Looking for someone/business to do window tint. Looking for experience and quality over it being inexpensive. I have a hatchback sedan. Any recommendations and photos of their work would be appreciated.

I just hit 65k and it's my DD, I'm FBO minus the downpipe because I already hate my Cobb exhaust. There isn't anything that I think is a necessity at this point and all the preventative maintenance has been taken care of.
No aesthetic mods have been done other than overlays, tint, window deflectors and roof rack(it gets used lol). No handling upgrades other than TBPerformance traction bar(not gusset), RMM, and new tires 5k ago. And I do have solid shifter cable bushings/shift arm.
Open to any and all suggestions if there is one mod that made a difference to you i.e. strut bar, rear traction bar, or whether I should hold out to go BT or update wheels (from current premiums).
Thanks for any input!

Im checking Gilmore if matatapatan nila ang Bermor Prices na aabot ng 29k with SF, not techi(i own a laptop only) so I just found out na need pa magbayad for Windows 11 para mainstallan ang PC, already searched online,pero ayoko na mahassle maginstall baka magkamali😅, so just wanna know How much ang range po ng painstall ng Windows 11 sa PC

Curious if anyone knows any good places

Why YSK: Driving conditions are extremely variable and factors like sun glare, tinted windows, your headlights are too bright, it being nighttime, or different ride heights can make it extremely difficult for other drivers or pedestrians to see inside your car. If you are a driver who tries to wave people through an intersection you need to know that the intended target probably cannot see your gesture in perfect clarity. If you are someone that looks for a wave from a driver you should know it can be super easy to mistake some innocuous hand gesture as a permissive wave.
Never cross a multi lane road because a driver stopped to wave you past--you cannot see through their vehicle and neither you nor the driver know the intentions of other drivers. Don't be a victim of a "wave of death."
Be predictable, not nice, and stop fucking waving for me to go ahead of you.
(This happens to me almost every day; I wrote this up after having to stop too long at an intersection once again cause the fuck nugget with the right of way wouldn't go. I could see only some small hand movements and a mirror reflection of the literal fucking sun off his windshield. I have no idea if he was trying to be courteous or was just not paying attention and would end up running me over once I stepped into the crosswalk.)

TL;DR: Went to Columbus Car Audio to get a window tint for my used Mercedes E350. Despite an initial inspection, they missed a factory tint which cost an extra $200 to remove (that they did waive, which was nice) and in the process, ruined my rear defroster - something they didn't warn me could happen. The original quote of $650 didn't include windshield or doors, adding another $350 for the windshield and $30 for each door. End result? I paid double the original quote. Despite decent work on the tint, communication and transparency were severely lacking. If you're in Columbus and need a window tint, you might want to avoid these guys, especially if your car has its own quirks.
Hey everyone, buckle up for a wild ride I just had with Columbus Car Audio. Googled: “Best window tint Columbus” and ended up here. I'm putting this cautionary tale out there so everyone can learn from my lesson.
Backstory: I own a slightly sun-damaged used Mercedes E350. She’s not as pretty as she once was, but she’s mine. After seeing the dash worsen already this Spring, I thought, "Why not save the peeling dashboard with a window tint?" So I looked up a few places, found Columbus Car Audio, and saw their pretty solid online reviews. Filled in their web form and started chatting with a rep.
Took the car in a week early for an inspection for them to check out a dodgy speaker and give me a proper quote for the tint job. They had this $100 appointment hold thing I paid for and I was thinking, "All's good so far".
Fast forward to the appointment day (Wednesday), they still hadn't given me a final quote. Not wanting to miss my chance at an appointment, I took the car in and the rep walked me through the tinting stuff and ceramic upgrade I chose. Everything seemed cool except for this vague mention of potential extra charges on my way out after signing the quote. Red flags, anyone?
So, come Wednesday evening, they rang me saying they had goofed up. Apparently, my car had a factory tint that needed removing – an extra $200. They'd missed this earlier, but I thought, "What the heck, let's just get this done. I already dropped it off."
Come Thursday, I get another call and voicemail, this time they accidentally ruined my rear defroster while removing the old tint. The rep explained this was extremely common and out of their control. I was frustrated because at no point during the process had they explained that was a possibility and told her that, so she offered to waive the tint removal fee. The $200 savings there was a small consolation, but things just kept snowballing. They also doubled their quote for the speaker check later that day, so I told them let’s stop the bleeding and I’ll just pick it up tomorrow.
I was away for work and with the way airlines have been lately I didn’t trust I’d land before they closed, so I asked my brother to grab the keys for me. Little did I know they'd invoice him double the original quote when he paid with my card. All in all:
Removing rear tint killed my rear defroster (which they never warned could happen) The original quote ($650) didn’t include the windshield or any doors The windshield itself cost me an extra $350, which I’d asked for from the start Each door was a surprise $30
At the end of the day, I know I messed up. I was too quick to trust and too slow to question something I knew nothing about. But I hope my ordeal can save someone else a future headache (and wallet ache, jesus christ). For what it's worth, the tint job doesn't look bad, aside from the defroster residue they left on my rear windshield. (see photo)
Columbus Car Audio folks, no hard feelings, but your communication on your services and their risks sucks. If I knew about the factory tint and risks earlier, I would have bailed out. Springing all these surprises midway through ain't cool.
I was hoping for the best window tint in Columbus, but after what I experienced, that can’t be from here. Especially if your ride has any quirks. Save yourself the trouble!

Discovered a crack with no impact point seemingly beginning at the base and ending just as the tinting begins (ie the full height of the rear window). Could this be heat damage somehow? We’re confused what could have caused this.

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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!)]

I was renovating a house and no matter what I did with lights and windows, the house interior had a faint green tint. Brown looked yellow, blue looked green, yellow looked green etc. I zoomed in and noticed the ceiling was light cyan, almost not noticable, so I put warm bright carpet in the ceiling and the green tint disappeared! I did the same with black in a dark room and it made the room even darker.
I have rarely thought of changing the ceilings because I don't really see them when I'm playing, but now I finally found out how underrated it is when building! I just thought I'd share. I've been playing since release and found this just now after 14 years.

So I’m looking to get the front two windows of my Subaru forester sport 2019 tinted. I asked 3 shops in my area and I think I’m going to go to this one that has tons of great reviews. They gave me 3 options at 3 diff prices. I was considering going for the middle one. Any thoughts? Here’s what they told me:
“ATC series is comparable to carbon films (2 plies)—3 years warranty. ATC series films are non-metal, will not interfere with the signal device, will match factory glass, and will not turn purple. Recommended for those looking for a reasonable price, a good film that can block UV rays and is not too concerned about the heat. Available in 50%, 40%, 35%, 20%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $395 or 2 fronts only $110
CTX Series NANO-ceramic technology. It matches well with the factory glass. This Ceramic film is non-metal and will not interfere with signal devices—an excellent all-around film with good heat rejection. I recommend CTX if you park indoors and spend some time driving and looking to reduce heat during summer. This is an excellent all-around tint. Come with a manufacturer's nationwide lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, and color fading. Available in 50%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $495 or 2 fronts only $150
Llumar IRX Series Full Ceramic Nano with High IR blocking film. More layers for maximum heat rejection. It is best for EV because it provides high heat and IR rejection for reducing heat build-up, less AC work, and makes your battery work more efficiently—the best performance film for high temperatures. IR rejection is 89% and will not interfere with the signal device. This film is superior in heat rejection to any other film. Recommend this film to those who park outdoors most of the day and are looking for very high heat rejection or want the best heat rejection film. Come with a manufacturer's nationwide lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, and color fading. Available in Airblu80, 50%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $595 or 2 fronts only $195”

Juliet Menton whistled along to the chipper tunes emitted by the radio. She stomped on the gas, selected a higher gear and let the Suburban growl as it accelerated. Large pine trees and rocks zoomed past her, mist hanging in the damp, moist air. She halted at a t-junction, checking her map again though it was pointless as one of the signs at the junction clearly read Forks, 15 miles. Juliet huffed, turning the car in the direction the sign pointed. She rolled though down a window though turning up the heat, drawing the crisp cool Washington air deep into her lungs. The Suburban ventured in between another patch of trees, the radio tuning out crackling static as no signals managed penetrating the thick forests. Typical. Normally she would have easily found some local station to tune into. Juliet growled, shutting off the radio and switched her attention to the cassette player on the dash. She sunk a hand down into the glove box, retrieving a tape. Fingers drumming impatiently on the steer wheel, Juliet inserted the tape into the player and cranked up the volume. Seconds after, the unmistakable opening tunes of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA croaked out and filled the car. Juliet snorted with a laugh. Perfect song for the occasion, after all she wasn’t in Canada any longer. She turned her gaze beyond the road, attempting to find something interesting to look while she drove. Only trees, rocks and hills meet her eyes, interrupted by a small creek occasionally. Honestly, it wasn’t any worse than the Saskatchewan prairie, only offering fields of oats, wheat and canola interlaced by stretch of unbroken grasslands. Her tongue ran across her eye teeth. She was undeniably thirsty. Stowed away in the trunk were a few bags of animal blood, some of it being deer and elk, other bags cow blood. Juliet closed her eyes, imagine the sweet irony liquid washing down her throat. Her eye teeth finally elongated, shaping into their proper curved, pointed form. she shook her head with annoyance and vanquished her thoughts, her fangs slowly retracting and becoming flat again. It was her father’s fault that she could not just go out and feed right now. He had insisted that she move somewhere and learn to control her desire to drink. Away from the lonesome farm that lay embraced by the fields and great plains. A gleeful smile crept onto her lips. At least she would not have run the deplorable swather in the summer nights with its broken-down air-conditioner that sucked canola pods, chaff and what else into the too often scorching cap. Juliet was much content with leaving that job to her brothers. Her father had built his farm away from humans. It kept them busy enough from journeying to the nearest town to feed. Buildings started to appear out of the low laying mist, mostly bungalows from the early 20th century. Juliet sighed, slowing down from fifty-five to thirty-five miles an hour as she entered the sleepy town. Forks, Washing was not much to look at, though that was compared to the only town, Juliet had ever been to, the town of Ravensfield. It was a small prarie town dotted with grain elevators and cattle merchants. Forks seemed to possess a gloomy gray tint. Perfect for Juliet though as her cool pale skin would likely go less noticed here. She turned down a street, attempting to find the local high school where she was to enroll. She adjusted the brown worn-out pilot jacket, her feet sweaty in her thick hiking boots

An elder looks out the window of his hospital room. He sees his grandchildren's schools from there. His long life is initiating its leave at last. He was shown technology, shown entertainment, shown how to socialize, Small monologues of his grandchildren about today’s fate. His grandchildren loved their grandparents, but their parents, not so much. The parents try their best to help their kids learn, but they are ignored. The kids try their best to convince their parents of its futility, but they are ignored.
A rift between generations plagues the world, Mother Nature is cut apart. For its leaders have condemned the people of their future to a world lesser than their own. And blamed those people for not living it. Now the people of the future live in agony. The people of the past make sure That they are ignored. We live in a cycle. A cycle of ignorance causing misery, and misery causing ignorance All who can change it do naught but drill our world further into the ground. And now we try to speak so our voices are heard, But our eyes and ears are no longer part of us. And so we give up. The sick and the twisted step out into the crowd, met with applause. They have breached our defense against the Sun’s rays, And yet we ignore. Tragedy every day like a stream of bullets wound the people, And yet we ignore Our present, tainted by silver screens, pleads for help from the past. but that past is tainted, with rose-tinted glasses. And they ignore, So we follow... All the world’s kings look out from their thrones, Never to hear our protests, never to know they are outnumbered. They watch in rage when their power is questioned, and send their army of god-killing rockets at one another.
And…
The elder watches his grandchildren’s schools from his hospital room. All seems to be going well for his dear family. And so, even if he leaves the earth today, He will leave as someone with accomplishment in their life.
Then, at last he hears the sound of a long beep. But it is not his heart monitor. It is a wail. It is Pandemonium. He can hear frantic yells from outside his door as he looks at the bright blue sky. The peaceful view is lined in the screaming chaos. It is a warning. A warning the likes of which would make god cower. The hundreds of questions, hundreds of thoughts, hundreds of wishes he had for his family’s fate were answered at once as he saw it. A rocket heading towards all that is his home. He watched as the rockets rushed in towards all he knew, But all he could do was scream his grandchildren’s names. And by the world, he was ignored.

I'm 12 now but when my mom was pregnant my dad left when I was born my mom left me with my abusive alcoholic grandparents to start a whole new family I don't hate her for that but it hurts a lot I feel like I got abandoned I mean if she just left me to go focus on her career I wouldn't be as upset but she left me to start ANOTHER family like I didn't mean anything to her. Anyway let's move on to my abusive alcoholic grandparents now, Ever since I was like idk a toddler? When my grandma drank (basically almost everyday) she would leave me and my grandpa for weeks or sometimes months without saying jack shit or lying and saying "I'll be back". And obviously I got trust issues from that. And one time when I was like in first grade I was a little grumpy when I woke up to get ready for school and I had no clue what was up granny's ass because all of a sudden she started yelling and screaming at me and literally out of NOWHERE she got my IRON bowl that I use to eat food at school and threw it as hard as she could right onto my left hip and my fucking bowl CRACKED and my little first grader hip got bruised for like a week. Okay now let's talk about gramps. Ohhh grandpa, pops pa! Where the fuck do I begin? Oh how about this! During 2021 he emotionally abused me with my insecurities or told me Im a loser who didn't have any friends at school for literally NO REASON! And he did that to me all the fucking time like one moment he'd be bing chilling and a few minutes later he'd be dissing me like Eminem! And remember when I included that little word the funny little word called "alcoholic"? Yeah well I've got a real funny story for y'all! I grew up with 2 alcoholics constantly fighting each other or just yelling at each other in front of me! All the fuckin time! Do you know how much damage that causes to a child? Me! A little 6 year old boy! Had to actively stop them from beating the shit out of each other in fear of the neighbors calling CPS! Now anytime they start drinking I start balling my eyes out in my room. Me just a little kid actively wakes up during the night hearing my grandpa curse the hell out of my grandma who's getting beaten to death hearing her scream and calling for help! Now that's a lot on my plate! But enough of my family let's get Into MY life everytime I make some friends at school they always end up moving! ALWAYS! and I don't really have any friends so I'm glued to my phone! And my fucking annoying ass grandpa nags and nags like he even CARES about ME the kid he mentally abused ever since I was a toddler! Okay let's go onto my pets now. When I was 11 I had this cat her name was Greeny because her eyes were emerald green she was adorable and she stayed with me for six months and she was my best friend she was literally my drug, my escape from all this life bullshit and the problem with her is.. she LOVED going outside the window and laying on those like windowsills right? And keep in mind I live on the 11th floor! And yk what good ol' pops did? He fucking kept opening the window actively trying to get Greeny ONTO the windowsill and his excuse was "it's summer and hits hot, I'm dying of a heat stroke here!" THEN GO TO THE OTHER ROOM WHERE THERES A FUCKING BALCONY! enough of my ranting on grandpa here, let me tell you how greeny, the ONLY good thing that happened to me in YEARS got ripped away from me! one morning I wake up. Getting ready for 8 hours of torturous lectures and math! And I notice.. Greenys missing! And I figured she was just sleeping inside some closet or something and then I noticed.. THE FUCKING WINDOWS OPEN! and I rush outside and there she is covered in blood not even moving.. and I start crying and shit. On the way to school good ol grandpa starts nagging me and blaming me for her death like I ain't already got to deal with my best friends death already. And I cried for months still miss her to this day!