Battery tender both lights flashing

I just purchased a predator Orion 3000 with a 3060 graphics card in it, I have installed the latest drivers and there are no red light/warning lights or anything like that. It’s just constantly flashing blue. The RTX Graphics card LED itself is flashing blue. The power supply/wattage it came with is the correct wire, however I’ve read online it usually shuts down if there was a power issue. Seems not to be the case but any help or answers would be great.

Hey gang! So in the last few months I've been working at a new job that means I travel on the Ring Road and the Western Fwy to get to and from work. Traffic is always bad on the way home, and sometimes bad on the way to work. Which is fine, because everyone has somewhere to be. But I've been seeing more and more lately that people will just jump out into the emergency lane and flog it past the line of cars to save themselves a few minutes of waiting, not caring that by doing this they're making the hold up worse for everyone else further up the road.
So what I've been doing is sitting 3/4 of the way out of the lane to stop people going past, and boy is it satisfying when people come up behind me and flash their lights and lean on the horn at me. Because honestly, fuck those people. They're not more important than anyone else on the road.

Time stamp-https://imgur.com/a/0ihtczl
Trigger- 200 https://imgur.com/hXJWB4i
$360 Fde geissele MK8 with a Ballistic advantage 10.3 300blk barrel. Gas tube and block included A standard bird cage can be added if needed. Both in good shape light salt, under 500 rounds shot. I am not including the DA MD ( I need it)
I am not including a geissele barrel nut wrench, if you need one we can work something out.
Package deal, may break up later or if two people are interested in the items. Comment below if you are interested.
Dibs rule over PM
Shipping included not G&S
PP only

hi y'all! I'm pretty new to gardening in general and want to start an organic herb garden. I've been watching Regenerative Gardening on YouTube and she pretty much convinced me to start soil blocking. I have all of the materials and am ready to go -- I just can't find any info of anyone starting soil blocking outdoors. Is it possible? Is it just harder because you have to keep the blocks moist? Someone please help! 😭 I can buy grow lights and start them indoors but it's already June and would just like to get them outside already. She also has a recipe of a 4:1 ratio of Coco Loco coconut coir potting mix to wool pellets that I'm trying out. I also couldn't find any info on if you're supposed to keep the same potting mix when transplanting to bigger pots (I can't plant in the ground where I currently live). I would like to use something different because both are pretty expensive and I have like 10 different herbs I want to grow. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you :)

Hello Reddit!
I'm at my wits end here but my Mac Pro randomly shut down for no apparent reason. After it shutdown by itself pressing the power button to turn it back on again does nothing. No response as if it weren't plugged in.
My first thought was a power supply issue so i replaced it. After the replacement the machine still didn't turn on when the power button was pressed. I waited a couple of days then decided to try to fix it again so I plugged it back into the wall and pressed the power button and the machine started up no problem. It ran perfectly for about 10 minutes then decided to shut down again and again pressing the power button does nothing.
I checked the little LED lights on the back board and when the button is pressed the 5V indicator light illuminates so I know the board is getting power. I stripped the machine down to only the basics of operation. I removed everything that was plugged into the machine other than a mouse and keyboard. I removed the CPU tray and re-seated both CPUs with new thermal paste.
After re-seating the CPUs the machine turned on only this time it did it itself as soon as I plugged in the power cable. Again it only stayed on for about 10 minutes before it shut down and as I am typing this the power button does nothing when pressing it.
Also, I changed the 3V coin battery on the back board.
If anyone has any info on how to resolve this issue it would be greatly appreciated. I have searched google and tried everything that any forum topic has mentioned trying yet I am still stuck.
Thanks!

See you again today, dear tourists, to continue this journey among all the tribes of Pyrrhia. This time we will dive into the deep abyss to get to know one of the most fascinating and peculiar tribes of the continent: the Seawings.
​
(Disclaimer: due to various problems with the sources received, some information may be outdated or incorrect. The Seawings public and any other species or tribe are asked not to be offended but to report various errors to the reception - the comments. It is possible to do requests or complaints in both Aquatic and Dragonic. Our director will take care to send apology letters and correct. Thank you for your support)
​
Where to start. There is so much stuff to say about them.
Seawings are amphibious sea dragons that are perfectly adapted to this life both underwater and on land. In fact, their body is designed to move through the sea with the grace of a submarine.
They have fins all over the body, a tapered shape and phosphorescent stripes scattered everywhere in a thousand shapes (we'll come back).
The scales are cold colors like blue, green and light blue, completely opposite to Skywings.
They also have gills and it is convenient to do a little analysis on this.
​
Reptiles are a class of animals which, quoting wikipedia "have freed themselves from the aquatic environment and therefore adapted, due to their fundamental biological functions, to life in a strictly terrestrial environment". This is because reptiles breathe only out of water and lay their eggs on land.
Not to mention that for some reason they can breathe in both salt and fresh water.
Only they and the author know how the Seawings are part of the reptiles. But let's get back to us.
​
They are related to Sanwings, Rainwings and Nightwings, as seen by the patagium under the wings that connects them to the body. They are probably in a subcategory of this group, counting the biological differences.
​
Their natural abilities are perfect for the aquatic environment. For this reason they can't do anything out of the water. Literally nothing.
-But they can see in the dark!-
Shut up.
Aside from their night vision and sharp claws (like butcher hooks, great for petting someone, especially if you dislike them), most of what they can do is pretty situational.
Like the fact that they are great swimmers (wow, really?) and can create waves of water with their tails. According to some scientists, Seawings could once squirt ink from their mouth, but have lost this ability due to advantageous evolutionary adaptation.
Aquatic stripes on the body vary per individual and, like the fins of killer whales, can be used to identify the seawing in question. They can glow in the dark and are used to communicate in Aquatic (it will be clarified later), but they can also be used tactically to dazzle the opponent.
If they stay too far from water, they risk insanity and then death (although all creatures die without water).
​
The Seawing company has adapted to both land and underwater.
In fact, Aquatic (precisely) is the second language of this tribe and is fluently spoken by almost all Seawings. It consists of a visual language of specific marks made by alternating strip lighting.
​
-A handy Aquatic-Dragon and Aquatic-English translator is available on the Oxford University website.
-Aquatic classes were briefly held for humans and non-Seawing dragons. I don't think it's necessary to specify why they haven't been a success.
​
The two poles of the Seawings company were the Summer Palace and the Deep Palace, the first unfortunately sunk and destroyed in the Sandwings succession war.
It is extremely difficult to visit the Deep place, as it is located one kilometer under the sea, but we know that it is a masterpiece of architecture that blends nature and construction, in a blaze of artistry of the Seawings.
Like the Skywings, the Seawings are into the arts, such as painting, writing and sculpting. The distribution of parchments is particularly widespread (not to mention that most of them are written by the queen herself, but this in theory I could not say so as not to ruin the economy of the region).
​
- The texts of Queen Coral's Seawings works, such as "The Lost Heir" or "A Tail of Blood" (a slightly cringe title, to be honest) are available in digital format on the official website of Pyrrhia Literature and Scrolls.
​
- The Seawings are the greatest sushi chefs in the world, capable of cooking anything that swims with ease. Considering they don't use fire it's not recommended to eat fugu in their kitchens.
​
The Sea Kingdom is a gigantic, borderless archipelago, the Bay of a Thousand Scales, located on the "tail" of the continent. It is still a debate whether the rest of the sea east of Pyrrhia is considered as Sea Kingdom or international waters.
The environment of the archipelago is typically tropical, full of exotic fauna and marine animals of all kinds, with the sun beating down on the clear water dotted with islets.
Fortunately, no giant monsters on the maps have been sighted here, but caution is never too much.
This place is great for scuba diving or tropical vacations.
-For some years, the mass of tourists has been forcibly reduced to avoid environmental damage
- The live action of the Little Mermaid was filmed in the Kingdom of the Sea. In fact, the actor of King Triton is a Seawings with an excellent costume.

Going to buy a AIO sound bar system today and noticed both are on sale- I know it’s going to be light years better than the old system I have, but is the elevate worth the extra money? The rotating speakers feel like a gimmick but I can’t find one in stock to have a demo.
Thanks in advance!

What do people think of him? Been trying him and to me, he feels really wonky. A few key issues I've had personally.
-feints are all negative even off of a move hitting -standing mediums, standing heavy kick and far range standing heavy punch being uncancellable (had a Luke player realize this and he actually started to DI these buttons almost on reaction it felt like) -using his extra links makes OD Jus Cool whiff in combos (e.g. drive rush medium punch, crouching heavy punch, crouching medium punch will make Jus Cool whiff)
I will be playing and hitting with moves and it's always just "oh I get nothing here because I wasn't at point blank range". It's nice that a lot of moves link to crouching medium punch, but if you're even slightly spaced from the opponent, you get nothing. The same footsies game with mediums and heavies as Luke leads to me getting a nice drive rush confirm consistently but Deejay gets nothing. At least let the long range of heavy punch be cancellable, especially as it STILL whiffs on crouch.
Pros -massive damage for very low costs -one of the best characters to look at and listen to -amazing super animations -fireball feints are very good -"""flash kick""" enders give a safe jump heavy punch -can keepout pretty well with his heavy buttons (at the cost of no drive rushing allowed) -jus cool light/medium followups very strong (OD Jus Cool overhead is a combo starter and safe too. Very nice)
Just feels like overall he isn't really allowed to play Sf6. Only crouching medium punch and close range heavy punch being cancellable excluding lights feels so limiting that it turned me off the character. All I really found effective was the occasional feint into throw and OD Jus Cool options. If his standing heavy punch let you cancel the long range version, I think it'd help a lot but idk if it would make him uncontestable cos it goes FAR.

In the beginning, u/SpacePaladin15 created the Nature of Predators. The Nature of Predators was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the screen; and the Spirit of Spacepaladin15 was moving over the face of the paragraphs. And Spacepaladin15 said, "Let there be carnivores"; and there were carnivores. And Spacepaladin15 saw that the carnivores were good; and Spacepaladin15 separated the carnivores from the herbivores. Spacepaladin called the carnivores Predators, and the herbivores he called Prey. And there were packs and there were herds, one chapter.
CW: Literally Space Hitler + xeno slavery
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory transcription subject: Führer Erik Von Koch of the Menschenreich
Date [standardized human time]: May 6, 2142
​
I opened my eyes as the definitive clacking of heels grew ever closer to the threshold of my dressing room. Looking straight ahead, I silently observed the untertier-servants in the mirror while they prepared me for the long day ahead of me. The declawed gojid filing my right hand dedicated itself to its work, most likely to intentionally avoid eye contact. To my left, a violet-colored krakotl with a liberally clipped beak brushed the tangles out of my long golden hair while shivering slightly upon noticing my gaze in the reflection. Below me crouched in front of my seat underneath the table was my servant-pet, Jeko, shining my boots. The young little venlil noticed me looking down at him and began beaming with obvious enjoyment, his tail wagging and ears twitching adorably. Unlike the others, this animal did not fear me, for I had been raising him since he was just a little mewling pup.
"Am I doing a good job, master? Are your boots shiny enough?" he asked with an innocent head tilt.
Looking down at my boots, I could see a glint in the glossy surface, even whilst concealed by the poor lighting. I couldn't help but respond with a slight smile and reach down with my free hand to stroke his creamy fur. he pushed his head back against the touch with his bestial eyes closed.
"You've done such a great job, my little lamb-chop! You're already becoming such a good little helper, aren't you?"
Reko merely giggled, as the other servants continued their work with what seemed to be a newfound sense of morbid awkwardness. It was obvious that the other untertiere found the concept of pets to be quite disturbing. Why this is, exactly, very few knew the truth. Some like to theorize it stems from some form of contempt for the beasts who willingly fawn to their superiors, resulting in some crude sense of pride being wounded in the process of watching one of their own gleefully lower themself to such a level. But I personally think that gives them a bit too much credit and pertain to a different explanation; that it is a sense of envy rather than contempt that jars them so. Perhaps they look upon those blissfully ignorant eyes and wish they too could experience such shameless joy. Or perhaps they simply notice the obvious preferential treatment given to them by their masters and feel envious. Either way, I've always found it quite amusing, which is why I had begun letting Jeko chip in during my morning routine.
"My Führer, you've been personally requested at your office in the Volkshalle with due haste... It's the hotline," my secretary informed me at the door.
I looked up at the short-haired woman with a momentary surprise. "Already? But I haven't even had breakfast yet. Shit... Alright, alright... I'll be out in a second... Wrap it up, you animals!"
I should've expected this much. After what I had.. ahem, failed to notice what Jägermeister Wilson just did in this latest campaign on the spur-distal front, I knew it was only a matter of time before I had Chief President Calamari Killjoy crawling up my ass. swivelling my chair around I promptly stood up, taking one last peak in the mirror to adjust my uniform and inspect the work of my servants. Seeing that it was adequate enough for the rushed job, I shooed the creatures away to their other tasks while bounding towards the hall. Reaching the end of my living quarters, two guards on the other side of the double doors greeted me in salute as I pushed the doors open. Continuing past them, I marched through the dark cryptoporticus lined with even more saluting guards until the hallway opened up into the ever-impressive dome of the Volkshalle, a sight that never grew old. I couldn't help but stop and stare at and admire the massive hall yet again for a few seconds of my valuable time before I continued on my way. A flight of beautifully detailed marbled stairs and a couple more turns later and I found myself pushing past the guards of the Führer's office before they could even properly salute me. Quickly closing the door behind me and locking it shut, I scanned the perimeter of the office, and noticing I was entirely alone and there was nothing out of place, I took a deep breath and calmly walked over to the holo screen waiting for me at the end of the massive table. Sitting myself down at the head of the table, the iconic crimson insignia of the Menschenreich and two golden statues of the great eagle clutching its talons upon the globe stood gloriously behind my visage. Steeling myself, I let out a sigh and pushed the "accept" button on the video chat. The screen lit up and momentarily flashed with white before a fuzzy image of an all too familiar hideous blue beast buffered and cleared up.
"Von Koch? Von Koch? There you are!" Gurgled out the oversized amphibian-mollusk thing. Her bulbous protruding eyes squinted with irritation and her generous width was hugged by crossed tentacles. "Have you any idea how long I've been waiting for you to stalk your way out of your lair!?"
Instead of yelling back, I politely bore my teeth at her, being sure to show off my slightly larger than average canines. "And a good morning to you too, Miss Universe. Or is it evening on your hemisphere of Aafa? Anyway, long time no see! Tell me, how have things been faring on the.. fairer side of space?"
Chief Lellaete scoffed at my nonchalant demeanor and begin rapidly flicking through her screen with a tendril. "You tell me."
Eventually, video footage of the glorious fall of the dossur homeworld, the triumphant victory of mankind over the foul krakotl-led defense fleet that tried to vainly defend it, and finally live feed of the beginning stages of the glassing of the planet all appeared before me.
"What's the problem? Just looks like business as usual to me..." I smirked.
Gritting her teeth, her blue face seemed to take a hue of purple, which was both impressive and horrifying as I never realized kolshians could do that. "The problem is that you've overextended by tens of lightyears more than we agreed to! You said this campaign would just be a 'little expansion of necessity.' This does not look very 'little' to me!"
"Oh come on, thirty light-years can't be that big. Not for you guys, at least. Our territory is still nowhere near a single core world. I think you're blowing this a bit out of proportion. What value did the dossur ever offer to the Federation, anyways?"
"One of your hunter misers or whatever the hell you call them just bombed four more homeworlds into shambles within the last eight months! You predators are out of line! This wasn't part of the agreement! Back off now or you will face the wrath of Aafa in full strength!"
Wincing and sucking in air between my teeth, I held out my arms and presented my palms in a surrendering manner. "Alright, alright... Listen, you know how human nature is. We sometimes get a bit ahead of ourselves. Moreover, keeping up morale is very important for us, and out of all my Jägermeisters, Wilson knows this best. That's just how he is. Always going for the moral victory and whatnot..."
I trailed off as I noticed Lellaete's face was somehow an even more violet shade of purple than it was before. Seeking to defuse the situation before she blew her gasket, I continued just before she could open her wide mouth.
"That being said, I realize he has been perhaps a bit.. too zealous in his duties. So all you have to do is send an extermination fleet or two to the other side of the front and I'll have the perfect reason to pull him off and tell him to defend. Now isn't that awfully convenient for the little rodents? Then, we can allll take a deep breath and settle down for some more casual cattle raiding and predator exterminations for the next few years with our campaign declared a partial success and your extermination fleets celebrating another sobering pyrrhic victory to put the fear of predators into them. How does that sound to you, Chief?"
The kolshian bowed her head and squinted her eyes at me in tense silence before straightening back up with a sudden calm that was a bit unnerving even to me. "Very well. But we will also be taking back the Sethmokin homeworld."
dammit, that was the one I wanted to keep!
The unusually low gravity of the Sethmokin homeworld Ithilus combined with its mild temperature and mineral-rich crust made it an ideal place for a space elevator supported industrial megacenter. The kolshians clearly knew this too, as evidenced by Chief Lellaete singling it out and prying it from my hands with no hint of subtly whatsoever. Unfortunately, they seem to be slowly catching on to my gradual ramping up of industry. Not wanting to push my luck any further, I had no choice but to concede with what I had already gotten, lest the "predator-prey agreement" falls apart.
"Excellent!" I beamed at the frowning slimy herbivore as the pads of my digits pressed together. "I'm glad we could settle this issue peacefully."
"Stay in line, Von Koch. We never had to use the hotline with your predecessors nearly as much as with you. We can't have things looking too dire, or too relaxed. The Federation needs a predator, just as you need prey."
"Yes, yes, I understand, the Ewigkeitskrieg must continue forever and all that..."
"Hmph! Good to know even a beast as unruly as yourself can see reason."
I bite my tongue, instead shutting my eyes and spotting a closed-mouth smile in an exaggeratedly polite manner before reaching over to terminate the call. If I had to spend one more moment speaking to this detestable thing I might just pop a cyanide pill into my mouth. At the very least, nothing too problematic or convoluted happened to complicate future plans.
"Well, if that will be all then, don't hesitate to call again, Chief! After all, I know how you herd animals can get rather needy after all soo.." I chirped at my greatest adversary and accomplice.
"Wait. There is one more thing I need to tell you."
My finger which hovered over the "end" button strained and slowly curled into a white-knuckled fist.
Now what could it possibly be, my ectolan friend?" I answered, still smiling with my clenched fist above the holo pad surface.
"You humans are no longer alone. There's another predator race in the galaxy."
The awkward smile slowly dissipated from my face and my eyes opened up to gaze at the kolshian. I had to be sure I was hearing things right.
"What?"
"You heard me. We believe there is now a second predator race in the galaxy. One that is even more carnivorous than you, in fact, and they have just developed faster-than-light travel."
"How?" Was all I could croak out of my slacked jaw.
"My, such a prey-like look on your face!" snickered Chief Lellaete. "But if you must know, it was... Well, we are equally shocked, really. The farsul discovered them and spent decades observing them, as they usually do with primitives. They told us they destroyed themselves in their world's fourth world war after developing the atomic bomb about three hundred years ago. But it seems they either somehow survived nuclear armageddon or the armageddon part never happened in the first place. And before you ask, yes, that is all the Farsul States will tell us. A simple, careless error on their part for failing to confirm their extinction..."
I sat there completely stunned into silence.
Is it really true? After all these years of being alone, there is finally a second race of predators? Of people? Of übertiere?
The kolshian took my silence as an invitation to continue elaborating. "They call themselves the arxur, and their existence has already begun muddying up the waters."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"What I mean is that they have only been spacefaring for two months, and already they have allied with the thafki and convinced them to seemingly betray the Federation.
"Th-they allied with the prey!?"
"It's disgusting, I know, but it seems to be the truth. Our kinds are meant to be in eternal opposition. No one was around to give them the memo, apparently." Lellaete answered monotonously.
Bringing a palm to my temple and resting the elbow on the armrest, my mind began racing before a far more pressing matter revealed itself. "And why are you telling me all this, exactly?" My eyes narrowed.
"Because I don't trust a single cube in your icebox, Von Koch. I'm telling you right now so that when your kind inevitably encounters them, you can't pull anything funny and try to feign ignorance, as you already seem to be in the habit of doing. All I'm asking is that you let the Federation handle this for now. We will get them to the right way of thinking after we get them under control. Then you can finally have your first official ally once you 'save' them from us. Or eat them. Or throw them into gas chambers. We don't really care at that point; you can do whatever you want with them. Congratulations to mankind for finally finding a species as corrupted and ghastly as yourself."
I simply stared at the kolshian unabated. "And what will happen if they do not come to see 'our way', exactly?"
The Federation leader leaned in, and a strange glint seemed to catch in her large, horizontally pupiled eyes that made me want to shutter. "I think you know very well the answer to that question, Führer."
I scoffed. "What an awfully predatory look on your face... Fine, I can see you already have the reins on the situation then, but the same goes for you as well; mess things up and it will ruin everything!"
The kolshian narrowed her eyes with conceit. "Heh. Perhaps we aren't so different from each other after all."
Terminating the call before I could rebuke that heinous conjecture, I finally let my arms slump down into my sides. This is why I despised the herbivores so much, and the kolshians seventy seven fold.
"Filthy untertier..."
Getting up from my chair, I slowly meandered over to the Wall of Führers, and starting from my own portrait, I gazed at each and every one, mostly lost in my own thoughts, until finally I rested my eyes directly upon the first and stopped.
Surely this isn't what he wanted the Reich to become.
Although it was true that I along with every other previous Führer after the Founder was a willing accomplice to the Ewigkeitskrieg between the Federation and the Menschenreich, deep down, it truly made me sick to my stomach working with those squid-frogs. Supposedly, the Founder despised the xenos and their intervention of Earth from the moment they made first contact, purely on principle, and this was rightfully so. For the sapient herbivore is nothing more than a husk, a mindless creature that can act only upon instinct. Their so-called 'higher intelligence' is nothing more than a mere slave to these impulses, and thus does the herbivore-folk seek to do nothing but destroy and defile the ecosystem that gave life to them by burning away any trace of predation or aggression in sight. Feeling safe at last from the natural order they so despise, they begin to scour their planets like a ravenous locust swarm. They proceed to breed profusely until their numbers swell into innumerable hordes and then, upon reaching and overshooting the carrying capacity of their planet, the herd moves on to new worlds, so that they might do the same there. Even beasts who wallow in the mud at the very least know how to live in harmony with nature and the universe at large, but the herbivore xeno is incapable of this. This is why they are less than animals. This is why they are the untertier. And out of all the hideously vile and contemptible untertiere which corrupt this galaxy like a foulest cancer, none are so hypocritical, deceitful, and subversive as the kolshian scum. Chillingly intelligent and calculating, they ofttimes liken themselves to true persons, perhaps to the point of deceiving even themselves. But truly, one needs only to look upon their 'works' to see that in the end, they too are nothing but slaves to the urges of the untertier. Chief Lellaete, she, no, it is but a puppet master of the lesser untertiere with it itself gleefully serving the master that is fear and cowardice.
But these new predators, if things are true as the kolshians say, are different. They may finally be the second known race of übertiere in the entire galaxy. And here are the ectolan scum, already conspiring against them. They have always been meddling in everything, long before they irrevocably ruined the Earth with their tampering, and if something is not done about it, they will continue to do so long after we are gone. That is why I want more for the Menschenreich than this eternal conspiracy. Why I want an end to the Ewigkeitskrieg. My predecessors were wise, and knowing that directly going against the will of the Federation was suicide, began the Ewigkeitskrieg with them. But sometime during this war without an end, they grew weak. Cowardly. Complacent. But I hunger for more! For what is the meaning behind a thousand-year Reich if nothing is ever accomplished in that millennium? How can mankind ever call itself the übertier if it does nothing but sit in eternal stagnation? No, the eternity we have is but a farce. But one day, this will change, for I will bring about the end of eternity, and in its wake, I shall construct a true eternity, one of prosperity, glory, and pride for all of humanity forever! And this advent of a second race of predators may yet prove an opportunity! This could be the stir in the pot I've been waiting for! The universe has presented me with a grand question concerning the kolshian-puppeted Federation, and I have the final solution!
Do you hear that, Chief Lellaete? I will continue to play your little "predator and prey" game for the time being... But soon, very soon, with the help of these "arxur", I shall finally bring about the Viecherdämmerung! And just as the Founding Führer once united the Earth and cleansed it of all the degenerate, savage, and subversive untermensch, so too will I cleanse the galaxy of the untertier, so that the glory of the Menschenreich shall spread to every star, shining like a beacon in the darkness of the void of space for ten thousand years!

I will first share the original poem, entitled "Good Timber", by Douglas Malloch. I will then share the same poem, but with some changes I have made. The words that have the line through them are words I changed. Words that are Bold are words I want to change but not sure what word to use. I will be using "Center Alignment" for this tattoo, and the punctuation at the end of each line messes with the alignment. So, I removed the punctuation from the end of each line, and I wanted to know if that is appropriate? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
The tree that never had to fight For sun and sky and air and light, But stood out in the open plain And always got its share of rain, Never became a forest king But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil To gain and farm his patch of soil, Who never had to win his share Of sun and sky and light and air, Never became a manly man But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease: The stronger wind, the stronger trees; The further sky, the greater length; The more the storm, the more the strength. By sun and cold, by rain and snow, In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth, We find the patriarchs of both. And they hold counsel with the stars Whose broken branches show the scars Of many winds and much of strife. This is the common law of life.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The tree that never had to fight For sun and sky and air and light But stood out in the open plain Always receiving its share of rain Never became a forest king But lived and died a feeble thing
The man who never had to toil To gain and farm his patch of soil Who never had to win his share Of sun and sky and light and air Never became a stalwart man But lived and died as he began
Good timber does not grow with ease The stronger wind, the stronger trees The further sky, the greater length The more the storm, the more the strength By sun and cold, by rain and snow In trees and men good timbers grow
Where thickest lies the forest growth We find the patriarchs of both And they hold counsel with the stars Whose broken branches show the scars Of many winds and much of strife This is the common law of life

Serious Issues - Time to be a Hero - Volume 24
Sunday 24th June 2017
WARNING: THIS VOLUME CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE!
It's been ten days since Natsuki got kidnapped and held hostage by the recently arrived agents from Coomer. We beat them and promptly moved base to this little cabin like structure just at the outskirts of town, it's run down in places but it's nothing we can't fix up! Since last week nobody has reported any sightings of any Coomer agents which is expected, but I know it's just part of how they work. They look for a trial and follow it, until they find you. But when they do, they don't attack, they hang back for awhile and watch, waiting for a moment to take you by surprise. Stalking you. Assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Waiting for an opportunity. When they do make their move, they are quick. They are precise. They are calculating. They do not make mistakes. They do not get cocky. They do not let up for a second. That's why we all need to be on high alert and wide eyed. Hell, normal patrol is more dangerous now than ever! We just need to get permission and recognition from everybody else if we want to patrol for the night! Thankfully we came up with a secret code for the group chat, just in case that anybody that hacks into our group chat will not recognise what we are talking about right away. Basically we use emojis to let the others know about certain things, it's a code and it confuses me at the best of times. But Sayori did put this together on a whim so we should be just that little bit safer now. Right now I'm sitting in my apartment watching tv as I wait for Monika to come back from visiting her parents. She asked me if I wanted to come along but I declined her offer, I just want to rest a little bit from working hard to make the base for us. I had Sayori on my back telling me the various things she wanted, it was like her telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas! It was a ridiculous amount of things I had to make and it really took the wind out of my sails! So here I am, just relaxing I guess... I look at the tv show I was watching, it's some random programme about a teacher making drugs or something? I don't know about it, it's kinda funny I suppose, yet I can't really sit down and just enjoy it. In the back of my mind, I'm worried sick about Monika! She's been away for an hour now and I feel like it's been far too long for her to be out and not at least send me a text or whatever! But I shouldn't think too much of this, I'm just stressed out of my mind and very tired. I rub my eyes as I try to return back to the programme, but I just can't. Now that I've acknowledged the worry I can't get it out of my head! Fuck it! I toss away the remote and grab my phone, I'll just give her a text. Ask her how she's getting on with her parents. I shoot Monika a text in our chat reading:
'hey honey! just checking up on u and ur parents, how is it all going??' I set down my phone and wait for a reply...
one minute passes...
She still hasn't seen my text! Argh! Botan, give her time to pull out the phone and have a look at her notifications! She's with her parents for goodness sake, she can't just focus on me all the time! I need to settle down more! Maybe if I do some chores? I stand up and look around the apartment? What could I do? Maybe give the carpet a vacuum? Yeah! I head over to the closet, pull out the vacuum and bring it over to the centre of the living room. I turn it on and start the routine of clearing up the floor. I move the couch and get under it as I make my way around the room. Reaching into little corners and below the tv stand as I make sure everything's clean! I smile as I turn the vacuum off and see that the carpet is now much cleaner! I smile as I put the vacuum back into the closet. I then head back over to the couch and pick up my phone, Monika still hasn't seen my message? I'm getting concerned now, it's been unread for seven minutes, maybe I should phone her?? I go to select the call option but I stop myself, I am just....overreacting. Give her time. Maybe she left her phone in another room? She's at her parents' house after all? Or maybe she still hasn't gotten a chance to? Right, well what now?
…
Guess some dinner wouldn't hurt? I walk into the kitchen and have a look around the fridge for something to eat? Hmmm, maybe Monika would like something for when she gets back? I grab my phone and give her another text. 'would u like something 4 dinner?' I put my phone back into my pocket as I have another look. Guess I'll have some pizza with some chips! I take out a bag of frozen chips and a pepperoni and cheese pizza, setting them both onto the kitchen counter. I grab a tray for both pizza and fries and set them both out. I head over to the cooker and pre-heat the oven as I give it a minute or so. I then put my chips in first, followed by the pizza and close the oven door. Time to let them cook! I head back over to the living room and sit down. Got to give them time to cook, so what now? I look at the time, it's just coming up to eight? Hmmm, Monika did say she'll be back at around eight so....where is she? Botan! Stop it! I slap myself in the face! I really need to get a grip of myself! Maybe I can destress with a nice bath? Yeah, that will help! I walk into the kitchen and set a timer on the electronic clock for my food to be taken out. I then head into the bathroom and start running the bath. After a few minutes the bath is filled up and has plenty of bubbles going as I take off my clothes, here we go! I step in as the warm water quickly makes me jump in surprise at the heat! I then quickly get in as I relax. Oh yeah, this is much better! I smile, it's almost like I wasn't panicking about my girlfriend potentially going missing when she's out right now! ….urgh! I cover my face in water and take a deep breath. I just need to calm down. That's all. Monika can handle herself. The worse thing that could happen is that she gets killed and I never see her again...rgh! That temper I have, I almost forgot! Jeez, no more thoughts like that! Jesus, why did I even think of that?? Am I really wanting to push myself to burst out there and go looking for her? She's fine! As soon as I think that I hear my phone vibrate in the pocket of my shorts! Oh! That's probably her! I reach over to my towel, drying my hands before grabbing my phone. I take look at the message I just got, it's from Yuri?
Y: 'Hi Botan, I know this may seem a little short notice but can you please come down to the shop? I require your assistance with something' …sigh, fuck off man! I shake my head and chuck my phone away! Fucking Yuri! Why does she have to ask me of all people?! Why not her fucking boy toy?! sigh...calm down man. I'm losing it. Having no Monika around is really bad for me. She's the only thing keeping me from floating away from reason. With Coomer now here too, I guess it's all starting to pile up somewhat? Sigh...right. I pick my phone back up and send Yuri a text.
B: 'kk Yuri, give me 5 mins' I sigh as I sit up, so much for this bath? I quickly get out and dry myself off with a towel. I then walk out of the bathroom after pulling the plug on the bath, my phone vibrates again? I check it, another message from Yuri.
Y: 'thank you very much, please bring your best suit too!' ...oh right! I quickly dry off my hair and get in costume before running to the window-wait! I check on the timer in the kitchen, there's still around fifteen minutes to go? I turn the heat down to the minimum and make the adjust on the time, I just to be sure I don't want to burn down my new home. Monika would kill me. I leap out of the window into the dying light of the day! Okay, to the store! I don't know what's going on with Yuri but she might need my help! Although her texts were quite casual there? No matter! I swing into the air and land on a roof as I see the shop in the distance! Right, be ready for anything! I jump across a gap and leap off of a roof to see Yuri in front of the store? She looks....glum? I land not too far away from her as she looks at me, she doesn't look happy that's for sure? "Thanks for coming Sparrow." She's using my hero name?
B: "Of course citizen? What do you need?" I walk up to her as she looks around herself?
Y: "Uhm, well... there's a person in the store who's...well..." Yuri looks into the store and shivers? "I don't think he's mentally well at all..."
B: "What do you mean?" I look into the store as I spot a man? He's throwing things about in a crazed like fashion?
Y: "I would deal with this myself but..." Yuri whispers as she eyes one of the numerous cameras in the store. "I can't really run off and just come back you know?"
B: "I understand, well what do you think is wrong with him?" She shrugs?
Y: "He came in normal at first, he smiled and even said hello. Next thing I knew he started screaming all of sudden?" We look at the man as he climbs on top of the counter? "I've never seen anything like this before?"
B: "Calm down Yuri, I'll take care of it...did you call for police and an ambulance? This might be a drug related issue."
Y: "I have Sparrow don't worry. All the doors are locked so it will only be you and him in there. Just try not to make too much of a mess please?"
B: "Got it." I walk into the store slowly as most of the lights are off? I look back at Yuri who only locks the front door behind me and gives me an encouraging smile. I think she's a little scared to be in this type of situation. After all...it is very dark, and I'm not too fond of this situation already. I grab a torch from my pouch and get moving, the store just frozen in silence it seems? Okay, come on Botan. You got this. You've dealt with much worse things than just a potential drugged up man. This should be a piece of cake...hopefully? "Hello??" I call out rather nervously, but the silence I get in return just makes my spine shudder. "I'm here to help, please make yourself known!"
…
?: "YAH!!" A sudden scream comes from my left as I see the man on all fours quickly moving about between the stalls?! What the hell has gotten into him?! I look around before getting the good idea of zipping myself up to the roof to get a birds eye view of the whole store. I do just that and shine my torch downwards, quickly spotting the man huddled over some flowers as he eats them?? Jeez, this man's not right at all! He looks at me with a crazed look before slowly turning. "Ah! baga to yos!" He stares at me as he talks gibberish. "Joka in plot bin!" I just feel sorry as he stares at me, he needs serious help. "Ah! Yoga bob!" He picks up a candle and throws it at me! I'm able to get out the way but it lands me back onto the store floor and out of sight of the man. I can hear him moving about as I try to keep quiet, I need to get the jump on him. I don't want to hurt him of course, this could be some sort of episode he's suffering from? I spawn in some sleeping gas as I look around for him, just going to put to him to sleep so that I can start to look him over. This must be some- "Yawh!" The man jumps on my back as I stagger for a second! He hits me or rather slaps me in the head a few times before I grab his arm and throw him off of me! I'm not too hard as I only pull him off and get in front of me as he tries to scramble to his feet, but sadly for him I'm too quick as I hook his head and apply the gas to his mouth and nose. The man struggles at first but starts to slow down as he eyes close and then he's out. I set him down into the recovery position as I look at him. Poor guy, what was the cause of this? I look at his face as...hold on? I know this guy? That's....Nick! The guy who I saved on my first night here! What's he doing back here?! Nick looks a little worse for ware, his beard is a lot longer as is his hair. He looks like a wild man if anything. His clothes are rather nice though? I get a closer look at him as he breaths gently. I told him not to come back! Or...did he choose to come back? Maybe he was found by some of the big mans' guys? I look at Nick for any sign of some drug use, he couldn't have a mental condition like that? Soon I find two needle marks in both his neck and right arm? Two marks? Hmm, why did he get injected twice? What is this stuff? I take a capsule and a blood sample for later. Sayori and Yuri can take a look at that. If the drug runs in the blood then that will be where our answers lie. The room then gets lit up in blues and reds as the police arrive first! I pick up Nick and carry him to the door as Yuri sees me coming. She unlocks the door as she looks at me.
Y: "Thank you Sparrow! What was wrong with him?"
B: "Drug." I say to her and she subtly nods. The police come over and start talking to Yuri as the ambulance arrives shortly after. I give them the run down of Nicks' actions as well as another sample of blood for them to test, the authorities could do with a heads up about what this drug actually is. Nick gets carted away as things get rapped up rather quickly as the ambulance goes off to take Nick to hospital and the police leave after they take our statements and have a general look around. Soon it's only me and Yuri again, she looks at me.
Y: "Thank you again with your help Botan, I just didn't really know what to do...that was so sudden."
B: "Don't mention it...here..." I hand her the sample as she looks at it.
Y: "Is that from the man?" She asks wearing a serious expression.
B: "Yeah, you and Sayori can look it over. You two are the brains after all..."
Y: "Very well then..." She pockets it as she looks at me again. "What's wrong? You look...rather sombre?"
B: "I knew that guy...Nick."
Y: "Were you friends or...?"
B: "Well, do you remember my first night in town?" Yuri thinks before she puts the pieces together.
Y: "Was that the man you helped?"
B: "It was. I told him to leave Yuri, and never come back. But..."
Y: "Did you think he was brought back here against his will?"
B: "He had two clear injection marks Yuri, one on his arm and another on his neck."
Y: "Hmmm...maybe he was jumped with that drug and let loose....like a guinea pig?"
B: "Maybe...or perhaps this was a message?"
Y: "What do you mean?"
B: "...the big man knows a lot Yuri, a whole lot more than we think he does." Yuri swallows as I sigh. "I need to get going, I have somewhere to be."
Y: "Oh okay, have a nice night! Thank you again!"
B: "Of course, see you later!" I swing away back home as I'm left feeling rather down. Poor Nick, I didn't wish to see him again but...to see him reduced to that? Is just sad... I arrive back home as I quickly head into the kitchen. I hope the food wasn't burnt! I check the food and see that it's...okay? It's fine I guess? I pull it out and look at it... you know what? I think that-
Knock! Knock!
There's two quick knocks at the door and then shortly a giggle?
M: "Guess who's back~" ….oh fuck! I throw the food into the bin quickly and spawn in some replacement food as Monika comes into the kitchen! "Hey honey, why are you in gear?"
B: "Oh? I was just helping Yuri is all!" She nods as she looks at the food.
M: "Awww, you really made some dinner for us~?" I just nod as I take off my mask.
B: "I guess..." Monika smiles as she sniffs the air?
M: "hmm? Funny?" She then checks the bin... "....ohoho! Did it not go right the first time?"
B: "Uhhhh...no comment?"
M: "ehehe! It's fine Botan! Don't worry about it!" She sits down as she rubs her head. "aww, what a day. What did Yuri want with you?" Monika looks a little....jealous? Is it? I can't really tell. "I'm not jealous Botan." ...oh...
B: "Sorry! I just...it's been a pretty rough night." I sit beside her as she rubs my back.
M: "How'd you mean? You look pretty upset?"
B: "I just...I went to the shop because a man was...well for a lack for a better word, crazy." Monika nods for me to continue. "Yuri didn't want to run off to get changed so she called upon me."
M: "Why you?" Monika asks rather sternly?
B: "I don't know? Maybe she thought I was best suited to deal with this? I went in there and well..."
M: "Well?"
B: "It's...it was the guy who I helped on my first night. He was drugged Monika. Probably dragged back here in this mess, taken away from the chance I gave him! I just...don't think that's fair at all..." Monika nods slowly.
M: "Well...was he okay or...?"
B: "He was crazy. Acting like a wild man. A primate. He was eating flowers Monika!" Monika sighs.
M: "Poor guy...what was his name?"
B: "Nick."
M: "Sigh...well? Did you get a sample of his blood or something else?"
B: "I did, it's just...I thought I really helped him Monika. I thought I gave him a way out but...it wasn't enough..." Monika rests her head against my shoulder.
M: "You tried Botan. You tried, and that's good enough for me."
B: "It's not good enough for me though. Nick deserved a life! He didn't deserve that! To be someone's guinea pig!"
M: "Just relax darling...just...it's okay..." I sigh as Monika smiles sadly. "Hey? How about we go lie down and eat this food okay? Let's just snuggle together while eating pizza huh?" She smiles as I nod.
B: "Okay..."
M: "Good boy..." She helps me up and takes the pizza as we go through to the other room to rest.
- Yuri's perspective -
Look at this mess! Was it too much for me to ask Botan to at least help me tidy this up? Sigh...I'm going to be here forever! As I'm sweeping the floor the lights suddenly come back on?
Y: "Huh?" I look at the lights as someone enters the store? "Hello?" …
A: "Boo!" I jump as I see Alex behind me?!
Y: "What?!"
S: "ehehe!" I see Sayori also come skipping in as I relax.
Y: "oh, guys don't do that!"
A: "Sorry Yuri! It was too good to let this pass! What's going on by the way? Why was the place dark, and why is it a mess?"
S: "Are you okay Yuri?"
Y: "I'm fine, it's just...well a man came in with some sort of drug in him." I show Sayori the sample Botan gave me.
S: "Huh? Is this his blood?"
Y: "Yes." Sayori takes it and has a look.
S: "hmmm, if it's a drug I'll find out what drug it is!"
Y: "Thank you."
A: "Did you hurt yourself at all?"
Y: "No I'm fine! I just got Botan to help me is all!"
A: "...I see?"
Y: "I didn't want to disturb your night out guys, after all...I know you two really want to build bridges again after that whole duplicate incident."
S: "Yeah, we're getting better. Slowly but getting there!"
A: "Yeah! Just a few more nights out and we're golden!"
Y: "Just don't try anything together..."
S: "ohoho! I wouldn't worry about it Yuri! I'm not about to steal your man away from you~"
Y: "What?! No! We're just friends!"
A: "Sayori, really??"
S: "Man you two are just hopeless...ah well! You want our help Yuri?"
A: "Yeah! We can help tidy up!"
Y: "That would be grand, thank you!" Alex heads off as does Sayori as I continue sweeping. The three of us focus on cleaning up for awhile as the shop looks a little better! A few minutes have passed and we've managed to pick up most of the destroyed products as well as mop up the floor. Sayori is busy re-arranging the flower display as I finish up collecting the rest of the ruined flowers. I smile as I dump the rest of them into the bin and turn around to see Alex moving a few boxes. I glance over to Sayori, she seems to have this faraway look in her eye? She seems sad? uuu, I want to say something to her but I don't want to say the wrong thing! I walk up to Alex as he looks at me.
A: "Hey Yuri, what's up?"
Y: "Um, it might be just me but.... have you noticed Sayori has been quiet for the past ten minutes or so?" We glance at her as she's smiling while looking at a few flowers.
A: "Well... yeah. I didn't want to say this in front of her but, tonight was one of her quiet nights." I look at him as Alex looks generally worried. "She was... you know?" I nod.
Y: "I see... her rainclouds must of came in again..."
A: "Yeah... I didn't want to provoke her in some way so I just let her be."
Y: "That's probably the right move, she might just be having one of her down days..." We look on in silence as Sayori suddenly turns around and smiles at us.
S: "Okay! I'm done here, what about you guys? Is there anything else to do??"
A: "Uh...Yuri?" I look around... everything seems to be in order? If not, I'll just sort it out for tomorrow.
Y: "It's fine! I think we've done everything we could! Thank you for your help guys~"
A: "Of course!"
S: "You're welcome!" Sayori smiles as she skips to the front door. "I'm going to go ahead a little early if that's okay, I'm rather tired..."
A: "Are you sure? We should go together, that way Coomer can't pick you off Sayori."
S: "It's okay! I'll get the bus! Thanks for your concern~"
A: "...right."
Y: "Well if you're sure, then goodnight Sayori~"
S: "Goodnight guys!" Sayori leaves and skips down the street.
A: "Well... we should think about leaving too."
Y: "Yeah... let me get my bag."
A: "Sure!" I head into the office to grab my things, only to notice the face in the corner of my eye! I turn to see nothing...uh? I could've sworn there was a face peaking into the shop? It might just be me, I've been very paranoid lately... Well, I'm sure it was nothing to worry about...
S: "sigh... so they both noticed me... I'm so fucking worthless..."

I bought a pair of HRAP a few year ago and didn't really use them. The only thing I did was swap out the Hayabusa buttons for Sanwa. Using both joysticks on the PS5 for Street Fighter 6 and am finding some quirks/bugs.

1. Joystick A doesn't light up the "Assign" red LED. Otherwise works well.
2. Joystick B registers the L1 and L2 button as L2 only. When you press either button, it acts exactly the same. I tested it on a PC and it's doing the same. I checked the button connection to the Sanwa and the wiring looks to be the correct color (two red and two gray going to separate buttons). Do I need to check the wires on the other side?

When I was still daily driving this vehicle about a month ago, I noticed when I would go to start it, it would start weaker and slower, similar to when your battery is low. Now, when I turn the key, the starter just clicks, but doesn't turn the engine over.
All other electrical things in the vehicle are in working order. No check engine light.
I just checked the battery, its at 12.3 volts. In the past I had charged up the battery on a 2 amp trickle charge, and still just the starter clicking, but no cranking.
Its a 5 speed, 4 wheel drive, and 300 Straight engine if that counts for anything.
My current thought is that the starter on it is junk and needs replacement. I checked all my connections and they seem to be tight, I cant budge them when I push on them. Reason I think starter is dead is because how it slowly died. I figure if connection issue then it would have just suddenly stopped. The vehicle will bump start.
Thoughts? This is currently my 2nd vehicle so I'm in no rush to fix it. Thanks for reading!

Previously, this Exotic increased damage from both your Arc Weapons and just slowed enemies.

Light Shift: Replaces your Stasis subclass Dodge ability with a longer range, faster moving Shift that partially cloaks you during use. After Shifting, your Arc weapons deal increased damage to combatants for a short time, and you deal increased damage to all slowed or encased combatants.

Now the work of Mark of Bakris has changed, and not in the way you thought. Instead of additional damage on slowed enemies, it now increases the damage of your Stasis Weapons.

Light Shift : replaces your Stasis subclass Dodge ability with a longer range, faster moving shift that partially cloaks you during use. After shifting, your Stasis and Arc weapons deal increased damage for a short time.

And yes, there was not a word about it in the article about Exotic Armor changes.

Changed to use a tier-4 non-stacking weapon damage bonus (which behaves the same as the non-stacking damage bonuses provided by Surge mods). Damage bonus increased in PvE from 10% to 25%, and now grants a 6% bonus to weapon damage in PvP. No longer stacks with Surge leg armor mods, but provides a larger bonus than can be achieved with 3 such mods equipped.

Given that the beginning of the article literally says "unless otherwise specified, the following changes leave the rest of the Exotic's benefits intact", this raises questions.

This story is related to my previous one here: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/13xxyz8/a\_pile\_of\_spent\_plasma\_cartridges\_and\_a\_red\_cross/ I sat on my bunk nursing a nasty looking black eye given to me by our “Gracious host”. It’s funny how humanity has sprung forth from its homeworld, and the best remedy for a black eye is still a frozen bag of peas. This is bullshit, I don’t want to be here anymore then they want me to be here. This whole idea of cooperating for the “good of all” isn’t panning out. I need to put—— my train of thought is interrupted by the sound of klaxons. I put down the mostly frozen bag of peas and reach for my gear. Having drilled for this thousands of times in my 4 years since being drafted. It took my less than 30 seconds to dawn my armor. As I lifted my helmet and activated the display I saw red text scrolling across. “HOSTILE FORCES IN SYSTEM, FLEET ATTEMPTING TO REPELL. CONFIDENCE LOW. PLACING ALL TERRAN FORCES UNDER THE TEMPORARY COMMAND OF LOCAL FORCES” Fuck, this couldn’t get any worse. I just got into a bar fight with these lizards and now I have to take orders from them? What is command thinking? A new text message scrolled across my display. “ATTENTION ALL TERRAN FORCES, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE YOUR ORDERS ARE TO GARRISON THE CIVILIAN SHELTERS IN THE F’RIX DISTRICT. DIRECTIONS ARE BEING FORWARDED TO YOUR COMMAND.” Great, that didn’t take long. Bet the— my thought was interrupted by Captain Armstrong. “Alright D Company, Lets stow the attitude and get to work. Our assignment is approximately 10 kilometers deep in the city. Hurry up and mount up and let’s get rolling. We’ll decide all the details when we get there” I grabbed my rifle and medical kit and heaved up from my bunk. “Jesus St. John, you look like I feel” Corporal Blankenship said with mirth in his voice “Fuck you, let’s just get this over with.” He’s easily the most annoying member of my team. Being a Navy Corpsman in the Terran Republic Marines isn’t all it’s made out to be. On one hand, you become family to them. They treat you as a brother even if you aren’t “one of them”. On the other hand, you might as well be in the Marines. “ Hey corpsman, do you think the fleet is going to be able to prevent a landing?” PFC Thompson yelled over the sound of shuffling gear “ Oh jeez PFC, I Don’t know. Let me call up the Admiral and check. Right after I do that I think I’ll also wish the enemy away as hard as I can.” “Dick” he shot back I set towards the door with my rifle in hand. As I approached the threshold an APC skidded to a stop. Several tons of steel, the APC wouldn’t have been out of place in any old war movie. The best way to move troops on the ground was still a fast and lightly armored box with wheels. The loading ramp defended and I proceeded to stow my rifle in the racks by the entrance. I took my seat at the back of the APC. I hate riding in these steel coffins. Although if we get hit the chances of me making it aren’t any better if I’m here or sitting in the driver's lap.The tires skidded as the last troops loaded in and took their places. Limited conversations were taking place. With time to think about the situation we were in everything became so much more real. Marines are still Marines though. It didn’t take long for jokes to start flying and ease the tension. A new message scrolled across my vision. “FLEET FORCES HAVE FAILED TO PREVENT THE ENEMY FROM GAINING ORBITAL SUPREMACY. RETREATING TO FORWARD OPERATING BASE LINCON TO RENDEZVOUS WITH OTHER FLEET ELEMENTS.” Fucking great. The APC skidded to a stop in front of the main entrance of the emergency shelter.“Everybody out!” Yelled Sgt. Newman He is the saltiest Marine I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving with. Straight to the point and no time for bullshit.I Exited the APC to find controlled chaos. Everywhere seemed like it was filled with figures in armor running to some location. Sgt. Newman was instantly called to the small Command post immediately forward of the Shelter Entrance. After a short exchange, he jogged back to us.“ Alright folks, We have been tasked with taking up position in the outer defensive line. This means we will get all of the action if there is any to be had today. Lets hoof it up there like a couple of Marines on leave in a whore house” Everyone chuckled, even me. I’ve been around Marines to long. We jogged to our new position and set up. My job was essentially to sit back and wait until someone got hurt after I helped set up the squad's plasma gun emplacement. “ORBITAL LANDING PODS DETECTED IN UPPER ATMOSPHERE. APPROXIMATE LANDING LOCATION UNKNOWN. PREPARE FOR DEFENSE OF THE PLANET” Here we go.“They won’t land here right Sgt. I mean we are just protecting the civilians” said PFC Thompson said with a clear quiver in his voice.“Stow that shit Thompson, if they do we’ll handle it” Sgt. Newman fired back. He didn’t look so sure. I’d never seen him actually look nervous. “KLAXION FORCES HAVE ENGAGED THE ENEMY———“ The rest was cut off. What was that? I’ve never seen the tactical net go down before. “LOCAL COMMAND NET OVERRIDE: DROP PODS DETECTED WITH TRAJECTORY CORRESPONDING TO OUR LOCATION” The silence of my squad was heavy and thick. We all knew what that meant. We were cut off from joint command and on our own. No backup. “ LOCAL COMMAND NET OVERRIDE: KINETIC BOMBARDMENT INCOMING TAKE COVER “ I threw myself to the ground and tried to bury myself behind the thick concrete barriers originally intended to prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway. A sound lack thunder followed me there. The ground shook, glass broke in the buildings above and heat washed over me. A wall of dust and dirt moved through our position obscuring everything. As my hearing returned I raised my head to see that most of the squad had recovered and was preparing to repel the enemy attack that was surely going to accompany this. “CONTACT!” Screamed our plasma gunner. The world became a place filled with bright lights and sizzling bolts. I looked around to see if my services were needed anywhere. “CORPSMAN!” The sound that all corpsman dread hearing because it means that one of our charges is hurt. Possibly fatally. I rushed over to the huddled mass of marines.“Move over dammit” I yelled as I pushed past the two marines who called me over.“He took a piece of falling debris ”What I saw in front of me was a mangled mess. I looked up at the wounded marine. From what I could see it looked like whatever hit him shattered his chest.“ Alright, We need to get him back to the aid station in the shelter I can’t do anything for him here. I need someone to come with me because I can’t carry the stretcher on my own. “Sgt. Newman “ Take Thompson, radio before you come back” The look he gave me was one of resignation. It was bad, really bad. He knew it, and he didn’t expect there to be a position for me to return to.Thompson and I grabbed the stretcher from my aid bag and assembled it. Carefully we rolled the wounded marine onto it. “ Suppressing fire “ shouted Sgt. Newman. We launched to our feet and took off running as carefully as possible. Plasma bolts sizzled past us as we approached the second and then final defensive line. We hurried into the entrance of the emergency shelter alongside several other wounded. We placed our charge down on the floor in the hallway. At this point, our job was done and we were to return back to our post. As I turned to go back another Sgt. Blocked my way. “The first defensive line is gone. Corpsman, Stay here. We are trying to consolidate at the second line but it’s not looking good. PFC Stay here as well. I’m attaching you to the Final line of defense. I need more marines if they break through the second line” I glanced at Thompson who was already moving to obey orders. The shock of what we had just been told hadn’t had time to set in. The training was what kept us both moving.I rushed into the field hospital to see what I could do. What greeted me was horror. Men bleeding, screaming, and dying. A field surgeon grabbed me.“I need you to hold pressure on this wound so I can go prep a the Emergency OR”I stared at him in confusion. OR? What do you mean OR? We’ve been here maybe 30 minutes. How the hell did one get set up here so quickly? I obeyed regardless of my disbelief. The Marine screamed out in pain as I applied pressure. There was blood everywhere. The next couple of hours were a flash of gore and death. We were caught in the middle trying to fight back the Grim Reaper as well as this new foe. By nightfall, the enemy had broken through the second defensive line and had drawn back before taking on the final line.It was quiet, so damn quiet. I wandered around the shelter. I couldn’t sleep. A tail as old as time. I came to A large room with bunks and voices. Inside were the people we are here to protect. Lizards, that's what most of us described the Klaxions as. They were basically bipedal reptiles. However, I found something in my heart while watching them clutch their children to their scaled faces. This is the first time I’d seen any civilians. They looked, and acted like us. Yes, they appeared different but they still clutched their young to their chest. Still comforted the old. My entire worldview that I thought was stable as a concrete high-rise came crashing down on my head. I thought these people were vicious killers of men. All of them, but they just aren’t. They are afraid just like us. One Motioned me over and held up a device. “What is your name Terran” the device spat out at me “St. John” “St. John, will you join me for tea?” “I uh—“ “ Please, it's the least we can do”I sat as a cup was placed in my hand, the tea was warm and steaming. After the Klaxion was done pouring my cup I lifted it to take a sip. It was full of flavor causing my sharp features to scrunch up with surprise. “First time having traditional Klaxion Tea?” “ Yes, it’s uh. Really good *chuckle* “ “ I’m glad you like it, do you have any news from outside the shel——“ Three thunderclaps shook the shelter. Screams rang out in the crowd.“Everybody down!” I yelled as I ran back to the adjoining hallway I didn’t get far before I ran into retreating elements of the final defense line. “Corpsman, take up position in the doorway and prepare to repel the enemy”I looked at him in shock. “Do it now goddammit!” Plasma bolts started flying down after the retreating marines. At their rear was Captain Armstrong carrying what seemed to be…… Thompson, PFC Thompson. He looked badly injured. The Captain rushed him inside the main shelter room and laid him down. Immediately the Klaxion rendered as much aid as they could. Although physically different. Both of our species knew that fluids leaving the body in a hurry was bad news and to apply pressure. As I turned back to the Captain he took a plasma bolt to the face. There wasn’t anything left. What was left was all over my face shield. “Here they come!” Shouted someone from the hallway.I heard screams, so many screams. Screams of terror, screams of anger, screams of rage. In the end, my Plasma rifle ran dry. I looked around me, spent plasma cartridges lay in piles. I heard footsteps behind me. The walking wounded had armed themselves with knives, sticks, and sidearms. Then they came into the entrance. I threw myself in front of the civilians out of instinct. An instinct given to all humans. To protect the innocent. As the plasma bolts ripped through my body, one must have clipped my spine. I could feel the pressure of the shots but nothing else. The room grew dark except for one spot. This must be the light everyone talks about.I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, but we did all we could.

My cup feels full: I am content with my life and my friendships as a sober person.
It's been almost a year-and-a-half off the sauce, and I'll admit, the last few months were difficult pushing through the signals in my brain to drink. But I'm so glad I stayed strong.
I'd like to share my Saturday thus far for anyone wondering if quitting is worth it. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I woke up at 5:30 this morning -- like every morning nowadays -- and sat on my patio enjoying delectable, local coffee while taking in the cool spring air. I journaled a bit and drew the city skyline. I basked in the first light of day as the sun peeked over the mountains.
And then I prepared to bicycle downtown to our city's first farmer's market of the year. I've been looking forward to this all winter; it was a record-breaking winter and we rarely saw the sun.
I arrived just as the market was opening and the crowds were still tame. Right away I bought a homemade huckleberry danish and sat in the sunshine savoring every damn bite. When I used to drink, I'd never treat myself to food like this because I'd "save my calories" for drinking. What a fool's errand.
With all this extra money I have from no longer drinking (and all the silly shit that comes with it, like DoorDash-ing), I purchased: a hand-carved wooden spoon for my oatmeal in the mornings; a fresh loaf of wheat sourdough; a new Emotional Support Plant for my tiny porch; and handmade pappardelle pasta.
A friend joined me and we had the loveliest of times strolling together, browsing all the booths, and engaging in stimulating conversation.
While at the market, my most important friend -- who's sober -- texted asking if I'd like to meet for coffee on the patio of a local shop. "Yes please!" I replied, and shortly thereafter I set off through the heart of my beautiful city on my bicycle to join my sober friend.
By the time I arrived to the coffee shop, it was 72 degrees, breezy, and still brilliantly sunny.
My sober friend and I felt adventurous and ordered drinks completely different than our usual, and we were both giddy like children over how good they tasted! She invited me to her house a few blocks away to come see how her garden is progressing, and I eagerly accepted.
When I arrived at her house, her and her partner's dogs greeted me as if I was their favorite human, and I felt overwhelmed with joy and love and connectedness -- words I never would have used to describe life when I was drinking. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm home now and I had a huge, fresh salad for lunch. I'm about to Skype with my long-distance partner, and tomorrow I'm marching in the city's Pride parade.
Life has never been so lovely. When I drank, I was perpetually terrified to change for fear of missing out -- but I was really missing out on the most essential elements of life by continuing to drink. I'll never go back.
There will be hard times, sure. But I'll never, ever give up the chances life has given me since quitting. May we all weather the storms of life together, SD community, so that the sun might shine a bit brighter on the other side.

The user Chaos_Prophet on Spacebattles made this pretty interesting theory/fic on the origin of the Chaos Gods, making them a corruption of the ideals/creations of the Old Ones. Link for the original post will be in the descrption.

The Primogenitors. The Lords of Light. The Dread-Fathers. The Eldest. The Gods.
They went by many names across Creation, but they knew themselves by one.
Order.
Their birth and the birth of the Universe was one and the same event, a cosmic explosion that roused them from a dreamless sleep.
They were 'Psykers,' yet such a term is entirely inadequate to encompass their abilities. They were Transcendant, surpassing even the Golden Emperor of Man in raw might. And, firstborn of Life, they found the Aether entirely compliant with their every whim.
For untold aeons, they lived in a universe totally unlike our own. Neither the 'Materium' not 'Immaterium' as we understand them existed, only one integral whole. Potentia and Objectivity were interwoven at every level.
Akashic beings were these. The Minds and Bodies of the Elders spanned Creation, each folding upwards and outwards like great flora branching into dimensions unknown to human and aeldari alike. Yet they - of infinite forms, many voices, and singular purpose - were creatures devout, for they attributed to the Totality, to the Universe itself, a sentience an infinity of magnitudes above theirs, older and mightier than them all, a mind fundamental, an Absolute Infinity to their mere Transfinite sentiences. In the words of the ancient Terran, Spinoza, God had infinite modes and infinite attributes, and these ancients were but the guardians and cultivators of these. They named this borderless and boundless mind The Primordial, and they knew that their own labyrinthine minds lacked a Sweetness, a character of sentience that Creation required. And so arose their Great Work: to design a perfect species, and to fill the empty Universe with its sweet and tender sentience.
As they oversaw the movement of life from molecular bonds to single-celled organisms to complex organic structures, the Fathers organized themselves into great conclaves to better forward their search.
Eleven would monitor the shadows, the patterns of secrecy and fear among the hosts of the Created, working to quell their instinctual terrors and drive them toward the sublimation of their pains. That is, if Creation would have it.
Nine catalogued the history, the sciences, the philosophy and the social sciences of the thousands of cultures at their disposal, feasting upon memories like the choicest of meats.
Eight were guardians and protectors, teaching the created the means to defend themselves from dangers and sculpt destiny to their liking through force of arms. But, if Creation demanded it, they were also Conquerors and Exterminators, wiping away the dross that stood in the way of the Work, no matter how that dross pleaded for its life. What right had it to petition beings of Destiny?
As bacterium, virons and prions plagued the newborn children of the stars, Seven were tasked with overseeing the manifold studies of medicine, the archiving of symptom and cure. For those Species misbegotten in the eyes of the Work, they created viruses to give them a quick and merciful farewell.
As the races in their care learned to sing, to love one another and to exult in all of life's nuances, Six were tasked with the preservation of the Arts, the Aesthetics, the Music, the Culture, of their innumerable offspring.
As the life of the Universe learned to fashion tools, to build infrastructure and to sculpt the world to their liking, Three directed these efforts along the paths demanded by Creation.
As Life evolved, changed, and the philosophers of countless worlds began to strain against the limitations of body, instinct, sense and mind, Two were chosen to chart the stages of biological, physiological, psychological, indeed all forms of Evolution, to track the Eternal Metamorphosis of all things, and to cultivate in their offspring this quest for Freedom. And to ensure this questing remained in line with the dictates of The Work.
One stood elite among them, his only purpose the oversight of his kindred, the aiding in their works. Billions of years hence, he would be named Komus, translating loosely to "Blackness-Between-Stars." But his chronicle is for another time.
Who can say how many empires, how many galaxies, were created and discarded as so many failures before the Elders finally crafted a species they thought met all their criteria? However long they had labored, it was only after the discovery - or perhaps the creation - of our Galaxy, that the Eldest at last rejoiced at the creation of the Perfect Child of the Universe. Beings whose forms were universally beautiful, whose minds were sharp and ever-curious, whose capacities for self-defense were without peer, whose artifice rivaled even their Progenitors (as much as Ant may be said to rival Architect), whose art and music only ever seemed to increase in its profundity. Most of all, these chosen few had The Sweetness, the one thing their fathers lacked. It was as if the Universe itself rejoiced, for as the Perfect Ones and their Creators danced in jubilation, the very skies danced with them, for Aether and Matter were one and the same. The worlds of the Children shone with their matchless potential.
And yet, as they went about crafting their Perfect Children to the actualization of these potentials, they found themselves distracted by an incessent weeping. Plying the stars, they found a race they had not crafted, one simply spat into Creation by the fickleness of the Primordial. With drooping faces and rough, bumpy forms, the Leper-Species peered up at the living sky and lamented:
"Help us, help us, we are suffering. We have only suffered. You who can cure all ailments, please, relieve us this burden we did not earn."
They had not created this race, nor did The Work demand their extermination. The Eldest wandered the labyrinths within themselves for eternity and a moment, yet found nothing. They were looking down at non-beings. And so they simply responded.
"Be quiet. You are distracting us."
And they went back to their work with that. The Leper-Species screamed and cried and made a ruckus, but the Fathers simply made them hush and returned to their labors. They were so close now, so very, very close. Billions of years was about to be vindicated, and they had no right to be distracted.
And then The Blasphemy began.
The Leper-Species had returned, their bodies no longer decrepit and failing, but constructed from a great and terrible malignance. Leading them were beings even the Fathers had little recollection of, clouds of reality and quantum-forms bound to corporeal bodies and made into an Abhorrence. To the infinite horror of the Primeval Minds, they had done something never done before in the Deepest Time: they had rent the Universe in twain, struck at The Primordial itself. Objectivity and Potentia were ripped away from one another, a loving marriage violently torn apart, and a veil of stars placed between these natural and inevitable partners. And as the Fathers were beings of Objectivity and Potential both, this act meant they would be torn apart just the same.
Their screams filled the void of space, their cries of pain and rage and anguish eclipsing all those that had been discarded in the name of The Work. As One became Two, as Creation was sundered and warded off, the Elders were for the first time challenged in their right to rule Creation, to direct it in accordance to The Will of The Universe. Rage overtook them. Rage and spite and malice.
They would not die, they could not die, for they preceded Life and Death both, and would not be bound by such things. The Fathers returned to make war again, and each time they were struck down by the terrible Abhorrence, they returned in larger and more twisted forms. They built weapons to exterminate the usurper Leper-Things and their Abhorrent masters. The Seven and The Eight crafted flesh-machines to exterminate the Silent Host that had dared raise a hand against them. These machines lacked The Sweetness, but they would suffice for the task at hand.
The battle was too long and too terrible to call a war. As the Flesh-Machines failed to be enough, the Dread-Elders turned their infinite forms into more and more reckless devices to wipe away their hated foe and get back to more improtant matters. They were Star-Spawned Plagues spread by Nightmare-Engines, they were leviathans bursting from the skulls of their own creations, they were Bloody-Handed Avengers and far more and far worse. And it was at this point that their folly was irreversible.
For in the face of such merciless and unhesitant acts, their Perfect Children turned their backs on them. So horrified by what their Fathers could be, the Chosen abstained from the Many-Wars against the Abhorrence, hoping to be spared by their neutrality. Abandoned by the very cause they sought for, the Creators gave in to their infinite capacity for rage, for despair, for spite. For Malice.
But war was they might, the Eldest could not win. As the Unviverse was rent asunder, they were torn upon the same axes. Their bodies were shredded, scattered to cosmic winds, and their minds and souls split and turned against themselves uncontrollably, like a single cell turning into a tumor, division with no upper limit. The screaming, restless corpse-souls sank like stones into the Outer Dark, an Ocean that had once been with and within all, where they wept and gnashed their teeth.
Betrayed, abandoned, butchered, maligned, and now so lost within their own vastness that each could comprise a universe unto themselves, each thought a legion, each daydream a world. They hated. They hated the Leper-Things for their role in the Ruination, they hated the Abhorrence for renting existence in half, depriving their children of the True Sight of Creation's wonders, they hated the Flesh-Machines for failing to win their war. And they hated the Perfect, for turning their backs on them, for being unable to do what needed to be done, because The Sweetness the Creators sought had bade their children understand such fickle things as restraint and mercy.
Their identities, labyrinthine and vast though they originally were, were lost forever. Their selves dissolved into the endless, paracausal screaming the War and the Veiling had wrought. And so, unburdened by time and causality, they plotted.They would exterminate the Abhorrence, cleanse the unworthy. They would have their revenge upon creations that had failed them.
Once, they had been Meaning. Purpose. Form and Function.
Once, they had been Order.
But now, they have chosen a new name.

​

My dermatologist diagnosed me with rosacea & hormonal acne in December 2022. I was put on finacea, ivermectin, spironolactone & doxycycline. At my 6 month follow up my derm didn’t feel the topicals we’re helping me, so she told me to discontinue and to continue my oral medications, doxycycline & spironolactone.
I started to develop very frequent (3-5 per week) severe migraines to the point of not being able to function at all. After a few ER VISITS, my PCP thought it was best to take me off of the doxycycline & spironolactone.
What is very odd is that my rosacea actually calmed down almost completely after stopping both oral medications, which makes absolutely no sense because I had moderate/constant rosacea symptoms prior to starting the medication up until I stopped the medications. My skin seemed to have cleared up & I was relieved for a few weeks until…….
SEVERE ACNE ATTACK! Now, I have super oily pimples popping up all over my face, but primarily in my t zone. I also am developing more blackheads. On top of that, I now am starting to get ‘bacne’ again & painful pimples on my chest and shoulders.
I am also getting breakouts behind my ears and all along my hairline on the back of my neck. & now I am suffering from dark spots from the acne. I want to cover my body and hide because I feel so embarrassed.
Has anyone else been through this? I see my dermatologist on Wednesday, but I want to come prepared with different potential alternative options to bring up if she semi dismisses me.
My AM skincare routine consists of Vanicream gentle cleanser, Good Molecules hyaluronic acid serum & Vanicream daytime moisturizer.
In the PM, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, Good Molecules hyaluronic acid boosting essence, then regular Vanicream moisturizer.
Prior to this rosacea & acne flare/diagnosis in December, I’d always had severe eczema. I am on Dupixent for the eczema, which has been life changing.
Overall my skin type is sensitive dry/combination. I have a light/medium olive skin tone. I cannot tolerate anything with any sort of fragrances in it or super harsh ingredients.
Any & all helpful advice or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you! 🥰