Aptive pest control near me

Complaints about Aptive Environmental pest control company

2021.05.31 05:23 Complaints about Aptive Environmental pest control company

Complaints about Aptive Environmental pest control company. They conduct illegal door-to-door sales tactics and get sued repeatedly. They are disrupting the lives of honest, hardworking Americans in an effort to shove their product down our throats. Their corporate behavior needs to be corrected.
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2013.01.11 00:34 neowu The Science of Deduction

A place to practice your Sherlock like observation
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2012.09.15 11:29 anti-realist Relic Knights

A community for fans of Relic Knights
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2023.06.06 03:48 LaLunaMama75 Post PMS and perimenopause is going to be the death of me😩

I’m 48, and most likely in perimenopause. The dr thought I was after my last child was born because my periods got much, much heavier immediately after her birth (all pms symptoms did) but that was 13 years ago so I doubt I’ve been in perimenopause that long. But around the same time I noticed that I was getting really bad PMS symptoms at the end of my period. I’ve never really had much ā€œpmsā€ to speak of. Nothing that affected my day to day anyway. But I’ve noticed more and more how much I’m being affected by this. It feels like it’s totally opposite of the way it should be. I have a few really, really good days where I’m in a great mood, have energy, I’m productive. Then bam, my period starts and it’s downhill from there. Around the last day of bleeding and for several days after I’m a total mess. Anger to the point of rage. I can’t think. I feel like I’m going to explode. That’s not me, it’s not my norm.
Once a month was bad enough but I guess now I’m REALLY in perimenopause because I’ve had three periods in a row with only about two weeks in between them. Today is one of the bad days. I honestly feel like I could take off walking and never come back. I won’t do that, but Ive considered it lol
Has anyone found anything that helps with this? I bought a DIM supplement and the day after I took it it was pure RAGE, and on a day it shouldn’t have been. I don’t know if it was just a bad day anyway or if I don’t react to it like other people.
My doctors suggestions have been antidepressants, which I’ve had horrible experience with in the past which I won’t go into here but let’s just say my body and brain did not like it. And lastly taking birth control. I’ve taken birth control in the past, but long ago. I tried it again after my last child was born but it made me feel so bleh. Yes, the post PMS was better but there wasn’t any ā€œgoodā€ days, either. He doesn’t really have any other suggestions…
I’d love to hear anyone else’s experience with this and if you found anything that helped. I feel like I’m missing out on so much LIFE, you know? There has to be something that would help.
submitted by LaLunaMama75 to Menopause [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:48 GT0SYBSTS [TOMT][2000s-2010s emo song]

I've bin looking for the intro song of this youtuber I know named "madmolly" and it's a emo song and the line it sings "everytime that your near me im I'm insane" (clip of song: https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/958174756706848819/1115456758266220604/Screen_Recording_20230525_211349_YouTube.mp4 )
submitted by GT0SYBSTS to tipofmytongue [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:48 PrinceJustice237 Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different ...

(I’m just gonna post all my Christianity-related posts here even if they’re not related to queerness, simply because I feel safer here than on the general Christianity sub, if you don’t mind).
My best friend, ā€œAnaā€, is a Muslim, and she’s known I’m queer and Christian since we first became friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids and have stayed that way for nearly 8 years, and she’s always loved and accepted me as I am.
One of my favourite worship songs that we sing in church sometimes is My Lighthouse, which isn’t a traditional hymn but a song from the Christian folk rock band Rend Collective, released within the last decade. It’s all about how God and His love is our lighthouse guiding us through the dark stormy nights to the safe peaceful shore.
A couple months ago I sent it to Ana and she loved it - she said it was adorable and catchy and loved the metaphor of God to a lighthouse, and also loved that there are people that still believe in this world.
And it got me thinking about that quote from - of all places - Team Rocket’s Meowth from the first PokĆ©mon movie: ā€œWe do have a lot in common, the same earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different ... well who knows?ā€
I think that we as Christians, as religious people, as people, can really learn a lot from that.
submitted by PrinceJustice237 to GayChristians [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:47 dumbnunt_ People in room across the hall screeching intermittently at 2-5 am

The people across the hall still randomly screech and bellow at night and throughout the day. Most people have moved out but I still have lots of deadlines and am postgrad. It's me vs them, every day I wait for them to move out. I let it go on for months just occasionally shouting at them to shut up (they were loudly screaming from 4 am to 7 am all day with a three hour break , making whale like noises or screeching.) I don't really want to deal with them, I reported them to reception a bunch of times who knocked on their doors. They shut up for 10 days. Now they are making high pitched noises to spite me at random times. They are making piercing high noises they know I don't like just to shit me up. Intermittently so security can't shut them up. I feel bad and don't want to get them in trouble, but they are being dicks and purposely ruining my studying time. I might be a controlling kill joy but they are screaming like a crazy old man and it is bullying. They're hard to catch and do love to slam a door https://voca.ro/1bZLHjq2y7IH
submitted by dumbnunt_ to UniUK [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 JQCruz I just finished the epilogue...

And man that whole hell sequence was awesome. The pacing and atmosphere really made it feel like I was storming the gates of hell. Art was absolutely incredible down there. I'm playing hard-core, and the world boss from the beta showing up near the end completely caught me off guard. I've seen some of the gripes people ahead of me have with the end game, but my hopes are still high and I'm excited to grind the hell out of sanctuary! Putting on a fresh pair of Huggies XL then I'm diving deep!
submitted by JQCruz to diablo4 [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 kittiesarelove Same mother cat, kittens born 3 different times 2 weeks apart each time???

Our local feral has a kitten that is walking and able to climb steps. The woman from the rescue said it looked to be about 6 weeks old. I captured that kitten days ago but let it go back to mama cause it was the weekend and I didn't know if any place would take it.
Days later a kitten was stuck in my neighbors pipe and they rescued it. They hinted that if I didn't take it and keep it inside they'd dump it somewhere (everyone knows I feed mama cat). So this one I couldn't let go. The same woman said this kitten looks to be about 4 weeks old. I weighted it before she took it and it weighed 1 pound 1 ounce. It was able to walk but it stumbled around a bunch and definitely couldn't run like the other kitten could.
I assumed it must be a different cats kitten even though we don't know of any other female strays around here - the other 3 local strays are males.
Well I was curious and I did something very stupid. I took the kitten out of its cage to see if mama cat of the other would recognize it just to be sure.
She went crazy trying to jump me to get to the kitten. Then I put it back in the cage and she looked back at me and hissed while trying to figure out how to open the cage. Once I put the cage back in the house mama cat started calling for it and it started mewing back. It's gone now with the rescue and the mother cat is still at my door calling for it.
Would a mother cat react that way to a kitten that isn't hers? I know the first one is hers for sure we've seen her with it multiple times now and seen her nursing it plus it looks a lot like her. But the 2 kittens are obviously different ages.
Also before knowing of the kittens we had mother cat in captivity for nearly 48 hours, and she seemed to be very pregnant her belly was huge.
We released her and for a few days she still seemed pregnant. I'd touch her belly and it felt huge and looked big too. Then one day she didn't come for her evening feeding that she never misses and the next day her stomach didn't feel big again.
Is it possible this cat has a 2 week old kitten, a 4 week old kitten, and a 6 week old kitten?
submitted by kittiesarelove to cats [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 BoardBulky4028 Got sextorted today

Am i going to be okay? Are there stories of anyone getting leaked after the fact? What are my next steps?
Also, what’s the deal with the girl on video actually being real (assuming her holding 3 fingers up upon request makes her real)? She was clearly not the individual that was texting me, however.
submitted by BoardBulky4028 to Sextortion [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 boo__bell I am graduating hs and I am not as accomplished as my bf. Is this something he would be insecure about?

I am graduating HS and I am not as accomplished as my boyfriend. Is this something he will feel insecure about?
Hello! I (18f) am in HS and I am graduating towards the end of the week. I met my boyfriend (17m) one night at an event in my town. I walked up to him because I had recently moved and I hardly knew anyone. He happen to be wearing a shirt from an area I used to live and I complimented it just to start conversation. I thought he was very cute as he had long hair which I find very attractive, and our little exchange was lovely. He was very kind and well mannered.
About a year later, he had seen me walking around school and recognized me as the girl from that night. He texted me on Instagram asking me if I was going to an event at the school football field and I said yes. Little by little, we talked every single day since, went on numerous dates, went out of our ways to see each other, and met both of our family's. We have dated for 8 months now and I love every second of it.
However, I feel a small bit of insecurities academic wise. From where I relocated, the education system was not the best. My siblings came from a public school where all of us were born and had taken a plunge because of the education. My boyfriend, however, has grown up here, an area where the education is much more advanced. The classrooms were smaller, the equipment was advanced, and the semester system was made in a way students get 8 class credits at the end of the year in total instead of 6 like the old school I attended. The teachers do a good job at making sure students are taking from their class, and everyone takes their education seriously. I love it because I love to learn and educate myself. I think one of the best things you can do for yourself is be knowledgeable.
My boyfriend is very intelligent. He knows lots about certain subjects and excels at them. He has taken AP classes and has done fantastic in all of them. His GPA is exceptionally high and he has postcards from universities with small acceptance percentages that are interested in him attending their schools. He is in a grade level below me, which means his grades are climbing as we speak.
I like to say I am intelligent, but I am no where near his level academic wise. My GPA is as high as I knew how to increase it. I did not take any AP classes because I was unsure of them and did not know anyone in the classes. My friends are all in the top ten of my class, and my bf is the top ten of his class. I am surrounded by intelligent people, and I am dating one. This not anything to complain about because I love to interact with them and I am very proud of them.
I worry that my bf will see me as lower because of my academic achievements. These are my own insecurities, yes, and I do not bring this up to him because of this very reason. I also fear maybe he will tell me different if he does feel this way out of kindness. But I'm not sure if this is likely considering he is very honest. But is it wrong to not bring this up? Should I talk to him about it? It's been on my mind as I am nearing graduation. Would this be something he would see me as lower for? And would this be something he would feel insecure about when dating me?
I want to emphasize that I know my own worth. I am proud of what I have accomplished considering I relocated to a new area. I got my GPA up and joined clubs because of my GPA. I do not have a golden cord, but I have medals and sashes. I also want to emphasize how very proud I am of my boyfriend. I am amazed that I am able to date someone of such achievements. He is incredibly gifted and I do not resent his for him at all. I try to encourage him when he tells me his accomplishments and his high grades because they deserve attention.
Tl;Dr I am graduating high-school and I am unsure if my boyfriend, who is very accomplished, will be insecure that I am not as accomplished as him. Should I be worried? What should I do?
Sorry this was so long!
submitted by boo__bell to relationships [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 iAhMedZz Was your first home server setup that stressful ?

Been two full days stuck searching which hardware to choose and I havent came nearly to a decision. My head is burning, can't take any decision. A cloud provider screwed me days ago and I decided to host everything myself from now on, I have an idea of the know-how but I can't decide for the hardware specs.
I'd use it for these items:
This will be running 24/7, so power consumption is a factor. Will probably run on debian for stability, though fedora is appealing to try.
The hardware market, both new and second hand, don't look healthy where I live at all and I'm in a choice between really old processomobo or new expensive ones. I've came across old workstations using xeons, but the power consumption would be an issue (and I don't think they have too long to live.. I think?).
Here are my findings for a suitable processor for my budget: - i3-10105f (new - $200 with mobo) - Ryzen 4500 (new - ~$230 with mobo) - Ryzen 3600 (used - ~$250 with mobo) - i7-4770 (used - $150 with mobo) - xeon E5-2690 v2 (full build - $140) - old hp builds with i5-6500 ($100)
Tbh I have no clue how much processing power will my usage be, so it's not clear for me direction is better, good or used. I can wait to save extra for something more powerful if none of these are good enough.
I would appreciate any insight. Thanks!
submitted by iAhMedZz to homelab [link] [comments]


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submitted by Previous_Hornet_5814 to u/Previous_Hornet_5814 [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 weswaz Karu 16 Questions

I got my new Karu 16 put together, connected to natural gas and made our first pizza on it last night. Wow! What a difference from the Koda 12 I have been using for the last year. Such a difference in space and temperature control.
Had some questions though.
I purchased the extra door, the one with half glass. Not sure why, but my thought was that the Karu didn’t come with a door. I haven’t installed it, still in the box. Do I really need this? What’s the selling point to justify the cost?
I also purchase a cover for the Karu. Previously with my Koda, I just folded the legs and I had a table cover that slid down over my the Koda and the Ooni table. Has anyone found a cover that I could use in a similar fashion with the Koda after removing the chimney? I would prefer the table and oven to be covered, but I don’t want two separate covers.
Last questions… chunk charcoal and wood. Any brand/product recommendations from any of the big boxes? Lowe’s, Costco, Home Depot, Cabellas, Walmart, Tractor Supply are all near me.
Thanks!
submitted by weswaz to ooni [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:46 B3RZ3RK3R_13 Any tips for a coming out letter?

I think I'm finally ready to come out to my mom. As ready as I think I'll ever be anyway. I'm worried about the letter though, every time I start thinking of what to write, it reads so harsh or hurtful, idk how much I really need to put out there, like I want her to know how serious this is, life and death, but there's some things a child shouldn't tell their parents...
I don't know how to strike a balance of understanding but firm boundaries, the severity of how important this is and how unforgivable certain things would be without hurting her or being very harsh because I attack when I feel vulnerable.
So far ik I want to explain the difference between drag, crossdressing, and trans identity. I'm going to tell her idc about pronouns or even dressing up rn because I'm not ready for social transition. I don't want to tell her about diy, but I will tell her tampering with my meds or sabatoging my transition will be unforgivable to me and the many reasons why.
I don't want to tell her how close I was to ending it all last year, or that I've been a walking corpse with an expiration date tied to her own since 16 and her own words 4 months ago galvanized me to chose life for the first time in over a decade, to choose to try HRT. But that feels pretty important to say if I want her to understand.
Or maybe it's better to be cold and clinical.
I'm gonna freestyle something real quick, please help soften when needed or any advice at all. Tw: all of em.
Hey mom you've had lots of questions this past year. I've deflected and deflected, refusing to answer, but not trying to hide it too much either, I know you've seen signs that we haven't talked about too, well it's time I answer them.
I'm trans. It took a decade to ever even attempt to experiment, so scared of it being something more, a year of questioning and research after the lowest point in my life last March, every step towards femininity assuring me i was right. I've been on estrogen for 2 months now and I'm only more sure now than ever. I don't expect your understanding or full acceptance, it's taken me a while to accept it myself. I only expect your compassion and love, the woman that's always been in my corner to remain in my corner as I enter the hardest fight in my life thus far.
This is not a sex thing, ik why you think it is, but Ethan is just a friend. I'm still a virgin and I'm not gay, I am bi, preferance is women, but still thats a recent thing i accepted too, but ik you don't really see the difference there either if I like some guys I must be gay, that's OK idc how you see it.
This isn't porn warping my mind, and if it was the drop in libido would nip that in the bud quickly, a boon I was not expecting, but honestly one of my favorite parts about transitioning so far and has helped my mental state a lot in addition to my brain now being on the right fuel. I've never been happier in my life than I have these past 2 months.
Crossdressers do this and it hurts no one. They do it for a lot of reasons but I am not a cross dresser, in fact I've only ever worn panties and one time a bra. I'm also not a drag queen, I have no interest in performing on stage.
Things had to line up in a very specific way for you to be reading this note right now and not another kind of note at some point in the future after the repression hit me when I was 40 with kids and a wife or something. Dad had to practically disown me for me to want to be selfish enough to say fuck it and choose to have some kind of fun before I died fully. As I've been truthfully half dead since as a teenager, who almost had his mom die in the hospital, i had decided that wouldn't even try and live through that pain. That led me to experiment which led to many many questions and a lot of tears and more than a few realizations and memories surpressed.
Through all the questions and steps along the way, my mask cracking and pieces of me peeking through, your words broke me outta that spell of half death and I chose life. You thought I was waiting on you to be gone for me to live like you were the problem. I had already accepted I was trans before then but I couldn't do anything because of the shame it would bring you. The drama, you're likely to lose friends over this if you choose your child and you risk losing me if your friends words turn your confusion or anguish over a future imagined version of me is dying into hate or spite.
I worry that you'll call me all the vile things what strangers and coworkers already whisper. That you'll run me out of our home over something somehow both as trivial as makeup clothes and the shape of my own body, and as important as life or death. Because your words the other day will never come to pass, when I said "I hate old men" grumbling about work, and you said "stop that, God willing you'll be one one day." I'll die first. Pandoras box is open and I can't go back to mere existence when life feels so nice.
Trying to force this lid shut will only at best sever ties between a mother and child and at worst simply snuff out my light for good. Oh and bonus it'd probably put me in menopause by now to stop.
I'm moving at my own pace I'm nowhere near ready to call myself a woman, let alone dress like one I do not expect you to call me one. HRT is slow, but at some point between the weight loss this all has inspired, yeah thats why I've stuck with it this time, between that and HRT growing boobs and the small things I'm working on like exercising and eventually laser facial hair removal, it's going to be hard to hide likely this year, well if im lucky like I have been so far.
Really don't know how to end this. I'm sorry this made you cry, I'm sorry if this brings you shame or embarrassment down the line, I give you full permission to talk about this with your friends, the only opinion I ever cared about is yours and Lana's, I'd rather not be out right now publicly or to all your friends, but I'll not hold it against you to seek consul from them either. Hopefully we can move past this and grow and you'll come to understand me better than the pieces I've let peek through all my life feeling like I had something to hide even from family, especially from family even.
If not, just know that I'll always love you mom, but stopping or going back to being your little boy is asking me to die. I'll always be your baby, I just hope you'll see a living daughter is better than a dead son, even if they're weird and you don't get it.
I love you mom ā¤ļø.
submitted by B3RZ3RK3R_13 to MtF [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:44 ozziekai How do I communicate with my alters? OSDD-1a

I've been really struggling with this one. We have a few ways to communicate, but they're poor and don't allow for actual conversations. The most we get is someone fronting with me, which makes their words pretty clear, but rarely enough to hold conversations. Hell, if we DO manage to exchange actual sentences, it means a protector or persecutor has complete control of the body, and at that point, I'm not really able to talk.
We have a headspace, but I'm rarely allowed to access it. I've only been able to properly explore two rooms in it. If I try to leave them, I'm met with heavy resistance.
At this point, I've been desperate and encouraging my alters to develop more, like if we just tried hard enough, we could develop into proper DID. I don't know if I want this, but it really seems like it would help.
Does anyone have any tips for exploring this?It's hard to even know if they have ideas since I'm so disconnected from them. I think this is the next best step in figuring out how to coexist with each other, but I don't know how to go about it.
submitted by ozziekai to AskDID [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:44 arc_menace Anyone know how to transfer a tumbler?

Anyone know how to transfer a tumbler?
It came out like this. There is supposed to be a lever to pull the mechanism but it broke off which is why I am replacing it in the first place. Didn't realize the whole thing was broken till I removed it. There is an e36 Cabrio in a U Pull It near me so I'm hoping it still has the door handle. Any ideas on how to move over the tumbler? I've been to that junk yard one before and there is no key, plus I don't want to carry around 2 keys anyways
Side note. This this is a PITA to remove. You have to unbolt the window and remove the rail. Be nice to your door handles or you will suffer my fate. Also they have been out of stock for years on every website I have found that sold them and a new one is $700. So it's the junk yard or eBay. Unless you have a z3 and then they are all over
submitted by arc_menace to BMWE36 [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:44 Hurlyblurly (Rant) Please help me convince our other setter, or me, if I am wrong

Pardon the long rant/question. Context: coed men height 6s, 6-2 system with me (male) and our other setter (female, can barely touch tape jumping). Level is rec-intermediate.
I've played with our other setter for a long while and have gotten increasingly frustrated with her what I think are terrible habits. I think we also lose quite a bit of points/opportunities. Please provide feedback to my complaints:
1) Should be easy. She does not face the pin or even general direction of power. She faces where the pass comes from (likely back end of court) and side sets. Drives me insane even though some (probably more than half) of her sets are decent enough to hit. When they are not though, I get annoyed thinking that she could have set better facing proper direction.
2) Long rant. If the pass is tight (forward trajectory into or just above the net), she tried to dink it just right over (ends up into the net more than half the time probably because she's used to women height). I've tried to convince her dinking it back onto our side would give either better control of pushing over the third ball, or if we get lucky, an opportunity for a hitter to finish, whereas dinking it over would just give the other team an easy pass. She has been very hesitant even though when she tries, it's worked. Is there any flaw in my logic, or any reason to dink it over on second ball, when physically able to do otherwise?
Bonus: If I am right, how do I try to convince her in a constructive way? I'd like to play a bit more competitively and I feel like her setting is holding back the team. If we play 5-1 with me setting we do much better but she is adamant about being a setter.
Thanks!
submitted by Hurlyblurly to volleyball [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:43 Nemarus Did the premise of this game need to be so absurd?

Galaxy of Heroes did a great job with its premise and framing device, with the holobattle cantina.
Why didn't this game just go with something simple, like fourth age scholars writing fan fiction or Hobbits playing with figures? Or maybe a battle strategist in thr Fourth Age evaluating past battles and playing war games...
Instead, in the first five minutes, Earendil is calling me up from his spectral library to counter some evil time traveler, and I do that by summoning Eowyn to help Strider fight a mind-controlled Arwen. What?
submitted by Nemarus to HeroesOfMiddleEarth [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:43 SubstantialBite788 The Fiend in the Glade

In 1965 I was twelve years old.
My father made the news for killing my mother. He was certain that she had been cheating on him while he was at work, but I don’t see how that was even possible. My mom and I never got any sleep, for my father worked third shift and he would call home every chance he got. If she didn’t answer, she would get punished when he got home. One morning he took it too far. I was already at school when my neighbor came and picked me up during math class. He told me that my father was in jail and that my mother was about to die. There was no subtlety in those days, no sugar-coating the truth. You swallowed it down whole and raw.
I was at my mother’s side when she finally breathed her last. Her face was unrecognizable, swathed in bruises and lacerations. She was unconscious. There were no last words, no ā€˜I Love You’, no response to my wailing, nothing but a few last gasps of air.
The ā€˜best interest of the child’ was an alien principle to the inhabitants of the small town I grew up in. Convenience- that’s what mattered. The easiest place to put me was with my grandfather, the father of my father, and there wasn’t much difference between the two. The genetic code that instills in another human being a lack of empathy was prevalent on this side of my family. I had to endure my grandfather blaming my mother for her own death.
ā€œShe brought it on herself. If she would have just minded her manners,ā€ he would often say. If it wasn’t that, it was something else derogatory about my mother. There was a snide remark every day. He would throw it in my face. He hated me because I looked less like his son, and more like my mother. With some strange morbid logic applied, I believe he also blamed me. If it wasn’t for me, his son would not be in jail.
I hated the man and I felt that one day it was going to get violent. I may have only been twelve, but Sarge, as he made me call him, was in his eighties and I could have easily pounded the man into oblivion if I really wanted to, and of course, I really wanted to. Sarge- why? Because he said he was a Sergeant in World War I, but I didn’t believe it. I never saw any evidence of that nor seen any photos. If he had been in the Great War, wouldn’t there be something hanging on the wall or on his fireplace mantle? No, he was a liar like my father, wrapped up in a make-believe world, far from the truth of his pitiful reality.
I spent as little time as possible in that house. Most of my days were spent down the road on Mr. Baker’s property, hunting small game like rabbits, dove, and squirrels with my 22-caliber rifle. Mr. Baker was a nice man and I wished I could have lived with him. He didn’t mind me hunting on his land, as long as I stayed away from the forest on the other side of his property. He claimed that there was something not right in those woods. Often, his dog Dolly, a Golden Retriever with an inexhaustible amount of energy, would accompany me on my hunting excursions.
I often came home empty-handed, but there were those days where I became obsessed. I couldn’t leave the field without a quarry, but more importantly, I didn’t want to go back home to that hateful old man. Sometimes, I imagined he was in my sights, that he was the hunted, and I the hunter.
Dolly was not an obedient dog. On some occasions I loved having her around to flush out the underbrush. Other times, she was a colossal pain. I would hunt up to the fence line that split Mr. Baker’s property from the much-maligned forbidden forest he often warned me against. One late afternoon, with nothing shot or killed, I got desperate, and climbed over the barbed-wire fence and trekked down the hill to a patch of bamboo growing by a small dried out streambed. I crossed over to a thick forest of trees, grass, and honeysuckle, abuzz with life, the sounds of insects slicing the air and rodents plowing through the undergrowth. I knew I had found the perfect spot. I spied a little rabbit gnawing on some clover. I slowly pulled my gun up, aiming, ready to shoot, and then Dolly came crashing through like a bulldozer through a flowerbed. The rabbit scurried away, but kept its course straight. I made a hasty, but careful pursuit, trying to be quick but ready to stop and hold still when the opportunity presented itself.
ā€œDamn dog,ā€ I murmured to myself.
ā€œDamn dog,ā€ something ahead repeated.
ā€œWho’s there?ā€ I inquired.
There was nothing but silence. Dolly had stopped about ten feet east from me, refusing to move any further. It seemed darker than normal in this area of the woods. Up ahead was a circle of Juniper trees, and beyond that a glade, an opening in the middle, devoid of life.
The rabbit I was pursuing appeared near the glade. Instinctively I begin to resume my hunt, absorbed in the moment, casually brushing aside the voice I had imagined. The rabbit stopped, I raised my gun, and as I went to squeeze the trigger, I saw the rabbit move into the glade and fall to its side. It’s legs frantically kicking about, as if something had a hold of it and it was struggling for life. Then it stopped, lifeless and staring out of one exposed black eye into the darkness of eternity. I noticed that it wasn’t the only carcass lying about. There were birds, squirrels, and other rabbits strewn across the open landscape. Some skeletal, others partially rotted, and some, like my rabbit, fresh and recently deceased. The smell was thick with putrid, decaying corpses.
Dolly saw the easy prey, her passion overriding her instinct and fear, leapt into the glade and fell on her side, just as the rabbit had done. She began kicking and yelping. Her cries were pitiful, a sad song for help I couldn’t resist. She wasn’t dead yet. Maybe I still had a chance. I crawled up to the edge of the glade, reached in, and grabbed her by the paw. My hand felt icy and stiff, the blood flowing through the veins in my hand felt like powdered glass. I pulled with all my strength.
ā€œTimmy?ā€
I looked up to see my mother standing in the middle of the glade, beautiful and young, not at all like I had ever seen her in my own young life. She was a teenager, with a wistful smile, and a visible yearning in her eyes, the vision of which spoke to my soul that she missed me, that she wanted me to come to her in the glade. I was ready and willing, leaning more towards her and loosening my grip on Dolly. I felt a comforting warmness in my stomach, and an urge to bring solace to my lonely forsaken mother.
At that very moment a deer sprinted into the glade and stumbled to the ground. Out of nowhere an apple tree had appeared, with fallen apples scattered in abundance around the trunk. It was a vision, a lure dangled by a hunter, a hunter other than me, one with a more mysterious and a much more effective weapon.
I came out of my daze and yanked as hard as I could, pulling Dolly and myself from the invisible web we were entangled in. A part of the earth in the glade opened up like a trap door, and pouncing out like a spider was a creature like a man, crawling on all fours, with two small claw-like appendages extending out from its torso. It had dark skin with standing hair all over its body, like a tarantula. Its face looked human, but with sharp teeth and four red gelatinous eyes.
It would stand like a human and then crawl like a spider. It seemed confused and moved in quick sporadic motions. There was more than enough meat to choose from, but from its gestures I gathered it favored living meat, with blood still circulating. It was looking at the deer, but inching towards me. It was deciding between the easy already provided food, or the much more tastier living food- me.
The creature was walking backwards. Every now and then it would quickly turn its head, peek, and make sure I was still there, all the while backing up towards me. I felt around for my rifle, found it and pulled it up to my shoulder. The creature turned, with outstretched arms and appendages, leapt towards me. I pulled the trigger. One red eye exploded and the creature shrieked and fell outside of the glade. It writhed in pain as if the air outside of the glade was toxic.
I got up and ran away from the glade, calling Dolly after me. She raced past me up the hill and under the barbed wire fence. I glanced back as I was running. I saw the earthen door fall shut. The creature had survived.
I didn’t go hunting, or even go outside, for a few months. I was willing to take the abuse of my grandfather. Many times, I imagined taking Sarge down to the glade and pushing him inside, but his time was already limited. I don’t know how he lived as long as he did, smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. It seems that stubborn evil folk live longer than the rest of us.
Over time temptation got the better of me. I eventually made my way back down to the glade. I missed my mother. It was a calculated risk. I had my gun and if I kept my distance, I would be safe. On several occasions I got to see the vision of my young mother, but in time they became shorter in duration. The creature knew I had figured out its game and would no longer reward me with anymore visions. On the next to the last visit there were no apparitions of my mother. I waited, but nothing. The earthen door lifted. I saw three red eyes peering from the ground.
ā€œI will eat you one day damn dog.ā€
My last visit to that devilish grotto reveled that the creature had moved on. There was no glade, no empty land, nor an opening in the canopy. The spot was filled with invasive honeysuckle, thick with life and the pleasant aroma of flowers, and yet, it saddened me, because the most beautiful flower of all was gone. Amidst the violence and death, was the forlorn life of my mother.
I am now seventy years old, decrepit and weak, without the use of my legs. Diabetes and heart disease are killing me, but there is another death nearby, one less indifferent and relishing the suffering I am now enduring. It is prolonging my passing, giving me agony and yet giving me hope. I know that the fiend has found me again. The air feels suffocating in my room. The more my heart pumps, the more the circulating blood causes me agonizing pain. I suffer, but I endure because for the last several nights I have seen an apparition of my mother, the dying flower in the middle of the glade.
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2023.06.06 03:43 ShadowDragon88 I've Been Reincarnated as a Bunny Girl?! Ch. 5

Hey there, readers! Here's chapter five for your reading pleasure! Please consider leaving a comment or review as those really do just pick me right up!
I've Been Reincarnated as a Bunny Girl?! (Chapter 5)
by
ShadowDragon88
A fine drizzle was coming down on the town of Starlight Rose. A familiar wolf-kin beasta in red robes that appeared to be shimmering despite the cloudy gloom of the day was walking along the main road. In his right hand, he held a long polished oak staff, topped with a red glowing gemstone the size of his fist. In his left hand, held away from his body, was a tan leather satchel, the drawstring tied in a knot. It appeared full, and seemed to shudder and wriggle. Felixin smiled and nodded to passing villagers.

"Hey there, Felixin," came the rumbling voice of Earl Shatterknuckle. The blonde dwarf, presently wearing just simple brown leather trousers, fell in step beside his taller friend. Felixin looked down at the dwarf, whose smaller frame was bulging with muscles, with blue and gold glowing tattoos tracing intricate spider-web-like symbols across his chest and arms, smiling back.

"Good day to you, Earl," the wolf said. There was a spitting-chittering sound coming from the bag, making Felixin pause and frown before giving the satchel a good whack with his magical staff. "Quiet, you!" he hissed at it.

"Caught yourself another evil spirit, eh?" Earl said with a smirk.

"Oh yes, and this one was quite the nasty piece of work. I'm on my way back to my lab to properly dispose of it. I think it's from some destroyed remnant of Eld technology, one of the ones that gained sentience, or at least some spiritual semblance to it," Felixin said as he gave the bag another whack when it started to make some electronic beeping sounds.

"Oh?" Earl asked, curious. "I remember more than once we had some nasty run-ins with Eld-tech back when we were adventurers."

"I remember you and Melthi being the ones to turn the blasted machines on, both times when cautioned not to," Felixin said pointedly, making the dwarf chuckle.

"What can I say? We're both curious by nature!"

"Yes, that's one word for it," Felixin said with a smile, remembering his adventuring days and the party of friends he would regularly travel with. "Anyways. For some reason, about six years ago, they suddenly became much more prevalent. Thankfully, their numbers have been dropping back down over the years."

"What makes you think this one is from Eld tech?"

"It kept saying 'Does not compute!' over and over again, while also identifying some kind of rabbit threat." Felixin's mood seemed to shift and his ears laid back on his head, while his tail dipped, almost long enough to drag on the ground behind him. "And when it mentioned rabbits, it made me think of my little princess."

Earl rolled his eyes as he reached up and clapped the town wizard on the back. "Ah, Kiana'll be back to visit before you know it."

"I know... it's just, one minute she was this little delicate baby girl, and the next minute, she was this amazing young woman, all ready to up and go out."

"Didn't Kiana kick down a couple of brick walls when she was a baby?" Earl asked, scratching his head. Felixin waved a dismissive paw at that.

"Pure coincidences. Those walls were clearly unsound and improperly constructed, so much so that when she was having one of her tantrums just a little punch or kick was enough to send them tumbling down. We're lucky she wasn't hurt or scared, just confused and curious more than anything. Anyways, I just get so worried when I think of her, out there on the open road. Just so... vulnerable. Thankfully I made sure to instill in her a proper sense of caution." Earl snorted at that.

Meanwhile...

Kiana let out a roar of fury as her trusted tetsubo connected with the raised steel shield of the bandit before her. The metal dented and warped just as the bandit, shield and all, became airborne. They traveled in an arc straight towards a stone tower connected to an old run-down fort the bandits had holed up in. The screaming man smashed into the top of the tower, crumbling it, his screams instantly going silent.

"Fire!" Kiana heard a deep voice shout. There were several blasts and, thanks to Kiana's speed, she watched as five cannonballs headed in her direction. To the ordinary person, the black metallic spheres were probably nearly impossible to follow. To Kiana, it looked as though they were moving incredibly slow. She simply stepped aside from four of them, letting them explode into the nearby hillside. As the fifth one hurtled her way, she crouched slightly, raising her tetsubo like a baseball bat. She swung and smacked the cannonball, her tetsubo making a loud DING, and sent it flying right back where it had come from. The two bandits manning the cannon were obliterated along with the weapon itself, as well as a good chunk of the fort wall.

"She's some kind of demon!" one of the bandits cried. The man, really more of a boy, no older than Kiana, leapt down from the fort wall onto a carriage they had recently stolen from some traveling aristocrats. He then leapt onto the ground and sprinted out into the forest, stripping off the black cloak with the red eye in the center.

"DAMMIT!" the bandit leader cursed, pulling off his tricorn hat and dabbing his bald sweaty head with a handkerchief. While the remaining men were busy barring the windows or reloading and firing the cannons, he was gnashing his teeth. After a moment's hesitation, he pointed to a nearby subordinate. "You! Follow me. We'll unleash the troll on her."

The other bandit paled, audibly gulping. "Th-the troll? Are you sure th-that's wise?" Just as he finished asking that, another cannonball destroyed another cannon, making the entire structure shudder.

"We don't have any other options. Hopefully, after it kills her, it'll be injured enough for us to finish it off... or the other way around if she kills it." The other bandit grimaced at the options laid before them, but nodded solemnly. Outside, Kiana smacked another cannonball back at the cannon that fired it, being careful not to send it flying towards the base of the tower. According to one of the kidnapped merchants that had managed to escape and make it all the way to town, the cells where the bandits were holding their ransom victims were all on the ground floor. Kiana stopped when she heard a loud guttural roar, followed by a rapid series of loud BOOMs. Bandits ran by the windows and open holes of the fort, while the front gate slowly opened.

Out stumbled a massive creature. Its flesh was a dark brown, and had a texture not unlike tree bark. Its long arms and legs were thicker than the old oak trees in the forest near Starlight Rose. Its gnarled hands, with thick thorn-like protrusions sticking from the knuckles, balled into fists, fists that were as big as Kiana was tall. Its barrel-chest heaved, with white criss-crossing scars in its bark-flesh. It didn't have much in the way of a neck, and its head looked just like a tree stump, complete with root-like tendrils wriggling back and forth. It's mouth was partially concealed by the tendrils, until it reared back and opened its gaping maw, revealing rows of broken yellow teeth, to let out a bellow that shook the ground. From the top of its head grew two slightly spiraling branch-like horns.

"These idiots somehow managed to get a forest troll?" Kiana asked out loud, a smirk appearing on her face. "And this was only a gold-ranked quest? Something tells me I'm in for a sweet bonus."

The beast stopped as its knot-like eyes, of which there were at least seven, caught sight of the bunny girl. Up above from the second story windows and holes and from on the roof, the remaining bandits, many of them injured, looked down. Most were smirking, some of the more foolish ones shouted out taunts. The bandit leader stood there, looking grim-faced, but taking some satisfaction in knowing that despite their losses today, the annoying source of their problems was about to end, one way or another.

Kiana stuck the end of her tetsubo into the dirt, large and surprisingly quick thudding steps shaking the ground. The beast was lumbering towards Kiana, who didn't look the least bit afraid. While not intelligent enough to be truly sentient, the troll did have enough sense to know that its prey should be running. And the fact that it was just calmly standing there, staring at it, only angered it further. With a final roar, the forest troll charged forward. It balled up a massive fist, and swung straight for Kiana. Kiana swung her own fist, the two colliding.

There was a very loud, sickening crunch and pop. The bandits looked down in shock and horror as where the now screaming troll's fist and forearm had been, there was a bloody and jagged stump that ended just above the right elbow. The troll screeched and lunged at Kiana, hoping to impale her on its horns. But the bunny girl simply kicked, knocking the head clean off the rest of its body. The head bounced off a tree and rolled for a bit, settling in the dirt, a look of surprise on the stump-like face. The rest of the body tumbled over three times before coming to a rest near the make-shift stables, where the carriages and horses of the abducted nobles were kept. Kiana looked back up at the fort, making the majority of the bandits shrink back and shudder. A few of them began to wave white tablecloths hastily tied to sticks and tree branches.

A short time later the bandits, now in shackles, were being marched to the mechanical cart as the local sheriff and his deputies led them. Except for the severely injured ones, who were shackled to stretchers and loaded up into a seperate mechanical carriage. Kiana looked on as bodies were checked for possible survivors, there being very few to find, as the merchants and a few nobles were led by deputies out from the fort. Kiana smiled at them and nodded to their looks of awe, some of them having gotten a good look at the show of force the petite bunny girl had demonstrated. Ignoring the ones who shrank back away from her in fright, Kiana spotted the sheriff, a large older man in his mid-fifties with salt and pepper close-cropped hair and a matching mustache. He was wearing the classic green cloak, directing his deputies. He turned to face her as she approached.

"I think that's all cleared up," Kiana said, her voice chipper, belaying the fact she had a smattering of blood and gore staining her fur.

"I'd have to agree with you, young lady," Sheriff Tonsol said, his voice even. In truth, he had tried to avoid enlisting the aid of any adventurers until pressure from various merchants and nobility forced his hand. And even then he had expected it to involve a large party and, more than likely, some lives lost from the hostages. He was a little surprised when the girl reached into her satchel to produce a clipboard with a form on it, as well as an ink pen.

"In that case, would you mind signing this form indicating that I completed the job satisfactorily?" Tonsol looked at the form for a minute, and then his mouth curved upwards. He let out a chuckle and signed his name on the indicated line, writing in the date as well.

"Satisfactorily is putting it lightly, miss," he said, handing the clipboard and pen back to the bunny girl. "I had no idea that they had a forest troll in their possession. I went ahead and bumped up the reward."

"Oh wow, thank you, sir!" Kiana said, looking excited.

Tonsol smiled, something his deputies claimed to be a rare sight to behold. "Well, you earned it. I'm just glad you were able to get them to surrender without harming any hostages. Well, without them harming any more than the ones they did last time someone came out here to free them."

"I'm glad I could help!" Kiana said, bowing a little. "Now, I'm going to head back into town." She spread her arms wide and indicated to herself. "I'm really in need of a bath at this point."

"If you don't mind waiting a minute, you can ride back to town with us. It's faster than walking."

"Oh, thanks for the offer, but I'm good." Kiana waved, before jogging back to where she'd left her tetsubo and pack, Mirabelle coiled around it protectively. She grabbed the items up, quickly looking through the travel pack to make sure she still had everything, and nodded to herself, satisfied. She slipped the pack onto her back, then scooped her pet snake into her arms, and started to jog down the road in the direction of the town of Hengecliffe. Picking up speed, she rapidly became a blur, and in just a few seconds she was coming to a sliding stop in front of the town gates, startling a couple of bored-looking guards.

She greeted them and let Mirabelle down before they let her inside. They stared at the snake with the big pink ribbon around its neck slithering obediently behind the bunny girl. She stopped off at the local guild hall to drop off the signed paperwork and collect her now even heftier reward. She noticed a few stares in her general direction, and some unhappy grumbling from some fellow adventurers, but otherwise no one said anything.

Kiana then headed to the town inn where she still had a room for another night. Thankful again that this world had indoor plumbing, with hot water to boot, Kiana wasted no time in stripping off her gore-coated clothes, which she would wash in the laundry room down the hall, and enjoyed a nice steamy shower. She didn't have to worry about possible intruders, as Mirabelle sat coiled on the bed, ever vigilant.

"Today was a good day," Kiana said, stepping out of the shower and drying herself off, a feat that took several minutes with a towel. This left her gray and white fur all fluffed-out, which led to her brushing it out. Kiana had grown accustomed to the care and maintenance of her fur, taking pride in keeping it clean. She then donned her underwear and a cream-colored sundress from her pack, carefully putting her dirty clothes in the laundry sack in her pack. She smiled and stroked Mirabelle's head, the snake letting out a contented purr-like hiss.

"I'm going to go out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon in town. You stay here and guard the pack, okay?" she asked, slipping her mithril knuckles into her dress pockets, along with a small money pouch. Mirabelle hissed, thumping her tail on the bed in response, curling up tighter around Kiana's belongings.

"Good girl," she praised, before heading out, locking the door behind herself for good measure. Kiana smiled as she stepped out onto the paved sidewalk, carriages passing by on the street. Hengecliffe was much larger than Starlight Rose, with paved streets and even streetlights. Centrally located in a region of plains, it served as a trading hub. Kiana walked along, noticing a few men and women looking her over. Some seemed to do so with distaste, more than likely not enjoying the sight of a beasta. But most seemed to be pleasant people observing a new face.

"Well now, if my eyes are not deceiving me, it seems that an angel from the heavens has decided to grace us mere mortals with her presence." Kiana's ears twitched at the sound of the male voice. She paused and turned, looking down an alley, where a man leaning up against the side of a building stood, looking her over. He was wearing brown leather trousers, a white linen shirt, and a belt with a large buckle which, matching the large buckles on his boots, made him look a bit like a pirate. The goatee and the cutlass sheathed at his side were also not helping.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, giving Kiana a wink. Kiana rolled her eyes, and moved to keep walking, only to find a squat bald man standing in her way, grinning sinisterly. Kiana checked behind herself and saw another man, a larger one with a completely shaved head, arms crossed with a club under one arm. "Now, how about we all go somewhere more... private," the pirate-looking moron asked, giving Kiana a smug wink.

"Wow, you idiots have no idea just how badly you messed up," Kiana said, walking into the alley, the two guys following right behind her. The men chuckled. Passersby stopped when they heard three loud thuds coming from the alley, all of which made the nearby buildings shudder. They saw a bunny beasta girl walking out, brushing some dust off her sundress. She smiled and waved and continued on her way, leaving behind three broken figures. Two were lying in craters in the pavement of the alley, while the third, this one with a cutlass laying at his booted feet, was standing... his head laying all the way back in a hole in the brick wall right behind him.

Later that evening...

Kiana was sitting just outside the town walls on a hill, watching the stars come out. After sixteen years, it still mystified her to look up at the night sky, and not see any of the old constellations. She smiled as a shooting star streaked its way across the sky. Suddenly, Kiana felt a surge of energy just course through her. Her eyes faintly started to glow with the blue light, and she felt a strange pulsing in her chest. Looking around, she felt a strange magnetic pull coming from the south.

Starting as a jog, Kiana soon found herself sprinting outright across the countryside. She ran, as a blur, following the pull, her eyes gradually glowing brighter and brighter, shining with the crackling blue energy. Then, she came to a stop. She stood at the foot of a mountain, itself part of a larger range. Looking up at the mass of rock and ice, she could see broiling clouds up over it, flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the rocky and snowy peaks. With one such flash, Kiana saw something move. Something big. Kiana's glowing eyes went wide.

"Oh wooooooooow," she said, her jaw hanging open. There were rumbles as the giant coiled mass shifted. Several avalanches were caused by the serpentine body, buried under tons and tons of snow. At the very peak of the mountain, a gargantuan head rose.

"Is that a giant... cobra?" Kiana asked under her breath. Indeed, that was what the creature that seemed to dwarf the Spire appeared to be. In the light of the lightning, she saw that its scales were a deep blue, almost purple. There were stripes running down its back, but they were glowing a bright bioluminescent blue. That same glow radiated from the creature's reptilian eyes, and the inside of its hood. The same glowing blue as Kiana's eyes.

"What... are you?" Kiana asked, quietly.

I can ask the same of you, little one, a deep female voice hissed in Kiana's head. She winced and looked around. She then looked back up at the creature, her veins flooded with adrenaline. There was another flash of lightning, and in that very instant, the creature's head was bent down low, right in front of her. Kiana almost jumped back, but stopped herself. As the snake-entity looked her over with an eye that was twice as tall as she was, Kiana felt a sense of calm overtake her.

"Are you... a storm dragon? A real storm dragon?" Kiana asked, reaching out and touching the creature's cheek with her hand. It flicked out a blood red tongue, its mouth curling up a little at the corners.

That is something that little ones like to call my kind, she said. Kiana figured right then and there that this was a female.

"A monk said that... my spirit is like one of yours," Kiana said, breathlessly.

Your soulsong feels similar to one of our kind, little one, she said, turning her head and gently nuzzling the top of Kiana's head, making her ears lay flat. The storm dragon's head was almost as large as the entirety of her hometown.

"My... soulsong?" Kiana asked. The monk she had met hadn't said anything about them.

The song of your innermost being. It stands out from the loud and noisy cacophony that happens when most little ones gather together in large groups. Yours is beautiful, and a little... fluttery. The dragon gave her a wink. She reared up and opened her mouth. Electricity danced between the dragon's fangs, before she shot out a sonic boom. The raging storm above abated, the clouds dispersing, leaving only a crystal clear night sky for miles and miles around. She then turned and looked down at Kiana. The bunny girl felt the storm dragon's gaze. She felt a radiating warmth coming from her. It reminded Kiana of her mother.

It was so nice to meet you, little one. It was quite the pleasant surprise to awaken to. She let out a proud roar, and her body began to undulate. Sections of the mountain range began to crumble as large sections of mountain were crushed and smashed by the body slamming into them. The body of the dragon rose into the air, beginning to gracefully slither about. Levitating there, partially coiled, the sheer size of the storm dragon just boggled the bunny girl's mind.

"Will I see you again?" Kiana asked, feeling a little sad. She had just met this beautiful and amazing being, and already they were leaving.

Of course, little one, the mental voice in her mind chuckled warmly. I have listened to your beautiful soulsong, and I have shared my soulsong with you.

"I... I don't understand what that means," Kiana said, confused.

You will, little one, she said, you are still young, but my soulsong has resonated within you. When you stop and listen, it will become easier and easier to hear it. And thus, the bond has begun to form. In time, you shall understand. With a flick of the creature's tail, there was a flash of lightning that radiated from within the hood, and she was gone. Kiana stood there, her eyes readjusting to the dark.

"This world is so awesome," she said, a smile on her face, as she began to job back towards town. She figured that if the town gates were closed and locked, she could just jump over the wall.

Meanwhile...

The lone figure stood in the dark, staring at where the great serpent had been levitating. They were sitting on a log in a small clearing, where they had set up camp. The individual in question was polishing their armor when a gray blur had shot right past them. And then, where it had been heading, the giant serpent, an actual storm dragon, arose. They sat there in stunned silence. They knew right then and there, that it had been a sign from the gods. As they unsheathed their katana, it began to thrum with magical energy, the blade becoming engulfed in bright purple flames.

The light of the purple flames illuminated his green face, glinting off his polished tusks. "Soon, the war shall begin," said the orc, sheathing the blade and cutting off its purple light. The same purple light shone from his eyes.

Name: Kiana

Species: Beasta (Rabbit-Kin)

Age: 16

Skills: Sibling Wrangler, Babysitter, Puppy-Dog Eyes, Master Martial Arts, Brawling, Heavy Weapon Proficiency, Sarcasm Mastery, Eyerolling Mastery, Beast Taming Level 3

Class: (Official) Master-Level Dragon Monk: Storm Dragon School, Storm Dragon Hatchling.


Str: 141
Int: 12
Dex: 140
Cha: 12
Wis: 10
Con: 172
Languages: Common, Draconic

Equipment: Adventurer's Pack, Steelwood Tetsubo, Mastercraft Mithril Knuckles (x2), Rope (25 Ft.), Canteen (Full), Road Rations, Spare Clothes, Bedroll, Health Potion (x2), Books (x3)
I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Thank you for reading so far!
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submitted by ShadowDragon88 to HFY [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:43 redditwrodeit Research: It’s complicated (18 main factors potentially causing DBs)

A pet peeve is when people give confident advice after briefly hearing/reading about someone’s DB. There are numerous factors that should be considered before giving advice or taking action. Mark and Lasslo (2018; link) reviewed the research and found 18 main factors at the individual-, couple-, and societal-level that contribute to maintaining or losing desire in long term relationships. (This does not even include cases where one partner had no desire from the beginning.) These factors have not all been ā€œprovenā€ necessarily. Also, many are interrelated, and there may be more factors not included. Still, I think their research, summarized below, is pretty comprehensive.
Those in DBs can use the list to thoroughly examine factors that may be causing their frustrations…. Recognizing numerous causes can also lead to acceptance, less resentment, and a more balanced approach (if action is taken). For me, considering these various factors helped me stop blaming my partner and stop feeling sorry for myself. It also helped me identify factors that I can and factors I cannot control.
Individual
Expectations: ā€œunderstanding that sexual desire fluctuation is inevitable and letting sexual desire just work itself out over timeā€
Attraction: feeling attracted to your partner (keeping in shape, etc.)
Cognitive focus: ability or willingness to prioritize intimacy despite pressures (e.g, work, kids)
Autonomy: keeping some ā€œdistanceā€ and having one’s own identity outside the relationship
Attachment: insecurity in the relationship; an anxious or distancing attachment style (negative effect)
Self-esteem: feeling confident that you are sexually desirable and that you are a sexual being
Stress & fatigue: being stressed out or exhausted from child rearing and work (negative effect)
Interpersonal
Responsiveness to partner: willingness to meet partner’s sexual needs and to invest in the relationship overall
Emotional intimacy: willingness to and experience being open, honest, and vulnerable with each other
Communication: better communication in day to day life and also about sex
Self-expansion: willingness to try new things in the bedroom and to try other ways to increase desire
Monotony: over-familiarity with each other and dullness in one’s life together (negative effect)
Sexual compatibility: having a similar level of desire
Satisfaction: having had sex that is pleasurable for both partners (and, secondarily, being satisfied with the relationship as a whole)
Relationship length: desire may dwindle over time specifically for women (but this may be connected to other factors, like monotony & satisfactory sex, rather than time or age)
Societal
Gendered expectations: gender biased social expectations regarding desire and sex (negative effect)
Egalitarianism: equality in roles and power dynamics (negative effect)
Sexual power struggle: expectations for men to have high libido and to be the aggressors (negative effect)
Restrictive sexual attitudes: feeling that sex or one’s desires are ā€œbadā€ (negative effect)
submitted by redditwrodeit to DeadBedrooms [link] [comments]


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submitted by Pretty-Dimension-962 to u/Pretty-Dimension-962 [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:42 throwaway1231242324 Frustrated with having to do translation QC for my division. Solutions?

Hello!
I'm a senior analyst and for 3 years now I've been the only one able to do quality control of French translation in my division. I've been fighting it in the last year and management fails to find solutions. They've been trying to hire other bilingual candidates with good enough writing skills to help but it hasn't worked out. They sent the QC to other teams in the branch but the results are subpar and I have to redo the whole thing.
What pisses me off is that this work is added on top of my other responsibilities and my other senior analyst colleagues don't have this to do. Management doesn't seem to understand how laborious this task is and that I can't just do it bit by bit in between meetings, regular tasks and the constant "urgent" tasks. The added stress and work is certainly not worth the stupid bilingual bonus.
I'm at the point where I'm about to refuse to do it or ask to do it at night in overtime. I should not be paying the price for speaking French. I'm already working my ass off to write quality material in my second language for fuck's sake.
Do you think it would be unreasonable to refuse to do it unless I do it at night in overtime? After discussing this with management multiple times with no progress, this is the only solution I have.
submitted by throwaway1231242324 to CanadaPublicServants [link] [comments]


2023.06.06 03:42 rollmeup77 Toxic relationship

Just feeling down . I let my toxic partner control me for so long . I missed everything with my family . I let her decide my life I missed out on time with my father who ended up passing because she didn’t want me with him and I’m taking time away from ā€œour familyā€ . I stopped talking to my mother and missed time with other family members who passed . And I can’t get any of that precious time back because I was so wrapped up in my soon to be ex wife . I was her puppet and I can’t believe I let it go on for so long and didn’t see it . I wasted so much time and its like a blur . She’s a narcissist who dragged me down . Now my life is in shambles . I have a great paying job and I’m completely broke always gave her what she wanted like a fool . This woman made me into an angry nasty person which i never was . Has anyone else gone through this and what helped you along the way ?
submitted by rollmeup77 to Divorce [link] [comments]