowing what was going to happen next. During the second season's filming, they'd had multiple scripts stolen and leaked, and Sookie had learned to crack down on that. As a result, she was the only one who ever had a full set of scripts for any given season. She kept them safely under lock and key at all times.
She pulled out her working copy, which was different from the 'archive' copy she also kept in the safe. The working copy had all of her handwritten notes on it. She closed the safe back up and locked it, then sat down at the table and flipped open to the scenes they would be filming after the break. Using a red pen, she made notes for herself, things to remember during shooting, like camera angles and notes on the VFX.
She heard the shower turn off, but she was engrossed in her work when the door opened.
"Thanks again," Eric said, causing her to look up. He had a towel around his waist, but Sookie noted that he had a lean torso, with some muscle still there, despite a rough life. Clean shaven now, he looked much better. He'd never get a gig as a model, but he was handsome enough in his own way. Sookie smiled at him.
"You don't have to keep thanking me," she said. "I'm happy to help."
She closed her script and stood, walking it over to the safe. Obscuring her hands with her body, she punched in the code again and placed the script inside. She hadn't yet closed the door when she heard Eric mutter "Oh shit."
She turned to look and froze. He'd turned back towards the bathroom, and then dropped his towel by accident. He was currently in the process of picking it up, affording Sookie a great view of his ass and what might well have been considered a third leg hanging from between the other two.
It came almost to his knees.
A flush of heat went through her, washing away all thoughts of largess and generosity, and kindling a very selfish desire. She heard the spattering on the hardwood floor where she crouched as her usual over-the-top wetness kicked into high gear and soaked through her pants in seconds. She could feel herself throbbing as she eyed Eric's enormous member.
Her disguise slipped and the horns erupted from her head, her tail curled up painfully inside her pants and her skin turned red, with large patches of scales. Operating purely on instinct, she magicked up a veil of mundanity. She didn't want Eric to freak out, and this would keep him from registering her appearance as anything out of the ordinary.
He retrieved his towel and made to wrap it back around his waist, but Sookie shot to her feet and spun, already ripping her shirt off.
"Wait," she said. Eric froze, then turned to look at her over one shoulder. She tossed her shirt on the couch and peeled off her pants. She wasn't wearing any underwear or bra, of course. She never did.
"I just thought of a way you could thank me," she purred, taking a languid step forward. Eric reacted immediately to the sight of her naked, turning, his hog's leg stiffening and rising from its vertical hang slightly.
"Are you, uh... I mean... I'm not..." Eric stammered. Sookie stepped closer to him and put her hands on his shoulder, then ran them down his chest.
"I am damn sure I want to do this, if that's what you're asking," she said, her hands reaching lower as she stepped close enough to press her breasts into his ribs. She took hold of him and felt him grow almost immediately rock hard as he gasped.
"Wow," he said. "This is... This is like something from a porno with a bad script..." he said.
"Uh huh," Sookie said. "And we're about to do the fun parts of it." She pressed her lips into his, and then squealed in delight as he grabbed her by the ass and hoisted her up.
"Where?" he asked into her mouth.
"Pussy, mouth and ass," she replied. She felt the heat rush through his cheeks.
"I meant where in this room," he said.
"I don't fucking care," Sookie responded, lining his huge cock up with her most convenient hole and squirming down onto it with a loud gasp.
"In the bedroom!" Linda shouted. "Please, for the love of god, in the bedroom!"
----
Sookie awoke the next morning and rolled over to see if Eric was up for a little wake-and-shake. Her hands slapped the empty bed and she pouted.
"Eric?" she called, a wonderful aroma meeting her nose as she did. "Are you making coffee already? I'll fall in love with you, or deepthroat you, your choice, if you are!"
He didn't answer.
She opened her eyes and saw that his new suit was missing. An empty hanger was hooked to the coathanger next to the closet. She climbed out of bed, frowning, and walked out into the living room.
It was empty. She could smell the coffee even stronger, and she walked into the kitchen to find the coffee pot full and a business card sitting next to it. She picked it up and peered at it with sleep-bleary eyes.
"Eric Stephens, Private Investigations, Corporate Espionage, Bail Bonds, Security Consultation," she read out loud. There was a QR code on it, so she picked up her phone from where it had been flung to the floor last night and scanned it. While the page loaded, she glanced in the bathroom to see Eric's old clothes still piled there.
She glanced at her phone to see a very clean-shaven and well-dressed Eric smiling at the camera at the top of a very tastefully designed web page. She scrolled through it for a moment, confused.
That was, until she looked to her own pile of clothes by the safe and saw the door still hanging open. With a gasp, she rushed over only to find the safe empty. Both of her scripts were gone!
"Shit!" she shouted.
The door opened and a large, muscular man dressed like a lawyer rushed in, a gun in hand.
"Miss Ohma, is everything all right?" he asked after scanning the room and peering through the open doors.
"No," Sookie wailed. "I just got my scripts stolen!"
"The gentleman who left this morning?" her guard asked. She nodded. "I'm so sorry, Miss Ohma. I would have stopped him if I knew."
"No, you did fine," Sookie said as her eyes filled with frustrated tears. "You're used to men heading out in the morning. Usually they do it after I wake up and we can get another good fuck in, but still... You didn't do anything wrong."
"He left a note," the guard said. "I saw it taped to the inside of the door." Sookie looked over and saw a folded piece of paper taped there. She stalked over and ripped it down, sniffling angrily and wiping at her eyes to read it.

 Dear Sookie, Last night was probably the best night I've had in my life. It's certainly the best night I can remember. If you ever want to do it again, just let me know. I left you a card by the coffee machine, and there's a full pot for you, as well. If you don't ever want to see me again, well, I guess I understand. I'm sorry to have left the way I did, but I'm a man of my word, and my client was willing to pay a lot of money for that script. I hope this doesn't hurt you too much. For what it's worth, I'm sorry if I upset you. Wishing you all the best, Eric 

Sookie crumbled up the paper and angrily threw it across the room.
"Motherfucker!" she shouted. The guard winced, but said nothing.
"He scammed me," Sookie said. "Got a nice new suit out of me, seduced me with that redwood growing between his legs and then ran off with my fucking scripts!"
She let her claws form and dug them into her thighs, carving bloody furrows that healed almost as fast as she made them. The guard started and rushed over.
"Ma'am, please," he said. "I'm not supposed to let you hurt yourself."
Sookie let him pull her hands up to her chest. She leaned into him for a moment. "You're married, aren't you?" she said.
"Uh, no," he said. Sookie turned her head to regard him. She didn't recognize him. "What's your name?"
"Devin, Ma'am," he said. "Devin Iglesias. This is my first shift on your detail."
"Who put you on this shift?"
"Uhh, Missus Williams. She said I'd enjoy this detail, and I agreed. I'm a huge fan of your show, Miss Ohma."
"Are you gay?" Sookie asked. Devin blinked. "Uh, no, Ma'am."
Sookie smiled. "I need you to do two things," she said.
"The second, and most important thing, I need you to call the office and ask for any information they have on a private investigator named Eric Stephens who works out of LA."
Devin nodded. "Yes, ma'am. And the first thing?"
Sookie smiled wider. "I need you to find out the real reason why Inanna thought you'd enjoy this posting."

Hi, looking for some advice on my South America trip. It's going to be super detailed and long, so I'd just like to thank everyone in advance for reading through the whole thing!
Some basic information:

• Travel period: Any 8 weeks between May to July 2024
• Budget: USD $6000 excluding flights (~$107 a day) -- flexible
• Countries in consideration: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru (confirmed), Chile -- will likely only select 2-3 from this list? Unsure
• Interests: Hiking/trekking, nature, exploring local markets (Not a beach/watersports person if that said sport is near the beach)

Is it feasible to explore all 4 countries, or should I stick to just 2?
I know the 'correct' answer is to just pick 2 and slowly travel, but I genuinely have various considerations and would greatly appreciate inputs.
Explore all 4?
This is my grad trip, and will possibly be my last long trip in years. I live in Singapore, and will work in an industry where taking a long leave is pretty much impossible. Because South America is so far, I will likely not return anytime soon (think 8-10 years lol). So it'd be ideal if I could explore as much of it as possible. I'm also quite a fast traveller, and don't mind taking options like night buses to save time. So a packed itinerary really isn't that much of an issue for me.
I also wouldn't mind skipping activities if it is "repeated"? For instance, I would probably skip Paracas in Peru for Isla de la Plata in Ecuador, and if I were to go for an Amazon tour I would just do it in one of the countries etc. I know they offer different things, but I'm okay with not doing the "full backpacking trail", like the one in Peru where you basically go down from Lima to Cusco, stopping along Paracas, Huacachina etc. Also, I'm not a huge fan of beaches and stuff like surfing/snorkelling, so would probably only allocate 2-3 days out of the entire itinerary to relax on the beach. Would that save me enough time, such that I can somehow hit all 4 countries within 8 weeks?
A tentative schedule would be: Colombia (2 weeks) > Ecuador (1.5 week) > Peru (3.5 weeks) > Bolivia (1 week).
Colombia: Mostly city exploring-- Medellin and Cartegena, and probably do a tour in Cocora Valley in Salento? Maybe also head to Santa Marta for a while, and do the Lost City Trek after. (But I've decided on doing the Salkantay Trek in Peru, so unsure of whether it would be similar. Also, expensive. Any thoughts?)
Ecuador: I've only settled on the Otavalo Market, Cotopaxi trek, and Isla de la Plata (as a cheap alternative to Galapagos Islands).
Peru: Lima (2 days) > Huaraz (3 days): Various hiking day trips, Laguna 69, Pastoruri glacier > Ica (3 days): Use as base for day trips to Huacachina for sandboarding and Paracas for day tours to see wildlife > Arequipa (3 days): Explore city, Colca Canyon trek (might skip this?) > Cusco (14 days): 4 days to acclimatise (including day tours to Salt mines and Rainbow mountain), 5 days Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, 1 day rest in Cusco, 3 days Manu Reservations to see the Amazon, 1 more day of rest.
Bolivia: La Paz (3 days) to explore the city, see the Witches market > Uyuni (4 days) 3D2N salt flat and laguna Colorado tour
For the travel time between cities in each country, I've only looked into Peru so far, but it seems rather doable. I see that Cruz Del Sur offers comfortable night buses (which I can use to save time), and Peru Hop also seems to be an option. Based on your experience, would this be the same for other countries?
Also, what would you recommend adding/removing to the itinerary, if you have 8 weeks to travel to these countries?
Stick to just 2?
Honestly this seems the most rational. (1) save travel time (though flights between the countries seem rather short?) (2) save money (from flights between countries) (3) Enjoy two countries slowly without rushing it.
I've decided that I definitely want to go to Peru, but I'm unsure about the other destination. I think my Peru itinerary would be largely the same as the above, but with extended stays at each location. (I've decided that I'm not really interested in seeing the Nazca lines, so I wouldn't add that in) Since it's rather trekking heavy, I'm leaning towards Colombia for city exploration (and also because many people have raved about it). Might also join a 3-week Spanish school that involves homestays? My main consideration for this option would be to choose a country that gives me an experience that would be very different from Peru. Would also be open to other South American countries not listed above.
Very grateful to any of you that have read this post up to this point. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Preface: While this guide will not include EVERY facet of leveling, it will give a deep dive into unique items for leveling. While some of these may be known, there are others that I hope will change how you level new characters. The focus is on gear sub level 20 that can be used all the way until act 10 or at least until you can get a better replacement unique throughout the leveling process
Hello, my name is PeanutButterZebraHacker, or Peanut for short, and I love Path of Exile. I find myself playing this game whenever I have free time and with nearly 19k hours in the game, it's something I have loads of experience with. I am making this guide because I always hear about people HATING the leveling experience and for me... well I tend to enjoy it; however, this is because the way I level lets me pick nearly any build I want, something people often feel they cannot do when they make a new character.
This post will be VERY long, I understand that many may not read it, and that my formatting and order for this may need work if I want something more formal; though, for now I will just post how I see fit!
Leveling in PoE is often considered a chore that pigeon holes you into playing the same exact build (Hollow Palm normally, my aim is to change that). This guide will demonstrate every good leveling unique in the game and show how an individual can leverage these unique items to play almost any build they desire.
The bottom of this write-up will have a PoB with my favorite uniques to mess around with and a sample setup to see what you can do with the right gear!
​
Unique Items per slot: My favorite item per slot is in Bold.
Helmets: This slot is flexible for survival, damage, or speed!

1. Honourhome: This is by far the BEST leveling helmet in the entire game. While +2 may seem like a minor bonus, the fact that it can get TWO +2 implicit corruptions and then also have a level 2 empower socketed allows any skill with the right corruptions to have +9 to gem levels! The mana cost reduction is an additional bonus that shouldn't be forgotten either! It is INSANE when used alone or moreso when combined with the rest of the items on this list.
2. Thrillsteel: While I only consider this to be a glorified MTX, there is some merit with running this helmet on builds that cannot take advantage of Honourhome. The Onslaught works in town so you run faster which is always a plus.
3. Goldrim: The CLASSIC leveling helmet. This thing is cheap solid leveling helmet that can easily cap resistances through the acts.
4. Fairgraves Tricorne: This helmet is old but potentially usable. The "can be touched by tormented spirits" mod provides 50% increased attack, cast, and movement speed as well as 50% increased damage; however, you hardily encounter spirits in acts and will likely be overall less strong than the above.
5. Crown of Thorns: Really only viable with Ghostwrite and Energy Blade, otherwise just a solid tanky option when you have nothing else.

Note: The corruptions for helmets are avaliable on all helmets, not just honourhome. If there is a helmet you want to use, always be sure to price it out with the corruptions you want! A +2 Aoe/+2 Aura helmet is still really good for leveling with haste for the extra movement speed!
​
Body Armour: These options each have benefits that can be compared when choosing your build.

1. Thousand Ribbons: While everyone knows tabula as "the leveling unique", it should always be remembered that Thousand Ribbons exists. ESPECIALLY when corrupted with up to 50% increased damage, Thousand Ribbons provides large flat damage bonus, resistances, and other modifiers that are VERY helpful for leveling. If used with a +4 helmet or Honourhome, the number of sockets doesn't even matter because you will be using the helmet for your links. This thing is INSANE.
2. Tabula Rasa: The most well known leveling unique in the game, Tabula is a great "generic" item that provides extra damage or utility through extra links. It is advised to get an increased damage corruption for this body armour, though it is important to remember that mana cost may be an issue with 6L skills while leveling.
3. Ghostwrithe: This is a great item for builds transitioning into CI at some point or builds that want to use Energy Blade to level, otherwise, it is just a solid chest when you have nothing else.

Note: There are quite a few good corruptions for body armours, +! socketed being one often overlooked at low levels; however, it is often just best to take the increased damage corruption for that small boost while leveling.
​
Gloves: These options all provide an offensive bonus that will help speed up leveling!

1. Lochtonial Caress: These are a SIGNATURE for leveling form level 1 in any build, try getting a max rolled cast or attack speed for your build and they could last you to act 10 Kitava alone. There are other options to upgrade into after these gloves; however, these are the premium gloves to use when you first start out.
2. Hrimsorrow: These gloves are perfect for any player that wants to use a physical attack that then gets converted into cold. Otherwise they are just a lump of stats.
3. Sadima's Touch: The flat damage provided can be largely helpful early game and quant could always be fun to have but I would rate these poorly compared to other options.
4. Doedre's Tenure: The ULTIMATE spell leveling gloves. Fear not the reduced cast speed; by time you can use these, you can also toss on a pair with cast speed corruption to negate the downside. These gloves provide SO much extra damage while leveling a spell build and should ALWAYS be used on any build that wants to level with spells. Buy these with cast speed corruption and youll be blasting!
5. Flesh and Spirit: The rampage CAN be nice; though, it isn't often you are stopping to clear entire screens that these will see much use beyond Lightning arrow or other solid clearing skills that would allow you to actually get stacks easily.
6. Facebreakers: With the existence of Hollow Palm, these gloves have fallen behind. They CAN still be used but the other options are much better.
7. Ondar's Clasp: These gloves are hard to take advantage of until you can use arrogance to reserve some of your life, otherwise, I wouldn't suggest using them.

Note: The curses or speed corruptions can REALLY round out a pair of leveling gloves and should not be forgotten about if you can get a pair with it!
​
Boots: The options below are chosen to assist with the speed through the acts!

1. Seven-League Step: These are generally a bit pricey, especially early, but they are easily the BEST leveling boots in the game. When corrupted with increased movement speed, they turn you into a speeding bullet, but even without they are VERY strong.
2. Abberaths Hooves: A solid leveling alternative that gives good damage and a fun mechanic to mess with to kill monsters. The ignite prolif can add to the fun on ignite builds as well!
3. Wanderlust: The most budget option, these boots give freeze immunity which is awesome and solid movement speed to run through the acts!
4. Nomic's Storm: A cheap alternative to Seven-Leagues, these boots can provide a great movement speed buff with some stats; though, it is important to remember you will take a big first hit while wearing these!

Note: Always remember to look for cheap pairs with movement speed corruptions! These can really make leveling feel that much better!
​
Shields: Overlooked for higher damage option, shields are great for tankiness in the early levels.

1. Lycosidae: This shield is great for builds that use attacks but is often looked over because accuracy isn't much of an issue early. Using counter-attacks with this shield can be fun though!
2. Crest of Perandus: The life given by this shield can really pump up your early game tankiness and the extra stats are nice too. This shield is a comfy "I don't want to die" alternative.
3. Kaltenhalt: This shield is GREAT for any build that wants to level with a strong physical skill. The gained as can feel great for early game chills/freezes for additional "defense" as well.
4. Springleaf: Really only used for EARLY EARLY RF leveling, this shield is solid for adding some additonal regen to a build that doesn't die quick but doesn't heal quick either!

Note: Shields are often weak for leveling but it is important to realize they do exist! While it may be better to run a stronger weapon for damage, a shield can make leveling a bit more comfy and open doors for other options.
​
Jewellery: Jewellery has a large list of strong usable items. While there are technically some unique items that can have their level requirement removed via corruption, I will only list the unique items that I find to be genuinely beneficial to use.
Amulets: There is a large list of usable amulets, just remember to pick the one that best fits your build!

1. Sidhebreath: This amulet is very niche for minion builds and pretty much requires you run added cold with the minions to counter lack of other damage they can no longer deal. If you REALLY want to run this, you're going to notice a drop in damage as your minion gems level up.
2. Blood of Corruption: Really strong for early game levels but falls behind the Karui setup for benefits. Usable but not strong.
3. (Replica) Karui Ward: The BEST leveling amulet in the game. This amulet should be purchased with a movement speed corruption if possible to help BLAST through the game. The speed provided by this slot alone is huge and with the right annoint can turn you into a speed demon!
4. Tear of Purity: The extra resistances and ailment immunity provided by and early game Purity of Elements can feel great while leveling but otherwise isn't that strong.
5. Xoph's Heart: Now usable at level 5, this amulet and the ash covering ability really add some nice early game damage for leveling if you are using a fire build.
6. (Replica) Atziri's Foible: If built around, these amulets are easily some of the coolest. The bonuses they provide given the right build are astounding, otherwise its just a filler amulet.
7. Astramentis: INSANE for leveling because it cuts back your need for stats, Astramentis is always great to have around and can make for some easy gearing without worrying about stats.

Note: Make sure to annoint your amulet! While I always check for a movement speed corruption, the extra tainted oil can make the cost too high so going with an uncorrupted amulet might be the play!
​
Rings: The ring slot options are somehow large and small all at the same time.

1. Blackheart: The extra chaos damage added can really boost the early game clear, though the flee can be VERY annoying for melee builds.
2. Doedre's Damning: While additonal curse may seem strong, the lack of curses early makes this ring really just a ball of resistances.
3. Perandus Signet: My favorite ring to use as it gets me closer to using my full set at level 16, otherwise I run a few other options once I get there.
4. Berek's Rings: These rings are all solid for leveling assuming your build uses their bonuses correctly, read each of them to see what you might want to use!
5. Call of the Brotherhood: Great for those early game lightning builds (Spark is a favorite for me). Being able to do cold damage is huge for early game and can feel awesome for defense as well!
6. Le Heup of All: This ring is a generalist ring that fills the gap you may need for certain stats or resistances. It is always nice to keep a few on hand and use them when you are lacking somewhere!
7. Mark of Submission: This ring feels REALLY good early game to get extra damage from a curse and if it can be used, should be used! A early curse on hit can add a LOAD of extra damage, much more than most other rings this early into PoE.

Note: Rings are pretty flexible and it is best to use a pair that best fits your build, though it doesn't hurt to run Perandus Signets until you can toss on two Le Heups!
​
Belt: Belts are a pretty large slot for unique items but like many other slots, there is generally one that is best.

1. Darkness Enthroned: This belt is the BEST if you are willing to hunt down good abyss jewels. The fact that you can gain loads of life, movement speed if you haven't been hit recently, and other benefits, really makes this belt take the number 1 spot for early into late leveling stages.
2. String of Servitude: This belt can have some solid mods; however, it's often lacking in areas that could make it feel good and unless you're going Hollow Palm, the belt is on the sidelines.
3. Meginord's Girdle: The added flat physical damage can be great for Pillar or Facebreaker builds; otherwise, this is just a filler belt with some stats.
4. Perandus Blazon: This belt is GREAT for the extra attributes and some quantity, though these stats are either made up elsewhere or generally useless for the acts!
5. Belt of the Deceiver: This belt can provide some additional damage to attack builds through intimidate as well as some resistances and life, it is still often better to run a Darkness Enthroned to make up for those potential missing stats.
6. Bated Breath: If you are looking to focus on an ES build or Energy Blade, this belt is just about the best you can go with until later in the game.

Note: While belts are often flexible, it is generally understood to just run with a Darkness Enthroned and search for level 1 jewels that fit your build. Remember that each abyss jewel has different rolls. (Ghastly: Minions, Searching: Bows/wands, Murderous: Melee/Attacks, Hypnotic: Spells)
​
Weapons: Weapons will be classified by their type, though some types may be more popular than others. When it comes to leveling with attacks, its often you will upgrade your weapon with something throughout the acts. Spells don't need much of an upgrade with some of the options below. I will not be listing weapon classes that have mediocre uniques, if a class isn't listed a cheap rare is best (Ex. Daggers have poor options and should instead be a rare if you want to use them.)
Axe: This weapon type is often overlooked for leveling but can be beneficial given some extra "tech".

1. Screaming Eagle: The movement speed provided makes this axe worth dual-wielding in your offhand to swap to for extra speed!
2. Limbsplit: While the culling strike isn't neccessary for early-game, having a way to cull early on weapon swap can cut some seconds off of killing some tanky rares! (I am looking at you spinning birdcage skeletons with extra life!)

Notes: Axes are often just kept on weapon swap for their bonus, if you want to use an axe for damage, an axe purchased from a vendor, qualitied, and essenced often do far more damage.
​
Bows: Bows are something I really enjoy leveling with and the options are quite large, below are the some solid choices if you don't want to craft a rare every 5-10 levels!

1. Silverbranch: This bow is a generic leveling bow that when found early can really assist with early game bow clear.
2. Widowhail: With the right quiver, this bow is INSANE! It does require further planning but given the right setup, this bow can be used from level 1 to level 100, even being something to build around! If you want to go with stat stacking, remember that 249% is only 2x effect while 250% is 3x effect, so buy a max roll!
3. Quillrain: The classic leveling bow that can be used from 5 to 100, the speed and mana gained on hit make this bow feel nice and comfy for leveling, though the damage reduction is a bit noticable.
4. Storm Cloud: This bow does so much for an early game build and should not be forgotten. While the attack speed is much lower than Quill Rain, it does feel very nice to use with LA and other bow skills early.

Note: Bows can be bought with corruptions but it is often easier to just buy high rolls, but never overlook a high roll AND corruption that still retains the low level requirement.
​
Quivers: Using the right quiver can really change the bow leveling experience, though a crafted rare often does the trick too!

1. Hyrri's Bite: Insane for leveling, this quiver is VERY good with the extra stats it provides, it will really change how your gems level early game!

Note: Quivers are often better if just cheaply essence crafted, otherwise, Hyrri's Bite is the strong go-to quiver.
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Maces: While the choices are small, it is fun to run a mace with slams early!

1. Gorebreaker: The damage done by this mace early game is enough to kill most rares in a hit or two; however, it falls off quickly given the slow attack speed.

Note: There are technically more options in the 20s range; though, they are often overshadowed in damage from a crafted rare.
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Sceptres: This is where the fun weapons begin!

1. Axiom Perpetuum: This is by far the BEST spell caster leveling unique in the entire game. When combined with other unique items in this list (often the ones I bold), the damage provided is MASSIVE. This is brought up even HIGHER with a cast speed corruption. This sceptre is the BEST spell caster leveling weapon in the entire game and should ALWAYS be kept in pairs of two with cast speed corruptions. The Crit and Cast speed alone turn a boring spell into a KILLING machine.
2. Brutus Lead Sprinkler: I know this is level 28 but it holds a strong place in my heart. This is one of my favorite items in PoE (I WISH I could get one with a great crucible tree for standard but I don't have the desire to make one right now, maybe later, I REALLY want one!) It is VERY fun to level with for Str stacking and should be remembered if you are looking to try a stat stacking build early.

Note: There really isn't a better caster weapon than Axiom for leveling and really limits the unique items worth using for said builds.
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Staves: An uncommon leveling piece, staves can see some use but are often outclassed by Axiom or other items:

1. Fencoil: Great for early damage until you get two axioms but not needed when you can use +1 All X Spell gem magic wands instead.
2. Replica Bloodthorn: The increased fire damage can feel great for early game Rolling Magma until Axioms; however, it is useless afterwards.
3. Pillar of the Caged God: This is often used at much higher levels after stats are scaled better but can be used early if you can find some good added flat physical damage and strength while leveling.

Note: It is generally much better to use +1 wands but staves can still make for an easy to store unique weapon to hold until you can use Axioms.
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Swords: The choice of swords for leveling is pretty open with one clear winner; though, it is often better to use a crafted rare if you want to level with them.

1. Oni-Goroshi: This sword has so much lore behind it and is very strong to level with. While farming it may not be fun and making sure you get enough ignite chance to trigger the proc may not be fun, it can scale all the way to level 100 if built around and is very solid for leveling with melee weapons.
2. Redbeak: This is often dropped for a rare the moment you can hit a Thrusting sword with an essence or two, this sword is still strong for early levels if given the chance!
3. The Princess: I really enjoy dual wielding this sword with another copy when using a physical build, it is still often better to use Axiom or a crafted rare.
4. Shiversting: When it comes to two hander swords, Shiversting takes the cake for early game damage. Sady it is still outclassed by a crafted rare if you have the essences, otherwise, it can clear early levels easily until you can upgrade.

Note: Like other melee weapons, swords are often better crafted ever 5-10 levels, unless you use Oni.
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Claws: Claws really only have one option for leveling and it always requires Elemental hit to work.
(Replica) Last Resort: This claw is VERY good when leveling with elemental hit once you can get to low life; however, it is otherwise useless.
Note: If you want claws, use a rare, its really that simple.
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Wands: While outclassed by Axiom, wands can be used early for an extra damage boots until you can use those sceptres.

1. Lifesprig: A solid wand to use until you can use Axioms, the life it heals is nice for early sustain.
2. Abberaths Horn: This wand is useable if you cannot get +1 wands early, is should be dropped as soon as possible. While ignite isn't insanely strong early, the reduced ignite duration can be noticed when it comes to additional damage from fire builds.
3. Ashcaller: This wand is really strong with SRS from the covered in ash debuff, it is otherwise not that usable.
4. Poet's Pen: This wand, while not as popular, is a cult classic for leveling. Throw on two with your favorite spells (and make sure to use clarity to counter to trigger costs!) and you can BLAZE through the game using frenzy as your trigger. Poet's Pen builds do require some planning but can be VERY fun for early game.

Note: It is often better to use a magic +1 to all X spell set for leveling. Aside from Poet's Pen, the benefit of using the above wands is worse than a simple +1 wand.
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Jewels: The number of leveling jewels has dropped drastically after the jewel change but here is a short list of some!

1. One with Nothing: Your typical "leveling" jewel. This build has been tried and true for years and is always something to look into if you want the generic Hollow Palm leveling experience.
2. Thread of Hope: A late game found jewel that can be used in early leveling to get some extra passives early in the game (Think about getting two extra projectiles for a bow build early instead of pathing all the way to those nodes).
3. Watcher's Eye: Another late game found jewel that can add some convivence to an early leveling experience but needs to be built around.
4. Sublime Vision: The final of my suggest jewels, using the haste version of this can add some extra speed to an otherwise speedy leveling experience!

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When deciding your build, the most important part is deciding the "prime unique" to build around, when it comes to spells, make sure you can buy the perfect +4 Honourhome helmet and then go from there, a perfect Honourhome is the difference between 6k DPS at level 16 and 800 dps. Build around this helmet and you'll LOVE the spell caster leveling experience, I PROMISE!
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Build Template(s): I will add more templates if this thread gets some views but otherwise here is my generic "Spark leveling template" that I used. The damage is VERY high for a level 16 and I have personally leveled a character all the way to act 10 with this gear setup without using a SINGLE passive point. (Though I did need to swap in Astramentis and swap rings to make up for lost resistances and stats to level up skill gems.)
Spark: https://pobb.in/7ikhk0q3MVNU
Lightning Arrow: https://pobb.in/hDzo2YyYcOp-
Generic Spell Level 2 Build: https://pobb.in/prpMjcZLrdLG
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If you have any questions feel free to ask! I can also make a video guide that is a bit more fleshed out so let me know if you like it!

So recently, my aunt went to the doctor's office and ended up in the hospital for a week. They found out she has multiple issues (clot, edge of becoming diabetic, etc) and my mom (aunt is her sister) offered to let her stay for a few weeks.
The thing is my family (parents and I) live in a 2 bedroom apartment with 1 bathroom and a living room area. Sounds like a lot but it's not that big and can even get a bit much with the 3 of us. The bedrooms aren't that big either so I don't think we can even put a blow up mattress in one. We have bought a house that's being worked on, but it's nowhere near done to be livable in.
Anyways, I'm fine with my aunt coming to live with us for a few weeks, but I guess I'm kinda scared that my mom is going to make me give my room to my aunt. I'm really germaphobic (pandemic definitely exasperated it) and I guess I'm really possessive of my room since it feels like my one safe space from everything. I'm currently working on getting certified for a job too so I spend a lot of time studying in my room too since it gets too noisy in the living room (mom watches TV there and if my parents start arguing they at least have that area). I feel like such an asshole for even thinking of suggesting my aunt take the couch, but I just feel really anxious and like freaking out if I have to give up my room since it feels like the only thing in my life I can kinda control/own for myself.
I feel really guilty and I guess I'm asking, how should I go about this situation? I love my aunt a lot and of course I don't want anything bad to happen to her, but I already felt like I was kinda losing it before her situation occurred. So far my mom hasn't mentioned when she'll move in, but it's likely that she will. I feel like such an asshole, but I don't know what to do anymore. My mom knows that I kinda need my space, but knowing that vs knowing her sister is sick are different things. And I get it, but I just don't have anywhere else to be alone. Our apartment is on the 25th floor, we live in the middle of the city, and I already don't like going out if I don't have to (germaphobic). I'm not sure how I'd go about this conversation with my mother without her getting angry too.

If you are into the video game scene, you'll likely have been inundated recently with people talking about latest game in the long-running Legend of Zelda franchise, Tears of the Kingdom, which came out earlier this month. It has become a commercial and critical hit, so much so that it is their fastest selling game ever. The Zelda series is over 35 years old now, with the most recent Switch titles being its most successful entries. Because of this, there are many players who are only vaguely aware of what came before. How do all the other titles fit together? What is the canonical history of the kingdom of Hyrule? Why are there all these nerds who grumble to themselves about "timelines" and "Historia"? Let's go back and walk through the games as they released, looking at how each entry adds new lore to the series and what it does, or doesn't do, to place itself amongst the history of its peers. I do spoil some of the endings and events for the older games, and I do mention some plot points that in Tears of the Kingdom. Everything I mention there happens within the first few hours, and I try to give warning that it's coming, but if you want to know nothing about the game at all, you've been warned.
As you'll soon see, the timeline of the games is anything but cut and dry. I'm going to try and discuss some of the issues of putting them in a neat order, but there have been lots of theories over the years that get into the minutia of different things. For those curious, this is a good list of some of the now defunct ideas. I would also like to apologize ahead of time for the large amount of abbreviations used in this article.

8-bit Wonder

In the beginning, things were pretty straight-forward. The first few games in the series were released in a time before elaborate plotlines were typical or even possible.
In 1986, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda (LoZ) for the NES. You play as Link, a vaguely elf-like collection of pixels as he travels the land of Hyrule to save its princess, Zelda, from the evil pig-like creature known as Ganon (or in this game, "Gannon"). With limited dialogue available, most of the plot is given to the player via the included instruction manual and through a paragraph that displays if you wait on the title screen for long enough. The dynamic between these three characters will form the foundation for plots being used to this day. The game also introduces other series namestays, such as Death Mountain, some of the recurring bosses, and most notably, the concept of the Triforce, two triangle-shaped magical relics sought after by the characters. Only the Triforce of Power and Wisdom are described in this game, and Wisdom has been broken into several pieces for the player to reassemble. The game was a success and our series has a solid foundation to proceed.
In 1987, Nintendo released a sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (AoL) also for the NES. This title is a direct sequel to the first game, picking up with Link as he again travels Hyrule to awaken the comatose Princess Zelda. Except... it's not the same Zelda as the first game. This is apparently the very first Zelda, who was put into a magical slumber in an age long past, and has been stored in a back room until someone will come around and wake her up. This game introduces the third piece of the Triforce, that of Courage, and features actual townspeople you can talk to as you try and stop Ganon's followers from reviving him. While the addition of a second Zelda is a bit odd, these two games fit together well enough, although if you were hoping that long lost Zelda would be mentioned later on, you might not want to hold your breath.
In 1991, A Link to the Past (ALttP) was released for the Super Nintendo. With greater processing power came greater graphical fidelity (quote Uncle Ben, year unknown), and with it a greater possibility for story telling. Link, now equipped with pink hair, must rescue the seven Maidens, descendants of a group of sages who sealed Ganon away in an "Imprisoning War" to an alternate Sacred Realm to stop him from obtaining the Triforce. Princess Zelda is one of these maidens, and Link must travel back and forth between the normal Light World and Ganon's now corrupted Dark World to stop him. More long-running elements are introduced, most notably Link's Master Sword, a magically empowered blade that has the power to defeat evil. You may notice that this game presents a number of contradictions to the NES games. For one, this game seems to completely contradict the events of the first game with Link, Zelda, and Ganon having completely different backstories. This game sets the precedent that there are multiple Ganons, Links, and Zeldas throughout history, with the latter two rising up to stop Ganon whenever the need arises. The Link we played as in the NES games is not the Link in ALttP, and in fact this game is set far before that game, with Ganon being defeated by the end of the game and the Triforce still unbroken and together. Fine, okay, that's potentially a bit confusing, but with only three games, it's not too much to keep track of.
Not wanting to be left out, the Game Boy got its own Zelda game in 1993, Link's Awakening (LA), which was re-released in color in 1998 and fully remade for the Switch in 2019. This game is the first to not take place in Hyrule, instead Link is traveling by ship and is caught in a storm, waking up on Koholint Island. Given that it doesn't take place in Hyrule, some of the typical elements are missing. The Triforce does not appear, Zelda is only briefly alluded to, and Ganon only appears as a form taken by the final boss. This does imply that this Link is familiar with Ganon, and while the game itself is vague on which Link this is, it's generally assumed that this is the same Link from ALttP, travelling after saving Hyrule. For the sake of brevity, we'll skip the discussions about this title, as there's much more to get to.
For those keeping track, the chronology of the games, as far as we understand it, looks like the following, with the left hand side being the earliest entry.

ALttP/LA - LoZ/AoL 

Things start getting complicated.

While the first four games follow each other well enough, the intra-game connections aren't super important, and so far not too hard to follow. This will begin to change with 1998's Ocarina of Time (OoT) for the Nintendo 64. OoT does a lot to further the lore of the series, giving a backstory to the Triforce, establishing Ganon's human form as Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo people, who are also established in this game. Familiar Hyrule races such as the Gorons, Kokiri, and Zora (this type, not the enemies from ALttP). The Triforce returns, but each of the three pieces is given to a different character; Courage to Link, Wisdom to Zelda, and Power to Ganondorf. This game also seems to represent the Imprisoning War described in ALttP with Ganon being sealed by Zelda and six sages into the Sacred Realm, to end his reign of terror. There are some differences however. The sages are a diverse collection of characters, not a group of bearded old white guys as previously depicted, and Ganon is sealed away as Ganondorf and not as his pig-like form. These are minor discrepancies however, and for the most part OoT seems to set itself as the earliest yet game in the series (the towns in Zelda II also share their names with the sages, a cute homage that in-universe reinforces the idea that they were named after famous heroes).
There are two features of Ocarina of Time that makes its entry into the series more complex than the games that came before. Firstly, the game features time travel, which naturally introduces another layer of complexity. You play as Link as a child at the start of the game, but at roughly 1/3rd the way through the game, Link is placed into magical stasis for seven years, awakening as an adult into a ruined future. While you can return to the child period in the game, the main plot has Link attempting to defeat the evil powers in the future. It begs the question to what is the actual canon ending to the game. You defeat Ganondorf in the future and seal him away, with the end credits showing the characters you've met celebrating his defeat. However, the adult Princess Zelda sends Link back to the past to "relive his childhood", with the final shot showing the child Link and Zelda. It's left ambiguous which time period continues forward, or if child Link was able to avert the future after all. The other important thing to know about OoT is that it was incredibly popular. The game was the best selling Zelda game for nearly two decades after its release, and is often cited as one of, if not the best game ever made. This popularity will lead Nintendo to incorporate more direct references and allusions to this game in future entries, which I'm sure won't complicate things for us.
The year 2000 gave us the direct sequel to OoT, Majora's Mask (MM), also for the N64. The "Child Timeline" as it is now called is confirmed to continue, with the entirety of the game focusing on the child form of Link as he travels to the parallel world of Termina. Like Link's Awakening before it, MM doesn't impact the timeline too heavily due to being set in Termina, but it does confirm that Link remained as a child rather than return to his slumber following OoT. It might be fair to assume that Link did something about Ganondorf before leaving for Termina, but that isn't explicitly shown.
In 2001, a pair of games were released for the Game Boy Color, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (OoS and OoA respectively, sometimes collectively called OoX). These games are notable for being developed by Capcom, not Nintendo, and they form a pair; when you finish one of the games you receive a password that transfers some of your items to the other game. Upon finishing both, a special epilogue is unlocked completing the story. Both of these games take place outside of Hyrule, with Seasons taking place in the land of Holodrum and Ages in Labrynna. The evil forces in these games are vaguely working together to revive Ganon, who is stated to have been defeated by Link previously. The developers decided that was enough backstory and thus didn't bother to specify which Link this actually was. The game is very similar to Link's Awakening in gameplay and style, but the events are also vague enough to be placed after the original game, Majora's Mask, some previously unseen Link, or maybe completely non-canon entirely given the involvement of Capcom. It's now generally accepted that this is the same Link as ALttP, with the events of Link's Awakening following these games, but for many years their placement in the timeline was up in the air.
Accepting the Oracle games as following ALttP, our timeline up to this point looks like this:

OoT/MM - ALttP/OoX/LA - LoZ/AoL 

We now enter the Very Messy Time.

We are now eight games and 15 years into the series, and while things haven't been super clear up until now, it arguably hasn't really mattered. The games don't really reference each other, and some haven't had much of a plot at all. With ever increasing technological advances, however, this is likely to change, and no game throws a bigger wrench into the whole chronology business like The Wind Waker (WW). Released in 2002 for the GameCube, Wind Waker takes place on the Great Ocean, a large body of water with some sparse islands occupying the landscape. It's revealed throughout the game that this is Hyrule, which was flooded by the Goddesses at the request of its King to stop the freed Ganondorf, since no Link was around to stop him. The islands seen in the game are the tallest peaks of the kingdom beneath. This poses quite a dilemma as, I'm not sure if you've noticed, Hyrule is typically not under miles of water, and continues to be this way at the end of the game. The game makes explicit references to Ocarina, such as the sages being depicted in stained glass windows and Link being told his green tunic represents the clothing a previous hero wore. Even more confusingly is that this is stated to be the same Ganondorf from OoT, not a reincarnation, freed from his prison. Given that ALttP also featured the freeing of the imprisoned Ganon from OoT, this game seems to completely fly in the face of the games that came before it, and if Nintendo had an answer, they were being tight lipped about it. Much of the debate regarding the "timelines" begins here, as the advent of the internet lead to lots of online debate about how WW fits into the overall story of Hyrule. Nintendo seemed to finally be more focused on referencing the events of previous games, but managed to only confuse the matter even further. We'll get to some of the theories in a moment.
The next three Zelda games would be once again developed by Capcom, following their relative success with the Oracle games. The first would be a port of ALttP to the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo wanted to market the wired intra-connectively of the GBA, and so a special multiplayer-only campaign was added to this release, titled Four Swords (FS). This game features a new villain, the wind mage Vaati, who is defeated by Link with the help of the newly established Four Sword, a magical sword which gives Link the ability to split himself into up to four copies. This sword exists mainly as an excuse to have several Links available for this multiplayer game, and the game itself gives very little context as to where it might fit into the timeline, if at all. Note, if you want to play this game for yourself, Nintendo hasn't made it easy for you. A special single player version, titled Four Swords: Anniversary was available for free for six months in 2011-2012 for the DSi and 3DS, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, and also to try and help flagging sales of both systems. It was then removed for download until 2014, where it was again made available for four whole days before again being delisted. The game has never been made officially available by Nintendo since then.
In 2004 a follow up to Four Swords was released for the GameCube, titled Four Sword Adventures (FSA). Again developed by Capcom, and again an excuse to show off the connectivity features of the GameCube and GBA, with Vaati escaping her imprisonment, requiring Link to take up the Four Sword again. Given the similarity between the games, it is assumed that FSA is a direct sequel to FS, featuring the same Link and Zelda. Ganondorf is also revealed to be behind Vaati's actions, but this one is pretty clearly a new reincarnation than before. The game's overworld also has similarities to that of ALttP, implying that the titles take place close together. Ganon is sealed away at the end of the game, into the Four Sword rather than the Sacred Realm, but some theorized that this could be the same Ganon as ALttP with a slightly altered backstory to accommodate for WW, and the two games were often placed either preceding ALttP or left out of the timeline altogether.
The final Capcom developed game would be 2004's The Minish Cap (MC) for the GBA. The game establishes the origins of Vaati and sets itself as the first game in the Four Sword trilogy. The game also establishes the origins of the Four Sword, created throughout the game from the Picori Blade, a legendary sword used by, you guessed it, a hero from an age long past. We'll put that aside for now, as while MC establishes itself as occurring far before FA, it's unclear how far in the past it is. I mentioned that Nintendo often referenced OoT in later games, and this game is no exception. Several townsfolk have the same name and appearance as NPCs in Ocarina and Majora's Mask despite being clearly separate characters. This is never explained and you either need to attribute it to the reincarnation effect prevalent in the series, or just to Capcom/Nintendo wanting to have familiar faces in their game.
While Capcom was busy adding their own confusing take on the timeline, Nintendo was hard at work doing the same thing. In 2006, Twilight Princess (TP) was released for the GameCube and Wii, featuring a very much not underwater Hyrule. The Hyrule here seems to resemble that of Ocarina, but with some of the landmarks slightly shifted (there's a whole line of reasoning trying to identify the games' orders based on the actual landmarks of Hyrule, but it's even hard to resolve than the plots). Link and Zelda are new characters, but Ganondorf is implied to be the same from Ocarina, again. Through flashbacks we see Ganondorf on trial for unspecified crimes, but after he receives the Triforce of Power through vague means, he attempts to escape captivity before being sealed in the Twilight Realm, another new parallel world to Hyrule which seems distinct to the Sacred Realm. He eventually escapes and is defeated by Link, Zelda, and new character Midna, the titular Twilight Princess. Given that this game also makes some direct references to OoT, this seems to directly contradict WW, but all might not be lost. It was left vague as to which timeline was the canon ending to OoT, and the combination of WW and TP lead to the fan theory that both are actually canon and the timeline splits following Ocarina. In the "Adult Timeline", where Link and Zelda seal Ganondorf away, he eventually escapes and Hyrule is flooded to stop him, eventually leading to his defeat in WW. In the other "Child Timeline", Link returns as a child with the knowledge of the future and manages to have Ganondorf arrested, where he is sealed into the Twilight Realm following an attempted escape. TP continues from here, and given Hyrule's much less wet state, most of the other games do as well. This raises the question about where those games fit in, but we'll get to that in a second.
Let me mention two more games before we look at the bigger picture. Two sequels to Wind Waker were released on the DS in 2007 and 2009, Phantom Hourglass (PH) and Spirit Tracks (ST). PH is a direct sequel to WW featuring the same Link as he fights the new villain Bellum, while ST takes places roughly 100 years after WW on New Hyrule, founded by the Princess Zelda of that time (any actual lineage between the two generations is annoyingly vague). It does feature a new Link and Zelda, but it's pretty explicitly a direct sequel to WW and ST and isn't too hard to resolve into the timeline.
Alright, let's go over what we have now, and try and put everything together. The facts we have are:

• AoL is a direct sequel to LoZ. There is a new Link/Ganon/Zelda and the Triforce is not only separated but broken. Ganon ends the game dead, and there's another Zelda lying around, don't worry about it.
• OoS, OoA, and LA are (to some debate) sequels to ALttP. There is a new Link and Zelda, but Ganon begins the game sealed in the Dark World, and ends the game dead. The Triforce is completely intact.
• MM is a direct sequel to OoT. There is a new Link/Zelda/Ganondorf and the game likely splits into two parallel timelines, one where Ganon is sealed in the Sacred Realm (Adult Timeline) and one where Link returns and lives as a child (leading into MM). In the Adult Timeline, the Triforce is split into its three components, in the Child Timeline it is assumed to be intact, as it is at the start of the game.
• PH and ST are sequels to WW. There is a new Link and Zelda, but a previous Ganondorf, directly stated to be the one from OoT. He was unsealed at some point in the past and ends the game dead/turned into a statue. The Triforce is completely intact, but Hyrule is under an ocean.
• MC, FS, and FSA are indirect sequels consistent with each other. There is at least two new Links/Zeldas (MC is definitely distinct from the other) and a new Ganondorf. He ends the game sealed in the Four Sword, the state of the Triforce is unknown.
• TP has no direct sequels. There is a new Link and Zelda, but Ganondorf begins the game sealed in the Twilight Realm and ends the game dead. The Triforce is split into its three components.

There were multiple theories at this time, with some arguing the 2D games were their own continuity separate from the 3D games, or that there were even more timelines than just two after Ocarina, but one of the more previlent timeline orderings (and the one I favored) went as follows:
OoT is the first game in the series, and following its events, the timeline splits in two, the Adult Timeline following the world ruined by seven years of Ganon's rule, the other Child Timeline where his reign was avoided.

Adult Timeline: MC? - OoT - TP - MC? - FS/FSA - ALttP/OoX/LA - LoZ/AoL Child Timeline: MC? - OoT/MM - WW/PH/ST 

The placement of The Minish Cap is unknown. We know it takes place prior to Four Swords, but whether it was before or after the timeline split isn't clear. The Ganon in ALttP, who was originally meant to be the one in OoT is now a completely different Ganon, who may or may not be the one in FSA. For this reason, and many others, this remained one of the most popular ordering, but still heavily in debate.

Finally, some answers

The year is 2011 and Nintendo is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Zelda series. The main attraction is the release of Skyward Sword (SS) for the Wii, which will usher in a brief but earnest period of actually caring about the timeline. SS explicitly sets itself as the first game in the entire timeline, depicting the creation of the Master Sword and the cause for the perpetual reincarnation of Link, Zelda, and Ganon. The game takes place not on Hyrule, but on a series of floating islands above it called Skyloft. Skyloft was lifted into the sky by the newly established Goddess Hylia, to protect it and the Triforce from the forces of evil below, and sealed away their leader, Demise. Hylia herself decided to become the mortal Zelda. This new Link is forced to take up the Goddess Sword (which becomes the Master Sword) to save Zelda and defeat the freed Demise who, upon his defeat, decrees that he shall be reborn time and again to defeat the reincarnations of the hero and the Hylia and take over the world. It is the soul of Demise that is reborn as Ganon and has continued to plague Hyrule from then on. Like this concept or not, the game pretty explicitly places itself as the foundation of the series, and as the earliest entry in the timeline.
In addition to releasing Skyward Sword, Nintendo released a companion book called Hyrule Historia. Historia is mainly an artbook featuring concept art and documents from the 25 year history of the series. However, its main attraction for many people was the inclusion of an official, definitive ordering of the games from Nintendo themselves. So, how we do? Does our timeline(s) agree with Nintendo themselves? Well, while the general order was correct, Nintendo threw a curveball into everything by announcing that following Ocarina of Time the timeline split into three parts, not two. One following the Adult ruined world, one following the Child un-impacted world, and another... where Link died. That's right, despite not being seen, a canonical ending to OoT is that Link died trying to defeat Ganondorf in the future and he was able obtain the combined Triforce. Nintendo explains that despite this, the sages were able to seal him away in the Sacred Realm anyway, but with the completed Triforce. For intents and purposes this is rather similar to the Adult timeline, but allows for the distinction between Ganondorf needing the Triforce in WW and having it in ALttP; not to mention that they both need to co-exist. Fans argued that a timeline based on the bad ending didn't seem terribly canonical, and also opened up a can of worms for every other game having its own canon Bad End. Other more minor discrepancies from our theory are present, most notably that Four Swords Adventure is not a direct sequel to Four Swords but instead takes place long after, following TP. MC and FS are instead placed before OoT in the unified timeline. Personally this is the one I have the most trouble with as there is nothing really linking FSA to that timeline at all. In any case, here is the timeline as presented:

 (Child Timeline) - MM - TP - FSA / SS - MC - FS - OoT - (Adult Timeline) - WW - PH - ST \ (Fallen Timeline) - ALttP - OoS/OoA - LA - LoZ - AoL 

There you have it, Nintendo's official explanation for how three games can each be a follow-up to Ocarina of Time. The Fallen Timeline inclusion lead to many a nerd grumbling on the internet, but this is the official order of events from Nintendo themselves, and they seem pretty dedicated to the idea of keeping the timeline neat going forward.
... Or do they. In 2013 A Link Between Worlds (ALBW) was released for the 3DS. The game was designed as an indirect sequel to ALttP with the overworld heavily inspired by that game. Despite the similarity, this is said to be a new Link and Zelda as they stop the evil Yuga from another parallel version of Hyrule, Lorule (how clever). Their eventual goal is to, you guessed it, free an imprisoned Ganon. This begs all sorts of questions. If this is a follow-up to ALttP, why is there an imprisoned Ganon? Why is the Triforce split again? The explanation is that another Ganon was born between ALttP and ALBW and sealed away with the Triforce of Power, eventually leading to the events of this game. Even more confusingly, Nintendo released the Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia in 2017 where they placed ALBW into the timeline. It fittingly goes between ALttP and LoZ, but at the same time decides that the Oracle games no longer feature ALttP's Link, but the one from ALBW. This could be taken with a grain of salt though, as the book has some errors, and in other places even says it's the same Link as ALttP, directly contradicting itself. I'm personally prefer to ignore it.
Nintendo also released Tri Force Heroes in 2015 for the 3DS. It's in the same style as ALBW and probably a direct sequel, but it's really goofy and there's barely a plot.

Back to the Future

This finally brings us to the present day. In 2017, Breath of the Wild (BotW) was released for the Wii U and Switch. Despite spending a lot of effort cleaning up the timeline in their last 3D game, this title goes out of its way to completely ignore the question altogether. When asked about its placement, the canonical reply is that it takes place far in the future from the other games, in some vague era where the timelines either have converged or it's far enough to not really matter. In any case, don't worry about it. 10,000 years prior to the events of the game (ugh), great machines were built to assist with the defeat of Calamity Ganon. With the help of the Link and Zelda of their time, they succeed, with the Divine Beasts being left to decay over the millennia. 100 years prior to the game, it was predicted Calamity Ganon would return, so a new Zelda and Link (the ones in the game) begin to prepare for that day. When it eventually does arrive, it goes very poorly, with Link being placed into a century-long stasis to recover from his wounds and Zelda alone holding the seal containing Ganon. Link eventually wakes up just in time for the game to begin, and you defeat the Calamity. The inclusion of the Calamity being at least 10,000 years old puts this game insanely far into the future, and throws the whole timeline a bit out of wack. There are some other oddities too, such as the Temple of Time as it appears in OoT being present, and the Rito being established in WW as the successor race to the Zora, yet both co-exist here.
I'll spend a little bit of time talking about the newest game, Tears of the Kingdom. I won't discuss anything you won't see in the first few hours, but if you want to be completely spared from spoilers, skip the next paragraph.
2023 saw Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) for Switch, a direct follow-up to BotW. At the start of the game, Zelda and Link discover the still-alive mummified body of Ganondorf, sealed away in an era long past and the cause of the Calamity. He is freed and Zelda is inadvertently sent back in time to meet with the very first king of Hyrule, which would place her between Skyward Sword and Minish Cap. Through flashbacks you see their attempts to stop Ganondorf before eventually just sealing him away. This would imply that there has been a sealed Ganondorf throughout most of Hyrule's history, even during periods where other Ganondorfs reigned. I won't say too much else for fear of spoilers, but I assume Link is able to defeat this Ganondorf once and for all (I actually don't know, I haven't finished the game yet).

Conclusion

To sum up, the Zelda series has gone through periods of relative attentiveness to the connections between games to directly ignoring they exist. While all this timeline theorizing took place, there was a camp that believed that the Legend of Zelda was just that, a legend, and that each game took place completely separately, except for any explicit direct sequels. This seems to be how Nintendo views the series. The plot inside of each game is focused on, but how it features together as a whole doesn't really matter to them, and even when they tried to more actively focus on it, they quickly gave up due to the pre-existing state it was in. We'll see if future titles will try and reconcile themselves better with the older games, or if this latest trend of just ignoring the timeline will be the norm going forwards.

Hi all,
I've (27M) moved around a ton throughout my career (Texas, London, NYC and Florida) and I'm curious about life in Kansas City. I have the opportunity to move to NYC or LA but for the price of an apartment and the lack of space, it's almost not worth it. I'm also looking for a place I can sort of settle into I guess and meet new people. Curious on your thoughts and what you love/hate about it. Thanks!

Hello. I am a 6’2”, 210 lb, fit, attractive, and successful bearded white fellow. I am into fitness, healthy eating, cooking, hiking, and the BDSM arts from time to time. I am single with my own apartment over near timberlake.
I am interested in ladies(particularly college aged) that have interest in being spanked from time to time. This is of course NSA. I am 420 friendly though I do not partake. I do enjoy having a beer or whiskey beforehand when possible. Just one…I never overdo it.
Lynchburg has been a tough area to crack. I know you ladies are out there though. “I will find you. And I will spank you.” Or whatever Liam Neeson said.
Anyway if you’d like to chat to get a feel for each other up front let’s talk. I would always suggest a meeting in a public setting for a drink to discuss things beforehand. Let’s talk!

GONZO
Not sure If I am using the flair correctly, I'm not sure how to edit it to say what I want...? Any tips would be helpful..
Since I've begun reading some american literature, I am very fascinated with Hunter S Tompson, his work Fear and Loathing and his Style of writing.
To share my love of his work I am working on a book called "The Feathered Starfish" using his style or GONZO style journalism.
This work is 60% an auto biography if not more, most of the things you will read happened, the drugs consumed, the happenings, the psychosis induced meth stupors, the near death experiences, the memories, they are all real experiences coming from myself- Michael Worthy Duke, and my best homie Josh Carr.
I do add many quotes of Hunters into the book, just for fun, he'd a legend in my eyes.
I have just did my first revision of chapter one, and I will post it on reddit to gain some constructive criticism.
Any and all criticism is welcomed this is my first time writing anything.
Chapter 1: Aufbruch
In the desolate confines of a decrepit apartment in Buckhannon, West Virginia, Duke slouched over his grimy desk, a faint glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness that engulfed him. The rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpane. "I really hope this one does it, man, I don't know how much more of this shit I can take"- Duke whispered with a mix of desperation and anticipation. With trembling hands, he carefully emptied six stamps of fentanyl into the tarnished spoon. Carr, his weary companion, cast a skeptical gaze upon Duke "Well you're not going to die if that's what you want. It's just not how GOD or SATAN works, or maybe I'm thinking of manifestation. Either way, they're both going to make us suffer, I doubt we'll get off that easy, as much as I want it to end, you're just wasting good dope, but go ahead, I won't Narcan you this time"
"You know? You're right, that makes a lot of fuckin sense dude, it's like each time there's something in the way. I always thought it was the LORD SAVIOR, SATAN, or maybe one of his DEMONS hoping I would strike some sort of deal with them to get off of this godforsaken ride" Duke's hands moved with a mixture of determination and trepidation, crushing a few clonidine tablets into a fine powder, adding it to his lethal concoction. The raindrops continued their relentless assault on the window, their rhythmic patter a cruel symphony accompanying their dark ritual. As the orange powder melded with the white, Duke drew back the plunger of the syringe, his eyes fixed on the swirling fusion of drugs and vodka. The amber liquid, held the weight of his hopes and fears, this white-orange liquid could very well be his out. "That's not what I meant, though hat's off to you if it works," Carr says.
In the ethereal glow of uncertainty. Duke's heart raced as he prepared to plunge into the abyss, the needle poised to deliver a bittersweet release. The rain outside intensified, its melancholic symphony matching the intensity of their clandestine act. As the raindrops continued their melancholic descent, Duke pressed the needle against his skin, the moment of truth inching closer. The world held its breath, suspended in the eerie stillness before the storm. The needle was dull and has been used many times before, but Duke hopes this will be the last time. He pressed, and with hesitation, it severed the skin between this world and the world unknown. He pressed on the plunger and as the toxic elixir coursed through Duke's veins, time seemed to distort, stretching into an abyss of darkness. His consciousness is on the verge of oblivion, teetering between life and death. A kaleidoscope of vivid hallucinations painted his mind, a swirling maelstrom of distorted images and fragmented thoughts of fear, abandonment, lost love, and the unforgettable regret of his life so far.
Hours turned into eternity as Duke slipped into a state of unconsciousness, surrendering to the unforgiving embrace of his drug-induced slumber. The world outside carried on, oblivious to his internal struggle.
When Duke fatefully awoke, his surroundings were shrouded in a haze. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a somber glow over the room, revealing the remnants of his despair. His body ached with a dull ache, each pulse a testament to his fragile existence.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the fragile silence, jolting Duke from his dazed state. His heart raced, the sound reverberating through his chest like a war drum. Slowly, he reached behind the couch and grabbed a pistol, he then stumbled towards the door, uncertainty gripping his every step.
Carr remained peacefully asleep on the sofa, unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead. If the stranger turned out to be a threat, Carr would have to confront the aftermath and dispose of the bodies. Meanwhile, Duke envisioned a scenario where he would paint his doorstep red. In this grim scenario, Duke's action would likely be repeated twice, burdening Carr with the task of disposing of not one, but two bodies upon waking up.
Duke muttered something like "How the fuck did you evoke second-stage manic psychosis on a goddamn Tuesday morning at 7:32 AM? Incredible," Duke grumbled under his breath. His grip tightened around the cold, steel frame of his .357 Magnum-Rhino, resting firmly at chest level, as he cautiously flipped open the peephole. With a deliberate motion, he placed his index finger on the trigger, a well-spoken prayer escaping his lips. "Oh, twisted universe, In this blurry dance between life and death, my words resound: To the enemy of the state lurking beyond this door, I offer this plea. Reveal thyself, if foe you be, let your presence be known, As adrenaline courses through my veins, May my aim find purpose, In this grotesque theater of existence, may the forces that guide us grant me strength in this dark hour, Should the door reveal an adversary, may my aim be swift and true, Grant me the resolve to protect what I hold dear, Yet let mercy temper my actions, even in fear. May peace find us all, in this realm or beyond."
As his heart raced and his vision blurred, he stood firm, bracing himself for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a thunderous knock shattered the silence, echoing like a gunshot. Startled, Duke's instincts took over as he pulled the trigger, blasting a hole through the door. Convinced he had vanquished his adversary, he hastily returned to the living room. In a corner, wild-eyed and gripping an Avtomat Kalashnikova, stood Carr, poised to unleash a barrage of bullets upon Duke's entry. With a swift stop at the coffee table, Duke muttered, "Weird heroes and mold-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
In that intense moment, Duke proceeded to lay out two substantial lines of schneef, while Carr discarded the AK, preparing for their habitual morning routine.
Schneef takes the lead, followed by the ritualistic sipping of coffee with a few swigs of dirt-poor vodka or rum followed by another round of Schneef. As the haze thickens, They indulge in a flurry of cigarettes, punctuated by yet more Schneef. Duke then meticulously prepares a 1-0z plastic med cup, a concoction of SOMAs, a 100mg Ghost, and a dose of 40mg Adderall. And then, a 3.5-gram blunt of the finest, high-grade cannabis. A choice between PurplePunch #1, GratefulXChemdog #6, or an obscure local strain only known as BaileyRidge.
With his morning muscle relaxant held loosely in his lips, Duke leisurely strolls towards a weathered shelf adorned with cherished relics. Each plastic circle, steaming with echoes of bygone eras. In a deliberate gesture, his hand reaches out and retrieves a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl record, the album "Texas Flood". Duke places the disc upon the turntable, maneuvering the needle to land on the tenth and final track, titled "Lenny."
In the sounds of crackling vinyl and bluesy vibrations, Duke and Carr find a quiet moment, merging the intoxication of sound with their morning ritual. The melodic tendrils of "Lenny" intertwine with the smoke-filled air, creating a harmonious sanctuary within the confines of their dwelling.
Carr begins, his voice etching with concern, "Duke, you know I love you dog, willing to go any length for you. But there's a real possibility that one day you might mistake an innocent stranger at our door for something else entirely." Duke, frustrated by the untimely disturbance, retorts, "Damn it, it's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning. Who the hell would be knocking like an undercover agent if they weren't an enemy of the state?" Carr counters with a hint of humor, "Well, maybe it's just some friendly girl scouts trying to sell us cookies? Or perhaps the postman delivering a parcel?" Duke scoffs, as he brandishes a rattle crafted from turtle shells, wearing a Booger Mask made up of wood and hornets nests. Duke's deep connection to his Native American heritage is evident, as these artifacts are believed to possess the power to repel evil spirits.
Carr, chewing on a mouthful of pepperoni roll, springs to his feet and marches toward the door, eyeing Duke as he sets fire to some sage and palo santo, engulfing the space in smoke. Duke traversed the apartment with purposeful strides, occasionally stopping to shake his turtle shell rattle and speak to the Great Spirit. Meanwhile, Carr reaches the door, peering through the gaping hole in their door.
To his surprise, there are no dead undercover agents, no bloody girl scouts scattered amuck, nor fallen postal workers. Stepping outside, Carr scans the surroundings, his gaze darting left and right. With a sudden surge of curiosity, he sprints toward the mailbox, chirping birds echoing in his ears. The alluring scent of fresh grass beckons him, and he wonders why they don't venture out more often, even just to bask in the scent of blooming flowers. Reaching the mailbox, he momentarily forgets his purpose.
A bird chirps once more, its call now transformed into unmistakable human words, "Post." Carr offers a nod of gratitude before tearing open the mailbox, revealing a vibrant yellow letter adorned with a starfish-shaped white wax seal. Hesitation grips him, recognizing that this could be the perfect weapon to subvert him into an unwitting insurgent—its contents potentially laced with deadly anthrax, capable of bringing an end to both his and Duke's tumultuous existence. Yet, deep down, the knowledge that they have been flirting with death for what feels like an eternity seizes his hesitation. With anticipation, Carr seizes the letter, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, and heads back toward the door. Before retreating, he tosses a ball of bread to the friendly bird that aided him, a small token of gratitude.
Inside the apartment, Carr's voice breaks the silence, "Looks like we've received some mail. You lucky bastard, you better thank the Great Spirit that you didn't blast a hole in the mailman. You know, if you witness someone offing a postal worker, and then turn in some sort of evidence to help with the arrest and conviction for their murder, there's a $100,000 reward waiting for you." Duke chuckles and with a hint of mischief says, "Oh, come on now. You wouldn't have ratted me out for 100 grand, would you? Is that all I'm worth? Although I must admit, that kind of cash does sound tempting." A grin spreads across Duke's face. "How about this: We order something to be delivered to the unsuspecting folks down the road. I'll take aim with my hunting rifle and wait for the mailman wearing a camouflage ghillie suit, while you capture the entire spectacle on camera. We'll scoop up the reward money and ride into the wind. What do you say?"
The room's energy takes a sudden 180-degree turn as Duke witnesses Carr's eyes widening. Duke, his paranoia deeply ingrained with thoughts of the enemy of the state, mutters "Who the fuck is it? Burn after reading, always. No exceptions. I don't care if it's a letter from my dead mother." Carr responds, "Dude, it's Allicent." Duke's heart skips a beat as memories of the girl who got away rushed to his intoxicated mind. His eyes well up with tears as he stammers, "Not a funny joke, not funny at all." He hastily prepares three consecutive lines of schneef on the coffee table. "She's been missing for four damn years. The last time we spoke, she despised me, despised us. She wanted nothing to do with us ever again."
Allicent was a vision of perfection, encapsulating everything desirable in a woman. Endlessly driven, she possessed an insatiable thirst for adventure. Her smile radiated warmth, except when met with condescension. She was a genius—a basement chemist, mycologist, historian, free-thinker, a natural-born leader amongst so much more. Her beauty was unparalleled, captivating anyone with her deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair adorned with random braids, and forgotten dreadlocks. Painted with hand-drawn sacred geometry tattoos, her flawless body was a canvas of her own expression. She effortlessly glided through life, this woman could gracefully execute a gazelle flip off a half-pipe and then lay down a wicked bassline on a head full of acid. In their eyes, she embodied the true essence of beauty.
Their minds raveling in disbelief, An unopened letter from Alicent clutched tightly in Dukes hands as he Loomed over the worn wooden desk. His fingers traced the edges, his eyes scanning over the envelope that bore the familiar flourish of Alicent's handwriting... A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its smoke twisting upwards in the gloom of the room. He scanned the room, his eyes shadowed under the heavy weight of exhaustion and intoxication. Carr sprawled across the ragged sofa, a joint lazily balanced between his fingers as he rustled his nostril trying to clear the ketamine out of it.
An oppressive silence clung to the room, disturbed only by the ramblings of the TV. The voice of 'Gonzo' from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" echoed through the air, "Jesus, did you see what GOD just did to us, man?" They had been sitting like this for what seemed like an eternity, suspended between anticipation and apprehension, caught in the throes of a drug-induced stupor.
Finally, breaking the silence, Carr exhaled a cloud of smoke, its pungent scent blending with the stale odor of spilled beer and unwashed clothes. He ran a hand through his unkept hair and glanced at Duke with a mix of impatience and curiosity. "So, are we gonna read it or just fuckin' stare at it all day?" he drawled, nodding towards the letter on the table.
Duke blinked, emerging from his daze, and cautiously tore open the envelope, revealing Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages. Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages, each word etching a growing unease into their hearts.
"The pursuit of happiness..." Duke muttered, reading Alicent's message aloud. Her words painted a vivid picture of a place far removed from the choking grasp of the modern world, a commune nestled amidst nature's bounty. She spoke of the hills of the feathered starfish, a place of tranquility and kinship, a sanctuary from the greed and hatred that plagued society — this was a stark contrast to their own reality.
Yet, amidst her words of contentment, a chilling reference to the "day of the light" sent a shiver down their spines. Alicent's words held an ominous undertone, her tales of happiness tainted with the subtle hint of finality.
Turning over the letter, Duke's gaze fell upon a picture of Alicent, standing on a mountain with rolling hills in the background, dotted with tepees and yurts, bathed in the soft hues of a setting sun sprawled behind her. Her face held a serenity they had never seen, a serenity that seemed to belong to a world far removed from theirs.
Carr leaned over to study the picture. "This place...It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Where the fuck is she?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the photograph. A deep frown etched itself onto his face as he fell into deep thought.
Duke sat back, his gaze shifting between a typewriter in the corner of the apartment and the picture of Allicent, "The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." a tale of a voyage into the unknown. He could feel it in his bones, the gnawing curiosity, the deep-seated desire to uncover the truth of where she was and why she decided to write to them after so many years. His gaze fell onto the typewriter, each key echoing "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
A sense of determination replaced Duke's initial bewilderment. He stood, moving towards an old gun safe, he quickly dials in 0 4 1 9 0 4 1 9, an old suitcase was tucked beneath boxes of ammunition and firearms.
"We had 9 grams of schneef, 120 European Cadillacs, a vial of JORs long lost #5, a knee-high tank of nitrous oxide, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quarter of opium, a ball of speed, 2 oz of mushrooms, enough weed to serve the east coast, and a zip lock bag of substances we were either too high or didn't care enough to label. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”
Carr nodded, stubbing out his joint in the ash-tray. His eyes held a spark of determination, his usually laid-back demeanor was replaced with a newfound sense of purpose. The impending journey already stirring his usually placid demeanor. They knew what they were signing up for, the journey wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Alicent was worth the ride.
As the day began to fade, they started packing. The room was soon filled with the buzzing of zippers and rustling fabric, each item selected for their journey. The once quiet room now bursting with anticipation. Their adventure had begun, but will their determination to DIE fade away as they start this new journey? Will the promise of reuniting with Allicent be enough for them to go on one more day?
Duke paused, his eyes scanning the room, its walls painted with stories of disturning happenings and shenanigans. Among the clutter and graffiti, a worn-out green balloon caught his eye, its faded letters spelling out the haunting words, "RIP Mya...."
A twisted grin curled on Duke's lips as he muttered to Carr, his voice with a hint of madness. "Fuck, man, Remember when you found this in the woods?"
A smirk tugged at Carr's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a big sigh, his eyes reflecting a hellish nostalgia. He let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of smoke that hung heavy in the air. The memory stirred within him. "Are you joking? I'll never forget that night," Carr began, his voice tremoring with blend of fascination and dread. "I recall being up for days on meth after a witch performed some black magick on me, I heard the loudest crash I've ever heard, almost like a god-damn plane crashed in the woods 35 feet away. I walked into the woods letting curiosity get the best of me.
Duke leaned in, his eyes wide with anticipation yet again even though this was the hundredth time he had heard this story. Carr continued, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "I then saw a bright flash of green light in the distance, but as I got close enough to see what it was it was only that damnned busted balloon on the ground that said "RIP Mya" an 8yr old girl who had passed away. Carr's voice trembled as he recounted the aftermath. "The next day, fate took a hellish turn. Mya, my faithful companion, died without reason or explanation. And then, my young cousin, only eight years old, whispered something that sent me into full-blown psychosis...you shoud've taken the witch seriously, this is just the beginning, when you hear 3 knocks, just know the devil will be waiting"
They shared a nervous laugh, then collectively thought this was somewhat nice reminiscing in their hellish nature, yet hoping this new adventure would bring positive memories to replace all of the dark ones that brim their minds.
Duke turned back to their suitcase, and popped it open to reveal a secret compartment. There, tucked between 2 firearms, was a small amber jar, containing some of the most sought-after cocaine in the world. Miss Pinks's Cocaine, Duke was only 14 when he was able to navigate the Dream Market, Oasis, Hansa, Alphabay, many DarkNet markets on the web, to secure some of the most wanted drugs known to man.
Now this is not your ordinary schneef, this is genuine staghorn, not your cheap knockoff stepped-on monticorn staghorn, this schneef was carefully manufactured in a top-of-the-line German laboratory. Miss Pink uses the finest cocoa leaves, she makes small batches to ensure quality, and most of all, using anhydrous acetone, she washes each batch of these nose beers 15 times. Then an additional 5 times with chloroform. It is truly a testament to the dope feind, this is 98% pure, with a 2% cut of Vitamin B12, to, ya know balance shit out, you gotta take your vitamins.
With practiced ease, Duke poured a small mound onto the glass top of the coffee table. Using a battered ID card, he carefully shaped two neat lines. Carr watched, tapping his fingernails at the speed of sound against the table, Duke has only brought this stuff out once before, who knows when he will again. The illicit substance represented more than just a chemical high—it was their means of escape, a vehicle of dissociation and derealization they so desperately needed.
"Carr," Duke began, offering him the rolled-up Benjamin, "To old times, and to the journey ahead if we end up dying- at least we fed the head."
With a nod, Carr accepted the note, leaning over the table. He snorted the first line, the sharp sensation sending a shudder through him. After a brief moment, he screams "Jesus Christ this shit is jet fuel!" he passed the note back to Duke, who quickly followed suit.
Duke rips the line with ease, then swabbed the remaining powder for some scoobysnax. Carr, who is now blaring techno and dancing says "Bro we should start a go-fund-me, or go build a school in Nepal, fuck I just want to run, Do you think I could outrun an emu? I heard they can run like 30 MPH, I think I could run 30 MPH, idk man I would probably need better shoes-, Duke interrupts and says "Dude you are literally yakked out huh" - "I'm literally yakkychan" -"I'm the lead singer of the yak street boys" they both laugh for a while and lit up a cigarette.
This buzz coursing through their veins, its effects immediate and potent. An electrifying energy pulsed within them, and their senses heightened. They exchanged a look of understanding.
Hours passed as they packed the remainder of their essentials, the room now resonating with the focused hum of their preparations. With every item tucked away into their suitcase, they were a step closer to finding Allicent and the hills of the Feathered Starfish.
As Duke loaded the last of their belongings, he took one last glance around their apartment. The battered furniture, the stained carpets, the spilled beers and unwashed cloths, the dirty needles scattered everywhere. – it was a melancholic farewell to a past that had shackled them for too long. It was time for a fresh start, time to go in a new direction for once and for all and leave this version of themselves behind.
They stood at the precipice of an extraordinary journey, their hearts fluttering with a mix of anxiety and excitement. As the dusk painted the sky with hues of purple and red, they packed up their belongings into Hallii, Dukes' 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, they gassed her up and took her down Route 50 towards OHIO blasting the song "KoKo by E.VAX".
To be Continued...

Hi all
Does anybody know what was happening on Winchester near Williams around 5pm yesterday? 10 cop cars were outside an apartment complex and a helicopter was circling for a good long while - no other emergency vehicles- they were still there when my shift finished