Organic changing pad cover
Residential Lease w/ purchase option
2023.03.30 06:48 KateBetsOnSports Residential Lease w/ purchase option
4.5 years ago I started renting a home in Michigan. I found it on CL as a rent to own lease w/option to purchase. It’s also a triple net bondable lease; and being as young and naive I was, I blindly signed the contract with a company named Orange REO in Florida. In the original lease with original property owners; there was a provision or clause (idk the difference lol) that stated I’m tenant is responsible for maintenance, taxes, and insurance. The title/deed was sold to a company called Nationwide community Revitalization in California December 2020 and Orange REO told me after the sale, I had no idea they were selling the title. I then received an email from the new company with a new lease and I just assumed, like a dumbass, I “had” to sign this new lease with said company to remain in my house, so I electronically signed the current lease in December 2020. This lease also read similarly as far as being responsible for maintenance, taxes, insurance… but they increased my rent from $350 to $550/mo and changed the duration of my lease from 25 years to 5 years. This lease also states I waive my right to a jury trial. The lease is not in the name of the company (NCR); instead it says “5555 2nd Street Michigan Trust” as the Lessor and myself as the Lessee. I also paid a deposit of $3,500 for the option to purchase, which exceeds 1.5 my rent. Unfortunately, I lost my job in 2021 after signing this lease and my husband is a special needs teacher that earns not nearly as much as he should and also pays child support… I don’t receive child support, either, so the math on our budget just did not work at that time… I immediately applied for the CERA app for rent assistance. They agreed to accept the cera payment and to fill out their portion of the application and submitted it… they ended up getting impatient and filed for eviction as we had to jump through many a hoops to get approved for rental assistance as community action agency repeatedly denied them because they said my lease is actually a land contract; despite not saying land contract ANYWHERE, instead it says “residential lease w/ option to purchase triple net bondable lease”…. I got served an eviction and luckily the day before the sheriff was going to remove me from the property, I was able to gather enough money to cover what I needed to for rent and finally the CERA app was processed. I got another CERA payment in December of 2022 and it just expired February 1st. I was not able to pay rent so they filed for another eviction, this time to terminate my tenancy due to habitually late rent payments (when they were well aware I was waiting for the cera app to process) and also states “breach of contract- failed to maintain property” because I missed a housing inspection that is required in city ordinance for non owner occupied rentals; an inspection every other year. When I moved in there were 20 or so blight violations and I’ve been fined many times because I’ve not completely all repairs, such as painting trim and outside of house (chipping paint) the list is down to 5 blight violations and the inspectors are always very understanding and waive a lot of fines so long as I keep making an effort; it’s only when they stepped into the picture and started handling these communications with the city; from California, that I started getting fined heavily… and missing the appointment for inspection in January, I assume, is what they initially planned to end my tenancy. I have legal aid attorney that has not helped much as he’s the only attorney handling landlord tenant cases currently and legal aid. I went to the pre trial last week and the hearing is April 6th. They have a lawyer representing them in Michigan and one of the asset managers from NCR will be zooming in as well. My original defense was that the eviction, lease, and even the title is in the name of a trust, not an actual landlord. They agreed when they signed the CERA app agreement that they wouldn’t not evict me for at least one month after the last payment was paid by the cera app, which was February 1st. They filed February 14th, so not a month… also they lied to me when they got the first check from cera that I had to pay their legal fees of $550 before they could deposit accept the rental assistance check. So I paid the $550. They also signed on the cera app that they would waive any legal fees that exceed $150. So that sucked. I have a beautiful blended family, 3 amazing kids, a pitbull , 3 cats and lots of cool cichlids lol… so to be threatened with eviction/ homelessness not just once but twice while waiting for my cera app to process…. I ended up admitting myself because I had suicidal ideations; I felt hopeless and defeated when I woke up everyday knowing I was on the brink of losing everything that I’ve worked so hard for… I did the repairs myself even…. To save money. My husband has a bad back and couldn’t help much… so I felt just so scared. I’m in intense therapy now thankfully, but seems every system has failed myself and my family in the midsts of a pandemic and all around hard times being below poverty line. I feel this company is predatory and I’m scared, again. April 6th is coming and although my husband and kids are home for spring break, I’m building my defense all day everyday so the 9 of us don’t lose our family home 😭 I know I left tons of information out but I’m hoping maybe someone has some advice here 🙏 I have not returned to work due to ptsd and the evictions have truly made me spiral. There’s a company called vision properties that the legal aid lawyer told me is getting sued currently in Detroit and they sound a lot like the company that owns my houses title now. I appreciate any help, thanks in advance.
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2023.03.30 06:47 critical_courtney [A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Two (A sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)
![[A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Two (A sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/Bbfeb5MaRPnhkmsSmZXtF9-FYb-5mS9AwHaQv_fK1Bs.jpg "[A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Two (A sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)") | submitted by critical_courtney to redditserials [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/nmqvrevq3tqa1.jpg?width=1410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=562496da54b53a3a0cacaf3343ff84957cd85019 Book One Previous Chapter Chapter Two: The announcement sounded like always, “Announcing Queen Varella, ruler of the Raven Court at Featherstone, she who soars high above and wields the dark wind. And her pet, the Wolf of Featherstone.” After my inner girl helped defend the palace against an invasion from the lake, our title received a promotion. Hushed whispers became the norm for me after I arrived in court. The nobles never seemed to tire of looking at the queen’s pet werewolf. Covered from head to tail in walnut-colored fur, weighing close to 200 pounds, and carrying a jaw of teeth strong enough to pull apart iron bars, I was the perfect beast for the bird lady to tut around and keep others in line. When the queen sat at her emerald-encrusted throne carved from stone and covered in cawing ravens, I joined her. Some days she wanted me closer and others further. But I was always in the chair with her. The damn thing was big enough to hold three people. But the Raven Queen and her werewolf filled it comfortably. This particular morning the queen lightly tapped her left leg with two fingers, a movement I’d been careful to watch for over the last few months. That meant she wanted my paws and head strewn across her lap. So I obliged. Because she was my pack leader, and my devotion to her was absolute. Though that certainly wasn’t the case when I first arrived after finding the inner girl had willingly ensnared herself in the queen’s service. I tried my best facing off against the Raven Queen in the forest not far from here. To her credit, she gave me a fair shot. I just wasn’t nearly fast or strong enough to put her down. The feeling of being flipped over and slammed into the dirt hard enough to rattle trees around me was something I had trouble forgetting. Looking out at the gathered nobles, faeries of the Raven Court who had assembled to speak before the queen or witness those who were, I saw more apprehension than normal. A goblin covered in blue flesh and wearing the fanciest rainbow suit I’d ever seen was sweating up a storm. A pair of mated centaurs were shuffling in place, hoves lightly clopping on the stone floor, cotton dresses swaying gently with their movements. On the opposite wall, a girl with the wings of a butterfly twiddled her thumbs, something that, until now, I’d assumed was just what my inner girl called an “expression.” Random nobles cleared their throats, coughed a little, and wiped their foreheads, waiting for the queen to speak. My pack leader remained silent, observing her people, trying to figure out what had them all so jittery. Or maybe she already knew. Yeah, that made more sense by her expression, a calm and gradual glance around the room. Her mouth gave away neither a smile nor a frown. Varella’s eyes retained their frosty gare, violet irises that told those who saw them nothing more than the Raven Queen was thinking about something. No other secrets did they betray. After ruling this court for centuries, the dark monarch of Faerie learned to keep a tight grip on everything going on inside her thoughts and feelings. And on the off chance something slipped through, I was here to steal attention from the witnesses so they’d miss whatever nugget the queen might’ve dropped. “Let the queen’s business commence,” she said at once and without warning. “I believe we have a long list of petitioners this day. No sense in dallying. Whoever is first to address me, step forth.” The hushed whispers came to a stop as soon as she’d gotten a single word out. All eyes were turned toward the space in front of the throne. More cawing from the ravens on the back of this giant chair filled the chamber as we waited for the first person to take their place before the queen. “I will approach the throne to start today’s business if it pleases you, my queen,” an individual called from the tightest cluster of nobles. They stood near the large brass doors at the entrance of the throne room. And I watched them clear out as quickly as their legs would carry them when this faerie spoke. My pack leader motioned with two fingers for the speaker to come closer. Approaching the throne with a cautious demeanor, hands folded together as though one might run away if not held tight, an androgynous individual stopped about 15 feet before the queen. I raised my head to get a better look at the faerie that smelled of lemongrass and peppermint. Their orange hair was pulled back into a braid that swiveled back and forth on their approach. Brown eyes that couldn’t help but find their way down to me once in a while watched the queen for any sign of immediate displeasure. This individual’s movements were all carefully measured, as if every toe that made contact with the ground only did so after two days of nonstop planning. It went beyond the otherworldly grace that typically accompanied faeries who danced along the shores of eternity as though it were as natural a thing as breathing or blinking. This elf was tall and willowy, dressed in a well-tailored black vest covered in silver star designs. A short-sleeved white button-down shirt was tucked into his dark trousers, which were also decorated with silver stars and even bigger constellations. “Who addresses me?” the queen asked, her tone warming a little bit. They took a moment to gather their breath before speaking. Another quaint calculation on their part, eyes circling back around to me for just a moment. “My name is Dareth Ickmunt. I bring you a petition from the Court of Stars, your grace,” they said, bowing their head. A smile danced on the corner of Varella’s lips, and I looked from her back over to Dareth. He did not speak another word until the queen had time to consider his identity. “Ickmunt. . . surname of the Star Court King. It’s been some time since I’ve spoken with King Falmouth Ickmunt. Of course, everyone knows he has no living sons. But I’ve heard he keeps a nephew close at hand, even granted him the title of prince. So tell me Prince Dareth, why do you visit my court without an official announcement? Foreign royalty doesn’t typically approach my throne among the nobles during court.” Dareth paused and considered their next words. They made no effort to hide their identity. Now that I got a better look at the prince, I saw a blue crescent moon tattooed on their neck, along with more stars marking their terra-cotta flesh. It was intricate inkwork and truly set them apart from even the nobles. “Forgive me, your grace. I did not mean to deceive you. Nor have I come to your court sans announcement for the purpose of spycraft or war. I only wear the title of ‘prince’ to placate my uncle. He is anxious about succession, you see. But I’ve considered myself royalty, despite his decree,” they said. Varella clicked her tongue. “So you come to my court without use of a title for the sake of humility?” my pack leader asked. “It is as you say, your grace. I am not one for putting on airs. I find they needlessly devour my time,” the prince said. They seemed to have found their noble legs, speaking a little more forcefully now, not with any aggression, just more surety. The elf may not want a title, but I saw nobility within their inflection now. It was their eyes, those locked with the pupils of my pack leader. Each knew who they were dealing with now. No games. Just the queen’s business. My ears twitched as I heard the nobles whispering amongst themselves once more. “The Court of Stars? Why would their prince travel this far south?” “I’m not sure I like the sound of this unannounced royalty.” “Why come here to our court if not to bring trouble? I don’t like their timing or tidings.” They continued to speak in hushed voices, but I tuned out and focussed once more on Dareth as the queen raised an eyebrow. “You speak of your time as though you have any. Our kind does not wear bondage brought on by the strands of time as mortals do. So it’s a curious thing to hear you speak of it in such a way,” she said. With their eyes sharpened, the prince said, “You and I may have a ladle that can be dipped into the well of ages without limit, but my court faces the end of its days. This is why I come here to petition you, your grace.” Her amusement was gone. My pack leader’s stare had grown cold again. I had only run in this world for years, but these were Faerie courts being spoken of now. Centuries of time wound up in each through peace and conflict. It was simply beyond the mind of me or my inner girl. Such was the comprehension of mortals and beasts. “The Court of Stars is in danger of collapse?” the queen asked. The prince nodded. “My home of 90 years faces invasion if not utter annihilation from the Fist of Kairn, an alliance of courts who’ve expanded their military presence in neighboring territories far to the north. My uncle remains convinced our pacifism will keep us safe, and that the stain of dishonor that would come from taking a peaceful court will be enough deterrence. But I remain unconvinced.” It wasn’t just whispering now from the nobles. A few of them were starting to speak at full volume. “I knew it! They’ve come here to drag us into war.” “Surely they can’t expect us to protect them from so far away. That’s absurd.” “I say we ransom the prince off to the First of Kairn here and now. Then we avoid war and bring in a little coin.” That last suggestion elicited a growl from yours truly. It was enough that the court came to a pause. When a wolf growls, the grotto takes notice. When a werewolf growls, the entire forest takes notice. But my pack leader was not looking around the room to survey expressions from her people. She remained hyperfocused on the prince who’d traveled so far to be here, chased by the threat of war. “Your uncle is an optimistic king. I will not speak ill of him, but his decision and confidence in honor seem precarious. So tell me, Prince Dareth, what exactly have you traveled all this way to ask me? What request was important enough that it had to be delivered in person and could not risk being sent via crow messenger?” Another deep breath from Dareth before he spoke. At the throne’s top, each raven perched silently, almost as if they were made of stone like the chair we sat in. “You spent some years growing up in the Court of Stars, your grace. We still have a large painting of you and your brother when you were just a girl, studying constellations and the movement of celestial bodies with my mother and uncle. I’ve come here to ask that if war were to swallow my home, you be prepared to receive fleeing refugees.” Varella considered this, crossing her legs and placing both of her hands on top of my head, which found itself in her lap once more. “You’re not asking me to intervene militarily but to be ready to welcome evacuees should the Fist of Kairn bring destruction to your doorstep?” my pack leader clarified. “My uncle has forbidden requests for defensive aid, citing our court’s laws. Pacificism means that not only do we avoid fighting, but our court refuses to allow others to fight for us. So I’ve come here to seek the next best thing. I made similar requests to the Yellow Court and Worm Court, but they turned me down almost immediately,” Dareth said. I picked up the sound of footsteps as a noble stepped into view behind Dareth. He was a sturdy man wearing a red robe with gold trim. It covered most of his alabaster skin. The fae’s black hair was cut short, and his yellow eyes washed over the prince from behind. “My queen, you cannot grant the prince’s petition. The Raven Court would risk further ire from the Star Court’s enemies if we welcomed survivors of a hypothetical calamity. Our resources are—” The Raven Queen cut him off. “I’m well aware of our resources, Lord Kitac. I do sit this throne and manage this court each week, do I not? So why would you presume to tell me things I already know? Or would accuse your ruler of being ignorant of her queendom’s assets?” I didn’t give Lord Kitac time to respond, rising to my feet and leaping down from the throne to the stone floor. My large paws passed over gemstones in the landing beneath me. I strode past Dareth, not paying him a lick of attention. My fur came within inches of their legs. My haunches popped as I assumed my full height and might, gradually approaching the lord who spoke out of turn. Even though the other nobles were nowhere near my path, they backed up against the wall as I passed. Their heartbeats were growing faster. And why? They’d seen this play out before with Lord Harroldsen. They watched as I tore his throat open in an instant. But not here. I took my time approaching this lord so he could stew in the juices of this particular error. Lord Kitac was a man of average height, but I watched him start to shrink before my very eyes upon my approach. He made no move to run, and it was just as well. Outrunning a werewolf was not a common feat. A deep, echoing growl resonated across the throne room. I watched as his face sank with each second that noise rattled in his ears. The confidence he so boldly spoke with just seconds ago had taken a sudden leap into a bottomless chasm. And I suspected he now wished his body could do the same. I had a job to do here. My pack leader is a terrifying monarch. But she doesn’t have to put her power on display every time she sits the throne. If a ruler had to show their true power very often, they wouldn’t have a court to manage for long. That’s where I came in. Because a wolf can be terrifying each time you see one. And a werewolf? Well, folks didn’t even need to see us to be afraid. A lone growl echoing from the dark is enough to make most folks turn tail and run, especially when they so effortlessly felt the rumble penetrating deep into their core. I could be the threat and power flexed every day without a single noble questioning the strength of my queen. That’s why I’m here. I am her beast. The queen has her talons, her beak, her dark wind, and through me, she has claws and jaws that could fell any number of enemies. Flashing fangs, I padded another step closer to Lord Kitac, and any surety he had left dove into the same chasm that he wanted to hide in at this very moment. The noble fell to his knees and folded his hands. “Mercy, please, your grace. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me. Of course you know the resources of this court. You surely do,” the man said, nodding as if to convince himself. Before I could step closer, my pack leader called for me. “That’s enough, my pet. Lord Kitac knows he fucked up. Come back to me,” she said. I locked eyes with the sweating fae noble for what felt like several minutes before turning to leave. He fell to his ass catching his breath and then slowly stood, trying to gravitate to a section of the wall where everyone would forget he existed. As I climbed back onto the throne, the Raven Queen stroked my neck and said, “Good girl. Such a fearsome beast you are.” I let my tongue hang out for a moment before locking eyes with Dareth and resuming a more vigilant pose. My pack leader stood and addressed not just the prince but her gathered nobles now. “You who call the Raven Court home, I do not blindly ignore your fears and worries. Whispers of war to the north have grown louder these last few weeks. And now that we have a physical reminder of that conflict before our eyes, I understand why it makes you uneasy,” she said. Dareth said not a word. He stood listening to my pack leader with a calm demeanor that did not once lead me to believe he felt ignored by the queen’s change of attention. “This court has seen war. We’ve seen death. But I will remind you that in my centuries on this throne, not once have I dragged our people into battle unjustly. Aggressors have tried their hand at conquering us, and enemies have stood at the gates of Perth before! Some of you were here to witness that. And what did I do?” The hypothetical question was accompanied only by ravens above me, summoning their chorus of caws again. Nobody answered the queen. “I soared over those gates and struck down our enemies with a feathered blade in each hand. Time and time again, I have rallied our talons and feathers to drive the enemy back. You know me. I do not pick fights with other courts, and I do not loan our military to be a strength for others unless required to do so by established treaties. Do you not recall mere months ago when I avoided embroiling us in a war between the Yellow Court and Worm Court? Have you all forsaken belief in my wisdom so easily?” Now some nobles did answer her. “No!” “We believe in you, our queen!” “You’ve not failed us one single day on that throne.” My pack leader nodded to her nobles. The energy in the room had completely changed. She’d whipped up their confidence into a fervor, all with a few words. I rose from the throne and stood at her side, my shoulders in line with her hips. “You trusted me then. I call upon you to also believe in me now. I will not summon the ire and war of northern kingdoms to these lands. The Raven Court will remain safe and prosperous as it has for many years. So I ask you all, here and now, do you trust your queen?” And with a thunderous echo, each lord and lady present hollered in affirmation. “Armed with your confidence, I will continue to protect our lands. I appreciate you all,” my pack leader said. Turning toward the prince as the nobles talked excitedly amongst themselves, the Raven Queen had softer words. “Prince Dareth, I invite you to stay here at Featherstone tonight as my guest. If you accept my invitation, then we’ll discuss your request for prepared aid in the morning.” The fae prince bowed. “I appreciate your hospitality and am happy to accept, your grace.” My pack leader awarded him a brief nod and then resumed her seat on the throne, calling me to her once more. “Come now, my pet. We still have much of the queen’s business to attend.” And that’s exactly what we did. Somehow, the throne room moved on from its display of Raven Court patriotism and continued with more petitions. None were as exciting as what we’d heard from the Court of Stars, though. The very long day concluded with a shopkeep asking the queen for a 12-month moratorium on tax duties so she could expand her tailoring business from Perth into the neighboring village of Sanc Red. Once the queen granted her this, she dismissed the nobles. Within minutes, the throne room was empty and quiet as it hadn’t been since before sunrise. I stood with the queen and stretched, wagging tail and rear rising while my front paws carried forward as far as they could. A yawn forced my jaws open wide for its escape. Varella chuckled and ran her fingers under my chin. “You did well today, my pet. Fierce and frightening as always you are at my side. My bargain continues to be fruitful. Are you ready to call it a day? Shall I summon your inner girl again?” I nosed her arm, and the queen smiled. Then she placed a hand over my head and called forth to the magic she kept within my wolfheart. It echoed within my core, responding to her will, reshaping me into the human girl that struck the bargain in the first place. “Retreat, my wolf. Sierra Chelsi, I call you forth.” A familiar smoke rose from the stone floor, engulfing my entire body so the transformational magic could take place. My instincts sank into an inner slumber to be called upon whenever the queen saw fit in the future. *** I stood on two legs once more and stretched. The smoke around me thinned, vanishing as the queen removed her feathered cloak, wrapping me in it as she often did when I appeared naked after each transformation. “Fun day at court, my queen?” I asked, yawning. My stomach grumbled, and I felt a familiar light-headedness that came when assuming a human form again. “You certainly ensured so, my little wolf. I believe I promised you dinner and some answers about Bliss. Shall we head to your room to get dressed for an evening meal?” “I’d like that very much, mistress,” I said, smiling. Finally! I can have her all to myself, I thought. My mistress ran her nails through my hair, which, as usual, left me frozen in a dizzied state while I absorbed every moment of her touch, head slumped to the right against her breasts. “We’ll go when you’re ready,” she taunted. I couldn’t budge, and she knew exactly why. Maybe dinner wouldn’t happen after all. |
2023.03.30 06:46 BulkyFoundation6939 AITA for not including fees in my tip
I always try to tip at least 20% if I am getting food served, made, delivered, etc., but I calculate the tip based on my original total price before taxes, convenience, service, or delivery fees. Sometimes that doesn't change the price by much, sometimes it does change the price a bit. I am the person that will do a custom tip option on the pin pads because most computers go off the entire price, but I am fairly quick about it because to me it is simple math.
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2023.03.30 06:40 Suspicious_Report_90 Untitled
Here I am sitting in a dark room opening my laptop preparing myself to a watch a video I recorded from our home, I wasn't ready for it I knew something was not right ever since she began working for that guy, I inhale deeply a let out a huge sigh and pointed the cursor to the video file and watched.
I was right she was having an affair, my world came crashing down as I watched her fucking that guy in our house in our own bed the worse part is she was enjoying every second of it everytime that asshole rammed her inside out I can her expresion being elated, I've never seen her expression like that before everytime I do it with her she just looks bored, she was drowning in pleasure moaning like there was no tomorrow.
I hated it, my anger kept rising as continued watching, to the point that I could only see red, why has she done something like this? have I not been a good husband? everything she asked for I always gave to her, everytime she wants a time with me I spend it with her, why? why? WHY!?
Was it my fault?
It wasn't like this there were times when both of us would be happy with each others company, I met my wife Shoko when were still in college, I confess to her the first day of school because I was mesmerized by her beauty, I thought she would reject me but to my surprised she said yes, I was so happy that I felt I floating in cloud 9 and shouted in joy.
Ever since then we've been together after graduation I took job and started working hard a year later I proposed to her and showed her a ring, a ring that I worked hard for her, with tears in her eyes she accepted my proposal and we got married the next year, It was the happiest moment of our lives, I thought it would last forever, I thought we'd be together forever but fate itself has something in store for me.
3 years in our marriage Shoko decided she wanted to work, then and there I shouldn't have agreed, but I wasn't the type of person who is controlling, we weren't poor we also wasn't rich, we live a perfectly balanced normal life, I can easily provide for the both use but she wanted to help somehow so without hesitation I agreed.
She began working a couple of months later, but as the days goes I noticed she started to become more and more distant and cold and before I knew she began to come how late at night, when she was still a housewife she would cook for both of us her cooking was delicious and it was the many reasons I wanted to go home early so I can taste her homemade cooking, but nowadays I just eat microwave meals.
From time to time she do have off days but it seems she's still focus on working and can't stop messaging on her phone, I've invited her to go eat sometimes and flat out rejects me telling me I should just eat by myself, her personality started to change she became more and more detest towards me and she wouldn't allow me touch her anymore everytime ask to the deed with her she just tell me to use my hand and the way she looks at me is like looking someone who jsut failed in life.
Her love for me is gone, but still I didn't lose hope that maybe one day she'll open up to me again and our love with each other would be rekindled, but I think I was just hoping for nothing.
One day I came home only to see an unfamiliar shoes in the hallway pretty sure it wasn't mine, as I walk in I saw Shoko talking to guy she introduced me to him, his name was Mr.Akizaki Shoko's boss guy was good looking, I mean I'm not gonna lie I was good looking too, but this guy could be an actor just disguising as a business man on how good looking he is.
Everytime Shoko talks about him I could see the spark on her eyes as if she was talking to someone she's been in love with for a very long time, I know because she used to look at me like that, her and Mr. Akizaki seems like very close friend, but I noticed something for a guy who's all about business he's clothing seems to be in disorder and my wife also look the same and they both out of breath.
I soon realize something was off after her boss left I asked her what was going on and she told me nothing happened, she scoffed at me and told me that she was just being hospitable to her boss and she can't believe I'm being suspecious about her and asked me "What's the matter with you?" I asked her the same thing but she just told me she doesn't want to argue anymore and went to take a bath and went to sleep.
I knew something was going on and I'm not going to wait for it much longer the next day my off day and while she was working I bought several suvaillance equipment, cameras, recorders, nanny cams the whole shebang and started putting them in discreet locations after everything was ready I waited.
And here I am watching them cheating behind my back recorded everything I couldn't help it and just started crying not of sorrow but of anger and resentment, I was so angry I was ready to march and scream at her but I didn't, I stopped myself and calmed down and called a good friend of mine to talk about it and have a drink.
At the bar:
"She did what!?"
my friend screamed when he heard the story, Keisuke Nato is good friend of my mind, no he's a like brother to me, we've been togther since middle school and always there when I needed some company to drink with.
"So what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know...I-I just don't know" as I drink the whole glass of whiskey to drown my sorrow
"Well you have the recordings, why not hire a lawyer? sue them both for damages squeeze them dry you know"
"It's just that easy those 2 can easily pay me from the money they're worked for, no I want them to taste karma, I want them to feel something to the point they won't be doing that shit until they die" I poured another whiskey to my glass
"Hmmm...so what are you planning"
"...."
At this point I have no idea what to do, as continued drinking something caught my attention I saw a guy in black, he looks like one of those hitman guys in the movie, he had suitcase with him and then started to call someone and said "Job's done" and then lightbulb.
"I have an idea"
"Oh really?" Keisuke questioned
"Yeah I teach those 2 a lesson they would never forget, I lesson about fear"
"And how in the world would you achieved that?"
"Do you still have "those" guns?" I asked
"Yeah it's still there"
"Give them to me even the bullets"
"Whoa! you're not planning to shoot them right? I mean those things aren't even real they're just replicas it can't be chambered with real bullets those guns are specifically made to fire blank ones, those are prop guns"
"Exactly" I exclaimed "Listen this is my plan..."
I told Keisuke everything and I could see a wicked smile forming from his face and then we both started laughing like maniacal villains people where looking at use weirdly but I just don't give a shit, cause my perfect revenge is about to begin.
I waited for the day my wife would go on those company retreat, after several days she told me that her company is going out of town to a well know hot spring.
"I won't be home the next week, so don't even trying calling me while I'm there I'll be relaxing with some friends, I don't need you to call me every minute"
"Whatever" I just responed coldly to her
Days later she then left, I called Keisuke and brough the guns to my home.
"So where are we making these secret room of yours?"
My plan is to make a secret room where I can hang those guns and make it look like a room of a hitman, I remember out closet has these empty space that covered up and decided to use it.
For a couple of ours both me Keisuke started working ripping walls, nailing woods, painting etc, a few days later our job was done and the room looks glorious like it came out from a movie set or something.
"Whew dude this looks legit" Keisuke added
"I know"
"So did it work?"
"Oh yeah, she's suspecious of me"
Before all of this to make sure that my "Hitman" persona looks legit I purposely left some vague and cryptic cluse around the house, to make it look like I've been sloppy one of those was a briefcase full of pictures of wanted men, mugshots, wanted posters, some traget pics etc, I love the look of bewilderment look on her face when she first saw it.
I've also asked Keisuke to send me some letters through mail, Shoko has a habit in retrieving mails, she hands me some of those letters Keisuke made in black enveloped and I could see a curious looked on her face
Left some "bloodied" clothes in the washer which she obviously saw but refuse to elaborate on it and now she's been looking at me wary.
Also I acted like I recieved anonymous call from someone in the middle of the night, but it was Keisuke I asked him to call me in a specific time of the night were Shoko was still awake, I'm pretty sure she heard me talk like "Considered it done" or "You won't be worrying about that man anymore Mr made-up-name here" couldn't help but laugh from time to time and I'm sure she's starting to wonder what is happening cause it's bothering her.
A few months later I was preparing to go to work actually I'm on leave but Shoko doesn't know and then asked her a favor
"Shoko a friend of mine will come here to pick something up I don't have time can you kindly give it to him, its a black gym bag upstairs in the closet"
"Yeah sure I'll give it him" she replied
I can see the look of anxiousness on her face, it's working, I said my goodbyes and left and went to the bar me and Keisuke would go frquently and looked at the surveillance camera at home as both of us started drinking enjoying something that's about to unfold.
I could see Shoko pacing back and forth mumbling to herself about me changing and being so shady, a few moments later she heard a knock on the door, she opened it and lo behold a bald man wearing a black suit and shades was at the door, I could hear Shoko shriek when she saw the man standing in front of the door.
"Where did you find that guy again" I asked Keisuke
"Oh Manza he's good friend mine, we work togther in construction before a real gentle giant but has a very intimidating aura"
"Oh does he know the plan?"
"Don't worry I laid it out for him"
Shoko's POV:
What the hell!? who's this bald guy? is this Shinji's friend? I didn't know he has such friend!?
"....."
"Uhmmm...c-can I help you?"
"I'm to pick up something from your husband"
"Oh right the bag uhmm wait one moment"
I hurridly went to the bed room to fetch Shinji's bag, what is going on here, first those briefcases with mugshot of criminals and other people with targets on them and then those black envelopes and then those bloodied clothes in the washer, what is Shinji involved to? is there something he hasn't told me? I need to hurry and give the bag so he can leave, where is it?
Shinji's POV
Shoko entered the bedroom and started to frantically looking for the bag as she reach for the closet I execute a command on my laptop to slight make the door of the secret room open and sure enough I can see Shoko peeking and the look on her face was priceless, both me and Keisuke are having a blast like kids watching at a funny home video.
Shoko's POV
What the hell is this!? I didn't know there was a secret room inside our closet, what is happening here? I don't have time to investigate it, I grabbed the bag and went down stairs and handed it over to the bald man, before he can grab it for unknow reasons the content of the bag fell to the floor and I saw several bundle of cash in all 10,000 Yen, I was shocked to see a huge amount of money like that, the bald man shook his head and started picking up the money and looked at me and said.
"If I were I'd keep my mouth shut if you don't want any trouble"
All I could do is nod after, several minutes he said his goodbyes and left, I was shaken up, did my husband always have friends like that? but I'm more curious about that secret room in the closet, I decided to see what's on the other side.
Shinji's POV
"Looks like my skills in making props is still useful heh" Keisuke responded after seeing the whole cash of fake money spilling out
Keisuke once work in the entertainment business as Production Designer, he made a lot of stuff the look real but fake, I'm glad to have a friend like him with that kind of skills, because of that my charades will be undoubtedly believable.
"Hey! look your wife's entering the room again looks the cat got curious"
"You know what to do"
"Don't worry I'm ready" he then pull out a phone and dialed a number
Shoko's POV
God what the hell is this!? when did Shinji- guns!? this room looks like an office, there are some pictures of men on the wall, some maps, I don't even want to know what's inside those safes, is Shinji a hired killer or something!? oh god if he is one then- these guns look real, videos of people being torured? did he do all of these? oh no no no no, this must be a prank...right it's just a prank I think he's just trying to scare me. heh
oh no did he find out I was having an affair? shit...
wait a journal.
.....
Oh my god I can't believe this Shinji's a hitman!? when!? the journal detailed everything in how he killed his victims.
huh? what's this? it's about me
"October 7th
My wife has become cold and distant towards me, ever since she began working day by day I'm starting lose her, did I do something wrong? I was good husband provided her with everything she ever wanted, I never missed anything during special occasions and I did my best everything to make her happy, is she having an affair? is she cheating on me? I hid this 2nd life of mine from her because I want her to live normally but it she is cheating behind my back then I have no choice but to show her the real me...."
Oh no, what have I done? I don't want to die yet, I should just apologized and tell him the-
*You recieved one new message*
What!-oh it's just a voicemail, that scared me.
"Mr.Hayabusa I just want to thank you for getting rid of those men thanks to you business is booming, I already transfered some money in your account and a little bonus for making them suffer, I like the screams they make when you tortured have you seen the videos? I've sent them to you, anways thansk again and oh about your wife..."
About me!?
"If you think your wife is cheating on you I have a man ready to investigate her and follow her, just give me a call when you're interested, I'm sure we can quickly discover dirt on her and then you can punish her whenever you like"
No no no no no no! is this a dream this isn't happening is my husband really a hitman? has he killed people!? am I going to die!? I need to go out of here!
Shinji's POV
After Shoko entered the secret room I hurridly went home Keisuke told me she's in a state of panic and went down stairs after exiting the secret room, It seems my plan is working she can't tell the lie from the truth and that's fine by me all I had to do is just keep this charade up.
As enter the house I saw Shoko in front of the door, I can see the paranoia settling in and she suddenly hug me tight
"I love you! I love you! I love you!"
"Shoko what's the problem? you look tense as if you've seen a ghost"
"N-Nothing I just miss this can I hold you a bit longer"
"Of course" what a gullible bitch
And just like that Shoko did a 180 and became a loving wife again, I didn't know it would work like this I knew she had weak mind as she's easily get's persuaded, all I did was plant lies on her head and her weak mind accepted it without a hinch.
6 Months later....
Keisuke and I decide to met up and started drinking talked how our day was and how was everything
"So...how's life? how's Shoko doing?" he asked me
"You have no idea ever since that day she's been loyal as dog to me, everything I ask her to do she does it without any hesitation, she hasn't figured it out that all of it was just an elaborate lie to keep her in check"
"What about that Akizaki dude what happened to him?"
"Oh him, Shoko ended her relationship with him the day she left that company, I could hear her that night when she told her she's ending everything with him, erased his information from her phone and blocked him in every social media, but not before I copied everything from her phone just to be sure.
Shoko quit her job a week a later and has become a housewife again but she has become more paranoid than before.
I hired PI to investigate that Akizaki asshole and a month later the PI gave me a lot of receipt that I used to kicked that jerk out of his position by sending those to his bosses, what's worse Shoko wasn't the only one that fucker has been fucking, it seems he's been in bed with other co-workers and some his bosses wives, last I heard that guy is already in prison paying compensation with every money he earned."
"damn karma's a bitch"
"Yup"
"What about you? aren't you gonna divorced Shoko?"
"Not yet, I'm still using her as I see fit, she's a great onahole you know"
"Oh god don't tell me that"
"Don't worry as soon as I'm bored with her, I'm gonna sue her for everything but for now I'll just enjoy what little time I have with her"
"Touché"
*cling the sound of glass toasting"
The End
submitted by Suspicious_Report_90 to antiNTRcorps [link] [comments]
I was right she was having an affair, my world came crashing down as I watched her fucking that guy in our house in our own bed the worse part is she was enjoying every second of it everytime that asshole rammed her inside out I can her expresion being elated, I've never seen her expression like that before everytime I do it with her she just looks bored, she was drowning in pleasure moaning like there was no tomorrow.
I hated it, my anger kept rising as continued watching, to the point that I could only see red, why has she done something like this? have I not been a good husband? everything she asked for I always gave to her, everytime she wants a time with me I spend it with her, why? why? WHY!?
Was it my fault?
It wasn't like this there were times when both of us would be happy with each others company, I met my wife Shoko when were still in college, I confess to her the first day of school because I was mesmerized by her beauty, I thought she would reject me but to my surprised she said yes, I was so happy that I felt I floating in cloud 9 and shouted in joy.
Ever since then we've been together after graduation I took job and started working hard a year later I proposed to her and showed her a ring, a ring that I worked hard for her, with tears in her eyes she accepted my proposal and we got married the next year, It was the happiest moment of our lives, I thought it would last forever, I thought we'd be together forever but fate itself has something in store for me.
3 years in our marriage Shoko decided she wanted to work, then and there I shouldn't have agreed, but I wasn't the type of person who is controlling, we weren't poor we also wasn't rich, we live a perfectly balanced normal life, I can easily provide for the both use but she wanted to help somehow so without hesitation I agreed.
She began working a couple of months later, but as the days goes I noticed she started to become more and more distant and cold and before I knew she began to come how late at night, when she was still a housewife she would cook for both of us her cooking was delicious and it was the many reasons I wanted to go home early so I can taste her homemade cooking, but nowadays I just eat microwave meals.
From time to time she do have off days but it seems she's still focus on working and can't stop messaging on her phone, I've invited her to go eat sometimes and flat out rejects me telling me I should just eat by myself, her personality started to change she became more and more detest towards me and she wouldn't allow me touch her anymore everytime ask to the deed with her she just tell me to use my hand and the way she looks at me is like looking someone who jsut failed in life.
Her love for me is gone, but still I didn't lose hope that maybe one day she'll open up to me again and our love with each other would be rekindled, but I think I was just hoping for nothing.
One day I came home only to see an unfamiliar shoes in the hallway pretty sure it wasn't mine, as I walk in I saw Shoko talking to guy she introduced me to him, his name was Mr.Akizaki Shoko's boss guy was good looking, I mean I'm not gonna lie I was good looking too, but this guy could be an actor just disguising as a business man on how good looking he is.
Everytime Shoko talks about him I could see the spark on her eyes as if she was talking to someone she's been in love with for a very long time, I know because she used to look at me like that, her and Mr. Akizaki seems like very close friend, but I noticed something for a guy who's all about business he's clothing seems to be in disorder and my wife also look the same and they both out of breath.
I soon realize something was off after her boss left I asked her what was going on and she told me nothing happened, she scoffed at me and told me that she was just being hospitable to her boss and she can't believe I'm being suspecious about her and asked me "What's the matter with you?" I asked her the same thing but she just told me she doesn't want to argue anymore and went to take a bath and went to sleep.
I knew something was going on and I'm not going to wait for it much longer the next day my off day and while she was working I bought several suvaillance equipment, cameras, recorders, nanny cams the whole shebang and started putting them in discreet locations after everything was ready I waited.
And here I am watching them cheating behind my back recorded everything I couldn't help it and just started crying not of sorrow but of anger and resentment, I was so angry I was ready to march and scream at her but I didn't, I stopped myself and calmed down and called a good friend of mine to talk about it and have a drink.
At the bar:
"She did what!?"
my friend screamed when he heard the story, Keisuke Nato is good friend of my mind, no he's a like brother to me, we've been togther since middle school and always there when I needed some company to drink with.
"So what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know...I-I just don't know" as I drink the whole glass of whiskey to drown my sorrow
"Well you have the recordings, why not hire a lawyer? sue them both for damages squeeze them dry you know"
"It's just that easy those 2 can easily pay me from the money they're worked for, no I want them to taste karma, I want them to feel something to the point they won't be doing that shit until they die" I poured another whiskey to my glass
"Hmmm...so what are you planning"
"...."
At this point I have no idea what to do, as continued drinking something caught my attention I saw a guy in black, he looks like one of those hitman guys in the movie, he had suitcase with him and then started to call someone and said "Job's done" and then lightbulb.
"I have an idea"
"Oh really?" Keisuke questioned
"Yeah I teach those 2 a lesson they would never forget, I lesson about fear"
"And how in the world would you achieved that?"
"Do you still have "those" guns?" I asked
"Yeah it's still there"
"Give them to me even the bullets"
"Whoa! you're not planning to shoot them right? I mean those things aren't even real they're just replicas it can't be chambered with real bullets those guns are specifically made to fire blank ones, those are prop guns"
"Exactly" I exclaimed "Listen this is my plan..."
I told Keisuke everything and I could see a wicked smile forming from his face and then we both started laughing like maniacal villains people where looking at use weirdly but I just don't give a shit, cause my perfect revenge is about to begin.
I waited for the day my wife would go on those company retreat, after several days she told me that her company is going out of town to a well know hot spring.
"I won't be home the next week, so don't even trying calling me while I'm there I'll be relaxing with some friends, I don't need you to call me every minute"
"Whatever" I just responed coldly to her
Days later she then left, I called Keisuke and brough the guns to my home.
"So where are we making these secret room of yours?"
My plan is to make a secret room where I can hang those guns and make it look like a room of a hitman, I remember out closet has these empty space that covered up and decided to use it.
For a couple of ours both me Keisuke started working ripping walls, nailing woods, painting etc, a few days later our job was done and the room looks glorious like it came out from a movie set or something.
"Whew dude this looks legit" Keisuke added
"I know"
"So did it work?"
"Oh yeah, she's suspecious of me"
Before all of this to make sure that my "Hitman" persona looks legit I purposely left some vague and cryptic cluse around the house, to make it look like I've been sloppy one of those was a briefcase full of pictures of wanted men, mugshots, wanted posters, some traget pics etc, I love the look of bewilderment look on her face when she first saw it.
I've also asked Keisuke to send me some letters through mail, Shoko has a habit in retrieving mails, she hands me some of those letters Keisuke made in black enveloped and I could see a curious looked on her face
Left some "bloodied" clothes in the washer which she obviously saw but refuse to elaborate on it and now she's been looking at me wary.
Also I acted like I recieved anonymous call from someone in the middle of the night, but it was Keisuke I asked him to call me in a specific time of the night were Shoko was still awake, I'm pretty sure she heard me talk like "Considered it done" or "You won't be worrying about that man anymore Mr made-up-name here" couldn't help but laugh from time to time and I'm sure she's starting to wonder what is happening cause it's bothering her.
A few months later I was preparing to go to work actually I'm on leave but Shoko doesn't know and then asked her a favor
"Shoko a friend of mine will come here to pick something up I don't have time can you kindly give it to him, its a black gym bag upstairs in the closet"
"Yeah sure I'll give it him" she replied
I can see the look of anxiousness on her face, it's working, I said my goodbyes and left and went to the bar me and Keisuke would go frquently and looked at the surveillance camera at home as both of us started drinking enjoying something that's about to unfold.
I could see Shoko pacing back and forth mumbling to herself about me changing and being so shady, a few moments later she heard a knock on the door, she opened it and lo behold a bald man wearing a black suit and shades was at the door, I could hear Shoko shriek when she saw the man standing in front of the door.
"Where did you find that guy again" I asked Keisuke
"Oh Manza he's good friend mine, we work togther in construction before a real gentle giant but has a very intimidating aura"
"Oh does he know the plan?"
"Don't worry I laid it out for him"
Shoko's POV:
What the hell!? who's this bald guy? is this Shinji's friend? I didn't know he has such friend!?
"....."
"Uhmmm...c-can I help you?"
"I'm to pick up something from your husband"
"Oh right the bag uhmm wait one moment"
I hurridly went to the bed room to fetch Shinji's bag, what is going on here, first those briefcases with mugshot of criminals and other people with targets on them and then those black envelopes and then those bloodied clothes in the washer, what is Shinji involved to? is there something he hasn't told me? I need to hurry and give the bag so he can leave, where is it?
Shinji's POV
Shoko entered the bedroom and started to frantically looking for the bag as she reach for the closet I execute a command on my laptop to slight make the door of the secret room open and sure enough I can see Shoko peeking and the look on her face was priceless, both me and Keisuke are having a blast like kids watching at a funny home video.
Shoko's POV
What the hell is this!? I didn't know there was a secret room inside our closet, what is happening here? I don't have time to investigate it, I grabbed the bag and went down stairs and handed it over to the bald man, before he can grab it for unknow reasons the content of the bag fell to the floor and I saw several bundle of cash in all 10,000 Yen, I was shocked to see a huge amount of money like that, the bald man shook his head and started picking up the money and looked at me and said.
"If I were I'd keep my mouth shut if you don't want any trouble"
All I could do is nod after, several minutes he said his goodbyes and left, I was shaken up, did my husband always have friends like that? but I'm more curious about that secret room in the closet, I decided to see what's on the other side.
Shinji's POV
"Looks like my skills in making props is still useful heh" Keisuke responded after seeing the whole cash of fake money spilling out
Keisuke once work in the entertainment business as Production Designer, he made a lot of stuff the look real but fake, I'm glad to have a friend like him with that kind of skills, because of that my charades will be undoubtedly believable.
"Hey! look your wife's entering the room again looks the cat got curious"
"You know what to do"
"Don't worry I'm ready" he then pull out a phone and dialed a number
Shoko's POV
God what the hell is this!? when did Shinji- guns!? this room looks like an office, there are some pictures of men on the wall, some maps, I don't even want to know what's inside those safes, is Shinji a hired killer or something!? oh god if he is one then- these guns look real, videos of people being torured? did he do all of these? oh no no no no, this must be a prank...right it's just a prank I think he's just trying to scare me. heh
oh no did he find out I was having an affair? shit...
wait a journal.
.....
Oh my god I can't believe this Shinji's a hitman!? when!? the journal detailed everything in how he killed his victims.
huh? what's this? it's about me
"October 7th
My wife has become cold and distant towards me, ever since she began working day by day I'm starting lose her, did I do something wrong? I was good husband provided her with everything she ever wanted, I never missed anything during special occasions and I did my best everything to make her happy, is she having an affair? is she cheating on me? I hid this 2nd life of mine from her because I want her to live normally but it she is cheating behind my back then I have no choice but to show her the real me...."
Oh no, what have I done? I don't want to die yet, I should just apologized and tell him the-
*You recieved one new message*
What!-oh it's just a voicemail, that scared me.
"Mr.Hayabusa I just want to thank you for getting rid of those men thanks to you business is booming, I already transfered some money in your account and a little bonus for making them suffer, I like the screams they make when you tortured have you seen the videos? I've sent them to you, anways thansk again and oh about your wife..."
About me!?
"If you think your wife is cheating on you I have a man ready to investigate her and follow her, just give me a call when you're interested, I'm sure we can quickly discover dirt on her and then you can punish her whenever you like"
No no no no no no! is this a dream this isn't happening is my husband really a hitman? has he killed people!? am I going to die!? I need to go out of here!
Shinji's POV
After Shoko entered the secret room I hurridly went home Keisuke told me she's in a state of panic and went down stairs after exiting the secret room, It seems my plan is working she can't tell the lie from the truth and that's fine by me all I had to do is just keep this charade up.
As enter the house I saw Shoko in front of the door, I can see the paranoia settling in and she suddenly hug me tight
"I love you! I love you! I love you!"
"Shoko what's the problem? you look tense as if you've seen a ghost"
"N-Nothing I just miss this can I hold you a bit longer"
"Of course" what a gullible bitch
And just like that Shoko did a 180 and became a loving wife again, I didn't know it would work like this I knew she had weak mind as she's easily get's persuaded, all I did was plant lies on her head and her weak mind accepted it without a hinch.
6 Months later....
Keisuke and I decide to met up and started drinking talked how our day was and how was everything
"So...how's life? how's Shoko doing?" he asked me
"You have no idea ever since that day she's been loyal as dog to me, everything I ask her to do she does it without any hesitation, she hasn't figured it out that all of it was just an elaborate lie to keep her in check"
"What about that Akizaki dude what happened to him?"
"Oh him, Shoko ended her relationship with him the day she left that company, I could hear her that night when she told her she's ending everything with him, erased his information from her phone and blocked him in every social media, but not before I copied everything from her phone just to be sure.
Shoko quit her job a week a later and has become a housewife again but she has become more paranoid than before.
I hired PI to investigate that Akizaki asshole and a month later the PI gave me a lot of receipt that I used to kicked that jerk out of his position by sending those to his bosses, what's worse Shoko wasn't the only one that fucker has been fucking, it seems he's been in bed with other co-workers and some his bosses wives, last I heard that guy is already in prison paying compensation with every money he earned."
"damn karma's a bitch"
"Yup"
"What about you? aren't you gonna divorced Shoko?"
"Not yet, I'm still using her as I see fit, she's a great onahole you know"
"Oh god don't tell me that"
"Don't worry as soon as I'm bored with her, I'm gonna sue her for everything but for now I'll just enjoy what little time I have with her"
"Touché"
*cling the sound of glass toasting"
The End
2023.03.30 06:38 rkirbyl First Time Builder / Purchase List
I’ve played console games for years now and always told myself I’d never switch over to PC because there just weren’t many games I was really interested in on PC. I work in the firearms industry and with games like Escape from Tarkov, Ready or Not, and Groundbranch gaining popularity I slowly started gaining the desire to get into PC gaming. Today I made the impulse decision to do a bunch of online searching and made some purchases. Now I’m not very tech savvy and am still a little confused so tell me how I did and if there’s anything that may need changing. Just listing what I believe are the important parts.
submitted by rkirbyl to pcmasterrace [link] [comments]
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9Ghz CPU AMD Radeon Graphics card
- 500GB NVME SSD
- 16GB DDR4 RAM 3200 Memory
- Acer 23.6” 165Hz Curved Monitor 1920x1080
- Rosewill NEON K42 Keyboard
- Logitech G403 Hero Mouse
2023.03.30 06:37 Choice-Bake7922 Add uranium to minecraft
Uranium is a chemical element with symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium radioactively decays by emitting an alpha particle. The half-life of this decay varies between 159,200 and 4.5 billion years for different isotopes, making them useful for dating the age of the Earth. The most common isotopes in natural uranium are uranium-238 (which has 146 neutrons and accounts for over 99% of uranium on Earth) and uranium-235 (which has 143 neutrons). Uranium has the highest atomic weight of the primordially occurring elements. Its density is about 70% higher than that of lead, and slightly lower than that of gold or tungsten. It occurs naturally in low concentrations of a few parts per million in soil, rock and water, and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite.[6] Many contemporary uses of uranium exploit its unique nuclear properties. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope, which makes it widely used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. However, because of the tiny concentrations found in nature, uranium needs to undergo enrichment so that enough uranium-235 is present. Uranium-238 is fissionable by fast neutrons, and is fertile, meaning it can be transmuted to fissile plutonium-239 in a nuclear reactor. Another fissile isotope, uranium-233, can be produced from natural thorium and is studied for future industrial use in nuclear technology. Uranium-238 has a small probability for spontaneous fission or even induced fission with fast neutrons; uranium-235, and to a lesser degree uranium-233, have a much higher fission cross-section for slow neutrons. In sufficient concentration, these isotopes maintain a sustained nuclear chain reaction. This generates the heat in nuclear power reactors, and produces the fissile material for nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium (238U) is used in kinetic energy penetrators and armor plating.[7][8]
The 1789 discovery of uranium in the mineral pitchblende is credited to Martin Heinrich Klaproth, who named the new element after the recently discovered planet Uranus. Eugène-Melchior Péligot was the first person to isolate the metal and its radioactive properties were discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel. Research by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, Enrico Fermi and others, such as J. Robert Oppenheimer starting in 1934 led to its use as a fuel in the nuclear power industry and in Little Boy, the first nuclear weapon used in war. An ensuing arms race during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union produced tens of thousands of nuclear weapons that used uranium metal and uranium-derived plutonium-239. Dismantling of these weapons and related nuclear facilities is carried out within various nuclear disarmament programs and costs billions of dollars. Weapon-grade uranium obtained from nuclear weapons is diluted with uranium-238 and reused as fuel for nuclear reactors. The development and deployment of these nuclear reactors continue on a global base as they are powerful sources of CO2-free energy. Spent nuclear fuel forms radioactive waste, which mostly consists of uranium-238 and poses significant health threat and environmental impact. Uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal. It has a Mohs hardness of 6, sufficient to scratch glass and approximately equal to that of titanium, rhodium, manganese and niobium. It is malleable, ductile, slightly paramagnetic, strongly electropositive and a poor electrical conductor.[9][10] Uranium metal has a very high density of 19.1 g/cm3,[11] denser than lead (11.3 g/cm3),[12] but slightly less dense than tungsten and gold (19.3 g/cm3).[13][14]
Uranium metal reacts with almost all non-metal elements (with the exception of the noble gases) and their compounds, with reactivity increasing with temperature.[15] Hydrochloric and nitric acids dissolve uranium, but non-oxidizing acids other than hydrochloric acid attack the element very slowly.[9] When finely divided, it can react with cold water; in air, uranium metal becomes coated with a dark layer of uranium oxide.[10] Uranium in ores is extracted chemically and converted into uranium dioxide or other chemical forms usable in industry.
Uranium-235 was the first isotope that was found to be fissile. Other naturally occurring isotopes are fissionable, but not fissile. On bombardment with slow neutrons, its uranium-235 isotope will most of the time divide into two smaller nuclei, releasing nuclear binding energy and more neutrons. If too many of these neutrons are absorbed by other uranium-235 nuclei, a nuclear chain reaction occurs that results in a burst of heat or (in special circumstances) an explosion. In a nuclear reactor, such a chain reaction is slowed and controlled by a neutron poison, absorbing some of the free neutrons. Such neutron absorbent materials are often part of reactor control rods (see nuclear reactor physics for a description of this process of reactor control).
As little as 15 lb (6.8 kg) of uranium-235 can be used to make an atomic bomb.[16] The nuclear weapon detonated over Hiroshima, called Little Boy, relied on uranium fission. However, the first nuclear bomb (the Gadget used at Trinity) and the bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki (Fat Man) were both plutonium bombs.
Uranium metal has three allotropic forms:[17]
α (orthorhombic) stable up to 668 °C (1,234 °F). Orthorhombic, space group No. 63, Cmcm, lattice parameters a = 285.4 pm, b = 587 pm, c = 495.5 pm.[18] β (tetragonal) stable from 668 to 775 °C (1,234 to 1,427 °F). Tetragonal, space group P42/mnm, P42nm, or P4n2, lattice parameters a = 565.6 pm, b = c = 1075.9 pm.[18] γ (body-centered cubic) from 775 °C (1,427 °F) to melting point—this is the most malleable and ductile state. Body-centered cubic, lattice parameter a = 352.4 pm.[18]
The major application of uranium in the military sector is in high-density penetrators. This ammunition consists of depleted uranium (DU) alloyed with 1–2% other elements, such as titanium or molybdenum.[19] At high impact speed, the density, hardness, and pyrophoricity of the projectile enable the destruction of heavily armored targets. Tank armor and other removable vehicle armor can also be hardened with depleted uranium plates. The use of depleted uranium became politically and environmentally contentious after the use of such munitions by the US, UK and other countries during wars in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans raised questions concerning uranium compounds left in the soil[8][20][21][22] (see Gulf War syndrome).[16]
Depleted uranium is also used as a shielding material in some containers used to store and transport radioactive materials. While the metal itself is radioactive, its high density makes it more effective than lead in halting radiation from strong sources such as radium.[9] Other uses of depleted uranium include counterweights for aircraft control surfaces, as ballast for missile re-entry vehicles and as a shielding material.[10] Due to its high density, this material is found in inertial guidance systems and in gyroscopic compasses.[10] Depleted uranium is preferred over similarly dense metals due to its ability to be easily machined and cast as well as its relatively low cost.[23] The main risk of exposure to depleted uranium is chemical poisoning by uranium oxide rather than radioactivity (uranium being only a weak alpha emitter).
During the later stages of World War II, the entire Cold War, and to a lesser extent afterwards, uranium-235 has been used as the fissile explosive material to produce nuclear weapons. Initially, two major types of fission bombs were built: a relatively simple device that uses uranium-235 and a more complicated mechanism that uses plutonium-239 derived from uranium-238. Later, a much more complicated and far more powerful type of fission/fusion bomb (thermonuclear weapon) was built, that uses a plutonium-based device to cause a mixture of tritium and deuterium to undergo nuclear fusion. Such bombs are jacketed in a non-fissile (unenriched) uranium case, and they derive more than half their power from the fission of this material by fast neutrons from the nuclear fusion process.[24]
The main use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2×1013 joules), assuming complete fission; as much energy as 1.5 million kilograms (1,500 tonnes) of coal.[7]
Commercial nuclear power plants use fuel that is typically enriched to around 3% uranium-235.[7] The CANDU and Magnox designs are the only commercial reactors capable of using unenriched uranium fuel. Fuel used for United States Navy reactors is typically highly enriched in uranium-235 (the exact values are classified). In a breeder reactor, uranium-238 can also be converted into plutonium through the following reaction:[10]
Before (and, occasionally, after) the discovery of radioactivity, uranium was primarily used in small amounts for yellow glass and pottery glazes, such as uranium glass and in Fiestaware.[25]
The discovery and isolation of radium in uranium ore (pitchblende) by Marie Curie sparked the development of uranium mining to extract the radium, which was used to make glow-in-the-dark paints for clock and aircraft dials.[26][27] This left a prodigious quantity of uranium as a waste product, since it takes three tonnes of uranium to extract one gram of radium. This waste product was diverted to the glazing industry, making uranium glazes very inexpensive and abundant. Besides the pottery glazes, uranium tile glazes accounted for the bulk of the use, including common bathroom and kitchen tiles which can be produced in green, yellow, mauve, black, blue, red and other colors.
Uranium was also used in photographic chemicals (especially uranium nitrate as a toner),[10] in lamp filaments for stage lighting bulbs,[28] to improve the appearance of dentures,[29] and in the leather and wood industries for stains and dyes. Uranium salts are mordants of silk or wool. Uranyl acetate and uranyl formate are used as electron-dense "stains" in transmission electron microscopy, to increase the contrast of biological specimens in ultrathin sections and in negative staining of viruses, isolated cell organelles and macromolecules.
The discovery of the radioactivity of uranium ushered in additional scientific and practical uses of the element. The long half-life of the isotope uranium-238 (4.47×109 years) makes it well-suited for use in estimating the age of the earliest igneous rocks and for other types of radiometric dating, including uranium–thorium dating, uranium–lead dating and uranium–uranium dating. Uranium metal is used for X-ray targets in the making of high-energy X-rays.[10]
The use of uranium in its natural oxide form dates back to at least the year 79 CE, when it was used in the Roman Empire to add a yellow color to ceramic glazes.[10] Yellow glass with 1% uranium oxide was found in a Roman villa on Cape Posillipo in the Bay of Naples, Italy, by R. T. Gunther of the University of Oxford in 1912.[30] Starting in the late Middle Ages, pitchblende was extracted from the Habsburg silver mines in Joachimsthal, Bohemia (now Jáchymov in the Czech Republic), and was used as a coloring agent in the local glassmaking industry.[31] In the early 19th century, the world's only known sources of uranium ore were these mines. Mining for uranium in the Ore Mountains ceased on the German side after the Cold War ended and SDAG Wismut was wound down. On the Czech side there were attempts during the uranium price bubble of 2007 to restart mining, but those were quickly abandoned following a fall in uranium prices.[32][33]
The discovery of the element is credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. While he was working in his experimental laboratory in Berlin in 1789, Klaproth was able to precipitate a yellow compound (likely sodium diuranate) by dissolving pitchblende in nitric acid and neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide.[31] Klaproth assumed the yellow substance was the oxide of a yet-undiscovered element and heated it with charcoal to obtain a black powder, which he thought was the newly discovered metal itself (in fact, that powder was an oxide of uranium).[31][34] He named the newly discovered element after the planet Uranus (named after the primordial Greek god of the sky), which had been discovered eight years earlier by William Herschel.[35]
In 1841, Eugène-Melchior Péligot, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Central School of Arts and Manufactures) in Paris, isolated the first sample of uranium metal by heating uranium tetrachloride with potassium.[31][36]
Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity by using uranium in 1896.[15] Becquerel made the discovery in Paris by leaving a sample of a uranium salt, K2UO2(SO4)2 (potassium uranyl sulfate), on top of an unexposed photographic plate in a drawer and noting that the plate had become "fogged".[37] He determined that a form of invisible light or rays emitted by uranium had exposed the plate.
During World War I when the Central Powers suffered a shortage of molybdenum to make artillery gun barrels and high speed tool steels they routinely substituted ferrouranium alloys which present many of the same physical characteristics. When this practice became known in 1916 the USA government requested several prominent universities to research these uses for uranium and tools made with these formulas remained in use for several decades only ending when the Manhattan Project and the Cold War placed a large demand on uranium for fission research and weapon development.[38][39][40]
A team led by Enrico Fermi in 1934 observed that bombarding uranium with neutrons produces the emission of beta rays (electrons or positrons from the elements produced; see beta particle).[41] The fission products were at first mistaken for new elements with atomic numbers 93 and 94, which the Dean of the Faculty of Rome, Orso Mario Corbino, christened ausonium and hesperium, respectively.[42][43][44][45] The experiments leading to the discovery of uranium's ability to fission (break apart) into lighter elements and release binding energy were conducted by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann[41] in Hahn's laboratory in Berlin. Lise Meitner and her nephew, the physicist Otto Robert Frisch, published the physical explanation in February 1939 and named the process "nuclear fission".[46] Soon after, Fermi hypothesized that the fission of uranium might release enough neutrons to sustain a fission reaction. Confirmation of this hypothesis came in 1939, and later work found that on average about 2.5 neutrons are released by each fission of the rare uranium isotope uranium-235.[41] Fermi urged Alfred O. C. Nier to separate uranium isotopes for determination of the fissile component, and on 29 February 1940, Nier used an instrument he built at the University of Minnesota to separate the world's first uranium-235 sample in the Tate Laboratory. After mailed to Columbia University's cyclotron, John Dunning confirmed the sample to be the isolated fissile material on 1 March.[47] Further work found that the far more common uranium-238 isotope can be transmuted into plutonium, which, like uranium-235, is also fissile by thermal neutrons. These discoveries led numerous countries to begin working on the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Despite fission having been discovered in Germany, the Uranverein ("uranium club") Germany's wartime project to research nuclear power and/or weapons was hampered by limited resources, infighting, the exile or non-involvement of several prominent scientists in the field and several crucial mistakes such as failing to account for impurities in available graphite samples which made it appear less suitable as a neutron moderator than it is in reality. Germany's attempts to build a natural uranium / heavy water reactor had not come close to reaching criticality by the time the Americans reached Haigerloch, the site of the last German wartime reactor experiment.[48]
On 2 December 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, another team led by Enrico Fermi was able to initiate the first artificial self-sustained nuclear chain reaction, Chicago Pile-1. An initial plan using enriched uranium-235 was abandoned as it was as yet unavailable in sufficient quantities.[49] Working in a lab below the stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, the team created the conditions needed for such a reaction by piling together 360 tonnes of graphite, 53 tonnes of uranium oxide, and 5.5 tonnes of uranium metal, a majority of which was supplied by Westinghouse Lamp Plant in a makeshift production process.[41][50]
Two major types of atomic bombs were developed by the United States during World War II: a uranium-based device (codenamed "Little Boy") whose fissile material was highly enriched uranium, and a plutonium-based device (see Trinity test and "Fat Man") whose plutonium was derived from uranium-238. The uranium-based Little Boy device became the first nuclear weapon used in war when it was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Exploding with a yield equivalent to 12,500 tonnes of trinitrotoluene, the blast and thermal wave of the bomb destroyed nearly 50,000 buildings and killed approximately 75,000 people (see Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki).[37] Initially it was believed that uranium was relatively rare, and that nuclear proliferation could be avoided by simply buying up all known uranium stocks, but within a decade large deposits of it were discovered in many places around the world.[51][52]
The X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, formerly known as the Clinton Pile and X-10 Pile, was the world's second artificial nuclear reactor (after Enrico Fermi's Chicago Pile) and was the first reactor designed and built for continuous operation. Argonne National Laboratory's Experimental Breeder Reactor I, located at the Atomic Energy Commission's National Reactor Testing Station near Arco, Idaho, became the first nuclear reactor to create electricity on 20 December 1951.[53] Initially, four 150-watt light bulbs were lit by the reactor, but improvements eventually enabled it to power the whole facility (later, the town of Arco became the first in the world to have all its electricity come from nuclear power generated by BORAX-III, another reactor designed and operated by Argonne National Laboratory).[54][55] The world's first commercial scale nuclear power station, Obninsk in the Soviet Union, began generation with its reactor AM-1 on 27 June 1954. Other early nuclear power plants were Calder Hall in England, which began generation on 17 October 1956,[56] and the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, which began on 26 May 1958. Nuclear power was used for the first time for propulsion by a submarine, the USS Nautilus, in 1954.[41][57]
Prehistoric naturally occurring fission Main article: Natural nuclear fission reactor In 1972, the French physicist Francis Perrin discovered fifteen ancient and no longer active natural nuclear fission reactors in three separate ore deposits at the Oklo mine in Gabon, West Africa, collectively known as the Oklo Fossil Reactors. The ore deposit is 1.7 billion years old; then, uranium-235 constituted about 3% of the total uranium on Earth.[58] This is high enough to permit a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction to occur, provided other supporting conditions exist. The capacity of the surrounding sediment to contain the health-threatening nuclear waste products has been cited by the U.S. federal government as supporting evidence for the feasibility to store spent nuclear fuel at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.[58]
Above-ground nuclear tests by the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s and by France into the 1970s and 1980s[23] spread a significant amount of fallout from uranium daughter isotopes around the world.[59] Additional fallout and pollution occurred from several nuclear accidents.[60]
Uranium miners have a higher incidence of cancer. An excess risk of lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners, for example, has been documented and linked to their occupation.[61] The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a 1990 law in the US, required $100,000 in "compassion payments" to uranium miners diagnosed with cancer or other respiratory ailments.[62]
During the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, huge stockpiles of uranium were amassed and tens of thousands of nuclear weapons were created using enriched uranium and plutonium made from uranium. After the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, an estimated 600 short tons (540 metric tons) of highly enriched weapons grade uranium (enough to make 40,000 nuclear warheads) had been stored in often inadequately guarded facilities in the Russian Federation and several other former Soviet states.[16] Police in Asia, Europe, and South America on at least 16 occasions from 1993 to 2005 have intercepted shipments of smuggled bomb-grade uranium or plutonium, most of which was from ex-Soviet sources.[16] From 1993 to 2005 the Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program, operated by the federal government of the United States, spent approximately US $550 million to help safeguard uranium and plutonium stockpiles in Russia. This money was used for improvements and security enhancements at research and storage facilities.[16]
Safety of nuclear facilities in Russia has been significantly improved since the stabilization of political and economical turmoil of the early 1990s. For example, in 1993 there were 29 incidents ranking above level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, and this number dropped under four per year in 1995–2003. The number of employers receiving annual radiation doses above 20 mSv, which is equivalent to a single full-body CT scan,[63] saw a strong decline around 2000. In November 2015, the Russian government approved a federal program for nuclear and radiation safety for 2016 to 2030 with a budget of 562 billion rubles (ca. 8 billion dollars). Its key issue is "the deferred liabilities accumulated during the 70 years of the nuclear industry, particularly during the time of the Soviet Union". Approximately 73% of the budget will be spent on decommissioning aged and obsolete nuclear reactors and nuclear facilities, especially those involved in state defense programs; 20% will go in processing and disposal of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, and 5% into monitoring and ensuring of nuclear and radiation safety.[64]
Along with all elements having atomic weights higher than that of iron, uranium is only naturally formed by the r-process (rapid neutron capture) in supernovae and neutron star mergers.[65] Primordial thorium and uranium are only produced in the r-process, because the s-process (slow neutron capture) is too slow and cannot pass the gap of instability after bismuth.[66][67] Besides the two extant primordial uranium isotopes, 235U and 238U, the r-process also produced significant quantities of 236U, which has a shorter half-life and so is an extinct radionuclide, having long since decayed completely to 232Th. Uranium-236 was itself enriched by the decay of 244Pu, accounting for the observed higher-than-expected abundance of thorium and lower-than-expected abundance of uranium.[68] While the natural abundance of uranium has been supplemented by the decay of extinct 242Pu (half-life 0.375 million years) and 247Cm (half-life 16 million years), producing 238U and 235U respectively, this occurred to an almost negligible extent due to the shorter half-lives of these parents and their lower production than 236U and 244Pu, the parents of thorium: the 247Cm:235U ratio at the formation of the Solar System was (7.0±1.6)×10−5.[69]
Uranium is a naturally occurring element that can be found in low levels within all rock, soil, and water. Uranium is the 51st element in order of abundance in the Earth's crust. Uranium is also the highest-numbered element to be found naturally in significant quantities on Earth and is almost always found combined with other elements.[10] The decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium-40 in the Earth's mantle is thought to be the main source of heat[70][71] that keeps the Earth's outer core in the liquid state and drives mantle convection, which in turn drives plate tectonics.
Uranium's average concentration in the Earth's crust is (depending on the reference) 2 to 4 parts per million,[9][23] or about 40 times as abundant as silver.[15] The Earth's crust from the surface to 25 km (15 mi) down is calculated to contain 1017 kg (2×1017 lb) of uranium while the oceans may contain 1013 kg (2×1013 lb).[9] The concentration of uranium in soil ranges from 0.7 to 11 parts per million (up to 15 parts per million in farmland soil due to use of phosphate fertilizers),[72] and its concentration in sea water is 3 parts per billion.[23]
Uranium is more plentiful than antimony, tin, cadmium, mercury, or silver, and it is about as abundant as arsenic or molybdenum.[10][23] Uranium is found in hundreds of minerals, including uraninite (the most common uranium ore), carnotite, autunite, uranophane, torbernite, and coffinite.[10] Significant concentrations of uranium occur in some substances such as phosphate rock deposits, and minerals such as lignite, and monazite sands in uranium-rich ores[10] (it is recovered commercially from sources with as little as 0.1% uranium[15]).
Some bacteria, such as Shewanella putrefaciens, Geobacter metallireducens and some strains of Burkholderia fungorum, use uranium for their growth and convert U(VI) to U(IV).[73][74] Recent research suggests that this pathway includes reduction of the soluble U(VI) via an intermediate U(V) pentavalent state.[75][76] Other organisms, such as the lichen Trapelia involuta or microorganisms such as the bacterium Citrobacter, can absorb concentrations of uranium that are up to 300 times the level of their environment.[77] Citrobacter species absorb uranyl ions when given glycerol phosphate (or other similar organic phosphates). After one day, one gram of bacteria can encrust themselves with nine grams of uranyl phosphate crystals; this creates the possibility that these organisms could be used in bioremediation to decontaminate uranium-polluted water.[31][78] The proteobacterium Geobacter has also been shown to bioremediate uranium in ground water.[79] The mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices increases uranium content in the roots of its symbiotic plant.[80]
In nature, uranium(VI) forms highly soluble carbonate complexes at alkaline pH. This leads to an increase in mobility and availability of uranium to groundwater and soil from nuclear wastes which leads to health hazards. However, it is difficult to precipitate uranium as phosphate in the presence of excess carbonate at alkaline pH. A Sphingomonas sp. strain BSAR-1 has been found to express a high activity alkaline phosphatase (PhoK) that has been applied for bioprecipitation of uranium as uranyl phosphate species from alkaline solutions. The precipitation ability was enhanced by overexpressing PhoK protein in E. coli.[81]
Plants absorb some uranium from soil. Dry weight concentrations of uranium in plants range from 5 to 60 parts per billion, and ash from burnt wood can have concentrations up to 4 parts per million.[31] Dry weight concentrations of uranium in food plants are typically lower with one to two micrograms per day ingested through the food people eat.[31]
Production and mining Main article: Uranium mining Worldwide production of uranium in 2021 amounted to 48,332 tonnes, of which 21,819 t (45%) was mined in Kazakhstan. Other important uranium mining countries are Namibia (5,753 t), Canada (4,693 t), Australia (4,192 t), Uzbekistan (3,500 t), and Russia (2,635 t).[82]
Uranium ore is mined in several ways: by open pit, underground, in-situ leaching, and borehole mining (see uranium mining).[7] Low-grade uranium ore mined typically contains 0.01 to 0.25% uranium oxides. Extensive measures must be employed to extract the metal from its ore.[83] High-grade ores found in Athabasca Basin deposits in Saskatchewan, Canada can contain up to 23% uranium oxides on average.[84] Uranium ore is crushed and rendered into a fine powder and then leached with either an acid or alkali. The leachate is subjected to one of several sequences of precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion exchange. The resulting mixture, called yellowcake, contains at least 75% uranium oxides U3O8. Yellowcake is then calcined to remove impurities from the milling process before refining and conversion.[85]
Commercial-grade uranium can be produced through the reduction of uranium halides with alkali or alkaline earth metals.[10] Uranium metal can also be prepared through electrolysis of KUF 5 or UF 4, dissolved in molten calcium chloride (CaCl 2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution.[10] Very pure uranium is produced through the thermal decomposition of uranium halides on a hot filament.[10]
It is estimated that 6.1 million tonnes of uranium exists in ore reserves that are economically viable at US$130 per kg of uranium,[87] while 35 million tonnes are classed as mineral resources (reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction).[88]
Australia has 28% of the world's known uranium ore reserves[87] and the world's largest single uranium deposit is located at the Olympic Dam Mine in South Australia.[89] There is a significant reserve of uranium in Bakouma, a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Mbomou in the Central African Republic.[90]
Some uranium also originates from dismantled nuclear weapons.[91] For example, in 1993–2013 Russia supplied the United States with 15,000 tonnes of low-enriched uranium within the Megatons to Megawatts Program.[92]
An additional 4.6 billion tonnes of uranium are estimated to be dissolved in sea water (Japanese scientists in the 1980s showed that extraction of uranium from sea water using ion exchangers was technically feasible).[93][94] There have been experiments to extract uranium from sea water,[95] but the yield has been low due to the carbonate present in the water. In 2012, ORNL researchers announced the successful development of a new absorbent material dubbed HiCap which performs surface retention of solid or gas molecules, atoms or ions and also effectively removes toxic metals from water, according to results verified by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.[96][97]
In 2005, ten countries accounted for the majority of the world's concentrated uranium oxides: Canada (27.9%), Australia (22.8%), Kazakhstan (10.5%), Russia (8.0%), Namibia (7.5%), Niger (7.4%), Uzbekistan (5.5%), the United States (2.5%), Argentina (2.1%) and Ukraine (1.9%).[99] In 2008 Kazakhstan was forecast to increase production and become the world's largest supplier of uranium by 2009.[100][101] The prediction came true, and Kazakhstan does dominate the world's uranium market since 2010. In 2021, its share was 45.1%, followed by Namibia (11.9%), Canada (9.7%), Australia (8.7%), Uzbekistan (7.2%), Niger (4.7%), Russia (5.5%), China (3.9%), India (1.3%), Ukraine (0.9%), and South Africa (0.8%), with a world total production of 48,332 tonnes.[82] Most of uranium was produced not by conventional underground mining of ores (29% of production), but by in situ leaching (66%).[82][102]
In the late 1960s, UN geologists also discovered major uranium deposits and other rare mineral reserves in Somalia. The find was the largest of its kind, with industry experts estimating the deposits at over 25% of the world's then known uranium reserves of 800,000 tons.[103]
The ultimate available supply is believed to be sufficient for at least the next 85 years,[88] although some studies indicate underinvestment in the late twentieth century may produce supply problems in the 21st century.[104] Uranium deposits seem to be log-normal distributed. There is a 300-fold increase in the amount of uranium recoverable for each tenfold decrease in ore grade.[105] In other words, there is little high grade ore and proportionately much more low grade ore available.
Calcined uranium yellowcake, as produced in many large mills, contains a distribution of uranium oxidation species in various forms ranging from most oxidized to least oxidized. Particles with short residence times in a calciner will generally be less oxidized than those with long retention times or particles recovered in the stack scrubber. Uranium content is usually referenced to U 3O 8, which dates to the days of the Manhattan Project when U 3O 8 was used as an analytical chemistry reporting standard.[106]
Phase relationships in the uranium-oxygen system are complex. The most important oxidation states of uranium are uranium(IV) and uranium(VI), and their two corresponding oxides are, respectively, uranium dioxide (UO 2) and uranium trioxide (UO 3).[107] Other uranium oxides such as uranium monoxide (UO), diuranium pentoxide (U 2O 5), and uranium peroxide (UO 4·2H 2O) also exist.
The most common forms of uranium oxide are triuranium octoxide (U 3O 8) and UO 2.[108] Both oxide forms are solids that have low solubility in water and are relatively stable over a wide range of environmental conditions. Triuranium octoxide is (depending on conditions) the most stable compound of uranium and is the form most commonly found in nature. Uranium dioxide is the form in which uranium is most commonly used as a nuclear reactor fuel.[108] At ambient temperatures, UO 2 will gradually convert to U 3O 8. Because of their stability, uranium oxides are generally considered the preferred chemical form for storage or disposal.[108]
Salts of many oxidation states of uranium are water-soluble and may be studied in aqueous solutions. The most common ionic forms are U3+ (brown-red), U4+ (green), UO+ 2 (unstable), and UO2+ 2 (yellow), for U(III), U(IV), U(V), and U(VI), respectively.[109] A few solid and semi-metallic compounds such as UO and US exist for the formal oxidation state uranium(II), but no simple ions are known to exist in solution for that state. Ions of U3+ liberate hydrogen from water and are therefore considered to be highly unstable. The UO2+ 2 ion represents the uranium(VI) state and is known to form compounds such as uranyl carbonate, uranyl chloride and uranyl sulfate. UO2+ 2 also forms complexes with various organic chelating agents, the most commonly encountered of which is uranyl acetate.[109]
Unlike the uranyl salts of uranium and polyatomic ion uranium-oxide cationic forms, the uranates, salts containing a polyatomic uranium-oxide anion, are generally not water-soluble.
Carbonates The interactions of carbonate anions with uranium(VI) cause the Pourbaix diagram to change greatly when the medium is changed from water to a carbonate containing solution. While the vast majority of carbonates are insoluble in water (students are often taught that all carbonates other than those of alkali metals are insoluble in water), uranium carbonates are often soluble in water. This is because a U(VI) cation is able to bind two terminal oxides and three or more carbonates to form anionic complexes.
Effects of pH The uranium fraction diagrams in the presence of carbonate illustrate this further: when the pH of a uranium(VI) solution increases, the uranium is converted to a hydrated uranium oxide hydroxide and at high pHs it becomes an anionic hydroxide complex.
When carbonate is added, uranium is converted to a series of carbonate complexes if the pH is increased. One effect of these reactions is increased solubility of uranium in the pH range 6 to 8, a fact that has a direct bearing on the long term stability of spent uranium dioxide nuclear fuels.
Hydrides, carbides and nitrides Uranium metal heated to 250 to 300 °C (482 to 572 °F) reacts with hydrogen to form uranium hydride. Even higher temperatures will reversibly remove the hydrogen. This property makes uranium hydrides convenient starting materials to create reactive uranium powder along with various uranium carbide, nitride, and halide compounds.[111] Two crystal modifications of uranium hydride exist: an α form that is obtained at low temperatures and a β form that is created when the formation temperature is above 250 °C.[111]
Uranium carbides and uranium nitrides are both relatively inert semimetallic compounds that are minimally soluble in acids, react with water, and can ignite in air to form U 3O 8.[111] Carbides of uranium include uranium monocarbide (UC), uranium dicarbide (UC 2), and diuranium tricarbide (U 2C 3). Both UC and UC 2 are formed by adding carbon to molten uranium or by exposing the metal to carbon monoxide at high temperatures. Stable below 1800 °C, U 2C 3 is prepared by subjecting a heated mixture of UC and UC 2 to mechanical stress.[112] Uranium nitrides obtained by direct exposure of the metal to nitrogen include uranium mononitride (UN), uranium dinitride (UN 2), and diuranium trinitride (U 2N 3).[112]
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The 1789 discovery of uranium in the mineral pitchblende is credited to Martin Heinrich Klaproth, who named the new element after the recently discovered planet Uranus. Eugène-Melchior Péligot was the first person to isolate the metal and its radioactive properties were discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel. Research by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, Enrico Fermi and others, such as J. Robert Oppenheimer starting in 1934 led to its use as a fuel in the nuclear power industry and in Little Boy, the first nuclear weapon used in war. An ensuing arms race during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union produced tens of thousands of nuclear weapons that used uranium metal and uranium-derived plutonium-239. Dismantling of these weapons and related nuclear facilities is carried out within various nuclear disarmament programs and costs billions of dollars. Weapon-grade uranium obtained from nuclear weapons is diluted with uranium-238 and reused as fuel for nuclear reactors. The development and deployment of these nuclear reactors continue on a global base as they are powerful sources of CO2-free energy. Spent nuclear fuel forms radioactive waste, which mostly consists of uranium-238 and poses significant health threat and environmental impact. Uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal. It has a Mohs hardness of 6, sufficient to scratch glass and approximately equal to that of titanium, rhodium, manganese and niobium. It is malleable, ductile, slightly paramagnetic, strongly electropositive and a poor electrical conductor.[9][10] Uranium metal has a very high density of 19.1 g/cm3,[11] denser than lead (11.3 g/cm3),[12] but slightly less dense than tungsten and gold (19.3 g/cm3).[13][14]
Uranium metal reacts with almost all non-metal elements (with the exception of the noble gases) and their compounds, with reactivity increasing with temperature.[15] Hydrochloric and nitric acids dissolve uranium, but non-oxidizing acids other than hydrochloric acid attack the element very slowly.[9] When finely divided, it can react with cold water; in air, uranium metal becomes coated with a dark layer of uranium oxide.[10] Uranium in ores is extracted chemically and converted into uranium dioxide or other chemical forms usable in industry.
Uranium-235 was the first isotope that was found to be fissile. Other naturally occurring isotopes are fissionable, but not fissile. On bombardment with slow neutrons, its uranium-235 isotope will most of the time divide into two smaller nuclei, releasing nuclear binding energy and more neutrons. If too many of these neutrons are absorbed by other uranium-235 nuclei, a nuclear chain reaction occurs that results in a burst of heat or (in special circumstances) an explosion. In a nuclear reactor, such a chain reaction is slowed and controlled by a neutron poison, absorbing some of the free neutrons. Such neutron absorbent materials are often part of reactor control rods (see nuclear reactor physics for a description of this process of reactor control).
As little as 15 lb (6.8 kg) of uranium-235 can be used to make an atomic bomb.[16] The nuclear weapon detonated over Hiroshima, called Little Boy, relied on uranium fission. However, the first nuclear bomb (the Gadget used at Trinity) and the bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki (Fat Man) were both plutonium bombs.
Uranium metal has three allotropic forms:[17]
α (orthorhombic) stable up to 668 °C (1,234 °F). Orthorhombic, space group No. 63, Cmcm, lattice parameters a = 285.4 pm, b = 587 pm, c = 495.5 pm.[18] β (tetragonal) stable from 668 to 775 °C (1,234 to 1,427 °F). Tetragonal, space group P42/mnm, P42nm, or P4n2, lattice parameters a = 565.6 pm, b = c = 1075.9 pm.[18] γ (body-centered cubic) from 775 °C (1,427 °F) to melting point—this is the most malleable and ductile state. Body-centered cubic, lattice parameter a = 352.4 pm.[18]
The major application of uranium in the military sector is in high-density penetrators. This ammunition consists of depleted uranium (DU) alloyed with 1–2% other elements, such as titanium or molybdenum.[19] At high impact speed, the density, hardness, and pyrophoricity of the projectile enable the destruction of heavily armored targets. Tank armor and other removable vehicle armor can also be hardened with depleted uranium plates. The use of depleted uranium became politically and environmentally contentious after the use of such munitions by the US, UK and other countries during wars in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans raised questions concerning uranium compounds left in the soil[8][20][21][22] (see Gulf War syndrome).[16]
Depleted uranium is also used as a shielding material in some containers used to store and transport radioactive materials. While the metal itself is radioactive, its high density makes it more effective than lead in halting radiation from strong sources such as radium.[9] Other uses of depleted uranium include counterweights for aircraft control surfaces, as ballast for missile re-entry vehicles and as a shielding material.[10] Due to its high density, this material is found in inertial guidance systems and in gyroscopic compasses.[10] Depleted uranium is preferred over similarly dense metals due to its ability to be easily machined and cast as well as its relatively low cost.[23] The main risk of exposure to depleted uranium is chemical poisoning by uranium oxide rather than radioactivity (uranium being only a weak alpha emitter).
During the later stages of World War II, the entire Cold War, and to a lesser extent afterwards, uranium-235 has been used as the fissile explosive material to produce nuclear weapons. Initially, two major types of fission bombs were built: a relatively simple device that uses uranium-235 and a more complicated mechanism that uses plutonium-239 derived from uranium-238. Later, a much more complicated and far more powerful type of fission/fusion bomb (thermonuclear weapon) was built, that uses a plutonium-based device to cause a mixture of tritium and deuterium to undergo nuclear fusion. Such bombs are jacketed in a non-fissile (unenriched) uranium case, and they derive more than half their power from the fission of this material by fast neutrons from the nuclear fusion process.[24]
The main use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2×1013 joules), assuming complete fission; as much energy as 1.5 million kilograms (1,500 tonnes) of coal.[7]
Commercial nuclear power plants use fuel that is typically enriched to around 3% uranium-235.[7] The CANDU and Magnox designs are the only commercial reactors capable of using unenriched uranium fuel. Fuel used for United States Navy reactors is typically highly enriched in uranium-235 (the exact values are classified). In a breeder reactor, uranium-238 can also be converted into plutonium through the following reaction:[10]
Before (and, occasionally, after) the discovery of radioactivity, uranium was primarily used in small amounts for yellow glass and pottery glazes, such as uranium glass and in Fiestaware.[25]
The discovery and isolation of radium in uranium ore (pitchblende) by Marie Curie sparked the development of uranium mining to extract the radium, which was used to make glow-in-the-dark paints for clock and aircraft dials.[26][27] This left a prodigious quantity of uranium as a waste product, since it takes three tonnes of uranium to extract one gram of radium. This waste product was diverted to the glazing industry, making uranium glazes very inexpensive and abundant. Besides the pottery glazes, uranium tile glazes accounted for the bulk of the use, including common bathroom and kitchen tiles which can be produced in green, yellow, mauve, black, blue, red and other colors.
Uranium was also used in photographic chemicals (especially uranium nitrate as a toner),[10] in lamp filaments for stage lighting bulbs,[28] to improve the appearance of dentures,[29] and in the leather and wood industries for stains and dyes. Uranium salts are mordants of silk or wool. Uranyl acetate and uranyl formate are used as electron-dense "stains" in transmission electron microscopy, to increase the contrast of biological specimens in ultrathin sections and in negative staining of viruses, isolated cell organelles and macromolecules.
The discovery of the radioactivity of uranium ushered in additional scientific and practical uses of the element. The long half-life of the isotope uranium-238 (4.47×109 years) makes it well-suited for use in estimating the age of the earliest igneous rocks and for other types of radiometric dating, including uranium–thorium dating, uranium–lead dating and uranium–uranium dating. Uranium metal is used for X-ray targets in the making of high-energy X-rays.[10]
The use of uranium in its natural oxide form dates back to at least the year 79 CE, when it was used in the Roman Empire to add a yellow color to ceramic glazes.[10] Yellow glass with 1% uranium oxide was found in a Roman villa on Cape Posillipo in the Bay of Naples, Italy, by R. T. Gunther of the University of Oxford in 1912.[30] Starting in the late Middle Ages, pitchblende was extracted from the Habsburg silver mines in Joachimsthal, Bohemia (now Jáchymov in the Czech Republic), and was used as a coloring agent in the local glassmaking industry.[31] In the early 19th century, the world's only known sources of uranium ore were these mines. Mining for uranium in the Ore Mountains ceased on the German side after the Cold War ended and SDAG Wismut was wound down. On the Czech side there were attempts during the uranium price bubble of 2007 to restart mining, but those were quickly abandoned following a fall in uranium prices.[32][33]
The discovery of the element is credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. While he was working in his experimental laboratory in Berlin in 1789, Klaproth was able to precipitate a yellow compound (likely sodium diuranate) by dissolving pitchblende in nitric acid and neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide.[31] Klaproth assumed the yellow substance was the oxide of a yet-undiscovered element and heated it with charcoal to obtain a black powder, which he thought was the newly discovered metal itself (in fact, that powder was an oxide of uranium).[31][34] He named the newly discovered element after the planet Uranus (named after the primordial Greek god of the sky), which had been discovered eight years earlier by William Herschel.[35]
In 1841, Eugène-Melchior Péligot, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Central School of Arts and Manufactures) in Paris, isolated the first sample of uranium metal by heating uranium tetrachloride with potassium.[31][36]
Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity by using uranium in 1896.[15] Becquerel made the discovery in Paris by leaving a sample of a uranium salt, K2UO2(SO4)2 (potassium uranyl sulfate), on top of an unexposed photographic plate in a drawer and noting that the plate had become "fogged".[37] He determined that a form of invisible light or rays emitted by uranium had exposed the plate.
During World War I when the Central Powers suffered a shortage of molybdenum to make artillery gun barrels and high speed tool steels they routinely substituted ferrouranium alloys which present many of the same physical characteristics. When this practice became known in 1916 the USA government requested several prominent universities to research these uses for uranium and tools made with these formulas remained in use for several decades only ending when the Manhattan Project and the Cold War placed a large demand on uranium for fission research and weapon development.[38][39][40]
A team led by Enrico Fermi in 1934 observed that bombarding uranium with neutrons produces the emission of beta rays (electrons or positrons from the elements produced; see beta particle).[41] The fission products were at first mistaken for new elements with atomic numbers 93 and 94, which the Dean of the Faculty of Rome, Orso Mario Corbino, christened ausonium and hesperium, respectively.[42][43][44][45] The experiments leading to the discovery of uranium's ability to fission (break apart) into lighter elements and release binding energy were conducted by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann[41] in Hahn's laboratory in Berlin. Lise Meitner and her nephew, the physicist Otto Robert Frisch, published the physical explanation in February 1939 and named the process "nuclear fission".[46] Soon after, Fermi hypothesized that the fission of uranium might release enough neutrons to sustain a fission reaction. Confirmation of this hypothesis came in 1939, and later work found that on average about 2.5 neutrons are released by each fission of the rare uranium isotope uranium-235.[41] Fermi urged Alfred O. C. Nier to separate uranium isotopes for determination of the fissile component, and on 29 February 1940, Nier used an instrument he built at the University of Minnesota to separate the world's first uranium-235 sample in the Tate Laboratory. After mailed to Columbia University's cyclotron, John Dunning confirmed the sample to be the isolated fissile material on 1 March.[47] Further work found that the far more common uranium-238 isotope can be transmuted into plutonium, which, like uranium-235, is also fissile by thermal neutrons. These discoveries led numerous countries to begin working on the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Despite fission having been discovered in Germany, the Uranverein ("uranium club") Germany's wartime project to research nuclear power and/or weapons was hampered by limited resources, infighting, the exile or non-involvement of several prominent scientists in the field and several crucial mistakes such as failing to account for impurities in available graphite samples which made it appear less suitable as a neutron moderator than it is in reality. Germany's attempts to build a natural uranium / heavy water reactor had not come close to reaching criticality by the time the Americans reached Haigerloch, the site of the last German wartime reactor experiment.[48]
On 2 December 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, another team led by Enrico Fermi was able to initiate the first artificial self-sustained nuclear chain reaction, Chicago Pile-1. An initial plan using enriched uranium-235 was abandoned as it was as yet unavailable in sufficient quantities.[49] Working in a lab below the stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, the team created the conditions needed for such a reaction by piling together 360 tonnes of graphite, 53 tonnes of uranium oxide, and 5.5 tonnes of uranium metal, a majority of which was supplied by Westinghouse Lamp Plant in a makeshift production process.[41][50]
Two major types of atomic bombs were developed by the United States during World War II: a uranium-based device (codenamed "Little Boy") whose fissile material was highly enriched uranium, and a plutonium-based device (see Trinity test and "Fat Man") whose plutonium was derived from uranium-238. The uranium-based Little Boy device became the first nuclear weapon used in war when it was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Exploding with a yield equivalent to 12,500 tonnes of trinitrotoluene, the blast and thermal wave of the bomb destroyed nearly 50,000 buildings and killed approximately 75,000 people (see Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki).[37] Initially it was believed that uranium was relatively rare, and that nuclear proliferation could be avoided by simply buying up all known uranium stocks, but within a decade large deposits of it were discovered in many places around the world.[51][52]
The X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, formerly known as the Clinton Pile and X-10 Pile, was the world's second artificial nuclear reactor (after Enrico Fermi's Chicago Pile) and was the first reactor designed and built for continuous operation. Argonne National Laboratory's Experimental Breeder Reactor I, located at the Atomic Energy Commission's National Reactor Testing Station near Arco, Idaho, became the first nuclear reactor to create electricity on 20 December 1951.[53] Initially, four 150-watt light bulbs were lit by the reactor, but improvements eventually enabled it to power the whole facility (later, the town of Arco became the first in the world to have all its electricity come from nuclear power generated by BORAX-III, another reactor designed and operated by Argonne National Laboratory).[54][55] The world's first commercial scale nuclear power station, Obninsk in the Soviet Union, began generation with its reactor AM-1 on 27 June 1954. Other early nuclear power plants were Calder Hall in England, which began generation on 17 October 1956,[56] and the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, which began on 26 May 1958. Nuclear power was used for the first time for propulsion by a submarine, the USS Nautilus, in 1954.[41][57]
Prehistoric naturally occurring fission Main article: Natural nuclear fission reactor In 1972, the French physicist Francis Perrin discovered fifteen ancient and no longer active natural nuclear fission reactors in three separate ore deposits at the Oklo mine in Gabon, West Africa, collectively known as the Oklo Fossil Reactors. The ore deposit is 1.7 billion years old; then, uranium-235 constituted about 3% of the total uranium on Earth.[58] This is high enough to permit a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction to occur, provided other supporting conditions exist. The capacity of the surrounding sediment to contain the health-threatening nuclear waste products has been cited by the U.S. federal government as supporting evidence for the feasibility to store spent nuclear fuel at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.[58]
Above-ground nuclear tests by the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s and by France into the 1970s and 1980s[23] spread a significant amount of fallout from uranium daughter isotopes around the world.[59] Additional fallout and pollution occurred from several nuclear accidents.[60]
Uranium miners have a higher incidence of cancer. An excess risk of lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners, for example, has been documented and linked to their occupation.[61] The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a 1990 law in the US, required $100,000 in "compassion payments" to uranium miners diagnosed with cancer or other respiratory ailments.[62]
During the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, huge stockpiles of uranium were amassed and tens of thousands of nuclear weapons were created using enriched uranium and plutonium made from uranium. After the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, an estimated 600 short tons (540 metric tons) of highly enriched weapons grade uranium (enough to make 40,000 nuclear warheads) had been stored in often inadequately guarded facilities in the Russian Federation and several other former Soviet states.[16] Police in Asia, Europe, and South America on at least 16 occasions from 1993 to 2005 have intercepted shipments of smuggled bomb-grade uranium or plutonium, most of which was from ex-Soviet sources.[16] From 1993 to 2005 the Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program, operated by the federal government of the United States, spent approximately US $550 million to help safeguard uranium and plutonium stockpiles in Russia. This money was used for improvements and security enhancements at research and storage facilities.[16]
Safety of nuclear facilities in Russia has been significantly improved since the stabilization of political and economical turmoil of the early 1990s. For example, in 1993 there were 29 incidents ranking above level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, and this number dropped under four per year in 1995–2003. The number of employers receiving annual radiation doses above 20 mSv, which is equivalent to a single full-body CT scan,[63] saw a strong decline around 2000. In November 2015, the Russian government approved a federal program for nuclear and radiation safety for 2016 to 2030 with a budget of 562 billion rubles (ca. 8 billion dollars). Its key issue is "the deferred liabilities accumulated during the 70 years of the nuclear industry, particularly during the time of the Soviet Union". Approximately 73% of the budget will be spent on decommissioning aged and obsolete nuclear reactors and nuclear facilities, especially those involved in state defense programs; 20% will go in processing and disposal of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, and 5% into monitoring and ensuring of nuclear and radiation safety.[64]
Along with all elements having atomic weights higher than that of iron, uranium is only naturally formed by the r-process (rapid neutron capture) in supernovae and neutron star mergers.[65] Primordial thorium and uranium are only produced in the r-process, because the s-process (slow neutron capture) is too slow and cannot pass the gap of instability after bismuth.[66][67] Besides the two extant primordial uranium isotopes, 235U and 238U, the r-process also produced significant quantities of 236U, which has a shorter half-life and so is an extinct radionuclide, having long since decayed completely to 232Th. Uranium-236 was itself enriched by the decay of 244Pu, accounting for the observed higher-than-expected abundance of thorium and lower-than-expected abundance of uranium.[68] While the natural abundance of uranium has been supplemented by the decay of extinct 242Pu (half-life 0.375 million years) and 247Cm (half-life 16 million years), producing 238U and 235U respectively, this occurred to an almost negligible extent due to the shorter half-lives of these parents and their lower production than 236U and 244Pu, the parents of thorium: the 247Cm:235U ratio at the formation of the Solar System was (7.0±1.6)×10−5.[69]
Uranium is a naturally occurring element that can be found in low levels within all rock, soil, and water. Uranium is the 51st element in order of abundance in the Earth's crust. Uranium is also the highest-numbered element to be found naturally in significant quantities on Earth and is almost always found combined with other elements.[10] The decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium-40 in the Earth's mantle is thought to be the main source of heat[70][71] that keeps the Earth's outer core in the liquid state and drives mantle convection, which in turn drives plate tectonics.
Uranium's average concentration in the Earth's crust is (depending on the reference) 2 to 4 parts per million,[9][23] or about 40 times as abundant as silver.[15] The Earth's crust from the surface to 25 km (15 mi) down is calculated to contain 1017 kg (2×1017 lb) of uranium while the oceans may contain 1013 kg (2×1013 lb).[9] The concentration of uranium in soil ranges from 0.7 to 11 parts per million (up to 15 parts per million in farmland soil due to use of phosphate fertilizers),[72] and its concentration in sea water is 3 parts per billion.[23]
Uranium is more plentiful than antimony, tin, cadmium, mercury, or silver, and it is about as abundant as arsenic or molybdenum.[10][23] Uranium is found in hundreds of minerals, including uraninite (the most common uranium ore), carnotite, autunite, uranophane, torbernite, and coffinite.[10] Significant concentrations of uranium occur in some substances such as phosphate rock deposits, and minerals such as lignite, and monazite sands in uranium-rich ores[10] (it is recovered commercially from sources with as little as 0.1% uranium[15]).
Some bacteria, such as Shewanella putrefaciens, Geobacter metallireducens and some strains of Burkholderia fungorum, use uranium for their growth and convert U(VI) to U(IV).[73][74] Recent research suggests that this pathway includes reduction of the soluble U(VI) via an intermediate U(V) pentavalent state.[75][76] Other organisms, such as the lichen Trapelia involuta or microorganisms such as the bacterium Citrobacter, can absorb concentrations of uranium that are up to 300 times the level of their environment.[77] Citrobacter species absorb uranyl ions when given glycerol phosphate (or other similar organic phosphates). After one day, one gram of bacteria can encrust themselves with nine grams of uranyl phosphate crystals; this creates the possibility that these organisms could be used in bioremediation to decontaminate uranium-polluted water.[31][78] The proteobacterium Geobacter has also been shown to bioremediate uranium in ground water.[79] The mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices increases uranium content in the roots of its symbiotic plant.[80]
In nature, uranium(VI) forms highly soluble carbonate complexes at alkaline pH. This leads to an increase in mobility and availability of uranium to groundwater and soil from nuclear wastes which leads to health hazards. However, it is difficult to precipitate uranium as phosphate in the presence of excess carbonate at alkaline pH. A Sphingomonas sp. strain BSAR-1 has been found to express a high activity alkaline phosphatase (PhoK) that has been applied for bioprecipitation of uranium as uranyl phosphate species from alkaline solutions. The precipitation ability was enhanced by overexpressing PhoK protein in E. coli.[81]
Plants absorb some uranium from soil. Dry weight concentrations of uranium in plants range from 5 to 60 parts per billion, and ash from burnt wood can have concentrations up to 4 parts per million.[31] Dry weight concentrations of uranium in food plants are typically lower with one to two micrograms per day ingested through the food people eat.[31]
Production and mining Main article: Uranium mining Worldwide production of uranium in 2021 amounted to 48,332 tonnes, of which 21,819 t (45%) was mined in Kazakhstan. Other important uranium mining countries are Namibia (5,753 t), Canada (4,693 t), Australia (4,192 t), Uzbekistan (3,500 t), and Russia (2,635 t).[82]
Uranium ore is mined in several ways: by open pit, underground, in-situ leaching, and borehole mining (see uranium mining).[7] Low-grade uranium ore mined typically contains 0.01 to 0.25% uranium oxides. Extensive measures must be employed to extract the metal from its ore.[83] High-grade ores found in Athabasca Basin deposits in Saskatchewan, Canada can contain up to 23% uranium oxides on average.[84] Uranium ore is crushed and rendered into a fine powder and then leached with either an acid or alkali. The leachate is subjected to one of several sequences of precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion exchange. The resulting mixture, called yellowcake, contains at least 75% uranium oxides U3O8. Yellowcake is then calcined to remove impurities from the milling process before refining and conversion.[85]
Commercial-grade uranium can be produced through the reduction of uranium halides with alkali or alkaline earth metals.[10] Uranium metal can also be prepared through electrolysis of KUF 5 or UF 4, dissolved in molten calcium chloride (CaCl 2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution.[10] Very pure uranium is produced through the thermal decomposition of uranium halides on a hot filament.[10]
It is estimated that 6.1 million tonnes of uranium exists in ore reserves that are economically viable at US$130 per kg of uranium,[87] while 35 million tonnes are classed as mineral resources (reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction).[88]
Australia has 28% of the world's known uranium ore reserves[87] and the world's largest single uranium deposit is located at the Olympic Dam Mine in South Australia.[89] There is a significant reserve of uranium in Bakouma, a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Mbomou in the Central African Republic.[90]
Some uranium also originates from dismantled nuclear weapons.[91] For example, in 1993–2013 Russia supplied the United States with 15,000 tonnes of low-enriched uranium within the Megatons to Megawatts Program.[92]
An additional 4.6 billion tonnes of uranium are estimated to be dissolved in sea water (Japanese scientists in the 1980s showed that extraction of uranium from sea water using ion exchangers was technically feasible).[93][94] There have been experiments to extract uranium from sea water,[95] but the yield has been low due to the carbonate present in the water. In 2012, ORNL researchers announced the successful development of a new absorbent material dubbed HiCap which performs surface retention of solid or gas molecules, atoms or ions and also effectively removes toxic metals from water, according to results verified by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.[96][97]
In 2005, ten countries accounted for the majority of the world's concentrated uranium oxides: Canada (27.9%), Australia (22.8%), Kazakhstan (10.5%), Russia (8.0%), Namibia (7.5%), Niger (7.4%), Uzbekistan (5.5%), the United States (2.5%), Argentina (2.1%) and Ukraine (1.9%).[99] In 2008 Kazakhstan was forecast to increase production and become the world's largest supplier of uranium by 2009.[100][101] The prediction came true, and Kazakhstan does dominate the world's uranium market since 2010. In 2021, its share was 45.1%, followed by Namibia (11.9%), Canada (9.7%), Australia (8.7%), Uzbekistan (7.2%), Niger (4.7%), Russia (5.5%), China (3.9%), India (1.3%), Ukraine (0.9%), and South Africa (0.8%), with a world total production of 48,332 tonnes.[82] Most of uranium was produced not by conventional underground mining of ores (29% of production), but by in situ leaching (66%).[82][102]
In the late 1960s, UN geologists also discovered major uranium deposits and other rare mineral reserves in Somalia. The find was the largest of its kind, with industry experts estimating the deposits at over 25% of the world's then known uranium reserves of 800,000 tons.[103]
The ultimate available supply is believed to be sufficient for at least the next 85 years,[88] although some studies indicate underinvestment in the late twentieth century may produce supply problems in the 21st century.[104] Uranium deposits seem to be log-normal distributed. There is a 300-fold increase in the amount of uranium recoverable for each tenfold decrease in ore grade.[105] In other words, there is little high grade ore and proportionately much more low grade ore available.
Calcined uranium yellowcake, as produced in many large mills, contains a distribution of uranium oxidation species in various forms ranging from most oxidized to least oxidized. Particles with short residence times in a calciner will generally be less oxidized than those with long retention times or particles recovered in the stack scrubber. Uranium content is usually referenced to U 3O 8, which dates to the days of the Manhattan Project when U 3O 8 was used as an analytical chemistry reporting standard.[106]
Phase relationships in the uranium-oxygen system are complex. The most important oxidation states of uranium are uranium(IV) and uranium(VI), and their two corresponding oxides are, respectively, uranium dioxide (UO 2) and uranium trioxide (UO 3).[107] Other uranium oxides such as uranium monoxide (UO), diuranium pentoxide (U 2O 5), and uranium peroxide (UO 4·2H 2O) also exist.
The most common forms of uranium oxide are triuranium octoxide (U 3O 8) and UO 2.[108] Both oxide forms are solids that have low solubility in water and are relatively stable over a wide range of environmental conditions. Triuranium octoxide is (depending on conditions) the most stable compound of uranium and is the form most commonly found in nature. Uranium dioxide is the form in which uranium is most commonly used as a nuclear reactor fuel.[108] At ambient temperatures, UO 2 will gradually convert to U 3O 8. Because of their stability, uranium oxides are generally considered the preferred chemical form for storage or disposal.[108]
Salts of many oxidation states of uranium are water-soluble and may be studied in aqueous solutions. The most common ionic forms are U3+ (brown-red), U4+ (green), UO+ 2 (unstable), and UO2+ 2 (yellow), for U(III), U(IV), U(V), and U(VI), respectively.[109] A few solid and semi-metallic compounds such as UO and US exist for the formal oxidation state uranium(II), but no simple ions are known to exist in solution for that state. Ions of U3+ liberate hydrogen from water and are therefore considered to be highly unstable. The UO2+ 2 ion represents the uranium(VI) state and is known to form compounds such as uranyl carbonate, uranyl chloride and uranyl sulfate. UO2+ 2 also forms complexes with various organic chelating agents, the most commonly encountered of which is uranyl acetate.[109]
Unlike the uranyl salts of uranium and polyatomic ion uranium-oxide cationic forms, the uranates, salts containing a polyatomic uranium-oxide anion, are generally not water-soluble.
Carbonates The interactions of carbonate anions with uranium(VI) cause the Pourbaix diagram to change greatly when the medium is changed from water to a carbonate containing solution. While the vast majority of carbonates are insoluble in water (students are often taught that all carbonates other than those of alkali metals are insoluble in water), uranium carbonates are often soluble in water. This is because a U(VI) cation is able to bind two terminal oxides and three or more carbonates to form anionic complexes.
Effects of pH The uranium fraction diagrams in the presence of carbonate illustrate this further: when the pH of a uranium(VI) solution increases, the uranium is converted to a hydrated uranium oxide hydroxide and at high pHs it becomes an anionic hydroxide complex.
When carbonate is added, uranium is converted to a series of carbonate complexes if the pH is increased. One effect of these reactions is increased solubility of uranium in the pH range 6 to 8, a fact that has a direct bearing on the long term stability of spent uranium dioxide nuclear fuels.
Hydrides, carbides and nitrides Uranium metal heated to 250 to 300 °C (482 to 572 °F) reacts with hydrogen to form uranium hydride. Even higher temperatures will reversibly remove the hydrogen. This property makes uranium hydrides convenient starting materials to create reactive uranium powder along with various uranium carbide, nitride, and halide compounds.[111] Two crystal modifications of uranium hydride exist: an α form that is obtained at low temperatures and a β form that is created when the formation temperature is above 250 °C.[111]
Uranium carbides and uranium nitrides are both relatively inert semimetallic compounds that are minimally soluble in acids, react with water, and can ignite in air to form U 3O 8.[111] Carbides of uranium include uranium monocarbide (UC), uranium dicarbide (UC 2), and diuranium tricarbide (U 2C 3). Both UC and UC 2 are formed by adding carbon to molten uranium or by exposing the metal to carbon monoxide at high temperatures. Stable below 1800 °C, U 2C 3 is prepared by subjecting a heated mixture of UC and UC 2 to mechanical stress.[112] Uranium nitrides obtained by direct exposure of the metal to nitrogen include uranium mononitride (UN), uranium dinitride (UN 2), and diuranium trinitride (U 2N 3).[112]
2023.03.30 06:35 vampyre_reviews My extensive guide to Bad Dragon
Bad Dragon toys are all made of the highest quality silicone! So watch out when storing them next to toys that aren’t the same grade silicone! Companies can label any grade silicone as medical grade but that doesn’t mean they won’t hurt your Bad Dragon brand toys! Avoid PVC, Jelly, and Rubber sex toys! Especially don’t store them touching your Bad Dragons!
So you want to buy your first Bad Dragon? Go for it! They may be expensive but you pay for quality! Even if you’re not super into knots, tentacles, or monster size dildos they have more humanoid models: Archer (Uncut), Archer, John, Pierce, etc! They run large so please check the measurements before you buy! My first Bad Dragon toys were a M/M Sveinn and a M/M Demon Dick! I made the mistake of only using the photo for reference!
When it comes to buying you’re typically going to buy from the inventory, you can browse the models on their home page or using the “shop now” button. When browsing the models you can click on any of the toys and come across a sizing chart and a photo reference! Once you’ve decided on what you are looking for go ahead and click on the inventory! It’s gonna be organized by price “low to high” by default but you can decide to sort it by “A-Z” “Z-A” “Size: Small to Large” “Size: Large to Small” or even by the date it was added to the inventory! If you’re looking to save some money I suggest going to the filter option and looking for “flop” toys! These toys will still be body safe but may have minor imperfections! Small nicks and pigment inclusions can take a toy that’s $115 and bring it down to $98! They won’t always be super discounted but you never know when you’ll find the toy of your dreams!
If none of the toys in the inventory are the exact color or size you’re wanting customs are open the first Friday of every month! It might cost you a little more if you’re wanting a fade or marble (fades not supported on mini toys as well as some custom colors)
This is all of course after you’ve decided on what model will fit your needs!
For humanoid toy lovers who know what they like and want to stick to it I recommend Archer (Uncut) in Mini/Small for those without a size kink! I own a M/M and even with my raging size kink it is a beast to concur!
Side note: when taking bigger toys (even vaginally) you’re going to want to use a lot of water based lube! Bad Dragon toys are no joke! I definitely recommend their cum lube as it is designed with their toys in mind (now in clear as well if cum color isn’t doing it for you) another lube I recommend is KY jelly! It’s a classic for a reason!
If a tentacle is something you’re curious about I recommend Ika for both Anal and Vaginal! It’s got a nice tapeswell that isn’t too overwhelming for a beginner or a seasoned pro! Even using my size L/M I find it’s not dauntingly thick! Tako is a very underrated model as well! Especially since it can double as a grinder for external stimulation at the drop of a hat! I also own a S/M Pretzal which is great as well but isn’t a frequent in my rotation!
If you were Team Jacob in your Twilight phase knots might be for you! If your ao3 history heavily features omegaverse fics…I’m gonna say you’ll enjoy a knot! Bad Dragon has a wide variety of these, but my top two are gonna be Diego and Nova! I love the model Diego so much I own a S/M and a M/M! Vaginally both these toys are in my top ten! Anally I recommend Razor, his tip is slightly curved with makes for easier insertion (with the added bonus of prostate stimulation for those with prostates)
I save a cowboy…ride a horse! If equestrian cocks are your cup of tea you’re in the right place! Personally I recommend Bumblehooves for a beginner, and Slepnir if you’re here for girth like me! Something about the way their slightly larger heads pop in is really satisfying vaginally! Anally I recommend Mystic! Or if you’re not quite sold on the whole ‘save a cowboy, ride a horse’ bit!
If you were weirdly attracted to the dementors when you first watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban….or maybe you found yourself drawn to the Xindi (Maybe you like villains idk) If that’s true then you’re probably looking for something more demonic or alien in nature! You’ve come to the right place! I’d say there are probably more options in this category! However, I recommend the classic Demon Dick for both Vaginal and Anal! Anally if you’re looking for Prostate stimulation I’ll give Kelvin a good shoutout! He’s so curved he’s gonna pinpoint any g-spot you have!
Now I must warn you about the toys I DO NOT recommend to a beginner! If you’re a a pro go ahead and buy them! Whatever you wanna do! However, if size is an issue for you I don’t recommend Baron, Flint, Lenneth, or Fenrir! Even in size mini Fenrir, Flint, and Baron are quite large!
What size and firmness should I get? Hmmm that’s a hard question to answer! Personally I don’t recommend Firm Firmness, there is just less give! Especially if it’s a larger model! My go to method is the wider it is, the softer you’ll want it! A thin soft toy is almost as useless as a XL firm toy! Toys come in Soft, Medium, and Firm! You can also do split firmess when making a custom toy to help it stand better! A long but softer toy won’t stand as well on its own and may lean! Suction cups and firmer bases make these easier to use!
You can also purchase toys with cum tubes which will simulate ejaculation! These toys can be fun but are especially hard to clean! I’ve owned two toys with cum tubes and both times the tube has molded! It is a feature that is erotic but risky! My main issue is making sure the toy and the tube are dry! Buy at your own risk!
YOU MUST CLEAN YOUR TOYS!!!
You don’t want bacteria on your sex toys! Especially expensive, pretty ones! Now if you live with parents/roommates it isn’t life or death if you don’t wash them after every use! However, I don’t recommend waiting more than two days! My routine is I wash each toy before and after use, with swarm water and a gentle soap! Then on a bi-monthly basis I deep clean all my toys and the containers I store them in! You can sanitize your Bad Dragon toys in a dishwasher, or soak them in a 10% bleach solution! I recommend washing them with soap AFTER you soak them…
LET YOUR TOYS DRY BEFORE PUTTING THEM AWAY!!!
I store all my sex toys including my Bad Dragon toys in fabric storage bins, and a small chest with soft lined drawers meant for jewelry or lingerie! Besides the soft bins/drawers I also keep all my toys in drawstring bags! Most are in sheer bags or smaller toys are in Crown Royal bags! Bad Dragon sells their own storage bags! They are your safest choice!
Thanks for reading! Hope I covered everything…
submitted by vampyre_reviews to u/vampyre_reviews [link] [comments]
So you want to buy your first Bad Dragon? Go for it! They may be expensive but you pay for quality! Even if you’re not super into knots, tentacles, or monster size dildos they have more humanoid models: Archer (Uncut), Archer, John, Pierce, etc! They run large so please check the measurements before you buy! My first Bad Dragon toys were a M/M Sveinn and a M/M Demon Dick! I made the mistake of only using the photo for reference!
When it comes to buying you’re typically going to buy from the inventory, you can browse the models on their home page or using the “shop now” button. When browsing the models you can click on any of the toys and come across a sizing chart and a photo reference! Once you’ve decided on what you are looking for go ahead and click on the inventory! It’s gonna be organized by price “low to high” by default but you can decide to sort it by “A-Z” “Z-A” “Size: Small to Large” “Size: Large to Small” or even by the date it was added to the inventory! If you’re looking to save some money I suggest going to the filter option and looking for “flop” toys! These toys will still be body safe but may have minor imperfections! Small nicks and pigment inclusions can take a toy that’s $115 and bring it down to $98! They won’t always be super discounted but you never know when you’ll find the toy of your dreams!
If none of the toys in the inventory are the exact color or size you’re wanting customs are open the first Friday of every month! It might cost you a little more if you’re wanting a fade or marble (fades not supported on mini toys as well as some custom colors)
This is all of course after you’ve decided on what model will fit your needs!
For humanoid toy lovers who know what they like and want to stick to it I recommend Archer (Uncut) in Mini/Small for those without a size kink! I own a M/M and even with my raging size kink it is a beast to concur!
Side note: when taking bigger toys (even vaginally) you’re going to want to use a lot of water based lube! Bad Dragon toys are no joke! I definitely recommend their cum lube as it is designed with their toys in mind (now in clear as well if cum color isn’t doing it for you) another lube I recommend is KY jelly! It’s a classic for a reason!
If a tentacle is something you’re curious about I recommend Ika for both Anal and Vaginal! It’s got a nice tapeswell that isn’t too overwhelming for a beginner or a seasoned pro! Even using my size L/M I find it’s not dauntingly thick! Tako is a very underrated model as well! Especially since it can double as a grinder for external stimulation at the drop of a hat! I also own a S/M Pretzal which is great as well but isn’t a frequent in my rotation!
If you were Team Jacob in your Twilight phase knots might be for you! If your ao3 history heavily features omegaverse fics…I’m gonna say you’ll enjoy a knot! Bad Dragon has a wide variety of these, but my top two are gonna be Diego and Nova! I love the model Diego so much I own a S/M and a M/M! Vaginally both these toys are in my top ten! Anally I recommend Razor, his tip is slightly curved with makes for easier insertion (with the added bonus of prostate stimulation for those with prostates)
I save a cowboy…ride a horse! If equestrian cocks are your cup of tea you’re in the right place! Personally I recommend Bumblehooves for a beginner, and Slepnir if you’re here for girth like me! Something about the way their slightly larger heads pop in is really satisfying vaginally! Anally I recommend Mystic! Or if you’re not quite sold on the whole ‘save a cowboy, ride a horse’ bit!
If you were weirdly attracted to the dementors when you first watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban….or maybe you found yourself drawn to the Xindi (Maybe you like villains idk) If that’s true then you’re probably looking for something more demonic or alien in nature! You’ve come to the right place! I’d say there are probably more options in this category! However, I recommend the classic Demon Dick for both Vaginal and Anal! Anally if you’re looking for Prostate stimulation I’ll give Kelvin a good shoutout! He’s so curved he’s gonna pinpoint any g-spot you have!
Now I must warn you about the toys I DO NOT recommend to a beginner! If you’re a a pro go ahead and buy them! Whatever you wanna do! However, if size is an issue for you I don’t recommend Baron, Flint, Lenneth, or Fenrir! Even in size mini Fenrir, Flint, and Baron are quite large!
What size and firmness should I get? Hmmm that’s a hard question to answer! Personally I don’t recommend Firm Firmness, there is just less give! Especially if it’s a larger model! My go to method is the wider it is, the softer you’ll want it! A thin soft toy is almost as useless as a XL firm toy! Toys come in Soft, Medium, and Firm! You can also do split firmess when making a custom toy to help it stand better! A long but softer toy won’t stand as well on its own and may lean! Suction cups and firmer bases make these easier to use!
You can also purchase toys with cum tubes which will simulate ejaculation! These toys can be fun but are especially hard to clean! I’ve owned two toys with cum tubes and both times the tube has molded! It is a feature that is erotic but risky! My main issue is making sure the toy and the tube are dry! Buy at your own risk!
YOU MUST CLEAN YOUR TOYS!!!
You don’t want bacteria on your sex toys! Especially expensive, pretty ones! Now if you live with parents/roommates it isn’t life or death if you don’t wash them after every use! However, I don’t recommend waiting more than two days! My routine is I wash each toy before and after use, with swarm water and a gentle soap! Then on a bi-monthly basis I deep clean all my toys and the containers I store them in! You can sanitize your Bad Dragon toys in a dishwasher, or soak them in a 10% bleach solution! I recommend washing them with soap AFTER you soak them…
LET YOUR TOYS DRY BEFORE PUTTING THEM AWAY!!!
I store all my sex toys including my Bad Dragon toys in fabric storage bins, and a small chest with soft lined drawers meant for jewelry or lingerie! Besides the soft bins/drawers I also keep all my toys in drawstring bags! Most are in sheer bags or smaller toys are in Crown Royal bags! Bad Dragon sells their own storage bags! They are your safest choice!
Thanks for reading! Hope I covered everything…
2023.03.30 06:35 badrednation Slane theocracy should be broken mentally before they die.
The thing about the slane theocracy is despite the fact that the belief that humans are the chosen race and that they are the only race that should flourish they had to problem raping(the knight in vol.1 was begging for anyone to save him in return for 500 gold had tried to rape Enri ) and kill innocent human villagers just to kill one guy.
By vol 11 i released the only thing the slane theocracy top echelon cares about is increasing there military power just to kill more nonhumans, i may be wrong but that what i think since that they mainly use the citizen registry for.
The elf king is vial and disgusting person, the number of elven slaves that are beings raped only bases legally is an even bigger sin.
I know ainz has had innocent people killed just to cover up demiurge identity and destroyed and a country over a theft however ainz is not human or any race similar but the exact opposite, he may retain his human memories but his personality has changed almost completely.
I really hope Ainz destroys the slane theocracy's every belief before he kills them. beliefs like the fact that they think they were chosen by the gods or the fact that the six players were even gods and the fact they could ever defeat him when they couldn't even reach the power of the six.
The reason i like Ainz's character is cause I was ever in his place I would be stressed out every second of everyday worry about how to act or how i can't sit in a room without someone waiting on me every second i am there to give them some kind of order.
This is my first post here but it seems more like a rant. I just want others to feel the same way.
submitted by badrednation to overlord [link] [comments]
By vol 11 i released the only thing the slane theocracy top echelon cares about is increasing there military power just to kill more nonhumans, i may be wrong but that what i think since that they mainly use the citizen registry for.
The elf king is vial and disgusting person, the number of elven slaves that are beings raped only bases legally is an even bigger sin.
I know ainz has had innocent people killed just to cover up demiurge identity and destroyed and a country over a theft however ainz is not human or any race similar but the exact opposite, he may retain his human memories but his personality has changed almost completely.
I really hope Ainz destroys the slane theocracy's every belief before he kills them. beliefs like the fact that they think they were chosen by the gods or the fact that the six players were even gods and the fact they could ever defeat him when they couldn't even reach the power of the six.
The reason i like Ainz's character is cause I was ever in his place I would be stressed out every second of everyday worry about how to act or how i can't sit in a room without someone waiting on me every second i am there to give them some kind of order.
This is my first post here but it seems more like a rant. I just want others to feel the same way.
2023.03.30 06:33 SliceLegitimate8674 I live in a college town where people are always protesting.
"Stop climate change" this, "save the Peruvian tree fungus" that. Protestors crowd my neighborhood. No one likes it, so my neighbor organized a protest to protest protests. I think he's making the problem worse, so I'm organizing a protest to protest his protesting of protests. Is this a good solution or am I just being a hypocrite?
submitted by SliceLegitimate8674 to fifthworldproblems [link] [comments]
2023.03.30 06:31 S-l-o-w_Internet i think somethings wrong with me
(didn't really know what flair to put if i want to know if people can relate to feeling like this or some advice)
well the title is a lie. i know something is probably wrong with me. i do a lot of things that i think other people think is weird and abnormal and i think weird things too. i don't know why and i just want to be normal. why can't i be fucking normal??!? i know that my thinking pattern isn't normal and that i should change it, but when it happens i cant stop myself from believing it. when i'm with people, i feel fine and i like their company. when i'm alone at home or something i feel like everyone in my life hates me and just tolerates me when i'm around so to not hurt my feelings. in a logical sense, i know this probably isn't true because 1. if they did hate me they would avoid me and 2. they don't really display any outward reasons to hate me. even though i know this, i still feel like they fucking hate me?!??? i genuinely cannot tell if they want to be around me or not. what the hell is wrong with me?????? i avoid talking about these thoughts or really any of my feelings to anyone, so as to not burden them; but then these thoughts and feelings just fester up inside me and multiply day by day until they come out in one way or another. i know i should see a therapist or something but isn't that expensive?? does insurance even cover therapy?? i don't know, but i'll find out one of these days.
honestly, i'm scared of my thoughts sometimes. one time, one of my friends was talking about what we would do after highschool and they said that it's crazy how we won't be friends after we graduate. all i could think about was saying "if you say that again i'm going to [get really upset]." (didn't actually think that but i'm censoring myself) i didn't say it but it's all i could think about. then after that, i started thinking about the situation more and more. why would they say that? do they not want to be my friend? do they want me out of their life? it even appeared in my dreams, where they would tell me how much they hate me and want me out of their life. they would always mention their other friend and how much more they like them over me. that's another habit i hate.
i've come to the realization that i obsess over people to an unhealthy extent. at least i think it's unhealthy. it's not even a 'romantic' obsession or whatever the fuck. i just want to know everything about them and be their number one person or best friend and talk to them all the time and i think about them constantly. i want to be the only person they think about and the person they turn to when they feel down. i hate that they enjoy other peoples company more than they enjoy mine. i hate that i'm not as important to them as they are to me. i get jealous when they talk to other people more than they talk to me, and i fucking hate that i get like that. stop fucking doing that. that's not normal. i fucking hate everything about myself, especially my fucked up head. i just wish i could separate myself from my thoughts.
anyway if anyone else can relate to this at all, please let me know, or if you know any way to cope or get rid of this way of thinking tell me, please. thanks.
submitted by S-l-o-w_Internet to Vent [link] [comments]
well the title is a lie. i know something is probably wrong with me. i do a lot of things that i think other people think is weird and abnormal and i think weird things too. i don't know why and i just want to be normal. why can't i be fucking normal??!? i know that my thinking pattern isn't normal and that i should change it, but when it happens i cant stop myself from believing it. when i'm with people, i feel fine and i like their company. when i'm alone at home or something i feel like everyone in my life hates me and just tolerates me when i'm around so to not hurt my feelings. in a logical sense, i know this probably isn't true because 1. if they did hate me they would avoid me and 2. they don't really display any outward reasons to hate me. even though i know this, i still feel like they fucking hate me?!??? i genuinely cannot tell if they want to be around me or not. what the hell is wrong with me?????? i avoid talking about these thoughts or really any of my feelings to anyone, so as to not burden them; but then these thoughts and feelings just fester up inside me and multiply day by day until they come out in one way or another. i know i should see a therapist or something but isn't that expensive?? does insurance even cover therapy?? i don't know, but i'll find out one of these days.
honestly, i'm scared of my thoughts sometimes. one time, one of my friends was talking about what we would do after highschool and they said that it's crazy how we won't be friends after we graduate. all i could think about was saying "if you say that again i'm going to [get really upset]." (didn't actually think that but i'm censoring myself) i didn't say it but it's all i could think about. then after that, i started thinking about the situation more and more. why would they say that? do they not want to be my friend? do they want me out of their life? it even appeared in my dreams, where they would tell me how much they hate me and want me out of their life. they would always mention their other friend and how much more they like them over me. that's another habit i hate.
i've come to the realization that i obsess over people to an unhealthy extent. at least i think it's unhealthy. it's not even a 'romantic' obsession or whatever the fuck. i just want to know everything about them and be their number one person or best friend and talk to them all the time and i think about them constantly. i want to be the only person they think about and the person they turn to when they feel down. i hate that they enjoy other peoples company more than they enjoy mine. i hate that i'm not as important to them as they are to me. i get jealous when they talk to other people more than they talk to me, and i fucking hate that i get like that. stop fucking doing that. that's not normal. i fucking hate everything about myself, especially my fucked up head. i just wish i could separate myself from my thoughts.
anyway if anyone else can relate to this at all, please let me know, or if you know any way to cope or get rid of this way of thinking tell me, please. thanks.
2023.03.30 06:30 Big-Research-2875 Tissue , types and function
TISSUE
In Associate in Nursing animal, individual cells differentiate throughout development to perform special functions as aggregates brought up as tissues. A tissue (Fr. tissu, woven) can be a cluster of comparable cells specialised for the Nuclear Envelope. Associate in Nursing artist’s interpretation of pore structure, showing but the pore spans the two-layered nuclear envelope. The supermolecule granules around the edge and inside the middle govern what passes through the pores. twenty 2 [*fr1] ONE Biological Principles performance of a customary operate. Animal tissues ar classified as tissue, connective, muscle, or nervous.Tissue , types and function
EPITHELIAL TISSUE:
Several FORMS AND FUNCTION
Epithelial tissue exists in many structural forms. In general, it either covers or lines one issue and usually consists of renewable sheets of cells that have surface specializations made-to-order for his or her specific roles. Usually, a basement membrane separates tissue tissues from underlying, adjacent tissues. tissue tissues absorb (e.g., the liner of the little intestine), transport (e.g., internal organ tubules), excrete (e.g., sweat glands), protect (e.g., the skin), and contain nerve cells for sensory reception (e.g., the fashion buds inside the tongue).Function depends upon structure;
The size, shape, and arrangement of tissue cells ar directly related to these specific functions.2023.03.30 06:28 TheDollarstoreDoctor My period has lasted nearly a month. I have a drs appt on April 4th, so should I be more concerned or just wait till then?
Current concern: I'm 5'2, 107 lb, 24 yr old woman. My period started March 2nd. I patiently waited for it to end. It has not. I did a virtual visit last week (I have Anthem so their Sydney app has on demand virtual visits) and asked how concerned I should be. They said the main concern was anemia and I should follow up with my primary for testing (soonest appt I could get is april 4th). Which I expected, I have a history of anemia, but it's not like anyone ever died from it, so I figured it could wait until my gyno appt in May (soonest available) as it seemed like it would be ending in the next day or two. That is until this week, it would quickly fluctuate between light and heavy. So I would wake up thinking yay! Seems like itll end today! Only a few drops of dried dark/old blood! Then, like today, I would change my pad before lunch and have to again before clocking in because so much new blood would come out at once. Then it would be light old blood again. And when I just changed it, a lot of new blood again, when I wipe the tissue would be full of very wet bright red blood. I havent been having terrible cramps, but I've been feeling so sore, especially my legs. I've also been a lot more lightheaded and shaking/tremors a lot, some episodes of feeling feverish, and bruising easier (I have a huge one on my leg from an unknown cause). Even my coworkers have been expressing a lot of concern over how exhausted/"sickly" I look (very small dept of all woman - so yes, period talk happens lol) and insisting that I need to go to the doctor as soon as possible, even if I have to beg and plead. But I'm just genuinely at a loss of what I should do, or even feel about this situation. Like, I'm starting to get concerned but I feel like theres not much I can do about it anyway. I mean, is it really an emergency? I cant expect my drs to cancel other peoples appts just to make availability for me. They cant just force my period to stop anyway. I was on steroids for my eczema at the beginning of this month but after my period started (2 week round of 10 mg), so maybe that can be a cause of the heaviness, but at the same time my period has been like this once before (they can be a bit long, but usually not this heavy).
Prior history: . I have had irregular periods since they started when I was 14. They would be super heavy, but that's about it. I'd get cramps but not terrible (but may be my pain tolerance - how high it is will be relevant in a bit). So I was put on birth control, and that seemed to lighten them but not regulate them.
My periods would either skip for months, or last a very long time, or the occasional normal period. Theres really no consistency. But I would say the average length could be 2 weeks, a few days of heavy bleeding followed by on/off light bleeding. 4 years ago, after many "unremarkable" pap smears ultrasounds & lab work (complete work up including thyroid and whatever else they could possibly think of - my gyno was really trying to figure this shit out cuz it had him stumped and ig he was the kind of person who didnt like to feel defeat since every other dr I've seen waves the flag of defeat immediately), my gyno finally decided "ok I need to see what the hell could possibly be causing this with my own two eyes" and I had an endoscopic laparoscopy done. Nothing was found. Except for my appendix, which was so infected the pus was practically crusted over it causing it to fuse to my colon. I was told it mustve been like that for atleast a year. And they were correct, I remember the day because I was on vacation. I had such intense internal pain that I had to hunch over while walking. I remember thinking "oh my god it feels like something in me burst. Should I go to the ER? No they'll just shrug it off as period pain. Even though I'm not on my period. And then I'll get a huge bill over going there for nothing" and so I just kinda powered through it. Anyway, removal of the appendix didnt change any of my period symptoms. So even those findings were "unremarkable", atleast in the reproductive department. So my gyno had no clue where to go from there. He tried everything, and the results are my body just loves to bleed for longer than it should for no reason at all. I should also note I no longer see this gyno as I now live thousands of miles away.
submitted by TheDollarstoreDoctor to AskDoctorSmeeee [link] [comments]
Prior history: . I have had irregular periods since they started when I was 14. They would be super heavy, but that's about it. I'd get cramps but not terrible (but may be my pain tolerance - how high it is will be relevant in a bit). So I was put on birth control, and that seemed to lighten them but not regulate them.
My periods would either skip for months, or last a very long time, or the occasional normal period. Theres really no consistency. But I would say the average length could be 2 weeks, a few days of heavy bleeding followed by on/off light bleeding. 4 years ago, after many "unremarkable" pap smears ultrasounds & lab work (complete work up including thyroid and whatever else they could possibly think of - my gyno was really trying to figure this shit out cuz it had him stumped and ig he was the kind of person who didnt like to feel defeat since every other dr I've seen waves the flag of defeat immediately), my gyno finally decided "ok I need to see what the hell could possibly be causing this with my own two eyes" and I had an endoscopic laparoscopy done. Nothing was found. Except for my appendix, which was so infected the pus was practically crusted over it causing it to fuse to my colon. I was told it mustve been like that for atleast a year. And they were correct, I remember the day because I was on vacation. I had such intense internal pain that I had to hunch over while walking. I remember thinking "oh my god it feels like something in me burst. Should I go to the ER? No they'll just shrug it off as period pain. Even though I'm not on my period. And then I'll get a huge bill over going there for nothing" and so I just kinda powered through it. Anyway, removal of the appendix didnt change any of my period symptoms. So even those findings were "unremarkable", atleast in the reproductive department. So my gyno had no clue where to go from there. He tried everything, and the results are my body just loves to bleed for longer than it should for no reason at all. I should also note I no longer see this gyno as I now live thousands of miles away.
2023.03.30 06:25 assettessa101 Luggage Lost before LARP event.. cannot attend without costume, would airline re-emburse me if I buy costume pieces now?
Hello all,
I am a semi-professional LARPer (live action role-player) and am an Associate Producer for an international LARP event happening in Bologna this Friday-Sunday. It is called 'So Young - International' and the entire reason I traveled to Bologna Italy from the US, and the game requires students characters wear uniforms and have full evening wear for "the prom" on Saturday night.
However, my luggage was lost somewhere between Seattle > London Heathrow > Bologna... and I cannot meet the costuming requirements for full student uniform or my evening gown with just the change of clothing in my carry on. If my luggage (reported immediately upon not finding it in Bologna Wednesday night and not yet found) does not show up by Friday morning, I cannot attend the event I helped craft and flew around the world for, as costuming is required for all participants.
If I had to go out and buy a single uniform (dress shirt, blazer, pleated skirt, loafer shoes) and an evening dress before Friday, would that be covered as a necessary expense by the airline?
I am hoping beyond hope the bags appear soon as this was all very difficult to shop for in the first place, nevertheless in a foriegn country. Will keep calling and checking the online portal to see if/when it is located. Advice wanted!
submitted by assettessa101 to BritishAirways [link] [comments]
I am a semi-professional LARPer (live action role-player) and am an Associate Producer for an international LARP event happening in Bologna this Friday-Sunday. It is called 'So Young - International' and the entire reason I traveled to Bologna Italy from the US, and the game requires students characters wear uniforms and have full evening wear for "the prom" on Saturday night.
However, my luggage was lost somewhere between Seattle > London Heathrow > Bologna... and I cannot meet the costuming requirements for full student uniform or my evening gown with just the change of clothing in my carry on. If my luggage (reported immediately upon not finding it in Bologna Wednesday night and not yet found) does not show up by Friday morning, I cannot attend the event I helped craft and flew around the world for, as costuming is required for all participants.
If I had to go out and buy a single uniform (dress shirt, blazer, pleated skirt, loafer shoes) and an evening dress before Friday, would that be covered as a necessary expense by the airline?
I am hoping beyond hope the bags appear soon as this was all very difficult to shop for in the first place, nevertheless in a foriegn country. Will keep calling and checking the online portal to see if/when it is located. Advice wanted!
2023.03.30 06:20 topfreightforwarder Do you know export packaging requirements for lithium batteries and lithium battery equipment?
Lithium batteries are widely used in personal consumer goods, industrial production, transportation and other industries. Especially in daily life, lithium batteries can be seen almost everywhere, such as mobile phone power supplies, electric vehicle power supplies, charging treasures, common electric garden tools, and automatic sweeping robots, all of which contain lithium batteries.
On the one hand, lithium battery products bring convenience to our lives. On the other hand, due to product characteristics, lithium batteries have great potential dangers, and subsequent safety accidents occur from time to time. Compared with other accidents, the occurrence time is shorter and shorter. It is difficult to completely extinguish it, and it will cause serious personal and property damage.
From the fire of the Samsung Note7 mobile phone battery in 2016 to the fire on the plane at Pudong Airport in July 2020, especially the fire in the cargo compartment of a COSCO SHIPPING international trade container ship in January 2020, affected by it There were 131 containers, which caused huge losses. All these accidents remind us all the time: the safety risks of lithium battery products always exist.
📷
Classification of lithium batteries
1.The first category is lithium batteries shipped separately. Lithium batteries, as a type of batteries that use lithium metal or lithium alloys as positive/negative electrode materials and use non-aqueous electrolyte solutions, can be divided into lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries. Lithium metal batteries contain metallic lithium and are usually not rechargeable, while lithium ion batteries do not contain metallic lithium and can be recharged. When shipped separately, their corresponding UN numbers are 3090 and 3480.
2.The second category is lithium batteries shipped with equipment. In actual trade and transportation, lithium batteries are often transported together with equipment. There are mainly two situations. One is that the battery is installed in the device, and the other is that the battery is packaged with the device. Regardless of the above situation, according to whether it contains metallic lithium or not, the corresponding UN numbers are 3091 and 3481 respectively.
3.The third category is equipment or vehicles powered by lithium batteries. In recent years, various new energy vehicles powered by lithium batteries have emerged in an endless stream, including bicycles, cars, balance cars and so on. The International Maritime Dangerous Regulations have assigned UN number 3171 to this product.
📷
Relevant laws and regulations
The inspection and supervision of lithium batteries and lithium battery products are mainly based on the United Nations "Model Regulations on the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods", the United Nations "Test and Standard Manual on the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods", and the International Maritime Organization's "International Maritime Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations" , International Civil Aviation Organization "Technical Regulations for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air" and "Inspection Regulations for the Packaging of Export Dangerous Goods" (SN/T0370.1-2009) (SN/T0370.2-2009) (SN/T0370.3-2012), etc. wait.
For example, the "International Maritime Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations" requires that exported lithium batteries must pass the UN38.3 test and provide a summary of the test. Each cell and battery pack shall be fitted with a safety vent, and in the event of an ordinary accident, it shall be designed to prevent damage by force; each cell and battery pack shall be fitted with effective means of preventing external short circuits; each containing Battery packs of multiple parallel batteries or battery series must be equipped with effective devices (such as diodes, fuses, etc.) required to prevent reverse current from causing danger; manufacturers of batteries and battery packs must establish a good quality management system, etc. .
Packaging requirements for export lithium batteries and lithium battery equipment
The following requirements are mentioned in the packing guideline P903 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods List. It is divided according to different product categories, and this guideline is applicable to related goods under UN3090, 3091, 3480 and 3481.
In addition to several key points in the International Maritime Dangerous Regulations Packaging Guidelines P903, there are the following key points of inspection and supervision that need to be paid attention to:
1.One is that whether it is a lithium-ion battery pack or a lithium-ion battery pack contained in or packaged with equipment, the watt-hour ratio must be marked on the outside of the container.
2.Second, lithium battery products do not apply to limited packaging, nor do they apply to exempt packaging.
3.The third is that the package must be marked or marked exclusively for lithium batteries. Lithium batteries or lithium battery packs that comply with Article 188 use the "rectangular mark". Other lithium batteries or lithium battery packs use the "diamond mark" of Class 9 dangerous goods. However, it is not excluded that some countries and regions require the two signs to be posted at the same time, as long as the company provides a statement of the situation.
submitted by topfreightforwarder to u/topfreightforwarder [link] [comments]
On the one hand, lithium battery products bring convenience to our lives. On the other hand, due to product characteristics, lithium batteries have great potential dangers, and subsequent safety accidents occur from time to time. Compared with other accidents, the occurrence time is shorter and shorter. It is difficult to completely extinguish it, and it will cause serious personal and property damage.
From the fire of the Samsung Note7 mobile phone battery in 2016 to the fire on the plane at Pudong Airport in July 2020, especially the fire in the cargo compartment of a COSCO SHIPPING international trade container ship in January 2020, affected by it There were 131 containers, which caused huge losses. All these accidents remind us all the time: the safety risks of lithium battery products always exist.
📷
Classification of lithium batteries
1.The first category is lithium batteries shipped separately. Lithium batteries, as a type of batteries that use lithium metal or lithium alloys as positive/negative electrode materials and use non-aqueous electrolyte solutions, can be divided into lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries. Lithium metal batteries contain metallic lithium and are usually not rechargeable, while lithium ion batteries do not contain metallic lithium and can be recharged. When shipped separately, their corresponding UN numbers are 3090 and 3480.
2.The second category is lithium batteries shipped with equipment. In actual trade and transportation, lithium batteries are often transported together with equipment. There are mainly two situations. One is that the battery is installed in the device, and the other is that the battery is packaged with the device. Regardless of the above situation, according to whether it contains metallic lithium or not, the corresponding UN numbers are 3091 and 3481 respectively.
3.The third category is equipment or vehicles powered by lithium batteries. In recent years, various new energy vehicles powered by lithium batteries have emerged in an endless stream, including bicycles, cars, balance cars and so on. The International Maritime Dangerous Regulations have assigned UN number 3171 to this product.
📷
Relevant laws and regulations
The inspection and supervision of lithium batteries and lithium battery products are mainly based on the United Nations "Model Regulations on the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods", the United Nations "Test and Standard Manual on the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods", and the International Maritime Organization's "International Maritime Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations" , International Civil Aviation Organization "Technical Regulations for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air" and "Inspection Regulations for the Packaging of Export Dangerous Goods" (SN/T0370.1-2009) (SN/T0370.2-2009) (SN/T0370.3-2012), etc. wait.
For example, the "International Maritime Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations" requires that exported lithium batteries must pass the UN38.3 test and provide a summary of the test. Each cell and battery pack shall be fitted with a safety vent, and in the event of an ordinary accident, it shall be designed to prevent damage by force; each cell and battery pack shall be fitted with effective means of preventing external short circuits; each containing Battery packs of multiple parallel batteries or battery series must be equipped with effective devices (such as diodes, fuses, etc.) required to prevent reverse current from causing danger; manufacturers of batteries and battery packs must establish a good quality management system, etc. .
Packaging requirements for export lithium batteries and lithium battery equipment
The following requirements are mentioned in the packing guideline P903 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods List. It is divided according to different product categories, and this guideline is applicable to related goods under UN3090, 3091, 3480 and 3481.
- For batteries or battery packs packed in containers, protective measures shall be taken to prevent the cells or battery packs from being damaged due to movement or position changes in the container. The packaging must meet the performance indicators for packing group II. For cells or batteries with a total weight of 12 kg or more, a strong, impact-resistant casing, and a collection of such cells or batteries, a strong outer packaging, protective cover, pallet or other handling equipment is also required. Likewise, such cells or batteries shall be secured against accidental movement and the electrodes shall not bear the weight of other stacked items.
- Cells or batteries packed together with equipment, except that its container must meet the performance indicators of packaging group II, and the equipment must be fixed and must not be moved in the outer container. The cell or battery pack is also fully encased.
- In addition to meeting the previous requirements, the battery or battery pack installed in the equipment should have measures to prevent accidental activation during transportation. Also protect the cell or battery pack from short circuits.
- When the package contains a combination of the lithium battery in the device and the lithium battery packed with the device, the packaging should be marked "lithium metal battery UN3091 or lithium ion UN3481 put together with the device". If a package contains both lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, the package shall be marked for both battery types.
In addition to several key points in the International Maritime Dangerous Regulations Packaging Guidelines P903, there are the following key points of inspection and supervision that need to be paid attention to:
1.One is that whether it is a lithium-ion battery pack or a lithium-ion battery pack contained in or packaged with equipment, the watt-hour ratio must be marked on the outside of the container.
2.Second, lithium battery products do not apply to limited packaging, nor do they apply to exempt packaging.
3.The third is that the package must be marked or marked exclusively for lithium batteries. Lithium batteries or lithium battery packs that comply with Article 188 use the "rectangular mark". Other lithium batteries or lithium battery packs use the "diamond mark" of Class 9 dangerous goods. However, it is not excluded that some countries and regions require the two signs to be posted at the same time, as long as the company provides a statement of the situation.
2023.03.30 06:15 GettRaccd PS2 39001 Thermal Pad thickness?
Hey everyone! First time poster here! I recently dug my old PS2 39001 fat out of the closet. I noticed it had been opened before as two of the plastic screw covers are missing. Naturally, I opened it up again to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. The thermal pad above the EE was torn in several spots by whomever opened it last. I put it all together again after a cleaning and it runs fine, but something about the pad being torn rubs me the wrong way so I'd like to replace it soon. I don't have calipers to measure the thickness myself but I am hoping somebody here knows the answer!
submitted by GettRaccd to ps2 [link] [comments]
2023.03.30 06:12 TurdMasherTed [WA] Oil Change Place (National Chain) overtighted my oil filter then destroyed it trying to remove it. Now my car isn't drivable.
Oil change place I've been going to for years overtightened my oil filter on my last visit. When I went in today, they freaked out about how tight it was and asked where I went previously before discovering they were the ones who performed the last change and it was one of their filters.
Apparently it was insanely tight and 2 hours later they weren't able to remove it. I could hear them discussing how it was crushed, leaking and not moving.
After two hours I told them I would just have it towed to the dealership to have it fixed. They called the manager of the location who kept trying to pressure me to let them fix it or leave it with them overnight which I declined.
I'm going to get it towed tomorrow (I left it at the oil change place) and I contacted my insurance but I doubt they're going to cover something the shop did. I also confirmed I didn't have towing coverage so it looks like I'll be paying for this all (at least initially) out of pocket.
Question - Whats the best way to come out of this whole? Will the shop have insurance for this kind of thing? Is it a good idea to get the car towed to the dealership and have an estimate made for a repair? (Assuming a repair is possible)
Kinda lost on how best to proceed.
submitted by TurdMasherTed to legaladvice [link] [comments]
Apparently it was insanely tight and 2 hours later they weren't able to remove it. I could hear them discussing how it was crushed, leaking and not moving.
After two hours I told them I would just have it towed to the dealership to have it fixed. They called the manager of the location who kept trying to pressure me to let them fix it or leave it with them overnight which I declined.
I'm going to get it towed tomorrow (I left it at the oil change place) and I contacted my insurance but I doubt they're going to cover something the shop did. I also confirmed I didn't have towing coverage so it looks like I'll be paying for this all (at least initially) out of pocket.
Question - Whats the best way to come out of this whole? Will the shop have insurance for this kind of thing? Is it a good idea to get the car towed to the dealership and have an estimate made for a repair? (Assuming a repair is possible)
Kinda lost on how best to proceed.
2023.03.30 06:12 uncomfortablypink Dogs keep emerging from the forest and sleeping on my back porch.
I live in a modest house right on the edge of a large forest in Arkansas. I live with my wife and a German shepherd named Kaiser who is a retired police dog. I'm an active police officer and he was formerly my partner in the field. Since retiring and coming home to my family, he's always been quite the paranoid dog. Often, he would wake up in the middle of the night and walk to the back door, and growl at something. We live in a pretty rural area, so I would always check to make sure there wasn't a problem.
On some nights, he would remain on guard at the back door all night. He would never walk out, though. Even if I gestured for him to come outside with me to check if there was anybody outside, he would refuse and appear concerned. Once morning came, he was back to normal as if nothing was bothering him. But over time, his behavior began to change. He less frequently wanted to sleep in the bed with my wife and me and he stopped getting the zoomies altogether. We took him to the vet and she said he was likely experiencing depression.
The vet recommended a few things that we started doing to help Kaiser. I'm a member of the bomb squad and Kaiser was a bomb-sniffing dog. So, every once in a while, I'd hide a decoy in the house and order him to find it. I would also exercise him more. My wife and I are active runners and we started taking him with us. Both of these things seemed to make him much happier, but it still didn't solve the issue of him laying at the back door every night.
I decided to install another security camera that would look directly at the back porch and I started leaving the back porch light on each night to see if I could catch anything. The first few weeks saw no activity. Kaiser would still do his routine, but there was never anything outside. That was until one cold and snowy night in January. It was eleven at night and I hadn't gone to sleep yet. I had my laptop open on the counter with the live feed of the back porch camera on. Weirdly, I noticed a dog appear behind my house and lay down below the steps up to the porch. The camera feed was fuzzy, so I couldn't make out the breed, but I could tell it wasn't a small dog.
I called my wife down the come look at it. "What the hell is some random dog coming to sleep under our porch for?" she said.
"I'm not sure, but this has to be why Kaiser's been acting so weird."
"Are you gonna go out there?"
"Probably not, I'm not sure if he's friendly. I'll give it a few days and see if he comes back." I looked back at Kaiser and he was standing at attention with his ears perked up. I reassured him everything was okay and tried to get him to come upstairs with my wife and me, but he still would leave the back door.
Unsurprisingly, as the next night came, the dog returned. Then the next night, he returned. Finally, when he returned the fourth time in a row, I decided I'd go out to check on him. Not knowing if he was friendly, I got the handgun and flashlight from my nightstand and kissed my wife.
"Get ready to call animal control if he turns out not to be friendly," I said.
"You're taking the gun with you, is that even gonna be necessary?"
"This is my last resort, the last thing I wanna do is shoot a dog."
Once again, Kaiser refused to come outside with me. I could hear the rustling from under the porch when the dog heard me step onto the porch. I left the door cracked just in case Kaiser wanted to walk out with me. I called the dog a few times but he didn't come out. I could hear him moving, but I couldn't hear any clanging from key chains on a collar.
After a few minutes of trying to call the dog out, I walked down to the grass and try to look under the porch. I shined the flashlight under the porch and saw him laying down as far back as he could. He appeared to be an English mastiff, but he was quite dirty. I tried calling him out but he stayed still staring at me. I went inside and got some of Kaiser's food. Surprisingly, he came out when I offered it to him. Once I stepped back away from the bowl, he began to eat.
As I looked closer at him, I noticed quite a few scars and bruises on him. This dog was trying to get away from an abuser. But where could he be coming from? I know all of my neighbors and their dogs and none of them are English mastiffs. I decided to would just try to take care of this dog for now. Once he was finished eating the food I offered him, he went back to laying down under the porch and I took the bowl back inside.
I kept watching the camera feed for about an hour before I went to bed and he never walked out from under the porch. I went under the porch on the morning after and the dog wasn't there. My wife and I decided to name him Buck for the time being until we figured out his real name and who owned him.
This continued for a few nights. I'd bring him some food, he'd come out from the porch just to eat, I'd go back inside, and he'd be gone by the morning. My wife recommended calling animal control to get him out, but I decided not to since he wasn't causing any problems.
After about a week, Buck let me sit next to him while he was eating. He was a bit skittish when I tried to pet him, but he allowed it. But then something even more strange happened the night after that. Buck brought a friend. A blond lab that my wife and I named Charlie. Charlie also had scars and bruises. Weirdly, Kaiser decided to come out with me this time and greet Buck and Charlie. I tried to get Buck and Charlie to come inside so they didn't have to sleep in the cold, but they refused.
My concern was growing high at this point. I knew these dogs were getting abused and that infuriated me. But they refuse to come into my house and would always go back to wherever they were coming from. So, I decided instead of trying to keep them at my house, I'd follow them to whatever they considered home. The next night, I put on my police gear, grabbed my shotgun and flashlight, and waited for the dogs to walk away. When they finally left, around two in the morning, I quickly followed, as did Kaiser.
I kept my phone on me with GPS location turned on so I wouldn't get lost. I searched through the forest for about an hour with no sign of anything. Kaiser was constantly on alert. I knew he was stressed, but he'd been through a lot in his life already, so I knew he was confident. After an hour and about a mile away from the house, I noticed a faint light through the trees.
I kept Kaiser close while we made our way closer to the light. It seemed to get dimmer the closer we got. When we finally reached the location, the light was already out. What we came across looked like a sinkhole with some sort of cave-like opening and an artificial path so you could walk in and out of the hole.
Despite my better judgment, I walk down the path into the sinkhole, Kaiser following skittishly behind me. I shined my flashlight all around the bottom and noticed there was something buried under a pile of leaves. Kaiser started smelling around and he went digging through the leaves. To my horror, he found Charlie nearly dead. He appeared to still be breathing, but he had a huge gash cutting across his torso. I wanted to do something, but it looked far too bad to be helped. Kaiser was whining and looked back at me, his ears plopping down. Rest in peace, Charlie.
I couldn't let whoever was doing this continue. Kaiser didn't want to leave Charlie, but I had to keep him near me so it didn't happen to him, too. We began walking into the cave. My flashlight was still the only light. The smell in this cave was beyond bad. I know what a dead body smells like, and this was far worse.
I began to hear sounds coming from the cave. Kaiser was starting to get more tense, as was I. As we got further down, I could start to make out the noises more clearly. Dogs were whining and barking. The cave started to take shape and look more like a dungeon. I reached the end. There were tons of cages with multiple dogs in each cage. As I walked through, all the dogs turned to me. I couldn't imagine what kind of sick freak would be doing this.
A loud, blood-curdling scream came from the end of a hallway. All the dogs stopped barking, just quietly whimpering. I shined the flashlight in the direction of the scream. It didn't sound human. I walked down, ready to shoot a freak. I turned the corner, and what I saw sent me into a living nightmare. It screamed again, almost deafening me. I shot.
My ears were ringing. I could faintly hear the dog begin barking again. I look behind me and Kaiser is standing, ready to receive an order. I give him the word to attack. I gather my bearings before calling Kaiser back. It was dead. It looked like some demented feline monster. Its ears were cut up, its face was mangled, and its teeth were gnarly.
It was about the size of a large dog, like a dingo or Great Dane, and hairless. But why and how could a creature like this organize a doggy dungeon like this? That was a question I didn't really want to know the answer to. All I knew was I had a bunch of dogs to rescue and get home.
I never found Buck, but I decided to bury Charlie in my backyard. If anybody would like to adopt a rescue and you live in Arkansas, I have plenty that are in desperate need of a home.
submitted by uncomfortablypink to nosleep [link] [comments]
On some nights, he would remain on guard at the back door all night. He would never walk out, though. Even if I gestured for him to come outside with me to check if there was anybody outside, he would refuse and appear concerned. Once morning came, he was back to normal as if nothing was bothering him. But over time, his behavior began to change. He less frequently wanted to sleep in the bed with my wife and me and he stopped getting the zoomies altogether. We took him to the vet and she said he was likely experiencing depression.
The vet recommended a few things that we started doing to help Kaiser. I'm a member of the bomb squad and Kaiser was a bomb-sniffing dog. So, every once in a while, I'd hide a decoy in the house and order him to find it. I would also exercise him more. My wife and I are active runners and we started taking him with us. Both of these things seemed to make him much happier, but it still didn't solve the issue of him laying at the back door every night.
I decided to install another security camera that would look directly at the back porch and I started leaving the back porch light on each night to see if I could catch anything. The first few weeks saw no activity. Kaiser would still do his routine, but there was never anything outside. That was until one cold and snowy night in January. It was eleven at night and I hadn't gone to sleep yet. I had my laptop open on the counter with the live feed of the back porch camera on. Weirdly, I noticed a dog appear behind my house and lay down below the steps up to the porch. The camera feed was fuzzy, so I couldn't make out the breed, but I could tell it wasn't a small dog.
I called my wife down the come look at it. "What the hell is some random dog coming to sleep under our porch for?" she said.
"I'm not sure, but this has to be why Kaiser's been acting so weird."
"Are you gonna go out there?"
"Probably not, I'm not sure if he's friendly. I'll give it a few days and see if he comes back." I looked back at Kaiser and he was standing at attention with his ears perked up. I reassured him everything was okay and tried to get him to come upstairs with my wife and me, but he still would leave the back door.
Unsurprisingly, as the next night came, the dog returned. Then the next night, he returned. Finally, when he returned the fourth time in a row, I decided I'd go out to check on him. Not knowing if he was friendly, I got the handgun and flashlight from my nightstand and kissed my wife.
"Get ready to call animal control if he turns out not to be friendly," I said.
"You're taking the gun with you, is that even gonna be necessary?"
"This is my last resort, the last thing I wanna do is shoot a dog."
Once again, Kaiser refused to come outside with me. I could hear the rustling from under the porch when the dog heard me step onto the porch. I left the door cracked just in case Kaiser wanted to walk out with me. I called the dog a few times but he didn't come out. I could hear him moving, but I couldn't hear any clanging from key chains on a collar.
After a few minutes of trying to call the dog out, I walked down to the grass and try to look under the porch. I shined the flashlight under the porch and saw him laying down as far back as he could. He appeared to be an English mastiff, but he was quite dirty. I tried calling him out but he stayed still staring at me. I went inside and got some of Kaiser's food. Surprisingly, he came out when I offered it to him. Once I stepped back away from the bowl, he began to eat.
As I looked closer at him, I noticed quite a few scars and bruises on him. This dog was trying to get away from an abuser. But where could he be coming from? I know all of my neighbors and their dogs and none of them are English mastiffs. I decided to would just try to take care of this dog for now. Once he was finished eating the food I offered him, he went back to laying down under the porch and I took the bowl back inside.
I kept watching the camera feed for about an hour before I went to bed and he never walked out from under the porch. I went under the porch on the morning after and the dog wasn't there. My wife and I decided to name him Buck for the time being until we figured out his real name and who owned him.
This continued for a few nights. I'd bring him some food, he'd come out from the porch just to eat, I'd go back inside, and he'd be gone by the morning. My wife recommended calling animal control to get him out, but I decided not to since he wasn't causing any problems.
After about a week, Buck let me sit next to him while he was eating. He was a bit skittish when I tried to pet him, but he allowed it. But then something even more strange happened the night after that. Buck brought a friend. A blond lab that my wife and I named Charlie. Charlie also had scars and bruises. Weirdly, Kaiser decided to come out with me this time and greet Buck and Charlie. I tried to get Buck and Charlie to come inside so they didn't have to sleep in the cold, but they refused.
My concern was growing high at this point. I knew these dogs were getting abused and that infuriated me. But they refuse to come into my house and would always go back to wherever they were coming from. So, I decided instead of trying to keep them at my house, I'd follow them to whatever they considered home. The next night, I put on my police gear, grabbed my shotgun and flashlight, and waited for the dogs to walk away. When they finally left, around two in the morning, I quickly followed, as did Kaiser.
I kept my phone on me with GPS location turned on so I wouldn't get lost. I searched through the forest for about an hour with no sign of anything. Kaiser was constantly on alert. I knew he was stressed, but he'd been through a lot in his life already, so I knew he was confident. After an hour and about a mile away from the house, I noticed a faint light through the trees.
I kept Kaiser close while we made our way closer to the light. It seemed to get dimmer the closer we got. When we finally reached the location, the light was already out. What we came across looked like a sinkhole with some sort of cave-like opening and an artificial path so you could walk in and out of the hole.
Despite my better judgment, I walk down the path into the sinkhole, Kaiser following skittishly behind me. I shined my flashlight all around the bottom and noticed there was something buried under a pile of leaves. Kaiser started smelling around and he went digging through the leaves. To my horror, he found Charlie nearly dead. He appeared to still be breathing, but he had a huge gash cutting across his torso. I wanted to do something, but it looked far too bad to be helped. Kaiser was whining and looked back at me, his ears plopping down. Rest in peace, Charlie.
I couldn't let whoever was doing this continue. Kaiser didn't want to leave Charlie, but I had to keep him near me so it didn't happen to him, too. We began walking into the cave. My flashlight was still the only light. The smell in this cave was beyond bad. I know what a dead body smells like, and this was far worse.
I began to hear sounds coming from the cave. Kaiser was starting to get more tense, as was I. As we got further down, I could start to make out the noises more clearly. Dogs were whining and barking. The cave started to take shape and look more like a dungeon. I reached the end. There were tons of cages with multiple dogs in each cage. As I walked through, all the dogs turned to me. I couldn't imagine what kind of sick freak would be doing this.
A loud, blood-curdling scream came from the end of a hallway. All the dogs stopped barking, just quietly whimpering. I shined the flashlight in the direction of the scream. It didn't sound human. I walked down, ready to shoot a freak. I turned the corner, and what I saw sent me into a living nightmare. It screamed again, almost deafening me. I shot.
My ears were ringing. I could faintly hear the dog begin barking again. I look behind me and Kaiser is standing, ready to receive an order. I give him the word to attack. I gather my bearings before calling Kaiser back. It was dead. It looked like some demented feline monster. Its ears were cut up, its face was mangled, and its teeth were gnarly.
It was about the size of a large dog, like a dingo or Great Dane, and hairless. But why and how could a creature like this organize a doggy dungeon like this? That was a question I didn't really want to know the answer to. All I knew was I had a bunch of dogs to rescue and get home.
I never found Buck, but I decided to bury Charlie in my backyard. If anybody would like to adopt a rescue and you live in Arkansas, I have plenty that are in desperate need of a home.
2023.03.30 06:11 wrhawk Chance nervous asf Bay Area Junior (mechanical engineering and business double major)
Sorry this is super long
Demographics: Indian Male, suburban very competitive public high school in the Bay Area, graduating class of 500+, upper-middle-class family, no financial aid necessary
Intended Majors: Double Major in Mechanical Engineering and Business
Stats: 3.82 UW/ 4.4-4.5 W(school does not weight) (Second sem freshmen year was pretty bad but ever since then I’ve only gotten 1 B), School does not do ranks
SAT: 1430 (M:750, E:680) planning to retake
Coursework: 3 AP’s in school currently (APUSH, APENG, AP PHYS 1), 2 self-study APs (AP Micro, AP Macro), 2 Dual Enrollment (Spanish, BS054), 8 Honors Taken (all that were available to me so far), Taken all business classes offered at my school as 0 periods during both Sophomore and currently Junior year. No APs are offered at my school in Freshmen and Sophomore years other than AP Languages with preference given to Juniors and Seniors.
Awards: (random order) 1. 2023 DECA Districts Written 1st Place 2. 2023 DECA Districs Roleplay 2nd Place 3. 2023 DECA States Roleplay Finalist 4. Top 10/106 Regionally VBC Hotel 2023 Round 2 5. Top 30/272 Teams Nationally VBC Hotel 2023 Round 2 6. First Tech Challenge (FTC) Deans List Semi-Finalist 2023 7. Robotics Team Awards (Semifinalist Alliance Captain, Semifinalist Alliance Captain, Think Award 2rd Place, Inspire Award 3rd Place, Innovate Award sponsored by Raytheon Technologies 3rd Place, Finalist Alliance Captain)
Extracurriculars: (I’m sorry 😭😭😭, random order kinda)
Schools: UIUC (double major) University of Washington (double major), Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern University, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (double major), Babson, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke, Colombia, Boston University, Every UC Except Merced and Riverside, CSU Long Beach, SDSU, SJSU
edit: forgot to put schools lmfao
submitted by wrhawk to chanceme [link] [comments]
Demographics: Indian Male, suburban very competitive public high school in the Bay Area, graduating class of 500+, upper-middle-class family, no financial aid necessary
Intended Majors: Double Major in Mechanical Engineering and Business
Stats: 3.82 UW/ 4.4-4.5 W(school does not weight) (Second sem freshmen year was pretty bad but ever since then I’ve only gotten 1 B), School does not do ranks
SAT: 1430 (M:750, E:680) planning to retake
Coursework: 3 AP’s in school currently (APUSH, APENG, AP PHYS 1), 2 self-study APs (AP Micro, AP Macro), 2 Dual Enrollment (Spanish, BS054), 8 Honors Taken (all that were available to me so far), Taken all business classes offered at my school as 0 periods during both Sophomore and currently Junior year. No APs are offered at my school in Freshmen and Sophomore years other than AP Languages with preference given to Juniors and Seniors.
Awards: (random order) 1. 2023 DECA Districts Written 1st Place 2. 2023 DECA Districs Roleplay 2nd Place 3. 2023 DECA States Roleplay Finalist 4. Top 10/106 Regionally VBC Hotel 2023 Round 2 5. Top 30/272 Teams Nationally VBC Hotel 2023 Round 2 6. First Tech Challenge (FTC) Deans List Semi-Finalist 2023 7. Robotics Team Awards (Semifinalist Alliance Captain, Semifinalist Alliance Captain, Think Award 2rd Place, Inspire Award 3rd Place, Innovate Award sponsored by Raytheon Technologies 3rd Place, Finalist Alliance Captain)
Extracurriculars: (I’m sorry 😭😭😭, random order kinda)
- Co-Founder, Build and Design Team Lead, Driver, and Team Captain of my FTC Robotics Team and 501(c)3 Non-Profit with Benevity (2500+ hours on Fusion 360 across 5 years, Solely responsible for creating new designs, inventorying old designs, backing-up designs, merging designs, and creating individual files for each complied design for over 150 different self-made projects, Coached FLL team that made it to regionals, Coached an FTC team that made it to the finalist alliance and semifinalist alliance in two qualifiers in their rookie year, Raised $10k including $5k from Apple, Created coding and engineering curriculum for local elementary schools and reached out to teach, Created a coding curriculum for unprivileged students in Romania and reached out to an organization in the UK to help organizations access to resources for children in African countries so we could teach them coding with the same curriculum, Neural Networks(Machine Learning) for Computer Vision, In collaboration with other local FTC teams, we created a curriculum for and taught neurodivergent students coding throughout the high school, Taught annual robotics webinar with 50+ attendees totaling around 125)
- Worked with a non-profit created by friends during the summer to create a coding curriculum currently used in 11 countries and personally taught 50 children in the Bay Area
- Social Media Manager for the 2020 Town Mayoral Campaign (sole manager of the campaign social media page, town of 240,000+ residents, gained 25.2% of all votes against current mayor who was rerunning, represented an openly gay mid-20’s candidate)
- DECA (started through DECA program at middle school, finally completed requirements to compete and started competing sophomore year, was unable to attend states that year due to family matters)
- Co-Owner of a business (valued at 30 million, CRN 250 Fastest growing business, Family Business my dad started in 2016 with my uncles, did a full brand image change for them and redid the wireframe for our entire website which is currently being developed, traveled across the country to participate in conferences discussing deals with possible clients including federal, was given partial ownership for my contributions)
- Entrepreneurship Competitions (Competed in the Diamond Challenge (2021) and the Conrad Challenge (2021) as a freshman, Competed in the Blue Ocean Competition (2022 and 2023))
- Co-Founder and Vice-President of Marketing at Medical Club at school (Advertised the club from having only 4 members to having over 150 at our introductory meeting with a current membership of 60+, educate students on various medical career paths while providing experience opportunities, Members can participate in workshops, labs, discussions, research and shadowing opportunities, guest lectures, and internships, Strategically designed social media posts to increase participation by 300%, Communicate with professionals in the medical field to create opportunities for members to witness the medical field)
- Consulting (worked with an internationally acclaimed business on video editing, content creation, blog writing, marketing, advertising, networking, and expanding their community by over 60%)
- Car Club Photographer (Hobbies, Aiding in the planning and documenting of monthly car meets hosted at my school, used to network and meet new people as well as further my knowledge about cars, I want to go into the automotive industry)
- 300+ volunteer hours (undocumented but can be documented if necessary
- Pwnisher’s “Endless Engines” (Hobby, Competed in a 3D animation competition run by YouTuber Pwnisher, Faced 4,200+ other competitors many of whom do similar 3D animation as a career, Put in over 200 hours across 3 weeks)
Schools: UIUC (double major) University of Washington (double major), Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern University, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (double major), Babson, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke, Colombia, Boston University, Every UC Except Merced and Riverside, CSU Long Beach, SDSU, SJSU
edit: forgot to put schools lmfao
2023.03.30 06:09 vren55 [A Fractured Song] - Chapter 183 - Fantasy, Isekai (Portal Fantasy), Adventure
Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
Teaser: Martin and Ginger are thrust into an unenviable role.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 182 part 2] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 184 on April 5 or now on patreon ]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
Despite his curly crimson beard and heavyset build King Jerome was quite a mild-mannered man. His soft chin and cheekbones lent the man a face more inclined to smiling than scowling.
He was doing both, which wasn’t something Martin nor Ginger had seen that. His eyes were narrowed and brow furrowed. His lips however were tilted in a wry smile.
“We did give you the authority to make treaties with Queen Janize directly, but these are harsh terms for us, Sir Martin, Lady Ginger.”
Martin had set up their mirror so he and Ginger were standing in front of it. He dipped his head, placing one hand over his chest. “I am afraid I don’t see any other option, Your Majesty. You know of the strategic situation and the dragons that Thorgoth has under his command. We didn’t want the civil war in the first place, but now we must end it or risk annihilation.”
Queen Forowena, despite her limp, was pacing around her chair. One hand clenched her chin. “We don’t even know if Janize will agree to meet with us in the first place. Though, that’s beside the point. You want to know if we ought to approve of this at all.”
“Yes ma’am, I mean, Your Majesties.” Ginger swallowed. “More importantly, we want to know if there are any terms you are demanding Queen Janize to accept.”
The eyes of Forowena and Jerome met. No words passed between them. Jerome only raised a thick eyebrow and Forowena nodded, before turning to the pair. “No, but I do have one question. Did Elizabeth and Frances tell you about my infertility?”
Martin winced, whilst Ginger coughed officiously. “Elizabeth did, Your Majesty. She said that she will take full responsibility for that breach, and states that trying to keep the secret was impossible given the nature of her mission and our involvement in it.”
Nodding, Martin braced himself and clasped his hands behind his back. “Which brings the question, Your Majesty, with all due respect, did you intend for us to assassinate Queen Janize and her child?”
Forowena and Jerome again glanced at one another. This time, Jerome was giving his wife a knowing smile and the Earl was pinching her nose.
“To speak truthfully, Sir Martin, Lady Ginger, we were not sure ourselves whether we wanted to kill Janize if she was pregnant. We have continued to debate the question and its consequences,” said Forowena.
Jerome grimaced. “What we knew for sure was that Erisdale had to be put to siege. Now, I argued that my sister should be spared as with her child.”
“And I argued that Janize and her child were a threat to our rule and our chosen successors. I don’t want to kill them for both moral and practical reasons, but I was not sure how to neutralise them.” The Earl ran a hand through her hair and glanced at her husband. “Dear, I believe that we can accept most of the terms that Martin and Ginger have offered our behalf except for the second point.”
The king took her hand, running his scarred fingers over Forowena’s knuckles “You are correct my dear. We will allow Janize's child to enter the line of succession, but we have chosen our successors.”
Martin did his best to keep his expression neutral. “Your Majesty, I don’t understand. There’s no other direct descendant of House Grey left.”
Forowena sighed, her eyes meeting Martin and Ginger’s. “No. That’s why after very careful thinking, we planned to appoint our successors. We have even talked to all the other lords and ladies who support us and even our kingdom’s most powerful mages. That’s why there’s no way we can fully accept that second condition. It would be impractical if not impossible to get them to switch their support.”
Martin frowned. He suddenly recalled a call where his mothers and sister had given him a very strange look. They seemed oddly proud, even when they’d just been talking about family gossip.
Jerome nodded, “That and we would still be at war with Alavaria. A child successor would be inherently less appealing, and especially one underneath the influence of Queen Janize at that.”
Rubbing her temples, Forowena drawled, “It’s also why Janize and her child are such a threat. Unless Janize formally renounces her claim, she’d always be able to make a bid for the throne through her child. Not to mention she could just influence the throne through her child if he or she becomes ruler of Erisdale.”
Ginger coughed into her fist. Lifting her chin, she glared defiantly at the mirror. “With all due respect, Your Majesties, it would be better than continuing this pointless civil war. So long as we execute Darius and strip the rest of the Traditionalists of their power, who cares if Janize has some influence over her child? She won’t be able to harm Alavari in Erisdale, or affect lasting change. We’ll still be here. We’ll watch her and if she goes too far we will have Queen Titania’s Alavaria assisting us.”
Martin narrowed his eyes. Forowena and Jerome were exchanging looks again. Both were smiling at each other, but the ends of their lips were curled into just a bit of a smirk.
“Your Majesties, perhaps you can enlighten us on who you decided to be your successors? If they are not a very popular choice, maybe we can accept Janize’s terms.” The knight watched the king and queen carefully as his words hung in the air. He watched as King Jerome blinked, tried to avert his gaze, before forcing himself to look him in the eye. He noted how Queen Forowena forced her features into an expressionless mask.
Martin felt a cold shiver run through the very core of his being. Unconsciously he grabbed Ginger’s hand. His fiance blinked, tuning to look at him with wide eyes. Martin swallowed.
“That is, unless for some insane reason you’ve chosen me and Ginger?”
The queen let out a small breath, while trying to keep her neutral expression. Jerome’s shoulders sagged and he patted Forowena’s shoulder. “Told you he’d figure it out.”
Ginger’s head whipped back to face the royal couple. “Wait, what? Impossible. I’m a commoner. A former convict!”
Forowena’s eyes narrowed and her voice rose. “You’re also popular with the people, one of our national heroes. If your little rebuke to us was any indication, you also are loyal not to Erisdale’s monarchy, but our country and people. As for the matter of your commoner background, you’re marrying Martin and you know what that means.”
Ginger hands clasped behind her head, almost screamed, “Yes, I am marrying into a distant relation of the Royal Family and one of the founding noble houses of Erisdale. I was ready for that! You’re asking me—us to become King and Queen of Erisdale!”
“Yes.” Forowena growled, bitter tears wetting her eyes. “And we would never do so if there was no other option, Lady Ginger, but I can’t conceive a child!”
Jerome’s hand reached over to squeeze his queen’s shoulder. “And there’s no way I’m divorcing my queen. I am a man of my word and I vowed to be with Forowena until death do us part. That won’t change.”
Martin coughed to clear his throat and crossed his arms. “Then why didn’t you just have a surrogate give birth to your child, Your Majesty? I know it would be shameful but did you consider that we may not want to be king and queen?”
The king blinked, looking a little like an owl caught by torchlight. Forowena grimaced. “I did discuss this with Jerome, but I couldn’t quite convince him. You do have a good point, Sir Martin. However, even if Jerome did finally agree to father a child with a surrogate, we would still want you and Ginger to become the next King and Queen.”
“Right, potential child ruler. Not good for Erisdale,” Ginger muttered.
Forowena grimaced. “That and how many children could Jerome father? He cannot simply start fathering children haphazardly. More importantly, children are vulnerable. Even if by some miracle I could bear children, I would push for you both to be added in the line of succession.”
Jerome nodded solemnly. “Neither of us are willing to risk the fate of Erisdale on a child, even if it was our own. Considering that our original discussion was about the potential for Janize’s child to inherit, I think you see our point.”
Ginger, biting the tip of her thumb, yanked her hand out of her mouth. “We couldn’t have been that popular a choice, though…right?”
Forowena grinned. “You weren’t everybody’s first choice, but you were on the lips of many and once we started to seriously press those who were hesitant, they agreed you two were the best option. They even pledged to support you.”
Ginger glanced at her husband, but he was still crossing his arms. He’d gone so still for a moment she wondered if he was breathing. Then her mind caught up with her.
“Every lord and lady under your command agreed on us?” she stammered.
“Including your sister Mara, Martin,” said Jerome.
Clutching her hands, Ginger took a deep breath. “But why not Lady Edana—
“Of Erlenberg and not Erisdalian,” said Forowena.
“Frances!”
Jerome shook his head, wincing. Forowena sighed. “Otherworlder and clearly too close to Prince Timur to make her look out for Erisdale’s interest.”
Ginger pressed a hand over her mouth, her free hand clenching into a fist and opening. “Shit. This…this is really happening.”
Martin closed his eyes and nodded. “I believe so. My…personal feelings aside, I will do my duty. But what do we tell Janize?”
“That we’ve appointed our own successors, but her child will be in the line of succession, with our successors house to take precedent over her own. That might complicate the succession law for the future, but that can be resolved in time.” Forowena snapped her fingers. “Ah, and we will also make it a condition that the amount wealth and land confiscated will be determined on the basis of who the Traditonalists persecuted and to provide compensation for property damaged by their forces in the war.”
Martin and Ginger exchanged a glance. “Including Alavari, Your Majesty?” Martin asked, his voice quiet.
Jerome nodded. “That is the intention, Sir Martin. Now…I believe you and your fiance have much to discuss. If that is all, you may request to be dismissed.”
“We do wish, Your Majesties,” said Martin, bowing. Ginger mirrored her fiance and the images of the king and queen faded.
Promptly walking over to one of their chests, Ginger fished into it and drew out a bottle of wine.
“Care for glass?” she asked as she fetched a goblet.
Martin sat down heavily onto his bedroll. “Yes. We…well nothing is guaranteed. I mean we haven’t even gotten married yet.”
Ginger poured herself and her fiance two glasses and handed one to Martin. “But we pledged to after the war, and so have the other lords and ladies of Erisdale. Damnit, of course Frances, Elizabeth and the others would support us, but everybody else?”
“It’s unexpected, but now that I think about it, most people wouldn’t want to be named heirs to Erisdale. It’ll be a hard job rebuilding this kingdom after the war and essentially starting a new dynasty.”
Sitting down, Ginger sipped from her glass. “Dynasty. Fuck, I’ll have to do something about my family.”
“Give your parents a stipend and nothing else.” Martin pursed his lips. “Of course, if you don’t want to be queen, Ginger, you can just—”
His fiance leant against his shoulder. “Finish that sentence and I will smack you. We’re in this together, Martin.”
“I know and I love you. I just wanted to make sure.” Martin took a deep gulp of wine and swallowed hard. “Hopefully, this is the last of the big responsibilities we get.”
Ginger snorted. “I would not bet on it my dear knight.”
Her fiance chuckled, before his lips pinched together. “Promise that you’ll never start calling me Your Majesty, please.”
Wrapping her arm around the blonde man, Ginger smiled. “You’ll always be my shining knight, Martin. Nothing will change that.”
“Thank you, Ginger.”
Pulling her feet off the table where Janize’s mirror was and sliding them back into slippers, Leila crossed her arms. “How many years since you’ve seen your brother?”
“Not since the civil war started, so about two years.” Janize smiled gave Leila a peck on the cheek. “Honestly, I am both irritated and a little proud of Jerome. I didn’t expect him to hold out, much less turn the tables on me. I always teased him when we were younger. He was too honorable, to the point that he was dumb. I suppose he just needed to find the right group of people to help him along. How long before the meeting by the way?”
Leila glanced at the high noon sun outside. “Not long now. I’ve also redoubled the security spells and checked the room.”
Janize nodded serenely. “Good. Anything else you can think of with regards to the conditions we have and their terms?”
The Otherworlder tapped her fingers on her arm. “Well, it’s not exactly something they demanded, but it might come up. They probably will demand compensation for the Alavari that we’ve been experimenting on. It’s probably why they demanded land and wealth from our rebelling nobles.”
“Pardon?”
Leila frowned, meeting Janize’s narrowed grey eyes. “I mean, it’ll be hard to argue with them. They’ve captured several of the labs and have our research notes—”
Janize raised her hand, her usually relaxed brow now furrowed. “Leila, what are you talking about? What do you mean by labs and experiments?”
The Otherworlder’s eyes widened and she found herself sitting up ramrod straight. “Um, is this a particularly amusing prank of yours?”
“We are minutes away from a critical meeting. Why would I joke about this with you now?” Janize hissed.
Leila blinked and slowly shook her head. “You’re kidding me. There’s no way you could have not been aware of this. The castles and labs were garrisoned with army troops and Red Order mages.”
“Leila this is the first time I’ve heard about these labs and castles—” Janize grimaced as the mirror began to glow, the sign that a call was coming. “Oh dear. Oh dear. I…I suppose I will have to request to be informed.” Settling herself, the queen touched the mirror and watched as King Jerome, Queen Forowena, Elizabeth, Ayax, Martin and Ginger appeared.
“Hello Janize,” said Jerome, coolly.
Janize smiled without mirth. “Greetings, Jerome. I must begin this meeting with a bit of a somewhat incredulous confession. But please bring me up to date on what exactly has been going on in the labs you have found that were apparently operated by my forces?”
The queen’s smile thinned as sceptical scowls and narrowed eyes met her question. Ayax blinked, tail whipping side to side. “You’re joking right?”
Janize cut before the stunned looking Reformists could ask another question. “I wish I was, but I was just informed by Leila here that they did exist. Speaking of which, how did you come to know about them, Leila? This is not something discussed in my palace.”
A grim, almost haunted look came over Leila’s face. “I found out about it recently as well. A few months ago, Master Scarlet of the Red Order requested Otherworlder assistance in defending their outposts and castles. They had no strategic value so we pressed her and she told us they were magical research laboratories and they couldn’t move the research easily. After that meeting, Earl Darius tried to convince me, saying that it would please Janize if I sallied forth. I wouldn’t normally have believed him, but our situation was so desperate I thought it made sense. I started to prepare a counterattack, but then it didn’t matter anyway because you folks in the Lightning Battalion started to attack them and there is no way in hell we would survive a fight with a full army division.”
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth tried her best to get her own temper and confusion under control. “You mean you weren’t told what was going on in there? When did you find out about the children?”
“Our standing orders were to take Alavari prisoners of war and hand them over to the Red Order. So I figured—” Leila dropped her arms to her side. “Hold on. Children? What the fuck are you talking about? I thought they were experimenting with prisoners of war and criminals?”
A cold snarl twisting her normally serene expression, Ayax rose to her feet. “You Traditionalists haven’t even been fighting the Alavari! How could you have gotten prisoners of war? And experimenting on them is still wrong!”
Feeling a headache coming on, Janize gingerly massaged the side of her temple. “Wait, children? I thought that was propaganda you were spreading. Where the hell did you even get children from?”
“From the Alavari that lived in Erisdale, and from those that you kidnapped from Alavaria!” Elizabeth hissed.
“I authorized funding and troops for magical research, not that.” Her stony-masked stoicism wavered as her lips twitched. It was as if the queen was trying to prevent a wince. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this is extraordinary.”
His eyes narrowed, King Jerome leaned onto his elbows. “Janize, I don’t understand. How could you have known nothing? You don’t trust Earl Darius or Master Scarlet that much.”
Janize pulled her hands from her temples. Drawing herself straight, she narrowed her eyes at the mirror. “No I don’t, but this is the first time I’ve heard about these experiments.”
Leila blinked. She knew her lover better now and as good at hiding her feelings the queen was, she did have some subtle tells. In this case, her shoulders were just a bit too stiff, stretching skin across her high collarbone. “Janize, I’m sorry, but that’s…not entirely true isn’t it?”
The queen tilted her head toward the Otherworlder. Her grey eyes glared daggers at Leila for a brief moment, before she turned back to the mirror. In an arch tone, she hissed between gritted teeth, “I know they were making mana batteries. However, it’s the first time I’ve heard about children. I have been suspicious about why Master Scarlet and Earl Darius require so many facilities for some time and have been trying to audit them. They’ve been stonewalling me with magical and military jargon or burying it in budget books under nondescript lines.”
Leila blinked. “Oh that’s why you were asking me what those words meant.”
“Yes, dear. Now, if the interrogation is over, I will agree to offer compensation to those children and their surviving family members. In return, I have my own conditions.”
Forowena sneered. “Name them. We have our own conditions as well.”
Janize grinned back. “First, my child is not to be next in line to the throne of Erisdale. In fact, I would like to renounce my right of succession and that of my child.”
It was rather hard for Elizabeth, Ayax and their allies to hide their surprise. Admirably, King Jerome only managed to show his shock through a series of rapid blinks. “That’s a major concession, sister.”
The queen turned her chin up. “In return, once you depose Earl Darius, you grant me his personal lands and make me an Earl.”
Crossing her arms, her thoughts racing a mile-a-minute, Elizabeth muttered. “You’d become Erisdale’s chief powerbroker.”
“I am surrendering after all and most of my allies will be gone. You got to give me something. Besides, if I remain Earl, I’d be able to keep what remains of the Traditonalists in check. Exile honestly doesn’t suit me, as comfortable as it would be. I want my child to have a future, not one where he or she has no allies and is bound to the crown.”
Forowena and Jerome glanced at one another, exchanging frowns.
Martin also looked to Ginger, who shook her head. He nodded. They’d had their own discussion about Janize’s possible offers and they had their own opinion.
“Go get em, Martin,” Ginger rasped.
The knight swallowed and coughed officiously. “If I may be so bold, Your Majesties, I propose we grant Queen Janize a county, not an earldom. In return, we shall protect her from reprisals and reparations that the Crown of Alavaria will undoubtedly request.”
Leila rolled her eyes. “What crimes? As you said, we didn’t fight Alavaria.”
A shit-eating grin blossomed over Ginger’s face. Idly twirling a lock of her hair, she crossed her legs. “Earl Darius’s forces kidnapped Queen Titania’s niece, Princess Morgan Greyhammer from the Alavari Academy of Magic and subjected her to a year of torture and experimentation.”
In the silence that followed, all that could be heard was Leila trying not to sputter. Janize was quiet and still. Yet the color was drained from her face.
“That dumb bastard,” Janize whispered.
Leila slammed her fist on the table, causing Janize to flinch. “Fuck.”
“So a county it is, then?” Ginger asked in an airy tone.
“Yes. Do you confirm your side of your terms?” Janize asked.
“We do. Our demand was that your child could not be our successor, which you have agreed to.”
“So the dynasty of the House of Grey ends I suppose.” Janize let out a shuddering breath and shook her head. “Then who is to be your successor?”
Martin and Ginger clasped each other’s hands in unison before facing the group.
“We are,” said Martin slowly.
“Until someone better is found,” said Ginger.
Janize arched an eyebrow. Leila sighed. The queen, however, nudged her Otherworlder quiet and gave a nod of assent. “A wise choice. Shall we continue?”
Author’s Note: So yeah, this is a bit of a twist, let’s see what happens.
submitted by vren55 to redditserials [link] [comments]
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
Teaser: Martin and Ginger are thrust into an unenviable role.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 182 part 2] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 184 on April 5 or now on patreon ]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
He was doing both, which wasn’t something Martin nor Ginger had seen that. His eyes were narrowed and brow furrowed. His lips however were tilted in a wry smile.
“We did give you the authority to make treaties with Queen Janize directly, but these are harsh terms for us, Sir Martin, Lady Ginger.”
Martin had set up their mirror so he and Ginger were standing in front of it. He dipped his head, placing one hand over his chest. “I am afraid I don’t see any other option, Your Majesty. You know of the strategic situation and the dragons that Thorgoth has under his command. We didn’t want the civil war in the first place, but now we must end it or risk annihilation.”
Queen Forowena, despite her limp, was pacing around her chair. One hand clenched her chin. “We don’t even know if Janize will agree to meet with us in the first place. Though, that’s beside the point. You want to know if we ought to approve of this at all.”
“Yes ma’am, I mean, Your Majesties.” Ginger swallowed. “More importantly, we want to know if there are any terms you are demanding Queen Janize to accept.”
The eyes of Forowena and Jerome met. No words passed between them. Jerome only raised a thick eyebrow and Forowena nodded, before turning to the pair. “No, but I do have one question. Did Elizabeth and Frances tell you about my infertility?”
Martin winced, whilst Ginger coughed officiously. “Elizabeth did, Your Majesty. She said that she will take full responsibility for that breach, and states that trying to keep the secret was impossible given the nature of her mission and our involvement in it.”
Nodding, Martin braced himself and clasped his hands behind his back. “Which brings the question, Your Majesty, with all due respect, did you intend for us to assassinate Queen Janize and her child?”
Forowena and Jerome again glanced at one another. This time, Jerome was giving his wife a knowing smile and the Earl was pinching her nose.
“To speak truthfully, Sir Martin, Lady Ginger, we were not sure ourselves whether we wanted to kill Janize if she was pregnant. We have continued to debate the question and its consequences,” said Forowena.
Jerome grimaced. “What we knew for sure was that Erisdale had to be put to siege. Now, I argued that my sister should be spared as with her child.”
“And I argued that Janize and her child were a threat to our rule and our chosen successors. I don’t want to kill them for both moral and practical reasons, but I was not sure how to neutralise them.” The Earl ran a hand through her hair and glanced at her husband. “Dear, I believe that we can accept most of the terms that Martin and Ginger have offered our behalf except for the second point.”
The king took her hand, running his scarred fingers over Forowena’s knuckles “You are correct my dear. We will allow Janize's child to enter the line of succession, but we have chosen our successors.”
Martin did his best to keep his expression neutral. “Your Majesty, I don’t understand. There’s no other direct descendant of House Grey left.”
Forowena sighed, her eyes meeting Martin and Ginger’s. “No. That’s why after very careful thinking, we planned to appoint our successors. We have even talked to all the other lords and ladies who support us and even our kingdom’s most powerful mages. That’s why there’s no way we can fully accept that second condition. It would be impractical if not impossible to get them to switch their support.”
Martin frowned. He suddenly recalled a call where his mothers and sister had given him a very strange look. They seemed oddly proud, even when they’d just been talking about family gossip.
Jerome nodded, “That and we would still be at war with Alavaria. A child successor would be inherently less appealing, and especially one underneath the influence of Queen Janize at that.”
Rubbing her temples, Forowena drawled, “It’s also why Janize and her child are such a threat. Unless Janize formally renounces her claim, she’d always be able to make a bid for the throne through her child. Not to mention she could just influence the throne through her child if he or she becomes ruler of Erisdale.”
Ginger coughed into her fist. Lifting her chin, she glared defiantly at the mirror. “With all due respect, Your Majesties, it would be better than continuing this pointless civil war. So long as we execute Darius and strip the rest of the Traditionalists of their power, who cares if Janize has some influence over her child? She won’t be able to harm Alavari in Erisdale, or affect lasting change. We’ll still be here. We’ll watch her and if she goes too far we will have Queen Titania’s Alavaria assisting us.”
Martin narrowed his eyes. Forowena and Jerome were exchanging looks again. Both were smiling at each other, but the ends of their lips were curled into just a bit of a smirk.
“Your Majesties, perhaps you can enlighten us on who you decided to be your successors? If they are not a very popular choice, maybe we can accept Janize’s terms.” The knight watched the king and queen carefully as his words hung in the air. He watched as King Jerome blinked, tried to avert his gaze, before forcing himself to look him in the eye. He noted how Queen Forowena forced her features into an expressionless mask.
Martin felt a cold shiver run through the very core of his being. Unconsciously he grabbed Ginger’s hand. His fiance blinked, tuning to look at him with wide eyes. Martin swallowed.
“That is, unless for some insane reason you’ve chosen me and Ginger?”
The queen let out a small breath, while trying to keep her neutral expression. Jerome’s shoulders sagged and he patted Forowena’s shoulder. “Told you he’d figure it out.”
Ginger’s head whipped back to face the royal couple. “Wait, what? Impossible. I’m a commoner. A former convict!”
Forowena’s eyes narrowed and her voice rose. “You’re also popular with the people, one of our national heroes. If your little rebuke to us was any indication, you also are loyal not to Erisdale’s monarchy, but our country and people. As for the matter of your commoner background, you’re marrying Martin and you know what that means.”
Ginger hands clasped behind her head, almost screamed, “Yes, I am marrying into a distant relation of the Royal Family and one of the founding noble houses of Erisdale. I was ready for that! You’re asking me—us to become King and Queen of Erisdale!”
“Yes.” Forowena growled, bitter tears wetting her eyes. “And we would never do so if there was no other option, Lady Ginger, but I can’t conceive a child!”
Jerome’s hand reached over to squeeze his queen’s shoulder. “And there’s no way I’m divorcing my queen. I am a man of my word and I vowed to be with Forowena until death do us part. That won’t change.”
Martin coughed to clear his throat and crossed his arms. “Then why didn’t you just have a surrogate give birth to your child, Your Majesty? I know it would be shameful but did you consider that we may not want to be king and queen?”
The king blinked, looking a little like an owl caught by torchlight. Forowena grimaced. “I did discuss this with Jerome, but I couldn’t quite convince him. You do have a good point, Sir Martin. However, even if Jerome did finally agree to father a child with a surrogate, we would still want you and Ginger to become the next King and Queen.”
“Right, potential child ruler. Not good for Erisdale,” Ginger muttered.
Forowena grimaced. “That and how many children could Jerome father? He cannot simply start fathering children haphazardly. More importantly, children are vulnerable. Even if by some miracle I could bear children, I would push for you both to be added in the line of succession.”
Jerome nodded solemnly. “Neither of us are willing to risk the fate of Erisdale on a child, even if it was our own. Considering that our original discussion was about the potential for Janize’s child to inherit, I think you see our point.”
Ginger, biting the tip of her thumb, yanked her hand out of her mouth. “We couldn’t have been that popular a choice, though…right?”
Forowena grinned. “You weren’t everybody’s first choice, but you were on the lips of many and once we started to seriously press those who were hesitant, they agreed you two were the best option. They even pledged to support you.”
Ginger glanced at her husband, but he was still crossing his arms. He’d gone so still for a moment she wondered if he was breathing. Then her mind caught up with her.
“Every lord and lady under your command agreed on us?” she stammered.
“Including your sister Mara, Martin,” said Jerome.
Clutching her hands, Ginger took a deep breath. “But why not Lady Edana—
“Of Erlenberg and not Erisdalian,” said Forowena.
“Frances!”
Jerome shook his head, wincing. Forowena sighed. “Otherworlder and clearly too close to Prince Timur to make her look out for Erisdale’s interest.”
Ginger pressed a hand over her mouth, her free hand clenching into a fist and opening. “Shit. This…this is really happening.”
Martin closed his eyes and nodded. “I believe so. My…personal feelings aside, I will do my duty. But what do we tell Janize?”
“That we’ve appointed our own successors, but her child will be in the line of succession, with our successors house to take precedent over her own. That might complicate the succession law for the future, but that can be resolved in time.” Forowena snapped her fingers. “Ah, and we will also make it a condition that the amount wealth and land confiscated will be determined on the basis of who the Traditonalists persecuted and to provide compensation for property damaged by their forces in the war.”
Martin and Ginger exchanged a glance. “Including Alavari, Your Majesty?” Martin asked, his voice quiet.
Jerome nodded. “That is the intention, Sir Martin. Now…I believe you and your fiance have much to discuss. If that is all, you may request to be dismissed.”
“We do wish, Your Majesties,” said Martin, bowing. Ginger mirrored her fiance and the images of the king and queen faded.
Promptly walking over to one of their chests, Ginger fished into it and drew out a bottle of wine.
“Care for glass?” she asked as she fetched a goblet.
Martin sat down heavily onto his bedroll. “Yes. We…well nothing is guaranteed. I mean we haven’t even gotten married yet.”
Ginger poured herself and her fiance two glasses and handed one to Martin. “But we pledged to after the war, and so have the other lords and ladies of Erisdale. Damnit, of course Frances, Elizabeth and the others would support us, but everybody else?”
“It’s unexpected, but now that I think about it, most people wouldn’t want to be named heirs to Erisdale. It’ll be a hard job rebuilding this kingdom after the war and essentially starting a new dynasty.”
Sitting down, Ginger sipped from her glass. “Dynasty. Fuck, I’ll have to do something about my family.”
“Give your parents a stipend and nothing else.” Martin pursed his lips. “Of course, if you don’t want to be queen, Ginger, you can just—”
His fiance leant against his shoulder. “Finish that sentence and I will smack you. We’re in this together, Martin.”
“I know and I love you. I just wanted to make sure.” Martin took a deep gulp of wine and swallowed hard. “Hopefully, this is the last of the big responsibilities we get.”
Ginger snorted. “I would not bet on it my dear knight.”
Her fiance chuckled, before his lips pinched together. “Promise that you’ll never start calling me Your Majesty, please.”
Wrapping her arm around the blonde man, Ginger smiled. “You’ll always be my shining knight, Martin. Nothing will change that.”
“Thank you, Ginger.”
“Not since the civil war started, so about two years.” Janize smiled gave Leila a peck on the cheek. “Honestly, I am both irritated and a little proud of Jerome. I didn’t expect him to hold out, much less turn the tables on me. I always teased him when we were younger. He was too honorable, to the point that he was dumb. I suppose he just needed to find the right group of people to help him along. How long before the meeting by the way?”
Leila glanced at the high noon sun outside. “Not long now. I’ve also redoubled the security spells and checked the room.”
Janize nodded serenely. “Good. Anything else you can think of with regards to the conditions we have and their terms?”
The Otherworlder tapped her fingers on her arm. “Well, it’s not exactly something they demanded, but it might come up. They probably will demand compensation for the Alavari that we’ve been experimenting on. It’s probably why they demanded land and wealth from our rebelling nobles.”
“Pardon?”
Leila frowned, meeting Janize’s narrowed grey eyes. “I mean, it’ll be hard to argue with them. They’ve captured several of the labs and have our research notes—”
Janize raised her hand, her usually relaxed brow now furrowed. “Leila, what are you talking about? What do you mean by labs and experiments?”
The Otherworlder’s eyes widened and she found herself sitting up ramrod straight. “Um, is this a particularly amusing prank of yours?”
“We are minutes away from a critical meeting. Why would I joke about this with you now?” Janize hissed.
Leila blinked and slowly shook her head. “You’re kidding me. There’s no way you could have not been aware of this. The castles and labs were garrisoned with army troops and Red Order mages.”
“Leila this is the first time I’ve heard about these labs and castles—” Janize grimaced as the mirror began to glow, the sign that a call was coming. “Oh dear. Oh dear. I…I suppose I will have to request to be informed.” Settling herself, the queen touched the mirror and watched as King Jerome, Queen Forowena, Elizabeth, Ayax, Martin and Ginger appeared.
“Hello Janize,” said Jerome, coolly.
Janize smiled without mirth. “Greetings, Jerome. I must begin this meeting with a bit of a somewhat incredulous confession. But please bring me up to date on what exactly has been going on in the labs you have found that were apparently operated by my forces?”
The queen’s smile thinned as sceptical scowls and narrowed eyes met her question. Ayax blinked, tail whipping side to side. “You’re joking right?”
Janize cut before the stunned looking Reformists could ask another question. “I wish I was, but I was just informed by Leila here that they did exist. Speaking of which, how did you come to know about them, Leila? This is not something discussed in my palace.”
A grim, almost haunted look came over Leila’s face. “I found out about it recently as well. A few months ago, Master Scarlet of the Red Order requested Otherworlder assistance in defending their outposts and castles. They had no strategic value so we pressed her and she told us they were magical research laboratories and they couldn’t move the research easily. After that meeting, Earl Darius tried to convince me, saying that it would please Janize if I sallied forth. I wouldn’t normally have believed him, but our situation was so desperate I thought it made sense. I started to prepare a counterattack, but then it didn’t matter anyway because you folks in the Lightning Battalion started to attack them and there is no way in hell we would survive a fight with a full army division.”
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth tried her best to get her own temper and confusion under control. “You mean you weren’t told what was going on in there? When did you find out about the children?”
“Our standing orders were to take Alavari prisoners of war and hand them over to the Red Order. So I figured—” Leila dropped her arms to her side. “Hold on. Children? What the fuck are you talking about? I thought they were experimenting with prisoners of war and criminals?”
A cold snarl twisting her normally serene expression, Ayax rose to her feet. “You Traditionalists haven’t even been fighting the Alavari! How could you have gotten prisoners of war? And experimenting on them is still wrong!”
Feeling a headache coming on, Janize gingerly massaged the side of her temple. “Wait, children? I thought that was propaganda you were spreading. Where the hell did you even get children from?”
“From the Alavari that lived in Erisdale, and from those that you kidnapped from Alavaria!” Elizabeth hissed.
“I authorized funding and troops for magical research, not that.” Her stony-masked stoicism wavered as her lips twitched. It was as if the queen was trying to prevent a wince. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this is extraordinary.”
His eyes narrowed, King Jerome leaned onto his elbows. “Janize, I don’t understand. How could you have known nothing? You don’t trust Earl Darius or Master Scarlet that much.”
Janize pulled her hands from her temples. Drawing herself straight, she narrowed her eyes at the mirror. “No I don’t, but this is the first time I’ve heard about these experiments.”
Leila blinked. She knew her lover better now and as good at hiding her feelings the queen was, she did have some subtle tells. In this case, her shoulders were just a bit too stiff, stretching skin across her high collarbone. “Janize, I’m sorry, but that’s…not entirely true isn’t it?”
The queen tilted her head toward the Otherworlder. Her grey eyes glared daggers at Leila for a brief moment, before she turned back to the mirror. In an arch tone, she hissed between gritted teeth, “I know they were making mana batteries. However, it’s the first time I’ve heard about children. I have been suspicious about why Master Scarlet and Earl Darius require so many facilities for some time and have been trying to audit them. They’ve been stonewalling me with magical and military jargon or burying it in budget books under nondescript lines.”
Leila blinked. “Oh that’s why you were asking me what those words meant.”
“Yes, dear. Now, if the interrogation is over, I will agree to offer compensation to those children and their surviving family members. In return, I have my own conditions.”
Forowena sneered. “Name them. We have our own conditions as well.”
Janize grinned back. “First, my child is not to be next in line to the throne of Erisdale. In fact, I would like to renounce my right of succession and that of my child.”
It was rather hard for Elizabeth, Ayax and their allies to hide their surprise. Admirably, King Jerome only managed to show his shock through a series of rapid blinks. “That’s a major concession, sister.”
The queen turned her chin up. “In return, once you depose Earl Darius, you grant me his personal lands and make me an Earl.”
Crossing her arms, her thoughts racing a mile-a-minute, Elizabeth muttered. “You’d become Erisdale’s chief powerbroker.”
“I am surrendering after all and most of my allies will be gone. You got to give me something. Besides, if I remain Earl, I’d be able to keep what remains of the Traditonalists in check. Exile honestly doesn’t suit me, as comfortable as it would be. I want my child to have a future, not one where he or she has no allies and is bound to the crown.”
Forowena and Jerome glanced at one another, exchanging frowns.
Martin also looked to Ginger, who shook her head. He nodded. They’d had their own discussion about Janize’s possible offers and they had their own opinion.
“Go get em, Martin,” Ginger rasped.
The knight swallowed and coughed officiously. “If I may be so bold, Your Majesties, I propose we grant Queen Janize a county, not an earldom. In return, we shall protect her from reprisals and reparations that the Crown of Alavaria will undoubtedly request.”
Leila rolled her eyes. “What crimes? As you said, we didn’t fight Alavaria.”
A shit-eating grin blossomed over Ginger’s face. Idly twirling a lock of her hair, she crossed her legs. “Earl Darius’s forces kidnapped Queen Titania’s niece, Princess Morgan Greyhammer from the Alavari Academy of Magic and subjected her to a year of torture and experimentation.”
In the silence that followed, all that could be heard was Leila trying not to sputter. Janize was quiet and still. Yet the color was drained from her face.
“That dumb bastard,” Janize whispered.
Leila slammed her fist on the table, causing Janize to flinch. “Fuck.”
“So a county it is, then?” Ginger asked in an airy tone.
“Yes. Do you confirm your side of your terms?” Janize asked.
“We do. Our demand was that your child could not be our successor, which you have agreed to.”
“So the dynasty of the House of Grey ends I suppose.” Janize let out a shuddering breath and shook her head. “Then who is to be your successor?”
Martin and Ginger clasped each other’s hands in unison before facing the group.
“We are,” said Martin slowly.
“Until someone better is found,” said Ginger.
Janize arched an eyebrow. Leila sighed. The queen, however, nudged her Otherworlder quiet and gave a nod of assent. “A wise choice. Shall we continue?”
2023.03.30 06:05 TerrytheMerry Some tips for the mini games and a mistake I noticed I was making with the ferry game.
- Starting with the easiest of the lot Hydra Strikes Back. For this one all you really need to do is use your thumbs like you would a twistune or set your phone down and start pecking like a hen with both hands. Just using one hand will slow you down a lot so use both and you are guaranteed to cover more holes.
- For Star Rogue you need to stay close to the bottom and try to keep in the center. Most enemies have 3-4 shots before they stop firing. Wait for them to stop before attacking. Don’t get too wrapped up in taking out every enemy because you only need a couple to meet your stage goals. Just grab your power ups and hang back. A couple of attacks will aim for the center but can easily be avoided by going up a little bit or moving to the side a bit. Don’t go wild and try to get the the opposite side of an attack just move a tiny bit out of the way and you will be fine. The boss for alternates between attacks that avoid the center and one that hits the center. Just hang around as close to the bottom center as you can and get to the side when he shoots down the middle or an asteroid comes. The power ups will float down to your area so don’t rush to grab one from the top mid fight.
- Ferryman took me a lot longer to figure out and it was frustrating after I realized the simple mistake I was making. After a few hours I finally cleared the second stage of the ferry and realized it was the dang buttons. I thought the whole time that the ferry was super slow to respond, but it’s actually faster than I thought. The mistake I was making was missing the buttons by small a bit when I got to more complex sections of the map where I would have to move up or down 3-4 spaces in quick succession. The click zone is super unforgiving unlike the twistunes and you have to be right on the buttons for him to respond. Once I made sure I stayed completely in the circles it became a lot easier to maneuver. Otherwise you just have to learn the route. The game will try trip you up by changing the rock sizes on you, but the placement stays the same. I used the yellow flames as landmarks to identify sections. Like Star Rogue don’t try to collect every flame you see, there is enough in the path to get you by the rewards. It’s definitely the hardest of the lot, but I hope this helps some other people struggling.
2023.03.30 06:03 Darth_Stig Looking for Complex/Large Navigation Examples
Hi everyone,
The title says it all. I'm not sure how to explain this without giving away too much and I don't know how far my NDA reaches. So I'll start with this: can people send me examples of good UX for the largest/most complex navigations they've seen that actually work? Mine needs to be both mobile and desktop friendly so that would be AWESOME if you know of a solution out there already. I'm looking specifically to better define a drill-down navigation experience.
I work on an enterprise system. My boss is wanting me to redo the navigation to follow the user's permissions rather than the nav be built out by module as it is now. I have a 3 step navigation that goes from module->type of page (all the modules have the same secondary options)->screen name.
As an example: Lets say I work in retail and this system is for Walmart. Each module is a department so Toys, Clothes, Foods, Electronics, etc. Within those, I can choose to configure things like I want to configure the replenishments of certain areas. With electronics, I can afford to overbuy and replenish less, and keep alot in storage, vs food which expires so I need smaller amounts for food, more often. Each department has a configuration, management, and day-to-day operations secondary menu. Within that are individual pages that are module specific. So for instance, if I wanted to change the days I get fresh shrimp into the store, I go to Food->Configure->Seafood Settings and change it from there. It makes sense from a whole picture perspective. To my bosses' mind, this doesn't work because that's for a manageGM or store owner to decide and the majority of the people using our software are floor workers, checking in stock and re-stocking the shelves. He thinks that instead of the users having to go through departments, it should show what they work on first. So instead of that worker clicking on Food->Day-to-day->restock or something like that, it should only show the restock for that user. I don't like that because the department head, may have access to day-to-day operations, a few configurations and management screens; which is manageable. But what happens when the user is a super-user or has been there long enough to be assigned multiple departments with multiple roles, their navigation experience will be awful.
TLDR: I need good examples/solutions for intricate drill down menus that have potentially a hundred+ options for the user to successfully navigate through in a timely manner. My boss wants it to be based off the user's permissions, where the majority of endusers only focus on a few screens (not all the same few screens) rather than have it be organized in a fashion that keeps things simpler for the limited super-user roles that have full access to all the screens.
submitted by Darth_Stig to UXDesign [link] [comments]
The title says it all. I'm not sure how to explain this without giving away too much and I don't know how far my NDA reaches. So I'll start with this: can people send me examples of good UX for the largest/most complex navigations they've seen that actually work? Mine needs to be both mobile and desktop friendly so that would be AWESOME if you know of a solution out there already. I'm looking specifically to better define a drill-down navigation experience.
I work on an enterprise system. My boss is wanting me to redo the navigation to follow the user's permissions rather than the nav be built out by module as it is now. I have a 3 step navigation that goes from module->type of page (all the modules have the same secondary options)->screen name.
As an example: Lets say I work in retail and this system is for Walmart. Each module is a department so Toys, Clothes, Foods, Electronics, etc. Within those, I can choose to configure things like I want to configure the replenishments of certain areas. With electronics, I can afford to overbuy and replenish less, and keep alot in storage, vs food which expires so I need smaller amounts for food, more often. Each department has a configuration, management, and day-to-day operations secondary menu. Within that are individual pages that are module specific. So for instance, if I wanted to change the days I get fresh shrimp into the store, I go to Food->Configure->Seafood Settings and change it from there. It makes sense from a whole picture perspective. To my bosses' mind, this doesn't work because that's for a manageGM or store owner to decide and the majority of the people using our software are floor workers, checking in stock and re-stocking the shelves. He thinks that instead of the users having to go through departments, it should show what they work on first. So instead of that worker clicking on Food->Day-to-day->restock or something like that, it should only show the restock for that user. I don't like that because the department head, may have access to day-to-day operations, a few configurations and management screens; which is manageable. But what happens when the user is a super-user or has been there long enough to be assigned multiple departments with multiple roles, their navigation experience will be awful.
TLDR: I need good examples/solutions for intricate drill down menus that have potentially a hundred+ options for the user to successfully navigate through in a timely manner. My boss wants it to be based off the user's permissions, where the majority of endusers only focus on a few screens (not all the same few screens) rather than have it be organized in a fashion that keeps things simpler for the limited super-user roles that have full access to all the screens.
2023.03.30 06:03 gamedaynutritionuk Rugby Protein Supplements
 | Game days can be troublesome on the body. Your hydration needs and powering systems will likely change from one game to another, yet here are a few rules to assist you with remaining very much hydrated. Remain hydrated over the course of the day: Drink a lot of water or a games drink previously, during, and after your game to supplant liquids lost through perspiring. Try not to skip dinners previously or during games: Eating routinely will assist with keeping you stimulated and pad any misfortunes in execution because of drying out. submitted by gamedaynutritionuk to u/gamedaynutritionuk [link] [comments] https://www.gamedaynutrition.co.uk/ https://preview.redd.it/ao9vsgi2wsqa1.jpg?width=666&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=588ec6b230078560605bae1e24ab38efaac3ac5e |