Hiya to whoever is reading this. So my idea is that either a family of four, a newlywed couple, or even just a single person buys a house and while renovating, discovers a hidden basement. When they explore the room, and pull away the large tarp, they find two pods side by side with large wires connecting to a control panel. After finding a log manual, realize the previous owner (who disappeared) invented a body swapping machine.
That's the premise. I'm looking for the rp to be long term because of all the different options that it entails. It would be similar to a slice of life style. And can touch on what they plan to do with the machine. Would they keep it a secret and just swap between each other? Would they let some friends in on it? Would there be accidental swaps? I love worldbuilding and hope that my partner can play multiple characters like me.
As for the story, I'm looking for it to be 80% story to 20% smut. And please don't be that person that immediately goes to smut. Also looking for my partner to be literate to semi-literate, basically someone who can help write out a story. I'm not looking for single sentences responses. And the reason why I prefer long term is because I respond once to twice a day or more depending on my irl schedule, and I understand life is more important than this. So please understand if I don't immediately respond back. My timezones are PST or GMT-7. And once again, I only RP on Dis.cord because it's easier to organize everything in a server.
Thanks for reading!

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/T3Dhiv6
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Still Available (7):

• MGW Model 309S sight pusher for straight style sights https://imgur.com/a/VnEaBQP
  • Price: $80
  • Details: No salt/never used. Compatible with straight-style sights (compare with model 309 below)
• MGW Model 309 (non-S model) sight pusher for angled style sights https://imgur.com/a/OLP1Ad2
  • Price: $80
  • Details: No salt. Compatible with angled-style sights (compare with model 309**S** above
• Benelli Shotgun Magazine Cap https://imgur.com/a/0mHhtWf
  • Price: $25
  • Details: No salt. This model has no eyelet (the top surface is smooth). According to Benelli, this cap will fit the Legacy and Montefeltro shotguns in 12 GA and 20 GA.
• Benelli 12 GA Choke Wrench https://imgur.com/a/5vFmA79
  • Price: $25
  • Details: No salt/never used. This black T wrench has an adjustable handle and thread chasers on one end. For 12 GA shotgun chokes
• Benelli 12 GA Crio Choke M (Modified) https://imgur.com/a/gyFNXs7
  • Price: $20
  • Details: No salt/never used. The constriction level for this choke is M for Modified. This is a stainless steel, flush fit choke by Benelli. Steel shot is acceptable with this choke. Useful for hunting doves, duck, and geese.
• Langdon Tactical Technology Striker Control Device for Glock Gen 1-4 https://imgur.com/a/JE7aysQ
  • Price: $50
  • Details: No salt/never fired. Replace the existing slide cover plate on your Gen 1-4 Glock with this device to instantly give your striker-fired pistol additional protection against negligent discharges. Read more here: [https://langdontactical.com/glock-striker-control-device-scd/](https://langdontactical.com/glock-striker-control-device-scd/))
• Vedder LightDraw Kydex OWB holster for Glock 20 Gen 3 & 4 https://imgur.com/a/3qE30iA
  • Price: $55
  • Details: This holster is made by Vedder for the Glock 20 Gen 3 and 4. It's compatible with threaded barrels (but not super large muzzle devices), suppressor-height sights, and most slide-mounted optics. On the body-surface of the holster, I have "G20" faintly etched into the kydex for model identification, and that's the only salt if you can really call it that. Great condition other than that. This holster has the premium pancake belt loops to accomodate belts up to 1.75" in size.

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---
SUBJECT-DESIGNATION: Admiral Marcus Miller
LOCATION: Earthen Orbit, Atlantic Citadel
DATE: EARTH-TIME [Wednesday, August 23, 2186]
---
I stood above Earth, gazing down upon her bright blue brilliance from the comfort of my personal quarters.
It was odd to think that just five hundred years ago, humanity had been scared of the darkness that lingered at the forest’s edge. I couldn’t imagine that those born during that time could have ever imagined the heights which we would rise to. My only hope was that our vast distance from the ground of primitivity wouldn’t lead to a devastating fall.
Already it felt like a lifetime ago that my crew and I had braved our own dark forest—the endless expanse of space beyond our system’s heliopause. Now we knew of the devils that rested at the edge of those shadows. The fires of Sol and the shield of our Oort cloud were all that now stood between us and them. At least in the process of our journey, we had met another group of weary travelers. We now knew that we were not alone.
The reaction to our discovery of the Khimrox—or perhaps their discovery of us—had actually gone over quite well with the global population, though some fringe groups chose to remain skeptical for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
Following the acceptance of the Khimroxian people as refugees, I was rather quickly promoted to the position of admiral. Despite it being an honorary title for the time-being, it was one that I wore with pride. Besides, considering how things were currently going among the leadership of the UEN, it was my guess that we would soon need all of the fleet commanders we could get.
Being separated from my crew though, it was certainly an ordeal. For over a year, we had trained and prepared for our journey aboard the Challenger, all the while forming a strong bond—the bond of a crew. It was them who had kept my mind from plunging into the hopeless darkness that threatened to envelop my mind back aboard the ruined wreck of our exploratory vessel.
Liz and Garth had been reassigned to finally fulfill their true calling as biologists. Together, they dove head-first into in-depth studies of Khimroxian anatomy and physiology. Sid had opted to assist in the deconstruction of the Ignis, allowing its analysis by a team of scientists that included Lee. As far as I was aware, they had so far produced staggeringly impressive results in regards to potential military applications. Jake was probably the wisest among us, choosing to enter an early retirement, which I quite honestly considered the smartest move. Each member of the Challenger had essentially become an influential celebrity overnight. If any of us chose to, we wouldn’t need to work another day in our lives.
Nia had taken an extended leave of absence following our return and chose to take up temporary residence within the Khimrox colony. Darius was perhaps the only one that had stuck with me. Due to my request, he was to be the chief navigational officer of a brand new fleet that had been promised to me—an experimental UEN fleet by the name of Vengeant Dawn.
Though word hadn’t yet officially been released, some part of me could sense the storm approaching on the horizon. War was coming. The only questions that remained were when and how it would be waged, one of which we were currently working to answer.
Some remained skeptical, but me, I had been waiting since the day I first heard of that wretched name, the one which hid behind a thin and lustrous coat. They would pay in blood for what they had done to our Khimroxian friends and to all of the scion species that they considered beneath them.
Speaking of those pricks… I turned from the window to look back at the objects of interest.
We had already begun to install improvements and replacements for our own technology from what we had researched so far. The holo-table of my room was one such improvement.
Atop it, hovered three ire-inspiring figures—the bastards of the Orion Arm.
One was what looked to be a molluscoid. Twelve long and winding tentacles stretched from its body. The creature’s skin could possess a wide variety of colors, but this one took on a dark shade of blue. Atop its head—or back, I still wasn’t entirely sure—was a large circular shell that spiraled backwards. The shell itself was fairly reminiscent of an ammonite, with the notable exception of its golden sheen. A green pair of eyes with slitted black pupils could be found at either side of its face. At the end of each of its limbs were a strange bunch of contraptions that were barely recognizable as the manipulators they were. To support its spineless body—and perhaps its brazen cowardice—was an exoskeleton which covered the length of its tentacles, allowing it to rise to an ironically respectable height. The Dodektopi.
The second was a shape that made no sense according to what little we apparently knew regarding the formation of life. The figure of flames was somewhat humanoid in shape, but distinct enough to separate it from ourselves. A frenzy of dancing plasma licked across the surface of its shape, occasionally whipping out from its body in flares of solar activity. Centered within the fiery specter’s face was an unfamiliar symbol forged out of a sleek black metal that did not burn with the being’s body. Its hands and feet that connected the body were made of similar steel and seemed to hold the shape together with the help of the head. The Novari.
Last but most certainly not least was a chillingly familiar shape. It was an ancient and terrible legend made manifest. The draconic figure before me bore ebony-black scales. A wicked pair of gold curling horns rose from the tyrant’s skull, covered in rings of that black metal that wrapped around them. Cryptic runes—whose mere existence denoted their ancient nature—were etched into the bone of these very same horns. Surrounding its head were countless quills that reached back behind the skull. From its oddly placed back pair of shoulders sprouted leathery wings that curled around the body, nearly encircling it in a hug. A long tail whose spiked end was covered in yet more of those sleek black rings fell behind them. The creature wore nothing more than a red ornamented kilt, bearing the same symbols as those etched upon its body across the sashes which held it in place. Its imposing physique was proudly put on display and an amber pair of greedy eyes rested behind its black maw of terrible teeth.
At the second and frontward pair of stubby shoulders, a shimmering pair of auric arms, engraved with yet more of those runes. I could have recognized their design anywhere. They bore an uncanny similarity with those utilized by our Khimrox friends. The three primary differences between those of them and those that belong to our friends were the sheer quality of the design, the notable exception of their shimmering sheen and their lethal talons that had been sharpened to a shining point. The Aeryvyn.
The terrible triumvirate mocked me with their mere presence, but I couldn’t tear them away from my sight. It’s fortunate that something else did it for me.
A ping that rained from the speakers in my ceiling heralded the incoming message. “All UEN personnel with alpha clearance please report to the briefing room.” Two more times, the soft and purposefully inoffensive voice repeated itself.
With a sigh, I shut off the display and marched to don the new garb that matched my position. When my door slid open, I saw several others stride through the long hall of yet more doors that matched my own.
The familiar scent of ozone had been a relief following the unnaturally clean air of the Ignis. That ship was no longer the home of the Khimroxian refugees, so I had little care for its continued existence. By now, it was a skeleton of alien alloys.
Our straight, gray walls and steel-vented floors were showered in warm light. Compared to the Ignis where the too-white surface where wall and floor blended together, the scenic viewing ports and recognizable craftsmanship felt like the warm embrace of a long-lost friend.
Speaking of friends, I wonder if I’ll see Saffan. Weeks had passed now since I last saw the captain-ambassador. His new position ensured this was so.
A stream of gray-coated senior staff flowed through the doors to the briefing room. At the entrance, a full complement of soldiers outfitted with Styx suits stood guard. That generation of armor would soon be outdated in comparison to the schematics I had seen prepared.
My heart warmed involuntarily as I entered the room. Saffan’s bright eyes of perpetual wideness stared back at me. I shouldered my way through the convening crowds of admirals. Each spoke with a weight of self-importance that I couldn’t have cared less for.
When I finally reached him he called my name. “Marcus!” The captain extended a hand. Wait, what? I wasn’t sure whether to be more confused by his use of the gesture or his new set of arms. They were admittedly simple compared to the prior pair and they were coated with a blue shine that matched his eyes. The digits no longer took the shape of those reptilian claws, instead forming an approximation of human fingers.
The hands locked perfectly with my own. “Saffan, good to see you again. How are things going?”
“Wonderfully. Though I must say, you humans seem to have more countries than you know what to do with.” Saffan folded his arms. “I’ve visited thirteen nations already and I still have over a hundred that have sent me visitation invitations.”
A scoff escaped my throat. “Yeah, that’s us for you. Needlessly overcomplicated.”
I took a step forward and placed a hand on a brilliant blue arm. “And these! When did you get these?” Saffan practically beamed at my inquiry.
“Elizabeth and Garth actually helped design them! They’re exceptionally lightweight compared to my last pair and they can fold to not hinder flight.” As he said this, the two artificial limbs pressed up against his body as he fully folded his wings in a similar manner. With both arms and wings folded, he would have looked like a great horned owl if not for the obvious discrepancies of his size, his horned head and the swirling patterns that covered his wings.
“That’s enough about me though, how have you been? What have you been up to?”
“Ah, not much,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “Paid the family a visit a week back for the first time since the Challenger. For the most part though, I've been training on the battle sims these last few weeks. If I’m to be an admiral, may as well try to play the part.” Saffan slowly nodded. I got the feeling that he too sensed the approaching storm.
“This family of yours, I’d love to meet them some time.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’d love to meet you I…”
“Attention!” The stern sound cut me off. The rippling chorus of speech died down almost immediately as the call demanded our undivided focus. I could’ve recognized that voice anywhere.
“Thank you for joining me, my friends.”
“You’re a smart bunch of people, so I’m sure you’ve gotten the sense for what’s been going on by now.” Redd took a deep sigh and looked around the room at the entirety of the UEN navy’s command structure.
“Ever since the Khimroxians arrived, we’ve been faced with a choice—a choice that must not be taken lightly.” The captain turned our way and gave Saffan a nod.
“When the brave souls aboard the Ignis saved the crew of the Challenger, they showed the true character of their people. They were faced with hard decisions—for our people and theirs—but they chose to push forward and in so doing, saved not only the lives of those aboard the Challenger, but all of Earth from falling subject to their lords. After due deliberation with the council-members of the United Earthen Nations, we have decided to follow in the footsteps of our friends and take such a risk.”
“As of right now, we are at war with the Alliance of the Aurum Arm.” The room fell into deafening silence.
“Each member-state of the UEN will alert their people in due time, but for the moment, not a single word heard within this meeting must be uttered outside of this room.”
Admiral Sturm, the very man who had been my commander not all that long ago, spoke up. “With all due respect, Director, we don’t have the means to wage such a conflict.”
“That's why we’ll create the means. For once, I’m glad to say something good came out of the Kuiper War.” This derived a few nervous laughs from the audience. “With the production facilities appropriated from the (x corporation), and with a few adjustments, we have the potential to create the most powerful fleet of human-made ships to ever enter space.”
“Unfortunately however, we do not have the means to reproduce the white hole drives utilized by the Aurum vessels, or even the dark matter used to stabilize the damned things.”
“Saffan, this is where you and your people will come in. If we are to stand a chance of waging war on such a scale, we will need intelligence and lots of it.”
“As difficult as it may be, we need information; without it, we’re dead in the vacuum of space. We will need volunteers to go behind enemy lines and retrieve plans, schematics, layouts, anything that we can get a hold of that may provide us an advantage both strategically and technologically. Would your people be willing to go to such lengths?”
All eyes in the room turned to the ambassador-captain. “I—I don’t know. I will consult with them, but do I have your permission to speak freely about what you have told me?”
The aging man rubbed his orange-brown beard. “Yes. Yes that would probably be for the best wouldn’t it. Very well, just do your best not to allow it to reach other ears.”
“Yes sir.”
“As for the rest of you, allow me to detail the plan we have so far.”
“Though most of the security council members are not tacticians, they have agreed to the plan that I and a few of my most trusted consultants have prepared. Right now, the nearest sector with a habitable planet is known as Mortamis. This was the last jump point for the Ignis before it intercepted our distress signal. The tentative plan is to begin our expansion across their territory with the capture of this world to act as the staging grounds of our forces. However, until we receive more information regarding the exact layout of their defenses, we cannot commit to such an invasion.”
“From there, we will split up the UEN fleets into separate groups across the Orion arm and take out these tyrants by bleeding them of their most precious resource. Scions. Every world we take is an addition to our numbers, our production capacity, and our ability to fight.”
“Our end-goal is to capture the planet-capital of the alliance, Petris, and demand liberation of all species under control of the Aurum Alliance.“
“We do have a few major concerns however. According to the information provided to us by the Khimrox, a majority of Aurum vessels contain some form of scionic crew complement. Under no circumstances unless express consent is given by the command admiral of the fleet are we to attack a vessel with the intent of destroying it. We must first weaken and disable the ship’s defensive systems before boarding and liberating the captives.”
“I know that this flies in the face of all conventional battle tactics, but this is no conventional enemy that we’re fighting here. If we do not adapt, we will fail and all of humanity will be forced into scionship.”
“Keep in mind, this is a very brief version of our prepared plan. Each and every aspect of it is subject to change. We will discuss this in further detail later, but for now, that is all. Any further questions?” Once again, silence. “Very well then. This council session is now adjourned.”
Other than the shuffling of feet exiting, all was silent. We had known it was coming, but to hear it confirmed…
“Marcus.” The director approached, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Go ahead and join Ambassador Aeax, why don’t you? Might help some of those Khimrox to see a human face that they’re familiar with.”
With a snappy salute, I responded with, “Yes sir.” His words were certainly a surprise, but a chance to join the Khimrox that had saved us was not one I would pass up easily. He may as well have just given me a week of leave considering the excitement that bubbled up within me.
Together, I and Saffan made our way to a nearby shuttle bay headed directly to the Khimroxian colony. Surprisingly, I hadn’t yet paid a visit to the settlement placed within the province of Hunan, but I had seen some images on several media platforms.
The trip was a quick one. Our transport plunged into the atmosphere, kicking up flames all around the outside of the cabin. Soon enough though, the flames of our descent died out and were replaced by the darkness of night.
Even with the slight turbulence, Saffan seemed deep in thought as his eyes stared at nothing in particular.
“Hey, you good?”
That seemed to snap him out of it. “Wha—oh yes, sorry.” A look of focus still remained on his face. For a moment, he continued in his silence before posing a question. “What if my people decide not to volunteer? This entire plan could fall through in an instant.”
“You don’t give your people enough credit, my feathered friend.” Saffan gave me a narrow-eyed look before letting out a cluck of a chuckle. “Redd was right in what he said. I’m sure your people will make the best choice for all of us.”
“For both our sakes, I can only hope that you’re right.”
Our Harpy gently sailed over mountains and treetops, slowly sinking to a stop within a secluded area of trees that were foreign to me.
Only I and Saffan left from the Harpy’s bay and stepped off onto the tarmac. Behind us, the cargo-door closed with a hiss. As we stepped out from underneath our cover, light droplets of water pattered against my skin.
Seconds later, the Harpy’s thrusters kicked in and the ship took flight. The heavy hum and glow of burning hydrogen accompanied the bird as it flew away. In mere moments, it was gone, though the distant boom of it breaking the sound barrier was audible enough.
Looking around, I saw a few of my fellow men and women unloading supplies from a parked Harpy onto a militarily designed transport truck. Dimly lit orange lamps shone down and around us, illuminating nearby hangar bays with their closed doors and rounded ceilings of corrugated metal.
“Let’s get going. I’m sure you don’t want to stay in the rain long.” The rain was enough to notice, but it wasn’t unpleasant. I gave a brief nod and we set off on the nearby road.
Though clouds of rain covered us, the light of the moon joined us as we walked to the village. The setup looked pretty standard from what I knew of modular UEN architecture. It was clear however that great care had been put into its construction. The rain kept most of the residents indoors for the time being, but through the windows of nearby buildings, I saw the illuminated interiors of cozy hostels where families and friends gathered together.
We passed another Khimrox while wading through the rain—one who held its head and horns high, walking with a cheery gait despite the gloomy weather. Compared to the stale and oppressive atmosphere aboard the Ignis, the settlement brimmed with life, even amidst the darkness of both night and storms.
Saffan led me forward to a quaint home with a metal awning that covered the railed porch. We walked up the steps and Saffan rapped on the door with his cobalt colored knuckles.
I hoped for Nia’s sake that her time away from the military had treated her well. Lord knows she deserved some respite. The door opened and Nia's face peeked out to greet us. “Saffan! Marcus! What are you two doing here?”
Saffan answered as I silently sat by. “Oh we were just passing through. Thought it might be a good idea to stop and pay you a visit.”
“Well don’t make yourself strangers. Come on in!” Saffan sat behind as I walked forward and gave his whole body a shake. Droplets flew from his body and slid off his slick feathers.
The home was a simple one, consisting of a main living room joined together with a kitchen. In the back of the home was a short hall leading to a middle door that stood between a pair of two others. In the living room, perched Tokieran, the same physician who had plunged into my mind to extract our language.
Immediately, he rose from where he rested and turned to face Saffan, “Captain!”
“Can’t be a captain without a ship, Toki.” The former captain waved away the words with a hand. “Saffan will do.”
“Oh. Uh, well, it's good to see you again, Saffan.”
“Likewise my friend. I’m certain you haven’t seen much of me considering your position during our time on the Ignis. It’s a shame we didn’t brush wings more often. You seem like a fine fellow.”
As the two avians got to talking, Nia gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “So, how’ve things been going for you admiral?” It was at this moment that I realized I was still in full military dress. Rather sheepishly, I pulled the hat from my head.
“Fine.” I muttered “You?”
A smile met her face. “Best I’ve felt since I enlisted.” She gave a look towards the two conversing Khimroxians. “It's still hard to believe any of this is real sometimes, ya know?”
I nodded. “Yeah. The Challenger, the Ignis, all of it. Feels like a dream now.”
Nia’s eyes stayed upon the owl-folk. “One of those dreams you don’t really want to wake up from.”
I gave a grunt of agreement. “I only wish all of the Khimroxians could share it with us.” This turned her towards me. Her smile curved down somewhat and she gave a slight nod.
What the hell. She’s going to learn it soon enough anyways. Rubbing the rim of my hat, I spoke softly. “Maybe soon, that will be possible.”
“What?”
“The council’s declared war.”
Her eyes snapped to mine, the smile fully gone. The room fell silent. I hadn’t hoped the others would hear me, but those Khimrox had an impeccable sense of hearing. I shouldn’t have expected any less from them.
All eyes turned to me. “The Aurum Alliance is a threat to humanity, the Khimrox, and all of the other scions that we haven’t even met yet. I think we both know this was inevitable”
“No, I get it, it's just… Wow.” The woman ran a hand through her black, tied-back hair as she heaved a sigh.
This facade dropped almost immediately and Nia’s mouth turned into a wonderfully devilish grin. After a few light chuckles, she said, “Better late than never I suppose. Those spineless sons-of-alien-bitches’ll never know what hit ‘em!”
The expressions on the faces of both Saffan and Tokieran showed no less resolve. Even the formerly jumpy physician proudly displayed a newfound sense of will. “The triumvirate operates under the expectation that we won’t fight back,” said Toki. “They see us as little more than animals and It's time we took full advantage of that fact.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” remarked Saffan.
If these willing warriors were in any way representative of the entire Human-Khimroxian collective, the battle against these golden tyrants would be over before we knew it.
---
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Hello! This is just one write-up in a series of write-ups I will be doing making the case for the best survivor. For each write-up, I will look at one legendary player, and explain why they have an argument for being the best player survivor has seen. If you don't feel like reading, you can watch the YouTube video version of it on my channel.
Of all of the candidates, I can go over for the Best Survivor, Sandra might be the most difficult, and at the same time, the most simple one to make the case for. On paper she had a resume that stood for 39 seasons as an unbeatable, one-of-one achievement. Sandra came onto the show in Season 7 Pearl Islands and finished as the sole survivor of the season, which for many viewers already puts you in contention as one of the greatest survivors to ever play. 13 seasons later, on heroes vs villains, Sandra comes back, and wins her second million. In one of the most beloved and hyped of seasons, on one of the most star-studded casts, this little potty-mouthed lady found a way to get all the way to the end and be the sole survivor yet again. In a game where returning winners are immediately targeted as massive threats, this is an incredible achievement. Her title as the only two-time winner stood until a season of all returning winners was introduced, effectively ending the record no matter what happened. Even then, the player who won that season, Tony, needed a second season between his two winning ones to fumble the game and reduce his target for Winners at War. Every other returning player who you can think of, any great you can put a name on that returned for a second time, failed to do what Sandra did. It is a fact that Sandra’s two back-to-back wins immediately put her into the GOAT conversation for survivor. On the other hand, this is in fact Sandra we’re talking about. Now I love Sandra, and I know it sounds pretty rude, but at first glance, she seems to have zero of the qualities the best survivor player holds. So far in my series, my two other candidates for best ever have been domineering, physically fit alpha males, and you would be hard-pressed to find any other player as opposed to them as Sandra. She’s at worst a challenge liability who warms the sit-out bench, and in her two postmergers has not once won individual immunity. She isn’t some all-controlling godfather, and she isn’t exactly the master of the idol play. She speaks her mind and gets into fights with her tribemates. Winners are supposed to be threats to the game, but looking at all of this, maybe you can see the perspective of some - is she really ever an actual threat, or did she just luck out? What I have just outlined is the polarizing debate about Sandra that seems to follow her around. Because if you’re invested in Survivor like I am, there’s a huge chance you either think Sandra is one of, if not the best to ever play, or flat-out one of the worst winners who had the amazing fate of winning twice. Clearly, since this video is arguing for Sandra being the Best, I’ll stick with the former position in this video, but I’ll even let you know I have gone back and forth continuously about ranking Sandra as legendary or middling. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I will try my hardest in this video to convince you Sandra is the best, but I will not pretend she’s your standard fantastic player. What Sandra really is, is maybe the most unorthodox, unique player the game has ever seen.
Season 7 of survivor is probably the most engaging and chaotic of the early seasons. Sandra famously begins the season helping her tribe out by bargaining with the local villagers in spanish. She becomes a key part of Rupert’s Drake Tribe alliance, which gets her all the way to the merge. But that alliance is shattered by the third vote of the merge. This is due to some major shenanigans; for one, the unprecedented twist occurs of having two people who were previously voted out re-enter the game. Additional mischief ensues to the scheming of one Jonny Fairplay, in my eyes one of the most underrated strategists of the early game, and one of the great Sandra bickering partners. In large part due to the outcasts and Fairplay, Rupert is blindsided, and the Drake alliance crumbles, as Jon and the Outcasts slowly take over. Oh, but Sandra still wins. What? Yeah; even with her alliance crumbling and placed in arguably the most chaotic postmerge the game had seen up to that point, Sandra still makes it to the end and wins handily, 6-1. Oh, well, clearly she can’t repeat a run like that again. 6 years later, Sandra returned to the Villains tribe of the universally lauded season 20 of the show, Heroes vs Villains, where once more she is met with some unprecedented and chaotic 39 days, a game-changing strategist, and Rupert. This time, she ingrains herself in Boston Rob’s villain alliance in the early pre merge, before once more disorder ensues. Russell Hantz happens, using hidden immunity idols like no one ever has before to destroy Rob’s alliance, and eventually take out the Robfather himself all before the merge. Sandra appears to be down for the count, relegated to the perimeter of the villain's tribe along with the fellow challenge beast Courtney Yates, where she once more bickers with another squat little man for her remaining time in the game. The merge ensues, and just like at the villains' beach, through some all-time great idol play, the heroes roll over, one by one, to Russell. It seems like Hantz and Parvati are all but unstoppable… oh, and then Sandra wins again. 6-3. How does this keep happening? Is it really luck that Sandra, in some of the most chaotic seasons we’ve seen, beginning already in poor circumstances due to her poor challenge abilities and emphasized by her alliances continuously collapsing, wins not once but two times? Lightning does not strike twice, but Sandra does.
Yes, the haters will say, she really is that lucky. Like pearl island's final immunity challenge. For those that don’t know, in the final challenge of pearl islands, Jonny Fairplay has to win one more challenge against Lil and Sandra, to guarantee himself immunity and kick Sandra out. Jon is not a challenge threat but against them, he’s an Olympic athlete. Of course, the final challenge is all about squatting, the one thing Lil is good at. Wishy-washy Lil wins and very much in character, stabs fair play in the back and essentially hands Sandra the million, the contest being so one-sided due to said compulsive backstabbing. If the challenge was based around anything else except squatting, Sandra doesn’t win. Oh, and look at Heroes vs Villains, in the very last moments of that final immunity challenge. Jerri is less than half a second away from winning this immunity. If that happens, Sandra is out instead of Jerri in the final four. Maybe if you’re a real survivor nerd, you know that even with her translation help, Sandra was still probably the first to go out on the drake tribe if they lose the first challenge. Which by the way, the drake tribe win by no more than a couple yards. If the morgan team never hits a bit of muddy sand, Sandra Diaz-twine, potential best survivor ever candidate, is the first player voted out of her very first season.
You know, a wise man once said “ if ifs and buts were candies and nuts we'd all have a merry christmas", and that’s what I’m hearing here. These are all hypothetical situations that never happened. Who's to say they know if x, y, and z didn’t happen, sandra would have no chance of winning? Even without squats, women usually win the balance and focus-heavy final challenges of the first 7 seasons. In season 20, no matter who gets immunity Sandra is pretty safe considering russell and jerri saw her as a goat to bring to the end. In fact, jerri winning probably means Parvati goes in her place, and from what we know Jerri does not beat Sandra in a final tribal council scenario. And with the possibility of her getting out first… seriously, can you really call yourself a great survivor if you weren’t close to getting out first in your winning season? Also, why Sandra would just roll over and die? She has the ability to scramble and get the vote off of her, so why wouldn’t she in this scenario? Hypotheticals and calling out Sandra’s challenge luck only take you so far, let’s talk about all of the most obvious moments where she lacked luck. Season 7 episode 13, Jon and Burton seem to be wrapping the season up. One of the three women is going home next. While Jon and Burton are off for a reward, Sandra guides Darrah and Lil to begin flipping on the boys, once more preying on Lil and Darrah’s wishy-washy behavior. As the men get back to camp, she pretends to have given up on the game as they had predicted, setting up the spectacular blindside of Burton. Fast forward to Season 20 Episode 8. The villains' tribe loses in a disappointing fashion to the heroes, with Sandra’s close ally Courtney being the main target due to her poor challenge performance. Courtney seems like the obvious choice, except for the fact Sandra has been convincing Russell that Coach Wade is out to get him, as an act of vengeance for voting out his ally Rob. Russell in his paranoia believes Sandra for the most part, and even though Coach is completely fine with voting out Courtney to keep the tribe strong, he is instead blindsided, and Sandra’s ally is saved.
And never mind the unfortunate circumstances of having her alliances crumble around her and being forced to play from the bottom, one of the hardest situations a player can get themselves into. But no, doubters will tell you that actually, being at the bottom helped Sandra. She just got to sit on the sidelines while the bigger threats were taken out. In fact, if Russell had gone out just like Sandra wanted, she surely would have lost. That bitter jury hated Russell and his allies so much they would’ve voted for anyone instead of them, so no Russell equals no Sandra win. The first thing to address here is this; why are you bringing out the hypotheticals again man? Why are we automatically assuming that taking a far easier road would’ve meant absolute death for Sandra? We’ve seen this woman adapt to every crappy situation the game threw at her, why would it be so hard for her to once walk to the straightforward path to victory. Secondly, let’s talk about this “bitter jury” which purportedly handed Sandra the win unfairly. No matter what video you watch from me, I will never admit that a bitter jury is a thing, mainly because it isn’t. The jury is the end all be all of the game of Survivor. Being judged by your peers, and taking care of the way they see you are baked into the very essence of the game. Saying a jury can be bitter or wrong is like saying a basketball is wrong when you miss a shot. Ball don’t lie, and neither does a jury. Finally, sitting on the sidelines is a very diminishing term for the skill that might be the most important to the entire game: threat-level management. There are arguments for who is the best challenge beast or mastermind in Survivor History, but Sandra is without a doubt the greatest threat manager the game has ever seen. In her entire season, Sandra, who had all but one person write her name down on day 39, logged exactly 0 votes against her the previous 38 days. In her second season, now with the revered distinction as a returning winner, she logged a whopping… 3 votes against her. Now’s a good time to bring up Sandra’s other appearances. Sandra returned for two more appearances as a player, and once as a giant stone head. But for those player appearances, you would think, a two-time winner would be dead in the water immediately. Her target would just be too big to bare, and an appearance after the first vote of her tribe would be a miracle. But this is Sandra, so are you even surprised when I tell you she survived until day 16 both times, outlasting multiple players from her own tribes along the way? Yeah sure, day 16 is not exactly a long run, especially pre-shortened seasons, but anything past day 3 for a two-time winner should be looked at with bafflement. As well, both times Sandra got out on some pretty iffy terms. For those latter 2 seasons, she was relatively safe until the Jeff probst special, a lopsided tribe swap, which completely obliterated her chances of surviving in season 35 game changers. In 40 after a more fair swap occurred, but Sandra was the target of a pretty controversial idol play, that lots of people argued was a dumb move on the idol player’s part that Sandra couldn’t have predicted. To me, I think it still stands that Sandra’s threat-level management is of a caliber of its own. Her unmatched ability to sneak under the radar, allowing anyone but her to be the target of the episode, and the episode after that, and so on until it’s only her, does wonders, and it’s why she won twice. It also very much contrasts with the other great players of survivor history, who command groups of people or pull ingenious idol tricks to stay afloat. The contrast between these greats and Sandra is what makes her unique, but also, uniquely unappreciated by some fans.
For me, I feel the Survivor community at large uses completely conceptual ideas and phrases to judge a player’s abilities, phrases that unintentionally undervalue Sandra. You can look at her game, and say a thousand things; What are her physical, social, and strategic skills, does she have agency in the game, does she control a voting bloc, does she really have jury management… Look, I use a lot of these terms as well, but, do you really think this is the kind of stuff they were talking about during that first season in Borneo. Just for once, throw away these buzzwords about how a proper winner should play, and look at the pure, primordial essence of becoming sole survivor: getting to the end and winning over the jury. That’s it. And whose game better fit’s these simple parameters than Sandra. Let’s look at an example of how using survivor vocab overlooks Sandra’s unique winning abilities. In heroes vs villains a lot of people critique her for having little voting power and never being able to vote out Russell Hantz even though she attempted to orchestrate a plan throughout the post-merge. Let’s give more context to this situation, however: Yes, Sandra could not gather the remaining heroes to vote against Russell. What she did do however is use her open scheming against him to her advantage at the very end. She survived to the final tribal council where she proved she was the only remaining villain who had actively stood against Russell, something all the heroes, who were now out and hated the way Russell treated them respected dearly. Sandra showed she had separated herself from Russell’s alliance, something not even the great Parvati could do. All of this; leveraging your failed strategy as a way to win, does not fall under any one word or skill survivor nerds use, but it still works. I think Sandra is actually filled with a lot of these intangibles. She is very aware of others, is able to spot problem players early on, a master of picking at social cracks between people to stir the pot, etc, etc
Sandra’s playstyle is so simple it’s stupid. Call it under the radar or effective jury management or whatever, but simply put, in a game called Survivor, Sandra it the best at surviving. Until she held the biggest target on her back the game has ever seen, Sandra could survive to the end, and get the jury to like her over the remaining survivors. That’s all you need to win. And really winning is all that matters, especially in Survivor. Think about it; we are seeing the smallest slice of a season - about a whole month of contestants playing boiled down to 13-40 minute episodes. We as fans really know nothing about the success of a player. The only real evidence we have of a truly successful player, something the editors can’t cut out or warp, is that winning tally. So who are we to say Sandra isn’t the best player? Why question if she really is great, when the only concrete evidence we have points to a resounding yes. Not to sound like a broken record, but she has won twice, back to back, across multiple eras of the show. And looking at the modern seasons, which seem to heavily favor under-the-radar and non-domineering winners, do you think a newbie Sandra plopped in these contemporary games would do anything else but completely dominate? Her game style could work in any era of the show, under the worst conditions; Sandra would still find a way to win in her own, unique way. So when asking who is the best survivor, the survivor who has the greatest odds of winning it all, give me a player who can back that claim up with real results. Give me the queen, give me Sandra Diaz-Twine.

Lamp works. Tables are lovely I will dust them if they get chosen.
Located in NE/Hollywood Fred Meyer

​
After Franz boarded the aircraft and was sent to a facility to be interrogated the women in a fancy coat known as Senator Jil’adamas asked her daughter who’s the District Commander of this region.
“(What are the losses?)”
District Commander Zara replied nervously
“(The medics just checked all of them are unconscious with some suffering from broken bones and internal burns from the electrical weapon, a few days of medical bath would fix any damage done)”
“(Good, if one of them died it would be a stain on my reputation)”
‘She and her goddess damned reputation’ District Commander Zara thought dissatisfied that her mother only cares about reputation
“(Say Zara)”
“(Yes mother?)”
“(You still haven’t found a mate yet have you?)”
‘Oh goddess no!’ Zara screamed internally as the last thing she wants is to become a political bargaining chip.
“(Mother I’ve been looking up male candidates but I just haven’t been able to find the right one yet)”
“(Really now?)” The former said as she reviews the information they have so far on the individual they have just captured.
In particular she’s eyeing the reports saying that he’s speaking an unknown language.
There’s also strong evidence that he might be from a new undiscovered species.
—————————————— Later
After landing Franz was lead to a room, right now he’s assisting Cre’taxsian scientists in making a translation software to communicate.
Much of what he does is being shown pictures/videos and saying what he thinks they mean.
Of course that’s easier said than done as some times he would be shown stuff that he simply has no idea about.
Like no matter how many photos of these thingy mabob there won’t be an English equivalent.
He’s being shown a crystal but it’s not a crystal the scientist we’re adamant about it.
‘Dude what the hell is that even?’ Franz was baffled as he’s being shown various devices with a “not crystal” below it.
With still pictures failing to get through to him, they then showed him a video of how’s these “not crystals” are made.
While it’s interesting and the production process seems complicated but no matter if it’s cut or whatever there’s simply no fucking English equivalent!
It isn’t until they showed him a video of these crystals being inserted into a device and the device started moving that it finally clicked for Franz.
‘Ohhhhh these must be computer chips or their equivalent of it’
Like obviously aliens wouldn’t be using the same technologies as humans on earth.
In fact they seems to be using photons computers instead of the electrical computers that humans are using.
Like closet thing he knows to their technology is Fiber Optic cables.
With a bit of thinking he finally spoke to the scientist showing him videos of what these things do
“crystal chip”
……. …. ..
The scientist’s eye twitches
Then she showed a different type of “crystal chip” she emphasized that this chip has a different function than the last one but to Franz it’s pretty much just a “crystal chip” with a different color.
‘Maybe like the difference between graphics card and CPU?’ He wondered before just saying “blue crystal chip”
To which a vine visibly bulges on her forehead and Franz can hear laughing noises from outside the interrogation room, undoubtedly there is probably an army of staff outside working alongside her helping and giving suggestions.
She coughs before moving onto a different field as he just demonstrated that computers are not his specialty, she whispers into the coms before deciding to go to a more familiar field.
She then pulls up another picture
(It’s not strange for aliens to use a different format of the periodic table, look up alternative periodic table formats)
‘What’s this supposed to be?’ Franz wondered
Then the Scientist pointed to the center and said
“(Hydrogen)”
She then pulls up a 3D model of a ball and circling that ball is a smaller ball.
She pulls up another picture of a giant explosion in the middle of space. Then she shows a vast gas clouds as the aftermath begins of the giant explosion.
She then shows the vast gas clouds in space slowly coalescing into a stagas giant.
She rewinds the video points to the gas clouds and said “(hydrogen)”
At this point Franz naturally knows what’s she’s referring to and said “hydrogen”
With that the rest of the elements went smoothly as Franz liked chemistry and physics when he was in high school.
Although Franz is bewildered by the fact that they didn’t go pass Rubidium atomic number 37. Even their periodic table doesn’t show anything pass Rubdium.
After the basics vocabulary’s of objects they then move into actions, this part was especially torturous.
Imagine playing charades but you have no idea if you’ve guessed right on the word they’re trying to convey.
After a few growling days charades, they’ve finally have something workable.
Confident that they now have gathered enough word samples the scientific team decided to try out their new software.
“What you name?”
‘They speak like the Chinese in China town back home’ Franz thought before responding
“Franz”
With his response Franz can hear cheering from outside the room, Franz didn’t give his full name as it’ll needlessly complicate things.
Like they can barely speak but you’re ganna throw your full name at them?
“What you race?”
“Human”
“What you gender?”
“Male”
“What you from?”
At that question Franz frowns as the software obviously still needs a lot of work but it’s still intelligible enough to be understood as “where are you from?”
“Earth”
“What Earth from?”
‘You mean where is Earth right?’ Franz wondered
“Not Know” he replied using the same shitty English as they do, not that he recalls giving them the vocabulary for “don’t”
At his reply the scientist frowns not quite believing that he doesn’t know where his home world is.
Even so she moves on to the next question which is the most important one
“What you explode?”
“What?” Franz replied not quite understanding the question
The scientists then showed a picture of a crater where Franz first appeared on this world.
“What you explode?” She asked again as she plays a video of an explosion in town center before a figure that looks like him crawling out of the crater.
‘Why did you detonate an explosive? or is it what explosive did you use?’ Well on both cases he’s being accused of being a terrorist
Well that seems like undeniable proof that he’s responsible for the explosion but in actuality he isn’t! He was just disarming a bomb according to a bomb expert and before he knows it he’s crawling out of a crater and into this devil infested world!
But what’s he ganna say? I didn’t do while a video of him crawling out of ground zero is being played?!
No! He has to be creative with this one!
“I not explode”
The scientist’s eye brow raised with his claim, Franz then took out his smartphone and brought up the cam footage of him trying to disarm an explosive attached to a gram of anti-matter there was a bright flash of light and next thing you know he’s in the middle of a crater.
He showed it to the scientist, that peaked the scientist’s interest
“Again” she demands while pointing to his iphone
Franz the replayed the video and she then points towards the large device the bomb was strapped to.
“What that device?”
‘God if I know’ Franz thought before muttering “teleportation device”
The scientists frowns as the word “teleportation” is not within the list of vocabulary they got so far.
“Travel device” seeing that she doesn’t get it Franz uses another term that’s a close approximation of what he wants to say that they know.
Franz is making shit up right now as he doesn’t actually know what that device is, but it’s better then saying “I don’t know how I got here and that explosion is not my fault”
The scientists frowns making a note to ask about it again after they have a better translation on his language.
She points to the jar that’s magnetically confining a gram of pure anti-matter.
“Anti-matter”
She frowns again
“Not matter” Franz tried to switch out the word “anti” with “not” but unfortunately they also didn’t have the word for “matter” within their narrow lists of translated words.
“Not atoms”
They know the word for “Not” and “atoms” but can they figure out its anti-matter?
…..
After a bit of thinking there was still a frown so the answer to is a big NO.
“Periodic Table” Franz then gestures to the wall
The scientists did as he said and shows their version of periodic table on the wall.
Franz then gestures to all of elements within it and said “Matter”
….
The scientist still doesn’t seem to get it
Franz then points to the hydrogen and said “hydrogen wall”
The scientists projects a 3D model of a hydrogen.
Then he gestures for the electrons to spin in reverse and said “anti-Hydrogen”
Then he makes a fist saying “hydrogen” and another fist saying “anti-hydrogen”
He brought both fist together and said “explosion”
Franz brings up the image of the jar of anti-matter and said “anti-hydrogen”
It is only then that it finally clicked to the scientist of what she has heard, she quickly went out to talk with her team who’s were listening in to the conversation.
“(Oh my goddess! Did he just say what I think he’s trying to say!)”
“(His race must be insane to be playing with anti-matter!)”
“(Just my kind of crazy)” one of the single scientist who desperately looking for a mate said
“(Oh you dirty dirty bitch)” her friend quips
“(These degenerates !)” the head scientist yells out as normally her team is quite professional but as soon as a male is brought in they devolve into a bunch of horny degenerates!
Franz didn’t know what they’re saying but it’s gotten very rowdy outside.
—————————————————— After a few more days of charades and adding more words to the database the science team again feels that they should redo the interrogation.
“We have improved the translation and hope that you can answer us again” the scientists said
‘It sure is a lot better then the last time’ Franz thought before replying
“Sure what do you want to know?”
“First thing first who are you?”
“I’m Franz full name is Francis Alexander Zimmerman, I’m a Security Specialist”
She raised her eye brow at the information she’s given as she notes down something in her crystal data pad.
“So what does a Security Specialist do?
“I Specialized in Security be it escorting clients, protecting important facilities to disarming dangerous explosives”
The part about disarming explosives is pure BS he’s just overselling himself to get a bit of negotiating leverage.
“(Baby I want to hire you to guard our nest)”
Franz could hear a bit of commotion outside and someone whistling
Hearing what was said a vain bulge as the head scientist scolded them over the coms.
She scolded them in their weird alien language so Franz has no idea what was being said but judging by her tone it’s probably full of expletives.
After the scolding the head turns back to Franz and smiles before continuing where they left off as if what had transpired didn’t happen
“So tell me which race are you?”
“We call ourselves Human or in our academic terms we refer to ourselves as Homo Sapients or Wise People”
“I see interesting, this is our first time coming across your species so can you tell us where we can contact your people so that we can start diplomatic relations?”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that as I’ve got no clue as to where I’m currently at”
At Franz’s reply the scientists shows a galactic map to him.
“Unfortunately I’m not educated in Astronomy the study of stars so I can’t help you in that matter”
The Cre’taxsian scientist doesn’t quite believe in what he says but she lets it pass before asking something that has her own personal interest in it.
“So how did you arrive here?”
“I arrived here when I was disarming an explosive device attached to one of the experimental devices in the Lab I was responsible for”
“Can you tell me more about the experimental device?”
“I’m under oath of non-disclosure, I can only tell you is that it was teleportation research and it involved the use of anti-matter”
The scientist clicks her tongue as she really wants to know more about it, unfortunately for her it was all BullShit as Franz himself has no ideas what they were researching, he just made it to explain how he got here.
“Your people must be pretty insane to be using that for experiments”
“It is not my place to question”
“Moving on some of my staff has taken interest in some of your devices can you hand them over to be examine?”
“I’ll humbly decline” while Earth’s technology isn’t as advanced as the technology here but it’s one of the few assets he has that is of some research value.
Like he’s not ganna just give away one of the few valuable things he owns for free, what is he? Insane!?
The scientist clicks her tongue some more she then moves onto the next question
“Can you tell me more about your people?”
“This is my species first time coming into contact with your species so I would like to know more about your species before sharing my own”
‘Information is always important’ Franz thought as he stranded in an alien land with no way home, he gotta make the most of the resources he has.
He doesn’t want to give away valuable information that he would learn that he could have traded it for something valuable.

Attention, Adventurers!
Are you ready to embark on a thrilling and mysterious journey? A new campaign awaits, and I am looking for one brave soul to join our group of intrepid adventurers as they set sail to brave the high seas in search of treasure and glory.
About the Adventure:
"Call from the Deep" is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign set in the perilous and captivating world of the Sword Coast. Assemble your party and dive into a pirate-filled mystery that will challenge your wits, courage, and teamwork. From battling fearsome monsters to uncovering ancient secrets, this campaign promises excitement, danger, and a chance to make a lasting impact on the world.
The Setting:
Set sail on the western shores of Faerûn, where the Sword Coast meets the Sea of Swords. Navigate treacherous waters, explore bustling coastal settlements, and encounter pirates from Luskan and The Northlander Isles. The Forgotten Realms hold countless wonders and perils, and it is up to you and your fellow adventurers to protect it from an otherworldly threat that has crash-landed in this realm.
What We Seek:
The group is made up of four dedicated players eager to add one more hero to their ranks. Whether you are an experienced adventurer or a newcomer to the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, we welcome all who are passionate about immersive storytelling, strategic combat, and collaborative roleplaying. As long as you are respectful of all people, looking to have a good time, and only hold hate for the BBEG you'll be welcome at the table.
I have had the pleasure of DMing for this group through Waterdeep Dragon Heist and then onto a modified version of Tyranny of Dragons, taking them all the way from level 1 to level 15. Now we are looking to start a new adventure and seeking someone to join in from the beginning.
Who am I?
I am the Dungeon Master for this prospective campaign and I have been doing this professionally for the past 5 years. I have a passion for cooperative storytelling and watching your characters come to life as players roleplay them. I would describe my style of DMing as following the rules as written but trying to lean toward the rule of cool during ambiguous wording or situations.
https://startplaying.games/gm/ericdee11
Requirements:
Availability: Weekly on Monday at 7:00 PM, EST.
Software: Roll20 and Discord
Respect and Collaboration: We value a positive and inclusive gaming environment, where everyone's voice is heard and respected.
Payment:
A payment of $15 will be paid to the Dungeon Master before each scheduled game. The first session which will include a session 0 will be free for all prospective players.
How to Join:
If you're ready to dive into this adventure with us, send me a message. Please include the following details:
Name and pronouns
Experience with D&D (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
A brief introduction about yourself and what you enjoy most about tabletop roleplaying games
Once I receive your message, I will reach out to you for a short interview to get to know you better and ensure a good fit within the group.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to join our group of adventurers as we unravel the mysteries of the deep! Will you answer the call?

I have a close friend who I’ve actively been distancing myself from. I really value authenticity and being genuine, empathic, kind etc. (y’all get it) and it’s become increasingly apparent that her values and mine clash.
I’m private (no social media), whereas she posts about 20 stories A DAY on Instagram, documenting everything from what she ate for breakfast/lunch/dinner, her nail appointments, every cafe she visits… it’s exhausting having to wait 10 minutes when our food arrives at a restaurant because she’s got to ‘style’ the table and get photos from every angle (making sure to get her designer handbag into the frame).
She goes out of her way to paint a picture of her life being perfect, often resorting to lies on social media, which is something I find extremely irksome. She’s broke but acts like a billionaire on her socials. We’ll have a terrible meal at a new, cool restaurant and she’ll post about how delicious the food was. Or she’ll post about her incredible holiday and then tell me in private that the trip sucked and she hated it. Like, why??
She recently got married to a guy she’s barely been with for a year and I think it’s the catalyst forcing me to distance myself. The guy mocks poor people (and she laughs!), laughs at people who say housing is unaffordable (in his words “they’re fucking insane, these prices are sooo cheap!”), and is generally just always boasting and being condescending. Who laughs at people who are financially struggling to put a roof over their heads?? Like there’s gotta be something wrong with him to not even have an ounce of empathy, especially in today’s economic climate??
I don’t know if it’s an INFP thing - some of my non-INFP friends have said to cut her out, some others have said it’s fine to have friends who are different from us… but I feel like I’m having such a strong emotional reaction to heher husband and feel repulsed. Like I cannot even meet up with her for a casual coffee because I feel like I’m being fake and essentially condoning her behaviour when I KNOW my values do not align with hers.
Anyone been in a similar situation?

Attention, Adventurers!
Are you ready to embark on a thrilling and mysterious journey? A new campaign awaits, and I am looking for one brave soul to join our group of intrepid adventurers as they set sail to brave the high seas in search of treasure and glory.
About the Adventure:
"Call from the Deep" is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign set in the perilous and captivating world of the Sword Coast. Assemble your party and dive into a pirate-filled mystery that will challenge your wits, courage, and teamwork. From battling fearsome monsters to uncovering ancient secrets, this campaign promises excitement, danger, and a chance to make a lasting impact on the world.
The Setting:
Set sail on the western shores of Faerûn, where the Sword Coast meets the Sea of Swords. Navigate treacherous waters, explore bustling coastal settlements, and encounter pirates from Luskan and The Northlander Isles. The Forgotten Realms hold countless wonders and perils, and it is up to you and your fellow adventurers to protect it from an otherworldly threat that has crash-landed in this realm.
What We Seek:
The group is made up of four dedicated players eager to add one more hero to their ranks. Whether you are an experienced adventurer or a newcomer to the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, we welcome all who are passionate about immersive storytelling, strategic combat, and collaborative roleplaying. As long as you are respectful of all people, looking to have a good time, and only hold hate for the BBEG you'll be welcome at the table.
I have had the pleasure of DMing for this group through Waterdeep Dragon Heist and then onto a modified version of Tyranny of Dragons, taking them all the way from level 1 to level 15. Now we are looking to start a new adventure and seeking someone to join in from the beginning.
Who am I?
I am the Dungeon Master for this prospective campaign and I have been doing this professionally for the past 5 years. I have a passion for cooperative storytelling and watching your characters come to life as players roleplay them. I would describe my style of DMing as following the rules as written but trying to lean toward the rule of cool during ambiguous wording or situations.
https://startplaying.games/gm/ericdee11
Requirements:
Availability: Weekly on Monday at 7:00 PM, EST.
Software: Roll20 and Discord
Respect and Collaboration: We value a positive and inclusive gaming environment, where everyone's voice is heard and respected.
Payment:
A payment of $15 will be paid to the Dungeon Master before each scheduled game. The first session which will include a session 0 will be free for all prospective players.
How to Join:
If you're ready to dive into this adventure with us, send me a message. Please include the following details:
Name and pronouns
Experience with D&D (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
A brief introduction about yourself and what you enjoy most about tabletop roleplaying games
Once I receive your message, I will reach out to you for a short interview to get to know you better and ensure a good fit within the group.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to join our group of adventurers as we unravel the mysteries of the deep! Will you answer the call?

Ajax
In my JSF 2 web application, I use the following code to display and switch the contents of a rich:dataTable according to the selectedStatus:
The dataTable contains a4j:commandLink s, which unintentionally need to be double clicked in some IE versions after changing table content - I found out, that executing the following Javascript code (on IE's debugging console, after table contents have changed) solves the issue:
document.getElementById().focus() My question is: How can I achieve automatic execution of the javascript code after the table contents have changed?
Answer link : https://codehunter.cc/a/ajax/jsf-execute-javascript-after-f-ajax

Hey, avid readers and podcast enthusiasts!
I'm thrilled to share an extraordinary episode of "The Truth In This Art" podcast, hosted by the amazing Rob Lee. Join us as Rob engages in a captivating Q&A session with the incredible D. Watkins, a New York Times bestselling author. Together, they dive into the world of storytelling and explore the thought-provoking narratives brought to life by D. Watkins.
As the host of "The Truth In This Art," Rob Lee brings his unique insights and interviewing skills to the table. In this episode, he delves deep into D. Watkins' writing process, inspirations, and the themes that drive his work. Rob's engaging style ensures a dynamic conversation that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats.
D. Watkins is a literary powerhouse, renowned for his powerful storytelling and insightful commentary on social issues. His narratives captivate readers and shed light on the realities faced by marginalized communities. Together, Rob and D. Watkins navigate the landscapes of literature, culture, and social justice, unpacking the impact of his narratives on contemporary society.
To join this enthralling conversation with D. Watkins, visit the official website of "The Truth In This Art" podcast using the following link: Q&A with New York Times Bestselling Author D. Watkins
Prepare to be captivated as Rob Lee and D. Watkins explore the world of literature and its impact on our understanding of social issues. Their thought-provoking dialogue will leave you inspired and eager to engage with the powerful narratives that shape our world.
Don't forget to share your thoughts and comments on the episode. Let's celebrate the power of storytelling and the impact of authors like D. Watkins, with Rob Lee guiding us through this enlightening conversation.
Happy listening, and may D. Watkins' stories ignite a passion for change and empathy within each of us!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Office work on dual monitors (Excel. Browsing large PDF batches on second screen. Gaming, mostly Dota 2 but would like to try some new games such as Diablo 4, Elden Ring, etc. Really I just want to get the most utility out of my money and not pay for diminishing returns.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

1000-1500

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Today

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

Tower only. Have an old 600W power supply that PC parts picker tells me doesnt have the right PIN for the mobo

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

US. No Microcenter

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

Reusing keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitors. May buy the MSI G271CQR at Costco

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

No

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

No

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

Wired

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

No

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

No.
I'm getting this note on PCPartspicker Note: The be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the ASRock Z790 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard. Suggestions for another CPU cooler welcome.
PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor	$204.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler	$44.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock Z790 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard	$189.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Crucial CT16G56C46U5 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL46 Memory	$47.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$139.99 @ B&H
Video Card	Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card	$332.99 @ Amazon
Case	Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$79.99 @ B&H
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1135.83
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-04 13:30 EDT-0400

Hello,
Before we start, I would like to say that this is my first Army or NG reddit post. If you're a SFC or Major, you should know how to properly write an award recommendation by that time in your career. If you think you know, make sure you know, so you don't screw over your troops. TLDR located at the bottom.
​
The title is exactly as stated, I was screwed out of an reasonably filed request for an award. This award I was recommended for was the AAM (Army Achievement Medal). Do I deserve an AAM for what I am about to say? Not sure, you decide. Do I deserve some kind of award? I humbly think that I do. My Battalion or Brigade was at Fort Polk in 2019 for JRTC and my mission for the entire rotation was to work at one of the few DFACs that we were operating. At the time, I was just a little E-3, PFC, 92G who enlisted into the army around 2017 for college reasons and to ultimately serve his country , but ended up taking his cook job/ training very seriously, sometimes more serious than his peers. I have now worked for a Chef that was a finalist on Hell's Kitchen and I have the Army to thank for that building block. My PLT SSG at the time was very hard on me and made sure I was well trained despite primarily spending most of the training time on a SPC in the unit's SGT slot, whom he wanted to get to BLC. The cooks were broken down into 2 separate shifts, with the leadership being split amongst them. However, my shift lacked SGTs, we only had 1 SGT, some SPC, and 1 SFC while the other shift had multiple SGTs, multiple SPC, My PLT SSG, and another SFC. At the recommendation of my PLT SSG and the knowledge that the other leadership had of me, they allowed me to act in position of Shift Leader, a normally E-5 or NCO position.
​
I had general over sight, was primarily in charge of meal preparation/ pick up for meals to Special Forces, and if anyone had concerns or comments they'd tell me and I'd get with the SFC. Eventually, about week 2 maybe, the SFC started allowing me more responsibilities/ duties such as allowing me to make the Shift Schedule, showing me how to properly fill out Production Schedules( DA Form 3034), Review the request for issue or turn-in (DA Form 3161), Rations Request, and a bunch of other things from Inventory, Receiving/ Storing Rations shipments, and all sorts of things. Not long after teaching those things, I was pretty much acting as the shift's DFAC Manager and he was completely hands off the entire time except for when E-7 rank actually needed to take action such as Disciplinary of a solider or if some CSM/ 1-2 Star General had something to discuss. Most of my peers liked and respected me, my style of doing things, so we really had no issues. He did make sure that I was doing okay and he was still there if I had any questions, but he pretty much let me run it with some help from the SGT and my PLT SSG knew that. I was even trusted with the keys to the DFAC. I don't mean having to asking SFC for the keys to unlock the DFAC in the morning level of having the keys, I mean actually having the keys and being able to walk into the DFAC at the middle of the night if I wanted some cereal, level of having keys. I was acting as an approved DFAC Manager and practically running a DFAC for weeks all at the rank of a little PFC which is an E-6+ task. I was recommended by my PLT SSG and my Commander at the time, who was a major, now LTC, for an AAM. I didn't get it or any award because they filed the paper work wrong and didn't do it right. I would ask time to time about the award to my PLT SSG and my Readiness NCO probably three times, he and she would just say it was sent up. I eventually forgot about it, I had a copy of the recommendation.
​
Wanna know how I found out they did it wrong? I found the Recommendation papers a few days ago and asked the S-1 about it while I was Re-enlisting literally yesterday while he also updated my ERB. I brought him the form, showed it to him, and he flat out said they did it wrong. Matter in-fact, he says he denies those 8/10 because someone filed it wrong and didn't fix it. I asked him if it was too late and he said yeah, He told me there was a 2 year window for the award to be submitted and for them to fix it, and it just never got fixed. I am currently a SPC, and have re-enlisted for another 6 years because I eventually am planning to be an Officer. So long story short, my Leadership might've screwed me out of an award of any kind for that. Make sure you do Triple due diligence on your leaders and if you are a leader, make sure you do your due diligence to make sure you didn't mess up. Do you think I was due for an award? Do you think that is worth an AAM?? Please feel free to comment below your opinions. Also, let me know, is there really nothing can be done about it??
​
TLDR: I did E-6+ work as an E-3 for an JRTC rotation, was put in for an award, and got 0 awards because leadership filled the paperwork out wrong. Unsure if anything can be done about it at this point.
​
Can I get the large Dr. Pepper Milk Shake with a large fry please? Thanks.

So, I have not had bangs in years. I had them when I was younger and did not care about styling my hair. Now I have my own money to buy styling products and I am more interested in it. However, I have this thing called a “cowlick” or so I have been told by my mom. Whenever I had bangs as a kid, there would be a large separation inbetween bangs so it would not look that great. Is there any way to correct this, by cutting it a certain way, or even perming?

What small dining table setup do you do? I think all the tables are Chunky and large. What do you think? I'm making a micro house and I'm trying to find cc micro table with no luck. I rather a side-table size. I'm trying to avoid bar table style. Any tips/tricks would be helpful. Thank you!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Gaming (League of Legends, Diablo 4, ..)

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• €1750

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• ASAP

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

• Tower

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• Belgium

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• See below

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• No

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• See below

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• No

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• No

Extra info or particulars:
So I'm having doubts in wat for CPU (and MOBO/RAM memory) I should go for in this build:
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 TI
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
SSD: Kingston NV2 2TB
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB
Power supply: Corsair RM750e
Now onto the choices, either a CPU Intel I7-13700F with a Gigabyte B760 Gaming X AX and Corsair 32 GB DDR5 (5600 kit) OR CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with a Gigabyte B650M Gaming X AX and Corsair 32 GB DDR5 (3200 kit).
I would appreciate some feedback!

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A staredown soon ensued.
One that neither of us seemed to be willing to let up on.
But as far as staredowns went, this one was pretty evenly matched as neither of us really had the ability to ‘blink’, or at least as far as an outside observer could see.
My whole schtick was pretty obvious, the tinted lenses were more or less just doing the job for me, taking blinking out of the equation entirely and adding a solid plus ten to my intimidation base stats.
The shadowy cloaked figure’s approach was just downright bizarre though, as instead of eyes, there were just these two trapezoidal ‘lights’ that I assumed were supposed to be a placeholder for his actual eyes hidden somewhere underneath the shadowy void casted by his hood.
A void which was downright pitchblack, and completely impenetrable to the naked eye.
The figure gave off a surreal vibe as his rogue-like attire, coupled with the hood and the impenetrable shadow it casted, looked like it’d been ripped straight out of a Castles and Wyverns art book or a high-fantasy comic. The pitch-black void that obscured his face, and those two trapezoidal eyes that hovered and shifted with increasing scrutiny, just didn’t look real.
While most would leave it at that, I wasn’t one to leave a mystery hanging, I was a human with an entire visual sensor suite to work with for crying out loud. So before I even knew it, I reflexively went to activate my night-vision cameras. Only to see that the shadowy effect covering up his face was still there.
This led me to only one solid conclusion.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 140% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
A quick localized environmental scan made it clear to me that this was yet another one of the Nexus’ weird mana-fueled acts of tomfoolery.
“What say you, first years? Are you here for healing, or are you here for a visit? For as I have stated, the healing wing is not accepting visits at this point in time.” The hooded figure answered with this strange mix between a sing-song voice and an attempt at sounding gruff and gravely.
“We have an unfulfilled point of personal privilege that requires addressment.” Thacea stepped up to the plate, promptly placing herself by my side, then taking several steps forward. “Along with an unresolved conflict which requires immediate resolution by the party with which the aforementioned point of personal privilege was evoked but was halted due to unforeseen circumstances.” The princess began flexing her courtly-talk with the hooded figure, which clearly seemed to have some effect as he reached up a single gloved hand up to where his chin should be, only to have his fingers disappear as soon as they entered the dark shadowy effect currently covering up his face.
“And with whom is this unresolved matter incurred?” The figure inquired plainly, though the way he spoke shifted to something a bit more accommodating, perhaps even a little bit more hospitable than the gruffer tone he’d initially directed towards me.
“An apprentice, good sir. Apprentice Larial to be precise.” Thacea clarified politely, using what I could only describe as this flighty, chirpy, almost haughty tone of voice that was an exaggerated version of the cadence she used during our first interactions together.
“Hmm…” The hooded figure replied with a concerned grumble. “I was going to waive this particular matter, allowing the fair lady-” He paused, before making a point to stare at both me and Thalmin. “-and her two knights to pass on through, under the points of exceptional circumstances.” He continued in a less restrained, more flighty cadence. “However, you must excuse my inability to do so, my lady. My hands are currently tied via the powers that be, and I simply cannot grant your request.” The man began weaving a string of apologetics, giving Thacea a genuine and polite bow in response. “I must apologize for this discrepancy in expectant decorum.”
This didn’t make things any better for our circumstances though.
And it was clear Thacea understood this as she continued pressing forward.
“May I have your name and title, my good sir?” Thacea chirped lightly.
“Appointed-Deputy Magistrate Sir Arlan Ostoy, Senior Apprentice of the Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. May I have the honor and the privilege of requesting your name, my fair lady?”
“Princess Thacea Dilani, of the Aetheronrealm, First Year and Scholastic Peer of the Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts.” Thacea replied with a full bow, and a half-curtsy of her own.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The shadowy figure bowed yet again.
“The pleasure is all mine, Sir-Magistrate.” Followed by yet another bow by Thacea.
There was some serious song and dance going on here, and one that I was observing with bated breath.
“Might I inquire further as to the particular reasoning behind this unfortunate and unseemly inability to respect the rights of expectant decorum?” Thacea quickly shot back.
“As I have alluded to, your highness, the powers that be prevent me from furthering the natural solution to your particular grievances. If this were any other instance in time, at any other location or place, I am sure this matter would have been resolved in an expedient and timely fashion. This situation, as you have alluded to yourself, results from a very particular set of unforeseen circumstances. Circumstances which currently dictate my actions in a manner which just so happens to be in conflict with your points of personal privilege, your highness.” The man’s posture, the way he stood, even the way he talked seemed very particular when addressing Thacea.
It was at that point that something changed. I didn’t know what, and I wasn’t sure why, but Thacea seemed to be shifting towards a tactical retreat, as she clacked her beak several times before addressing the both of us. “This is absolutely preposterous, I will need a moment to clear my mind but when I do return…” Thacea turned towards the magistrate/guard/apprentice person yet again. “There will be words exchanged.”
At Thacea’s prompting, we all left the room, but not before slamming the door behind us shut in a similar manner to Ilunor’s drama-filled exits.
We continued walking away from the medical wing at a steady pace, until another privacy screen was suddenly brought up.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 275% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
“I have a plan.” Thacea began. “And this is entirely relying on you two having the physical prowess to back up your military backgrounds.” She continued ominously.
“Oh princess, you sully the Havenbrock name if you believe my mercenary heritage is in any way, shape, or form a mere decorative mantlepiece.” Thalmin responded with a sarcastic, yet excitable tone.
“I assure you, Thacea, I think my training has almost every eventuality accounted for.” I added with an affirmative nod.
“So what’s the plan?” Thalmin barked out excitedly as we stopped right in the middle of this long, wide hallway connecting the main castle with the medical wing. Thacea was quick to answer this question by wordlessly gesturing to a lone door on the right side of the hallway.
Windows lining either side of the hallway made it clear that this entire structure was just an elevated bridge connecting the main castle to an entirely separate compound.
This made the presence of a door smack-dab in the middle of its length sort of bizarre.
Upon entering it though, we were treated to an open-air rooftop terrace with a few seats and benches. The whole outcropping gave us an unparalleled view of the roaring waterfall beneath the Academy, and a direct line of sight to the medical wing and its five distinct towers.
The princess continued walking silently as we reached the edge of the terrace’s balcony, overlooking the sheer cliff face at a height that more or less put me in mind of your typical open-air rooftops on your typical Acela Corridor skyscraper.
“I’ve observed that the medical wing seems to consist of a large tower-atrium, with several more towers connected to it via additional corridors. Similar to spokes on a wheel. As you can see from this vantage point, it seems as if most rooms have private balconies. If we cannot make our way to the apprentice via conventional channels, then I plan to reach her via more unconventional means.” Thacea turned towards me with a hardened look in her gaze. “Emma, is your… insect artifice ready for use?”
My eyes widened at that, as I nodded affirmatively. “Just for the record, we call it a drone.” I quickly corrected Thacea. “But, yes, I can designate individuals and targets for it to track down or follow. However, I can’t just have it poking around in every room since there’s no guarantee that the drone will be able to get a lock on them. There’s too many variables involved that would get in the way of the drone actually being able to zero in on a person’s face. From the beds facing the right way, to bandages possibly covering up her face, to-”
“I don’t want your artifice to observe every balcony and window, Emma. That will most certainly take too much time, and as you’ve stated, there’s no guarantee of actually identifying a face considering the multitudes of factors involved.” Thacea interjected. “What I plan to do is to return to the Deputy-Magistrate, and to attempt to reach a compromise that he will abide by. I plan for him to take us, or rather, your drone straight to the apprentice.”
“And how will you accomplish this?” Thalmin whined,his head tilted in curiosity.
“I will draft a letter, addressed directly to the apprentice, and request that it be taken straight to her room. This way, the Deputy-Magistrate will in a sense be able to accomplish his obligations to the Expectant Decorum, and in doing so he will lead your insec-, drone, straight to the apprentice’s room.”
I stared at Thacea with wide eyes, as her back and forths with the deputy-magistrate began taking on a completely different meaning in this new light.
“That way, we can find out exactly which room the apprentice is in.” I replied bluntly.
“Correct. However, from there, I cannot say my plans are in any way foolproof.” Thacea replied with a sullen coo.
“Well go on, princess, it sounds pretty good so far!” Thalmin urged.
“Ascertaining the apprentice’s room is only half of the stated objective. Actually getting there is another matter entirely. Because depending on where the apprentice is located… my idea for the latter half of this quest involves you two scaling your way towards her room.” The princess spoke with an immense level of trepidation. “On the exterior aspect of the castle, if that needed to be said.”
My heart skipped a beat as the princess laid out her plans. I looked across the absurdly spindly hallway-bridge that this little terrace was somehow attached to, and towards the five towers that made up the medical wing.
Thalmin did the same, although his face seemed to indicate that he was at the very least, considering the plan at least somewhat seriously.
“Alright.” I muttered out loud, instinctively trying to place a palm on my forehead, only for the glove to bonk straight off. “I have several ideas. First, we might be able to do this remotely. I’m thinking once we find out which room she’s in, we fly in a larger drone, one carrying with it a deployable holographic projector or some other two-way communications device so that we can talk to her remotely.” As soon as I spoke that idea out loud however, things started to fall apart. “But because of how thick the walls are, and considering the distance between the tower and our dorm, I might have to deploy repeaters in order to daisy-chain the connection all the way back to the dorms. I mean, we can’t just set up shop out here in the open after all. At which point we’d have a continuous chain of signal-repeater drones flying all across the Academy… which wouldn’t be ideal. No, scratch that, that won’t work.”
The pair stared at me with varying degrees of confusion, but seemed to have collectively decided to ignore the idea after I’d scrapped it.
“I say we just climb it!” Thalmin yelped out, but not before another idea hit me. One that could work, but that required me consulting Thacea first.
“I mean, we could, but…” I turned to face Thacea. “What’s the Academy’s policy on noise? Or rather, do you think we could get away with something really really loud, buzzing outside of the towers?”
Thacea once more stared at me with a look of just utter confusion, but shrugged it off and went with it anyways. “I would highly recommend against generating too much noise for this particular quest, Emma. It would most certainly garner a lot of unwanted attention.” Thacea spoke plain and simple.
I couldn’t help but to groan internally in frustration at that.
That makes flying over there a no-go… it would’ve made things so much easier though…
“Alright, well, that more or less places us in a very awkward situation with not a lot of options available to us, huh?” I thought to myself outloud again, as I craned my head over to an excitable Thalmin.
“I guess I have to climb on over.” I stated in no uncertain terms.
“Wait, I?!” Thalmin responded with a shocked and incredulous bark. “There’s no way I’m allowing you to climb over there yourself without assistance or-”
“Thalmin, there’s no need for you to climb on over with me.” I interjected. “This whole mission is hedged on me talking to the apprentice one-on-one. Remember the gardens? The apprentice wouldn’t allow you anywhere near us when we started talking. It’d be a waste of time, energy, and more importantly… a huge risk to your safety. I don’t want to risk your life needlessly, Thalmin. Not especially for a fight that isn’t your own.”
“Well you’re part of our peer group, so it’s my fight as well.” Thalmin replied with a dejected growl, but eventually relented. “But you’re right, Emma. I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”
I nodded at Thalmin’s slowly. “Besides, there’s an important job I need you to do.” I began scrounging through one of my pouches, and began palming for my spare in-ear earpieces. “I need you on lookout, to keep me aware of anything fishy developing in case I need to pull out.”
Thalmin looked over the side of the terrace, towards the raging waters beneath this side of the Academy as he let out a sigh. “That shouldn’t be too hard. Hardly anyone will be passing by this terrace, and beyond that there’s no way anyone can spot you from below, given there’s nothing but the cascading rapids below us. There’s no one that can spot you from here, save for perhaps the foxes in the library. We’re most certainly on the right side of the Academy for this quest, that’s for certain.” Thalmin pointed at the library in the far distance.
“Oh, I’m not too worried about anyone seeing me. I’m more concerned about someone compromising my extraction point, i.e. this little terrace here.” I acknowledged.
“But, surely you must be worried about someone seeing you scaling the walls…” Thalmin scanned me up and down, as if wanting to comment about my size but- “You’re massive.”
“Okay, first off, rude.” I spoke sarcastically, and raised both hands up for added effect. “But in all seriousness, I have another device that can mask my visual presence.” I pulled out a plastic-like poncho from one of my pouches, activating it, and revealing its active-camo properties as it projected whatever was behind it, albeit with some imperfections. “It isn’t perfect, but from afar it should actually work pretty well.”
Both Thalmin and Thacea stared at each other in utter shock as they saw this.
“A mana-less-”
“I think… this is a matter worth discussing another time, Princess.” Thalmin interjected with a polite exasperated breath. “But I expect a good explanation for this one, Emma.” Thalmin pointed a finger right at me.
“In any case, I will be diverting the Deputy-Magistrate’s attention by preoccupying him with needless and vapid chatter. This should take attention away from the apprentice and your intrusion, Emma.” Thacea quickly added, and promptly tied this whole impromptu operation up nicely.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road then. We’ll head back to the dorms and get that letter drafted so-”
“Already done.” Thacea interjected, bringing up a parchment that she promptly began sealing into an envelope.
“Wait, when did you-”
“Whilst we were talking, I used a dictation spell. The letter is written and signed.” Thacea spoke nonchalantly, as she held a neatly sealed envelope in one of her talons.
“Wait, what, when did you, how did you-?”
“I carry a quill and extra parchment in my bag of holding. This is to account for any eventuality where a statement in writing, a legal affidavit, or a notarized letter may be required.” Thacea responded a-matter-of-factly.
“Alright then.” I tapped the pouch with the INFIL-DRONE, the small little thing peeking its head out much to the visible disgust of the pair. “So we’re ready for phase one of the operation. Misdirection and information gathering. We’ll go in, drop the letter, and have the drone do its thing. After that, we wait for the drone to return, and we’ll take it from there on whether or not we can continue with Phase Two: penetrating the enemy lines.”
“What would be stopping us from continuing with phase two?” Thalmin quickly asked.
“Well, simple. If the apprentice is still conked out from her injuries, there wouldn’t be any point in attempting to meet her. So hopefully, she’s going to be in a good enough state to talk to. We’ll know when we get the drone footage back.”
“Fair point.” Thalmin nodded.
“So, is everyone ready to begin?” Thacea asked.
A series of affirmative nods later, we began our quick walk back over to the atrium.

The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts, Extraction Point Alpha (Open Air Terrace Overlooking the Medical Wing). Local Time: 1420 Hours.
That took way more time than I’d initially thought.
In fact, it took so long that I was beginning to wonder how two people could have an unending conversation where nothing of value was spoken and nothing of value was gained.
It was basically elevator small talk, but written by the same writers who wrote Bridgerwesson Lane, and adapted to a theatrical release with a trilogy that ended with a movie arbitrarily cut up into a two-parter.
I honestly zoned out for a few moments during those hours, as I decided to use the spare time to review the grappling hook and mountaineering gear I’d be using on this little quest.
Eventually however, the Deputy-Magistrate relented, at which point I let loose the INFIL-DRONE to do its thing.
It’d been twenty minutes since we left and made our way back to this open-air terrace, and all of us were waiting with bated breath for the results the drone had in store.
“So, how fast can that drone of yours fly anyways Emma-”
Thalmin was immediately cut off as the drone in question buzzed right by his ears, causing them to flick this way and that, before flattening out entirely.
“Speak of him and he will come.” I chuckled, as I outstretched a gloved hand over for the little drone to perch atop of.
Once again, the pair stared at it with a look of mild disgust, and then panic as it crawled all the way back into its docking port, and began uploading the data we needed.
“Alright, let’s see what we have here.” I spoke to no one in particular before shifting my attention to the EVI. “EVI, isolate and replay relevant footage, and calculate the target’s location.”
“Acknowledged, parsing…”
“Location Parsing. Footage isolated. Play Footage?”
“Affirmative.”
I immediately pulled out my data-tab for the gang to be able to watch as well, as the footage began just as the Deputy-Magistrate, and by extension the drone, arrived at the apprentice’s room.
The door, and all details posted in the front were all captured, and so too was the state of the apprentice revealed to us in short order as I braced myself for a mangled and bandaged-up mass of broken bones.
What I instead saw, was… still a heavily bandaged up figure. However, the most important thing was that they were awake.
And what was remarkable, was the fact that they were able to move without assistance. As the apprentice reached over to receive the letter wordlessly, shifting a bit in bed as she did so.
“This is a letter addressed from a Princess Thacea Dilani of the Aetheronrealm. I have fulfilled my duties and obligations as per the Expectant Decorum. I will now take my leave, Apprentice Larial.” The deputy-magistrate spoke with the same air of overbearing properness, seriously making me consider whether or not this was how he was all the time.
Whatever the case may be, the apprentice seemed to be healed enough to move her arms at the very least, as she grabbed the letter and spoke hoarsely back in response. “Thank you Senior Apprentice.”
There wasn’t much to the footage beyond those interactions, but it was good enough for the purposes of this mission.
“Alright.” I spoke, as I pocketed the tablet. “We have our answer. The apprentice seems healed up enough to speak to, so phase two of this operation is a-go.”
The pair nodded in response, just in time for the EVI to be done with whatever calculations were needed to determine the apprentice’s precise location.
I turned to the tower, as the room and its balcony was highlighted.
It was just about five stories above from where we were.
Meaning it’d be a hell of a climb.
“The room’s about five floors up.” I announced with a sigh.
“Are you sure you can make that journey, Emma?” Thacea responded worryingly. “I… I will be honest, Emma, I am having some second doubts about this whole idea. The concept just came to me as flying between tall structures and towers is just second nature to us Aetheronrealmers. Considering the heights involved, and your inability to fly, I’m wondering if this whole quest was a folly of my own shortsighted-”
“It’s fine, Thacea.” I cut the avinor off. “I can do this, trust me.” I placed a single hand on the princess’ shoulder, and squeezed it once for effect.
Meanwhile, the EVI began doing what it did best: attempting to minimize the risk associated with my hairbrained schemes, as it deployed the suit’s primary lookout drone in order to start mapping out the best possible route forward.
This spooked the pair yet again, as they both jolted backwards.
Thankfully, the drone was deathly silent, so it shouldn’t bring too much attention to it.
It was at this point that I brought out a pair of earpieces I was scrounging my pouches for earlier, one for Thacea, and another for Thalmin.
“These will help you stay in contact with me throughout the climb.” I stated plainly, as I attempted to latch it onto my own ear for demonstrative purposes, only to realize that I could not, given the suit was in the way.
I sighed, as I turned towards Thalmin. “Do you mind if I put it on for you?” I asked sheepishly.
“Erm, what is it, Emma?”
“It’s…” I paused, as I attempted to find the best way to describe this without taking up too much time. “It’s a communication artifice, Thalmin. It’ll allow us to talk to each other remotely, relying on that drone there-” I pointed at the lookout drone still flying away from us. “-to relay our voices to each other.”
Thalmin, as expected, looked at me with an expression of partial dumbfoundedness whilst Thacea seemed completely transfixed by the earpieces I held in my hands.
“So it’s like a hearing-sense?” Thalmin responded with a questioning bark.
“Look, I’ll just demonstrate.” I managed out with a sigh as Thalmin reluctantly nodded and allowed me to begin hooking in the earpiece, looping it around his fluffy triangular ears.
This inevitably resulted in my hand brushing over the lupinor’s fluffy head a few times, which seemed to elicit some large tail-wags and a dulcet rumble.
I tried to ignore that, as I pulled back and began demonstrating. “I’ve turned off my speakers, can you still hear me, Thalmin?”
“Yes, I can.” The lupinor spoke after clearing his throat.
I turned my speakers back on immediately after. “Alright, I’ll get into the specifics of how it works later, but as for now, just know that I can hear whatever you say.”
“I’m afraid I don’t think that artifice will be compatible with my… anatomy, Emma.” Thacea spoke calmly, as she pointed at several aspects of the earpiece that required an actual ear canal to fit into, and an earlobe to loop around.
“This complicates things a bit, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. How long do you think you can keep up the distracting conversation with the deputy-magistrate for, Thacea?”
“We just went through several hours discussing nothing in particular, I can most certainly continue that trend from dusk till dawn.” The avinor spoke confidently, and frankly, rather proudly. “The issue lies not in how long I can manage to maintain the conversation, but in how long it will take you to accomplish this quest, Emma.” Thacea shot back.
“An hour.” I nodded confidently. “Twenty minutes to scoot my way over there, twenty to talk to the apprentice, and twenty to get back.”
“I’ll make that two hours then.” Thacea responded without a second thought. “We need to account for potential complications, and an extra hour of senseless dialogue will most certainly not be an issue for me.”
With an affirmative nod from me, and an approving glance from Thalmin, I now turned towards the exterior of the two hundred foot corridor leading to the concourse, and the extra five hundred feet it would take to get from the atrium to the tower in question.
It was at that last minute that the EVI brought out another suggestion, one that was formulated with the aid of the new datasets provided by the FEBNPMS lookout drone that had been busy mapping out the best route forward.
It was… an inherently riskier approach, one that my aunt would definitely not approve of, but it definitely beat scaling a wall and wedging spikes into it.
“Actually… I have a better idea than simply scaling the walls.”

The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts, En Route to Medical Wing Tower C, Room 705. Local Time: 1430 Hours.
“Grapple secure.”
I will never forget the feeling of falling.
The very wrong feeling that came with leaping off of solid ground into empty sky, of suddenly seeing and feeling the world whizzing by me.
It was a visceral feeling, a gut-churning sensation, dominated by an overbearing sense of impending doom that takes over your terrestrial brain that wasn’t designed to feel the ‘freeing’ sensation of being unbound to the ground beneath you.
Leaping over from the edge of the terrace was the worst part of it. But after that tentative jump, things started to become just a little bit easier.
The Academy’s proclivity for over-aggrandized architectural design would finally serve a purpose beyond just decorative aesthetics.
Because it was clear that the walls weren’t really designed to ward off anyone daring to scale them. As there existed several, if not hundreds of these little greebles and outcroppings that served no purpose but to act as decorative pieces on the side of the castle. Some held stone flowers, whilst others had lamps or other light pieces of varying designs.
No matter what they were, or what meaning they held, all were equal and valid targets in the eyes of my grappling hook.
As I dangled there from the first outcropping, held in place by a single high-tensile cable, I looked up to see Thalmin looming over the edge “EMMA?!” I heard him shout in a panic. It was clear that he was unable to see anything, as my light-refraction cloak was currently doing its job well.
“I’m still here, Thalmin. You can’t see me but I’m dangling from this weird outcropping that looks like an overinflated vase.”
“NEXT TIME, BE SURE TO INFORM ME AS TO THE NATURE OF YOUR IMPOSSIBLE ARTIFICES BEFORE USE, UNDERSTOOD?!”
“Of course. You’ll know if I’ve fallen if you hear a long scream followed by a large splat.”
“That’s not funny!”
I chuckled nervously in response, before turning to face the grueling, gut-churning journey ahead of me. “Humor’s my way of dealing with stress, and trust me, I have a lot of stress to work through right about now.”
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(Author’s Note: Hey guys! Time for some unconventional solutions courtesy of Emma and the gang! We're going to meet the apprentice one way or another! I hope you guys enjoy! :D The next Chapter is already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 34 of this story is already out on there!)]