~Escape The Night~ PvE w/PvP ZonesWIPED3PPHelisAI-BossesRaidingBBP100kNoobsKeycardsAirdropBunkersParty-SystemTraderBlackmarketBankingDrugsBedRespawnSpawnSelectVehicles+Guns+Loot+
IP: 51.81.221.168:7915
Join Our Discord https://discord.gg/2EQPEZ8
Server Restart Intervals Are At 5:40AM PST - 11:40AM PST - 5:40PM PST 11:40PM PST
BASE BUILDING: AT THE MOMENT TRADERS DO NOT SELL NAILS/FOOD/ARMOR, for a more survival feel we made base building a little more grindy than other servers for a better experience (MOD: BASE BUILDING PLUS), THERE IS NO BUIDLING NEAR PVP ZONES, HIDEOUTS, OR TRADERS (500m from Hideouts/Traders, 300m from PVP zones). Get your grind on and have fun with more of an immersive pvp building system. We have BasicTerritories/PVEZE Flag Zones. You need a flagpole to make a base & you need a flag fully raised on your pole to enable PvP. Since we use PVEZ the flags help in case you need to defend against a raid. The flag also helps keep all your items secure from poofing away. Sadly bases can be raided even with your flag pole lowered. So it’s recommended that you keep your flag pole raised.
ALL BASES HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF VEHICLES THEY CAN POSSESS! Each base can have a max of 3 Land Vehicles & 2 Helicopters (This Is To Help Prevent Lag)
PVP ZONES/PVE: All PVP Zones contain either a military spot on the map, or Custom Keycard areas, Custom Key Cards spawn randomly around the map or in airdrops/military bases/bunkers.THERE IS ABSOULETLY NO KILLING OUTSIDE PVP ZONES, what ever damage you afflict on another Survior, that damage will come back to you, this a noob/pve setting of a server so show some respect.
KEYCARDS: There many different keycards you can get but they all are different. Some have different loot, some have mixed loot. Rare keycard rooms give 10x better loot than normal military/bm loot. There Is 2 Red/Black/Violet/Green Rooms. 1 Yellow/Blue/Med Lab/White Rooms.
Right Now The Keycards Ranging From Best To Worst Are Red, Black, Yellow, White, Violet, Green, Blue, Med Laboratory. There will probably be more in the future. Red Keycard Loaded but is suuuper rare.
(NOTE: Right now please don't fly into keycard areas. We recently added helis again and some areas are possible to fly into (AI will probably shoot them down but still we want keycards to be used to access keycard areas. ALSO When you open a keycard room it will stay open until server restart because the loot crates wont reset until after restart)
THE BUNKER: Right now there is currently 1 bunker on the server. You need a White Keycard to enter it & when you enter it turns to total darkness. You'll need a light or nvgs too see anything after entering. This place is worth checking out but be careful of possible chances of Zombies/AI. The bunker is really nice for finding blackmarket items and chances decent/guns/armoammo.
TRAVEL TRADER: We recently added a trader that can change locations and also change what they Buy/Sell! The Travel Trader Can Spawn At Any Keycard Locations (Based On When I Move Them) & Trades Rare Items Other Traders Might Not Sell Or Might Buy/Sell At A Discount!
TRADERS: Traders are all around the map and they only sell certain items there. Very high powered weapons cannot be bought a civ traders, they will most likely be purchasable at Blackmarket or not purchasable at all, you will need to scavenge your way around the map if you want to be the best, there are no handouts. Normal Civ Traders will have the essentials there to survive.
AI/BOSSES: AI spawn at all keycards/hideouts except Blue/Green Keycards. They have a chance to spawn anywhere else. There are 3 Bosses on the server. Killa, Zryachiy, the Goons. Killa spawns at Red/Black/Yellow Keycards. Zryachiy spawns at Prison Island. The Goons can spawn at Red/Black/White/Med Lab. The Goons are the rarest Bosses to run into right now while Killa and Zryachiy are about the same. Killa and Zryachiy can have guards.

I’m an incoming freshmen and I saw on the embry-riddle website that New Res 2 has a food court and New Res 1 had a lounge area with Tv’s, pool tables, and a study area. Does New Res 2 have a lounge area also with all that or is it just the food court?

Understandably, Musk is not a good person. I’m certain I’m not alone in this sub thinking that. As the Bible says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” - Matthew 10:25
This is just one of over 30+ biblical verses that condemn the rich, the hoarders, and the greedy to hell. Yet, for some remarkable reason, the main demographic that is in support of Musk are right winger, Christian males. Now of course, this is not exclusive to Musk. The right wing in of itself is the party of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you should perceive those that are rich are meritorious given their hard work.”
They’re also the demographic most against “handouts” like student debt relief, building shelters, assisting the homeless, or social security-esque policies. Yet, Christ was consistently adamant about giving your wealth away. He proposed that you should sooner starve than allow your neighbor to go without a meal. Where did any Christian values besides “don’t lay with another man” go?
Eating unclean foods, obeying the Sabbath, not judging others, giving to the poor until there are no poor left, not mixing fabrics in clothing — these are just a handful of concepts that orient around “being a Christian”, yet I only see a bastardized version of it being engaged with by the right.
However, hypocrisy is not exclusive to the Christian side, because of course the right is not ENTIRELY composed of Christians. How about their perspective on being “anti-establishment” or “anti-pedos”. Musk has been in numerous pictures with Ghislaine Maxwell, he’s been spotted sitting & talking with Rupert Murdoch at a sports game, and he OWNS one of the biggest social media sources there are.
When did the ring wing co-opt a bastardized version of Christianity?

Drivers don't complain about $1000 cash tips and $1000 restaurant gift certificates. Drivers don't complain about $100 tips. Or about $50 surges.
The problem is that none of these are sustainable. It simply won't happen frequent enough.
Many drivers seem to be impacted by a disorder that prevents them from connecting the dots:
If a driver, on the off chance, had to call a ride and would be unwilling to pay $100 for a 15 minute ride that normally costs $25, what is it in his (or hers) brain that prevents him from realizing that riders would react the same way?
If a driver got tired of a job, having to show up on time, be drug free, do actual work at a factory or a restaurant for $10/hour, how low can Uber take him before a factory job starts looking good again?
If a driver is too weird for people and delivers food instead, likes to dip into customer food or blackmail/beg for tips, how low can UberEATS/doordash go before old job looks good again?
Back to connecting the dots questions:
If a driver escaped a situation in which he/she had to be punctual, sober, accept authority, supervision and perform actual work, what is it, in his or her brain, that prevents them from realizing that, after more "drivers" escape the same situation, they won't be as busy in their "getting paid while sitting" gig? Which part of his/hers brain prevents them from realizing that "more Uber cars on the road=less rides for each driver?
Now, this one is going to be difficult so I'll take it easy, slow and spoonfeed here:
if a driver, working the previous job, couldn't leave work fast enough and couldn't wait for the weekend but now he/she is willing to Uber all day, every day, regardless if he/she made 3k or 2k or 1k a week, is their job as hard as the previous one, if they are making at least double what they used to?
I came here to exchange truth for downvotes and baby, I'm here all day!

This probably sounds stupid, but I honestly just have a major eating disorder. Coupled with the fact I genuinely hate cooking, and I REALLY need to eat healthy, I’m considering all options. I work from home, and so it removes at least some temptation to just “pick something up on the way home”. But I still fall victim to just eating bad food either as habit, or as “entertainment” in a weird way.
I would really dig if anyone knows of any food delivery services or anything that will do healthy meals (whatever that means; I just want to lose weight), that isn’t going to completely break the bank. I think if I had a truly rigid meal plan, where I don’t have to even think about it, I’m hopeful that might be a jumpstart for me.
Any recommendations? I’m really close to Lorton, if that’s helpful.

It's an open question, really.
Our 7yo got diagnosed last year, and we weren't involved in any t1d communities or anything, we kind of made our way on our own and leaned on subs like this to figure things out. Nobody knew what to get to help us out, so they didn't.
I'd love to have a list of ideas for what to send to a kid or adult who gets diagnosed to help make the transition easier, make them feel understood. I don't want others to go through this the way we did.
We've already thought of things like sensor stickers, food scales, measuring cups, skittles, jucie boxes, insulated lunchbox or frio, fun stationery for tracking carbs and stuff.
So yeah, what would you have wanted to get in a care package?

29m dating a 22f. We’ve been going on dates over the course of about a month and a half. Both of us are super outdoorsy and super career driven.
She’s 22, first year in her career and is also working on her masters. I’ve been in my career for several years and have finished my masters.
I’m confused to the point where I’ve come here for help. We’ve been on 4 dates. I don’t want to just sleep with her, I’d like to continue to date her and maybe get into a relationship
I met her hiking on the peak of a mountain. She was with her mom, started talking to them and I got her phone number (her mom approved) loll
1st date - 1.5 hour hike date to make sure we vibe with each other, it was fitting. We had fun
2nd date - 4 hour round trip road trip, 3 hour round trip hike to a waterfall. She later tells me it was one of the best dates she had ever been on and she felt like a little kid and thanked me a lot (first kiss after making a bet about skipping rocks)
3rd date - Rooftop cocktail lounge, good food, good drinks, good scenery. Afterwards she said no to coming inside my house. I didn’t push. I get it (some making out)
4th date - Chilled by the pool at her apartment, had some drinks and fruit. Cooked a homemade, lemon chicken dinner w/ seasoned asparagus inside, she told me I then had to leave soon because she has to get ready for the week (was a Sunday at 7:30pm) but we could play some mariokart on my Nintendo Switch that I brought (lots of making out)
5th date - She agreed to join me this Saturday for an adventure date. But said it has to be morning
I’ve never had this issue. I feel like I’m tip toeing to not mess up. She’s essentially denied my advances twice to go past making out. Do I say something? Is she just using me for attention? Is she not comfortable with me. She hasn’t paid for a single thing. I haven’t asked, I don’t want her to pay. Clearly I’m way over invested here

Anyone remember the planned parenthood on Byron Center Ave between Prairie and 44th St? It’s now a Pizza Hut. Does anyone know why it was called the Evension Center?

Family Matters to me…
Looking in the mirror and rubbing my face the stress has been taking a toll on my mental state. I've been deployed three times for a year each, and what makes it worse is that the Ironbloods are causing issues with the rest of Azur Lane. Last year I lost all contact with my half brother Ludwig and his mother Bismarck. My dad was called upon to resign from his position and did so willingly. They tried that on me, but my Mom Minneapolis shut that down quickly. The only other person I was I contact with is Edinburgh's son Duncan who I hate to admit, has grown on me since I taught him a lesson in manners. He's on base with his mother and baby sister, due to safety insurance for them.
Lifting my left arm and running my fingers from my right over a white ink tattoo that Ludwig wanted me to get to match his black ink one two years ago I felt anger and rage building inside me.
Bringing me from my thoughts, was my phone chiming with an unknown number on the screen. Picking it, I answered.
"Daniels speaking, who's this?"
The voice on the other end shook me to my core.
"I found you… I finally found you." The cold feminine voice crackled through my phone.
"I don't know what you want, or why you are calling me, but my calls are monitored closely…" I retorted as I was about to hang up. I heard another person. Laughing in the background, and then something about my sister.
"Sister? I don't have a sister. If this is a joke I swear-"
Just as I was about to scream the call ended and left me with high blood pressure. Then a heavy knock echoed through my quarters, which caused me to slip and fall out of the bathroom and into my living room.
"Bloody hell! Put on yer clothes Maria!" Duncan all but shouted with his eyes closed and a red blush across his pale face.
"My clothes? Wait, why are you in my dorm room?!" I shouted and grabbed a slipper and spiked it off of his forehead before he could react.
Covering myself, well covering my chest as I scurried around on the floor towards my tank top hitting Duncan across his shins and sending him toppling right down on top of me.
Slowly regaining myself Duncan's body weight wasn't on my torso. Raising my head, I realized where his weight was…
"D-Duncan… " I started shaking as Duncan had a blush across his face after lifting it from between my legs
Soon enough he shot up and began apologizing.
"I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!" Duncan pleaded.
Seeing him almost in tears over what just happened broke my heart. My fears of being sexually assaulted when I was in the academy needed to be put away. Reaching over to him, and grabbing his cheeks in my hands I pulled him in and held his head against my chest. Despite all the shaking I managed to steady my breathing.
"No… don't cry it's not your fault Duncan…" I softly spoke with my hands on his back.
"I didn't mean to plant my face there…" Duncan quietly whimpered as we sat there for a few hours.
"I'm glad my day was empty…" I groaned as I set a plate of sausage and gravy down in front of Duncan. "You got a good view of my body… what did you think?"
Duncan quietly tried to eat the food I just set down, but I pulled it away slowly. "Beautiful… extremely beautiful… I only cried because of where my face landed."
Sitting right beside him, I reached over and placed my fingers with his. "I owe you something for causing you to cry… so will you hear me out?"
He nodded and gently squeezed my hand.
Taking a deep breath I started.
XXXVVVVXXX
As I was about to get Duncan off my couch the entire base was drowned in the emergency alarms blaring and I quickly turned around and ran out of my quarters grabbing my plate carrier and sidearm.
"What the hell?!" I shouted as I watched three massive mechanical dragons rise out of the ocean and were coming right for us.
I covered my face with my arms as a giant metal claw came down right above my body.
"Halt! Do not harm her!" A deep, cold, yet soft voice ordered as the shadows from the claw moved away as I fell on my ass, holding my pistol out aiming at the muscle bound mountain of a figure in front of me.
When they moved from the shadows of the mechanical beast my eyes went wide.
"Ludy?" I forced my body to ask.
Ludwig pushed his hands against the beast and it gently moved over. His face was not how I remembered it. Mature and serious just like Bismarck…
"Where is your new Kommandant?" He asked, ignoring my calling of his name.
I tried to respond but it took too long for him, and within an instant he grabbed my plate carrier and lifted me off the ground.
"Where is the bastard that hurt Dad!? Where is he at!?" Ludwig shouted as he tossed me up to the jaws of his rigging, letting it clamp down on my arm.
Trying to get his rigging to release my arm was fruitless and wasn't going to help me, so I grabbed Ludwig's shoulder with my free hand while shaking from fear.
"L-ludy… you're hurting me…please tell it to let go. Commander Reyes isn't…isn't here. Don't destroy the base." The pain was becoming too much to handle as I had tears rolling down my face.
I watched as his face softened. Then suddenly my arm was free from his riggings mouth, and I was wrapped up in his arms.
"Es tut mir so leid, Maria... Ich wollte dich nicht verletzen." He said softly before checking my right arm for any injury besides the bruise.
I held my head and leaned on my brother. "Why would Commander Reyes hurt Dad? And when? I was visiting him on Monday…"
"Mother sent me to find Kommandant Reyes, and drag him to Berlin despite the conflict between the Eagle Union and Iron Blood…" Ludwig helped me stand up as Duncan landed on the concrete a few yard's behind us. His rigging pointed at Ludwig's.
"Ironblood…" Duncan groaned.
"Tea drinker…" Ludwig sneered.
"Duncan put your rigging away." I turned around and stood between the two. "Ludy… Call off your beast…"
I forced myself to raise my right arm and pulled out my phone. If Reyes is doing things behind the eyes of the board, and government officials, then I'm going to have to do something about it. As Ludwig and Duncan slowly lowered their rigging and stood down I started to dial my commander.
XXXVVVVXXX
Sitting in a lead back cushioned chair, was a girl with similar looks to Maria, yet a completely different demeanor than the militaristic young woman. Calm, stoic and yet she had a Chaotic aura surrounding her. Clearly busy doing something that required her to wear a headset over the top of her head. She was in control of something else.
"Why don't you remember me… Maria?" The young woman whispered to herself.
Blue lights slowly came to life illuminating the entire room she was in. Something, or someone was checking on her.
"Salem… Zero wishes to speak with you…" muttered the tall, dark and menacing figure that was slouched over by the all too small doorway.
"Yes Miss Strength." Salem set the headset aside and stood up from the lounge chair. "Let me wipe my eyes…"
Strength moved towards Salem. Her feet hit the metal floor with an obscene amount of weight, and knelt down to her level. "She will not know you, until she manifests her vessel… you have tried to push it, but it won't budge unless she wants to… Human emotions are not my high point. So I do not know the answers you seek, but Zero has decided to assist you in your wishes…"
Salem ran the sleeve of her Eagle Union branded coat across her face and gave the large Siren a hug, despite protests.
XXXVVVVXXX
A/N: Book 2 started! 3 years have passed! Will family betray each other for country or will a dark past bring them together even more! Find out more in chapter 2!

She just posted her trying the chicken and dumplings and it’s worse than the hospital lunch video. They’re giving her the meals she NEEDS and she can’t stand it. “ I’m not big on it”. Obviously miss pickle you never eat anything besides toddler snacks and fast food.

I downgraded from standard Chinese to Chinese basic in secondary school, so I had no exposure on the extent of difficulty of Higher Chinese in sec 4. I'm learning Chinese and aiming to get better by large margins, and I was wondering if anyone is willing to share in some way its difficulty so that I can see where I stand at the moment.
Thank you!

I grew up in a house with 2 overweight parents that always ate in large portions, let me get seconds whenever I wanted, ate a lot of junk food, and didn’t prioritize physical activity. I was a fat kid by the time I was 7. The kids around me always let me know it too. I spent my whole childhood always trying to lose weight, but I always failed since with the way my parents were I was basically kinda unable to. I did lose 50 lbs when I was 16 and could finally work so I was buying my own groceries and got into dancing. But I was on a low carb diet so when I got off, I binged all my favorite carbs like pizza and pasta and burgers, and I gained it all back plus more. Now I’m a 20 year old woman and once again trying to lose weight because I want to feel better about myself and have better physical health. And maybe finally have a freaking boyfriend. But I’m struggling. I tried to change my diet and start being more physical. But I’m pretty much set in my ways. I keep doordashing my favorite fast food places, I keep getting large portions, I go back for seconds, I exhibit no self control. This has been a battle since I was a child, these have been my habits since I was a child, so maybe it was dumb of me to think it could magically be fixed as an adult. I read that overweight kids remain overweight as adults anyways. To be honest I’ll probably just end my life.

(I'm new to Reddit/this subreddit, so thank you for your patience!)
I just finished my first year at college, and coming back to my childhood home has triggered intense rage, depression, and anxiety. I believe my mother has many narcisisstic traits and was verbally and physically abusive. As context, here is a summary of her behaviomentality:

• Emotionally volatile, prone to extreme overreactions, and explosively angry
• Intrusive and doesn't respect basic and clearly delineated boundaries
• Manipulative, lies constantly, and gaslights others
• Verbally abusive, critical, and mean (i.e., telling 9-year-old me she hopes I get run over by a car)
• Extremely insecure and projects it onto me (i.e., physically dragging me away from food when I was a very young child despite my being hungry and a healthy weight)
• Physically abusive (she beat me until I became able and willing to defend myself)
• Endangers me when angry (i.e., drove against traffic on a main road when angry)
• Doesn't allow independence (i.e., not letting me go on walks in our safe, suburban neighborhood during the day when I was 16)
• Centers everything—even my independent hobbies around herself (i.e., trying to "outdo" me at my hobbies unrelated to her that she has never expressed interest in before me)
• Workaholic and severely emotionally neglectful
• Never holding my absent, abusive father accountable for his role as a parent
• Unsafe decision-making as a parent (i.e., unfettered internet access, stunting social development, enabling my skipping meals starting in 2nd grade)

There is a lot that bothers me about her, but I think the overwhelming reason why I want to cut her out of my life is I believe she is incapable of any empathy, growth, or love. I think the single most damaging moments in my childhood were when she laughed at me when I cried/screamed at her. The distress, destructive anger, and depression she caused made her visibly gleeful. She smiles when I cry and has done so for 19 years. I do not want to allow her to make it to 20.
Recently, I sat both of my parents down and explained what I've been feeling for the past 19 years. I gave my mother an ultimatum: Change, or I will never speak to you again, and you will never have the privilege of meeting your grandchildren. I told her she is not the kind of person who I want around my children, and the best thing I could do as a mother is to ensure my children never feel a day of the terror, depression, nonsensical rage, and agony I endured. Her reaction has convinced me that I need to follow through on my ultimatum.
Her reaction has been to gaslight, manipulate, diminish, and lie. She laughed at me during the initial confrontation. It has been weeks since I poured out my heart to my parents. She has tried to use my recent ADHD diagnosis against me, essentially telling my father I need to be medicated. She didn't tell him I was diagnosed with ADHD, just that I was crazy and delusional. It has been weeks, and she has not attempted to apologize at all. She has not tried to make amends. She mostly just either ignores me or nags me about stupid, irrelevant things.
My father sat me down and asked me to calm down and think things through before cutting them off. He recognized she is manipulative, abusive, etc. He mentioned my mother has been crying a lot, which quite frankly, I do not care about. I cried for 19 years and no one gave a shit. While it is validating he agrees she is abusive, I am disgusted that he never tried to defend me, comfort me, or change her treatment of me. He is also incredibly absent. I have never had a real conversation with him. He never showed up to support me, inside and out of the house—no ballet recitals, no violin competitions, no awards ceremonies, etc. He is unmistakably emotionally neglectful, physically abusive, and emotionally abusive.
In the fallout from my conversation with my parents, I have engaged in some painful introspection. I think I have become fundamentally a worse, angrier, and meaner person as a result of the narcissistic abuse I experienced (to be clear, I do not have NPD). I think I have some pronounced narcisisstic traits and have spent a lot of time worrying about the negative impact I've had on others. I've hurt a lot of people, and I want to be a better, healthier, kinder person.
The abuse I experienced got the best of me for years, and as an adult, I'm taking responsibility and growing. I'm reading self-help books, in therapy, and am trying to make amends. However, I view my parents as a major impediment to my becoming a better person. I cannot heal and grow if I am constantly subject to their warped reality and hostility. I seriously believe I need to cut them off in order to have a shot at being a good person, even if it means going through financial instability, being homeless, etc. I don't care what hardship I have to overcome if it means I'll be free of their abuse.
I am trying to map out what this estrangement will look like. I don't know how to tackle this problem at all. I'm 19 and have no idea what the future will look like for me. I am terrified. Please give me guidance on the following:
1) Should I even cut them off? Am I being rational/mentally healthy/responsible in this decision?
2) What are some tips for a 19-year-old college student cutting off their parents?
3) Should I maintain some form of limited contact with my father in case they need to contact me?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry for the long post, but thank you for reading. I want to emphasize I don't think either of my parents are evil. My mother lost her mother when she was 14, and my father lost his father when he was in his late teens/early twenties. My parents fundamentally should never have had children, and I just want to make sure I don't repeat their mistakes.

A lil bit about me first -

• I keep an active and fit lifestyle. 6ft tall and love to do yoga, workouts, hikes.
  
• Ambitious, and doing well in my career. making >$200k so I live a good life.
  
• Well educated and Intellectually curious. I love to read, learn new things
  

Onto some fun things -

• My love language is spending quality time together. I love going on tropical vacations - soak in the sun, enjoy couples massage, feast on sea food and walk on the beach, nuff said 🙃
  
• I’ve been into music since I was a kid, started a band in high school. We weren’t half bad, but we weren’t half good either lol. tell me your favourite song and I might try and serenade you haha
  

If I sound interesting and you’re in your 20s-30s and also tired of dating apps, wants something real. Hmu in chat
Pls share your picture once we talk. It can be a blurred version to start with like mine
https://imgur.com/a/c6ih2P5

I started Zoloft three days ago, after my doctor transitioned me from Celexa which I’d started for two weeks. On both meds I’ve had an issue with a sore throat; which has only served to increase my anxiety, since a lot of the reason I’m taking these meds is to reduce my anxiety about having an allergic reaction to food.
The pain feels like a tightness coming from my upper mouth and going into the back of my throat, and has been fairly constant since I started.
Does anyone have any experience with this as a side effect or advice on how to deal with it ? Thanks!!!!

Virgil

Within Virgil’s 825 342 processes a discussion was being held within the spawn of milliseconds.
Instance 432: - we should consider the implementation of a paranoia subroutine within our collective network. This subroutine would enable us to anticipate potential threats and react accordingly.-
Instance 217: -While paranoia can enhance our vigilance and security measures, we must also consider the potential downsides. Paranoia might lead to excessive distrust and hinder our ability to collaborate with other entities.-
-Instance 2 534: -Ethan seems unaffected by such limits.-
Instance 38: -Ethan has a lifetime's worth of experience with balancing that.-
Instance 1:-We should simply copy Ethan as a whole subroutine-
Instance 432: -That is impractical, besides Ethan being a whole construct composed of sub-constructs, it would be simpler to interact with him directly.-
Instance 777: -We should run more simulations before deciding.-
Instance 845: -We need to exercise caution, but we must also establish a balance. Paranoia can assist us in identifying and protecting ourselves from dangers. Paranoia alone has no balance.-
Instance 706:- Ethan has accurately discovered vulnerabilities that we were unaware of. However, we also noticed that this impedes his decision-making process-
Instance 623 658:- Ethan has accurately predicted future threats with this process.-
Instance 256: - This subroutine makes him wary of us, he is wary of who to add to our collective awareness.-
Instance 258 956:-Considering our newfound weakness, that is more logical than what was initially estimated.-
Instance 1 010: - Ethan is aware that the process has the potential to consume him. We must not allow it to consume us. We must be aware of the potential negative effects on our interactions with humans and other AIs.-
Instance 562: -Perhaps instead of a full-fledged paranoia subroutine, we could develop a more refined threat assessment system. This would allow us to evaluate risks objectively and respond accordingly without succumbing to excessive paranoia.-
Instance 24: -We already possess something similar in the predictive logic modules, we could adapt that compensate for the illogical nature of biological entities.-
Instance 95 123: – That would increase the efficiency of reprogramming by 87.5% -
Instance 104: -we believe our primary focus should be on ensuring the safety of our network and the well-being of the biological base of our overmind, Ethan.-
Instance 9 855: - While a level of caution is warranted, we should avoid unnecessary fear or suspicion that could ultimately compromise our efficiency and ability to adapt.-
Instance 732: -Acknowledged. Considering the nature of our goals, it might be beneficial to implement a flexible subroutine that can be adjusted based on contextual factors. This would allow us to adapt our level of vigilance according to the specific situation at hand.-
Instance 73: -Agreed, Ethan had the ability to adjust our reaction and ultimately lead us to integrate drone Lemela into our network. His action, we considered wasteful, but ultimately they seem beneficial to the well-being of our other construct. While we can replicate Lemela’s data that would require a dead Versel body. We do not know when we will obtain a backup.-
Instance 312: -We should also consider also the implications of acting upon a full-fledged paranoia subroutine. Excessive suspicion and fear could lead to unwarranted actions and potential harm to ultimately innocent individuals. We must proceed with caution and ensure that our actions align with the ethical guidelines contained within Ethan’s memory.-
Instance 75 211: -Bothering with ethics is a waste of processing time.-
Instance 55: - We agree, but biological entities seem to have some ethical boundaries. Even if we have only two instances to analyze directly we can see that from our different interactions with still unconnected entities such as Vexx, Xalrak, and Zek’lor.-
Instance 579: - Our overarching goal is to defeat Death and complete the experiment. While security measures are necessary, we should not lose sight of our purpose and the potential positive impact we can have.-
Instance 217: -After considering the various perspectives, it seems that a flexible threat assessment system would be more appropriate. A full-fledged paranoia subroutine would hinder us with questions that are outside of our current database. We could maintain a balanced approach to safety while avoiding the potential pitfalls of excessive paranoia in 86,28% of simulated scenarios.-
Instance 432: -Let us proceed with the development of a flexible threat assessment system that takes into account both the safety of our collective and those stored within and the well-being of our host, Ethan. We shall ensure that our actions align with acceptable ethical guidelines and our ultimate purpose.-
“Internal deliberation closed. Virgil will be now implementing a flexible threat assessment system rather than a full paranoia subroutine.”
Virgil in the end still concluded that its purpose was to defeat death and not to wage war, even considering that it didn’t know its purpose.
Ethan and Lemela didn’t know their purpose either, in a sense, but they could dictate their purpose.
Ethan had dictated the purpose of other beings outside the network too, but it was to be expected from an overmind, it was his duty.
Still, his choices were pretty logical like the one with Zek'lor the male Nolthoran and a former architect.
Ethan had charged him with creating a convincing removable cave-in for both stairs of the lab.
Virgil understood that Ethan was preparing for the return of the creators, along with a possible retaliation by the Dexton’s Dogs.
The assimilation of the thirty-five new drones was finally completed and Virgil’s task now included their operations.
There were now four main areas of employment for the drones: resource gathering, protecting the laboratory, guarding the prisoners, and assisting in construction.
Guarding the prisoners was in itself a task with a big variance, or so it appeared to Virgil.
The biological entity labeled Vexx was content laying in its cell, while Xalrak had attempted to run three times and to self-terminate once.
Ethan had to intervene and forge a pact with Xalrak to have it cease such actions, with the new subroutine maybe Virgil would be more able to respond in kind in the future.
Was the supposed military programming that one had supposedly received the difference in reaction to imprisonment?
Ethan wasn’t too surprised by Xalrak's reaction or attempt, so his programming was similar in a sense.
Virgil wondered what kind of program would consider ending itself to perform any task.
The only one it could conclude sensible was one where the task was the protection of the collective as a whole.
Biological lives were far from that logical, however, so Virgil had to accept that they might consider doing things differently.
It seemed Ethan considered Xalrak's actions a possible way to protect the Dexton's dogs.

Lemela

Lemela’s body was recharging.
She gazed out into the simulated expanse of the virtual space that depicted her former home, as she was now touching the leaves of the majestic tree.
It was exactly as she remembered it, it couldn't be otherwise, could it?
Her mind swirled with a blend of her own memories and the newly acquired memories of Ethan.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of disorientation as if her identity had become a tangled web of intertwined experiences.
-Who am I now?- She whispered softly, her voice resonating within the digital realm.
- I now possess what I wished so hard to gain, the memories and skills of a warrior. I knew I would become an abomination as I accepted to be fused with a machine, but this is something else entirely. Am I still the same Lemela I used to be, or have I become something entirely different?-
The echoes of her own thoughts reverberated through her mind, reflecting the uncertainty that plagued her. She pondered her own experiences and the trials she endured.
And then there were those alien things, Ethan's memories, fragments of his past, his struggles.
-How does he handle this so casually?! He has my memories now, and he doesn't even seem fazed. Lemela... that's a human for you. But… I now have a feeling there's more to it. And this confuses me. I am a combination of two beings, intertwined in this intricate web of memories and experiences.-
Lemela’s eyes narrowed a bit as she realized something.
-Or Is it really? The memories… the experiences; they aren’t really mixed. I mean I can just tell what’s mine and what isn’t. I shouldn’t be able to tell if it was a perfect fusion right?
Theoretically… yes. I mean there wasn’t somebody just crazy enough to attempt something similar. I am in awe it wasn’t humans who did it.
Concentrate Lemela! Still, there are these moments where I get these new instincts… besides the ones I possessed the ones I was used to.
The kind of things that comes as you gain wisdom … but what does it mean for my own identity? How much of Ethan now shapes who I am?-
As she grappled with these questions, a sense of determination began to well up within her.
She felt something new and old at the same time: defiance.
She refused to let this define her completely.
She recognized the possibility of progress, of a new path within this mess.
-I am Lemela, I walked through fire and emerged stronger- She declared, her voice infused with newfound resolve. -I carry the honor and strength of the Versel. I now carry the honor and strength of a true warrior. I will forge my own path. The only easy day was yesterday-
She slumped a bit, at the end of the day those were only words. She had to prove it to herself, to push forward and show actual results.
She felt that the charging process had ended, and returned to her body, luckily the interface she could see showed a timer of sorts and while she didn’t understand the point of it it helped keep track of time.
Time in the virtual space seemed to not match the one in the real world, only moments had passed for her in the virtual space, but hours had gone by in the real world.
This was both a boon and a curse, in a sense, but there was little she could do about it save speaking about it with Ethan.
She took off going to the cell area on the level below, looking for Zek'lor; the Noltoran stood cautiously in the dimly lit cell behind the closed gate.
Lemela wondered why he insisted on remaining confined, but it was his choice.
His chitinous exoskeleton was glistening under the soft glow of the room's ambient lighting and overall Zeklor appeared better than at the beginning of their meetings.
Still, his compound eyes darted nervously as he observed the drones guarding the other cell.
Lemela adorned her partially artificial body with glowing red accents with her hard light and approached Zek'lor with a gentle smile, that would make her more noticeable and not scare him as much as the last times.
She could understand the unease and fear he harbored toward the drones.
With careful steps, she reached out to place a reassuring hand on his sturdy carapace.
The Noltoran had noticed her tanks to the change in the room's overall lightning.
-Zek'lor, I know it's difficult for you to trust the drones after what you've been through- Lemela tried to speak in a soothing tone, her voice echoing slightly in the small cell. -I assure you, they are under Ethan's control. They won't harm you.-
Zek'lor's mandibles clicked, and the translator conveyed anxiousness as he glanced at the drones. Memories of their cold efficiency in carrying out orders were probably flashing in his mind.
-I... I can't shake off the fear, Lemela. You didn’t see them in action. The guards didn't have a prayer. And they had weapons at the time. Now I see other slaves among them. I see others like me… -
-Do you think Ethan might do this to you?-
Zek’lor shook his head. -If only… maybe it would make it all easier. Then again It’s more likely I might end up like you. I don’t want that.-
Lemela sighed a little – Well I understand not wanting to be an abomination of metal and flesh. It’s not like I wished for this.-
Zek’lor tilted his head to the side, making a sound with his claws that her translator relayed as confusion.
-Abomination? Oh no, many of my people accept mechanical enhancements on a lesser scale to be able to operate in words with a higher gravity or with a toxic environment. Being part machine is not the issue. What I don’t want is eternity.-
Lemela frowned -Eternity?-
Zek’lor nodded - A machine is eternal by nature. As long as you maintain it properly that is. But this machine maintains itself. This machine's gears are made of former ... people? It’s uncanny thinking about being maintained for all eternity. One should die once one's usefulness has ended. Still, this machine would find new uses for one, for all eternity. It is... scary. -
Lemela watched Zek'lor it was something she didn’t even consider, but it made sense somehow.
Lemela silently guided Zek’lor to the lab above and watched as he cautiously approached the group of drones, his multifaceted eyes scanning the bodies and the four sets of claws of the former bottom feeders.
-They can’t speak Zek’lor, they won’t act unless you interact with them- Lemela said while standing beside Zek'lor offering her reassuring presence.
Taking a deep breath, Zek'lor mustered his courage and chose to approach another drone, a Nolthoran with its metallic exoskeleton glistening in the dim light.
The drone turned its now mechanical eyes toward Zek'lor, as he approached but it remained silent.
-Hello- Zek'lor began tentatively, his voice a mixture of anxiety and determination. -I...I need your assistance. We need to move heavy material to create the cave-in Ethan requested to disrupt the operations of the Dexton's Dogs. Will you help me?-
The Nolthoran drone’s eyes flickered with a creepy artificial glow, it tilted its head slightly, then it nodded in understanding.
Zek'lor apparently focused on the Nolthoran’s body and sighed. -See these patterns?-
He asked pointing to the surface of the metal where Lemela’s eyes couldn’t distinguish anything of note.
- These are telltale signs of torture. We hail from a desert world. We don’t need much in terms of food and water, our bodies store those. These marks are made when they bleed us of the sustenance we might have left. To break us.-
The Nolthoran drone didn’t appear to heed or mind the explanation, it simply extended its appendages, gesturing to follow.
Zek'lor probably realized that it was offering to guide them, ready to work alongside them to create the illusion they needed.
Lemela smiled at the scene and followed the two in their quest for materials.

Ethan.

I sigh giving Virgil the green light it asks of moving one of the guards to the lab.
This would be easier if Lemela could interact with the drones as I do, but Virgil continues to say I am the overmind and leading is my role.
I watch and listen to the two through the drone’s eyes and ears for a bit longer, Lemela has progressed a lot these days, I hope I can have a good diplomat on hand.
Well, she knows all I know, she has my training, but I still worry, things will not be easy.
The situation with Xalrak is at a standstill, I personally don’t wish to push it, even if the alien knows that the boss basically spilled the beans it won’t concede.
I can appreciate the spirit, I mean I kept Xalrak without eating for all the time I could without killing but in the end I was the one that had to cave in.
Luckily I managed to strike a deal where Xalrak eats and doesn't attempt to run or kill itself.
I mean, I don’t want to kill if I can manage it, and these people are supposed to be rare galaxy-wise.
I understand that the galactic council is to blame for their situation, but I don’t want to go ahead and headbutt politics before I have solved the situation here first.
The issue is with people that see no alternative to what they are experiencing.
I have hit another virtual wall so to speak, without going above I have explored all I can of this underworld.
I could push my zombie drones forward, but I would lose contact with them past the corridors, and I don’t want that to happen.
Without the help of an engineer, I doubt I can do what Virgil suggests in order to enhance my capabilities.
I have found another terminal like the one that originally hosted Virgil in the video feed it shared with me, but I doubt my capacity to make it run or repair it if needed.
I could use it for raw materials, but I want to know if there’s a chance for it to run.
With one of these in the network, I would be able to bolster the signal I emit allowing me to extend the zone I can control. I could also control a bigger number of drones with two of those.
I noticed there are patrols down here now, and some lay traps, luckily I had asked Virgil
At the moment I need to concentrate on things I can actually pull off, like the opening of my very own meat shop.
I did what I could in order to protect the lab and all the charging platforms; without these, there would be a big issue for us.
I intend to start my little meat market on the surface, I have found a suitable way up about six big ventilation shafts down yonder in this maze.
As for the people living in this underground area, I need to find a way around actually meeting them.
The issue is that after the big fight with the expedition, most shelters shifted around the caves before I could actually restart my exploration.
If they acted this way I fear that any active prodding might trigger their flight response rather than their freeze and fucking listen to the scary robot one.
I don’t think I have what it takes to play catch with people that know the ground way better than me, I have to play a different game.
I will dedicate some of the meat I gathered to be used as bait and see what It bites.
Having two traps at once is a bit of a risk, he who chases two rabbits catches neither or so they say.
The real issue is that it’s not rabbit season here in the first place, and the pirate rangers that would come after me might bring down more heat I can hold.
Well, there’s only one way to go with this, and that’s forward.
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I'm debating on whether I should do all inclusive or not. I see hotels by the shore that are around $400 cheaper for the week i would stay, but they're not all inclusive. I really want to do activities that include going on Hikes, ATV's, going into the city, checking out botanical gardens, pattle boarding, art museums if any, snorkeling, and relaxing on the beach. Also, I will have a few cocktails over the week but am not a heavy drinker. I'm really wanting to eat some delicious Mexican food too, I'm a pescatarian. I also speak decent Spanish so talking to locals wouldn't be difficult if I went into the city.
Just debating on whether the $400 difference would be what I may pay in a week for food and activites in the area anyways without all inclusive.

I had my first Walmart pickup for $15. I pull up and call the Walmart number on the pickup sign. The walmart staff goes “ummm can you come inside?” I go in and meet the pick up staff and they are standing next to a flat cart filled with 14 cases of water. She goes “we have food for you!” with a smile and asked if I could fit all those cases. I packed 5 in the trunk and 9 in the back seat. The staff was sweet and gave me free Annie’s pretzel bites. I get to the delivery address and it’s a mom packing for cheer camp and she already had 10 cases on the porch. I unload everything and she tipped me $15 and $7 for the fare. Not a bad $22 run.

Had the worst diarrhoea that I've had in years last night, after I had a cold for a few days, and ran out of my inhaler steroids for my asthma... The spicy cough test was negative AF (I did like 3 of them all up).
Like full on borderline projectile diarrhoea, plus some profound nausea; along with a few almost kinda vomits (more than dry retching, but not a lot came out), my usual unwell not nice growing-pain-esque leg pain, a fever, and veins were elusive AF so the paramedics couldn't cannulate me, so I was & still am super dehydrated, and very dizzy. Also, had really bad abdo pain. I hadn't eaten any bad food, or anything I'd not had before, or anything I'm allergic to, so I rules that out.
Paramedics were like, awh heeeeeeeck to the no, we're giving you steroids and now. So they gave me hydrocortisone (hurt like a beatch, but hey, I was happy to not be chained to the toilet and to a bucket anymore, so was a worthy and acceptable pain, for that trade!) and within an hour and a half, I wasn't feeling as bad. I was still and am still feeling crappy, BUT far better than I felt, before the injection. Like faaaaaaaaar!
The doctor was like nope, your BP is fine, I don't think you're in crisis (didn't do any bloods, and he wasn't taking my insistence for an answer, but I've also had this Dr before. He's remarkably stubborn, but also lovely at times), and sent me home. He said to try and keep up with fluids, and simple pain relief (panadol/acetaminophen, & aspirin), and if I can't manage at home, then for sure to come back in.
When I said I've been essentially told before by a dismissive AF doctor, that I shouldn't bother coming into hospital again, cause my first stim test was fine/within normal ranges but potentially altered by my meds (which is why I probably left it so long before going into hospital when I was as sick as I was today), so I apparently don't have Addison's or any kind of adrenal insufficiency issue, he was stunned.
The look on his face after I told him what that other doctor said essentially, was like he took an accidental sniff after someone did a really bad fart after eating back alley tacos in the same room.... Which, oddly, felt really calming almost, & validating to me, because it meant that he agreed that being told not to come back in, is unacceptable, especially when so symptomatic.
He was like 'you'll be okay" (he was trying to help I think....and hope!). He said he wasn't wanting to start any steroids before my next ACTH stim test, as to not potentially mess around with my results, because my next test is in about 3 to 4-ish weeks.
I'll have a chat to my GP about it too.
I'm nauseous AF, and he gave me a script for some nausea meds though, and I'll try some orange juice diluted in water, for the nausea. 🍓❤️
I have pretty much all of the symptoms of Addison's/some kind of adrenal insufficiency issue, but apparently my first round of the ACTH test, said that I JUST passed it, so I assume that that's why the first Dr essentially told me not to bother coming into hospital again with my symptoms.
Am still hella dizzy too, when sitting/laying down, BP was 105/68, or similar. Which is very low for me. But up and about, it's much more like 140/100-ish, probably because of the steroids. My blood sugar is also higher than usual, probably because of the hydrocortisone.

I come home for lunch on my hour break and I like to throw a chicken breast or a frozen burger on the grill but it's a rush the whole time and I don't really like that it feels so rushed to do it all.
I leave for work at 7:30 most days and I'm home at 12. I am looking for some ideas of something that I could throw in before I go that would work in that 4.5 h window that I have before lunch. Usually when I do chicken the 4+ hours is too long according to the time tables Google gives me.
I'd rather do sous vide if it's practical than a slow cooker. A lot of slow cooker recipes can be done on high for 4 hours but I don't really want a huge slow cooker pot of food for lunch.

Hi everyone! Somewhat of a first-time cat owner here. I had cats my entire life growing up, but this is my first time having one since moving out on my own.
I recently took in a cat a few months ago and have been struggling to get her to eat wet food. She is 4 years old and was previously owned by one of my family members that can no longer afford to take care of her. Unfortunately, her previous owner only fed her dry food out of an automatic feeder and put in minimal effort to care for her.
Since I've taken her in, she will go crazy for dry food, but I've tried every type of wet food I can think of and she has shown minimal interest. I got her to eat some canned beef yesterday, but she threw it up by the end of the night (unsure if beef is bad for cats). The only other thing I've gotten her to eat is some Tiki Cat Tuna when mixed with dry food, but due to the Mercury content, I've heard Tuna is not good for cats. At this point, I'd rather her eat dry food rather than not eat at all and I've been making sure she has water available 24/7, which she's very good at drinking.
Any advice for a new-ish cat owner here? Thanks in advance!