Possibly the sincerest moment of the season is happening near the creek – a gosling is nibbling up dried blossoms and seeds that blew out of nearby trees and plants, then gathered in the seam between panels of sidewalk concrete. The gosling, whose body is the size of a coconut at this point, waddles in a line across the walk, eating up the tasty flora in quick little bites as it goes. I wonder about the nutritional value of the stuff but then, right, it’s competing with grass, so maybe the reasons don’t need to be that deep. The gosling knows the routine, finishes the sidewalk in under a minute, then goes back to the grass. Because the blossoms and seeds keep coming, this gosling has probably learned to work the sidewalk several times per day, figures out the optimal meal schedule, develops a discriminating pallet, a reputation for good taste.
Unlikely? Spring dines out on unlikely! The roasting temperatures – consistently in the 90s for days now, days to come – is interrupted this afternoon by an extraordinary peal of thunder that sounds like the contents of a container ship spilled onto the ground from a great height. I rush outside to get a better look, and oh my, the heat has fallen by 20 degrees, and the cloud cover looks like it wants to explain itself, and a bolt of lightning unites earth and sky for a fraction of a second, intensifies, disappears. Rain follows, and though the storm was not quite a downpour, the downspout next to where I was standing poured continuously into the grass. The storm was odd in how well lit it was – one of those storms where a sunny day is still playing out on two sides of it. Twenty minutes later, the storm was gone, and the temperatures returned to the 90s.
Above the chem annex, swallows chase each other in twos and threes. Blinking wing beats lead to these sturdy glides that remind me of kids coasting on bikes. The way they wheel through the air implies a point in space they are each looking for but never find, and as they modulate the nearness and farness of curves in space, I am witnessing the interior life of swallows, which finds an ecstasy in the stillness of the body as it sails through the air, regards the bodies beside it. Each set of flight paths add the next image of grace to the day, and I wonder if the whole day is made of bodies like this in motion – figures appearing above the rooftops, along sidewalks, streaking through the air at the speed of a spark.

Yay, new chapter is (finally) out! Only took a damn month. Why must May be so busy? At least I've managed to get chapter 9 mostly done as well, so that will be locked and loaded soon. Then I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit.
Anyways, in this chapter both the snow wolves and Tostig plan their next moves, and the decisions made will affect the Ulstads.
As always, this story can be read up to the current chapter in both fanfiction and AO3 if you'd prefer those sites to reading all the text on reddit.
Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14198757/8/Land-of-the-North-Wind
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45067345/chapters/119955676
Banishment
Tostig looked out at this city under siege. Part of him felt for his people, but at the same time they could not be allowed to bow to wolves. He would not bow to wolves and their demands. They were lesser, and they were rivals who were only useful for labor and trade in times of peace. And yet, the situation they were in now was not sustainable and everyone knew it. Just then, the door to his chamber was opened and his lead counselor, his right hand, stepped into the room.
“You wished to see me, my lord?”
Tostig took a sip from his wine chalice before turning away from his window and walking over to his desk with slow, deliberate steps. Upon locking eyes with his trusted advisor, the lord gave a small smile.
“Yes. I was hoping you’d have an inventory of our supplies ready to discuss.”
The counselor stepped forward, producing a stack of documents that had been written up by scribes. “Of course, my lord. Here are the inventory lists on the items you requested. Firewood, coal, wine, ale, spirits, bread, and meat are all right here.”
The counselor then placed the lists in his lord’s outstretched hands.
Tostig then got to the point of their meeting, “but all of these lists are to answer a single question. Do we have enough supplies to make it until spring?”
His counselor lowered his head and shook it slowly, “No sir. We’ll be out two months before the first ships can make safe harbor at the coast.”
Tostig sighed. “Then it’ll have to be done.”
“Are you sure, my Lord?”
“What choice do I have? We tried leaving, we tried getting necessary supplies, and even rations won’t carry us through the entire winter.”
“Those poor souls…”
“The keidran, overall, are tough beasts. And if you ask me, some of them played a hand in this whole mess, I just know it.”
“In what way could they be responsible, sir?” The counselor asked, confused.
“You really think every keidran in this town wants to be serving humans in some way or another? Their brethren are outside the walls, likely promising them a place of refuge for themselves and their slave relatives back east if they help the snow wolves kick us out.”
“That seems unlikely, my Lord.”
“Even if I’m wrong about their loyalties, the fact is keidran are more disposable than men. I can do without all these extra servants and menial laborers, but I’m going to need my miners and loggers when the snow clears, and the crown sends the best troops in Mekkan to our aid.”
“Your will is my command, sir. I’ll have Gerrick gather all his guardsmen in the great hall this evening. We’ll need every able-bodied member of the garrison.”
“Very good. Also, please send for the healer. These headaches… that medicine hasn’t been working.”
“Of course, my lord. Right away.”
The sun was setting on another day of the town under siege. The wolves had not made any moves to attack the walls, but why would they? They controlled the land and sea for hundreds of miles in every direction. A counsel of the elders was called in the camp overlooking the settlement. In the middle of the camp was a large, portable lodge made from thick timbers cut in the Snowy Pines. The frame was bound tightly by many hides, proving insulation and blocking the fierce winds that would often sweep across the tundra. Normally, settlements were permanent, but some wolves that had ventured into human territory took notes on how their rivals conducted war, and moveable houses were the answer to navigating across harsh country that was so brutal even the ever-adaptable humans had yet to conquer.
Outside the lodge entrance waited a tall, young snow wolf. Icy-white hair was bound tightly into a knot under a hat of seal fur. Extra layers of fur helped to protect the wolf from the elements, as even in winter the temperatures were colder than any canine could safely withstand. Blue eyes pierced through the growing darkness, a slight glow from his mana crystal necklace giving his face some soft illumination. He was waiting, watching for someone. Others came into the lodge one and two at a time. After a while, the young wolf was beginning to worry. “Where could he be?” The thought.
Just then a lone figure hobbled into view. A snow wolf much like him seemed to materialize out of the blowing snow that cut the visibility down significantly. Now only the glow of Callow could be seen in the distance. The old wolf, walking with a cane, finally found his way to the entrance.
“Grandfather, I was getting worried about you. You know I could help you up the hill, right?”
“Oh, don’t trouble yourself Bjorn. I might be almost as old as the wood holding that lodge together, but I can still find my way around camp. Now, let’s get inside, shall we?”
“Of course grandpa…” Bjorn then held the entrance to the lodge open so his frail kin could make his way inside where it was warm.
Following his grandfather inside, Bjorn was hit immediately with the warmth of a fire, fueled by wood brought in from the forest by sled, most of it cut down courtesy of the logging teams they had chased out a month earlier. The glow from his mana crystals was quickly overtaken by the bright, orange light of the fire. The young wolf removed most of his outer garments, placing them on the ground to use as a seat. He sat down behind where his grandfather had made himself comfortable. As an elder, the old wolf held one of the seats in the clans moot, the council of elders that had assembled to deal with the human problem.
All inside the lodge waited silently as their shaman conjured magical light structures from her crystal necklace in a ceremony to purify the air. The lights were dazzling. Bjorn’s favorite was seeing a replication of the night sky, a spell which was meticulously maintained through the generations showing each visible star as well as the moon. Another spell finished the ceremony, seemingly purging the air from the lodge, the fire reducing to embers, only to roar back to life as new, fresh air came in to fill the vacuum. It was then that the shaman gave a special blessing and prayer to each of the council members before taking her seat in the back as an observer. The five wolves then allowed for a silent pause to pass over all in attendance before beginning.
The designated leader of the council, tasked with mediating the clans moot, broke the silence, “my friends, our actions this winter may ensure the survival of our people and way of life, but one misstep and we will surely suffer greatly for our actions against the humans.”
A graying elder from the clan west of Widow Lake then saw fit to add in his thoughts. “Indeed, Bragi, but I believe our actions so far have been successful. The humans and their keidran servants have been completely cut off from their homeland and their king. No one will be able to help them until the snow leaves.”
Frey, the elder representing the clan at the split between the Widow and Pines rivers then spoke, “My warriors were successful in destroying any attempts by the humans to reach the sea. I’ve seen some of the bodies from their first attempt, and I believe that many of their most capable are dead. We ought to press an attack while we still have an advantage in the snow.”
Garth, Bjorn’s grandfather, and widely held to be one of the wisest elders in the North, urged caution. “It is true, Frey, that your warriors have slain many humans who could defend the walls, but many more are still inside. We’ve all seen the patrols along the top of the wall. Besides that, your warriors let one boat get away in the humans’ first attempt to summon help, didn’t they?”
Frey was forced to admit the mistake. “You are right, Garth, one did manage to slip away in the night. My warriors say they followed a light they thought was a lantern from the boat, but it was something else. It was alive, but they could not get a good look at it, and the light they followed led them into a sand bank. But a large storm hit shortly after. Surely, none survived.”
Garth had a different thought. “I would not so easily discredit these humans. Sure, they lack our fur, but they are adaptable creatures. I’ve seen with my own eyes the mines they’ve built. If they can bring the heart of Mekkan to the surface, their best may be able to survive winter.”
Bragi, always one to listen to a wolf with so much experience, wanted to know how this would affect their plans. “Garth, do you think the humans would bring reinforcements?”
“Assuming they survived, it could happen.”
Frey wasn’t as convinced. “Even if that one crew did manage to make it to the coast, it would still be months before the humans could bring an army to our shores. But that is all the more reason to find a way into the city.”
The last wolf in the council had been silent up until then. He was the youngest, though his offspring were still well into adulthood. He had earned a reputation as one of the best strategists among the snow wolves, having to regularly repel attempts by the forest wolves to gain more territory along the southern border. “An attack on the walls would be a failure. One does not kill a bear by fighting it on its terms. To kill a bear, one must outsmart it, and force the creature to fight in a way it is not used to.”
“So we should do nothing then?” Frey surmised, but the younger wolf shook his head.
“No, the wall is a bear. If we simply run up to it, our warriors will all die. But if we can find a weakness or fight the humans in a way they are not used to, then we will have the advantage.”
Garth then added is trademark advice of caution. “Though we must be patient, my friends. There will be an opportunity before spring arrives. As the weather gets colder and the snow gets deeper, our advantages will grow.”
Bragi then came to a possible plan of action. “I know Tostig. Once desperate enough, he will want an open battle where his trained guards can win, even in the snow. It would be too great of a risk to meet him in such a battle, but we could bait him to it.”
The wolf from Widow Lake then had an idea of his own. “My warriors could conduct raids on the humans’ stashes of firewood and supplies. There are some close enough to the walls that they can be reached. Once the humans start getting cold, they will be forced to either submit or do battle.”
Bragi nodded in agreement. “Do we have a plan then?”
All nodded and prepared to cast their vote when a shout from outside the lodge alerted the gathered snow wolves. A guard rushed in to deliver the news. The Shaman stood up upon this intrusion. “A clans moot is a sacred gathering, outsiders are not permitted unless invited. Child, why have you trespassed?”
The guard was gasping for air after running for a couple of miles to the main camp. “Apologies… humans… outside the wall.”
Perhaps the battle was coming after all? Bragi then stood. “Garth, have your grandson take your best warriors to trap these humans. This may be the beginning of the very battle Tostig would try to arrange.”
Garth then looked behind him at his nephew and nodded. “Go, Bjorn, I’ll find my way back. Be safe.”
Garth bowed his head slightly in respect of the others. “Thank you all for permitting me to the clans moot. I will track down and subdue these humans before they can cause trouble.”
With a wave of Bragi’s hand, Garth then exited the lodge with the guard and ran toward the main camp to find as many warriors as he could at a moment’s notice.
The Ulstads were preparing a dinner of rations in the empty tavern when a knock came from the front door. Anna Marie, who was closest, stopped sweeping to open the door. She was surprised by the evening visitor. “Sam, whatchya doin’ here at such an hour? We’re ya joinin’ fer dinner?”
Sam didn’t answer as he came into the foyer, but the look on his face told everyone that something was wrong. Liz stood up and quickly made her way to Sam, with Shadow and Asher close behind. Ivan leaned his head out from the kitchen. Liz took Sam’s hand in hers and looked him in the eyes. “Sam, what is it? News from Connor?”
Sam just shook his head. “I’m sorry Liz, I wish it was.”
Shadow then asked in a more direct voice. “Then what is it? You look pale.”
“It’s Tostig. He’s… well, he’s given the guard an order.”
“Come on, Sam, out with it?” Shadow said, worry seeping into her words. Sam took a deep breath to collect himself. They needed to know.
“Tostig has ordered every non-human in Callow… he’s banished them from the town.”
A thick, baritone voice boomed from the kitchen. “What?” A look of horror came across Asher’s face. Shadow too was shocked.
“Like Ivan said, ‘what?’” The leopard could hardly believe what she had heard.
“Liz, Miss Marie, you are both allowed to stay. But guards are going door to door right now and rounding up all the keidran. Shadow and Asher, you had better collect what you can before they arrive. I’ll escort you both personally so that neither of you have a hand laid on you.”
Anna wouldn’t have it. “They’s just as much people as us, Sam. Shadow, you and the boy should hide in the cellar. Ivan, get the darn hammer.”
“No Anna.” Shadow replied, letting it sink in. “We can’t just hide in the tavern all winter. Besides, what happens when you get caught?”
Sam had the unfortunate answer to that one. “Tostig has also ordered that anyone caught hiding keidran will be burned at the stake.”
That caused Anna and Liz to recoil at the thought of their own fate. It was more than enough for Shadow to make up her mind. “Come on Asher, we had better put on whatever clothes we can before— “just then, another knock came from the door, this one far more stern than before.
“Shit, they’re here already. I thought there’d be more time. Shadow, you can Asher meet Ivan in the back, I’ll get you three to the eastern gate.” Sam said before going to answer the door with Anna Marie. Asher didn’t quite understand all that was happening. He knew human well enough now, but things were progressing quickly for a seven-year-old. But Shadow quickly grabbed his hand and led them both into the room with Liz close behind. Once inside the room, Liz, locked the door to buy them at least a few more seconds.
Shadow, having been trained by assassins in the guild, wasn’t terribly concerned for herself. But being forced to leave Liz? She hoped that Anna Marie would keep the girl safe. Asher though was in trouble if they were being forced into the tundra. Her first thought then was to make sure the boy had as many warm clothes on as she could find.
“Here Asher, put this on, quickly.”
“I don’t want to leave, Shadow!”
“I don’t either, but we don’t have a choice. Sooner or later we’d be caught and thrown outside the walls anyway. Now bundle up as best you can be—”
Loud knocking came from the bedroom wall. “We know there are keidran in here! Open the door and come with us.”
Liz went up to the door to buy as much time as she could. “Just a minute!”
“Open it now woman!” Was the reply, but that was closely followed by Sam’s voice. “Hey, I’m highest rank here and I happen to know the two you’re after. Let me handle this and you two should continue down the stre—”
“Not a chance Sam, we’ve got orders from your father.”
“Then at least go get Ivan. Shadow and Asher aren’t going to put up a fight.”
Two more guards could be heard struggling to push the big wolf out into the street, and the intensity of the struggle caused the two guards standing near the room door to reconsider pushing their luck with someone who outranks them.
“Very well, they’ve got two minutes. If they aren’t out by then, we’re going to break the door down.”
Sam then moved to the side to let the two guards pass by.
Liz’s muffled voice came from behind the door “Are they gone?”
“Yeah, for the moment.”
A minute later, the door’s latch was undone, and it creaked open. Shadow and Asher had their wool jumpers on, along with whatever clothes they could find. Shadow was even wearing a pair of Connor’s pants. They were a bit tight but provided some extra insulation. Liz then followed the two, closing the door behind them.
“Why is this happening, Sam?” Liz asked.
“Apparently, we don’t have enough supplies to last the winter. So either everyone starves…”
“…Or the keidran freeze to death.” Shadow finished for Sam.
“Basically, yes. But you don’t have to freeze to death, there’s shelter that you can use, as well as food stores.”
“Where?” Shadow interrogated. Asher’s life as well as her own was on the line.”
“You’ll have to slip passed the wolves, but there are food stores and shelters in the new mining district across the river. It’s on the other side of Ditter’s Ridge.”
“Wolves?!” Shadow exclaimed. “How am I and the kid going to slip passed an army of wolves? They’d see us miles away!”
“I don’t know. I suggest hiding until the wind kicks up, the blowing snow will provide you with cover.”
The three stressed faces, Shadow’s looking like she was ready to murder, all stared at Sam.
“Look, this is a bad situation. I wish there was more I could do, but there isn’t. Tostig is Jarl, and his word is the law. If he says you must go, then you must go. If you try to stay, he could have us all executed.”
“Would your father allow that?”
“Tostig would execute my father too if that’s what it took to keep order in this town. I’m sorry, I really am, but—”
“But you’re doing whatever you can…” Liz grabbed and held Sam’s hand. “Is there a path or a tunnel or something that they can use to get around the wolves?”
“No, there isn’t. Look, you’ll have to move as quickly as you can. I’ll send help as soon as I’m able to, but right now this is your best chance of surviving.”
“Fine…” Shadow said, defeated and out of options. “Come on Asher, we had better go.”
The boy had other ideas “I don’t want to leave Liz! I want to wait here for Connor!”
“Connor…” Shadow thought. She tried to put it past her mind, but Liz knelt down in front of the boy.
“Asher, Connor isn’t coming back.” She said, tears forming in her eyes. “It’s been a month, and as much as I wish he’d bust into the tavern right now like he did with both of you back in the spring, it’s not going to happen. You need to leave with Shadow, she’ll keep you safe.”
“What about you?” Asher said, sniffling.
“I’ve got Anna Marie and Sam here to help. But you can’t stay here or Tostig would—”
“Kill us…” Asher said.
“I know we aren’t the closest, but Connor called you his brother, so I do too. Go, while you still can.” She then stood up. Before she could say anything else, Shadow embraced the girl.
“I’m sorry that I won’t be there to keep you safe.” Shadow said.
“It’s okay. But if you two stick together, we’ll all look back at this like a bad memory.”
“One of many bad memories.”
Sam knew time was up. “We better leave before those two assholes return. I’ll show you out a side entrance.”
Shadow and Liz let go of each other, and Shadow grabbed Asher’s hand before they both fled into the back alley behind Sam. The winding pathways between buildings eventually led them to a small door near the east gate. Shadow could see around the side of a building all the keidran being pushed out through the main gate. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Sam produced a key, which began to glow as he recited an incantation. A hidden door nested into the wall glowed around the seal before opening, revealing a short tunnel to the outside.
“It’s one of the many emergency doorways out of the town. Only the guards have access, and most don’t know about them.”
Shadow, though impressed by the trickery, was hardly thrilled to be forced out of the walls. “If Connor ever comes back…”
“I hope he does, but for right now, you’re better off outside than inside.” Sam finished for Shadow, gesturing outside the wall.”
“Make sure nothing happens to Liz. Or I’ll find my way back,” Shadow lifted Sam off his feet and pinned him to the wall, “and burn this town to the ground with you in it.”
“I’ll protect her with my life if I must. You have my word. Now please, get out of here before someone sees me helping you.”
Shadow dropped Sam back to his feet, took Asher’s hand, and ducked through the hole in the wall. Once through, Sam closed the magic door with his key before slipping through an alley and joining the rest of the guards. Young ones were crying, old ones were being forcefully pushed, and at least one who tried to resist was savagely beaten. The guard was there to maintain order no matter the cost. After several minutes and much effort, the last keidran was shoved past the threshold. As the iron gate lowered from the ceiling, a couple of keidran made an attempt to get back into the town. But just as they were about to get through the inner gate, out of the crowd came several guards with crossbows. Without hesitation, their lieutenant gave the order to fire. In front of both humans and keidran, all those who tried to get through were cut down and left to die in the zwinger between the two gates. Their intentions made clear, the remaining keidran quickly fled from the walls just as guards took their positions along the walkway at the top.
Shadow couldn’t see what happened, but she could certainly hear it. Keeping Asher close, she used her skills at stealth to skirt along the bottom of the wall undetected. Asher at one point tried to say something but she quickly hushed him before continuing. Finding and avenue out in a blind spot from the guards, Shadow quickly moved past the ground torches could illuminate, finding safety in the darkness. Luckily, it was a clear night and Shadow could easily make out where the keidran had stopped. They looked to be in the process of scattering as keidran tended to do. They weren’t a clan or a tribe, instead they were in groups of individuals who knew each other. Shadow a year ago would have left them all to their fate, content to find the shelter she was informed of and waiting until spring. But now… now she could see scared children, elderly who wouldn’t make it two days in the winter snow, and many who were scared and confused, all in need of help.
“What are we going to do?” Asher asked, clutching onto her leg and looking up to her for guidance. He too was quite scared.
Shadow sighed, collecting herself. “We’re going to help them, Asher, and we’re going to survive.”
Just as the keidran were about to venture off in every direction imaginable, Shadow climbed up onto a rock and, illuminated by the moon, called for everyone’s attention. No one really seemed to care, at least until a loud, baritone voice cut through the air. Shadow looked to her side only to find a beaten and bloody Ivan standing near the rock, apparently having seen the pair in the cold. At once, everyone looked back toward the three figures next to and on top of the large glacial boulder.
“Good. Now everyone listen up! I’ve been told that there are stores of food and supplies as well as shelter across the river to the East. If we move now, we can be there by dawn, but we have to stick together, or we’ll all die.”
While some seemed ready to go, others weren’t sure. Arguing began between different individuals. Some wanted to make for the Snowy Pines, mostly the wolves. A few wanted to try and get over the mountain pass and into warmer country. Still others were talking about forcing their way back into Callow. None were, realistically, good options. But before consensus could be reached, or a complete breakdown in the large group of at least four hundred keidran, snow wolves approached from all sides, weapons at the ready. Out from the darkness emerged a big wolf, nearly as big as Ivan, wearing polar bear fur and brandishing a long spear.
Keidran tried to run but were quickly cut off. The group of exiles was completely encircled by several hundred strong warriors from the different clans. Bjorn then noticed something odd in the moonlight. Between all the people that they captured, only a handful had anything more than a knife. Certainly no weapons of war, and plenty were half-naked and freezing.
“Where are your weapons?”
“What do you mean?” A tigress asked. “We have none.”
“Then what is this? Are you all trying to run away or something? You’ll freeze out here.” Bjorn bellowed. A young child then pushed his way to the front. It was Asher, the only basitin in the group. “W-we were kicked out, sir.”
“Kicked out?”
Ivan and Shadow came out from the crowd, quickly finding Asher. Shadow grabbed the boy and held onto him tight in case things went south. Ivan tried to reason with Bjorn, who was a bit intimidated by the wolf that was bigger than even him.
“Da. Jarl Tostig pushed us into the snow.”
“Explain.” Bjorn said, spear tip not lowering even slightly.
“What the big guy is trying to say is that Tostig found out there wasn’t enough supplies for everyone to last the winter, so he decided to get rid of every keidran in Callow. We’re exiles.”
This shocked Bjorn. He didn’t think anyone, not even a human, would do something so cutthroat. “Well, if you were hoping for our help, I’m sorry. But we don’t have supplies for everyone here. I can talk to my grandfather and perhaps the council will—”
“There are supplies across the river, if you’d let us go to Ditter’s Ridge we’ll stay out of the way of your siege. We certainly aren’t going to help Tostig after this.
“The big hill near Widow Lake? I thought that was just a bunch of mines.”
“It is, but apparently there are stores of supplies and shelter there.”
Ditter’s Ridge was still technically snow wolf lands, and the recent mining activity was part of why this whole situation was happening now. But these weren’t humans, clearly weren’t loyal to Tostig, and had no means to defending themselves anyway. After taking in the sight, he knew that they were speaking the truth, and that many wouldn’t make it more than a few days even in thick winter fur.
“Alright. We have no quarrel with you. I and a few others will lead you across the river. There’s a ford at Ridge Gate that’s shallow enough you all can cross without getting wet above the knees. We had better hurry though; another storm is coming.”
Shadow then walked up to Bjorn, noting that she was barely taller than his shoulder. “Thank you.” She said gratefully, extending a hand.
Bjorn looked down and felt his heart skip a beat. In a land of ice and snow, before him was a black-furred leopard, a keidran he had never seen before. He immediately reached out to shake her hand. “I am happy to help. Now, we had better get a move on.”
“Lead the way...” Shadow gestured as she grabbed Asher once again and made sure he walked closely beside her through the snow.
It was tough walking through the drifts. At one point, Shadow broke through a layer of hard snow into soft powder below. She sank up to her chest and was struggling to get out when a pair of snow shoes appeared in front of her. Looking up, she saw Bjorn extending his hand. In one swift motion, he lifted the leopard clean out of the snow and onto his snow shoes.
“Thank you.” Shadow said, stunned at how easy it was for the wolf.
“It was nothing.” He said, smile on his face.
In the early hours of dawn, the group of keidran spotted the Ridge Gate, a pair of towering bluffs the river cut through in order to make it to the sea. Soon, Shadow and Asher were some of the first to reach the shore of the river. Shadow picked up Asher and held him as she tried to cross, but the icy water stung on her skin. Bjorn then offered his help once again.
“Please, allow me.” He said as he picked Asher up and placed the boy on his shoulders. Before Shadow could continue into the river, he picked her up as well and held her under her back and knees.
“Oh... my…” Shadow said, looking up at Bjorn. “You really don’t have to.”
“I assume you aren’t from around these parts, considering the black fur.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Well, the river water is cold enough that you really don’t want to get wet if you can help it. So hold on tight, I’ll walk you across.”
It took a few minutes, but Shadow and Asher found themselves on dry ground. Without a word, Bjorn turned around and waded across the river again. It felt… odd… to be carried like that. But apparently the snow wolves were doing this for many of the keidran, especially the children. It took close to a half an hour before everyone was across, but by then it was a simple matter of climbing the ridge. At the top, Shadow and Asher felt the first rays of sun peaking above the horizon. It would fill the valley below for only a couple of hours before setting again.
“We’re getting close to the equinox.” Bjorn explained. “The sun will only break the horizon for an hour then, and it will get really cold.”
“Thank you again.” Shadow replied. “But I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s Bjorn, ma’am.”
“Well, thank you Bjorn. I am Shadow and this here is Asher.”
“Glad to know you, Shadow. Now, where are these supplies you were talking about?”
“I’m guessing they are down there.” Shadow said as she pointed at what looked to be an abandoned mining camp. Once at the bottom of the ridge, the state of the camp was sad. Tents were blown down by the wind, a couple of the makeshift shacks were caved in from the heavy snow. But one large structure was locked up tight. Busting in the door with a log for a battering ram, the keidran found the first of many supplies. While the food was mostly for humans, and thus was a lot of flour and coffee, there was plenty of dried and salted meats. It wouldn’t be much, but with some careful rationing they’d all be able to make it through the winter.

Please don’t call me and if you do, call me two times if it’s an emergency and you NEED to talk to me. Otherwise drop me a text. I will reply to you if it’s urgent. If not I’ll get back to you in about half an hour or after work.
The only time calls are acceptable is if it’s long distance. In an age where we are so disconnected physically by technology meant to connect us please save your energy/stories and make a date with me. I’d love to sit face to face and guarantee both parties are willing to engage 100% of their attention to the conversation. It also helps being able to see reactions, body language, and story telling with hands. Im not sure why I hate phone calls so much but I feel a sense of annoyance come over me when I see a phone call request come in. Like it’s just so inefficient.
1 First it’s the intro “hey dude it’s x how are you doing.” This phase is completely skipped over text. You texted me, I know who it is and you know who you’re texting. No need to reintroduce yourself or clarify again when texting.
2 You can’t get trapped texting. Maybe this is a Midwest thing but my god the amount of times I’d be told to talk to my relatives who live in the Midwest and I’d get stuck in the endless loop of the Midwest goodbye which basically is one party continually bringing up random things as the conversations comes to a close in an effort to find new ground to converse was infuriating. Over text you can just leave the conversation be once the informations been exchanged and it doesn’t hurt anyone’s feeling near as bad as hanging up without a goodbye does.
3 the exchange of information is straightforward and leaves no room for side conversations unless you want to engage in them. I live at home currently and I called my mom while I was out doing errands. I called asking if we had another spare container to collect grease in (we use old peanut butter cans to collect grease from the grill when my dad uses it and when I air fry chicken I put my grease in it as well and we recycle it. If we don’t have a spare peanut butter jar sometimes we by single glass mason jars to store it in. ) My mom doesn’t understand from the get go what grease collection I’m talking about. I then try repeating myself. She says she’s not understanding then I have to step by step explain what I’m talking about starting with “when dad cooks food all the grease builds up and we ha—“ my mom finally understood and then went off on a a tangent about how my dads been throwing the grease in the trash and making the house smell bad. I realized I should’ve just texted my mom “I’m at target, do we need another grease catcher jar” and she either would’ve understood me instantly. I feel people don’t comprehend/understand stuff as well on the phone cause they’re also on the phone trying to give instant replies and it decreases brain power staying in the conversation. When you text you can stop think your response over and even research it. I know my mom would’ve understood my grease catching question if I had just texted it to her rather than called. It turned into a 3 minute conversation which isn’t a long time at all but the fact it could’ve been a good 10 second text bothered me so much. Walking around the store with things to do listening absently mindedly out of respect before I could finally hang up and get back to my shopping. God I hate it so much.
Any one else out there share this same frustration with phone calls, want to add to reason why it sucks, or can tell me why I react so oddly to it?

Had to leave my car at work about 40 miles away from home. I was on my break and it was pouring rain shortly after I got in my car. I went to get food across the highway and back. Once I was parked again I had it on just battery mode. No engine running. I just wanted the air circulating. Maybe 30 minutes and then the radio started acting up and shortly after the dash lights were flickering. Not the symbols. No clue what was going on but I thought that maybe I drained the battery and that my alternator might be dead. I tried to start it before I went in and only heard the clicking.
My battery isn’t dead as I have a mini jumpstart and it only took a small amount of battery.
I’m thinking that it might be the starter or the engine but I’m not sure seeing as how the only symptoms I had of an issue was without the engine running.
I have a 2017 ford focus if that helps narrow down any advice.

Long read. Sorry, I don't know the reddicutte (hehe)
Ok quick backstory. Two days after I turned 18 I was sexually assaulted. (This happened 9 months ago.) He basically did anything he wanted to my body while I was half asleep and drunk. (He was 100% sober and I'm certain about that.) I was in university residence at the time and moved to a new building across campus. Then, I was raped while unconscious by a guy on my floor that basically claimed me as his girlfriend the day I moved in. This was more intense. He constantly sexually assaulted me before that point but I didn't realize until much later. After my floor found out, I was slut shamed and shunned because I 'broke his heart' after I realized he raped me and 'dumped' him. He lived in the room next to me for three months after that and he purposely used intimidation tactics on me during that time. This was 5 months ago.
Yesterday, I showed up for my job as a summer student at a museum. Part of my job is running school tours and day camps for kids in elementary school. Before my manager could introduce me to the kids, one of the students got up to quickly hug me. Which would have been okay if he would have asked. But he didn't and he shoved his face into my boobs and wrapped his arms around my lower body and it was pretty obvious that he knew it was wrong. It happened very quickly and it honestly shocked me. I'm a very understanding person but I kinda flipped out inside. I reacted appropriately and I kinda nervously laughed and put my arms in the air until his teacher said "remember personal space." Of course I didn't treat him any differently and I pretended like nothing happened. (I'm not trying to accuse a 6yo boy of anything but it's important to note that he made several other of my female coworkers uncomfortable with his touching. His teacher also brushed it off which I'm not happy about because it was very apparent that this wasn't a new thing. Maybe he could have been undiagnosed neurodivergent but I have a LOT of experience working with ND kids and he clearly had the ability to understand it was wrong. I'm neurodivergent and I knew not to do that at that age) I don't know why it triggered such a flashback but I just finished bawling my eyes out and digging my fingers into my body. I'm very good at keeping things cool but when my mom drove me home after work I mentally flipped out. I wanted to scream. It felt like it all came back at once. I'm very self conscious about my boobs because of what my rapist did to me. Most of my phantom touch occurs in my boobs so when the boy hugged me, I internally freaked out. I'm diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder and I have had many panic attacks. But this didn't feel anything like it. It felt like a life or death situation even though I was right beside my mom in the car. It felt like the world got brighter but in a distorted way, more like a picture but it was overexposed to the max. When I have a panic attack, I look around frantically and try to run or shake my hands or do literally anything to regulate the feeling. But this time it felt like I was melting into my seat, I was glued down. I couldn't feel any part of my body except where it met with the seat and I felt like I was falling. My eyes went wide like a deer in headlights and I stayed like that until I could calm down. My mom is half deaf on her right side so she couldn't hear my shaky breath and she didn't know I was upset. My mind was absolutely racing but I can't even remember what I was thinking about. I wasn't thinking like normal, I thought in emotions. A wave of anxiety, anger, frustration, and disgust conjured in me. It felt like I would pass out from overwhelm. This hasn't been the only time. I had them more in my dorm but not as severe. The last time it happened was in res after he cornered me in a dimly lit, unsurveillenced, low traffic stairwell. But it's getting unbearable. It feels like I will never go a day without thinking about my rapist. Every little thing reminds me of him. If I hear Spanish, I think of him and I want to rip my hair out. Try going one day without hearing/seeing something related to Spain or the Spanish language. I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and it happens everyday. Like I said, I'm a pretty understanding person so I get it if I can't get trigger warnings, sincerely. I've had an intentional overdose and I've been self harming (self harm free since February 17th whooooo) since I was 13. In res I normally heard suicide/depression jokes daily. I honestly don't expect everyone around me to be aware of my trauma all of the time so unless someone makes a rape joke, I won't say anything. Again, personal opinion. I will gladly accommodate to other peoples triggers and I encourage them to advocate for themselves. (Also I just don't wanna tell them all that stuff.) But what can I do? How do I make it stop? I'm in a rural area so I can't get in with a doctor or therapist for at least a month+ for treatment/medication. It's not a location issue, health services is just crazy backlogged. (I'm Canadian, wait times are INSANE in rural communities.) Last time I went to a doctor at my university clinic she doubled my Abilify 10mgs and I think that's pretty much only used for people with schizophrenia. I've seen a psychiatrist since then, she said I for sure have general anxiety, depression, and ADHD (diagnosed at 17), and possibly Borderline Personality Disorder but I'm definitely not schizophrenic. Last time I went to the doctor in my town to ask about my self harm scars, he saw me for less than five minutes and prescribed me seroquel, another antipsychotic. I also went off of my antidepressant, mood stabilizer, and adhd medication in October and my psychiatrist thought it would be ok. So I'm a little leary of general practioners and I can't get in to see a psychiatrist until I'm back at university in September. I can't sleep and I smoke weed every night to fall asleep. I'm constantly snapping at my parents and it feels like I'm going crazy. I was such a happy girl. I was calm, collected, and successful. I went to university with glowing recommendations and scholarships to pay for almost my entire degree. My senior superlative was 'Most outgoing.' Now I despise anyone my age. I don't trust them. I'm an anxious mess who has nothing under control and I absolutely ruined my reputation. If it weren't for a good memory and expert cramming skills I would have flunked out. Everyday I wish that I could erase those nights from my memory. I relive them each and every night. Sooo any suggestions or (polite) thoughts/opinions?

Had to leave my car at work about 40 miles away from home. I was on my break and it was pouring rain shortly after I got in my car. I went to get food across the highway and back. Once I was parked again I had it on just battery mode. No engine running. I just wanted the air circulating. Maybe 30 minutes and then the radio started acting up and shortly after the dash lights were flickering. Not the symbols. No clue what was going on but I thought that maybe I drained the battery and that my alternator might be dead. I tried to start it before I went in and only heard the clicking.
My battery isn’t dead as I have a mini jumpstart and it only took a small amount of battery.
I’m thinking that it might be the starter or the engine but I’m not sure seeing as how the only symptoms I had of an issue was without the engine running.
I have a 2017 ford focus if that helps narrow down any advice.

When you don’t see someone for a while, they tend to look kind of different the next time you meet. That’s not because they’ve actually changed, but rather due to your memory being inaccurate. Still, I don’t think my roommate has always had barnacles growing on her.
Kit Sutton did indeed look different. Beautiful, but different.
In the short time we’d been apart, her hair had grown to an impressive length. It trailed after her through the water as she effortlessly hopped from rock to rock before landing in front of us. She was even more scantily clad than usual; in fact, she wasn’t wearing anything at all. Her normally olive skin had adopted a pearlescent sheen, interrupted by the algae, starfish and seashells clinging to her body. Her eyes shone in the light of our torch and she regarded us with an unreadable expression, putting a hand to her hip.
"I can't believe you're actually here." She shook her head, sounding like she wasn't even sure herself what tone to strike. "You… you'd better leave. And fast. I-it's nice to see you, though."
I took a step forward and hugged her. She felt slippery. "I've missed you."
"Yeah. Me too. You should still go now."
"You need to come back," I said. "I'm sorry I ever gave up on you. There has to be a way for you to come back."
She shook her head. "Eva, you saw what my father can do. You saw the wave and you just saw his grotto guard. There's, like, a thousand more where that one came from."
"What are you doing here anyways? Isn't this a kinda way too lonely spot for you to hang out?" Elijah asked. "Doesn't seem very you."
"Yeah. It's… not." She rolled her eyes. "I'm basically grounded. My Dad's gonna keep me here for the next two hundred years or so. I'm not allowed to leave until he trusts me again."
"Two hundred years?" Eli echoed.
Kit massaged her temples. "I don't like it either, believe me." Looking up, a hopeful expression crossed her face. "How's Nettie?"
"She misses you," I told her.
"She does? That's, um… nice."
"It's cool, I know about you two."
"Oh. Well. I'm really glad she's thinking about me. Is that mean? Because I don't want her to be unhappy, it just feels good, you know?"
"I can imagine," I answered. "And it only proves my point. We have to get you out of here."
"Dude, I said no. You actually can't beat my father. I wish that was an option, but it's simply not."
"Kit…"
"It's Chandra." She raised her head to fix me with a stern gaze. So empty, so joyless, so… unlike her. "It was nice being Kit and running around up top and living with you. Those were a good few years, and now here I am, paying the price. There is nothing you can do against my Dad."
Silence descended upon us for a sober couple seconds. I studied her expression, her set jaw and taut shoulders. "And what about you?" I asked. "Can you do something?"
Kit snorted. "You've never even seen me use any sort of powers."
"But you have them, don't you?"
"Actually, I do." She casually raised a hand, her wrist slowly describing a circle. Eli and I watched in astonished silence as a trail of water snaked its way up from the lake, arching above her head and trickling back down on the other side of the stepstone. Kit Sutton looked after it disinterestedly, then turned to us with a bored shrug. "I guess I can sorta control water."
Elijah was gaping at her. "Could you do this the whole time?"
"Nope. Only when I'm in my natural habitat. I'm the crown princess—" she spat out the words in discontent, forming air-quotes around them— "and the heiress to the throne, so I'm, like, ultra connected to my element or whatever. Not like my siblings."
"But as of now, you are stronger than them?" I queried. "Is there any possibility you could become stronger than your father, too?"
For a moment, she stared at me, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "Actually, let me show you something." Her naked feet never once slipping on the wet stone, she proceeded towards the nearest platform rock, jumping off with ease and landing gracefully. After trading shrugs with Elijah Carter, we scrambled after her. She led us back a little ways and then down one of the other passages we'd glimpsed before, barely losing a word the whole time. I stopped trying to strike up a conversation, focusing solely on keeping up with her unnaturally sleek, swift steps.
"The olm you saw before was one of my father's guardians," she called out sharply over her shoulder. "The sea breeds giants, as they say. Or rather, Dad does. He keeps creating abominations like that, and he uses them to ward off outsiders in places where they don't belong. They're obviously not stopping me from running away again—you've seen that they'll obey me. But his Majesty has made it quite clear that if I break out, he's going to turn the town into a swamp. I'm not going to be responsible for people's deaths, or the loss of their homes. Especially not… not hers."
She came to a halt, squaring her shoulders. Above her head, I could make out the silhouette of an opening in the tunnel. "We're here. This… this should be enough proof that he'll make good on any threat he's ever uttered." She stepped aside to make way for us.
We hesitantly pushed past her and into the room that lay before us. It was different from all the others we'd seen thus far—it didn't lure one into a false sense of security with its descriptive beauty. In fact, the second the beam of our flashlight illuminated its interior, every last fiber of my being started to cry out to me, telling me to run. My flight instinct kicking in, I tried desperately to stay grounded somehow, to keep control. I couldn't allow myself to panic. This was a horrible time to end up going dimensions. I had to remain in this reality, no matter how difficult the sight before me was rendering the task.
I heard Elijah Carter gag beside me, his stomach revolting at what he saw. His hand abruptly flew to my shoulder, cold, sweat-slick fingers clamping down on my skin, hard enough to bruise. With my own stomach doing kick-flips inside my body, I could understand his reaction far too well. Instead of shrinking away, I reached up to graze his knuckles with my own, a fleeting touch I couldn't find the strength to hold. It was hard to be reassuring given the circumstances.
We were looking at a gallery of corpses. They lined the walls, the floor, the ceiling, all in different states of wholeness and decay. A viscous, transparent fluid was gluing them to the stone, fixing them in their respective places. In some spots, it looked quite shiny and fresh, while in others, it had hardened, encasing the dead bodies like clear, pale amber. It was an unorganized chaos, the carcasses strewn practically everywhere, some overlapping, some upside down. Some had their eyes still open, their faces eternally frozen in void, empty expressions of terror. Most bodies weren't even complete—arms, legs or heads were missing, pronounced bitemarks marring the aged yet well-preserved flesh.
Elijah and I found ourselves standing rooted to the ground, too terrified to move, too dazed to speak. My friend's dark gaze frantically raced over the walls, flickering across the horrid display, taking in the carnage. My own eyes seemed to be burning. My head was spinning, and I had to hold onto his arm to support myself—it felt as though my legs were about to give way beneath me.
A shimmering light at the center of the room caught my attention. Somehow finding it within me to steady myself, I took a couple faltering steps towards it. Elijah Carter followed suit and Kit Sutton wordlessly trailed after us. Stepping over the dozens and dozens of corpses in my way, I tried hard to keep my wits about me. When I finally reached its source, I was surprised to find it to be a pond, or rather a bottomless hole of water. Another connection to the sea, no doubt. The shine however seemed fine from within it, from down below where there would normally be just darkness. Looking in, the breath was once again stolen from my lungs. It felt rather like peering through a small window into a very large hall. I could only see a fracture of what lay beneath.
Hovering within the endless masses of water was the enormous statue of a woman. Her stony pale arms were raised, her hands reaching out almost pleadingly, as if she was hoping for someone to pull her up from her cold, abyssal grave. Her eyes, one of which was about the size of my head, were wide open, her colorless stare holding a wild, unreadable mix of emotions. Her lips were parted in a silent scream. An unearthly, bright glow surrounded her; it seemed to come from within her body rather than anywhere else. It was disturbingly beautiful.
"Her name was Calypso."
Kit's voice pulled me from my trance. When I turned to face her, she pointedly avoided my gaze. An idea took shape in my mind, created by the faint, wavery undertone of mourning in her words. "She was someone special, wasn't she?"
"My mother."
I swallowed, my pulse still thrumming in my ears. Stepping forward, I tentatively grasped my roommate's hand. She let go of a soft breath, the corner of her mouth twitching. "These people here have been rotting away for centuries. It's the worst punishment imaginable, isn't it. The lucky ones are dead before they get glued down, but the ones he's really angry at, he covers in that goo when they're, like, lethally injured. I don't quite know what this stuff is, but it slows down all those organic processes, the death, the decomposition…" She paused. "With Mom, it was different. He turned her to stone. The same kind that grows from the ground here, you know; that smooth, shiny kinda rock that looks real pretty."
"What did she do to piss off your Dad?"
"What did any of these poor fuckers do? Most of these are failed cult leaders, actually. You'd never guess how many cults the deep ones have dedicated to them. As for my mother, I don't know. I can't even remember her, to be honest." She shrugged with affected carelessness. "You see it now? My father is… just beyond comprehension."
"So are you, though, aren't you? If you think about it."
"Eva, I know you're trying to boost morale here, but it's not working. Please let me get you out of here. And for heaven's sake, don't come back."
She led us back through the labyrinth of tunnels and corridors, staying well behind when we caught the first glimpse of daylight.
"I promise I'll think of something," I told her. "I'll find a way to get you out."
She merely shook her head. "No, you won't. Just go home and look for a new roommate. Or move back in with Nettie. She'll be glad."
I clenched my teeth, but allowed Eli to press his palm to my back, guiding me towards the exit.
"Actually, just… just wait. Could you tell her I, like, miss her? A lot?" Kit shouted after us, a sudden note of warmth softening her voice.
Elijah turned back to her with a sad smile. "Of course."
We didn't return to the car straight away, instead walking along the shore for a little while. My extra limbs having retracted and Eli's face having returned to a less nauseous color, we didn't bear any outward traces of our experience in the cave. We didn’t talk much, but we almost leaned onto one other with how closely we stuck to each other’s side. Eventually, I gathered the strength to break the silence. “This can’t stand, obviously.”
“You still want to get her out?” He gave me a sidelong glance. “This is more for Nettie’s sake than anything else, isn’t it?”
“I do like Kit Sutton, and I miss her tremendously,” I stated. “But largely, it is.”
Elijah, having nothing else to add, gave a noncommittal grunt.
“Would you mind if I asked you something personal?” I asked.
“Try it and find out.”
“I was wondering about what Mary Markov said about you earlier,” I began. “An incident at a highschool.”
He sighed. Silence fell, and for a minute I thought he wouldn’t respond at all. Then, he slowed down, coming to a halt and turning to look out at the horizon. “So how do we do this, Shirley? You really want me to pour my heart out to you and let you in on my tragic past as we stare at the tossing waves? That’s a bit too romantic for the two of us, if you ask me.”
“But you’d let me in on your tragic past in a less romantic setting?”
“Oh sure, anytime,” he said lightly. “Well, not any time. I’d be okay talking to you about it, though. See, it doesn’t matter to me if you know or not, the problem is kinda the headspace and getting the words out of my mouth in the first place.”
“I’m glad you feel like you could do that with me.” I regarded his profile, noting how he swallowed and shut his eyes for a moment.
“Let’s go back to the car.”
So we did. Only that it wasn’t quite how we left it. Elijah noticed it first—a low, hissed curse escaped him as he bent down to inspect the damage. The back window had been smashed in. The brown folder Mary Markov had given me was gone.
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work
18: something in the caves
19: shopping cart
20: olms and Jewels

Hey guys, I just did a 10 day history/culture Nile cruise and wanted to share some of my celiac adventures now that the world is opening up again.
Some caveats, Egypt was just getting its tourism feet under it when the revolution happened in 2011, and then really started to push that again just before the spicey cough hit everyone. So it really felt like I was dealing with a lot of established businesses who had recently replaced a lot of staff, I suspect that a lot of the really experienced front of house tourism folks got hit really bad by it, so the overall institutional knowledge level was lower than what I'd otherwise expect. That said, everyone was super eager to please, most spoke 2-3 languages.
I'll try to break this up into some manageable chunks.
Egyptian cuisine in general: There are a lot of influences, so you get a big mix of foods that are now part of the culture. Breakfast may well have been called Breadfast, because of the number of pastries and similar dishes. But in general they do a lot of grilled meat (halal obvs) and veggies. Spices are pretty direct/simple not a huge number of sauces or dips, so in general lunches and dinners were easy enough, and I'm generally just a coffee=breakfast guy anyway, but heaps of fruit were pretty normal as well.
First hotel, New Cairo Hyatt: massive breakfast buffets, pretty decent lunch and dinner options, I did my usual of "What's the easiest thing the chief can do gluten free" and got a steak and roasted veggies. They really didn't seem to have much ability to do GF baking, or have many good GF options, but again, it's a very new hotel and the staff are trying to learn the needs of their market.
Last hotel Cairo InterContinental: Older hotel, obviously hired in staff from other places in Europe to bring up the training level, waiters had really good knowledge of celiac requirements, and overall had great procedures for dealing with that in the restaurant (had some other problems resulting from new staff, but seemed to be a training issue, and again a massive buffet with almost nothing safe for breakfast)
Train: We did a sleeper train on two legs of the journey. No really safe options for food, think airline meal, but only one option for dinner, and breakfast was three types of bread. Thankfully we didn't have to waste much of the food, as we were able to find folks who wanted it. It's worth mentioning here that while there is a lot of poverty in Egypt, and it's clear who's living kinda rough, there is both a sense of pride and community that meant we saw very few people just begging for food, they were more likely to try to sell something (anything) to a tourist rather than just beg, but we were able to give out the extra food, and it was both appreciated and shared. I don't want to make it seem like it was better than it was, but for a country that has functionally not had a working government for 60 years, they still make things work and get stuff done. It's by far not an ideal situation, but it is what it is, and I ended up with lots of packaged breadrolls to give away. I was able to pick up a few packaged food things that were from the EU so had compliant labels, and that was fine.
Cruise: The Nile cruise had pretty good food selections, pretty big buffet, and the worst day for me had only two options, some grilled chicken and sauteed veggies. Generally, I also had rice or roast potato, and sometimes an option of two proteins, just depending on sauces and such. Very limited breakfast options, and no dedicated deep-fryer, so that did limit some things. No desserts at all apart from fruit.
Food at sites/ restaurants: Generally pretty good options, very upscale places, so good knowledge, but again, lots of buffets, so not ideal, two places were just straight grill/bbq sort of things, so that was fine.
Overall: So as I mentioned earlier, most of the people were super eager to please, and very accommodating, they also tended to speak more than one language. That being said, even though I had a printed celiac info card in Arabic, and a very good guide, there were some times where it was hard to understand if they were just agreeing to be agreeable, or really trying to inform me, or if they didn't really understand my concern at all. I did get tagged out by something at some point. Given that about a third of our tour group got some sort of gut bug, which I think I also got (but who can say for sure) it's hard to know. I was as careful as I reasonably could be, but when dealing with buffets and potential cross-contaminations, it was challenging. That being said, would I recommend a similar trip for anyone else? Yeah, I would. You just need to know yourself, if you have debilitating symptoms, then probably not, but if you can generally manage, then it's likely worth the overall risk. The tour companies and people will get better with time. As I said, something got me, but have no idea what, and realistically it may not have been a gluten reaction, it's very possible that I got a bug early on in the trip and just toughed it out until I medicated near the end (I can be somewhat stubborn). That said, they do "tipped" toilets so having cash on hand for toilets is a thing, they like their bidets, which is kinda good when the guts are not great, and pack a lot of your own tissues/sanitizer. It was really hit-and-miss what places would have no TP, and there was no real way to predict it. The toilets were generally pretty clean when we found them, but again, not always. The general rate was 10EGP but ranged from 5-20 to use a toilet outside of the major hotels, and airport. It was a general annoyance to everyone on the trip, but not enough to be a major problem. I think everyone was more bothered about how many tips were needed that were not really explained by the travel agents, but it wasn't a huge cost factor. Also, we could have gotten away with just handling all that in Euro or USD, in fact, if we were to go again, I'd try to get all the tour costs priced in USD and take that, as it was harder to get EGP in Australia (but we are getting well off topic now).

Everyone plans builds based around the assumption that the case will be delivered as advertised, including the photos in the advertisement, but the case I received was not the same as it was in the photos and this is a functional difference.
I am doing an all air cooled build for a 13600k + 3060ti. I had a base with feet 3D printed so I could mount an important 140mm fan underneath, blowing through the advertised holes in the base of the case. But the case I received was a different version which will block much of the airflow from the fan.
You can see the version with the holes I need here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0504/5652/7032/files/Meashroom_s_06.png?v=1684645012&width=800(And%20in%20most%20pictures%20of%20SSUPD,%20Newegg,%20etc.)
On the other hand, if you are going to put a water pump, then you probably want the holes that I have so you can maybe mount stuff easier. https://imgur.com/a/CJXeQga
I'm looking for someone to swap bottom panels with me. I'll pay shipping both ways plus $20. DM me if you can help me, please! My build has been delayed over and over because of this stupid case!! (My case is black by the way, but I thought the interior metal box (and its bottom piece that can be unscrewed) is black no matter what for any case color.)
Thank you!
And yes obviously I could do it myself and have the case look like bad or potentially damage it, or I could take extra money and buy tools I don't have and spend hours trying to copy the holes that should already be there, but I would in fact like to escalate this issue instead as many times as needed until the company just corrects the problem. I just want what was advertised and what I paid money for.
Not only that but it's not exactly smart to tell people they should do a bunch of extra work with a case instead of the company just fixing it.... you never know when that person had been thinking about buying multiple cases for their friends. But if it's going to be a struggle, then obviously that's not going to happen.

Title: The Peregrine Author: J.A. Baker Date of Publication: 1967 Country of Origin: England Pagecount: 191 in both TPB and HC Goodreads Rating: 4.16 average from 4,256 readers Genre Tags: Nonfiction, Nature Synopsis: From autumn to spring, J.A. Baker set out to track the daily comings and goings of a pair of peregrine falcons across the flat fen lands of eastern England. He followed the birds obsessively, observing them in the air and on the ground, in pursuit of their prey, making a kill, eating, and at rest, activities he describes with an extraordinary fusion of precision and poetry. And as he continued his mysterious private quest, his sense of human self slowly dissolved, to be replaced with the alien and implacable consciousness of a hawk.
It is this extraordinary metamorphosis, magical and terrifying, that these beautifully written pages record.
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/j-a-bakethe-peregrine/ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: The Orchid Thief Author: Susan Orlean Date of Publication: 1998 Country of Origin: America Pagecount: 284 in both TPB and HC Goodreads Rating: 3.68 average from 18,454 readers Genre Tags: Nonfiction, True Crime, Nature Synopsis: The Orchid Thief is Susan Orlean’s tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flower—the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii—a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America’s strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida’s swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orlean—and the reader—will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion.
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-orlean/the-orchid-thief/ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: Quiet Author: Susan Cain Date of Publication: 2012 Country of Origin: America Pagecount: 352 in TPB ; 333 in HC Goodreads Rating: 4.07 average from 410,719 readers Genre Tags: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help Synopsis: At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.
In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-cain/quiet-power-introverts/ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: Red Earth White Earth Author: Will Weaver Date of Publication: 1986 Country of Origin: America Pagecount: 352 in TPB; 383 in HC Goodreads Rating: 3.97 average from 216 readers Genre Tags: Historical Fiction, Native American Synopsis: Having fled his family’s farm at eighteen with a promise never to return, Guy Pehrsson is drawn back into his past when he receives his grandfather’s ominous letter, “Trouble here. Come home when you can.” He returns to discover a place both wholly familiar and barely recognizable and is cast into the center of an interracial land dispute with the exigencies of war. Widely acclaimed when first published in the eighties, the timeless novel Red Earth, White Earth showcases Will Weaver’s rough ease with language and storytelling, frankly depicting life’s uneven terrain and crooked paths.
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/will-weaver-2/red-earth-white-earth/ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: The Lost City of the Monkey God Author: Douglas Preston Date of Publication: 2017 Country of Origin: America Pagecount: 326 in TPB; 328 in HC Goodreads Rating: 3.92 average from 52,856 readers Genre Tags: Nonfiction, Adventure, Travel Synopsis: A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world's densest jungle.
Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who fled there to escape the Spanish invaders, and they warn that anyone who enters this sacred city will fall ill and die. In 1940, swashbuckling journalist Theodore Morde returned from the rainforest with hundreds of artifacts and an electrifying story of having found the Lost City of the Monkey God-but then committed suicide without revealing its location.
Three quarters of a century later, author Doug Preston joined a team of scientists on a groundbreaking new quest. In 2012 he climbed aboard a rickety, single-engine plane carrying the machine that would change everything: lidar, a highly advanced, classified technology that could map the terrain under the densest rainforest canopy. In an unexplored valley ringed by steep mountains, that flight revealed the unmistakable image of a sprawling metropolis, tantalizing evidence of not just an undiscovered city but an enigmatic, lost civilization.
Venturing into this raw, treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful wilderness to confirm the discovery, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars, and deadly snakes. But it wasn't until they returned that tragedy struck: Preston and others found they had contracted in the ruins a horrifying, sometimes lethal-and incurable-disease.
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/douglas-preston/the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god/

Hello lovely readers,
Welcome to the second and final discussion of Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. This autobiographical comic was Canada Reads (an annual "battle of the books") winner for 2023. You can read the first discussion here.
Summary
The story picks up one month after that horrible party. Kate sleeps with Mike. She continues to get weird sexual comments from the men she works with, but she has started to laugh the comments off. Many of the men seem to have problems with her giving them orders, and her superiors get pissy with her for minor things or for wanting ‘special treatment’. Joe, a fellow Nova Scotian, overhears her swearing in frustration and tells her that everyone at the mine is just yelling at the guy next to them for work they’re not doing themselves, but that people tend to be friendlier to people from their own region of Canada. Kate wonders aloud to Doug whether the oil sands make people better or worse.
The men at the mine have heard that Kate’s ‘little friends’ (her sister Becky and friend Lindsay) are going to be joining them, and she warns them to leave them alone. When Becky and Lindsay arrive, they are wearing skirts and they quickly notice the staring and weird behaviour from the men on site. Kate apologises for it, and they wonder why she is saying sorry.
Kate tells Becky and Lindsay that the other men have been leaving her alone since most people know about her and Mike, and they tell her it’s because in their eyes she’s ‘claimed’.
They take a trip to Gregoire Beach, but Kate doesn’t wear a swimsuit or go swimming. Becky asks her what’s up with her, as she’s noticed something is wrong. Kate talks about how everything at the beach seems so normal, but that she isn’t. However, she doesn’t explain further.
Kate looks for other jobs online, and sees a post for a job at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia.
Not long afterwards, she sees the man who forced himself on her at that party. He and the group of men he’s with see her and they start laughing.
Kate hears a man playing Peter’s Dream on his guitar, and joins in singing the song.
She goes to Becky’s room and tells her that she needs to leave the oil sands for a while, even though she and Lindsay have just arrived. She asks her to promise that she and Lindsay will look out for each other, and finally tells her about the assaults. Becky tells her that it wasn’t her fault, and wishes she had been there sooner to protect her as that’s her job as the big sister. She tells Kate that it happened to her too, at her university dorm. She tells Kate she should go.
We leave the oil sands, for a year in Victoria. Kate gets the museum job but it’s no more than 21 hours per week, so she gets a second job. In a coffee shop, she hears the song An Innis Aigh playing, and tells a woman who was wondering aloud about the language that it’s Gaelic.
Victoria seems like a nicer place than the oil sands, but it isn’t perfect – the city big problems with homelessness and mental health, but none of the old, rich people living there care [read runner note – according to Victoria’s Wikipedia page, the city is known for its disproportionately large retiree population. Some 23.4% of the population of Victoria and its surrounding area are over 65 years of age, which is higher than the overall Canadian distribution of over 65 year-olds in the population (19%). A historically popular cliché refers to Victoria as the home of "the newly wed and nearly dead"]. Kate is fired from her job for not taking American money and not wanting to sell the merchandise badly enough. One of her colleagues (I think?) sees her drawing a comic, and suggests that she should make a website.
Kate tells her parents that on her days off she works at a grocery store, and her father wonders what her degree was for. Shortly afterwards, she is fired from the grocery store for yawning and ‘being surly’. She goes on a date, but panics when the guy tries to kiss her at the end.
Kate can’t get a reprieve from her student loan payments, even though she paid half of it off the previous year with her oil sands earnings. She decides to go back to the oil sands to pay the rest off, and says goodbye to the museum.
After that brief reprieve, we’re back in the oil sands, this time at Shell Albian Sands. Kate has taken a job in the warehouse office, and her living quarters are a bit fancier than at the previous sites. The site also has a Tim Hortons, Wi-Fi and a gym, even yoga classes. Lindsay tells her that a lot of the warehouse crew from Long Lake have moved up there too. One of her new colleagues is Hatim, who is creepy in a new way, plaguing her with messages despite having a wife and children.
The team get a congratulations message with a gif for achieving three million man hours without a lost time incident (LTI). Kate’s boss, Ryan, tells her that they don’t have LTIs at the site because they look bad for the company, I guess implying that they cover them up.
She sees Doug again, who seems to feel that she’s all high and mighty now with her office job, and struggles with her ‘bossing him’ since she’s younger than him (and presumably because she’s female). When she has to cover a warehouse shift, Doug laughs about how she’s down from on high and has gone soft. He tells her that he sang with The Men of the Deeps and even sang for the queen, which she doubts because he has a terrible voice. She sings a bit of Coal Town Road (which I’m kind of disappointed doesn’t sound like Old Town Road) and asks if she could be in the choir too, but he seems annoyed about her singing a mining song when she’s not a miner.
Kate’s sister Becky is still working at Long Lake, but lives in Fort McMurray, and Kate goes to meet her there; she says it’s much better than living in the camp. She tells Kate, that one time a guy jumped out of the closet in her room, but she was able to kick him out. She always locked her door, but often heard the handle jiggling at night. She even had a stalker, who managed to get into her room with a bottle of alcohol and suggested doing body shots – she didn’t report it, but when he got fired everyone thought she had.
Kate struggles to read some of the order sheets because many of the workers are bad spellers or have unclear handwriting; many of the older men at the mine left school in grade six. Lindsay tells her about one of the lead hands from Newfoundland, who can’t read, and was humiliated by the other workers when they tried to make him read the safety memo aloud so they could laugh at him. Lindsay says she’s never seen a grown man ashamed like that, and they discuss how he’s one of the nicest guys there.
A group from the Calgary office visits the mine site, and Kate has to find the nice hard hats and safety vests for the visitors, the ones the actual workers can’t have because they’re too fancy. Basically, they have to put on a show for the head office people – everyone has to look sharp, make things tidier than normal etc. One of the visitors takes a photo of Kate. After they leave, Damian asks if he can have one of the fancy new vests, but they were taken back to Calgary even though they don’t need them at head office.
Kate continues doing her comics, and her colleagues occasionally read them. Ryan finds some of them in the scanner, which she had used to upload them to her website, and tells her not to leave her stuff lying around at work.
Becky and Kate discuss what it would have been like if their father had gone out to the oil sands to work when they were children, as many people did. They wonder if he would have been like the other men they work with, and how they must all be normal at home. Kate says she tries to remember that there are a lot of men who don’t bother her, but she doesn’t remember them because they’re not the ones in her face.
Their safety lectures tell them basic information about how ice is slippery and is all over the ground, which presumably every Canadian already knows. One of the men remarks that it’s not about safety, but an arse-covering exercise so that a worker can’t sue them if they fall. Kate doodles a pony in her notebook (thank you u/Amanda39 for linking to this comic in last week’s discussion!).
Many of the staff have families that they don’t see very often. One of the men gets a phonecall from his wife’s phone, which he answers thinking it’s an emergency as she never calls during the day; it turns out to be his young son, who is calling to see when he’s coming home next.
Brian asks Kate if she heard about the ducks (TITLE DROP!!); three hundred of them got stuck in a tailings pond at another oil sands site [read runner note – two years later, Syncrude was actually found guilty of the death of 1,600 ducks]. The site begins installing anti-waterfowl devices, and the staff are reminded that they have to wear PPE at all times. They’re also told about the death Gerald Snopes, another worker; some of the men talking amongst themselves, and Ryan tells them to have some respect. He had a heart attack while operating a crane, and threw himself out of the cab so that he wouldn’t land on the controls and cause an accident.
Kate hears about a road accident involving some men from Cape Breton. She asks Davy about it to see if she knows them, but neither of them do. Kate finds the news articles and feels annoyed that they were misidentified as Calgary men.
Kate notices some welts on her back; Lindsay has them too but doesn’t know what it is. Kate mentions all the dust they have to wipe off everything, and how there’s so much crap in the air. Lindsay wonders what kind of cancer they’ll have in 20 years.
Kate finds Doug building a scarecrow for the tailings pond, which is meant to scare off the ducks. Probably another arse-covering exercise.
Activists from Greenpeace try to block an oil sands pipeline, and 11 people are arrested. One of the workers gets angry about it, asking who will put their life on the line to unclog the pipe Greenpeace has blocked, and that it sure as hell won’t be the president of Shell. Kate hears about another death – a contractor was in his trucks, and one of the heavy haulers drove over it, crushing him.
Lindsay writes an article for a grassroots paper, giving the inside perspective on working at the oil sands. Kate considers doing a comic about it for them. Lindsay later wonders if she made a mistake writing her article, as many of the comments are critical, including many from women which Lindsay did not expect.
Kate sees a video on YouTube of Celina Harpe, an elder in the Cree community of Fort McKay, talking about the effect of the oil sands on the First Nation. Kate had not realised when she arrived there that Fort McKay was a First Nation, nor that it was so close to Syncrude. She thinks about how she’s not the president of Shell, but she’s still working there, and she can’t extract herself from having come.
At another safety meeting, the staff are down the safety pyramid, which has different levels: at the base it has at-risk behaviours, then near misses, then minor incidents, and it all leads to a major incident or a fatality.
Kate receives a phone call from a reporter at the Globe and Mail who had seen her comics about the oil sands. She asks several leading questions about her experience as a woman at the remote sites and the harassment, but Kate feels uncomfortable giving her examples. She later tells Lindsay that she couldn’t talk to the reporter as she felt like she just wanted gossip, and that the story was already written before she called.
The leering of one of the other workers bothers Kate in the lunchroom, and she tells Lindsay about her assaults. Lindsay is horrified that Mike and Brian laughed at her when she told them about it. Lindsay tells her that it happened to her in university as well.
Kate calls her parents to tell them that she’s finally paid off her student loan, but she needs to keep working at the site because now she has no money. She’s going to try making it as a cartoonist, and her parents are unimpressed.
Kate notices that Ryan is acting strangely, being absent a lot and not doing his work, and it can’t fully be explained by his recent divorce. She hears about other workers who are taking cocaine and behaving strangely too. She asks Ryan if he’s ok and he brushes it off. Kate contemplates the safety pyramid again. She finds a piece of paper on Ryan’s desk with an appointment for the employee assistance program. Emily later tells her that Ryan has left suddenly, and that they need to figure things out until a replacement is found.
Kate wonders why there are so many safety meetings but none have ever talked about drugs or alcohol. Her coworkers say that everyone knows why there is so much of both, and that the company can’t have safety meetings about illegal activities anyway.
Kate finally gets to leave the oil sands and go home. Her colleague Norman gives her prints of some of his photos of the northern lights as a leaving present, including one of a rainbow. Before she leaves, the company organises a staff photograph with all the workers on the site. Kate sees the man who assaulted her the second time, and he recognises her but can’t remember her name or who she is, and asks her how it’s going.
Kate trains her replacement, and finds out that she’s earning more than her despite not having any experience in tools. She complains to John about it, and finally rants about all her shitty treatment in the oil sands. She goes to see Gary in the head office, and demands her full bonus, which was going to be docked because she was leaving. Gary tells her it’s company policy. She tells him about the harassment, and he claims she could have come to them about it, but she fires back that he knows she couldn’t have. Gary agrees to give her the bonus. Her colleagues organise a going-away barbecue, and even Mike attends.
Back in Nova Scotia, Kate is reunited with her family. While out enjoying the seaside air, she chats to a farmer who tells her he’s keeping a field for his son who is working out west in case he ever comes back and wants to build a house. A man called Lauchie visits the house before moving west himself, and tells them there’s something for everyone out there and that the young people have everything they want. Out in Halifax with friends, she and Becky see a man from one of the camps, who tells Becky that they had a bet on who would sleep with her first. Their friends who haven’t worked in the oil sands can’t believe they’d let a man talk to them like that.
In the book’s afterword, Kate talks about how the book chronicles her specific experience at a specific time. She is wary of sensationalism of her story, especially because sexual assault is so common that it’s not actually sensational. She notes that neither of the men who raped her probably consider it to have been rape. She is also critical of the treatment of Indigenous people, and says the YouTube video of Celina Harpe was a “sword that cut through my ignorance”. We also find out that Becky died of cancer, and that her former coworkers pooled money together to send to her.
Bookclub Bingo 2023 categories: Non-Fiction, Graphic Novel (grey), Mod Pick (grey)
Other links:

• The first discussion
• Canada Reads page about Ducks [I hadn’t realised that Station Eleven, another recent bookclub read, was the runner up]
• Kate Beaton on Wikipedia
• Hark! A Vagrant, the archive of Kate Beaton’s comics website
• The original Hark! A Vagrant sketch comic about the oil sands (links to all five parts; I’ve posted the parts individually below this in case that’s easier)
• Original Ducks Part 1
• Original Ducks Part 2
• Original Ducks Part 3
• Original Ducks Part 4
• Original Ducks Part 5
• Lindsay Bird was one of the people in the book whose name wasn’t changed, and in 2019 she published a poetry collection about working in the oil sands called Boom Time. There’s a CBC article about the book here.

The questions are in the comments below. Thank you for joining me and u/fixtheblue in reading this book!

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We do not have central air conditioning in our house. We have a window-mounted air conditioner in the living room and another in the upstairs hall, plus a ceiling fan in the living room. Other than that, during hot weather, we use standing fans and make sure to open the windows at night.
Note: This is about my wife, but I'm not asking for advice. I just need to vent about a situation because maybe if I can express it in writing, I'll feel less confused.
The other day, I went downstairs in the middle of the afternoon and found my wife resting on the couch after having gone for a walk. She had turned the window air conditioner on. This confused me because the air conditioner is set to cool the room to 72 degrees (Fahrenheit), and it didn't feel like 72 to me. I looked at the thermostat on the wall and saw a room temperature of 68 degrees.
I asked my wife why she had the air conditioner on if the room was already cooler than the device’s setting. She said she had turned it on because she felt hot. I guess that’s not unreasonable.
I pointed out that it was just being an expensive fan. It's not going to try to cool the room to a temperature warmer than what the room currently is, but it's going to stay on anyway just to blow the air around. I asked whether I could switch it off and turn on the ceiling fan instead, which would serve the same purpose and use less power.
She said she didn’t understand.
I tried to explain why it’s pointless to have the air conditioner on 72 when the room was 68 because it wasn’t actually making a difference in temperature.
She said she still didn’t understand.
I tried explaining with metaphors (like pouring water into a glass that is already filled to the brim), I tried alternate explanations (like how the furnace won't try to warm the room up to 70 degrees if the temperature is already 80), and I tried physical demonstrations (like how I can't touch the ceiling by reaching down to the floor, or how if I need to pick something up from the floor I'm not going to stand on a stepladder to do it). She continued to claim that she didn’t understand what I was trying to tell her, complaining about “all these numbers” I was “throwing around.”
I told her I needed her to understand because the air conditioner uses a lot of electricity and that having it on in this situation was a waste. Wasting electricity equals wasting money, and I don't like the idea of her throwing away the money I work hard to bring home to support our household. And I tried yet again to explain.
She interrupted to tell me that she was trying to get our youngest child registered for school next year (she did have her computer on), and that was taking up her attention, so I shouldn't expect her to listen to my "complicated scientific rant."
I left without switching off the air conditioner because I know if I did I would have been in trouble for insulting her intelligence or of unnecessarily taking control or something. I'm still utterly baffled by the thought that a college-educated woman couldn’t comprehend the purpose of an air conditioner!
It almost felt like she was deliberately preventing herself from understanding because she didn’t want to change her behavior or didn’t want to allow me to be right about something.
I presented the same concept to my teenage son later just to make sure I wasn't crazy, and he understood right away, even rolling his eyes in a "that's obvious" kind of way.

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First Previous Wiki
Equisa frowned as she looked at her bosses again. The three Sprilnav Elders before her, not even Refined Elders, were simply staring at her disdainfully as if she'd asked if gravity was real. One of them wasn't even bothering to look at her and instead was scratching at his neck, likely a result of a bite.
A long time ago, there'd been someone who had released genetically modified Sprilnav into the air. They had been modified so heavily that it was definitely illegal, but the creatures were unusually hardy, bred fast enough to double their populations in a day, and constantly irritated most Sprilnav, even those who weren't Elders. And, of course, the products to prevent the bites were extra expensive, with planned obsolescence just another part of their hated design.
"But why can't I go back? There's no good reason for it. I want to see Joshua and Meihala again." She missed them greatly. Equisa had forgotten how lonely life was when there was no one you could call a friend. Even with all the wonderous tech of the Primary Galaxy, there was nothing that would fix that. Nothing real.
"Is fornicating with them your only reason for wishing to see them?"
"No," she replied. "But my relationship with them is a factor. I don't understand why you're constantly stonewalling me. It's unnecessary."
"You were trying to share technology with them."
"Then I won't do that anymore. Simple. Happy?"
"No."
"I can sign a binding non-disclosure agreement."
"You did last time, too."
Equisa scowled.
"I would like to talk with Nova, then."
The looks of disdain became those of derision. One of them looked like she was about to laugh at her.
"Nova is a Progenitor. He does not have time for you, much less should his divinity be tarnished by our presence. No, you are going to remain here and wait. Go find something else to do than waste our time."
The Elder pulled a hood over his head, tightened the straps of his cloak, and made a sign with his claws for the other two to follow. Equisa knew she wasn't invited to whatever meeting they were about to have. She assumed that she was going to get fired now and would have to find another place to work. That would be both demeaning and difficult. Another reminder of what she'd lost by being forced to leave the Alliance behind.
Equisa turned around mournfully, gazing at the door which led to the main corridor and elevator to the ground floor of the building. With absent amusement, she noticed that the windows had extra bars on the sides to prevent people from jumping out. Though she could jump off the very highest building in the city and come out unscathed.
Clearly, this wasn't getting her anywhere useful. Equisa had to re-think her options and determine a path forward. She exited the building, weaving through the crowds of Sprilnav that were walking and flying through the streets between the massive skyscrapers. Some of them had bought personal flight devices, useful for those who didn't want to deal with pedestrians. But it often led to disaster when people got drunk. But there were always more Sprilnav, so the accidents weren't being dealt with anytime soon.
She could see the high arches overhead, supported by huge amounts of metal and a superstructure that went down to the very core of the planet-sized city. After grabbing a few pieces of food that looked particularly good, like some meat from a new cloning facility, she settled down on a patch of artificial grass. There were other Sprilnav there, mostly couples on quiet excursions or children playing on various different playsets. But Equisa was alone.
She'd never had any children and didn't intend to. None of her previous mates had lasted longer than a few hundred years at most, which hadn't ever been enough time to unravel the complicated mess of secrets and suspicions surrounding almost every Sprilnav Elder. And having relationships with the common Sprilnav would be seen as a black mark on her reputation, perhaps the equal of the one she'd apparently received for daring to love two humans instead of some dry Elder who only moved one day a year.
While her relationship with Meihala and Joshua had been sudden, it hadn't been bereft of real love. She really did love them and wanted to have friends again. For far too long, she'd been alone. She didn't like feeling that anymore because it was in times like this when depression could sink its claws into her without warning.
She'd been trying to get in touch with the Alliance again without success. Even the more secret emergency methods she'd established weren't working at all. No quantum connections were successfully linked with her implants. Errors and notifications about having no access plagued her vision as she tried in vain to even send out a single message.
There was no way for her to reestablish contact, which worried and angered her. Even her ship was being watched, not that she could actually get to the Alliance using it. Wormholes were far too expensive for people of her stratum to be able to afford.
And she didn't have sponsors that would be willing to pay, either. She needed information, friends, and actual help. Help that no one was giving her. Her bosses didn't even care. It saddened her greatly. Equisa didn't know where she could find Nova, either. It wasn't like he was easy to find unless one knew where to look. He could easily disguise himself as a normal-looking Sprilnav, after all. Many technologies existed to allow that, and Nova likely had the best of the best.
Of course, Equisa wasn't sure how one could hide a tail, but that was just her. Even being able to have seen him once in her life was already far more than most Sprilnav would ever know. In that way, she'd been exposed to a higher power. Within the Sprilnav, the Progenitors were gods. They had cults and religious followings in their names, political power so immense that not even the rest of the species together could pool their resources enough to resist.
It was said that no one disagreed with them. And they didn't. Not if they wanted to continue existing. Equisa had a feeling that if Nova wanted to help her, he would. Though it wasn't like someone of his stature would appear before her.
"Why not?"
Equisa could feel the mindscape bend slightly and looked up to meet the eyes of a being that was far beyond her own abilities to comprehend. She didn't know what she felt at that moment.
Certainly surprised, for sure. A large amount of reverence for him and a growing disbelief that she wasn't dreaming. Perhaps she really was lying in bed with Meihala and Joshua again, and this irritating life would disappear when she awoke once more. But when she opened her eyes again, Nova still stood before her.
His small stature was quite distinctive. Despite her height advantage, there was no question as to the hierarchy of power here. Even the grass was bowing to him, bending low to the ground in a way she'd never known was possible.
And his voice held an aura of command so utterly intense that she only now noticed she was kneeling. She didn't bother trying to rise.
"What?" Equisa asked.
"Why wouldn't I appear before you?"
Of course he could read her mind. She expected nothing less. But it did feel a little violating. Okay, it felt very violating, but it wasn't like she could say that to his face. Oh. She just had.
Nova's small form coiled around itself before bulging and changing color. Soon, a normal Sprilnav was standing before her, but that ethereal air was still there. It was like a smell in the air but beyond that. Something pleasant yet distinctive. It didn't seem like perfume, either. She knew that it was affecting her mind in some way, but she didn't really care. Perhaps that was part of the effect, too.
"You're way too high up. I'm a nobody compared to you. At most, I should be seeing a Refined Elder, not a whole Progenitor."
"Am I not what you expected, then?" Nova asked. His amusement was clear in his strangely commanding voice.
Equisa sighed. "I don't know whether you're real. I can't tell if you're mocking me. I... don't know how to feel about you being here."
"You don't want me here?"
"No, it's not that. I want you here, but also... sort of wonder. Why come to me now? Why me and not the countless other Elders? Am I special? Was I chosen as something greater? And why do my superiors refuse to let me return to Earth and Luna? I have a life there."
Equisa knew now, more than ever, that she didn't have a life here.
"You do not have a life there. The humans you care for will die in less than a millionth of the time you have lived. Elder Equisa, to put it simply, associating with them in such a way is not just immoral, but it is not possible in even the short term."
Nova's cold eyes made Equisa flinch back. "I... I want to live a life free of shackles. Is that so much to ask?"
"Yes. For a Sprilnav Elder from the Primary Galaxy, it is. As an Elder, you are an envoy to the species as a whole. You represent us. Know that your actions on Luna were so reviled by some that I have already dismissed motions to assassinate you."
"People came to you, a Progenitor, to ask permission to kill me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because if they did it without my permission, due to your very close ties with Humanity, it could become problematic for them. I would not protect them from the consequences of their actions. And additionally, there are some Elders that have called for you to be sealed away for somatic realignments."
Equisa couldn't hide her fury.
"They want to alter my mind, because they couldn't handle the thought of a human sticking themselves in me? How insanely childish and petty. In fact, I'd think the reputation of always being down for it is far better than that of genocidal sadists, which is the reputation our species has among all the others. Progenitor, kill me if you must, but at least let me die free."
"You shall. However, I am not here to kill you. I am here to determine what to do with you. Sending you back to Humanity would prevent a rupture of relations, particularly the only positive relations that Elders have with them period, with the exception of Nilnacrawla in Penny's head. However, doing so would also anger a number of highly powerful conservative factions, particularly those based around supremacy and purity of our species. Granted, I would not have to worry about such an issue. But you, and your family, might be different. It is entirely possible they might wipe out all of your relatives, were you to leave for Luna to go back and soil yourself among the humans."
She frowned. "I did not soil myself, Progenitor. You don't understand what it's like. Even now, everyone I thought I knew ridicules me for daring to love who I love. Even you. You're the closest thing to a god this universe has ever seen. And yet, even you stand before me, heaping your disgust for me onto my already burdened shoulders. They're not animals, Progenitor."
"Your actions are casting the Alliance in a negative light as well, in the eyes of many Sprilnav who would not care otherwise."
"And so what? They don't matter."
"They do, you just do not want to admit it. If I wanted to stop you from loving them, I could, Equisa. Right here, right now, I could rearrange your brain, altering your memories like clay in my claws. I could make you forget what love even is. I could turn you into a slave, or into a living bioweapon. My disapproval of your decisions is mostly from the standpoint of someone who had to deal with the fallout. I care not for your decision to try and mate with humans."
"When you love someone, none of the other stuff matters. I want to go back, Progenitor Nova. Back to the Alliance. I don't know who decided that this punishment was necessary, but surely your word is above theirs."
"Yes, it is. That is not the only reason I have come to see you today. And I should note that you would do better to be more careful with your words around other Elders, or especially if you have the misfortune to meet any other Progenitors."
"I am... destabilized, Progenitor Nova. I apologize. The people I love are in another galaxy, and I am not able to reach them anymore. I'm not sure if you know how that feels."
"I did. I lived a life with my mate for eons. Before the Source war, I was the happiest Sprilnav there ever was. Now, she is long dead. The Source personally dug its claws into her chest, turning her bones to a constantly exploding supernova within her body, all while keeping her alive for a subjective time that is longer than your life has ever been. My grief after the war was great enough that I considered taking my own life. So yes, I know what it is like to love. But I am warning you about the cost of your actions."
Equisa could feel the venom in his voice. It triggered her instincts to run, but her muscles wouldn't move. Terror rang like a bell throughout her psyche as she was consumed by the hunger in Nova's eyes. And then, it all faded. The bone-curdling fear disappeared, and Nova tilted his head. She took it as a cue to speak again.
"You faced the Great Enemy alone?"
"Not alone, until she died. Yes, the Source killed her. Do I hate it? Not really. The deed is done, and the scar is cold. The real reason for the Source war was that during the glory days, we were sucking the very life force of the psychic realm away. The Source tried to open a dialogue to prevent it, and failed. When the last of its family died, leaving it as the sole inhabitant of the mindscape, the war began."
The scar wasn't cold, that was for sure. No matter how much he liked to pretend otherwise. "I can still hear your thoughts, you know."
"Yes."
"It would be nice if you allowed me to live in my delusions for a while longer."
"Well, back to the conversation then. You claim that I have tarnished the reputation of the Sprilnav, and yet we continue to purge species in the Secondary Galaxy for the mere crime of making an AI. Even though you alone could easily reach across the galaxy to deal with it at that point." "Yes."
"But you're a god."
"Yes, I am. However, that does not mean that I wish to willingly fight another one. An AI that reaches technological singularity is also a god, as much as the concept can be constrained in reality."
"What do you mean?"
"When a being becomes immensely powerful, their conceptual weight also increases, assuming they increase their psychic energy footprint. That's why Penny was able to survive being disemboweled by Yasihaut several times in quick succession. It is part of why Elders can survive forces mundane Sprilnav cannot. It is why I could walk into a black hole and survive."
"Have you?"
"Yes."
"What is it like?"
"There are no words."
"Nothing?"
"Describing something that does not exist is very difficult. How do you count in a universe where numbers do not exist? It is much the same for them. The mess inside the event horizon of a black hole is incredibly damaging, even for a being such as myself. Were I to remain in a singularity for long enough, though it would not kill me, it would begin to hurt."
"There seems to be a lot of extra importance with concepts, then," Equisa said.
"Elder Equisa, concepts run the universe. The Source's power is conceptual, just as mine is. Even the hivemind has some conceptual power, though it does not know it for sure yet. And you will not tell it, if you are to go back to Luna."
"Can you protect my family?"
"Of course," Nova replied. He clacked his jaws once, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled.
"Will you?"
"Maybe. I will need a favor in return."
"Well, if I die completing your favor, don't hold it against me."
"Do not worry. That is not the type of favor that I require. Rather, I need you to monitor the progress of the Alliance. Particularly the powers of the hivemind, Penny, Gaia, and Brey. And the intelligence of their various AI citizens."
"Can't you do that?"
"Yes, and no. Remaining near the Source's bones for a long time is not preferred."
"Then I will try. But it may not be easy, and there is every possibility my information could be wrong."
"Yes. I am aware," Nova responded. "But I will see what you can do."
"So I can go back?"
"Yes, Equisa. Though again, do not share what you know anymore. You are allowed to provide context for situations. Sharing any technological knowledge will be looked upon negatively." "I understand. I just want to see them again."
"You shall."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"She did what?" Hive Emperor Calanii growled.
"The Alliance claims that Rank 10 Ambassador Liinara insulted them several times, and has provided a recording of what was said. It has been verified by VI analysis as authentic," his advisor said.
Calanii quickly put on his clothes, now finished with the deep massage he'd been waiting for all day. He stretched a bit, feeling the gaps in his chitin more than he used to. He was getting old, slowly. Not that he'd die of old age with the immortality treatments, but aging still was possible. And the growth hormones in it had resulted in him becoming larger than he'd once been.
"I'll come back to that later. Where is she now?"
"She has gone into hiding, likely presuming that you are going to kill her. We know where she is."
"I shall issue a formal apology, then. I will also give the Alliance any compensation they reasonably request. They are requesting compensation, yes?"
"They are."
"Then deliver the contents of their list to my desk tomorrow."
"As you wish, Hive Emperor."
The advisor bowed and left. Calanii was glad that the pheromone blocker was active right now. His anger was barely contained, especially at the thought of such a stupid blunder. Reaching Rank 10 wasn't something just anyone could do, especially as an Ambassador. Liinara would die if the Alliance requested it. And if they did not, she might still die anyway.
He'd schedule a call with them and try to reestablish diplomatic ties. There was no way that their relationship would survive any longer by being left out to thaw with such a heinous breach of etiquette. He then received another call, this one directly to his office.
The banners overhead fluttered with a light breeze, obviously artificial but still pleasant on his chitin. He'd been very stressed that past few days, with Exii'darii's jailbreak looming over him. She'd try to kill him, that was for sure. The countermeasures were being put in place all around the palace, and most military sites and urban centers would receive special equipment deliveries soon. Logistics were a mess, but when the call went out, an executive order from the Hive Emperor was an easy way to speed things along.
Calanii sauntered over to his desk, realizing that he would need much more anti-stress ointment than he'd thought. It was so intense that his actual body was starting to feel it. When he answered, the screen showed the face of a Cawlarian.
"Who is this?"
"I am Truth Speaker Huatil."
"The Nest Overlord's mate?"
"Yes."
"What business do you have with me, that he does not?"
"The Sennes Hive Union has intelligence that the Sprilnav are operating several clandestine mind-control cells, intent on sowing discord and chaos amongst your populace. They have a particular focus on government officials, such as Ambassadors."
Calanii got what she was suggesting. He didn't question how she'd learned the information. No one that shacked up with the leader of an entire nation would be some pointless nobody with no connections.
"You mean Ambassador Liinara?"
"Her and others. Rich executives at companies, such as one under scrutiny for certain actions against the Alliance several years ago."
"How long has this been going on?"
"That is unknown," Hautil admitted. "What is known is that they will begin to cement their power soon. When they feel that the have enough, they will make their moves."
"Then we must move first."
"Yes, we shall. But that does not include us alone, but also the Alliance."
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
"Well, an agreement. A treaty organization, perhaps. Drafts of the documents will be given to you if you agree to inspect them. Note that this would likely be a full defensive alliance, with all that entails. There would be no room for half-measures."
"Then why the Alliance?"
"The Alliance will be a peer player in under three years," Hautil said. "By every metric, they have already reached the level of technology of our base militaries, though not specialized technology like stealth or shields yet. In particular, their ability to have an outsized impact despite their small population due to Phoebe and Edu'frec's control over vast drone and android forces is already becoming a potential concern."
Calanii knew that was true, at least. His own spies within the Alliance had noted the explosion in their fleet size with worry. Their encryption was already incredible, though that was because of their two AIs. Furthermore, they had a whole species that quite literally could not be infiltrated for spying. Perhaps that extended to mind control, as well.
"Estimates place the number of satellites in their stellar constellation within the Sol system at 330 billion. That is enough to power hundreds of times their current civilization's total power usage. Their Mercury-class guns have been confirmed capable of breaching Sprilnav ships, placing them on par with our own battlecruiser weaponry. In terms of fleet numbers itself, they have 11 dreadnaughts, with 13 more assumed under construction, 30,000 battlecruisers, 50,000 carriers, 120,000 cruisers, 500,000 destroyers, and 1.1 million frigates. In addition to that, nearly 2 million drone craft, capable of linking to direct battle networks, directed by Edu'frec and Phoebe. These numbers have not been publicized."
"Quite something, but nowhere near the billions we have," Calanii replied. Those numbers were similar to the reports he'd received. Supposedly, most of that expansion was possible due to Guulin and Acuarfar populations being so high and the wealth of the Alliance skyrocketing along with the average living standards. And most crews were small, with only a little above the number of people necessary to run a ship being placed on one, though all had overlapping specializations. This was most true for humans, which had the ability to take all the typical specializations and roll them into one.
Due to the hivemind, a human could be the best engineer ever seen at one moment and the best pilot ever the next. Its usefulness seemed to know no bounds.
"Yes. But they can put up a fight now, and most of our fleets would be tied up as defense forces in a war."
"And mind control?"
"We have confirmed that there isn't any of it within the highest members of their government. The number of surprise scans has increased considerably, and it seems that their leadership is in a contained panic over the possibility. They seem to be looking for a capability to block the abilities of mind control chips to work period," Hautil reported.
Calanii had a theory.
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"I would not."
So she was willing to lie to his face, then. His own intelligence agencies only had one single spy within the Blue Intelligence Agency. That was how they'd learned the method of placing chips within the brain to directly interfere with any attempts at establishing control. It was likely a stopgap measure since an Elder would likely find a way around it with enough motivation, resources, and time.
"Truth Speaker, yes?" Calanii asked, bemused.
"I am."
"How interesting. I know who you are."
Calanii could almost smell it in her carefully controlled movements.
"Do you? Who do you think I am?"
"You are an Agent. Top 100, most likely. Your control is admirable."
"You have been taught about something?"
"Yes," Calanii replied. "My uncle was a highly connected individual, just as my parents were. We do have our equilavents, you know."
Hautil grinned. "I've run infiltration missions on your so-called 'Star Raiders' before. You don't exactly run it as cleanly as it could be. I could provide some pointers, for a price."
That wasn't exactly comforting. She wasn't just in the lower numbers, either. Maybe he was even talking with someone below the designation 010.
"And you are authorized to give me that information?"
"Yes. I could be said to be a little... high in the hierarchy. Know that this is not to leave the room either. React to me normally at a summit or meeting, and we will be able to establish a proper working relationship."
"I do not trust you."
"Good."
"And when it comes to the Alliance, I will determine what actions to take."
"Don't wait too long, or they may just decide to seize control for themselves."

after getting the morbidly obese penguin (and the aegis but they are piss easy so they don't count) into elite smash, I figured that I would start working on meta knight because he seemed like a pretty fast fella, and i was struggling against fe swordies because of their speed. i just assumed that my moves having zero priority was just a heavy thing. turns out, meta knight also cannot do shit in these matchups because his weapon has the range and strength of a plastic fork. like i know the kill power is there, but 90% of the time bair just ends up sending the opponent back to stage. down b is... okay for killing, but it's one of the most predictable moves in the game and meta knight just decides to lay there for an eternity before i get to do anything. i know fsmash kills really early, but i kinda suck at using it properly. i also heard that up b was a good oos option, but it seems really janky. everything else in his moveset cannot fucking kill unless it's offstage. you think that being as threatening as a dying lamb due to zero kill power would at least warrant some survivability right? this fucker is a lightweight, so he dies to bullshit at 80-90%. i guess his disadvantage state is pretty aight, but getting hit once sends him to the shadow realm. which totally doesn't feel unfair at all when i hit the opponent four times offstage and then i instantly perish when they throw out a single back air. oh yeah, forgot to mention that any matchup i was struggling with as DDD is made a thousand times worse as MK. spamus and mii gunner were annoying, but at least the fatass bird could also play campy with gordo and a reflector of his own. meta knights god awful range means he never gets to that eye of the storm where he can bully those that throw out an endless barrage of projectiles. also doesn't help that i get t-bagged the most as MK. its normal to t-bag DDD because he's annoying as fuck, but turns out being annoying is apparently less of a target than sd'ing constantly (fuck you side b). turns out toxic folks don't taunt because they're really salty, they do it because they can, and that's made really easy for them when they have to fight a character that dies to any strong move center stage with specials that put you in free fall.
TL;DR meta knights ladder combo absolutely carries him, and he feels frustrating to play when you're not great at the game

The elevator ding sounds right
The hallways looks the same
The steps are heavier, slower
Be a good neighbor!
I like the other side more.
Watching Jeopardy! with AirPods in
I don’t want to hear a thing.
The door is open but that one is closed
Landlords begone, I don’t have time to wait
It’s work and to the loveseat
Pretends she’s not there
Finishing sentences
My life is
Sad

It is not just about what you eat but how you eat too! Even though you are eating as clean as you can, there has to be a reason why you are still bloated, crampy, running to the ladies room, anxious and tired all the time. You may or may not realize, but your recent weight gain and constant fatigue are all related to your diet as well as digestion.
Here is a list of the 5 common poor dietary habits I have seen people follow that totally wreck their digestion

#1 EATING WHEN NOT HUNGRY

Hunger is the biggest cue that your body needs nourishment. Hunger is also a sign that your Jatharagni or digestive fire is stroked and working well. Have you ever wondered whether you eat because you are hungry or just because the clock tells you that it’s the time to eat?
I have seen so many people focus on eating at fixed times that they totally forget to check in with their body whether it feels hunger or not.
Eating when not hungry is the no 1 cause indigestion. Eating when not hungry means that brain has not received any signals from your stomach to secrete any digestive juices to carry out digestion and hence your stomach is ill-prepared for the food that’s being stuffed into it. If your stomach is not going to secret sufficient digestive juice, how can you digest the food that you are eating? In Ayurvedic medicine, this semi-digested or undigested product of digestion is known as ‘Ama’ and is circulated through your body serving as undigested toxin, creating inflammation in your body further causing allergies, stiffness, joint pain, as well as weight gain.

#2 EATING TO NUMB YOUR EMOTIONS

Is there someone who doesn’t eat emotionally…the answer is probably a few in a million. Today’s fast track life where people barely have time for anything, how can they find time to feel their emotions. Sometimes emotions like sadness, worry, loneliness, anxiety are harder to understand and process, as people don’t even know they are going through it for the lack of mindfulness. So the quick solution is food.
Today people turn to food for entertainment, comfort, stress relief, or as a reward rather than to nourish their body and mind. Often people eat to numb their emotions, especially sugary sweets as sweet taste is instantly comforting. This is nothing but a distraction to suppress certain emotions which result in totally overloading your digestive system. Again when you eat out of sadness, anxiety or boredom, your body is caught up in the emotions and not focussing on digesting food, which leads to ‘Ama’ the digestive toxin.
But it is so much more than just that. 'Your body needs to process emotions just the way it needs to process food and that takes time'. Most emotional states cause you to secrete stress hormones activating your sympathetic system shifts your body in the fight- flight- freeze mode. This takes away from your 'rest-digest' parasympathetic system. So again you barely secrete digestive enzymes and the food you eat makes you feel bloated, gaseous, and really uncomfortable.

#3 DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OR AFTER MEALS.

This is the biggest weight-loss myth I have seen in my practice as an Ayurvedic doctor. If you think it is a good idea to chug a few glasses of water just before your meals to fill up, eat less and effortlessly lose weight, you need to think again. I have encountered so many 'weight loss gurus', who advise their clients to drink at least 2 glasses of water before they eat anything, which is the ‘worst’ thing you could do to your digestion. Too much water can easily dilute your digestive juices....just like when in your grade 8 chemistry class where you learnt to dilute an acid by adding water.

#4 EATING WHILE MULTITASKING

Let me get something straight to you…Multi-tasking is a myth. It just means that you are taking the same amount of time to do many things at once, often inefficiently, than choosing to do one thing at a time with all the focus and efficiency, In today's world, this is a sad reality for many busy women, men and alike.
Older men and women who lead a hectic life, working, attending client calls, dropping kids to school, getting to the gym while grabbing a quick meal; whereas some kids just cannot simply sit and eat without being glued to the idiot box. Eating on the go is a terrible habit for anyone and everyone and is another reason that leaves your digestion compromised you’re your brain doesn’t is still focussed on reading emails, how the heck will it know that you are eating and need to secrete digestive enzymes??

#5 NOT EATING ACCORDING TO YOUR DOSHA TYPE

Last but not the least, eating against your dosha type
Dosha type? What the heck is that?
Well there are five main elements that make up the universe also your body- Akash or space, Vayu or air, Agni or fire, Ap or water and Prithvi or earth. These five elements combine to form 3 biological energies within your body known as the doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These doshas govern our physical, mental, emotional states as well as behaviour. Your health, happiness and longevity depend on the balance of these doshas, which are affected by foods, dietary habits, lifestyle, as thoughts that you think. Since these impact you in each and every aspect of your life, considering them when you choose your diet and nutrition is of utmost importance. This is the reason why some people cannot handle cold foods at all, and some react to dairy. If you have a diet that is not compatible with the dominant doshas in your body or your dosha type, it sets you up for digestive imbalances as well as different health issues.
So take some time to see which of the above habits are the main reason your digestion is suffering and feel free to share with someone who needs this information.

Elsewhere on this very sub I saw someone who does not have ADHD ask how exactly does someone tell apart laziness and executive dysfunction?
As someone with inattentive ADHD I can provide an answer that while in no shape or form necessarily representative of the entire ADHD spectrum may be meaningful.
Laziness usually has a sense of purpose and utility. It's task avoidance for questionable rewards but reward no less. In contrast, executive dysfunction typically is crippling inability to do what must be done and, there often is no gains, even short-term gains risking long-term consequences,.
Consider Person X without ADHD and Person Y with ADHD. X does not do the chores but instead gets something done at least the they actually enjoy. Say, X instead of binge watched their favorite show on Netflix.
Person Y too avoided their chores but spent all the time doing absolutely nothing in the literal sense of the word and were in a state of crushing guilt and anxiety all along.
X was all caught up with whatever show was on Netflix and is looking forward to the next session that will not come because it's Netflix and they kill shows. And, Y just did ABSOLUTELY nothing.
Now this is a gross oversimplification but it's a useful simplification in my opinion. Much like assuming air resistance away in textbook problems introducing students to projectile motion, my very simplified take tries to covey a heaurisitic distinction between executive dysfunction and laziness.
One is a legitimate inability and when being executively dysfunctional the task avoidance has no reward. The other is some form of purposeful behavior to gain questionable rewards.
As to how I arrived at this distinction? My own lived experiences of course! I often find myself overwhelmed, fatigued, and on exceedingly poor schedule. Yet, I neither get work done ( college work, chores, etc) nor do things I enjoy ( playing games, reading novels, do physics, learn mathematics, code problems, spend time with friends etc). I just find myself painfully, and prior to my diagnosis, inexplicably, suspended between things I should be doing and laughable incapacity to do them, thereby, literally doing nothing.

So in a very funny, and if not ironic turn of events. I have a low moment almost encroaching on the worst thing I can do to myself, but sure enough. Even though I got the help I'm going to the appointment sure enough. I was thinking "Huh, right course of action. Just need to go about it with a different approach"
My house...when I came home after a long ride back and realizing "Hey dingus, keys". I see my house a little differently after what felt like stressful and emotionally strung out day. Instead of seeing people who strictly died. I see how much they lived as well.
Like a sign from Ma, and my whole family telling me "BREATH CHILD!" "Think*, and* BREATH"
And sure enough. I saw it. I saw it in the form of my own contemplation, I saw it in the sunset, and I even saw it when I came home.
Next, I do the work. I pace myself, but again I do the work.
I keep the train on the rails, I keep the plane in the air.
I will now do the work.
Maybe not with a smile on my face, but I will do the work.

Hi all! This past weekend I picked up a folding bike off of FB marketplace (Columba 20”). When the seller pulled it out of storage she told me that the front tire needed some air, but I told her it was just a quick fix, so it was fine!
It has not been a quick fix. No matter what I’ve tried, the front tire will NOT take any air. I’ve tried 3 different bike pumps and I’ve replaced the tube. Nothing seems to be working.
The tire treads look fine, too; the seller said she barely used it.
Here’s some pictures of the tire deflation. Back tire is fine!