Ms natural from zeus

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15
Memory transcription subject: Salvek, Human-Venlil Exchange Program Candidate
Date [standardized human time]: September 3, 2136
I hate banks. Or, more specifically, I hate the United Banking Service. I've never really used another bank, on account of my mother signing me up for a twenty-five year family plan for a cash bonus that never came (it was twenty-five thousand credits, I can't really blame her) but that just makes me hate this one more.
The fat, lazy Gojid on the other side of the bulletproof glass teller window tapped away at his keyboard in order to process my application for a loan. Above him I saw the UBS logo and motto: "Speed, Security, Success." All a load of vyalpic if you ask me. (I will die of old age before this loan ever comes through)
"Sooooo....." Thank the Herd, he was finally talking. I was worried his fat ass had a heart attack and died with how little moving he did. "Your credit score issss....." Oh Protector, just spit it out already! Now I get why predators have such violent impulses. (What if I can't control mine? What if we're worse than them?)
Brahk my intrusive thoughts. How does Jack control his so well? I resolved to ask him when my loan got processed, assuming neither of us starved to death in the meantime. (Speed, security, and success this dick)
"Seven hundred and ninety." Oh, thank Inatala. (Inatala hates predators, can I still say that with one as my best friend?) Venlil credit scores go from zero, being applied to people who took out million-credit loans and blew all the money on gear to unsuccessfully rob the bank they got the loan from, to one thousand, which went to those who panicked over a two credit overdrawn balance and had a heart attack whenever they were a week away from a loan's due date and it still wasn't paid.
Seven hundred and ninety was above average, since my parents had always taught me to manage my finances well, but only slightly above average since Jack's presence and the constant racism that came with it were more trouble than the government stipend was worth. (I would never send him back home, he's better to me than many Venlil)
I thanked the Gojid with sincerity that I meant none of, and asked "Is my loan approved?"
He told me "Yes, it's been approved at..." Oh Herd, not this again. How do his coworkers interact with him? "5% quarterly interest." That's not even bad. (Five percent might be a robbery, but for UBS banks it's decent) "You'll have six months to pay it off in full... or the interest will double every quarter." (Somebody should disband the United Banking Service)
I agreed to these terms, since they were the best I was going to get, and left without another word. Eight thousand Federation credits had just entered my bank account, making me a very rich man. (Not really, but it was the most I'd ever had)
Jack was sitting on a bench outside the UBS building tapping away on his pad. A more skittish Venlil would have assumed that he was plotting something or bathing in the virtual blood of his prey, but I knew better than to assume the game he was playing was predatory.
Never mind, it was absolutely predatory. An army of huge winged beasts descended on what looked like a walled fortress in the middle of a hellish landscape, and lightning rained down from the skies at Jack's command to pick apart what I assumed were strategic defenses. (He might not actively do predator things, but he is excellent at them)
Within thirty ticks of the timer at the top of the screen, the beasts were above the fortress raining destruction on whatever they pleased. A few soldiers ran out of a building near the center of the base, attacking Jack's army, but they were quickly dealt with. Without the defenses that were destroyed by what I assumed was orbital bombardment, the base was helpless against the conquering predator.
A chill ran down my spine as I saw the defenders being slaughtered. A Venlil general or admiral (there were actually surprisingly many when compared to the rest of our military) could accomplish such results but those types of Venlil were very few and often had mild cases of Predator Disease. (That needs a new name. Maybe Arxur disease? No, too scary)
Seeing an average human, whose only military experience was four years serving on a war boat (They still have a boat military? Herd, those predators love their weapons) complete what many Federation officers would struggle to do terrified me for good reason.
We Venlil had treated Humans like they weren't even sapient, just dirt or pests that we had to tolerate. And the rest of the Federation treated them even worse. What if they decided peace wasn't worth it? What if, in our fear of the Arxur, we unleashed a threat worse than them? (Could Jack spare me from a human cattle farm? I'd have to kill myself if he couldn't)
Venlil Prime would be the first world to fall. We'd all die of our own hubris.
"Hell!" Jack turned his pad down so I couldn't look over his shoulder anymore. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Why did he have to be sorry for everything? The way my species, my Federation, treated him and his kind always angered me.
I told him "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault your hobbies are so... you know." I didn't like using the word "predator". At least, not to describe humans. Jack was cool with me using it as long as it wasn't in a derogatory way, (since they are predators) but it just reminded me of how unjustly he and his kind were treated.
Jack clearly didn't listen when I said not to be sorry because he kept apologizing. "Yeah, but it's not your fault you're so damn skittish either. And it is my fault I played Clash... I mean the game here. I should've known better." Herd, why did he never stand up for himself? The exterminators can't be that bad!
I explained to him "You don't have to apologize, Jack. You never meant to scare anyone." and before he could keep apologizing (I know him too well to think he wouldn't) I changed the subject. "We have money at our disposal now, we can buy something from the Mellow Firefruit on our way to the train station."
Jack agreed, but he was worried about "spacists". (Oh Herd, has he lost it?) I asked "What in the Arbor is a spacist?" In case you don't know, the Arbor is where followers of the Great Protector go when they die. It's a huge forest with plentiful and delicious food, and no predators.
When I finally mustered up my courage and told Jack that the god I worship hates his kind, I was half expecting to die horribly by his unusually short claws or extremely dull fangs. (Are they so peaceful because of their lack of natural weapons, or do they lack natural weapons because they're so peaceful? I should ask Jack that)
Instead, he shrugged it off and told me that, apparently, "Jesus still solos." When I explained the Arbor at his request, he had the brilliant idea to convert to worshiping the Protector and then kill himself in order to appear there and scare the afterlife out of everyone else. He quickly and profusely explained that he would never actually do that, but Inatala would never have accepted him anyway so it didn't matter.
Anyway, back to real life. Jack told me "Oh, spacists? They're just space racists except I mushed the two words together. It's a play on words type thing." The words 'space' and 'racists' do not fit together in Venlilese, and frankly, I was astounded that the translator even gave me the concept. (I bought it second-hand from a Mazic who stepped on it one too many times, but it was incredibly cheap)
I told him "If you told anyone but me that the words 'space' and 'racists' fit together then you would be screened for Predator Disease." and he covered his mouth in the gesture that was universally recognized as a prey-safe predator's laugh.
"God, sometimes I forget you guys have a sense of humor."
Just then, I started walking. I was tired, like any Venlil would be after a long walk, a long wait in line and the anticipation of another long walk, but the thought of the sweet, delicious food at the Mellow Firefruit kept me going. (I have to get Jack some, he's been underrating Venlil cuisine ever since he first tried my subpar cooking)
Jack fell in behind me, then he moved up to be at my side as an equal. Us Venlil didn't care where you were in line, but I guess predators have different priorities. (Is thinking 'predator' as bad as saying it? That's a dilemma I need to deal with later) I asked him "How come your claws and... uh... those pointy front teeth are so small?" (I don't like talking about fangs, sue me)
Jack turned to look at me, jerked his head away a little, then he turned and looked at me again. He responded to my question, realized I was a Venlil, and realized I was Salvek, in that order. I was good at reading people. He told me "First of all, they're called nails and canines. And second of all, we've never needed claws so they never evolved." A predator never needing claws was absurd! When would Jack learn that he didn't have to lie to me?
I interrupted my friend's explanation by telling him "Jack, I'm not going to run away or faint just because you tell me that ancient humans hunted. I get it. Just tell me how you lost your claws."
Jack sighed. He didn't sigh a lot, only when he was driven to the end of his very long rope (Turns out that's a human idiom too! Who knew?) by someone else's, usually my, stupidity. "Salvek, we didn't lose them. We evolved to eat fruit from trees, and by the time we were eating meat we had at least developed the art of throwing rocks at things. There was never any need for them, and they never appeared as a result. Satisfied?"
Developing weapons early on did make sense for humans, given how good they are at combat, so I nodded. It wasn't really a Venlil expression, but those in the exchange program had learned everything they could about their human partners. (I'm saying human instead of predator! Progress!) "Yeah, that makes sense."
Jack continued, explaining about human 'canines'. We just called them fangs. "Canines were originally fangs, yeah," He lowered his voice when he mentioned fangs. "but when we made fire around a million years ago, we didn't need them anymore and so they got smaller. I'm no expert, but that's what I know."
That actually made sense. I knew the Arxur didn't eat cooked meat, since I found uncensored raid footage on an internet rabbit hole when I was fourteen, (I peed myself and had nightmares for weeks but no one has to know) but I always assumed humans shared that trait. Maybe I was just like the rest with how I kept comparing humans and Arxur. (Why am I capitalizing one and not the other? No one knows!)
Maybe I was just like the rest. Maybe one day I would lose control and run from Jack, or freeze up, or worse, call the exterminators, and then it would all be over. I could never live with myself if my damned instincts got him to hate me or got him killed. I've only known him for a few weeks, but when we met we just clicked.
It's still weird to me how the concept of platonic soul mates doesn't exist yet.
"That's it, right?" Jack asked while pointing to a red restaurant a few blocks away. That was it. I was about to eat good.
"Yeah, that's it. Come on, let's go!" I ran to the Mellow Firefruit faster than most humans could, on account of my species being designed for sprints, (or we're just better than them) and Jack tagged along in a brisk walk. He was probably trying not to be mistaken for chasing me and shot dead, or worse, set on fire.
I know most predators don't feel pain, but humans do. Why in the Herd didn't exterminators at least have the decency to kill them humanely?
A couple seconds later, Jack was waiting outside the restaurant and looking at his pad while I waited in line (In case nobody noticed yet, I hate lines) for my meal. Jack's meal too, since nobody wanted their entire customer base to leave the second they began serving humans. At least, that was the official reason. The real reason is that most Venlil are still racist.
After an agonizing minute and a half of waiting, since the Mellow Firefruit was a popular restaurant (for good reason, as Jack was about to discover) I finally got to order my food. "I'll have two yaccay salads, and two red fires please." Jack only asked for a salad, but red fires were excellent drinks and if he said no to one I would drink both. I was being smart with this.
"Okay, that will be 43.8 credits." All right, maybe not so smart.
I asked "44 credits?" in shock as my mind struggled to wrap itself around this sudden increase in price. The last time I got a meal here it was only twenty credits.
The cashier, a large green Krakotl who was a tiny bit taller than me, explained "Inflation. Those damn predators brahked up the economy and now we have this." Putting hate on my friend Jack wasn't something I would normally tolerate, but my father had always said it wasn't wise to anger the people who made your food. I just swiped my card across his card reader and stayed silent, like dad would have wanted.
"If you ask me, Sovlin was right."
Was my father really that wise? He probably didn't know what he was talking about.
"How can you say that? No one deserves what he did to Marcel." I shot back, managing to contain the venom in my voice.
The cashier retorted "No one sapient. But those... things that Tarva's dumb ass let roam our planet don't qualify." with barely-contained hatred. (Thank the Herd Jack doesn't have to hear this)
Before I could respond, however, the manager came with my order and reprimanded his subordinate. "Don't get into politics with customers, and certainly don't spit those lies in my establishment!" Maybe the Great Protector was still looking out for me.
The manager handed me my items and apologized profusely. "My cashier here is still new to Venlil Prime. He hasn't gotten used to the... the new arrivals yet. Herd, even I struggle sometimes, and I'm in the exchange program!"
I thanked him, explaining that it wasn't a big deal but the cashier should still be reprimanded, and brought our food to Jack. He wasn't playing that predatory (it was predatory, but predatory didn't necessarily mean bad) game again, but he was scrolling through his account on UHerd.
UHerd was the Venlil's main addition to the galaxy at large, being a huge social media service that Jack had described as "just like Instagram." when he first heard of it. Bleat was another large website just like it, but it was much less known than UHerd. (Fun fact: the U stands for Internet! Maybe not in English, but in Venlilese it does)
Jack never posted much, but he had me and a few mutual friends from the Program followed and he liked hearing what we were doing. I plopped down next to him and handed him his food. "Here, I got you something."
He picked up the salad nonchalantly, but when I handed him his drink, he inspected it curiously. "What in God's name is this doohickey?" He asked.
I told him "Try it, it's a red fire. It's good." and he did try it.
Jack exclaimed "Holy christ!" and the look in his eyes was comparable to what I saw the first time I agreed to being pet. "This is heavenly!" He guzzled the spicy fluid with hunger that would have terrified me if I hadn't seen him devour meals a dozen times before, (He'll eat me next I have to run I have to run run run run for it [oh, shut up already]) stopping only to praise its taste. "This is like the nectar of the gods!" Then "Shit, this is what I was missing out on? We gotta desegregate the restaurants immediately!"
That got him thinking, and I could almost see the money-making gears turning in his head. "You know, Salvek, what if we opened up a restaurant? You could be the official owner and waiter, I could cook some delectable earth recipes, and as long as no one saw me, we could make bank!"
I didn't like that idea. It sounded a lot like a recipe for disaster. I told him "Nah, it would be too hard for just the two of us. And besides, we already have the clothing business." Selling shirts online is a lot easier and cheaper than owning a restaurant.
Since Jack asked me a question, I figured I could ask one too. "Hey Jack, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
Jack didn't care, and he told me as much, so I continued. "How do you keep yourself in check all the time? How can humans control themselves so well?"
He paused for a bit, causing me to involuntarily panic, (he's looking for weak points, or exterminators, he's going to snap my neck for this) but I quelled these thoughts and there was no visible change in my expression. Finally, the colossal man spoke. "How do you do it?"
"W-what?" I stammered, and he picked up a leaf that was blowing in the wind before cherishing his last sip of the red fire.
He held the leaf up to my mouth. "How can you resist the temptation to just chow down on every plant you see? It must be exhausting." I took a brief nibble of the plant, despite it being completely unappetizing in nature, and he told me "See? Your herbivore instincts made you eat it! How can you keep them in check all the time?"
I wasn't a fool, not by any means. I knew he was mocking me. But the thought of a predator not having any predatory instincts was an entirely unheard of concept, bordering on heresy for some. It would probably have gotten me screened for Predator Disease if I spoke of it aloud, but I still spoke of it aloud. (There were no exterminators, I was fine) "So you're trying to say that you don't have predatory instincts? But what about the drive to hunt?"
Jack sighed again, muttering "So smart, but so damn stupid." in a low tone before he explained to me exactly what I wanted to know. "We have the need to eat meat in the same way you need to eat plants, because if we don't do it we die." That made sense. "But just like you don't have a primal urge to devour all the greenery in sight, we don't have any instincts of our own. Make sense?"
It did, but I was still struggling to wrap my head around it, so I just nodded and finished off my salad. Jack had apparently forgot about his salad, as he hadn't touched it. He opened the plastic carton, looked at its contents weirdly, and took a bite.
"This is mid." He told me, point blank. "Like, I don't mean to offend anyone, but it is mid. I'm not even hungry."
I was mildly offended, but there wasn't much I could change about his honest opinion, so I just told him "I thought it was good." and left it at that.
Jack slid his salad over to me (I love these things like my only son) and offered "You can have it. I don't want it." I would have accepted, but I wasn't hungry. Jack didn't really mind, so he threw his salad out and told me "Then we should get going. We have only [1/8 of a claw], I mean... 1/8 of a claw before our train leaves."
I agreed, getting up and walking to the train station, and Jack followed. I was well rested by then, so the brief walk was easy. Jack... Jack was Jack. He never got tired.
We actually made a pretty good pace to the train station, and within 1/16 of a claw we were on our way back to my home district and my third-floor apartment. I had money to my name, I had a huge predator (Human! Damn, those words get mixed up too much) friend, and he and I were about to make a truckload of credits. Life was good.
Previous Next comes when I say it comes

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James Barr was a British OT scholar who was also famous for his writings on (and against) fundamentalism.
Here are a couple of sections from his opening discussion of how fundamentalists approach the Bible (the chapter is "The Bible - first stage), which I think is very relevant to discussions on this subreddit on "fundamentalism" and what really is the fundamentalistic approach to the Bible:
What is the point at which the fundamentalist use of the Bible conflicts with the use of it by other people? The 'plain man', asked this question, will commonly say that a fundamentalist is a person who 'takes the Bible literally'.¹ This, however, is far from being a correct or exact description. The point of conflict between fundamentalists and others is not over literality but over inerrancy. Even if fundamentalists sometimes say that they take the Bible literally, the facts of fundamentalist interpretation show that this is not so. What fundamentaliasts insist is not that the Bible must be taken literally but that it must be so interpreted to avoid any admission that it contains any kind of error. In order to avoid imputing error to the Bible, fundamentalists twist and turn back and forward between literal and non-literal interpretation. The dominant fundamentalist assertions about the Bible, namely that it is divinely inspired and infallible, do not mean that it must be taken literally, and are not so interpreted in the conservative evangelical literature; what they mean, and are constantly interpreted as meaning, is that the Biblbe contains no error of any kind - not only theological error, but error in any sort of historical, geographical or scientific fact, is completely absent from the Bible. In order to expound the Bible as thus inerrant, the fundamentalist interpreter varies back and forward between literal and non-literal understandings, indeed he has to do so in order to obtain a Bible that is error-free.
To take a well-known instance, most conservative evangelical opinion today does not pursue a literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis. A literal interpretation would hold that the world was created in six days, these days being the first of the series which we still experience as days and nights. Not at all, according to conservative evangelical sources; on the contrary, they are full of warnings about the dangers and difficulties involved for those who take the word day literally.
....
We see, then, that a symbolic and non-literal interpretation of Gen. 1 is preferred, and it is now only very extreme fundamentalists who assert that a literal interpretation of the six days of creation is obligatory, or even desirable. The reason for the preference is plain. It has nothing to do with a softening of the fundamentalist rejection of the critical approach to the Bible; on the contrary, the rejection remains unaltered. What has happened is that the scientific evidence for the long duration of the beginnings of the world has become too strong to withstand. A literal interpretation would mean pitting the Bible against scientific truths with fundamentalist intellectuals now themselves accept; this would in turn force the admission that the Bible in this respect has beeen wrong. In order to avoid this, the conservative interpreter moves over into a non-literal exegesis; only this will save the inerrancy of the Bible. A hundred years ago, probably less, most fundamentalists would have insisted on a literal interpretation; if science said that this was impossible, they would just have damned science, or asserted that its claims had not been proved, that they were no more than unfounded speculations and hypotheses. As the scientific approach came to have more and more assent from fundamentalists themselves, they shifted their interpretation of the Bible passage from literal to non-literal in order to save that which for them was always paramount, namele the inerrancy of the Bible.
In fact the only natural exegesis is a literal one, in the sense that this is what the author meant. As we know from other parts of Genesis, he was deeply interested in chronology and calendar, and he depicted the story of creation in a carefully and deliberately arranged scheme of one week. As Kevan, cited above, righty sees, the 'evening' and 'morning' phraseology clearly indicates that he thought of a day such as we understand a day to be; but that is only one of the multitudinous details of the story which shows that the seven-day scheme is essential to his way of describing the creation. About the actual processes of the origin of the world as we know them he knew, of course, nothing, and set against our knowledge of these processes his account is certainly 'wrong'. Since, on the other hand, the processes and sequences which are known to us through modern science were certainly totally unknown to him, this 'wrongness' is quite irrelevant in our understanding the story. But for the fundamentalist any kind or degree of wrongness in the Bible would be catastrophic. In order to avoid this consequence he has tried every possible direction of interpretation other than the literal.²

So I'm 5 months on hrt and I've had female hormone levels from day 1.
I just got back from the beach, shirtless cause I think my chest still looks mostly male just with more prominent nipples. My mom takes one look at me and starts freaking out, ranting about how unhealthy it is to be injecting yourself with hormones. So I remind her that many men, including past me, use TRT because their natural testosterone levels are in the gutter.
Her: "Yeah but estrogen CHANGES your body."
Me: "What if I like the changes?"
Her: "It's disturbing, I don't like it. It's like if I had a daughter who started growing facial hair."
Me: "That sounds like a you problem."
Her: "No it's really not good, it disturbs me."
At that point I could only laugh which made her more angry. Definitely not going shirtless in front of her again.

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I hope this is the right subreddit but please let me know if it's best suited to another...
This is a long story but I'll try give the gist of it. For context I'm 25 and in Scotland.
I've been messed about so much between different dentists and orthodontists starting with my family dentist. Asked for years for braces due to obvious over-crowding. Was always told 'we'll see next time.' Got an X-Ray when I was 15 because canine baby tooth was not budging. He saw the big tooth in the roof of my mouth but said it was fine. Next appointment (always 12 months apart) he forgot about the X-Ray, did it again and this time explained it was an impacted tooth. He said it could move but it's best to leave it. He retired shortly after. Next dentist said it should not have been left and referred me to an orthodontist. This was when I was 17. For the next few years I was sent different places, each orthodontist saying they can't do the treatment I need. In hindsight I believe that's because everyone knew I would need surgery but no one explained why they couldn't help me.
I went back to my initial dentist and she sent me to the local hospital's orthodontics department. This was 2019 and my initial doctor, Dr. T was great and recognised I'd fallen through the net. He said no matter where I'm living (by this point in another city), I should stick with them so there's no more miscommunication and he'd always see me. There was initially miscommunication around my treatment options with the doctor but what it came down to was either surgery to expose the tooth and slowly move the tooth down with elastic, before I got top train tracks which would also help move the impacted tooth into the right place, or surgery to remove the impacted tooth, remove the baby tooth, and implant the impacted tooth to where it needed to be, then top train tracks. I asked which option would be best and I was told exposing the tooth and having it slowly moved down would take longer, but would be less risky. So I consented to that. I had my surgery in early 2020 to expose the tooth and was give a plate for the roof of my mouth to correct my overbite. I felt confident about this because he was correcting the overbite whilst we waited for the impacted tooth to naturally move and expose itself more so there was more surface area for the elastic to be attached to.
A few months later I had my bottom train tracks put on. All was well until 2022, just had the elastic put on and the usual appointments for the bottom braces. Dr. T aways asked how I was feeling, aware that the appointment waiting times were quite long, but I always said I was just happy to finally get the treatment. Start of 2022 Dr. T retired and I was given Dr. A. This is when things kind of took a turn. Dr. A did not seem confident at all in my appointments with him. Straight away from our first appointment he had a look at my pictures and in my mouth and was 'hmm-ing' and 'uhhh-ing,' unsure of himself it felt like. I understand that I was a new patient to him and maybe my case it more complicated than others but I do feel like he lacked confidence and given how messed about I had been before, I was quite anxious. My appointments were straightforward with him- mainly changing my bottom wire and he changed my elastic for my impacted tooth. At one point he was unhappy with how the impacted tooth was moving, adjusting the elastic and reinforcing it when it snapped a couple times. I get this could happen anyway, but he just always seemed to struggle with me. I always felt anxious in my appointments and struggled to stay positive. He had students in now and again and let them change my wire/tighten them which was okay, but they weren't gentle and he had to take over. It just added to my anxiety and how uncomfortable I was but I know I should have spoken up at the time.
Anyway, Sept. 2022 I go to another appointment and Dr. A. isn't there. The dental nurse just tells me he had to leave and I'll now be seen by Dr. S. He's very nice, straightforward, and I felt confident with him. I've only had a few appointments with him but at the start of this year I got my bottom braces off and in the same appointment he told me my front two teeth have 'short roots' and asked if I felt they were loose. I told him that yes, I could move them slightly but asked my initial family dentist about this years ago and was told it was fine. Well Dr. S said it isn't fine and if I have top train tracks put on it might loosen them further so he doesn't think top braces are viable. Honestly, I just got so upset. I tried to keep it together but I did get very upset. He tried to reassure me that my teeth won't fall out, he'll come up with a plan for next appointment, and I've to enjoy not having my bottom braces.
Fast forward to literally today, I've had this next appointment and Dr. S told me this was our last appointment. I was obviously very confused given that I still have elastic and metal in the roof of my mouth. He then remembered off of my confusion and explained that ethically he can't give me top braces knowing the risks outweighing the benefits. This time he said I would certainly lose my teeth. I didn't know what to say, other than that I didn't understand how this has happened and that I didn't know what to do. What do I do about the impacted tooth? He said he doesn't know why I was advised to have the surgery and have the tooth moved. I don't know why no one else has pointed out my 'short roots' before despite multiple X-Rays and everyone I've seen having access to these photos. I've literally seen everyone look at my X-Rays. Dr. S. said he'll set up an appointment with me, him, and the surgeon so we can figure out what to do next. He said I could complain, or that I might want to complain after the next appointment. I don't know what this next appointment will accomplish, and I don't believe he's confident either.
I completely understand Dr. S is not to blame- he's the one who pointed out the main issue; but I don't know who is to blame, if anyone. Complain? To who? The NHS? That feels awful! And what would it even accomplish? I feel so upset and frustrated that the top work on my teeth has been for nothing. If anything the roof of my mouth is worse off. Due to the impacted tooth moving, more gum around my top teeth has receded. Understandable this would happen- but for nothing??
I appreciate this is a long post and I've tried to streamline the details but if anyone has advise I'd really appreciate. I can't explain how much this affected me. I don't trust the advice of people who are supposed to give me the right treatment. I feel like there was negligence at least with my initial dentist and that I've been gaslit, for lack of a better word, along the way here and there when I've spoken up about concerns. I only felt better once I started going to the hospital for appointments and I was just grateful to finally get treatment. I was fully prepared to deal with long waiting times and braces throughout my twenties. Have awful teeth and braces as I go to job interviews, for example, but today it's all been shattered.
I did consider biting the bullet and going private at one point but I was scared if I left the hospital i'd fall through the net again and end up worse off. I hope someone understand why I'm so upset and if anyone can advise me on next steps that would be amazing. I feel awful considering complaining to the NHS but you know it's bad when your own doctor suggests it. At the very least I just want someone to own responsibility rather than me just having to carry this.

corki is one of the least popular champions in the game ATM and he has a very low winrate, corki has no utility and has been nerfed a lot due to pro play oppressiveness, i personally dont like the cringe AP build and even though trinity is probably fine on him atm i prefer the full crit hyperscaling build.
corki is not so strong before 6 which is sort of intended but i feel like he is too punishable for his scaling, he really doesnt scale that well since package nerfs, all he has is tons of damage from medium range but champions like viktoorianna/syndra sorta do the same but with more utility/less gold, sure the main exception is corki's W but its not that powerful of an escape ability..
anyways, i suggest increasing his movespeed from 325 which is abysmal to at least 330 if not 335, ziggs for example also has 325 movespeed but his high range makes up for it, corki cant really plat from range until level 6 and even then its gated.
i really think its time he gets 5-10 MS on his passive, bonus buff is reducing package timer but that might be overkill, although at 0.5% pickrate and 48% winrate he might need a big buff ..

As the pack of Black Wolves swarmed the Wendigo, Elincia and I crawled behind the ferns trying to get away from the fight. Part of me knew I was being a burden to Elincia. With her night vision and elvish agility, she could probably break through the circle of Black Wolves.
The fight intensified, the chaotic barking of the wolves was deafening and the screeching cries of the Wendigo filled the valley as it clawed and crushed the lesser monsters in its wake.
Suddenly, a Black Wolf landed in front of us. Elincia's eyes were wide open and her face blanched, devoid of the little color it naturally had. The Black Wolf was wounded, its hind legs broken and its ribs exposed like white knives protruding through its skin. Elincia nocked an arrow but she wasn’t fast enough. The wolf let out a long howl before the arrow landed between its eyes.
Elincia’s eyes reflected pure and distilled terror as the Wendigo leaned over the ferns, just by our side, with its eyes fixed on the corpse of the Black Wolf. For a brief moment, the moon lit up the body of the monster. It was a tall bipedal creature with leathery slate-black skin. Its limbs were long and gnarled, and ended in long brackish claws. Its face was covered by an ivory deer-like skull. The slits in the skull revealed two bloodshot eyes that surveyed the surroundings with ill intent.
The System description said that the Wendigo was once a powerful shaman who got turned into a monster by corrupted mana. A shiver ran down my spine as I wondered what kind of unholy metamorphosis had created such a creature.
The Wendigo waded the fern bed, just above our hideout. I could hear the Wendigo’s heavy breathing above my head. The smell of rot was almost unbearable. Elincia covered her mouth with both hands as the creature’s arm touched the ground a few centimeters from my leg. I changed the weight of my body and tried to fold my leg. A twig broke under my hand.
[Awareness]: You have been spotted.
The Wendigo’s eyes snapped directly to Elincia and before I realized what I was doing, I pulled the trigger, shooting point blank directly into the creature’s head. The muzzle flash lit the forest for an instant and my ears rang. The Wendigo stumbled back, burying its claws on a tree to not fall. The creature clung there as the blood poured from its shattered skull.
“Gottem!” I yelled, thinking the Wendigo was as good as dead.
Elincia grabbed the neck of my jacket and pulled me back through the ferns just as the Wendigo raked its claws in a deadly arc just a few centimeters from my face. The creature screeched in anger.
“How in the flying spaghetti monster is that fucker’s alive?!” I said as Elincia pushed me behind a boulder, out of the Wendigo’s reach.
“I don’t know what spell you just used, but stay put.” The woman yelled but her voice came muffled under the insistent ringing in my ears. Luckily, [Awareness] helped piece together what she had said.
Without waiting for any confirmation she turned around and ran through the forest, putting some distance between herself and the Wendigo. Elincia’s bright emerald eyes shone behind the bushes as she nocked an arrow and pointed at the creature. I noted a surge of mana emerging from the woman's body and the arrow head shone with a silvery gleam. She let go and the arrow whistled with an unnaturally high pitch, burying deep into the wendigo's calf.
Piercing Arrow. [Identify] Basic archery skill that improves the projectile’s piercing capacity.
The Wendigo’s screech rocked my spine and I knew I needed to put an end to the fight quickly. If the creature had enough defense to withstand a point blank shot, it should also have similar offensive capabilities.
Ignoring Elincia’s commands, I peeked over the boulder. The forest was pitch-black and the skeletal figure of the Wendigo blended with the trees.
“Come on, Robert, use your head.”
I hoped Elincia’s night vision didn’t make her eyes too sensitive to bright lights.
Pushing the mana out of my body I conjured a cold blue flame in the palm of my hand that illuminated the forest around me. Shredded corpses of a dozen Black Wolves covered the landscape.
The Wendigo stopped in its tracks and turned its head towards the flame of mana in my hand.
“Crap.”
Without hesitation, I raised the muzzle of my shotgun and fired. The spray of metal shredded through the Wendigo’s spidery arm, leaving it hanging from a single tendon. The wound was gruesome but it wasn’t enough to stop it. The Wendigo glared at me and crossed the distance between us in a heartbeat.
With no time to reload, I dropped the shotgun and reached for my knife.
My hand closed around the handle of my knife and set my mana free. A swirl of shining blue particles surrounded me and turned the small knife into a blazing shortsword that lit the forest around me.
[Swordsmanship] injected information directly into my brain. Distance, speed, trajectory. The Wendigo tried to tear me apart but I sidestepped to the right just in time to dodge, then, I hacked diagonally but the mana sword bounced off the Wendigo's healthy arm, leaving only a small scratch.
It was harder than the Elder Black Wolf.
My mana sword was enough to cut the skin of the creature, I only needed more power. I poured even more mana into my knife turning it into a blue beacon in the dark casting the shadows of the forest away. The mana blade grew until it was the length of a two handed sword.
Blood stained the Wendigo’s cracked skull and its wounded arm flailed around lifelessly. It might not be weak to buckshot but it was weak to magic. And I had a lot of magic. The Wendigo followed me with its gleaming red eyes. Its movements were cautious but I didn’t let my guard down. I had to fight defensively. If the monster reached me once, it was over.
Suddenly, an arrow bounced off the Wendigo’s skin. The creature seemed to forget about me because it turned around and bolted towards Elincia. Just as the Black Wolf had attacked me back in the ravine, the Wendigo seemed to prioritize the weaker combatant.
“Run, now!” Elincia yelled at me. She stood her ground, nocking a second arrow and aiming at the three meter tall creature running her way.
“You run!” I replied as I ran behind the Wendigo while [Awareness] fed a stream of information directly into my brain. I couldn’t let it reach Elincia.
There was no time to retrieve and reload my shotgun and no time to experiment with [Mana Manipulation]. I remembered my new skill. [Stun Gaze].
Without even reading the skill’s description, I looked at the Wendigo and activated [Stun Gaze]. The spell hit the creature and bounced back at me. A stabbing pain shot through my eye, and into my brain. I let out a grunt of pain and pressed my free hand against my face.
Skill failed! Wendigo Lv.39 cannot be stunned. [Identify] Your level is too low to perform this action successfully.
[Stun Gaze] seemed to anger the Wendigo because it tried to stop its frantic race towards Elincia, stumbling on its ruined arm and crashing against a tree. I pumped even more mana into my knife and the blade got longer, broader, and heavier. Part of my brain wondered why a mana blade could have weight if the mana itself was weightless, but the wounded screech of the Wendigo silenced my thoughts.
I couldn’t allow fear to paralyze me if I wanted to save Elincia.
[Awareness]: Frightened status, resisted.
I let my mana flow free, further increasing its length until it was hard to wield. Suddenly, I felt as if I had been thrown into an ice-cold pool. A shiver ran down my spine and I knew I couldn’t sustain my technique for long. My mana pool was getting dry.
You have obtained Mana Depletion (Advanced). Temporary
I ignored the system prompt. The Wendigo towered over me and tried to reach me with its sharp claws. I blocked with my mana sword and with a furious strike, I shredded the Wendigo’s claws. The creature staggered back as I waved the sword around like a giant torch on its face.
Another shiver ran down my spine, threatening to lock my joints in place, and I knew I didn’t have much mana left at all.
I used [Stun Gaze] again and braced for the pain. The spell ricocheted back at me and I felt a stabbing sensation in my eye. This time, the Wendigo froze for a millisecond, just enough for my [Swordsmanship] to find an opening. I slashed downward from left to right, putting all my strength in a single attack.
The blade sliced through the Wendigo’s skin, meeting more resistance as it went deeper into the creature’s body until it lodged deep within its chest. Instinctively, I tried to retrieve the sword but it was stuck. I closed my eyes and waited for the Wendigo’s claws to shred my body. But the blow didn’t arrive.
Dark crimson bloom of blood stained the Wendigo's hide, illuminated by the fading light of the mana blade. The Wendigo produced one last weak screech and fell to the ground just as the light of my blade failed.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
You have obtained Mana Depletion (Critical). Temporary
My vision blurred and my legs faltered, the only thing that kept me on foot was the mana sword stuck in the Wendigo’s spine. When my last speck of mana was burned, the blade disappeared and I fell back but before I could hit the ground, Elincia caught me.
“We fucking did it!” Elincia said with a frenzied smile on her face. Then, she wrapped me in a tight hug that pushed all the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t help but notice how strong her arms were.
If I had to guess, she had leveled up a couple of times.
I didn't want the embrace to end but Elincia pushed me back and helped me sit on the forest bed. The moonlight shone a hole in the canopy, casting silver sparkles on her hair. She smiled enthusiastically and patted my back with a little too much strength.
“I swear I thought we were dead, but then you raised the metal thingy and bam! One arm less! You were pretty cool out there.” Elincia beamed. Her chest went up and down at an alarming rate and she had to take a moment to calm down. “I think I’m still a little deaf.” She added with a smile from ear to ear.
Leveling up was a hell of a drug.
“Praise me more.” I rasped as I let out a weak laugh. Both my body and my mana pool felt like a piñata at a children’s party.
Elincia’s expression suddenly became serious and a shadow of embarrassment flirted with her face. “Thanks for not ditching me back there, and I’m sorry if I was too harsh with you. You are a good man, Robert Clarke.”
I didn't know how to answer. It had been quite a while since I had received a compliment and my brain was too tired after being overfed by [Awareness]. I mumbled something unintelligible. Not even [Master of Languages] could help me to find the right words, however, I didn’t have to search more because a sudden prompt slapped my field of vision.
New title acquired!
Hot for Teacher. [Identify] Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad, I’m hot for teacher.
“I’m not a pathetic dude who falls for the first girl that talks nice to me…” I stuttered as my consciousness slowly slipped away. The edges of my sight slowly blurred.
You have obtained Denial Lv.1. Temporary.
“Oh, fuck off.”
Elincia’s worried face floated in front of me. “Rob? Are you okay? If you talk in your weird language I can’t understand.” She said with a hint of panic in her voice.
It might come off as judgmental and foolish, but I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It seemed too frivolous to me. No matter how cute, funny, and caring Elincia was, there was no way I was falling for her. And there was the fact she had a kid and, probably, a husband.
You have obtained Denial Lv.2. Temporary.
I wanted to fight back, fight against the idea I was falling in love, but my mouth couldn’t move anymore. The world around me darkened and my body became too heavy to sit straight. Elincia tried to keep me awake, first softly hitting my cheeks then shaking my shoulders. I tried to growl but no sound came through my lips.
“Rob? Rob? Don’t close your eyes, Rob.” Elincia said.
But I was so tired.
Elincia frantically searched her pouch for a small vial of translucent liquid. She pulled the cork and smelled the contents. Whatever scent she was looking for, it seemed to make the grade. Elincia opened my mouth and poured a drop beneath my tongue. I felt the effects of the potion spreading through my body, filling the hole inside my mana pool if only a little bit.
“Rob?”
The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Elincia’s concerned voice.
* * * * * *
I woke up with the first rays of sunlight next to the remains of a campfire. More specifically, my [Awareness] skill awakened me with a stream of information filling my brain. The sound of the birds, the position of the sun, my bodily condition. I ignored it all. I felt drained. If a creature wanted to eat me I couldn’t do much to defend myself.
No. I had made the decision to stay in this world, now I had to face the consequences of my actions. Begrudgingly I opened my eyes just to find Elincia sitting on the other side of the campfire, by her side there was my shotgun and my knife.
“Morning.” I greeted, stiffly sitting up and taking a long sip from my water bottle.
“Morning, hero.” She greeted me with one of her mischievous smiles. However, this time I noted a hint of mistrust in her voice.
“Something happened?” I cautiously asked. After receiving that silly title from the System I had dropped like a sack of potatoes. I glanced at Elincia, searching for answers, and I couldn’t help but notice both my weapons were on her side of the campfire.
“Look, I’m not accusing you of lying or anything, but you are not a Scholar.” Elincia said with a conflicted tone. “After what you did to the Wendigo last night I know you have a fairly high level. What are you really? A Runeblade? A Spellblade?”
“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.
Elincia’s bow rested on her lap.
“Killing a Wendigo isn’t a feat a low level Scholar could achieve, I’m not that dumb. So tell me what those skills were.” Elincia replied pointing at my weapons. “Your explosive spell pierced through the Wendigo’s skin but Scholars can’t learn Elemental magic. Much less such powerful spells. Same goes for your [Mana Blade]. That’s a Spellblade skill, not a Scholar skill.”
I stretched my back and drank another sip from my water bottle while [Awareness] filled my brain with information. Elincia’s accusations revealed that she couldn’t peek into my status screen. It was a relief to know the System had some sort of privacy settings in place considering my last title, but privacy also made things more difficult.
“The artifact you have next to you is called a shotgun. It is a non-magical item that shoots high speed metal pellets created by a… Tinkerer.” I explained but Elincias facial gesture still showed doubts. “You probably tried to use it but it doesn’t have ammo in it. You can’t shoot a bow without an arrow nor can you shoot a shotgun without one of these.” I added pulling one of the remaining two shells from my pocket.
“Explain.” She said.
Next, I proceeded to explain how to operate the shotgun. Elincia opened the barrels and I explained how the explosive powder sent the pellets through the barrel at ridiculously high speeds.
“I’m not going to perform a demonstration because I only have two shells left. Without ammo, a shotgun is as good as a club.” I said as Elincia tried the mechanism without a shell inside the chamber. Bow and arrow safety might be similar to trigger discipline because Elincia kept the muzzle away from any of us and only put the finger on the trigger when she was going to shoot.
“What about the [Mana Blade]? There is no way your knife is a magic item, no matter how much mana I poured into it I couldn’t make it work.” Elincia continued with the interrogation.
“What do you mean? That was [Mana Manipulation].” I replied, summoning a small mana knife in the palm of my hand with the leftover magic power I had. Elincia’s mouth gaped.
“You are mana depleted! You are not supposed to be able to do that!” The half-elf woman jumped on her feet. “You can’t materialize a magic blade without the proper skill!”
I shrugged my shoulders and shaped a second mana knife.
I already suspected that my mana pool was something out of the ordinary and now I knew to what degree. The amount of mana I had was probably thanks to the System. The thought of telling her about my world crossed my mind. A world without magic, without classes, and without skills. A world where one had to practice for years and years to become minimally proficient at any task. I wanted to tell Elincia about the marvels of the modern world but I feared she took it as the words of a madman.
People who claimed to have traveled to other dimensions were deemed crazy back on Earth. In these lands it couldn't be much different. For Elincia, a systemless world might sound like a thing from fantasy.
In another situation I would’ve dismissed the allegations calling them baseless, however, deep down I wanted Elincia to believe in me. I scratched my chin, deep in thought. Actually, there was something I could try that might prove that I was a Scholar.
I used [Identify] on her.
Name: Elincia Rosebud, Half-Elf (Light-Footed, Night Vision).
Class: Alchemist Lv.26
Titles: Governess, Wild Child, Bad Reputation, Loner, Copper Alchemist, Favorite Teacher (5).
Passive: Archery Lv.3, Tracking Lv.5, Farsight Lv.1, Foraging Lv.5, Purify Water.
Skills: Potion Crafting Lv.3, True Shot Lv.1, Piercing Shot Lv.1.
Elincia’s potion pouch hit my face before I could react, breaking the skill contact and vanishing her character sheet.
“Hey! Are you identifying me?” She said in an unusually high pitch.
The half-elf cheeks were fiery red, contrasting with her usual paleness. While her hand searched for another projectile to throw in my direction, I pondered about my findings. Elincia’s skills and passives were fairly low level compared to her class level. It was possible both numbers were independent from each other. Class level might rise by gaining experience from monsters while passives and skills might grow by mastering said skills.
A twig hit my forehead, crashing my train of thought. At least I had discovered the etiquette regarding identifying other people. Despite the fact I would’ve died of shame if someone saw my titles, I tried to identify Elincia one more time as vengeance for the twig.
“Okay, okay, okay! You are a Scholar, I believe you! I’ll fulfill my part of the bargain. I’ll take you to Farcrest.” Elincia said, trying to regain some composure. She was still red as a beet. “But that doesn’t mean I completely trust you, hero.”
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Discord Royal Road

Hi guys, I hope everyone is doing well.
Just wondering if anyone has the Platinum CashPlus Account by MS and if they have any feedback from it. I heard that the $695 incentive bonus will trigger a 1099INT even if it’s obviously used for the MS Amex Platinum Credit Card. As well as any ATM, cash advances, cash management reversals which are unlimited with the account will be shown as income on a 1099.
The account overall sounds pretty convenient except for those reversals and incentive $695 reported as income when they’re really not.
Thanks,

I have a friend who i believe i am attracted to. I THINK im experiencing attraction to them because i instinctively coo at whatever they post on their insta stories (rarely ever any selfies, but more daily happenings and hobby progress reports) and am more inclined to prepare gifts for them than my other friends. I also used to think about holding and kissing their hand. Also, my heart flutters a little whenever they remember something even I had forgotten, or when they use sparkly heart emojis HAHAH It also used to bother me a lot when they never initiated texts with me at all until I kind of came to a realisation that truly just is their communication style (thanks socialskills for helping me with that). I still hate it, but I've more or less accepted that that isn't changing at this point :')
However, knowing that a relationship between us is out of the question - due to incompatible communication styles and diverging life directions - I still told them that i potentially had feelings for them because they felt special to me, but that I did not know if the feelings were platonic or romantic in nature. It is selfish, but I wanted to investigate and get to the bottom of it because in my almost 24 years of existence, this is the closest I've come to having more-intense-than-a-typical-friendship feeling. I did not disclose the reasons that I did not wish to pursue a relationship with them - partly because I thought it would be a bit hurtful to mention, but mostly because I believe letting them know was redundant as they told me that they were not interested in dating at the moment, nor had they ever seen our relationship as romantic (to which i thought privately "obviously it wouldnt feel romantic, we'd never done anything romantic because neither of us are naturally flirty and we aren't dating. I wouldnt dare to try to flirt either because that would violate the boundaries of our established friendship").
Anyway, after they established that any sort of physical experimentation would be out of the question and rejected my invitation to a dinner date, I asked if it would be uncomfortable and awkward "if i were to ask you about your feelings towards me and our friendship? I just want to confirm some things, but i also dont want you to feel put on the spot or stressed or anything" and that it would "be difficult for me too because i dont even know whats platonic or romantic + the whole topic about MY feelings is so painfully embarrassing for me to talk about".
I think I'm trying to go into this with the intention of analysing this rare experience of attraction as coolly and calmly as possible, but I already feel like i'm being so pushy. My friend also generally avoids conflict and confrontation and wouldn't tell me directly to stop or fuck off. Even so, I know that to be a decent person and friend, the onus would be on me to respect boundaries that they might not enforce. But, again, i have the hugely selfish urge to unpack everything and figure out what it is that makes this friend feel different from my other friendships and Hinge dates. Just to reiterate, I really do not want a relationship or even a fwb situation with them because i know they would fail to give me the type of attention i need + they dont like me in that way.
What should be my next course of action if they tell me that having such a conversation would make them "a bit uncomfortable", but that i "shouldnt worry about it", where "it" was referring to me telling them that the conversation would be difficult for me too because it's embarrassing to talk about my feelings + i am unclear on whats romantic vs platonic? :')

Hi everyone,
I am planning my first solo trip in tent and I am looking for advices for the region in Sweden to explore. I'm a decent hiker, but my main plan for this trip is to enjoy the journey and not plan ahead in details.
My goal is to spend a couple of days in the city my flight will be landing, and then head out of the city for about 2 weeks. It's going to be my first time staying in a tent alone, and I am looking for area with beautiful nature, but not too isolated: I would like to hike on trails or stop in spots where I can meet people easily. Ideally with water spots of some sorts (I never deny the opportunity for a swim).
With the flights arrangements, three main possibilities seem to appear: starting the trip from Stockholm, Göteborg, or Copenhagen and cross the bridge. I am only equiped for summer weather (not equiped for cold nights at all), so the north is not a possibility for me this summer. Which city would you recommend to start this trip? (I am on a budget so ideally I'd like to not take too many trains to get out of the city and be in the countryside).
Thanks in advance for your recs!
EDIT: coming by train to Copenhaguen is also a possibility for me, I'd just like to visit one city before the long hike (I'm not opposed to stop in smaller cities during the trip, but the goal is to not stay in urban area too much)

Does anybody else think that "rare gods" are a lot more common from faded altars? I love them and use them quite often and I've had a lot of early jiyvas and lugonus as a result of it. I love that though, it's really fun. HOWEVER, I think it would be badass if they let you get incompatible gods. I want demonspawn of zin("Horns grow on your head. Your helmet falls off! Zin begrudgingly accepts this "natural growth") or deep elf of beogh

SPOILER: mentions abuse and sui ideation/attempt (tried my best to leave out details while still giving context)
I was given no mercy as the awkward chunky autistic kid. I was never ‘human enough’ to be part of any group. The bullying ranged from senseless elementary level gossip in late middle school to telling me straight to my face word for word what a shame it is i havent k!lled myself. I dealt with the shameless gossip and commentary on a daily basis, even the teachers would give into the urge to join sometimes and i would be punished for fighting back or making any attempt to defend myself. I felt helpless and isolated the entire time i was in school. Even some of the people i thought were my friends were huge contributors to the bullying. Most of the bullying was verbal abuse but there were a few times it escalated beyond the typical “youre fat, ugly, ky$”, etc.
The three instances that stand out to me the most: 6th grade, i was about 13. The first twilight movie had come out and i was reading the book to see what the hype was about. If im honest, i thought the book was okay. I was never super into it but i didnt hate it either. Regardless, I immediately became the “cringy vampire kid”, and the rumor that i was telling people i thought i was a vampire circulated. I had to deal with comments and false accusations of biting people (in 6th grade!) daily. Looking back on it now I genuinely cant believe that these preteens were acting like 5 year olds over a kid reading a book. But that rumor hit its peak the day that a kid in my class hurt himself during gym. I dont remember what happened, but he hurt his leg and knee and was bleeding a little. I happened to be closest on the field when i saw him fall so i rushed over to him asking if he was okay. I didnt get close before he lifted his head, saw me, then started screaming in full seriousness that i was a freak and needed to get away from him. He was bright red in the face like a tomato and genuinely looked like he would try to hurt me if i went near him. He continued on to scream at me that i was creepy and that i was just going to “suck his blood” and to stay away. I didnt go anywhere or budge because i was in shock and honestly scared. Everyone started rushing over once he started screaming at me, and naturally people were telling me to get away from him. He kept saying he didnt want me near him or to touch him. After other people came to his side i just left. I dont remember much of that incident but i think the kid transferred out of our class because he was “afraid” of me iirc. I had never touched this kid or gone out of my way to speak to him before. He would occasionally bully me but it was usually light stuff. I never saw him again, but the feeling that washed over me when he started screaming at me i couldnt even name. The bullying lessened for a bit after that but it certainly wasnt the last time someone made comments about my “vampire obsession”.
Instance number 2: I was 14. This is where my mental health took a drastic turn downward so heres where my warning starts- i will also be mentioning abuse and my attempt but wont go into detail about events. I was beginning to have su!cidal ideation. I was being abused at home and things escalated one night where my mother told me she was disowning me and giving up custody of me because she couldnt deal with me anymore. I made my attempt in silence (pills) and she took me to my grandmothers house. Friends found out and they managed to get in contact with my mom- who was absolutely thrilled (sarcasm) to hear about my attempt. Went to hospital and was involuntarily admitted from there. So heres where the bullying starts. I had a friend who, months prior, confessed to me and said she wanted to be in a relationship. I turned her down and i clearly remember being gentle about it while still telling her that i dont have romantic feelings. She took it well. At least i thought she did. I got out of involuntary admission around my 15th birthday. This girl who claimed to like me didnt even say happy birthday to me, instead she went straight to demanding we roleplay (we were 15 remember haha). I was upset and ill admit, i was toxic and wasnt kind when i laid in to her about it. She was completely unapologetic and i cut the friendship off there. It seems harsh but that was a final straw for me with her. She was always very self absorbed and showed no signs of remorse or desire to change (and she didnt lol). So naturally, her reaction was to spread rumors about me. We went to different schools at this point but we went to school together previously. I thankfully had good friends by then who told me about the entire thing including them telling her to stop. The rumor? She was telling people that /i/ was madly in love with /he and that she rejected me. She told people my attempt was over her. She made the mistake of telling this to a friend of mine who already knew about her and the reality of the situation, and get this, we were in high school at his point (10th) and this girl was STILL spreading this rumor. My friend told me that she was so happy to tell her about it in a public space. She was disgusted for me. Havent had contact with or heard about the girl who spread those rumors since but i know she was very unliked by almost everyone at that school.
Third instance: High school. Made friends with this new girl. I definitely had issues with boundaries so i cant blame her for disliking me. But she continued on to pretend to be my friend, and thats what makes it wrong. There were multiple issues with her, but the one that stuck the most was the time she let her crush make jokes about how funny it would have been to see me die. I had been hit by a car on my way to the bus stop and he was actually one of the kids who was at my stop. I dont recall if he was actually at the stop or not that day but does it matter? Pushing aside my insane amount of bad luck, this kid went on to describe in detail how entertaining it would have been to watch me die firsthand. He made comments about my body and weight, “you should have seen the dent you left in that car”. And she just stood there and laughed in my face. Every time i think of her i remember how she looked as she laughed at me. I even remember thinking she was so pretty even though she was laughing at the idea of me being dead.
Now when i talk to or meet new people all i can think of is what theyre going to say about me behind my back. If i mess up, what rumors am i going to have to hear about later on? And the biggest one yet: does this person even like me or are they just pretending to so they dont have to look or feel bad? The only thing about these instances that doesnt completely haunt me is the fact that i know that none of the people mentioned above grew up to be decent adults. I dont know about the bleeding knee kid but i honestly dont care. As messed up as i was, i grew up to be (relatively) mature and well adjusted and thats the biggest flex i could ever have on any of them.

Hey everyone,
After I finally finished the game and DLC on hard without looking anything up related to Engage. here my thoughts about the latest main game. I know I’m little late for this.
TLDR: I’m really disappointed with the story and design choices made for the game.
What bothers me most are the characters which are joining your group. Many feel 1 dimensional in their design and support talks. They don’t go into depth or play with different views between other characters. In some conversations there is only one line different to the main topic “tee” for character building. There is real wasted potential here.
The second most annoying part is the story. It is really predictable and in many parts bland copies of stories from the older FE Games. There was never a “oh wow” moment or anything you couldn’t predict. Starting with the death of your “parent” in the beginning of the game. Everything feels forced into the story and some parts are more or less filler mission without context. Nearly all character join you as a tripple group, as if there is a natural order that royalties can only have 2 compatriots. And then there are so many cringe worthy story parts.
What is also very bothersome are the not really finished or repetitive animation which are many times out of context of what is happening in the story. Like always stretching, all the time, in a serious discussion. In many cutscenes the armory is clipping through characters and nothing feels finished. All this kills immersion in the few good moments.
The “break” mechanic is really up for the individual liking but for me it was simply bothersome and a bad game mechanic. It brute forced tactical decisions to characters with special weapons like Nel, who could not be broken.
I hope that the next game will be back to the roots and level of the old games. This is the weakest of all Fire Emblem games. My verdict for this game is 4/10.

Hey, I’m just a 21 year old wondering if I’m heading down a good career path. Was intrigued by HVAC because it seems to have some variety and I wanted to learn a trade. Was interested in plumbing or electrical, however I’ve been doing factory work building firearms for almost 3 years and it’s been good but extremely repetitive and physically challenging due to the repetitive nature of the job. Just been saving for school and applied for a condensed course on HVAC. Seems like a good trade and I’m excited to learn and get into the trades, however I’ve had people tell me it’s not a great idea to get into hvac due to the work and school. Some people say the course is to hard and drop out, some people say they see hvac techs doing shit work in confined spaces all the time. One person I know started hvac course and ended up taking elevator mechanic instead.
Just figured I’d make a post to see what people who actually have experience in the trade or have worked in other similar trades have to say about it. My biggest fear is I’ll get through school and realize it’s not the job I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Plumbing and electrical seem fairly repetitive as well so I figured hvac is kind of a mix of the two trades and I love working with my hands and problem solving so I figured I wouldn’t mind hvac. I’ve also heard many great things about the trade and heard it pays well. If you have any feedback that could help me on my journey I would greatly appreciate it. Feel free to share your personal experiences from working in the trade, I’d love to hear what you guys got to say about it, thanks!