Strongest stand in jojo

hi, i bought a gaming wheel (thrustmaster rs 300 gt) and want to mount it on a stand - but i want to have it more flat like in older trucks and vans. it is hard to tell from pictures and descriptions, which stands can do that. if you gear, that could fit here and is not too flimsy and does not have a bar between the legs, i would be thankful.
cheers

It’s weird and uncomfortable to consider that Gen X seems hellbent to be the last anti-LGBTQ generation. These are Gen X right wingers leading the charge in legislative bodies and policy orgs. Gen. X is one of the generations most heavily leaning right wing, and this is the banner they’re waving.
Is this our legacy? We didn’t stand for much, but when we did, it was to stop drag? That’s the biggest fucking problem Gen X will address? Not school shootings, destruction of the climate, hunger and homelessness, economic collapse… Testosterone blockers and pantyhose on the “wrong” people. We can’t blame the boomers on this shit. It’s on us.

I took the mic off the stand to try the adapter, but now when I try to reattach it to the stand the bold won't go in. For some reason it works if I put the mic on upside down but if I try to put it back the way it was when it came out of the box I can't screw it in.

So… not board certified? That explains a lot (or does it?).
During the trial there was an over emphasis on ‘board certification’ in order to make some expert witnesses seem more believable and also cast doubt on others.
And recently on this sub it was highlighted again as some sort of significant threshold of credibility, competence and quality standard.
So decided to see if Elaine herself was board certified given that she raised the original issue at trial iirc and she made such a big deal out of it.
Apparently she is not.
Anyway, was reading her updated profile the other day and oh my, is she good at spinning things.

‘The case resolved without a final determination on these pivotal appellate issues’

Whilst this is technically true, it’s an interesting take to save face you have to admit. But absolutely no mention of her former client settling.
Didn’t she leave, or was she fired, before the appeals were filed?!? - might be misremembering as it has been a while.
She did mention her involvement in the win in the UK trial.

Value for money

So let me ask you a few things: - what else stands out from her bio to do with this trial? (I spotted a couple of other things) - how much impact did Elaine have in Depp winning all his claims? Ignore everything Amber did and said during the trial (as well as the audio tapes and video deposition) - did Elaine really believe Amber? (thinking back to a year ago I remember there were numerous instances that it seemed Elaine wasn’t really supporting her client - and I’m not talking about the infamous ‘I’m trying, I’m trying’ scene here)
Anyway, thanks in advance for answering.
Looking forward engaging with you.

I landed on a bus stand @11pm yesterday with all my carrybags ! A man came to me , told me that he has airpods pro which are having cost @Rs.21000 I can give you for 8000 only I said i will only give 7000 He said ok I found a red flag I called my local friend He said its completely fake ! Dont buy for 7000 Tell him to give it for 1500 I told him that ! To my suprise He agreed !
He opened a website of apple and then he entered the code on the website And it showed its genuine !
I then purchased it !
Even they got connected !
Have noice cancellation in it !
But the audio is shit! And now i am in bus crying listening to the shitty audio it is having !
I know its fake but guys what was its real price ? And did it ever happened to you too?

(Firstly, please excuse any spelling/ grammar mistakes...English is my 3rd language)
Hello everyone...
I am in a bit of a conflicted situation since I will be going on my semester abroad in roughly a year and as of right now, my family is a toxic mess that will possibly crumble apart if I leave. Sounds very dramatic, but that is just how I feel about it.
The short version is: my depressed, suicidal, burned-out mom and my sister cannot stand each other, have screaming fights daily and my alcoholic dad is of no help. My little brother just gets to watch how they spit hate towards each other daily.
My siblings were born when I was nine years old. Since I am the oldest, I was practically a co-parent for my siblings for as long as I remember. I am currently 19 and my little brother and sister are both 11. Mom never fully got along with my sister, no matter at what age...so maybe that's where their conflicts have begun?
My sister and mother always immediately become annoyed with one another when they do not share the same opinion etc. They start to cuss, scream and in the worst cases, both get physical. Usually, I have to step in and take each one to a separate room, so they can calm down for a moment since they never stop shouting at each other. So many times I have tried to not step in and let them handle it themselves because I thought that maybe I was taking action too soon. But what happens is that either one of them has a complete meltdown and cannot stop screaming or crying uncontrollably or my little brother runs crying into my room begging me to make them stop.
After they have calmed down/ the next day I try to talk to each of them to figure out what has been going on or give them any advice on how to communicate better with each other. Then I play the role of the mediator, making both of them fully listen to what the other has to say so at least some type of solution can be found. Without me, they usually start interrupting one another again and the whole thing repeats. At this point, I am out of ideas on how to make them listen to each other and talk respectfully. I have suggested therapy as well.
My mom is completely burned out and depressed. She takes care of all the finances, documents, important phone calls or school meetings. My dad works 12-hour night shifts; therefore, he cannot help much during the day but helps as much as possible during the weekends. Due to his very intensive job and the stress at home, he started drinking years ago. (His dad was also an alcoholic and died of liver failure.) My mom cannot stand him when he is drunk, because her father was an alcoholic too. Dad is not aggressive at all when drunk, he is genuinely the sweetest person most of the time. It's just that he starts talking a lot, walks weirdly and has that distinct smell of wine all over him. Usually, my mom also fights with my dad when he is drunk because she gets very angry with him quickly.
When my dad does get involved in a fight between my sister and mom, he sides with Mom and starts screaming at my sister even more aggressively. Seldom he becomes physical...but when he does it's quite bad. In those cases, I always have to jump in and protect my sister, since it is unbearable to watch how they abuse her verbally (and sometimes also physically...).
My sister has adopted the self-defence mechanism of being overly rude and quick to spit out insults back. She thinks she is never wrong or can never hurt anybody. She does not listen to other opinions, and quite frankly has become a great manipulator to always get what she wants. I truly feel so bad for her, since she is only 11 and already had to go through so many problems.
On multiple private occasions with my mother, she has mentioned to me for many years already that she would have killed herself already if it weren't for my brother and me. Since she is also overweight, she has body image issues that she talks to me about. I also always allow her to rant to me about how hard her day at work has been because she comes home so exhausted. Therefore, I also am the one responsible for most household chores. Most of the time, her exhaustion is also the reason for her short temper.
Also, whenever I sleep over at a friend's place, the day I come home my sister and mom come to me crying because they again had a big fight.
​
Quite frankly, I have reached my limit in terms of ideas on how to help their relationship. I am always on edge because I have to be on the lookout for possible fights. Ultimately, I do not have any moment to process any personal emotions. They do not want to go to a therapist or get any external help. I am truly afraid of the day when I will leave for my semester abroad, as they will have to solve their issues by themselves.
What can I do? Do I just leave and hope for the best?
​
[I had to leave out a lot of details since this whole thing would've been even longer :,D ]

This is part of my little series about the adventures of Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick. If you'd like to read previous parts, they're linked below, along with brief summaries in case you prefer to just jump right into the new part:
Part One: Alien learns what "sleep" is and how humans prefer to do it in a comfy bed with blankets and pillows. And they find it utterly adorable.
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are sent on a survey mission together. Things go south, Aldrick makes sure they're safe, and then Vr'ocria learns what human sleep is and how vulnerable humans are when they sleep. Vr'ocria's people don't sleep, but enter stasis, a form of rest in which they typically stand, and they are still slightly aware of their surroundings. Vr'ocria finds human sleep utterly adorable, and also decides she will protect Aldrick while he sleeps. And she also develops a massive crush on him. (Her scales turning purple is her version of blushing)
Part Two: An alien + human adventure with such shenanigans as poison drinking, befriending dangerous wildlife, and fighting a space pirate. Oh, and they have a huge crush on each other.
Part Three: When a cold-blooded alien has to cuddle a warm-blooded human for warmth
Part Four: A human leaves a hickey on his alien lover. Her nestmate doesn't understand what a hickey is, and thinks the human injured her
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick end up assigned to be partners. Vr'ocria is a witness to both human shenanigans as well as human durability, but she also begins to learn about the limits of the human body--they are not invincible.
She and Aldrick begin to fall in love, and they finally confess their feelings for one another when Vr'ocria admits to accidentally forming a mate bond with him. Vr'ocria's nestmate, Galek, is not very happy about her being involved with a human, but begrudgingly respects her decision.
Part Five: Space pirates make the grave mistake of attacking a human's loved one. They very quickly learn what happens when a human is angry and full of adrenaline
Pirates come for Vr'ocria in revenge for her killing one of their own. Aldrick goes beast mode. 'Nuff said.
Now for the new story!
(Some of y'all are already picking up what I put down taps nose...)
"'Bumps and bruises' he says," Vr'ocria muttered. "Bumps and bruises!" She crossed her arms. "Bumps and bruises don't bleed, Aldrick."
They were back on the ship, in the med bay. Aldrick was lying on an examination table, naked except for a blanket pulled up to his hips. He was sedated, so he couldn't hear her anyway, but that didn't stop her from grouching.
As soon as they'd boarded the shop, Aldrick began fading fast. He was suddenly slumped and stumbling, eyes tight with pain, and they had to be beamed directly to the med bay. He'd been covered in so much pirate blood that the blood of his own injuries had gotten lost in the mess. Once the med team got to work cleaning him up, all of the cuts, claw marks, and stab wounds began appearing, and as soon as the orderlies let her, Vr'ocria was rushing back to his side. By now, most of his wounds had been closed up, but she still vividly remembered the bloody, black and blue skin that emerged when they peeled his shirt off.
Dr. Fen continued fussing over Aldrick. She was Lymeran, a species similar to humans, made distinctive by their flat noses and bone ridges that curved around the outer corner of their eyes. She swept her dark ponytail over her shoulder as she reached for a new tool. "He also has several hairline fractures in both arms and three cracked ribs," she reported briskly. "Honestly, these humans are going to be the death of me."
Vr'ocria's spine tightened with worry, her scales flushing red. "How could he go so long without collapsing?" She asked.
"Adrenaline," Dr. Fen explained. "It's a hormone that releases into a human's bloodstream during times of great stress. It makes them faster, stronger, more alert." She placed a small and round boneknit device on one of Aldrick's affected ribs. "But it also makes them immune to pain for a short time. That helps them keep going in a life or death situation, but pain exists for a reason. It alerts the body to injuries, it tells you when something is wrong and where. When you don't feel pain, you don't know when you're hurt, and you don't know when to stop if you're pushing yourself beyond your body's physical limits."
"Moons above," Vr'ocria murmured. She moved closer to the table, reaching out to stroke Aldrick's hair. Under sedation, his face was relaxed and free of lines, and she tried to take some comfort in that. "Will he be alright?"
"Oh, he'll be fine," Dr. Fen chuckled. "I'm good at my job, and humans are sturdy. He just needs to follow my orders for bed rest, so don't let him be an idiot and go running off."
That drew a smile from Vr'ocria.
As Dr. Fen continued bustling around Aldrick, she shot a sideways glance at Vr'ocria, a mischievous look in her eye. "So it's true that you guys are like…a thing? I noticed your scales have pink tips."
Vr'ocria blushed purple.
"Ha!" Dr. Fen smirked. "I knew it!"
"Shut up," Vr'ocria muttered.
"What? It's cute! And totally obvious. The whole ship knows at this point."
"The whole ship?"
Dr. Fen laughed. "Oh come on, it's not like you two are any good at hiding it. Anyone who knows anything about Ethyrian physiology knows what pink scales mean–full pink means you're experiencing strong feelings of love, right? And even when you're not particularly emotional, your neutral green with pink tips indicates you're within proximity of your mate. And the way he looks at you–"
Vr'ocria blushed harder and covered her face. "Oh planets, why are so many people invested in our relationship?"
Dr. Fen shrugged. "Well, historically, Ethyrians don't tend to mate outside of their species. It's not every day you see one mate another species, much less a human."
Vr'ocria couldn't help smiling. "Well, it's his fault for being so cute."
"He sure is," Dr. Fen winked.
"Hey," Vr'ocria jabbed a finger at her, "professionalism."
Dr. Fen raised her hands. "I'm very professional! I also have eyes and can acknowledge that you're a lucky girl, and I hope the two of you will be very happy together."
Vr'ocria kept stroking Aldrick's hair, her scales easing into a strong pink. "Me too."
—
By the next day, Dr. Fen had skillfully mended both skin and bone. She discharged Aldrick and let him return to his living quarters, with the caveat that he rest for at least a week.
He and Vr'ocria walked through the corridors arm in arm as she escorted him back to his quarters. They weren't even pretending anymore, and they drew plenty of stares and whispers as they passed by crew members milling about. There weren't many humans onboard to begin with, so Aldrick already stood out. Walking arm in arm with an Ethyrian must've looked even more bizarre.
Despite all the attention, Vr'ocria decided that she wouldn't be embarrassed anymore. She pulled Aldrick a little closer and held her head high as they passed a group of giggling ensigns. My human. My mate.
Aldrick's quarters, like hers, were small but comfortable. The door opened into the living space. Aldrick had decorated it with various Earth flowers and plants that sat in pots scattered about the room, some hanging from the ceiling. The lush greens, pinks, reds, purples, and yellows, made the place feel warm and inviting. The back wall was almost entirely windows with a plush couch pushed underneath them, so that one could recline and watch the stars fly by.
Vr'ocria ushered Aldrick straight into the bedroom, which was similar to the living area, just smaller and furnished with a bed, a nightstand, and a small armchair. "You're going to bed," she ordered.
"Aw, come on," he whined as she shoved him onto the mattress, bending down to pull his boots off.
"Doctor's orders." She put his boots aside and stood, placing her hands on his shoulders to push him down onto the pillow.
"I'm not tired!"
"Liar." She could see the bags under his eyes that she'd come to learn was a sign of exhaustion, and despite his protests, he didn't try to fight her off as she settled him in and pulled the blankets up to his chin.
He couldn't help chuckling. "I haven't been tucked into bed since I was a kid."
She sat on the edge of the bed with a smile. "Well, that's what I'm here for."
He rolled over onto his side and took her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. She squeezed back, and then made to stand to turn the lights off.
"Wait."
She turned back. Aldrick had pushed himself back into a sitting position. "Something's been bothering me."
She frowned. "What is it?"
"How did the Norvidians know you were the one who killed that guy?"
She blinked. "What?"
Aldrick twisted the sheets in his hands. "How did they know it was you? They knew exactly who you were and where to find you. The only people who knew what happened on Theta-7 is our superiors and people in our department."
Vr'ocria sank back down onto the bed. "What are you getting at?" She thought she knew the answer, but she didn't want to say it out loud.
Aldrick met her eye. "What if someone sold you out?"
Her spine grew tight, yellow rippling across her scales. "...No," she whispered. "No, that can't…who would do that?"
He chewed his lip. "I don't know. I hope I'm wrong, I really do…but…" he blew out a frustrated sigh. "I could blame a leak for them knowing you were the one to kill the guy. Someone could've carelessly mentioned something somewhere, I don't know. But there's no way they would've known exactly where to find you unless they were told. That was a brand new mission, no one knew where we were except for Command."
Vr'ocria felt sick. She didn't want to think he was right…but it made too much sense. "What do we do?"
"I don't know," he said with a pained look. "There's no telling who it could be, and if it's one of our superiors, we'd only tip them off if we approached them with this."
It was a conundrum Vr'ocria could hardly believe was real. Sure, she and Aldrick had some basic combat training, but soldiers they were not. They were survey agents, their job was to explore and study, not fight. And she certainly wasn't supposed be the subject of conspiracies and espionage or whatever was happening here.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Let's worry about this later. You need to get some rest."
Aldrick reluctantly laid back down, but blushed when she bent down to press a kiss to his cheek. It was the first time she'd kissed him since Gamma-5. "I could get used to that," he murmured as he snuggled into the pillow.
"You should," Vr'ocria giggled as she rose to her feet. "I'm not going to stop anytime soon." She switched the lights off, then returned to settle into the chair next to the bed, pulling her file pad out of her pocket. The screen's soft glow was the only light in the room. "Now, go to sleep."
"Yes ma'am."
—
Vr'ocria worked quietly on her file pad for the next few hours. Data entry was tedious, but somehow, she found a comfort in doing it while listening to Aldrick's slow, deep breaths.
So she was quick to notice when his breathing pattern changed.
Aldrick groaned and shifted in his sleep, rolling over onto his back. His breath began to quicken, and Vr'ocria lowered her pad to look over at him. By the low light of the pad's screen, she could only see the silhouette of his chest rising and falling, faster and faster.
"Aldrick?" She whispered.
"Nuuh," he moaned, beginning to thrash.
Alarmed, Vr'ocria stood and flicked his nightstand lamp on, dropping the pad on the table. "Aldrick," she said a bit louder.
His eyes were still squeezed shut. He was tossing and turning now, gasping through parted lips. He cried out again, and Vr'ocria felt her blood rushing fast and hard through her veins, her scales rippling between red and yellow. What was going on? Was he still asleep? She'd never seen him like this before, and it frightened her.
Tears were beginning to seep out from under his tightly shut eyelids. "No…no…" His voice rose in volume as he clutched and clawed at the sheets. "Vr'ocria!"
Whatever held Vr'ocria frozen to the spot snapped the second she heard him scream her name like that. She bent forward and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Aldrick!" She cried desperately. "Wake up!"
"VR'OCRIA!"
"ALDRICK!"
With a strangled cry, his eyes snapped open. His pupils were blown wide and the whites were bloodshot as he stared at her in shock, still gasping for breath, his hands grasping her arms in an iron grip.
She took his face in her hands. "What's wrong? What's going on?"
He only continued to stare at her, the fog slowly clearing from his eyes.
"Say something!" Vr'ocria demanded desperately, resisting the urge to shake him again. "You're scaring me, what's the matter? Does something hurt?"
Aldrick surged up, throwing his arms around her neck and pulling her down to him. She fell forward with an "oof" as her weight landed on top of him. "Hey," she protested with the side of her face pressed into the pillow, "I can't be laying on you, your ribs–"
"You're alive," he rasped into her ear.
She stopped struggling to get up. "What?"
He was shaking, and it took her a moment to realize he was crying. "You were dead, they killed you–I watched them–God, I watched you die–you weren't moving, your eyes–"
He was babbling almost incoherently, and Vr'ocria was terrified.
She finally managed to push herself off of him, and tugged him up into a sitting position. She pulled him forward into a hug, taking care not to squeeze his ribs. "Calm down," she tried to soothe as he clutched her tight, still shaking. "Just breathe." She didn't know if she was even helping, but she didn't know what else to do.
But it seemed to work. After a few minutes, Aldrick had managed to slow his breathing down to a more reasonable pace, and she felt his muscles sag in her arms as the tension drained away.
"I'm sorry," he finally croaked. He pulled away and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" he struggled to find words. "I'm sorry for making a scene," he finished at last.
Vr'ocria placed one hand on his hip and the other on his knee. "What happened?"
Aldrick wrapped his arms around his middle. "I had a nightmare."
She furrowed her brow. "A night…mare?"
"A nightmare is a bad dream," he explained.
"...I don't understand."
"Sorry, I guess you wouldn't, since you don't sleep…uh…fuck, how do I explain this…" he ran a hand through his tangled hair. "When humans are asleep, even though we're unconscious, our subconscious brain is still pretty active. One thing it does is create dreams. During dreams you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste things that aren't there. Sometimes dreams are pure nonsense, just a mess of sounds and images. Sometimes you might have good dreams–maybe you fly, or go on crazy adventures. But sometimes, you have bad dreams. We call them nightmares."
Nightmare. What an awful word. It sent shivers over Vr'ocria's scales. "So just now, you…"
"I had a bad dream. A very, very bad dream." He dug his fingers into his temples. "When you're dreaming, in most cases, you don't know that you're dreaming. It feels completely real. And bad dreams are usually brought on by stress or fears you have. And my fear–" he broke off.
She squeezed his knee. "It's me dying?" She supplied quietly.
He shut his eyes as if he was in pain. "When I saw what those fucking pirates did to you–I've never felt so much fear in my life. I was so scared they would kill you before I got there, or that I would fail to save you, or–" he covered his face with his hands. "And I dreamed that I did fail. I watched him stab you. I watched you bleed. I held you and you were–your eyes were so blank–"
Vr'ocria didn't want to hear anymore. She yanked him forward, hugging as tight as she dared. "It wasn't real," she whispered. "I'm here. I'm right here."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His arms still trembled and his voice was thick against her neck.
"Stop apologizing," she said firmly. "You have nothing to apologize for. None of it is your fault, not the attack, not the dream, none of it."
She felt him take a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you, my love."
Her spine tingled.
"Come on, lay back down. I'll lay with you." She pulled back the covers and crawled underneath next to him. They settled down into a familiar position–him clutching her to his check, her arms around his waist, their legs tangled together. His heart was still pounding, but she listened as it gradually quieted to a gentler pace. Soon enough, Aldrick was asleep. This time, he slept peacefully through the night.
Nightmares can fuck up your whole night, man. I've had nightmares that were so vivid they stuck with me for days afterwards. Shit sucks, and I wish I had someone to cuddle with afterwards lolol
Thank you for reading! Until next time ;)

I moved house a few months ago, from a ranch style to an old colonial. I had to downgrade my 180, because there are no rooms with enough space to hold the 180, so I sold it to a lovely young person and her boyfriend. That tank was my dream tank, and even though it was going to a nice home, it still sucked to have to give it up.
In the new house, I ordered a custom 90 gallon to fit a very specific spot. It took three months to get here. It's been full of water for 17 days... It's on an appropriate stand, is level, has a pad between the tank and stand... Finally got it planted and all my livestock from the temporary tank put into it.
And last night, I hear the sound of rain in my living room. But it's strange, because it's not raining.... The seal between the front and side panel had broken, and there was a lively stream of water dousing my furniture. Luckily we were home and still awake, since this all happened around 10:30pm and that's right about the time I try to make it up to bed. Everyone's safe in a temporary 60g, thankfully.
Best part is, because the pad I used isn't 3/4 inch thick, I most likely won't be able to get warranty coverage to replace it. I half don't want to even replace it, because it'd be another three month waiting period to have it built and another absurd shipping fee to have it delivered (it was about 600$ the first time).
I'm tempted to reseal myself, but I've never done that before, so I'm not only afraid that I'm going to screw it up, but also mad that I'd have to do that on a brand new tank in the first place...
I almost just want to throw in the towel completely. Rehome my livestock, sell the plants. Having to give up my dream tank, then a brand new tank busting a seal, just has got me feeling really defeated.
Ugh, thanks for giving me a space to just get this out. I'm just wallowing, I'm sure it'll end up fine, it just doesn't feel like it right this moment

A long time ago...
The storm came out of nowhere. The winds howled, the rain poured, and the streets flooded. People ran for cover, but there was nowhere to go. The hotel was the only place left standing.
I was the operations manager, and I knew we had to do something. We opened our doors to everyone who needed shelter, and we didn't turn anyone away. We had food and water for everyone, and we even had backup generators to keep the power on.
The hotel was soon full, but more people kept coming. They had nowhere else to go. We converted the conference center into a makeshift camp, and we set up cots and blankets. We gave everyone food and water, and we did our best to make them feel safe.
It was a time of great fear and chaos, but it was also a time of great compassion. People came together to help each other, and we all worked together to get through this difficult time.
I was so proud of my team. They went above and beyond to help others, and they made a real difference in the lives of the people who came to our hotel.
The storm was a devastating event, but it also brought out the best in people. It showed us that we are capable of great things when we work together.
I will never forget the people who came to our hotel during the storm. They were the true heroes.

My sister and I were always close. There was only a year difference in age, her being the eldest one. We liked similar things, had similar interests, and protected one another. We went through things together, like getting over a first boyfriend or realizing how bad period cramps actually are. I was grateful for this, to have someone that understood me so deeply. Of course there were fights too. A lot of “you stole my shirt” and “is that my lip gloss?” But what sisterly relationship doesn’t have a bit of bickering scattered in the mix.
But then… the bickering got worse.
I don't mean to complain, especially on the internet to strangers I’ll likely never know. But lately, my sister has been… extra hostile. It started simple enough. I’d bump into her in the narrow hallway that separated our two bedrooms. She’d groan like normal, but there was a sharpness to the “fake” insults she would sling at me. “Jesus, take up enough space?” There was an underlying venom in her tone. I was used to our average bickering, but this put a crater in my chest. “Sorry, sheesh.” I brushed her off and kept moving.
The day after, I asked her if I could borrow something from her closet. “You’re so fucking annoying, Alice.” She didn’t say it with a tone nor did she yell at me. She said it like it was simply a fact. Her words were flat and she didn’t even spare a glance at me. “What the hell?” I retorted, but she just ignored me.
I started trying to avoid her after that. I figured, maybe she was going through something that she wasn’t ready to talk about yet. It happens, right? Whatever it was, I didn’t want to be in the middle of it. More and more, my sister started shutting everyone out. She would go to school, come home, lock herself in her room and… that was it. We barely saw her around the house. Later in the night I would hear her door unlatch and the sound of her feet scurrying down the hallway. Probably to the kitchen, since she never came down for dinner.
When mom would ask what was wrong, she would shrug her off and call her annoying. Always buried in her cell phone, always with an attitude. I started taking notice of her appearance. Now my sister is pretty, I won't deny it. I was always jealous of how perfectly her hair laid in comparison to my cow-licked part. Her teeth were straight and shiny, and she was a swimmer so it was rare for her to be out of shape. But she started to look… sickly? Her face was always pale, with big black bags under her eyes. Her lips were cracked and dry, even her fingernails started to look brittle. She was chewing on them and ripping the skin along the side of her nail bed. She always looked nervous and her eyes would dart around the room like she was constantly looking for a threat.
Months went by, I started my sophomore year and she was a junior. She wouldn’t acknowledge me in the hall, and even her friends started to avoid her. They said she was gloomy and weird. A drastic change in comparison to the previous summer. She was vibrant, full of life, and usually lit up any room she walked into.
But now she was miserable to be around. She would hurl insults at us, and berate us every chance she got. She would walk by me and pinch me hard enough to bruise the skin. When I'd yell at her for it, I was simply met with a wide grin and a shrill laugh. She made me nervous, like I had to be on guard any time she was around.
This wasn't Gemma. Something was wrong. As her sister, I needed to do something. So, one day, I decided to go into her room and do some snooping.
Now hear me out, I know snooping is wrong. I would never normally invade someone’s privacy like that. But I knew just asking her wasn’t going to get me anywhere. So snooping it was. I started by combing through her closet. I figured if she were to walk in on me, I could just say I was looking for something to wear. I brushed my fingers gently over the hanging clothes. Vibrant colors of pinks, purples, and yellows swirled together as I shoved them to either side. Her clothes would tell me nothing. Especially since she didn’t wear vibrant stuff anymore.
Her closet was pretty empty, just shoes and hanging clothes. A few random pieces of paper but nothing of value. I emptied out some of her spare handbags to find empty tubes of lip gloss and tissues. Useless, I thought.
I moved on to her vanity. I searched each drawer carefully. Vials of lip gloss, palettes of blush and eyeshadow, but nothing to indicate something was wrong. I shut one in frustration and sighed. This is stupid, I thought. She’s a moody teenager. I turned towards the bedroom door when something under her bed caught my eye.
A little piece of paper jutting out from underneath. I moved to the bedside and dropped to my knees. The paper had nothing but numbers scribbled across it, but behind it lay a small… journal? Diary? I picked it up and felt it over. It was damaged, the binding was loose and the cover was worn down. The edges of the paper inside looked… burnt? I stared at the small book for a minute. For some reason I felt a lump of nausea climbing up my throat. This small, seemingly harmless journal felt like a rock in my palm. Sweat broke out down the back of my neck.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I murmured to myself. With a sigh I pulled the front cover back. My hands shook as I skimmed the pages. I swallowed hard. I guess I had every reason to be nervous.
On almost every single page, there was one message.
He is coming.
What the fuck does that mean? I blinked hard as I shifted through the pages. The handwriting on each page got worse and worse. It looked less like an average teenager’s handwriting and more like scribbles from a toddler as the pages went on. The writing started to look desperate the further into it I got.
He is coming
He is COMIIing!!!
HEe IS COMINg!!!
HE IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!
More of the same as I scanned the pages. I was almost to the end when I heard a thump in the hallway. My heart fell out of my ass as I scrambled to shove the tiny book back under her bed. I flew to the closet and yanked the door open, shifting through her clothes. When her bedroom door swung open, for some reason, I felt uneasy.
“What are you doing in my room?” She snapped.
“Hey, Gemma. I was looking for something to wear.. I was going to a friend’s tonight.” I lied as calmly as I could. I could feel her moving behind me. I was scared she was going to get closer. This is ridiculous, I thought. She’s your sister. Still, I felt like a helpless gazelle being taunted by a lion.
I turned to look at her and was met with a gaze I have never witnessed before.
Her face was twisted into a snarled grimace. Anger seethed from every pore on her face. Her mouth fell open as she stared at me. “I-I’m sorry, Gem. You never used to care..” I suddenly felt very trapped and claustrophobic. Her bedroom door was closed and she stood between me and my one way out. Her head fell to the side as she blinked at me. “You’re useless.” She murmured faintly. “What?” I blinked at her. That was cruel, even for how Gemma was now. “You’re useless.” She shrugged as her head lay to the side in observance of me. It was like she was surveying how I was going to react. Her mouth started to fall open into a wide grin. “You’re useless and one day, Alice, I’m going to rip your tongue from your mouth.” She made a horrible gurgling noise from the back of her throat, followed by her usual shrill laugh. I stared at her in shock. Tears poured over my cheek as I shoved past her to the door. I had nothing to say, I just wanted to get away from her.
After that, we didn’t talk. If she walked into a room, I walked out of it. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but I knew it had to have something to do with that weird little book. Her moods got worse, and it was making everyone in the house miserable. She started screaming at our parents, throwing glass plates on the ground. She would slam doors so hard the hinges would break. My dad had to replace her bedroom door twice. She would corner me or my mom, getting in our faces and taunting us. My mom tried taking her to therapy, but Gemma refused to go. She would sit in the car and scream until my mom let her out at the house.
And then one night.. Everything changed.
It was late, well past 11 pm. I was laying in my bed reading a manga I’d bought recently when I heard the familiar creak of her door opening. This was a usual routine for her now. She didn’t eat dinner with us, she would wait until we all went to bed and sneak down to the kitchen. I heard her soft footsteps walking up to my bedroom door when they suddenly stopped. I knew she was standing outside my door. My heart thumped in my chest. I stood up from my bed and hovered at the edge. I wanted to walk to my door, to open it, to just.. see her standing there. Hopefully apologetic and asking for forgiveness.
The thought made me laugh. And tear up, if I’m honest.
But instead I slowly approached my door. My heart was beating a mile a minute. There was no reason for me to be so nervous. She was just my sister. Her behavior had been weird, cruel even, but she hadn’t done anything too crazy for me to be fearful of her like this. My palms started to sweat and I felt a lump in my throat. I stood in front of the door and placed my hand on it gently. I stared at the doorknob, and I don’t know what possessed me to do it but… I locked it.
“Alice?”
Her voice startled me. I jolted in position. My mouth was dry and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. “Alice?” She tried again. It was her voice, definitely. But something about it seemed so unlike her. It felt almost… sinister. “Alice.” This time it came as a statement rather than checking to see if I was actually there. “Are you gonna let me in?” I felt her tap against the door. I still couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My hand hovered above the doorknob, but I wasn’t trying to let her in. I was prepared to grab it if she tried to open it.
Suddenly, she began knocking on my door. Relentlessly. It started as a few light taps, then turned into banging. She was banging on my door. The whole thing vibrated and shook as she smacked and pounded on the other side. “Alice!” She screeched. The doorknob started shaking violently. I grabbed hold of it with as much strength as I could. Tears brimmed my eyes and my heart felt like it was going to seize up. ”ALICE!!!” She was screaming now and my bedroom door was hanging on by a thread. The lock had already busted, and it was just me versus her holding it. I could hear my parents start to shuffle around, and I heard my mom’s voice down the hall. “Gemma? What’s going on?” She sounded half asleep and dazed.
Everything got sickeningly quiet. I took several quick breaths and tried to steady my body weight against the door. “Gemma?” My moms voice traveled down the hallway. I took a breath and pried my door open, just a crack, to try and see what was going on. I was met with an image that is seared into my brain.
Gemma was staring at me. But not just staring. Her mouth was hanging open in a twisted grin. It was an elongated smile, her lips were cracking and bleeding from how wide she had stretched her lips. Her eyes were like saucers. The white spaces of her eyes were filled with black that bore into me. She was making this awful… clicking sound? Like it was coming from the back of her throat. Every time she clicked her head would twitch and bob. Her face was nearly pressed against my door. Very slowly, she reached a hand up to touch her jawline. Her fingers were bloody, and I quickly realized it was because she had ripped her nails off. When I say ripped them off... I mean it looked like she had just peeled them from her nail bed. Quicker than I could react, she shot a hand out into the crack of the door. She snatched a fistful of my hair and with a sharp tug, she ripped a chunk from my scalp. I screamed as my hands flew to my head. She giggled like an excited little kid at how horrified I was. I slammed the door in her face. “Gemma what the fuck!” I smacked my door and let out a sob. What was happening to my sister?
I heard my dad from the end of the hall. “Gemma.. Are you okay? Can we take you to the hospital?” He sounded so desperate to help her. Sadness welled up in my chest for my parents. How could they fix her?
Without warning, I heard her take off down the stairs. Her feet smacked the ground and I heard her jump off the last few steps. I flung my door open and ran to my mom. She threw her arms around me and cradled me. My dad stood there for a minute, like he was weighing his options. Gemma was downstairs throwing glass around in the kitchen. Every few minutes we could hear her shrill laughter followed by those sick clicking noises. “You two, in the bedroom. Now.” My dad ushered us into my parents’ room. My mom and I sat on their bed while my dad paced back and forth. He decided to call 911, to ask for a mental health check. My mom sobbed quietly on the bed beside me. We could hear the loud crashing of glass and things being knocked over downstairs. I couldn’t get that horrible gaunt look out of my head. That wasn’t Gemma, I wouldn’t accept it.
Suddenly, everything stopped. The shattering of glass, the shrill laughter and the awful clicking sounds. Our house became deadly quiet. My dad stared at the bedroom door, his hands balled into fists. My mom kept an arm around me. There was a thump at the door that jolted all of us.
“Mommy?” It was Gemma. She spoke so softly she almost sounded like her old self. I went to call out to her but my dad motioned for me to stay quiet. Small, faint sobs traveled from the other side of the door. I could feel my mom tense beside me. There was a scratching sound, like she was scraping her nails down the side of the door.
Except it couldn’t be her nails… she had ripped them all off. I seized up at the idea of her dragging a knife up and down the door.
Gemma began to laugh. She wasn't just laughing, though. She was sobbing, and cackling, at the same time. It sounded like two different voices bubbling up from her throat. One would wail like it was in pain, and the other would laugh maniacally. I chose to believe the maniacal one was the voice dragging the knife across the bedroom door. She began knocking, or rather banging, on the door. "LET ME IN!" She shrieked, still heaving a mixture of laughter and sobs. The banging increased and I thought for sure the door would bust. My mom was pale and trembling beside me. My dad stared at the door, in disbelief or fear, I couldn't tell.
"You can't hide from me forever, Alice." She spoke so quietly I thought I made it up. I glanced at my mom who put a finger over her mouth, a sign for me to stay quiet.
Suddenly, an echo of footsteps bounded up the stairs from the end of the hall. “Police!” We heard someone shout. I felt my mom shift beside me as my dad approached the door. “Put it down!” We assumed he was talking to Gemma. We heard her giggle maniacally, and what I’m still assuming was a knife dragging back down the door. But following the shrill laughter was a plea that reverberates in my mind. "Please.. help me." She choked out a sob, but as soon as softness came it went. Her feet pounded against the hardwood floor of the hallway. “Stay put! I said don’t move!” But faster than I think anyone could react, we heard a sickening cackle followed by a heavy thud.
Silence.
My dad waited about 10 minutes before pulling the door open. Gemma was gone, but there was a trail of blood streaking down the hallway. It reeked and made my stomach turn in knots. I was panting, both from the smell and the fear. There was a man laying at the end of the hallway, an officer, and it was clear he had been stabbed. We followed my dad down the hall, carefully trying to avoid stepping in blood. The officer groaned and my mom heaved a sigh of relief that he was alive. Backup was called, and an ambulance. They said he was stabbed 11 times, and miraculously survived. I don’t think that was an accident, though. I think if Gemma wanted him dead, he would be dead. I think that softness... that small sign of weakness was actually Gemma trying to save him. From whatever she had become.
There was no sign of her, though police followed a trail of blood through our front yard and onto the street. Strangely enough, it ended there. There was blood on our front door and, I guess, when police arrived the door was already open. That warranted them to search inside, where they found busted glass and shattered windows. Blood was pooled in the kitchen, and handprints stained the wall from floor to ceiling like… like she had been crawling on it. Even the police were at a loss about what happened. They’re still looking for her but, I don’t think she wants to be found. Not by them anyway.
The next day we packed as much as we could to leave. I was stuffing things into my suitcase, snagging a few books from my shelf to bring along, when a familiar sense of dread washed over me. My hands began to sweat and my fingers trembled as I brushed over the tiny diary. My mouth felt like cotton as I skimmed through the pages. I hadn’t seen Gemma, but somehow, I knew she had put this diary in my room. I’m not sure when… but judging by the blood on the pages, it was sometime during the previous night. The pages all looked familiar, except the very last one. This is why I’m reaching out for help, advice… anything. Because I’m pretty sure she’s coming back for me. I’m scared… and I feel like no matter how far away we go, Gemma is going to know exactly where I am.
Hel. He's. he lp here me…. Alice. Alice. Alice. ALICE. ALICE!!!!!!!

I went home (Indiana) for my 4 day weekend off of work. I visited my mom Friday night and Saturday. Sunday I stayed at my dads to visit my step mom. They live in a state park bc my step mom is the property manager. I slept on a twin bed on the floor and my daughter slept on a cushion bed on the floor next to me on my right side. She’s 2 years old. I woke up in the middle of the night bc I heard what I thought was my daughter whining and getting up. I looked over and it was standing like it was where she was already and walking to go into the other room. I said “my daughter’s nickname” once I said that I realized it wasn’t her bc she wasn’t wearing a gown and it was kinda transparent. It was a white transparent color. It turned and looked at me. It stared at me long enough that I was thinking what the heck I should grab my phone for a flashlight, so I did. But by the time I did that it vanished. My phone said 03:05. I know I seen what I seen bc I wasn’t in sleep paralysis and once I’m awake I don’t see things like this. I wake up at crazy hours for work sometimes. Ik what I seen was there. I checked on my daughter bc I was worried for her. She was whining in her sleep a bit but maybe about 2 min after, my daughter woke up. We went to the kitchen and got her some more milk in her sippy cup. I left the kitchen light on bc I wanted a nightlight after this. Prayed for my daughter then went to sleep 40 min after this incident.
The next morning I told my family what I seen they said they had a few experiences there too but never seen anything. I felt like this little girl didn’t mean to show herself to me, thinking I was asleep.

A majority of the time it’s me seeing something that nobody else can see, and it takes a lot of courage to stand on an island by myself, especially on things that will take a long time to play out.
A lot of times, though, it’s everyone else seeing something that I never saw. That feeling really sucks. It’s such a terrible feeling to invest in a decision that goes against the grain just to realize later that the majority process would’ve been better.

Hello!
We have a 6yo border collie who is obsessive about herding our 4yo orange cat. For the first two years of the cat's life, we kept them completely separated since we knew the border collie liked to herd cats, but he (the cat) was very vocally upset about being restricted from parts of the house. When we moved houses we decided to try coexisting.
The orange cat, as they usually are, is VERY friendly. He LOVES her attention, that she stares at him, follows him, chases him. A primary struggle with teaching her to not chase him is that he often interferes with the training by trying to encourage her to chase him! Because of this, we've mostly stopped trying to train her and have just managed the situation (kennel her if she gets too overstimulated, setup pet gates to give him areas where she can't reach him, etc).
But the border collie has been pressing boundaries recently by making contact with her nips or aiming at his face because he doesn't react when she nips the air anymore. So I'm ready to step in and try training again because I want to prevent her escalating to biting just to get him to move (so she can then chase/herd him).
I know HOW to train this (interrupt chasing with rewards, teach leave it, reward for looking at me instead of staring at him, work up slowly by starting at a farther distance until they can be near each other, etc), but what has always stopped this in the past is HIM (the cat). When we give her treats, he freaks out and comes running to investigate/earn treats (very food motivated). If you try to work with her to not chase him, he just goes zooming in and out of the room and meows at her, trying to get her to chase! I don't know how to train her to exist near him calmly when any attempts to do so cause him to insert himself in the situation lol.
And just to add, attempts to restrain the cat (carrier, holding him, putting him on a leash) just lead to him moving erratically or meowing for attention which are triggers for her to herd. But giving her attention is a trigger for him to be a greedy little attention goblin.
It seems like I should start with training HIM, but then we have the same problem, with her going into herding mode when he receives any attention. So any advice on how to train either or both of them? They both do fine in separate rooms, can take food and etc, but as soon as the barrier is removed, I don't know how to keep either from interfering with the others training. 🙃
And just to clarify on the nipping, I am not worried about her killing him, that's not her instinct. She just wants him to move when he's sitting/laying down/etc, and he's EXTREMELY tolerant, so the only thing that gets a reaction from him lately is when she does make contact with her teeth and he gives her a pitiful "that wasn't nice" meow lol. He does not ever hiss at her, the most he does is stand on two legs and have his paws ready to lightly boop her (he does have claws but never uses them on her). I kinda wish he'd be more assertive with her because she doesn't press these boundaries with my parents cats who ARE assertive with her. She literally only is with him because he's so chill and lets her 😭 but on the flip side, hoping his friendliness allows training to get them to a place of mutual, somewhat calm, cohabitation. I don't expect her herding instinct to go away, I just want to manage it so it's less intense!
Anyways, thanks in advance!

Hi everyone I am looking for advice for what order to read the series in specifically what other King books should I read? I am currently on book 5 just started it. I have read the Stand and Salem’s Lot anything else I should read before continuing? Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

Introduction: The land of vandalor, the land was first thriving with goliaths. This land used to be sustained on mineral and materials. However they were considered as a treat to all other races So they elves, dwarfs, gnomes and human raged war on the goliath kind and won. After the human and other races defeated the goliath army, they had taken over vandalor, 1500 years have passed and now the country of vandalor is ruled by anarchists, tyrant and warlords. The reason vandalor still stands is because of its traders, vandalor is mainly a trading country.
Enter you, a criminal that is being transported to the cental of vandalor, the cental of all trades. Avor, you are there to be sold into slavery, but now your luck is about to change. As you will venture and collect information, you will learn about the vast lands of vandalor and its factions, syndicates etc.
Some factions and syndicates you can encounter are:
The under dome, a underground fighting arena, ran by a person named 'The Boss', he is feared by the people above.
The night hunters, a syndicate that calls themselves righteous, like robin hood, they kill the rice and feed the poor, they are mostly comprised of elves.
The thorin, a faction not seen in the light, however no one knows what they control from the darkness.
And more
Hello i am the dm, you can call me ali. I am a 18 year old person, who loves to play dnd and other ttrpgs, i am a new-ish dm, i have been dming for about 2-3 years now and i have ran 3 mini campaigns(10-20 sessions) using only theater of the mind, so i am kind of new to vtt but i have been working of this campaign for about 6 months or so. Please keep in mind that no racism or shaming of LGBTQ+ community will be tolerated. The inclusion of goliaths race is not banned but it is harder to live as a goliath. If you are interested please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_I_ZlBrJ2odhI0yyKRlYjPQ-2oAhi9BonqOVQD2njdL83qA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hey
The past couple of years I've been reading about mbti, cognitive functions, and taken tests. Ive gotten these types as results, xntj, xntp,and xstp.
The only thing for sure I know is that I'm an xxTx. Not sure if Te or Ti as I tend to get a split on these and I relate to both.
Based off these generic answers what would you say the type is
Planner or improvisers
I'm flexible. I prefer planning but can be flexible if things come up. Overall all I want is that I'M the one who chooses and dictates what I do.
Practical or abstract
Both
Structured or unstructured environments
Structured
Do you frequently do things without a specific schedule or plan.
I want the freedom to choose to have a schedule or not. I do have a loose morning routine and I do my best to not have it interrupted. I dislike having things sprung upon me.
Do you think rules and regulations are necessary
Yes, the ones that make sense
5 words to describe myself(this is from close friends/loved ones)
Persistent/Determined
Confident
Rebellious
Impatient
Physical
I like to face problems head on
I stay objective when making decisions
No problem confronting others
I think about the present and how it'll affect the future
I like to understand the framework being used to make a decision
I cannot stand being micro managed
I do not like needy people
Been described as a Jock/nerd combo
I weightlift 5 days a week, hike, surf etc
Used to play baseball, hockey, BMX, and heavily into skateboarding when I was younger
I've been a nerd/geek my whole life(you wouldn't know it by looking at me) Big into video games, tabletop rpg DnD.(Usually play as an Ranger ) I like to read sci fi, fantasy, and horror. Used to write but have no time now. Star Trek nerd. Walking encyclopedia of Horror movie trivia
Love music, big part of me. Specifically punk and metal and even more specifically death,power,symphonic. But I enjoy soundtracks, lo fi, instrumentals also
I'm a very loyal dedicated person to those close to me
I'm goofy and loving toward my wife and kids. I like to joke around and make them laugh
I have a movie room I made
I dont like being late to work or appointments. Something my parents instilled in me.(moms an istj, dad's an isfj, and sis is an estj) I butted heads with them constantly and still do. There conservatives religious, I'm liberal and athiest
Logic/Rational minded
Ambitious and always wanting to learn
Heavily into the tattoos and piercing scene
Worked retail jobs and never lasted. My job now is more being your own boss, do your thing, rarely managed. Best job so far
Blunt
DoeRealist

I’m a 21 year old woman with social anxiety and depression. I really struggle socially but when I first got this job in January, I really tried to be nice and greet people.
I haven’t made any friends since then which usually happens because of my awful social skills. So, I’ve just been working and then going home. When I work in the afternoon and leave at 5-5:30, the people who show up to take my place and close the store will talk to each other and be friendly and nice in front of me. Even the guys from the dairy department, if they’re still working, will come up and talk to these people who work at the front end and will just stand there. So, if no customers are being checked out and I have nothing to do at that moment, I’m forced to watch them have fun and talk.
This makes me feel really horrible and anxious. Last friday, I ended up getting really jittery and embarrassed that I was alone so I pretended to look for a bottle of water (sometimes my store provides free water) and fiddled with my hands. Eventually, I was asked by a manager to grab carts so I got to escape for the last 20 minutes but idk what I’m going to do tomorrow because I work the same shift.
It makes me feel very uncomfortable and depressed to be around them when they’re nice to each other.

Hello hello hello!
I decided to make a spreadsheet (linked here) using data from all the lip syncs on the show! I started doing this a while ago, but seeing as I saw a series of posting asking if a certain queen is the worst lip-syncer in the history of the show (spoiler: she is), I decided to revamp it, update it and post it here.
So far, this utilises data from the original series, All Stars, UK, Canada's Drag Race, Down Under and vs The World series as these are the ones I am most familiar with.
Some interesting statistics:

• Silky Nutmeg Ganache has the most lip sync wins on the show, with 9.
• Conversely, Trinity the Tuck has the most losses with 7.
• A number of queens have never lost a lip sync. Of these, Symone is the one who has won the most lip syncs and never lost (with 7 wins).
• A rather high number of queens have never won a lip sync. Unsurprisingly, Jimbo is the one with the most losses (6). This is double the amount of losses of anyone else with no wins.
• Among queens who have lost lip syncs, Kameron Michaels and Kandy Muse are the strongest, with a win rate of 85.71%.
• Conversely, among those who have won a lip sync, Katya is the least successful with a win rate of only 16.67%.
• Monét X Change, Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Trinity the Tuck have taken part in the most lip syncs with 13.
• Only two queens have never lip synced - Ginny Lemon (who left the stage as the song was starting) and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté (who left the competition).

Please bear in mind: I have made this myself, and it has been a while since I have seen some of the seasons so I purely went by online data to note some of the statistics down. It is entirely possible (and likely) there are errors or contentious decisions made, which I am more than happy to change.
Apologies if this is has been done before/is breaking rules (though I can't see anything to indicate it would be), if not then hopefully it might be interested to any hardcore fans of the show:)

Are there AI teammates in this mode? Everytime i play it, the other 3 "players" just stand in a corner or some random spot on the map and just shoot in one direction, letting the enemies hit them, or they occasionally walk off a ledge where they just keep walking off said ledge before you can even revive them. Is the mode getting botted or something? I just got this game, and I loved salmon run in Splatoon 2 but it's really hard to enjoy it when you're essentially solo.