Round table pizza near me

So it started when I fell asleep, and was in my house. I was doing something that I don't remember for a little while, when suddenly something (forgot what) made me do a reality check. 4 fingers, cool. So I tell my parents, who were by the table that I was dreaming and they weren't my real parents, and they pretty much acted like they would in real life, confused and just thought I was silly. I kept emphasising to them but they wouldn't believe me. I literally said "Look, is this not proof I'm dreaming?" and then levitated a foot off the ground. I don't think they believed me, but I never saw them again after that. I ended up feeling a weird kinda "slipping" feeling, like losing focus kinda thing, and then I closed my eyes and wondered if I wanted to wake up or not. I decided not to, but when I opened my eyes I was awake in my bed again.

[M4A] The Dragon Devil. (1x1 Chainsaw Man Rp.)
Hello!
As of late I've been itching to do a Chainsaw Man Rp, and am currently searching for detailed partners to do a OC x CC RP! I am currently I'm searching for someone to play Makima for me. So if you're interested just shoot me a message! Here are a few extra notes before messaging me.

• I am over the age of 21, and therefore you do need to be over 18. I just don't feel comfortable rping with anyone younger.
• I only rp on Discord, as I find it much easier to manage things there instead of here on Reddit.
• I am always happy to listen to your ideas, so please don't hesitate to share any and all you have with me! Even if its one you may think aren't good, I'm always happy to work with you to make it work. Below is the general idea I had for my OC, and I hope you like him!

The Dragon Devil
Hanzo Sano was one who was scorned by the devils that infect the world, a terrible ordeal that didn't manifest in the form of great hatred but instead in terrible fear. A petrifying fear that caused him to seek out locations where Demon's weren't common, and if one were to ever show up near where he lived he'd pack his things up and leave immediately. A young man on the constant run from the wretched monsters that brought death and chaos into the world.
Though his efforts to avoid the Devils of the world were quite extensive. It would eventually put him in the very jaws of one. Moving out of the city, once he noticed the frequency of Devil attacks increasing in cities he choose to move away to somewhere more Urban. Not even a day after the move he encountered the Dragon Devil, but instead of freezing in fear and becoming another meal to the fearsome beast something changed within him.
All the fear, the terror, the trauma melted into pure unyielding rage. After going through such extensive lengths to avoid demons, uprooting his life again and again, giving up any semblance of a social life just so he could live away from them, and in the end the wretched Devils just continued to follow him. Though he can't quite recall the events that transpired during his fight for survival against the Dragon Devil, he does remember one thing. Devouring its heart.

Hi All-
I am new to e-bikes and ended up buying two and would like honest opinions, feedback, tip etc.

• Gazelle Medeo T9-bought this from a local shop near me for long rides all around the sate I live in. Both on bike paths and roads. For exercise and getting around
• Volcon Brat-(in blue)- after buying the Gazelle I saw this online a fell in love. I live part time on a small island and plan to use this more to zip around, have some fun, etc. Not so much exercise based. Probably a crazy splurge to get both but gas is crazy expensive out there and this thing looks cool. Is it a good bike though?

I went to went to his house and we played video games in his room for a while, then we got hungry and he suggested we order a pizza. I had only brought $10 with me since I did not think we would order something, but he still ordered us a $40 pizza deal which contained two large pizzas, he even insisted that I pick the toppings I want on one of them even though I knew he would save the left overs for his family and I didn't want to get a pizza they wouldn't enjoy. He still said I could get whatever I wanted on it, and he even asked if I wanted to get an additional cookie, the overpriced ones that aren't worth it, to which I said 'no thanks' because I didn't want him to waste any more money. He only had a $100 bill and the delivery guy only had a $50 (the pizza was $40) so he said he could keep the $10 as a tip and later I gave him my $10 I brought with me and he seemed to appreciate it. He has always been the 'broke friend', he has made jokes about not having money, in our friend group he never bought anything for others because he didn't have the money. So I just hope the next time we hang out, I'll have enough money to he able to buy him something just as pricey, because it really meant a lot to me. Could his spending on me mean something?

My spouse died recently. He is the father of my baby son.
We have always had a strained relationship with his parents but have tried to have them in our lives. They live in another province but have visited and met our son twice.
I am trying to manage my relationship with them carefully. I wish I could rely on them as babysitters but they are not well-equipped caregivers, his mother in particular seems to be experiencing some cognitive decline and is very forgetful (like, leave the baby on the change table and walk away kind of forgetful - we had to supervise constantly). Nothing formally diagnosed, though. I have an okay relationship with my FIL but my MIL has an extremely difficult personality and we do not get along. She has done some deeply troubling things over the last few years and my husband and I have debated going low or no contact at various points in time.
I am hopeful I can find a way for them to be in my son’s life, I do not want to deprive him of a relationship with that side of the family, but I am also anxious that if his mother’s toxic behaviour towards me continues I may no longer be able to do that. I suspect she may retaliate seeking the courts to establish a right to see her grandson.
I understand that grandparents rights are generally reserved for where they have been guardians or very present in a child’s life, which is not the case here. Does that change in the situation where the grandchild is in the sole custody of a non-related (to them) parent?

Im sorry to start, I dont know where to post this, so if you have any links or subs that this would be good for please let me know
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About 9 years ago I had a kid, the whole pregnancy was fine for the most part, no morning sickness, not pains, no bed rest, nothing. I overheated easily when I worked for McDonalds for a couple days but I quit and worked somewhere else that was healthier for me throughout my pregnancy, I walked daily to and from work and was in decent health. Now, when it came time to have my child that was another story, a story Ive never told anyone until last night.
We almost died, every time I went to push my child and I would flatline. I was not supposed to have a doctor but only a midwife during the birth as per my Birth Plan. Yet shortly after I started pushing the nurses had me stop abruptly and went and got the doc. I didnt know at the time but I was losing consciousness each push and our hearts would stop beating. Once he came in and assessed the situation he decided that I would get to push 3 times, with the assistance of a vacuum attached to my childs head. If I didnt give birth within those 3 pushes then we would be going in for surgery and I would be having a C-Section. I gave birth on the final try. (I really didnt want a C-section lol). Once all of that was over the doc was patching me up because when they pulled her out her shoulder came out next to her neck and ripped me a little. He mentioned that I should probably not go through with this again in the future. So a few years later I had a tubal ligation procedure done once I found a doctor willing to do it since I was unwed and under 35 or whatever. The doctor that did it did a full ligation, which if I remember correctly means that he removed my tubes but I still have my ovaries and uterus.
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Last night my boyfriend decided to have a serious conversation, about how he wants to have a child. He knows that I have had the procedure done and really up until last night Im almost certain he thought it was just because I didnt want to have another child. Now that he knows why he seems to be thinking about someone else carrying but I dont think he knows how much that is though. Now that another child is on the table Im really wondering how we can go about this. Can I use my own eggs and have them planted in me and I just get a scheduled C-Section? I know there is the option of a surrogate but neither of us are really rolling in dough or high credit. We are both working on building but thats besides the point, we want to buy a house so currently thats goal one. BESIDES THE POINT THOUGH.
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I dont know really what Im looking for here, just advice on what to do. I love him and would love to see a little one of him, running around with their older sibling. Which brings me to another thing, I would feel guilt because there were about 3-4 yrs I wasnt in my childs life due to my own mental health issues. I do have those under control now and Im in a much healthier place mentally and emotionally but I would feel guilty for my child knowing that they missed out on years and things that this future child wont.

A little over 2 weeks ago I made a post asking about [[Maze's End]] and how it would fit into a casual playgroup. I got a lot of good advice, a few corrections, and a pretty solid [[Nine-Fingers Keene]] deck out of it. I took this deck and new knowledge to the table top with my friends and everyone got a kick out of it. I managed to pull off Maze's End a couple times and really enjoyed having a doomsday timer in the form of lands, even after they started adjusting their decks to this win con.
However, I want more. I love the idea of Maze's End in the command zone, and with [[Golos, Tireless Pilgrim]] being just that with access to all gates? He seems like the clear choice for sure, and my friends all said they would be fine with me running him as my commander. My issue is that I do not know how others would react - I do not want to make a legal deck illegal by upgrading my Keene deck for Golos if it means I most likely wont get to play it outside of my playgroup, nor do I want to spend the money for a brand new deck for the same reason.
As such, my question. If you sat down to play with a group at your lgs and someone asked if they could rule 0 [[Golos, Tireless Pilgrim]] as their commander for a [[Maze's End]] deck, would you let them? Would there be any conditions / limitations you would set? I appreciate any and all opinions on the matter

I love Ooni. BUT…
I bought the Koda 12 a few weeks ago and it’s is simply too small. After a dozen pizzas or so, I keep burning them because I struggle to turn the pizza fast enough in the small space.
So thinking I could simply return the oven and purchase the Koda 16, I contacted customer service.
OMG… you’d think I was asking for world. Not only has getting through to customer service been difficult, they have fought me tooth and nail to return the oven despite their guarantee.
I don’t get it… I want to give them more money!?!?!? And, I am not happy now…
Wish I had purchased the Koda 16, so word to the wise. Do your research and buy from Ooni with the plan to not return anything regardless of the reasons.

Foreword:
Hi everyone! This is a continuation piece of my previous work (might probably will turn this into a series/proper universe down the line), however reading it isn't necessary for understanding this story.
Any and all criticism is welcome. Hope you'll like it!
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For captain Gryio, it was a pretty uneventful afternoon shift aboard his mining ship, prospecting beyond the Imperial border. He was looking outside into the void from his cabin, watching automated drones bring asteroids full of rare metals into his ship's belly, when his comms officer, Lila, walked in on him with a datapad. She explained to him that they captured a transmission on the short range public interstellar channel. Curiously, the transmission came not from within the Imperial border, but from without. It seemed navy in origin and simply read: "To anyone who hears this message, forward it whole to the nearest Imperial ship or station as fast as possible. The reward for the first person to do so will be 100 thousand Imperial crowns." What followed was about a minute of what seemed to be static. Gryio, a former navy officer, recognized in it a classified message that was encrypted, so no one without the proper software would be able to read what it says. Navy messages coming from beyond the border usually meant pirates, however pirate warnings were always without any encryption. Thinking he would rather get the money than rummage through classified navy business, he ordered his comms officer to retransmit it to the nearest Imperial border outpost. What he didn't know was that the transmission would end up being sent to two locations. As it turns out, the comms officer made a deal some time ago. A mysterious individual aproached Lila with an offer. He would pay for her father's surgery if she gave him a valuable piece of information about the Imperium's actions on the frontier. A desperate sounding encrypted Imperial navy broadcast was sure to be worth more than fixing up an old man's heart, she thought.
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Some time later, at the Imperial navy HQ, located at the Imperial capital, the message caused quite a lot of upheaval. It said that the 16th Imperial exploration fleet made violent first contact with a newly discovered intelligent race.
The fleet's commander, a young prince of the Heyduk kingdom, decided that the smartest thing to do was to conduct a raid on the species' planet, the Earth, hoping to prove himself as a warrior, this attempt ending when an explosion took of his leg and forearm. The species', the Humans they call themselves, military then managed to push back the Imperial marines to their original landing site and forced them to evacuate to their voidships. They left with heavy casualties, with several of their landing craft being shot down as they attempted to fly to orbit. The prince, before being put into an artificialy induced coma to help him heal, then called for reinforcements directly to his father, the king, using a genetically matched long range transmitter that only he could use. His second-in-command then ordered a retreat behind the moon of the Earth. A lone SIGINT vessel, the Poltergeist, was then ordered to return back to Earth's orbit to monitor any attempt by the Humans to shoot back at the Imperial ships. After not hearing from the vessel for half a day, they decided to peak from the dark side of the moon to establish visual contact. When they saw the Poltergeist's wreck entering the Earths' atmosphere, the crew presumed dead and entombed within the ship, they decided to call for help properly. With his most powerful antenna destroyed and the second one being unusable by anyone except a half dead aristocrat, the second-in-command used the public channel, desperately hoping that anyone would listen and retransmit.
One of the officers present then cared to check the Imperial navy Central Information System, and sure enough, a small military transport fleet of the Heyduk navy just left port, with their stated destination being a system on the edge of Imperial space close to the newly discovered Earth. The fleet was ordered back home. The young prince broke both Imperial and Common Galactic law by initiating first contact violently without provocation and considering the already shaky relationship between the Imperium and the the Galactic Alliance and the prince being, ultimately, an Imperial officer, the prospects for a quiet resolution weren't good. Someone finally ushered the words: "The Emperor should know about this."
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On a port orbiting a world far away from the Imperial capital, Hako Undu was at a bar, drinking, when his datapad got a notification. It was a message from the local company handling interstellar comms that he got a message. He payed for his drink and left for the nearest message kiosk. He downloaded the message without looking at it and went to his apartment. Once there he opened it. "Hope it's enough. Lila," read the message. He recognised the name as a girl he managed to strike a deal with. It also had an attachment. The attachment was an audio file, with a voice ordering the listener to retransmit it to the nearest Imperial forces and a minute of static. Hako walked to one of the cabinets in his apartment and moved it away, revealing a safe. He entered the passcode and opened the safe. Hako pulled a small box out from it. He connected his datapad to the box and ran the program that was installed on it. This decryption computer wasn't as powerful as the one they had back at the Bureau, but it should give him an idea if the message was worth passing on.
Once the box finished it's work to the best of it's ability, Hako played the now deciphered message. Not everything was intelligible, he didn't expect it to be, however with every passing second he wanted to hear more. An Imperial aristocrat and officer, initating first contact violently without provocation, wounded and forced to retreat with heavy casualties? He even heard something about a Poltergeist burning up in atmo. Hako had to stop himself from audibly laughing. Considering the events of the last few years, he found himself with the key that the Bureau, and by extension the Alliance, can use to push back against the ever more audacious Imperials. He put the box back into the safe, locked the safe and put the cabinet back in it's place. Then he walked to the ugly part of the station, the part where you can find a guy that does illegal interstellar transmissions that can't be tracked back to their origin. Once he had done his business there, he went to his bank, where he made a transfer of several thousand Imperial crowns to a bank account whose details he had memorized a long ago. "The lass struck gold while literally prospecting for gold," he thought as he signed the transfer papers, smirking to himself.
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The Imperial palace was usually quiet this time of day. Today, howerer, a visitor is causing ruckus. His uniform would tell you that he is from the Imperial Intelligence Agency, First Contact Detachment. They are the guys making sure that any first contact goes down in accordance with the Imperial and Common Galactic law while gathering intelligence on the contacted species and, most importantly, that nobody messes anything up. And boy did they mess up this time. When his superiors knocked on his door with the top secret preliminary report about the whole Earth situation, he was suprised that anyone would entrust him with intel that highly classified. Then they told him that he would be presenting the whole ordeal to the Emperor in 2 and a half hours. Before he had time to ask any questions, they shut the door behind them after wishing good luck. They probably wanted to safeguard themselves, shifting blame to a lower ranking agent if anything more went wrong. He then studied the report, memorizing the most important event, numbers, names and the general timeline. When he was done with his studies, the transport to the Imperial palace was already waiting. He double timed it through the palace, stopping before the Emperors study. A servant opened the door and our agent walked exactly three steps into the room before kneeling, as the protocol required. The Emperor then spoke to him: "Rise. I am expecting you agent. But before we begin, please tell me your name." "I am lieutenant Coje Wetr of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, First Contact Detachment, my lord" said our agent. "Good, lieutenant, good. Please, take a seat, and begin"
The whole presentation took about three quarters of an hour, with the Emperor asking supplementary questions for about half an hour more. Coje noticed that the Emperor was slowly turning more agitated, however he managed to hide it well, but not so well that a trained intelligence officer wouldn't notice.
"The Hayduk king, a fool that has even more foolish children. I should have never given his son the commision, but it's too late for regret. The question is, agent, what do we do about it? We pushed against the Alliance, and it looks like the universe pushed back for them. If they find out what happened, they might be emboldened to consider economic or even military action, and we have no chance of quick and decisive victory against the whole Alliance at once, the best we could hope for is a slow battle of attrition, either of the military or economic kind. Do they even know about these so called Humans?" spoke the Emperor with a severity that he reserved for only the most difficult circumstances
Coje replied: "The exploration vessel that originally found them was civilian, meaning they presumably spread the word at the first opportunity they had. Being the first to identify a new intelligent species is a rare thing these days and such a discovery would bring them a lot of fame. But, considering the location of this Earth, everyone probably thinks that initiating first contact themselves isn't worth travelling through the whole Imperium, so they presume that we will be the ones to do the honors. However, this is just conjecture based on the limited information we have available. As far as i know, an exploration fleet from one of the Alliance nations could be asking for permission to travel through our Imperium to this new world right now."
The Emperor thought for a while, then motioned for the agent to come to him. He whispered: "Then we have to be fast. I want you to make sure that the expedition to Earth never happened. Make sure that nobody ever mentions that an Imperial exploration fleet made it to that system. Bribe, imprison or kill anyone that doesn't cooperate willingly. Purge records and falsify new ones when needed. We must convince the galaxy that the fleet that attacked that planet were pirates, or renegades, or mercenaries, or deserters, just that it wasn't us. Now, go home, relax and sleep well. Tomorrow morning, a courier will deliver an Emperor's charter to you permitting you to use any and all resources that you might need in fulfilling your mission. You are also immediately promoted to major, so that your colleagues take you more seriously. I expect regular updates on your progress. You may now go, Major Wetr. Good night, and good luck. The future of the Imperium sits on your shoulders."
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The headquarters of the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Bureau is naturally one of the most secretive places in the galaxy. That is even before you enter the eastern building's cellar. Within it is a security guard that usually hangs out near one specific briefing room present there. The odd thing about this room is that it seems to never gets used. If you say the right thing to him, he places his ID card on top of the speaker's table, revealing a secret elevator. Ride the elevator down, and welcome to the top secret Directorate "J" of the Bureau, a whole department dedicated to gathering intelligence on the Imperium, buried under enough concrete to withstand nuclear bombardment. Now it's time to pass through a dozen biometrics checks to make sure it's truly you.
The Directorate is filled with the best and brightest intelligence officers the Alliance produces. But it wasn't always like this. Two decades ago, Directorate "J" was seen as the most useless of the bunch. The only meaningful intel they produced back then was finding about lower then expected productivity on an agri-world a few weeks before it became public knowledge and other similar matters. The "Jokers", they started to be called. But then, a new Emperor came to the throne, more ambitious then the previous one. Suddenly, ships and stations on the border between the Imperium and Galactic Alliance started going missing, their crews and passengers missing or dead. At first, these were attributed to pirates and renegades, however as time went on, more and more evidence came out pointing at fact that these attacks were to well coordinated to be random bands of pirates. Things started pointing at a more organised force. Once the probability of the Imperium being directly involved reached "maybe", all of Directorate "J"s activities were marked Top Secret/Need to know only and every current and former member was persuaded to never talk about anything they did as agents of the Bureau. With the Imperium's recent hawkish policies againts a species not yet in the Alliance, the pressure to find something that the politicians could act upon. Considering that the Imperium exports a lot of it's raw resources to the Alliance, and also does a lot of it's manufacturing, no action could be taken unless concrete evidence of the Imperium's transgressions could be presented.
A message was received by the Bureau. The encrypted code at the beginning identified the agent from whom the message came, and the letter "J" signaled which Directorate it should go to. The agent receiving the message 250 meters underground listened to it. She then notified her supervisor, he then notified his superior. In about 20 minutes, every Directorate higher up present was listening to it in the Director's office. Someone shed a happy tear and declared: "We got them boys and girls, we got them!"

Help me out guys - I met a guy at a work event recently, I’m 27 he’s 23.
He comes over to me and says hi, we get on really well. I was having a great time with him and I don’t think I make new friends easily but we just clicked.
We go to a club with my work friend and his work friend - 4 of us. he’s pretty touchy feely, he puts his arm round me a lot, like a lot whilst dancing and I can tell my mate thinks this is a bit weird
But I’m enjoying it, I like him. We get more drinks and he asks me if I have a girlfriend - I say yeah I do and ask him, he says no, he used to. He asks if I’ve ever cheated on her, which i think is weird - We did just meet
We keep dancing and he says “I wish it was just the two of us” out (he wants to ditch the other two we are with).
I’m pretty drunk so I don’t process all of this - but as we are going to the smoking area he puts his arm round me and says “you just don’t meet people like you “
Then he says “I wish you didn’t have a girlfriend” - I say “why not “ but he doesn’t answer, just smiles
Not gonna lie, I was rock hard at this point - he was so close to me I thought he might feel it against him. He kisses my cheek and we rejoin the others.
I think the moment I remember most is when we went to the urinals and stood next to each other - he looked down at my dick so obviously and then looked at me - he knew I could see him - I couldn’t not look at his (I think I would have taken it there and then in the toilets) he pulled back his foreskin casually. I could feel myself getting hard, so I went to wash my hands.
Well, we ended the night very drunk in separate taxis home, he gave me his number just before but didn’t say much else - I never once said I like guys, neither did he
What we saying ? Is he gay? Bi? Into me ? Maybe one of those guys like myself who just enjoys flirting with men?

Advice please 🙏🏼
So I have a 3 year old tortie that I’ve had since she was a kitten, she came from a rescue and was the most loving kitten. When she was 1 I got another car from the same rescue, a boy who was 6 months old at the time.
We did the introductions properly, seperate rooms, scent swapping and they became friendly, they used to sleep together and cuddle up. My boy cat is very playful but overall they seemed fine together.
At some point the tortie started showing aggression (hissing and howling) towards the boy cat and us. She likes to go outside a lot whereas the boy cat is more of a lapcat. Sometimes days go by where I don’t see her but she frequents a lane near our house where she can usually be found, so I go out and find her and bring her home for food and a safe space.
Recently, as soon as she is brought home for food, she wants to go back outside. For context, she will eat side by side with our boy cat, have treats with him but she just doesn’t want to stay in. She refuses to use the cat flap and we have to leave a window open for her to come in.
On one of her recent day-long stints down the lane, I found out someone who lives down there has been feeding her. Today I brought her back and when I went to pick her up in the house she growled loudly at me and scratched me in the face, which really upset me.
I give her strokes on her terms, she gets food and treats, and a safe place on her own to sleep away from our other cat.
I’m really not sure what to do from here or what I’m doing wrong. I feel like she isn’t happy living here anymore and it breaks my heart that I’ve started feeling like I should give her away.
I’m thinking of finding the people who live in the lane that feed her and and asking if they’d like to adopt her.
Any advice is welcome, thanks in advance 💜

I live in Croatia, Zagreb and have been looking to buy an Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) and haven't had much luck finding any breeders near me, if there is anyone who breeds them or know where to find them please contact me about it! Thank you in advance!

I broke up with my ex 3.5 months ago and we were together for about 4 months. The reason for the breakup was due to me being busy with life and traveling back and forth so I felt like I didn't have enough time. He took the breakup well enough and we haven't talked since. Reflecting back, I also felt afraid of getting close in romantic relationships; we did start to become more physical near the end and for some reason it just freaked me out inside. I'm not entirely sure why. I don't have too many experiences with being in a relationship.
He was a great boyfriend. Our values aligned super well and we could always talk about anything. He had a great job, was attentive, planned great dates, and super caring (in the good, not the overbearing crazy way). I never felt tremendous sparks but I did feel some level of attraction. Some part of me feels like I ended it too early and another thinks I'm just not ready deep down for a relationship or the timing isn't right. We did click so well together, even from a friend standpoint.
He reached out to me over text and asked to catch up over coffee. I think I will meet up with him but do I bring up the past? Should we just be friends and see where this goes? It's like my brain is fighting against itself - It would be nice to be in a relationship but I also feel weird when in one. He's also such a good person, I feel bad for hurting him and don't know what to do moving forward. I may be overthinking all of this, what if he really just wants to be friends and catch up?
TLDR: Ex reached out to me to catch up. A part of me is thinking to try again and another part of me is hesitant because I feel weird about it.

First Previous Next
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SUBJECT-DESIGNATION: Admiral Marcus Miller
LOCATION: Earthen Orbit, Atlantic Citadel
DATE: EARTH-TIME [Wednesday, August 23, 2186]
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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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So this week my friend and cousin both cancelled on me for the anime expo and now I had to cancel our hotel room since it was for the 3 of us. Do any of you know any good cheap hotels near the convention center for just for one person?

for the last two years, i've had a full-time job, and one thing i've realized is that it doesn't really provide me the chance to have time to create and maintain connections and relationships. for me, at least. i constantly feel too worn out and exhausted to even consider doing anything else.
it nearly seems impossible that i'll be able to find time to form relationships with others.

I'm (25f) sick of dealing with my family and juggling with problems and pleasing everyone My parents want to help my sister (29f) who betrayed us, but by doing that they screw me and my chance to have a house to live in and a brighter future perhaps, she left in the midst of a pandemic to another country with a boyfriend who has been dating and breaking up constantly throughout her college years, she left my parents, my disabled 16-year-old brother totally dependent on my mom, my husband, and I on our own to survive when she was the only one left with a job and she left us because of her desire to have a family with her ex who cheated on each other, she humiliated me in the bank in front of everyone who was there, while we did a procedure that suited us all so we wouldn't be homeless even though there was no food, we asked for a loan to be able to pay the rent of the house and not be On the streets with a child who has to sleep with a machine that helps him breathe, my sister took off and left me in charge of the debt that I still owe to the bank in the name of both of us but since she was not in the country, They charge me and insult me ​​and she made a new life, luckily my husband managed to get a job a couple months later when the gov let people open again, and he had to go from one city to another 5hrs from home and he visits me when he can and so do I, we made sacrifices cause we needed to survive, but hes now the one that pays everyone's expenses out of love cause we are pretty close he decided so and It is not fair for him to support my family, that is the children's job, I mean, my sister and I, I am still finishing my studies and work half time, I only have one year of internship left to graduate and work and support my family, my husband does want me to finish my studies, hes scared that if something happens to him how would i be left behind defenseless and its always been my dream to graduate and break the cycle of my family, my sister does have a university degree my parents paid some and with scholarships too, from the country we came from (we live in another country, not the one where I spent my childhood) since shes the older i couldnt go to university when i was younger, she did not want to validate her degree when she arrived here to get better opportunities (we have dual born citizenship in both countries, the one where we live now and where she went to and where we spend our childhood) and only went with boyfriends and traveling with them and got jobs as a cook half time istead of engineers jobs cause she is.
Everyone contributed at home before we lost our jobs due to the pandemic and we still haven't been able to recover, my husband was upset by my sister's betrayal (me too) and for being ungrateful because it was with our money that we paid for her plane tickets and we took care of her expenses for months without asking for anything in return and with the promise that we would help my mother and brother when they get here and have a bright life, when my parents and brother arrived instead of being of help she gave the debt to my parents and they are so stupid that they accepted pay it for her, shes done many things shes so problematic when shes home we fight so often when shes gone we barely fight maybe months without fights, i cant list all shes done it would be too long (this is already long), my husband is upset and does not want to see her nor in paintings, she is prohibited from coming back or he wont pay rent as long as shes there.
Guess who got cheated on and lost her job in the country that she returned to and now she asks her parents for help? Exactly my sister, she wants to go back and live where she once abandoned us and I don't contribute money and she wants to make use of it now that she needs it. She first told my mom she would only stay a week shes going to another closeby country to work (already unacceptable) guess who told my mom today that the friend who was waiting for her in that country bailed now she cant go and will stay in this house, sHe wants to go back and start over because she has no one where she left (obviously because she abandoned her only family) and my parents even though my husband supports us even though he shouldn't he doesn't want my sister back so much that he once told me that if she came back she would stop paying the rent and he's right, you can't argue with him, but my parents would rather risk living on the street than let my sister learn life lessons, and with that they screw me because I too would be homeless and I need to graduate I only have the internship left that I start in september and I started to learn how to put oashes to support us when i dont go to uni or study, when I have free time to be able to earn some money and help pay for my university and expenses but I will not be able to graduate and finally have a better job and live with my husband calmly and have my family, I would have to leave my family and I love them so much I have no other and they are really good but they cannot leave my sister be and they tell me that if it were me they would do the same for me but they do not see that they are fucking his other daughter directly and his handicapped son for helping another daughter, they can't support themselves, they don't have nearly enough income, not even to support for one person, 4 is already a joke, which would be counting my sister, we have lived on charity, they cant keep up with this fantasy and Besides, I have resentment and anger I don't want to live those times again I don't want to see my sister's face shes been always a problematic person in my life and out of love and family unity i tried to work our relationship and forgive and move on but im too tired go keep on this fight and for what?, my heart hurts but I am in a very important moment in my life I have eaten shit since I was a child I have lived in poverty ive been mistreated repeatedly I want to be able to have a good life even if it is for just a moment before I die.
I dont know what I want to do, just let it all burn let my parents tell my husband, ill play dumb like i didnt know and dont get involved let em tell him their great idea to let my sister back in cause shes in need knowing my husband (also i dont want her back) dont wanna take her in for all shes done or help my parents built a case and see how he reacts and see if he doesnt kick us or them out and deal with my marriage, cause I cant just please everyone nor myself i lose no matter what, it truly makes me feel like a villain and breaks my heart at the same time