So I thought the AOD would work just like my android phones, but there's something that causes the display to still turn off when the room is dark.
Since I use this as my clock at night I don't want to have to touch it to see the time. I don't see any setting for this.

Fair warning, some of this is kinda gross. Also it’s kind of all over the place because it’s 1am and I’m upset.
I (F20) started living with this roommate, we’ll call her RM (F20), my freshman year of college when we both lived in the dorms of our school. It was fine at first but quickly it became apparent that she was messier than me, which is fine, because I’m not the tidiest person myself and also it was during the height of COVID. It’s also not hard for a dorm room to feel crowded. We lived together again the next year, in an apartment. I have a cat, and I’ve had a cat the entire time we’ve lived together.
When we moved to the apartment, she also got a kitten. He immediately was a very destructive kitten. Broke my TV, then a couple days later broke my brand new computer monitor (screens of both were shattered and wouldn’t turn on). Luckily the monitor was under warranty so I was able to get that replaced. She said she would replace my TV, but never did. Her cat also started scratching my desk chair and never stopped, now to the point where the cover has almost been completely destroyed.
The whole time we lived there she never did her share of chores. I was always the one doing dishes, cleaning out the fridge, vacuuming, scooping the cat litter, etc. The one that really got me was one time when she somehow got a bunch of period blood on the floor and just… didn’t clean it up. And I didn’t see it at night when I went to the bathroom. And stepped in it. I politely asked her to please be more careful and clean up if she notices anything. Couple days later it happened again. Also she clogged the toilet and just didn’t plunge it on multiple occasions. Through most of this, I was working two jobs, but was still doing 90% of the housework as well as raising a kitten that wasn’t mine.
…And yet I signed another lease with her for this year because I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of living alone.
I thought it’d be better when we moved to our new apartment, because she likes this place a lot better, but it’s honestly just gotten worse. She leaves moldy food in the sink and the fridge, she never throws leftovers away, she leaves trash bags in her room for weeks, she never takes out the trash, she rarely scoops the cat litter… and when we moved here she got another kitten. So I now am outnumbered by cats that aren’t mine.
A few weeks ago I told her that at the end of my lease, I’m moving out, and she was fine with that. Her girlfriend (F22) will be moving in here so that’s all fine there. However, when they told her parents that her girlfriend is moving in, everything went to shit and her parents are now kind of trying to cut her off. This obviously was really stressful to her, and I totally understand that, I’d be freaking out too.
However, she has not paid for her half of the utilities in a few months. She rarely, if ever does chores. I’m a full time student as well as working a job (just one now), and I don’t have the energy to clean up after both of us. I don’t have the energy to make doing the dishes into a 3 hour task. There was one time it was so bad that the dish in the bottom of the pile was just a bowl of milk that had been there for weeks, and as soon as I lifted the plate off the top of it, the smell made me throw up. I put off doing the dishes because they were hers, and I don’t like cleaning her stuff, because I don’t want her to get in the havit of just assuming that I’ll get fed up and do it myself (which, unfortunately, is what usually happens).
The most recent issue is that both of her cats have an issue with throwing up. Her cats both love me. This means they spend a lot of time with me. Which also means they usually throw up on my bed. I’ve had to do laundry in the middle of the night multiple times because of her cats. Including right now, which is why I’m still up; otherwise I’d be asleep because I have work at 5am. Her cat also chewed through both my headset cord and my mouse cord.
If I total up all the stuff her cats have destroyed, it’s about $400. I don’t even know how much she owes me for utilities, at least $500. I keep hoping she’ll pay me back after one of her paychecks (she does work, usually 5-10 hrs a week) but she just orders so much doordash.
She’s really sensitive, and hates confrontation. If she thinks at all that someone is mad at her, she completely shuts down and hides in her room for a few days and then pretends the interaction never happened. It’s very frustrating coming home from work and school for 9 hours straight to see that she’s still asleep and hasn’t done anything to tidy up our apartment.
This lease isn’t up until June. I already tried to see if her girlfriend wanted to take over my lease so I could move out now, but it didn’t work out. I’m at my wit’s end. I really want to approach this gently, because I know she’s really really stressed right now, but I’m fucking exhausted and I feel like I’ve been more than patient.

I have a Lenovo X1 extreme laptop which won’t start up properly. When I try to power it on, the keyboard backlights turn on, but the screen itself never actually turns on before the computer powers off again. This cycle then continues indefinitely as the computer keeps trying and failing to turn on.
Sometimes, I am able to get past this point where the screen will turn on, but each time, the screen will look fine then, all of a sudden, go haywire (screenshot in comments).
I have tried updating BIOS and reseating the memory, but none of these have worked for me.
Has anyone else encountered a similar issue? If so, what worked to solve this issue? If not, what could be the possible source of such an issue? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I got herpes 7, almost 8 years ago now. From an older man who preyed on my young naivety. He stole so much from me beyond my health. I left him some years ago. I have now been single for three years and haven't dated or been intimate with someone for a whole year. I am 30, intelligent, kind, big hearted, passionate, confident, successful, and arguably beautiful. However, I am so alone. I dream of having a best friend, a partner, someone who I can laugh with and grow with. Separately and together. A healthy relationship. So many people are either turned off by me having herpes, or they just want a hookup....hell, even the people on the PS dating app only want to hook up. I keep telling myself I'm fine alone, and I am...But I miss being close with someone

Why does every man I meet with herpes say it is easier for women? Also...any other dating apps or advice? I also live in a rural area...which doesn't help

Current location: VHCOL (San Francisco)
Current salary, including bonus, benefits, & perks: $260k base, $53k bonus, $260k RSUs (private company), 3 meals/weekday, free car service within SF and to/from airport
Age and/or years in the workforce: 30 years old, 7.5 years in workforce
Brief description of your current position: I code, write papers, set project direction for my team, give talks at conferences
Degrees/certifications, if any, and whether they're applicable to your current position (Also mention how/how much you paid for these and how they've been helpful.): I have a bachelor's in math and master's in CS. I went to a private college that had good financial aid, so they covered my tuition except for $18k in government student loans which I paid off within a few months at my first job. I paid for my master's degree by being a teaching assistant. I taught undergrad linear algebra for three semesters (2 lectures/week, writing homework, writing exam questions, grading, and holding office hours). This paid me a grad student stipend and covered my tuition.
A complete history of jobs leading up to your current position. Include job title + salary (hourly wage, if applicable) with each step of your salary story, along with job description/duties, and whether you negotiated for pay raises/promotions in that role.
2011: Lab assistant, $9.25/hr. Freshman year of college. This was a campus job where I worked in a wet lab, pipetting stuff. I was extremely bad at it. I would pipette 1 mL instead of 1 μL and ruin everyone's experiments. I once centrifuged some glass test tubes (should have used plastic tubes), and the glass shattered all over this 10k machine. My postdoc tried to fire me by telling me to go home and don't come back. I didn't know what to do when he said this and felt super awkward but also didn't want to go home so I just stayed and continue doing the job, and we just never spoke about it again.
2012: Intern, $4,000/month. Sophomore summer. I honestly didn't know what the hell this internship was going to be like when I applied, and it turned out to be the only internship offer I got that year so I took it. I remember the interview being like some guy calling me on the phone and asking what my favorite class was, and then after the call I got an acceptance email to my inbox. The company was this early stage software ideation company that spins up startups and then sells them to some business school types to build a customer base, hire permanent employees, etc. I worked with two other interns, and for the whole summer we just sat in a room just thinking of ideas we could build. We ended up coming up with an app idea where people could list trash they were going to throw out that day, like furniture, so other people could swing buy and pick it up before trash got collected. Facebook marketplace before that became a thing, I guess. I didn't know how to code so I kind of just played with Python while the other interns made the app. I think it got profiled on TechCrunch a few months later, which caused it to crash and then never recovered.
2013: Finance internship, $6,000/month. Junior year summer. I learned about sales and trading, but I wasn't a very good intern (was chronically late which is apparently! very! important! in finance), so I didn't get a return offer. The internship was very fun though because the company put a lot of effort into making the experience memorable. We played a lot of poker as part of "work," sat front row at a Mets baseball game, and the full timers even brought all the underaged interns to strip clubs but that was totally down low (not a sanctioned event).
2014: Software internship, $9,000/month. Senior year summer. I actually programmed a lot during this internship. I basically learned to program during this internship. I also played a lot of foosball. I did get a return offer this time.
2014-2016: Teaching assistant. $3,000/month + tuition. I taught linear algebra to overachieving undergrads. It was supposed to be a 20 houweek job because I was *technically* supposed to spend the other 20 hours doing coursework + writing my thesis for my master's degree, but it was easily over 40 hours total between 2x/week lectures, writing homework, grading homework, writing exams, grading exams, holding office hours, replying to emails, and comforting anxious students. It did get easier in subsequent semesters as you get the hang of teaching and have last semester's coursework to fall back on, but it is easily the hardest job I've ever done. I got pretty average to below average student reviews, but they still renewed my contract for three semesters which I was happy about because I didn't want to have to borrow money to finish my master's.
2016-2017: Finance job. $150k/year salary + $28k/year bonus. I tried to negotiate my salary with the argument that "I need to pay off student loans," but they wouldn't budge because "everyone got paid the same." I only stayed for 8 months because I hated it (really toxic all-male environment), but when I left I got a nice 6 months of "garden leave" which is where they pay you your base salary (not including bonus) to not work.
2017-2020: Statistician. $130k/year base salary (2017) which increased to $150k/year base salary (2020) + $150k/year stock + $10k/year bonus. I did negotiate my salary on this, from $115k/year base salary -> $130k/year base salary and $120k/year stock -> $150k/year stock. The stock was private when I joined but went public sometime in the last 5 years, so it wasn't completely paper money. This job included other perks like lunch and snacks, and if I stayed past 7pm I could order DoorDash and expense it. I did get small inflation raises but the stock stayed more or less constant. I got laid off in 2020, so I got 3 months of severance + 1 month of stock and also claimed unemployment for as long as I could.
2020-2021: Research engineer. $200k/year base salary + $150k/year stock + $30k signing bonus + 18% pro rata bonus. The negotiation process for this company was super weird. The initial offer was $200k/year + $100k/year stock + NO signing bonus. I asked if this was negotiable and the recruiter said this was "the highest offer she could make" and anything else was "impossible and needs to be escalated to a VP which could take several days blah blah," but if they could get $130k/year stock would I sign immediately? They basically made me pre-sign a contract saying if they got that offer, I would agree to join the company. Then a couple hours later they replied saying not only did they get approval for my request, they bumped it up to $200k/year base salary + $150k/year stock + $30k signing bonus. At this point I felt rather manipulated (like clearly it wasn't such a big deal after all), and my (male) friend got SUPER annoyed and said the recruiter tricked me to not negotiate when I could have. Anyway, I ended up joining anyway because I really liked the company.
Other perks: 3 meals on weekdays, barista during working hours, free car service around city limits, and 50% 401k matching. You have the option of going fully remote without any salary adjustment, but I like going to the office. The stock is private, but they do have a buyback program every few years where you can sell your RSUs to them for face value. However, I don't participate in that and even participate in RSU purchase programs so I can put more money into the same company, because I hate diversification apparently.
2022: Same research job. $215k/year + $200k/year stock + $40k bonus.
2023: Same research job. Got promoted, so my salary jumped to $260k/year + $260k/year stock + $53k bonus.
Optional: In the spirit of transparency and helpfulness include any of your supporters (family, spouse, network, other women - anonymously of course), things and people that kept you going, or inspired you, books, boot camps, podcasts, networking groups, etc. Also share your struggles, if you ever felt like giving up, if you were underpaid or are still underpaid, if you had to reskill, were laid off, or struggled to find work. Tell us about your work/life balance over time and challenges or changes in priorities.
Definitely my parents. If I ever lost my job or my money, I know I can move in with them into my old room indefinitely, and I know they would be really happy to have me. Also, my parents would have supported me through college if they had to. Thankfully they didn't have to (because my college had great financial aid), but they were prepared to sell their house and move to an apartment to pay for my tuition.
After that, various men I've dated throughout the years also supported me I guess? Like in college I had a bit of a spending problem and once had to "borrow" $5,000 from my then-boyfriend to pay off credit cards 😬 I still spend a LOT (almost all of my paycheck not including stock/bonus). I put borrow in quotes because I never ended up paying it back, I let him live in my apartment for a few months when he was between apartments and just said "well I guess we'll just write that off as the rent you owe me" lol.
I don't think I'm underpaid. I'm overpaid compared to how hard everybody else in the world works. My work life balance is fine, albeit a little all over the place. For example, on Weds-Fri I usually work between 10am to 3pm, then I go exercise for 2 hours, have dinner, and maybe work 2-3 more hours after that, but not always. Recently my job has been super stressful though, because I've being pushed more and more into a product management role. As an introvert, I prefer to just...code and do technical work rather than talk to people. I keep wavering between quitting or trying to find a new job first.
During the pandemic I worked a LOT, easily 12 hours/day, because there was nothing else to do and nowhere to go.
Feel free to include as much or little as you like to tell your Salary Story.
**Please use the "Salary Stories" flair when posting.

Sorry for the clickbaity title, but I thought it’d be funny to put it that way. I (22F) work part time as a nude figure drawing and sculpture model at a local art school. Super casual stuff, make a decent amount of money from it, usually really fun and liberating. Recently I had been modeling for a ceramics sculpture class with primarily older people who all for the most part were very kind and acknowledged I’m still new to modeling, and that it can be vulnerable for me.
However, there’s this absolute jerk of an old woman who was there during my sessions. The way the class works is that I would pose for about 15-20 minutes with a 5-8 minute break over the course of four hours. The pose was fairly intense to hold, as it made me lose circulation in my leg frequently because I wasn’t allowed to move if I could help it. We had about five sessions lined up, but I offered to the instructor that I would be willing to do a bonus sixth session to let the students work a bit longer on their pieces, which they can only do while I’m there. So the fifth session, the irritating older woman yelled at me at the end to “quit moving, you’re ruining the pose!” Even though it was the end of the four hours and I thought that it would be okay to get some bloodflow again while the class was wrapping up. I’m embarassed to admit it, but I stifled some crying during the rest of the session and tried to hide it, but didn’t do a very good job. I’m very sensitive to being shouted at and I had been changing medications, so my emotions were running high, so it caused a panic attack. I told myself to try to be more cheery next session to avoid making things more awkward for myself and to keep a cool head.
Well, sixth session comes up, and I do my best to hold the pose, but it’s an extra day and more chill as people are doing mostly finishing touches. The students aren’t really trained artists, and mostly there to have fun making sculptures or enjoy making art in their later years, so the etiquette of modeling is kind of lost on them, frequently taking phone calls, getting distracted, and ignoring the rule not to speak to the model unless it’s break. So, they were having smalltalk with me while I was posed- and I realize I’m not supposed to talk, but I thought since it was the last day it was alright-
Then, out of nowhere, the old woman screams at me, “SHUT UP! Your talking is driving me CRAZY!”
And so I say under my breath, “you don’t have to be rude”, and do as I’m told. For now. But I’m fuming and sick of how she had been treating me.
So I finish the pose, end the final session, and then, while naked, I turn to her and tell her off, still on my pedestal, and single her out in this room of maybe twelve old people. She says she has the right to yell at me because I’m “being paid to be a model”, and that I’m “not doing my job”. I tell her this was a bonus session I had offered to do even though it wasn’t supposed to even happen, and that I don’t do this for money, and certainly not to be yelled at. She says I’m a terrible model, and I tell her to throw her sculpture in the trash if she thinks I’m so bad to sculpt as reference. It got a bit heated, but I left to tell the instructor what happened as she wasn’t aware, and she apologized fervently to me, and said that the woman had been a problem in the past to teach also. Several people came up to me after and apologized about what happened, and I felt really upset that was how the last day ended.
I know it was wrong to talk back to her and that I was indeed talking even if it was at the end and not being a good model, but she had made me miserable last session and was actively making me feel horrible, and I had enough. Im still new to this, so I’m still getting used to the intensity of the job, physically, so I could get distracted easily, but everyone else said I was a good model and the teacher said she’d love to have me work with her classes again. I’m an artist myself, and we would never, ever, ever yell at the model. If we were frustrated, we’re meant to speak with the teacher, who will then instruct the model and offer constructive critique.
Sorry this post is long, but it’s been pissing me off still how she yelled at me like that. But I do admit I feel kind of awesome yelling at this old jerk while naked lol. Definitely a new experience.

I (18F) was recently diagnosed with both ADHD and anxiety but it honestly just seems like something is missing. I keep trying to do the things my therapist recommends and take my medication but I keep getting so anxious I can’t function and cry and cant effectively communicate anymore. It’s really hard to navigate my relationship with my boyfriend and I have only ever maintained one friendship my whole life. These are the things I keep struggling with, and I was wondering if any diagnosed autistic individuals could help provide some clarity for me…
• I have not maintained a single friendship except for one with my best friend since we were around 8. Ironically her sister is most likely on the spectrum and my best friend says she is used to dealing with some of the things I deal with because of her sister. It truly makes her a really helpful person to turn to for support and understanding.
•I get told I’m “too stubborn” or “too blunt” or “too honest” or “too mean” so. Freaking. Much. I don’t mean to be but sometimes people are just stupid. One very annoying girl who I had tried to be friends with, but I stopped because she was two faced, asked why I was upset with her. I clearly and concisely told her exactly what my issues were. I probably could have been nicer but I certainly wasn’t like cursing at her, but she said I “verbally attacked her”. Just an example.
•If I hear that I need to be more diplomatic one more time I will scream. If I knew how to be diplomatic I would be! Going into social situations where I don’t like someone is so uncomfortable for me I want to peel off my skin. But other people like my parents and boyfriend tell me I can still hang out with the rest of the friend group even if I don’t like one person in the group. I know, I guess, I just don’t want to until enough time (at least a few weeks maybe) has passed and I can just avoid that person comfortably.
•Since being in an abusive relationship a couple of years ago, I have tried to develop rules to keep from being abused again. Its not doing any good in my current relationship when I get upset because he does something that goes against my rules and I have to rework my rules to understand people arent so black and white. For example, my current boyfriend grew up in a family where saying slurs was okay and that they would joke about a lot of things. My boyfriend can have a very “dark” sense of humor. However, I thought that if someone made certain inappropriate jokes, they were automatically racist/sexist/homophobic/not socially aware. However, my boyfriend is super supportive of my being bisexual and not liking typical gender stereotypes. He also is a very kind and loving person and 100% support’s equal rights for POC, the LGBTQ+ community, and women. But sometimes his dark sense of humor made me think he really didnt. But he is always careful of who he jokes around so not to hurt or offend anyone, and only does so with his really close friends that know him. I had to relearn and better understand that just because he has a dark sense of humor doesnt mean that he doesnt support LGBTQ+, women, and POC. My friends with autism also have a dark sense of humor but it’s so much easier for me to tell when they’re joking in a similar way. For some reason I can understand that they 100% support what I believe, too, but its harder for me to navigate the nuances with my boyfriend.
•I can laugh at jokes most of the time but sometimes they fly over my head and my boyfriend has to explain he was completely joking before I enter into a meltdown. I often take things way to seriously and literally.
•I can’t tell what my boyfriend needs and sometimes I feel like I am going insane. If his mood changes and I dont know why, my entire mood is ruined until his is fixed. Not knowing what to do or why he suddenly seems mentally checked out drives me nuts. Sometimes its as simple as he just didnt sleep well, and I get a little better if I know that, but the change bothers me so much. If our relationship differs from what I thought or was used to I lose my marbles.
•I have complete meltdowns before we go on breaks at college. The change makes me want to die. I love plans and schedules and set times but I also hate routines because I get bored. However I hate the big change of packing up and leaving and especially not seeing my boyfriend for even just 9 days makes me meltdown.
•Sunscreen makes me so distressed. Dried sweat and saltwater do, too. I will cry and/or be unable to function and super anxious until the feeling goes away.
•I love role playing games like Stardew Valley and Minecraft, theres so many Wiki pages to memorize.
•I have a stack of 7 books all relating to women’s social issues and feminism that I recently got and am in the process of reading. I wont shut up about women’s rights and get super offended when people even ask questions just trying to understand.
I know its a lot… but ideas would be helpful. Thank you in advance.

Shinobu

(Young appearance)
Shinobu is a Wano ninja and one of the main allies to the Straw Hats during the Wano arc. She had assisted the legendary Kozuki Oden in the past during a period of time where she was more slim in appearance. During the majority of the Wano arc however, she has since grown more… mature and thus has gotten a bit bigger. Wanting to avenge Oden and save the land of Wano from Kaido’s reign, Shinobu assists the Red Scabbards and Straw Hats in their coordinated effort to overthrow Kaido.
Devil Fruit: Juku Juku no Mi (Ripe-Ripe Fruit)
Shinobu has eaten the Ripe-Ripe Fruit, which has granted her the power to age things by touching them. She can use this to break through materials by rotting them away, and can even age living creatures.

Quickly saves her group from Kaido’s incoming Blast Breath attack by making a big hole in the ground.
Makes part of a ceiling rot so that the entire ceiling collapses.
Makes part of an Onigashima cliff fall off so that she can escape from Kaido.
Ages Momonosuke, an 8 year old boy, to the age of 28. Keep in mind that this is only for his physical body as Momonosuke still has the mind of an 8 y/o. As mentioned before, this cannot be reversed.

Strength

Carries Momonosuke for a fair amount of time during the Onigashima raid.

Durability

Is thrown at a building by King, but quickly recovers and is able to use her glider.
Takes multiple arrows to the back. This incaps her for a little bit but she’s able to be up and running in the same night later on.

Speed & Agility

Ninja Skills

Other

Has her body drained from Admiral Aramaki’s devil fruit power, but recovers and is turned into a slim woman as a result.

Respect Threads for Scaling

King
Yamato

As I sit here in this dimly-lit, disheveled room, I can't help but feel a growing sense of dread. I'm not sure how long I've been in this place – the Backrooms, they call it – but I know that time seems to have lost all meaning. The air feels heavy, as if I'm breathing in thick, stagnant clouds of unease. I'm writing this to keep myself from panicking, and maybe to leave a trace behind in case someone, someday, finds it.
It all began when I stayed late at work one evening. My office, situated in an old building, was usually quiet at this time, the gentle hum of the air conditioning providing a subtle, white noise as I worked. That night, however, was different. I was alone in the office, plowing through a mountain of paperwork that I had been putting off for too long. My hands were starting to cramp, and my eyes were growing heavy.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, and it read 11:47 PM. It was later than I had planned on staying, but I was determined to get everything done. I decided to take a break and walk to the break room to grab a cup of coffee. As I stood up, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake it off.
The office felt eerie as I walked through the dimly lit hallways. My footsteps echoed off the walls, the only sound that filled the empty space. I reached the break room and poured myself a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine would give me the energy I needed to finish my work. As I took a sip, the bitterness stung my taste buds, but I welcomed the sensation.
As I turned to leave the break room, I heard a strange noise coming from the far end of the hallway. It sounded like a faint scraping or scratching sound, but I couldn't pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I listened, straining to hear more. The sound seemed to be getting louder, moving closer.
I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the unease that was building inside me. Maybe it was just the pipes or the old building settling, I thought, trying to reassure myself. I left the break room and started walking back towards my office, but the sound continued to follow me, growing louder with each step.
When I reached my office, I quickly closed the door behind me, hoping to block out the noise. I sat back down at my desk, trying to focus on my work, but the sound was impossible to ignore. It was as if it was coming from the walls themselves.
My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to investigate. I stood up and slowly walked towards the wall, pressing my ear against it, trying to find the source of the sound. As I moved my head along the wall, I suddenly felt a strange, cold draft coming from a particular spot.
I examined the area more closely, and to my surprise, I discovered a hidden door. I couldn't believe I'd never noticed it before. The door was barely visible, with the edges perfectly aligned with the wall. The paint was slightly chipped and peeling, revealing a dark, wooden surface underneath.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should open it. But my curiosity was overwhelming, and I reached out, grabbing the cold metal handle. As I turned it, the door creaked open, and I was met with a musty smell that filled my nostrils.
I stepped inside and found myself in a narrow, dimly lit corridor. The walls were lined with peeling wallpaper, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. The air was stale, and it seemed as though no one had set foot in this place for years. I took out my phone and switched on the flashlight, casting a weak, flickering light on my surroundings.
As I walked cautiously down the corridor, the scraping noise grew louder. With every step, the atmosphere became more oppressive, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. The walls seemed to close in around me, and the air grew colder.
I came across a series of doors along the corridor, each one looking older and more worn than the last. I hesitated before opening the first one, unsure of what I would find inside. When I finally mustered the courage, I pushed it open, revealing a small, empty room.
The room was unremarkable, with only a single, flickering light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I quickly moved on to the next door, hoping to find something – anything – that would explain the strange noise and the hidden corridor. But as I opened each door, I was met with more empty, dilapidated rooms.
My heart pounded in my chest as I reached the end of the corridor. The scraping noise had reached its peak, and I could feel it reverberating through my entire body. As I opened the final door, I braced myself for the worst, but I was not prepared for what I saw.
The room was vast, unlike the others, and filled with row upon row of shelves, each one packed with an assortment of bizarre, unidentifiable objects. In the center of the room stood a large, wooden table, cluttered with scraps of paper and strange instruments. The walls were covered in markings and symbols that I had never seen before, and as I stared at them, they seemed to shift and change before my very eyes.
As I stepped further into the room, the door slammed shut behind me. The scraping noise stopped abruptly, leaving me in a deafening silence. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Panic set in as I realized that I was trapped.
I desperately searched the room, looking for another exit, but there was none. The objects on the shelves seemed to watch me as I moved, their shadows stretching and contorting in the dim light. I tried to focus on finding a way out, but the strange symbols on the walls seemed to draw me in, whispering secrets that I couldn't quite comprehend.
The air in the room grew heavier and more oppressive with each passing moment, and I could feel my sanity beginning to slip away. I was trapped in the Backrooms, a place where time and space seemed to warp and bend, and where escape seemed impossible.
I've been here for what feels like an eternity, my only solace being the hope that someone will find this record of my experience. I don't know if I'll ever escape, but I refuse to give up. I continue to search for a way out, navigating the twisting corridors and endless rooms, always listening for the sound that led me here in the first place.
I've learned that the Backrooms are a treacherous place, filled with terrors that defy explanation. If you ever find yourself trapped here, remember my story, and never give in to despair. Keep searching, keep fighting, and maybe, just maybe, you'll find a way back to the world you left behind.

you should feel lucky that elly and vivi love you. you should feel lucky that i love them too much to not respect their wishes.
otherwise, anyone who gets on my nerves this badly won’t have an easy time. even my dearest soulmate won’t dare to disturb me this bad. she knows that my love for her doesn’t extend this far. and you should know that too.
you are selfish, arrogant, and superficial. i regret being friends with you. but now i have to pull through because i love everyone but you.
you keep telling me that you know i would rather stay toxic. what the fuck do you know about me? not once, throughout my whole time with everyone, that i act toxic. i keep my toxicity in check. if i was toxic, i would have sent this letter to you. but i didn’t and i won’t. i simply turn off my social media and spend times with my real people. so no, i don’t like being toxic, i don’t like being another version of my mom, i don’t like hurting people i know.
it is okay to be unhappy for a while. i am okay with me being unhappy for a while. how the fuck would you value happiness if you didn’t feel unhappiness first? i can be unhappy and fine at the same time. stop trying to fix me. i don’t need to be fixed. i will fix myself if i want to. always have, always will.
who are you again, acting like we are so close? we are not close. please know your place. if something happens to me, i won’t tell you first. i have real friends. you are not one of them. you will never be one of them. so stop trying to force your way in. you weren’t there when i was at the bottom, so you won’t be someone i will remember dearly. we meet and we part ways.
i am tired and terrified to tell you no because your toxic mindset never takes a no for a no. you keep pushing and pushing until i lash out. and then you say thanks that i am being honest to you. you know what i hate all of this. i hate typing long and long essays just to explain how i feel. it’s too much. why do i have to teach you like a kid about basic healthy boundaries? i am not your mother. we are not close friends. i don’t need you to care about me, i don’t care if you care about me. i won’t die if you suddenly leave. i have great people in my life that you will always be someone unimportant.
i live 25 years filled with high and low. i am fine without you before. i am fine without you now. your worries add nothing value to my life but weighing it down. you know nothing about me. you don’t have to care. we are strangers. i also don’t care about you. your life is none of my business. i don’t care.
you can go on and on about your moral stories and take high horses. but in reality you never keep yourself in check. you never listen to anyone. you never let anyone speak. you are such a hypocrite that it is just disgusting.
but elly and vivi love you. so i will leave you alone. but my friendship and respect with you will never stay the same. for all the horrible things you did to me.

First Entry
Second Entry
Third Entry
Fourth Entry
Fifth Entry
Sixth Entry
Seventh Entry
Eighth Entry

Journal of Camille Lambert - April 14th

When the fires finally died, there was almost nothing left of Puriysk. Just about every building was scorched and blackened. Most of the tents had been destroyed too, with only a tattered handful remaining on the far side of town.

Driving through the ruins felt almost like driving through a corpse. Everything was so dead… and yet despite the recent fire, I could already see new life growing on the ashes. Small flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer like distant stars. They were both beautiful and unsettling at the same time, although I noticed Dr. Di Cesare… or Gretchen, I suppose… looking down at them with quiet apprehension as we passed.

“We should visit what remains of my lab first,” She said. “I had some equipment that should offer suitable protection against any airborne toxins. Atmospheric saturation should currently be low, but best practices recommend not to take any unnecessary risks!”
“Sister, we’re way past best practices right now,” Nina replied sardonically. “Exactly how often were you dealing with this shit if you’ve got ‘suitable protection’ just on hand?”
“Often enough,” Gretchen replied. “Not in some years though… decades, really. I keep it now as a precaution. When studying pocket realities, one can never be too prepared. The Rosen Prince exists in far more than you could possibly imagine.”

“And now you’ve gone and brought it here,” Nina replied.
“While I understand you disapprove of my course of action, I stand by that the choice I made last night was the one with the highest probability of a favorable outcome.”
“‘Favorable outcome.’” Nina repeated, before giving a sigh of exasperation. “Whatever you say. I figure that one way or the other, this is gonna end with one of us saying ‘I Told You So’ and I hope to God it’s you.”
“As do I…” Gretchen admitted.

We pulled up on what was left of Gretchen’s RV. The roof had been completely peeled off and the entire front end was smashed, but it seemed like the lab portion was still somewhat intact… somewhat.

Gretchen got out of the car, pausing to survey the state of her lab. For a moment I thought that she almost looked upset, but if she felt anything at all she buried it quickly and pushed ahead.
“We’ll be out here,” Nina said. “Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll help you look,” I said, getting out of the car as well and following Gretchen into the ruined RV. She was already going through some of the drawers when I joined her inside.

Despite everything, the lab part of the RV was almost in good condition. Almost. Papers had been strewn all over the floor and scattered everywhere among shards of broken glass. I heard something crack under my shoe and looked down to see a framed photograph on the floor. I reached down to pick it up. The photograph depicted a group of women, around 14 of them, I think. I recognized one in the corner as Gretchen. I wondered if this was her family.

I looked up at her, to see her pausing at one particular drawer, before taking out a series of respirator masks.
“Elastomeric respirators. Good for keeping out paint, dust, and spores. Small particles that can harm the lungs. I’ve found they reduce spore exposure by over 90%. Not foolproof, but helpful.”
She counted four out of the selection she had, before putting one on and handing the rest off to me. I set the photo down to take them and put one of the masks on myself. As I did, Gretchen took a bone handled knife out of her coat.

“I do have one further precaution that I use… where would you like to be scarred?”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, taking a step back. Gretchen tilted her head to the side slightly, before realizing that I didn’t understand whatever the hell she was talking about.

“As a precaution, I think it would be wise to mark a rune into your flesh. It won’t necessarily protect you against the Rosen Prince, but it will guarantee you die before it takes control of you… here, let me show you…”
She slid off her coat and gingerly hung it over a chair. I could see the revolver resting in a shoulder holster she wore underneath. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. Above the Aquarius tattoo on her wrist, I could see several runes scarred into her arm.

“Scarification is a deep form of magic. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply effective. This one here…” She pointed at one about halfway up her forearm. “It’s a curse. Were I ever to be infected by the Rosen Prince, it would drain my life away, killing me before I could be fully claimed by it. Personally, I think it’s the merciful alternative. Assimilation into the hive mind technically does not kill you, but it is not a fate I would wish on most. Everything you were, everything you are lost within an ocean of voices so that you no longer remain because you and It are now one and the same.”

“Are you going to do that to Nina and Dom too?” I asked warily.
“I already did Nina this morning. And I’ll offer it to Dominic before we depart. I can not force you to accept this… the spell does not work unless you do it yourself. However I do recommend it.”
I stared at the knife for a moment, before grimacing and rolling up my sleeve.
“Just show me what to do…” I said.

Gretchen nodded and beckoned me over to the chair. She knelt by my side and helped me guide the knife.
“It only needs to be a shallow wound. Enough to draw blood and leave a lasting mark,” She said. As the knife pierced my arm, I winced in pain.
“Very good! Now, let me guide you…” She placed a hand over mine. “Look at my rune. We’ll copy it exactly.”

I nodded before trying to do just that, gritting my teeth in pain and trying not to scream. Gretchen guided my hand, but I held the knife and I was the one who pushed it into my skin… it wasn’t the worst pain I’d ever felt. But it came very close and I didn’t last long before I had to stop, sucking in air as if that might numb the pain as I felt tears filling my eyes.
“How the hell do you do this to yourself?” I gasped.
“The rewards are worth the pain,” Gretchen replied. “See this?” She pointed to another rune on her arm, “It’s an elemental brand. It’s how I was able to control the fire, last night. And this…” She pointed to another one, “This one allows for limited spatial manipulation. It took me three tries to get it right. Each time I had to carve away the old skin and heal it to begin anew.”

I flinched at the thought of it and she cracked a small smile that I think was meant to be reassuring.
“Oh, I assure you that’s nothing,” She said brushing past her long stringy hair and leaning forward so I could see the back of her neck, exposing a far more complicated rune.

“This here? That’s an attribution spell. It’s one of the hardest to get right, but once you’ve done it, it keeps you safe.”
“Yeah… howso?” I asked.
“If someone were to pull a gun and shoot me now, I would feel no pain. The wound would manifest on their body instead. Given the fact that he was able to obtain the heart of an Old Fae, it’s possible that Calhoun bears a similar mark. Most powerful witches do. My sisters, for example. Long ago, we each learned this rune and one by one, we carved it into the backs of our necks as a means to ensure our survival. It’s useful… although not foolproof. Stab me, and I feel no pain. Throw me on to a knife and… well… ” She shrugged. “Of course, my little spell would do nothing to protect me from this…”

She took the revolver out of her holster and showed it to me.
“There’s no magic in existence that would save you from Malvian Ice. I modified this gun to amplify it’s properties. To ensure every shot was lethal. But the bullets?” She opened the cylinder and took one out. It looked almost like a regular bullet, although the tip seemed crystalline and had a pinkish shine to it.
“They don’t need the gun to be effective. Put this in the heart of Calhoun… and there is no magic, no God, nothing in existence that could offer him salvation. This bullet… this is Death herself. Absolute, inescapable, and final.”

She reached over and gently pressed the bullet into my hand.
“You should carry it. The other three bullets may be needed elsewhere. It would be wise to save one.”
“You’re the one with the gun, why don’t you take it?” I asked.
“At heart, I am a scientist not a fighter.” Gretchen said. “I can use this weapon, but as of right now I only carry it for safekeeping. I suspect Valentine may get more use out of it than I will. She would certainly be the better shot… although given her demeanor and what lies ahead of us, I do not want to risk the possibility that she might use all four of our remaining bullets before we reached Calhoun. Therefore… I entrust you with this.”

I looked down at the bullet in my hand, before giving a half nod,
“I’ll keep it close,” I promised.
“Excellent! Now… you’re halfway done. Shall we finish the rest?”
I looked down at the bleeding rune on my arm and nodded slowly. Gretchen showed me her rune again, and I pressed the knife back into my skin.

The cut was already throbbing with pain… and maybe that was why finishing the rune was easier than starting it was.
“Excellent work,” Gretchen said. “You may have a future as a witch someday… perhaps.” She stared down at the blood on my arm thoughtfully, before tearing her attention away.

“You’re a vampire, right?” I asked. “When’s the last time you…”
“Three hours prior to yesterdays incident,” She replied, standing up again. “Strictly speaking I only need to feed once every few days, once per week at minimum. Biting you will not be necessary… although I will admit, your blood does smell…nice. I personally prefer an older male specimen, maintained in reasonable health however just because one likes merlot doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a good rosé. But I digress. You need your strength and I have other provisions to ensure I make do.”

She walked over to the far side of the lab and opened a cabinet, rifling around in it for a few minutes before taking out what looked like a wine bottle.
“A little side project some of my sisters entertain. Hardly a full meal… but the wine masks the taste of stale blood. I was saving it for a special occasion. But, it will suffice for now.” She pulled the cork and took a drink from the bottle, before going through the cabinet again and coming back with a white first aid kid.
“Let me wrap that wound for you, at least until the bleeding stops,” She said. I gingerly held out my arm and let her work. It didn’t take long.

Outside, I could hear the car horn honking impatiently. Gretchen ignored it, gently cleaning my wound.
“There we go…” She said gently, “All set. Bring the masks outside, I’ll join you momentarily.”

I nodded and got up to leave. Looking back, I noticed her standing over the photograph I’d picked up earlier. She stared down at it, before taking the picture out of the broken frame and slipping it into her pocket before finally taking her wine bottle and following me out.

***

The tents on the far side of town were still mostly intact, although seeing them abandoned still felt a little surreal. The shimmering flowers grew along the ground, and among them I could see creeping red weeds sprawling across the ground. Those weeds had even started to grow over some of the tents.

Nina regarded them with unease, before checking to ensure her mask was on right and going in to investigate. She held her rifle at the ready the whole while.
“Fuck… how the hell do you do this to yourself?” I heard Dom seethe from behind me and looked back to see Gretchen helping him scar himself.
“In time, you learn to accept the pain,” She said. “Now breathe. We’re nearly done.”

Dom looked up at me as Gretchen guided his hand. I went over to put a hand on his shoulder and stay with him through the pain.
“There… there… now we’re done,” Gretchen crooned. “Let me wrap that for you. You did well.”
“Christ…” Dom panted, “All this over some fucking flowers?”
“Those flowers have ended Universes and brought entire civilizations to their knees,” Gretchen warned. “There is no caution you cannot take with them.”

Dom looked over toward some of the glowing flowers. I noticed Nina was giving them a wide berth.
“If they’re that dangerous, why even summon them?” He asked.
“I had four bullets, and more than four approaching targets. Even the more offensive spells at my disposal would not have offered sufficient protection. We were in a dire situation. I needed something that would serve as both a formidable distraction and that could reverse our fortunes. I made a judgment call. The Pocket Reality I opened has been claimed by the Rosen Prince for some time. I’ve done some research there before and I imagine he’s been waiting for my return ever since. I suspected that the moment I gave him a door, he would come scampering… and he did not disappoint. His infection will spread rapidly, but so long as we use the correct precautions, we should be fine. I can not say the same for Calhoun’s local militia and his Nightwalkers, on the other hand. I doubt they are equipped to deal with him.”

“No shit, they aren’t…” Dom murmured, “I gotta ask, what exactly happens if this thing reaches Calhoun before we do?”
Gretchen frowned.
“Hard to say,” She admitted as she finished bandaging Dom’s scar. “I don’t have enough data to be certain. But…”

“But?” I asked.
“Last night, McClellan said something I found… interesting. He mentioned that there were other towns ‘ripe for the picking’ out there and then said something about Calhoun getting the rest of the 5000 souls he needed. I’ve been trying to figure out what he meant by that.”
“Did you come up with anything?” Dom asked.
“Unfortunately, I did,” She admitted. “I don’t suppose Nina has told you two where your Nightwalkers come from, did she?”
“Something about another pocket. She called it The Midnight Grove,” I said. Gretchen nodded.

“Correct. Now… the entity that controls the Midnight Grove, The Lugal. It is known for making deals. Offer it souls and it can be bargained with. And with 5000 souls… well, in theory, the rewards would be great.”
“In theory?” Dom asked.
“There’s a very good reason the wise don’t deal with the Lugal. Whatever he offers you shall inevitably corrupt you, until you are little more than just another of the shambling, mindless beasts who wander his domain. Personally, I’ve found that you can get a better deal elsewhere. But that’s neither here nor there. The future state of Calhoun’s soul is really not important to us. If he completes his deal, then killing him becomes significantly harder… and I have little doubt that he has the means to complete his deal.”

“How?” I asked.
“When Mr. Durand first reached out to me about joining this operation, there was some discussion on how Ben Calhoun was able to enter and leave this pocket reality. At the time, I’d theorized that he had established a permanent means of doing so. It would not be that difficult… the correct runes on certain doors would likely suffice and would permit him to come and go as he pleased. We theorized that he had set up such doors in other towns he may have been interested in. I had hoped we may be able to find one such door. I even went so far as to look for small towns in the United States that had similarities with the ones we already knew existed in this pocket, that just so happened to have a resident there by the name of Ben Calhoun.”

“And what did you find?” I asked.
“Hundreds in the United States alone,” She said. “Enough so that exploring my theory further was not an option… however considering what McClellan said about ‘other towns ripe for the picking’ however I can not help but wonder if my theory is correct. McClellan said that Calhoun needed 5000 souls. To that end, I’ve put together a rough estimate of how many more he might need based on the estimated body count from his… actions… in the other towns.”

I felt my stomach sink a little bit.
“Between Rankin Mills, Bakersfield, and Thompson Falls, I estimate casualties of 1500, 2000, and 500 respectively for a sum of 4000 give or take. Puriysk had approximately a thousand people living in it… had we not intervened, Calhoun would have had his 5000 souls. And if I’m right about him having doorways to other towns, then I think I know how he might try and make up the deficit.”
“So he’s going to try and bring another town into the pocket…” I said quietly, before the rest of the realization hit me. “And if the Rosen Prince takes Calhoun, it could use any of those doors to get out of here!”

Gretchen nodded.
“It may not even need to take Calhoun,” She said. “All it would need to do is make it to Parsons and fine a door. Those outside would have no means of identifying where it would show up, delaying their ability to form an effective response and at minimum, resulting in further loss of life.”
“Jesus Christ…” Dom said under his breath, “You knew this and you still let that thing out?”

“As I said, I made a judgment call,” Gretchen said. “If we get to Parsons first, we can eliminate Calhoun and render all of this null and void. Kill Calhoun, and there is no pocket reality. No pocket reality means no Rosen Prince and if I am correct about those doorways…”
“That’s how we get out,” I said. Again, she nodded.

“You can be upset with me for what I did last night… I agree, it was a reckless move and not one that I made lightly. But I traded certain death for a ticking clock and an effective distraction. I stand by that decision, whatever the consequences.”
Dom just sighed and shook his head.
“Well… like Nina said, I guess. This is gonna end with somebody saying ‘I told you so’ and we better fucking hope that it’s you.”
With that, he went off to follow Nina toward the tents.

We spent the better part of an hour going through what was left from the FRB’s supplies and even some of the things we did find weren’t exactly useable. One tent which had been used as something of a mess hall was completely overgrown with those glowing flowers, leaving any food in there practically inedible. Most of what we found that we could use was guns and ammo.

“Trust me, we’re gonna need this shit,” Nina said as she opened the combination padlocks to the gun lockers. She tossed them aside and pulled the locker open, sorting through the contents before finding something and handing it to me. It had the body of a pistol, but with a stock and a sight.
“Kel-Tec CP33. Should be good for you,” She said before reaching for something else. She admired it for a moment, before setting her current rifle aside.
“Holy shit… I knew they were bringing in some heavy shit, but God Damn!”

“What is it?” Dom asked, watching as she took out something that looked like a bigger, smoother version of the rifle she already had
“It’s an AA-12… I’ve never actually gotten to fire one of these before. Should be fun! Hey Dom, you want one too? They’ve got a few in here!”
“What’s it do?” He asked.
“It’s a full auto shotgun with 20 shell drum mag. Basically - it turns anyone you don’t like into ground beef. Should be useful against the Rosen Prince…” She got down, checking a lower shelf and taking out boxes of ammo.

“Let’s see… I heard Milo mention something about Dragons Breath rounds. He thought they’d be effective against the Nightwalkers. Lemme just… oh fuck yes!”
She held up a box of shotgun shells, grinning from ear to ear.

“Thank you, Milo! Gretchen, think you can help us curse these?”
“I should be able to,” She said, going over to take the box from Nina. She sorted through a few other boxes of bullets on the lower shelf, before sliding one over to me.

“Try these out,” She said. “Lemme know if you want something different. We’ve still got a lot out here.”
I nodded before picking up the box. I set it down on a table, took the magazine out of the gun Nina had given me, and loaded it up just the way she’d shown me before. Then I went outside to give it a test run.

As I stepped out, I looked over toward the ruins of Puriysk. I could see one charred building that had once been an apartment, now overgrown with red vines and glowing flowers that made the ruins twinkle in the most surreal way. In a sense, the building almost looked infected. The vines seemed more like cancerous growths than real plant life. Looking at it, I was reminded of the state that Bakersfield had been in… and I was reminded of the corpse of my mother, her eyes half open in death. The memory made my stomach turn.

I raised the gun up toward the distant building, knowing that if I shot at it I couldn’t kill what was ahead of me, but hoping it might make me feel better. I pulled the trigger, firing into the void.

“Hello?” A distant voice called, making me pause. “Hello, is someone there?”
“Hello?” I called back, lowering the gun and trying to follow the voice.
“Hello?!”
Up ahead, I could see a man stumbling past a few of the tents. Judging by his uniform, he’d been part of the FRB.

“Oh thank God…” He said, “Thank God I thought I was the only one left!”
“So did we!” I said. I noticed that the name on his uniform read - ‘Gideon’. I looked back toward the tent that Nina and the others were in.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, “We’ve got Dr. Di Cesare with us, I think I saw some spare masks in her lab too. We can get you one!”
“Masks?” Gideon asked, “Why? What’s going on here?”
“I’ll let Dr. Di Cesare explain, come on.”

I gestured for him to follow me into the tent. As I turned to go in, I saw Nina coming out.
“I’m hearing voices out here…” She said, before noticing Gideon. Gretchen came out behind her, eyes narrowing slightly.
“We’ve got another survivor,” I said and Nina looked over at Gideon with a raised eyebrow.
“Shit, really?” She asked, although didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about it. She glanced over at Gretchen who was on top of Gideon almost immediately.

“Fascinating, how did you survive the night?” She asked, already poking and prodding at him. From the corner of my eye, I could see Dom coming out of the tent, holding the shotgun Nina had given him.
“I… I just stayed out of the fire!” Gideon said, “I let the monsters fight each other! I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t get to the trucks before they left and then the radio went silent… what are you doing?”

Gretchen held him by the chin and leaned in to sniff at his neck.
“Did you know a vampire's sense of smell is over ten thousand times more accurate than a regular human's?” She asked, her voice as calm as ever. “It enables us to detect imperfections in the blood and avoid drinking anything that might be adverse to our health… and right now, I can smell the spores in yours.”

Gideon locked eyes with her, looking panicked for a moment before his lips slowly began to curl into a knowing rictus grin.
“You were always so astute, Gretchen…”

I saw his skull split apart suddenly, revealing rows upon rows of teeth inside. He tried to bite down on her head, but Gretchen seemed to be expecting that. I saw the ground beneath her shift, pulling her back a few feet.

Nina raised her shotgun and fired at Gideon before he could make another move. A column of sparks flashed out of her gun, setting Gideon’s body alight. He howled in pain and as he did I saw his body changing. The skin and flesh on his hands peeled back turning his fingers into claws. An inhuman screech escaped him as he lunged for Nina, only to be blown back by another flaming blast from her shotgun and sent crashing to the ground in a twitching, screaming pile of burning flesh.
Nina let out a shuddering, almost orgasmic sigh.
“I love you,” She said to the gun.

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a chorus of inhuman screams echoed through the air around us, seeming to come from everywhere at once.
“That doesn't sound good…” Dom said.
“Oh, it’s not. He makes that sound when he’s hungry,” Gretchen ‘assured’ us. “We should leave.”

She motioned with her hand, beckoning some of the fire off the burning remains of ‘Gideon’ and allowing them to form into a ball in her hand.
“But we’ve got supplies here!” Nina said, “We’re not getting through Parsons without them!”
“And he’s got the bodies from last night.”

Almost on cue, several shapes rounded one of the tents a few feet away. Gretchen casually let loose the ball of fire she’d taken, sending it flying toward one of the creatures racing toward us.
“Then we’ll just bring the car here, load up and leave!” Nina said. “Dom, keep them out of the tent, Cam, grab everything you can carry!”
“I have to state for the record that this is an ill advised-”
“Just shut up and help me get to the goddamn car!” Nina snapped, cutting Gretchen off before raising her gun to unleash hell upon the creatures that came for us.

I wasted no time running straight for the tent. Nina had opened a few of the lockers and had been going through the contents. She’d set aside the dragon's breath rounds, and I figured those were probably the ones she was looking to bring. She’d opened up a metal ammo box and had already been setting the shells inside. I didn’t really have the time to set them up in order the way she’d been doing, but I did have time to carelessly dump them in there like an idiot.

I could see the flashes from outside as Dom fired at some of the Rosen and judging by the sounds he made, I couldn’t tell if he was having fun, terrified for his life, or both.

I grabbed a second ammo box, hastily dumping the remaining shells in there. I didn’t count them and hoped to God that it would be enough, then I grabbed another box of the .22 ammo that my gun used, stuffed that in my pocket, and closed up the boxes. I figured it was as good enough.
“Let’s go!” I yelled to Dom, grabbing both boxes by the handles. They were heavier than they looked, but I did what I could to tough it out.

He fired a few more rounds at some of the passing Rosen, bathing them in sparks that caught their bodies alight and sent the ones near them scurrying away. From what I could see, no two were exactly the same. Some of the smaller ones, who looked as if they’d once been human either wore tattered FRB uniforms or the loose ensemble of the Sheriff’s Boys. Although most had discarded their clothes entirely, embracing the monster that now puppeteered them. Their heads opened like flowers, and some even had the same shimmering petals as the glowing flowers that dotted the ruins. Many had those same flowers blooming on their skin, only in their center were sickly yellow eyes. They loped about on all fours like wild dogs, howling and shrieking all the while, trying to escape the flames that bathed them but never quite giving up their single minded pursuit.

A few of them ran for me, although Dom dealt with those quickly, washing them in columns of fire with every pull of his trigger. Together we retreated back toward the car. In the chaos, it was hard to keep track of events. There were just so many… too many to count. I left the shooting to Dominic, my only focus was on staying out of his way and reaching the car.

I could see flames rising up into the sky a few feet away and knew that Gretchen and Nina were still fighting. We were getting closer to them. A fresh column of fire tore through one of the nearby tents, burning it away almost completely along with the Rosen who were unlucky enough to be caught in its path.

As we rounded that tent, I saw Nina hastily backing toward the SUV, unloading her last few rounds into the advancing crowd of Rosen and buying herself enough time to get inside.

Gretchen was doing the same, pulling the fire from the burning corpses and forming burning walls between her and the living. Behind the horde, I could see one twisted figure standing atop one of the tents, watching her with a single yellow eye.

“A RIPE NEW WORLD TO USHER IN TO SPRING EVERLASTING!” A voice howled through the chaos. I think it came from the thing that watched Gretchen. “How kind of you, Gretchen Di Cesare… an apology for your many insults? Or a failure. The newest of many?”

She didn’t humor the Rosen Prince with a response, or at least not a verbal one. A tendril of flames shot out of the wall she’d summoned, to engulf the thing that had spoken to her. Killing it, did nothing to stop the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere at once now.

“Shall you outrun me again, Child? Or do I at last claim you as my own?”
Gretchen just turned, and pulled open the car door, getting in as Nina keyed the engine. The wall of flames pivoted, cutting violently across the path before the car and burning anything there before quickly parting. Nina hit the gas and sped toward us, while Gretchen’s trail of fire followed.

I saw the Rosen shrink back as the car and the fire drew near. We took the opportunity while it was there. Dom pulled one of the doors open for me and I hefted the ammo boxes inside, looking back to watch him dive in behind me. We didn’t even get a chance to close the door before Nina was driving again. Gretchen rolled down the window and pulled the fires from behind us forward, launching them in front of the car to burn away the Rosen in our path. As she did, I could hear the demonic laughter of the Rosen Prince in the distance.
“RUN IF YOU MUST, DEAR CHILD! FOR I ALREADY AWAIT YOU!”

I looked out the back window to see that the Rosen had already given up chasing us. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. Judging by the look on Gretchen’s face, it wasn’t.
“We need to move, quickly,” She said. “Dominic, you can get us to Parsons, correct?”
“I think I should,” He said. “I’m sorry, did that thing just say it was already waiting for us, did it already get to Parsons?”

“I suppose we’ll find out shortly…” Gretchen admitted. “If so… we should still have time. The Rosen Prince shouldn’t have the biomass to launch a particularly large assault right now. He’ll need more bodies… but I still suggest we move, the clock is ticking.”

Nina pulled the car onto the road leading out of Puriysk, watching the rearview mirror anxiously as she did. The mists of the forest swallowed us up as we left Puriysk behind. All that remained now was ahead of us, at the end of the road.

*We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!*
**Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!**
I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.
Maybe you're new to /stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.
It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!
---
**This pledge is a statement of intent.** Today we don't set out *trying* not to drink, we make a conscious decision *not to drink*. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!
What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.
**What this is:** A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.
**What this isn't:** A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.
---
This post goes up at:
- US - Night/Early Morning
- Europe - Morning
- Asia and Australia - Evening/Night
A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.
---
Morning friends! I’m excited to finally be hosting the DCI.
Like a lot of you, I spent a while lurking here while I tried to figure out if my drinking was that bad. I knew it was bad and I needed to get it under control, but what I didn’t realize at that time was that I didn’t want to really control my drinking; I wanted to drink the way I wanted without consequences and without any of the icky things I did when I drank.
I also thought quitting drinking would be easy once someone told me how to do it. You know, give me the instructions, I can follow them. I’ll get this off my “to do” list and move on with life. I’m smart, I’m high-achieving, I can do this. I don’t need help, I don’t need people, I don’t need community, I need the instructions. That is it, thank you very much.
HAH.
What a joke.
This is one of the toughest yet most rewarding life journeys I’ve been on. I’ve had to dig deep to stay sober. I’ve gone back out for field research and disappointed myself time and time again. I had to admit I couldn’t do it myself. I had to admit that I needed community and people.
I’m so damn grateful for this community and you. You and your stories and your advice and your kindness helped me find my sober feet and helped me learn to walk sober one day at a time. Taking it one day at a time sober, sometimes one moment, one frustration, one bad day, one good day at a time has gotten me here. And that is why I’m so happy to be able to host this week. Turns out, the minimum 30-day requirement was a lot tougher to achieve than I thought.
As Sunday either dawns or sets depending on where you are in the world, how are you celebrating the day? For me, sobriety has relieved most of the pain of Sundays. There is no more exhaustion or recovery needed, no more anxiety or panic or self-loathing. Instead it’s lighter and easier to handle the list of to-dos as I get myself and my family ready for the chaos of the week ahead. The Sunday scaries aren’t so scary anymore.
Enjoy the day, friends, however you choose to spend it. Tell us what you have planned! And - I will not drink with you today.

It was Friday night, and I had the whole weekend to myself. My parents had left for their anniversary trip and my little sister was at a sleepover, leaving me, a 16-year-old, alone in our big house. The weather forecast predicted a blizzard, but I wasn't too worried about it; I had stocked up on snacks and had a whole list of movies to watch.
As the snow began to fall, I settled in on the couch, wrapping myself in a cozy blanket, and pressed play on the first movie. The wind howled outside, whipping the snow against the windows, making the house creak and groan. It was the perfect atmosphere for a scary movie marathon.
A couple of hours into my movie marathon, I paused to make some popcorn. As I waited for the kernels to pop, I glanced outside and saw the blizzard had picked up. The snow had piled up high, and visibility was almost zero. Even though I knew we lived far away from our neighbors, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at the thought of being so isolated.
Shaking off the feeling, I took my popcorn back to the couch and resumed my movie. My phone buzzed with a text message. It was my best friend, Sam, checking in on me.
"Hey, you surviving the blizzard?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, just watching scary movies and eating popcorn," I replied.
"Be safe! Don't let any creepy strangers in," Sam teased.
"Thanks, Sam, now I'm going to be paranoid all night!" I responded with a laugh.
We said our goodbyes and I returned to my movie. Just as I was getting engrossed, I heard a loud thud from upstairs. My heart raced, but I tried to rationalize it as the wind or maybe some snow falling off the roof.
I turned the volume up on the TV to drown out the noises from outside, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. As I watched the movie, I felt like I was being watched. Every so often, I would glance out the window, but I couldn't see anything through the swirling snow.
The next thud came from the front door. This time, I couldn't ignore it. I muted the TV and listened, straining to hear any other noises. The wind whistled, and I heard the faint sound of footsteps crunching in the snow outside.
My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to rationalize the situation. Maybe someone was lost in the blizzard and needed help. Or maybe it was just my imagination running wild. I decided to investigate, grabbing my dad's flashlight from the kitchen drawer.
The cold air hit me as I opened the front door, and I was instantly blinded by the snowstorm. I stepped out, shining the flashlight in the direction of the footsteps. As I followed them, I noticed they led to the side of the house, near the garage. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and I realized they led to a set of ladder rungs that led up to the roof.
My pulse quickened as I thought about the earlier thuds and the implications of someone climbing onto our roof. I rushed back inside, locking the door behind me. My mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. I remembered my dad had installed security cameras around the house, and I could check the footage from my phone.
As I pulled up the app and began scanning the footage, I noticed something strange. There was a figure dressed in dark clothing, seemingly trying to hide behind a snowbank. I couldn't make out any details, but the person was definitely watching the house.
I called Sam, my hands shaking. "Sam, there's someone outside my house, and they were on my roof. I don't know what to do!"
Sam's voice wavered, "Call the police, right now. I'm coming over, too. Just stay on the line with me until I get there."
I dialed 911 and explained the situation to the operator. They assured me that they would send a patrol car, but with the blizzard, it could take a while for them to arrive. I felt a pit in my stomach, realizing I was on my own until help arrived.
I locked all the doors and windows, double-checking each one. As I did, I couldn't help but feel like the figure was watching my every move. I glanced out the window, and for a brief moment, I saw the dark figure standing near the edge of our property, still watching the house.
I retreated to the living room, turning off the TV, and sat in the darkness, waiting for either the police or Sam to arrive. The only sound was the howling wind, punctuated by the occasional thud from the roof or the walls.
Time felt like it was dragging on, and I couldn't help but feel increasingly paranoid. Every small noise made my heart skip a beat, and my mind raced with possibilities of what the intruder might do. I clutched the flashlight tightly, as if it were a lifeline, and I kept my phone close, waiting for a call or message.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I heard a car engine approaching. Relief washed over me, thinking it was either Sam or the police. Peeking through the window, I saw Sam's car pull up, the headlights cutting through the darkness and snow.
I quickly unlocked the door, letting Sam in. Their face was a mix of worry and determination. "Are you okay? Have you seen the person since you called?"
"No, I haven't seen them, but I keep hearing noises," I replied, my voice shaking.
Sam suggested we wait together in the kitchen, where we'd have a clear view of the front and back doors. We sat in silence, the tension in the room thick as the snow outside.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the house, followed by the sound of shattering glass. We both jumped to our feet, my heart pounding like a drum. The noise had come from the back of the house.
We cautiously moved towards the sound, flashlights in hand. As we turned the corner, we saw the back door wide open, shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. The intruder had made their way inside.
Sam and I exchanged terrified glances, knowing we had no choice but to confront whoever had invaded my home. We moved through the house together, checking each room, but found nothing. The intruder seemed to have vanished as suddenly as they appeared.
As we neared the staircase leading to the second floor, we heard a door creak open above us. We looked at each other, fear in our eyes, and began to ascend the stairs. Our flashlights revealed a trail of wet, muddy footprints leading down the hallway. We followed them, our hearts pounding in our ears.
The trail led us to my parents' bedroom. We hesitated, unsure of what we might find behind the door. Taking a deep breath, we pushed the door open, revealing the intruder standing by the window, their face hidden behind a dark mask.
We froze in terror, our flashlights illuminating the stranger. And that's when we heard the sirens, growing louder as the police approached. The intruder looked at us, then back to the window, before disappearing into the blizzard.
The police arrived moments later, searching the house and the surrounding property. They found no trace of the intruder, who had seemingly vanished into the storm. The officers took our statements, assuring us that they would do everything they could to find the person responsible.
Sam stayed with me that night, both of us too shaken to be alone. We huddled together in the living room, watching comedies to try and take our minds off the frightening ordeal.
The next morning, the storm had subsided, leaving a thick blanket of snow covering everything. As we stepped outside to assess the damage, we noticed something unusual. Near the broken back door, there was a small, snow-covered object. Curiosity piqued, we brushed off the snow to reveal a strange, intricately carved wooden box.
The box seemed to have no visible lock or latch, but it was clearly sealed shut. We exchanged puzzled glances, wondering if the intruder had left it behind. It was then that we decided to call the police and inform them about the mysterious box.
The officers arrived shortly after, taking the box with them as potential evidence. They promised to keep us updated on any new developments. Days turned into weeks, and the memory of that terrifying night began to fade. The police never found the intruder, and we never heard anything about the strange wooden box.
Life eventually returned to normal, but the feeling of being watched never completely went away. Every creak, every howl of the wind, would bring back memories of that harrowing night. The intruder had disappeared into the storm, leaving behind a lingering sense of unease and the haunting mystery of the wooden box. And in the back of our minds, we couldn't help but wonder if one day, the stranger would return to finish whatever they had started.

I had a customer come in with her dog for his 1st day of dog daycare. As expected, she had lots questions and I was more than happy to answer them and reassure her as much as I could, however the customer was surprised by my response when I brought up some key behaviors I've noticed dogs performing in daycare that could cause problems in group. The owner mentioned she wished she would have known some of the info I gave her before she put her dog in daycare (I'll elaborate more on this further down) and I thought it may be a good idea to bring awareness to some of the behaviors that (in my experience) often seem to start at home.
** To preface this discussion, I am not a dog trainer, behaviorist, or professional by any means. But I have been working with dogs currently at my job for 3+ years now, and have made working with dogs a career choice since I turned 15. Comments and open discussion (especially from my fellow daycare people) is welcome!

#1- Water Play: One of the best parts of my job is catering to all of our water lovers at my facility. Summer is the perfect time to bust out our dog pools, splash pads, pupsicles (large frozen ice cubes), and sprinklers. However, the hoses we use to fill our pools and engage in water play are first and foremost TOOLS. We use them to rinse off the turf yards, dogs that roll in vomit, play equipment, etc. The problem comes in with owners that allow their dogs to play in the hose. Specifically, dogs that develop fixations on the hose and have limited ability to sit and stay while we use the hoses. During the past 2 years we have had dogs jump up and bite employees while trying to get at the hose because they're so fixated on "catching the water". Often, this ends up with gnarly bites. Big and small dogs have caused ER visits, staples, stitches, and everything else you can imagine. I always recommend that if owners DO allow their dogs to play in the hose at home to use sprinklers and/or work on their dog's ability to sit and stay for prolonged periods of time. For obvious reasons, this behavior can be dangerous, regardless of the breed/size of the dog. Please keep this in mind guys!

#2- Laser Pointers: I feel like this is pretty obvious, but please don't use laser pointers on your dogs. They are cat toys for a reason. But if you don't have an idea on what laser pointers do, it's pretty much the same as listed above. Last year a german shepherd latched on to my wrist attempting to catch the glare on my apple watch. I had a hefty medical bill, and now I'm super cautious about anything that reflects in group for obvious reason. "Laser Pointer Syndrome" as we call it at my job, turns into a weird obsessive disorder that generally translates to dogs chasing after anything that reflects. Water from a hose, glares from phone screens (we take photos for parents in group during downtime), etc. So just uh, don't do it.

#3- Humping: Another behavior I feel like is really obvious to most dog owners. But if you don't know, humping during play is not an acceptable behavior. It causes frustration, stress, fights. If you notice your dog humping other dogs whether at home or wherever else, correct it. I had one lady tell me she thought it meant her dog was "really happy to make new friends". Negative. We don't allow it in group, and we work with the owners to correct this behavior. Please don't just let it happen at home.

#4- Third Wheeling: At my job we call third-wheeling "unbalanced play". Dogs are only allowed to play in pairs to prevent play from becoming unbalanced. If another dog comes in and tries to intervene with the pair playing, we stop it immediately using redirections, obedience exercises, slip leading and walking the dog away, etc. We do this to ensure none of the dogs get frustrated or ganged up on. Basically, it's another safety measure to prevent stress, tension, and fights in our play groups.

#5- Fixations: I feel like this behavior is more so genetic because I've noticed this behavior happen in very specific breeds (mainly dogs like frenchies, english bulldogs, boxers), but I have had people tell me they've encouraged this behavior at home. To elaborate, we had a 4 year old english bulldog with a weird obsession with rubber soles on shoes. When the Crocs trend resurfaced this dog had a field day knocking my coworkers down, gnawing off rubber soles on shoes, and no matter what we did with this dog we could not break her fixations. I mean we tried spraying our shoes with vinegar, redirecting to various different activities, kennel breaks, and whatever else you could think of to no avail. The issue really came to a head when this dog latched on to my coworker's foot and started shredding her crocs. When another coworker intervened to slip lead the dog and redirect her the bulldog latched on to my coworkers ankle and would not let go. It was terrifying. That same day we removed the dog from group right after the incident, called Mom to get her and had a sit down while reviewing the tapes with Mom. Mom said the dog had been doing this as a puppy (tearing up rubber soles from shoes around the house) and that she always thought it was hilarious. In fact it was so hilarious they would play games of tug-of-war and fetch with the shoes she demolished. I do believe these fixations are mainly genetic based, but if your dog fixates on random objects around the house don't encourage it. At the very least, please give us a heads up so we can remove those objects from group.

These are the top 5 weird behaviors I went over with the owner before her puppy had his first day. He did great by the way, but mom tossed laser pointer in the trash and vowed to use a sprinkler when engaging in water play with puppy to try to prevent issues from occurring later down the line:)

Hello, fellow investors and FRC fans! I know you are all anxious to hear some good news about our beloved bank, especially after the recent turmoil in the market. Well, I have some good news for you: stop panicking on FRC, the alert's off. Yes, you heard me right. FRC is not going down the drain, and here's why.

Before I go on, let me just say that I'm not a financial advisor, and this is not financial advice. I'm just sharing my thoughts on FRC, and you should do your own research before making any investment decisions. Don't sue me if you lose money, okay?

What happened to FRC?
Now, let's get to the point. What happened to FRC? Why did it lose so much value in such a short time? And most importantly, will it recover?

To answer these questions, we need to understand FRC's business model and the challenges it faces. FRC is a regional bank that specializes in serving wealthy clients in coastal urban areas, such as San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. It offers high-quality services, such as private banking, wealth management, mortgage lending, and business banking. It has a loyal customer base that gives it high ratings and referrals. Sounds great, right?

Well, not so fast. FRC also has some unique risks that make it vulnerable to market shocks. The main ones are:

- Client retention risk: FRC relies heavily on its deposits to fund its loans and investments. However, its deposits are mostly from high-net-worth individuals and businesses that are sensitive to interest rate changes and market conditions. When interest rates rise or the market crashes, these customers may withdraw their money and look for better returns elsewhere. This happened recently when Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), another regional bank that serves tech companies and startups, announced that it had suffered huge losses due to its exposure to risky loans. Many SVB customers panicked and pulled out their money, and some of them also had accounts with FRC. This caused a massive deposit outflow for FRC, which reduced its liquidity and capital ratios.
- Interest rate risk: FRC has a large portfolio of fixed-rate loans and securities that lose value when interest rates rise. This is because fixed-rate assets pay a lower interest than the market rate, making them less attractive to investors. FRC also has a large amount of debt that it pays interest on. When interest rates rise, FRC's interest expenses increase while its interest income decreases. This squeezes its net interest margin (NIM), which is the difference between what it earns from its assets and what it pays for its liabilities. A lower NIM means lower profitability and lower equity value.

These two risks combined to create a perfect storm for FRC in the past few months. As interest rates spiked due to inflation fears and Fed tapering expectations, FRC's assets lost value while its liabilities became more expensive. At the same time, as SVB's troubles became public, FRC's deposits fled to safer havens. This left FRC with a negative net worth (meaning its liabilities exceeded its assets) and a liquidity crunch (meaning it had less cash to meet its obligations).

This is what happened to FRC in the past few weeks. According to a Wall Street Journal report, FRC lost about $70 billion in deposits, or 40% of its total deposits, in the fourth quarter of 2022. This caused FRC's balance sheet to shrink by about 20% and its equity value to turn negative when marked to market. This means that if FRC were to liquidate all its assets and liabilities today, it would not have enough money to pay back its shareholders.

The reasons why I’m optimistic to FRC's future
So far so bad. But does this mean that FRC is doomed? Not necessarily. There are some reasons to be optimistic about FRC's future:

- Customer loyalty: Despite the deposit outflow, FRC still has a loyal customer base that values its services and reputation. FRC has historically had low customer attrition rates (around 2%, compared to an industry average of 8%) and high net promoter scores (around 72%, compared to an industry average of 35%). These metrics indicate that FRC's customers are satisfied with their experience and willing to recommend FRC to others. This means that once the market stabilizes and confidence returns, some of the depositors may come back to FRC or at least keep their accounts open.
- Asset quality: Despite the interest rate risk, FRC still has a high-quality asset portfolio that generates steady income and low losses. FRC's loans are mostly secured by real estate or other collateral that can be recovered in case of default. FRC's securities are mostly investment-grade bonds or government-backed securities that have low default risk and high liquidity. FRC's asset quality ratios (such as non-performing assets ratio and loan loss provision ratio) are better than the industry averages and have not deteriorated significantly during the crisis.
- Capital adequacy: Despite the negative net worth, FRC still has enough capital to meet its regulatory requirements and absorb potential losses. FRC's capital ratios (such as Tier 1 capital ratio and total capital ratio) are above the minimum thresholds set by the regulators and have not been in a position out of no way. For example, FRC can adjust its loan pricing and terms to reflect the higher interest rate environment and attract more borrowers. FRC can also diversify its funding sources and reduce its reliance on deposits by issuing more debt or equity securities. FRC can also sell some of its non-core assets or businesses to raise cash and improve its capital ratios.

In all, FRC still has some potential upside if the market conditions improve and the deposit outflow reverses. If the interest rates stabilize or decline, FRC's net interest margin will improve and its unrealized loss will shrink. If the market sentiment improves and the customer confidence returns, FRC's deposit base will grow again and its liquidity position will improve. If these scenarios happen, FRC's share price will likely rebound and reflect its true value.

Of course, these are not guarantees or predictions. There are still many uncertainties and risks involved in investing in FRC. There is no guarantee that interest rates will not rise further or that customers will not withdraw more deposits. There is also no guarantee that regulators will not intervene or that competitors will not take advantage of FRC's weakness.

Is FRC a buy or sell now?
Many investors lost faith in FRC and sold their shares at a huge loss. But was that the right move? Or did they miss an opportunity to buy FRC at a bargain price?

Before I explain that, let me remind you again that this is not financial advice and you should always do your own research before making any investment decisions.

So, let's get started. The key question here is: will the deposit return to FRC?
This is crucial because deposits are the lifeblood of any bank. Without deposits, a bank cannot lend money, earn interest income or pay dividends. And without those things, a bank cannot survive. So, how likely is it that FRC will regain its old day glory and see its deposit base grow again?

Well, it's hard to say for sure. But based on some recent data and news, I am optimistic that the deposit will partially return, if not 100% return. Here are some reasons why:

- First of all, according to a report from Reuters, the deposit outflows that left many regional banks reeling in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's failure have slowed and in some cases reversed. This shows that some customers may be coming back to FRC or staying loyal to it despite the turmoil.
- Second, regulators and watchdogs see FRC as stable enough to operate without any immediate intervention as the company and its advisers try to work out a deal to shore up its balance sheet. According to a report from Bloomberg, FRC has been in talks with potential investors and lenders to raise capital and liquidity. The report also said that US authorities are considering expanding an emergency lending facility for banks in ways that would give FRC more time to shore up its balance sheet. This suggests that FRC is not in imminent danger of failing or being taken over by the government.
- Third, FRC has some competitive advantages that make it stand out from other regional banks. As we already discussed above, it has superior customer retention rates (2% versus an industry level of closer to 8%) and superior Net Promoter Scores (72 versus an industry average of closer to 35). These metrics indicate that FRC has a loyal and satisfied customer base that values its service and products. FRC also has a diversified revenue stream that includes wealth management, private banking and business banking. These segments tend to be more resilient and profitable than traditional retail banking.
- Fourth, there has been no negative news about FRC lately. No scandals, no lawsuits, no frauds, no fines. No news is good news, right? Well, maybe not always, but in this case it means that FRC is not facing any new challenges or risks that could hurt its reputation or performance.

Based on these reasons, I think that FRC has a good chance of recovering some of its lost deposits in the following months. And if that happens, the stock price of FRC should also rebound and recapture some of its losses. Of course, this is not a guarantee and there are still many uncertainties and challenges ahead for FRC. But I think that at the current price level of around $12 per share, FRC offers an attractive risk-reward ratio for investors who are willing to take a long-term view.

So what do I think you should do with your FRC shares? Well, I can't tell you what to do because everyone has different goals and risk appetites. But I can tell you what I am doing with mine: I am holding them and waiting for better days ahead. I believe that FRC is not as bad as it seems and that it has the potential to bounce back stronger than ever.

But hey, don't take my word for it. Do your own research and make your own decisions. And let me know what you think in the comments below. Do you agree with me or do you think I am crazy?

p.s. Some of the sources of this acritical:
From <https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-sees-deposits-stabilizing-some-regional-banks-reel-2023-03-20/>
From <https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/21/treasury-secretary-yellen-says-the-government-could-backstop-more-deposits-if-necessary.html>
From https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-25/us-mulls-more-support-for-banks-while-giving-first-republic-time

https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/pull/64464
As someone who plays on experimental for fun and has zero knowledge or interest in development, I fail to see how this "incentivizes" adding locks to the game, considering that locks have been on the docket for going on half a decade now.
Reintroducing features that the vast majority of players (including the dude who implemented portal storms in the first place) consider to have missed the mark in terms of being fun to play in order to encourage nebulous changes to make the game fun to play again is absurd. "Oh, portal storms are supposed to be dangerous". No, portal storms aren't real. They're a fictional phenomenon created to add variety to gameplay and break up the monotony of cross-country zombie killing. You know what doesn't break up monotony? Being forced to stand beside a door for the entirety of a portal storm while you repeatedly swat at the same Person trying to enter every ten seconds. It's not challenging, it's not dynamic, it's not going to inspire anyone to do anything besides play stable until this change is reverted again.
The way portal storms are implemented, the intended strategy is for the player to flee inside. Inside is a respite. Inside is safe. That's why, when you go inside, you start getting tons of invitations to pretty please go back outside, it's cool, We promise, We won't do anything. Keep in mind, if a player needs something they don't have in the house, say antibiotics or water, they will still have to go outside. If the player wants artifacts or NRE tickets, they will still have to go outside. All of the Outsiders are geared around appearing everywhere, immobilizing the player and then choking/exhausting them to death, features that lend themselves really well to panicked sprints between shelters but also make them a fucking chore when the chase turns into a siege.
By hiding inside during portal storms, you lose time and eat into your supplies while waiting. By hiding inside during portal storms, you miss out on the opportunities afforded to you by said storms. Having Persons wander in and trigger spatial deja vu/phase nudity by leaving all the doors open forces conflicts with an enemy that isn't designed to be fought, and kills the creepiness of being coerced and cajoled to leave your safe space and get torn apart by things you can't even comprehend. There is no optimal strategy or tactic to be used in these situations, you just pick a corner and whack away at the same constantly spawning enemies over and over and over and over again until your fatigue bar gives out or the storm ends. That's not "fun", or "realistic" or "hard", that's just frustrating, and it's gonna turn people off the game.
Keep portal storms the way they were before the rollback. Every other faction is capable of laying siege to buildings. The whole point of Outsiders is that they play by their own kind of nightmare logic, and saying "oh, they don't swarm and kill you like everything else, it just isn't hard enough" completely misses the point.

Hi everyone! I have a bunch of fandoms I'm just itching to roleplay. Currently, I would like to play canon female characters in FxM or FxF plots.
I am 19 and in the CET timezone. Discord is the only platform I RP on. I only write in third person and my messages tend to be be pretty long, meaning 400-1000 words on average. Breaking the Discord limit once or twice is something that regularly happens.
LOOKING FOR:

18+ via Discord. Canon/Canon (preferred) can make an exception for Canon/OC in some situations!
Organic Ships: Looking to give ships time to grow, create the chemistry in RP, and enjoy a gradual burn. Prefer the lead in and then 'fade to black' approach for the adult situations.
Character Psychology: Main goal is to dig into the canon history and building on it in interesting ways. Appreciate thoughtful & nuanced portrayals that treat canon characters as complex.
Privacy Respect: Always happy to keep an open OOC dialogue about daily life, media, or news in addition to character talk.
I am really only interested in romance, non-romantic roleplays don't interest me. With that being said I don't want romance to be the sole focus, that gets boring quickly.
I love writing conflicts that ultimately turn into happy endings. (Angst and slow burn romances are my favourite!)
Story and Character development > Everything else.
I am a literate writer and expect the same from you. One-liners are only acceptable for the interactions that demand them, but they will remain rare. I will not drown you in text every other response, but I will write up to what I feel is appropriate and I expect you to do the same. I average 3-6 paragraphs once we are past introductory material.
Please be open to writing a cast of characters if the plot calls for it. I don't mind if the focus is solely on two people, but there is room for secondary and background characters.
Enthusiasm to chat about our character and ship, how to crush them and then gushing over fluffy moments. I love crying over characters and what the heck they're doing. I want my heart ripped from my chest from angst, then feeling like it's going to burst from overwhelming cuteness. I want us to love these characters and the world we create. I want to make pinterest boards, spotify playlists, graphics, and toss headcanons back and forth until late at night.

FANDOMS & THE CHARACTERS I CAN PLAY IN THEM:

Marvel (Movies & Series): Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) or Jean Elaine Grey (Marvel).
Harry Potter (Books & Movies): Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour or Pansy Parkinson.
DC (Movies, Series & Comics): Zatanna Zatara.
Hunger Games (Books & Movies): Katniss Everdeen, Clove Kentwell, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta or Glimmer Belacourt.
Twilight (Books & Movies): Isabella Swan, Alice Cullen, Jane or Rosalie Hale.
Scream (All movies): Sidney Prescott, Tatum Riley, CiCi Cooper, Kirby Reid, Tara Carpenter, Samantha Carpenter.
American Horror Story (Series): Violet Harmon or Madison Montgomery.
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies (All Series): Elena Gilbert, Rebekah Mikaelson, Freya Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall, Josie Saltzman or Hope Mikaelson.
Star Wars (Movies & Series): Padme Amidala

PLOTTING:

Would love to tailor plots to the specific characters and their potential dynamic. I absolutely love the process of plotting, workshopping ideas, spinning off into AUs and generally finding something that can be really character driven.
I put my heart and soul into my characters because love what I do. Please: nothing one-sided. I love OC chatter and I want to be able to send you a meme tagging one of our muses. As a music enthusiast, I compile playlists. I even work on muse-specific Pinterest boards to boost the inspiration. I adore writing mini one-shots of scenes in OOC as a means of plot development, whether or not it's due to a delay in my replies. Character development is a huge part of my time spent roleplaying and as such, I expect you to be just as devoted. In a perfect world, we know each other's characters completely because we have both contributed to their development. That being said, I don't mind if you bring a pre-made character, so long as we can work on other developments together. This is going to be a creation we've made.
Plot-based stuff is going to be all up to discussion. Things can get dark. They can be as dark as you want them to be. On the lighter side, I love the different relationship dynamics that can come of the characters unique personalities. Either way, if you have an idea, spring it on me and we'll see if things work out.
Have an idea for a scene? Found a picture that inspired you? Send it to me! Be invested when it comes to plotting/worldbuilding. There's nothing worse than receiving one sentence in reply to two paragraphs of ideas, or having a doormat partner who says "sure" to whatever I ask. Building ideas one on top of the other, watching them snowball into amazing plot threads brings me joy. But having to pull plot ideas like I'm pulling teeth makes me think you're not interested, and I will lose interest in return.

Please feel free to drop me a line with whichever fandom and characters you prefer, and I can add you on discord to get things rolling! Please be detailed if you do send me a message, let me know why you chose to contact me. Seeing only “hey do you wanna rp?” with nothing else is a guaranteed no response.

I've written this trip report 3 times now and keep losing the draft. It's gonna get long, so please forgive me. The actual action will be a few paragraphs down. Little background, I'm non-Japanese Asian American and don't speak any Japanese. Was on a solo trip to Japan, so I figured I'd check out the scene, although my pre-trip research was pretty lacking. Japan's hobby scene is a bit anti-thetical to this sub, but I thought I'd share in the interest of science. If nothing else, you can avoid being a bumbling idiot like me.
I think most people know what Soaplands are, but basically a spa with benefits. They are very common around Japan, but many are not accessible to foreigners. Those that do take foreigners tend to charge a "foreigner tax", which is very high fees. There is a message board Tokyo Adult Guide with some helpful tips, but I'm pretty sure all of those people speak some Japanese. The no foreigners thing is not necessarily a racist thing. They just don't want to get in a situation where inability to communicate might be dangerous for the girls (some management is just too lazy to deal with speaking a foreign language).
From my limited research, I settled on Hisyo in the north of Tokyo (about 1.5km walk from Asakusa). It's located in a district with a bunch of soaplands back to back. Their schtick is that the girls all dress like secretaries. And not like American Halloween slutty secretary. Like actual Japanese company secretary uniform. It's not why I picked them but it didn't hurt either. I had looked up online their lineup for the day and settled on Sora. Didn't know at the time, but she's a mixed Japanese former AV star. So I landed at Haneda about 5am. I had my luggage shipped to my hotel, so I didn't bother stopping by there and just walked around Tokyo all day. After a couple of meals that I had to either wait or put my name down, I finally headed to Hisyo about 8pm (I had intended to go at 12pm, then 3pm, etc... but got caught up doing touristy shit or waiting for my next meal). There was a tout out on the street side, but you shouldn't go with those guys. Found the door to the soapland, asked the tencho (kind of the manager) if English would be OK. He said yes, but Sora was Japanese only (not true, but I wasn't gonna argue). I'm not sure if I had spoken Chinese if she would have been made available. Also, I was dressed like a bum. Jogger pants, Jordans, and sweatshirt under my nice overcoat. I was dressed for the plane and the cold. All my clothes were pretty expensive, but athleisure is still athleisure. Not sure if that affected anything but it's a possibility. It's not that you need to dress up, but not looking like a foreign bum helps. Fee was quoted 75K yen for 2 hours which is about double the price that locals pay. I was kind of prepared and had the budget so I agreed. This is where some weirdness started
I took my shoes off at the entrance, was put in a waiting room and given a hot towel and iced tea (standard practice). Waited about 10 minutes and the tencho came back with 5 cards for me to pick the girls from. I went with a girl named Luna. Pretty, skinny girl, in her early 20's. Tencho said ok, took my money, and left me to wait about 10 minutes. He came back and said we're going to meet her at a different location and walked me about 4 buildings down. Again took my shoes off, put in the waiting room, given a hot towel and tea, and wait for about 15 minutes until he came back again and said another location and took me 2 buildings back toward where we started (remember I said there are a lot of soaplands in that neighborhood). At this point, I'm starting to wonder if I got scammed, was going to be killed, or what. Another 5 minutes, and he said another place again, and we walk to the next building again (this one doesn't make me take off my shoes at the entrance). Then I'm in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. He comes back, I'm ready to move to a new location but they said Luna's ready for me!!!
I'm shown to a 2 person elevator where this cute girl (sure enough dressed as a secretary) bowed to me and beckoned me to enter. She greeted me with limited English but enough to get the job done. We went up to the room, took our shoes off at the entrance and enter. The room is like a small hotel room with a large bed and a closet and tables. It steps down into an open bathroom that's a bit bigger than the hotel room side itself. Those that watch Japanese AV will know what I'm talking about, It was quite a large bedroom.
Now, this is where I believe Japan sets itself apart from other countries as far as service. Luna was professional, but not mechanical about everything. This would be a running theme in my few times I saw providers while there. She called down my drink order then helped me undress. After I was relieved of my clothing, I helped her out of hers, and we stepped over to the bathroom side. I was shown into the tub while she prepared the open shower. Remember this is called soapland. We traded some small talk while she prepared a little wash bucket of soap suds. Gave me a toothbrush, toothpaste, and rinse. So you brush in tub and can spit it outside because that's all shower drain area. Took a few minutes to prepare but then she had me exit the tub and join her by the shower with a stool. She rinsed me while standing, then had me sit on a plastic stool but not like the ones typically seen in JAV. This one was shaped like an M that wasn't connected in the middle. She spread the suds onto one body area at a time (one arm, leg, etc...) and used her tits, ass, kitty to rub it all in. Needless to say, I'm pretty turned on by all this. I'm rinsed off while sitting on the stool, and then she proceeds to lick me from face to toe, including bbbj. At one point, she slid her whole body under my seat and rimmed me a bit. Not usually my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I stood up for more bbbj before being shown back into the tub. She takes a while to first wash all the soap from the shower area floor, rinse out the towels that I had been sitting on (to keep from sliding on the plastic stool) and prepared the next item on the agenda.
2nd half was nuru time. She had prepared the warm nuru gel, placed the air mattress where we had previously been sitting, all while I was sipping some iced tea in the tub. When she placed the mattress down, she used the wet towels to cover the head and foot rest area so we could control our sliding. These girls are trained well and execute their jobs even better. Anyway, we started with me face down while she spread the nuru gel all around by rubbing her gel covered body all over me again. The massage was better than 90% of AMP here, but the best part is when she could squirm under me and grind my dick with her body. The flip was a surprise. I'm 6' and 200lbs and she was maybe 5'3" and 100ish. Her flip move was to lie on one side of me, stick her arm under me, grab my opposite hand, then pull and I'm on my back. It probably wasn't as cool as it felt but in the moment I was surprised. Now that I was on my back, she continued the sliding. If she wasn't pretty flat it probably would have been even better but that's nitpicking. she still slid under me a bit, licked my nipples a lot (they really like doing that, although I'm not super into it), and then bbbj. She then asked if I was ready for the cover. While I would prefer not to use one because I believe Japanese providers are magically disease free (/s), of course I agree. She rode me CG for a long time, but I couldn't finish. It got to a point where she was checking the clock and indicating she was worried we'd run out of time. So we took off the cover, went back to bbbj and hj, and I was finally blew a big load for her. She was really relieved that it happened (I believe she would have been more embarrassed than I would have been if I didn't). She showered the gel off me, sent me to the tub while she cleaned up the mattress and shower area, then joined me in the tub to clean off as well. I had fun washing the gel off her in the tub. Time was running out, so we dried off and she helped me get dressed.
Some little details to note. When she undressed me, she took time to hang up each article of clothing. Socks and underwear were folded inside of individual towels. -This was not gfe, but I think that varies by girl. -According to message boards, the price I paid could’ve bought me a ticket to Thailand, hotel for a night, and 2 trips to Thai soaplands. Not sure if it's the same type and level of service. So make of that what you will. -They made me wait in the waiting room after for about another 10 minutes for tencho to come take me outside. Once outside, he said that I'd have to walk back (I was planning to anyway) and left. I walked away wondering wtf I had just waited 10 minutes for that.

Hi everyone! I have a bunch of fandoms I'm just itching to roleplay. Currently, I would like to play canon female characters in FxM or FxF plots.
I am 19 and in the CET timezone. Discord is the only platform I RP on. I only write in third person and my messages tend to be be pretty long, meaning 400-1000 words on average. Breaking the Discord limit once or twice is something that regularly happens.
LOOKING FOR:

18+ via Discord. Canon/Canon (preferred) can make an exception for Canon/OC in some situations!
Organic Ships: Looking to give ships time to grow, create the chemistry in RP, and enjoy a gradual burn. Prefer the lead in and then 'fade to black' approach for the adult situations.
Character Psychology: Main goal is to dig into the canon history and building on it in interesting ways. Appreciate thoughtful & nuanced portrayals that treat canon characters as complex.
Privacy Respect: Always happy to keep an open OOC dialogue about daily life, media, or news in addition to character talk.
I am really only interested in romance, non-romantic roleplays don't interest me. With that being said I don't want romance to be the sole focus, that gets boring quickly.
I love writing conflicts that ultimately turn into happy endings. (Angst and slow burn romances are my favourite!)
Story and Character development > Everything else.
I am a literate writer and expect the same from you. One-liners are only acceptable for the interactions that demand them, but they will remain rare. I will not drown you in text every other response, but I will write up to what I feel is appropriate and I expect you to do the same. I average 3-6 paragraphs once we are past introductory material.
Please be open to writing a cast of characters if the plot calls for it. I don't mind if the focus is solely on two people, but there is room for secondary and background characters.
Enthusiasm to chat about our character and ship, how to crush them and then gushing over fluffy moments. I love crying over characters and what the heck they're doing. I want my heart ripped from my chest from angst, then feeling like it's going to burst from overwhelming cuteness. I want us to love these characters and the world we create. I want to make pinterest boards, spotify playlists, graphics, and toss headcanons back and forth until late at night.

FANDOMS & THE CHARACTERS I CAN PLAY IN THEM:

Marvel (Movies & Series): Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) or Jean Elaine Grey (Marvel).
Harry Potter (Books & Movies): Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour or Pansy Parkinson.
DC (Movies, Series & Comics): Zatanna Zatara.
Hunger Games (Books & Movies): Katniss Everdeen, Clove Kentwell, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta or Glimmer Belacourt.
Twilight (Books & Movies): Isabella Swan, Alice Cullen, Jane or Rosalie Hale.
Scream (All movies): Sidney Prescott, Tatum Riley, CiCi Cooper, Kirby Reid, Tara Carpenter, Samantha Carpenter.
American Horror Story (Series): Violet Harmon or Madison Montgomery.
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies (All Series): Elena Gilbert, Rebekah Mikaelson, Freya Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall, Josie Saltzman or Hope Mikaelson.
Star Wars (Movies & Series): Padme Amidala
The Boys (Series): Annie January (Starlight) or Margaret Shaw (Meave).

PLOTTING:

Would love to tailor plots to the specific characters and their potential dynamic. I absolutely love the process of plotting, workshopping ideas, spinning off into AUs and generally finding something that can be really character driven.
I put my heart and soul into my characters because love what I do. Please: nothing one-sided. I love OC chatter and I want to be able to send you a meme tagging one of our muses. As a music enthusiast, I compile playlists. I even work on muse-specific Pinterest boards to boost the inspiration. I adore writing mini one-shots of scenes in OOC as a means of plot development, whether or not it's due to a delay in my replies. Character development is a huge part of my time spent roleplaying and as such, I expect you to be just as devoted. In a perfect world, we know each other's characters completely because we have both contributed to their development. That being said, I don't mind if you bring a pre-made character, so long as we can work on other developments together. This is going to be a creation we've made.
Plot-based stuff is going to be all up to discussion. Things can get dark. They can be as dark as you want them to be. On the lighter side, I love the different relationship dynamics that can come of the characters unique personalities. Either way, if you have an idea, spring it on me and we'll see if things work out.
Have an idea for a scene? Found a picture that inspired you? Send it to me! Be invested when it comes to plotting/worldbuilding. There's nothing worse than receiving one sentence in reply to two paragraphs of ideas, or having a doormat partner who says "sure" to whatever I ask. Building ideas one on top of the other, watching them snowball into amazing plot threads brings me joy. But having to pull plot ideas like I'm pulling teeth makes me think you're not interested, and I will lose interest in return.

Please feel free to drop me a line with whichever fandom and characters you prefer, and I can add you on discord to get things rolling! Please be detailed if you do send me a message, let me know why you chose to contact me. Seeing only “hey do you wanna rp?” with nothing else is a guaranteed no response.

I haven’t seen this type of situation addressed: About 10 days ago I finally received my SSDI approval after over 3 years process! My youngest son (17 now) and I were severely and permanent injured when a tree fell on our vehicle on 12/31/2019. I filed for benefits for both of us (he broke his neck and has a spinal cord injury) on the same day in February 2020 by phone from the hospital. We received his denial letter (at our home) while he was still in the hospital in Atlanta, and by the time we returned home (several months later), the appeal time had lapsed. I am still needing to refill for him.
I also have another son who is turning 19 next week and receives SSI for autism since he was 3 years old. (He was in the accident too, but not severely injured.) They are in the process of changing him over to adult SSI benefits right now.
Question #1: Since my oldest is already on SSI, how will this affect the children’s auxiliary benefits? *I received a letter from SS office today about applying for their children’s auxiliary benefits.
Question #2: Will any of our (mine or the kids) benefits be determined off of their father’s record (was married for 20+ years, now divorced for 10+ years)? I have worked my whole life, until the accident, but he earned more. My letters say that my SSDI is calculated at $1,334 per month, and I have received almost $12k in deposits so far.
Question #3: Prior to approval I was receiving family Medicaid (GA), and now the Medicare has already kicked in. Will I still be able to keep my Medicaid too?

Hi everyone! I have a bunch of fandoms I'm just itching to roleplay. Currently, I would like to play canon female characters in FxM or FxF plots.
I am 19 and in the CET timezone. Discord is the only platform I RP on. I only write in third person and my messages tend to be be pretty long, meaning 400-1000 words on average. Breaking the Discord limit once or twice is something that regularly happens.
LOOKING FOR:

18+ via Discord. Canon/Canon (preferred) can make an exception for Canon/OC in some situations!
Organic Ships: Looking to give ships time to grow, create the chemistry in RP, and enjoy a gradual burn. Prefer the lead in and then 'fade to black' approach for the adult situations.
Character Psychology: Main goal is to dig into the canon history and building on it in interesting ways. Appreciate thoughtful & nuanced portrayals that treat canon characters as complex.
Privacy Respect: Always happy to keep an open OOC dialogue about daily life, media, or news in addition to character talk.
I am really only interested in romance, non-romantic roleplays don't interest me. With that being said I don't want romance to be the sole focus, that gets boring quickly.
I love writing conflicts that ultimately turn into happy endings. (Angst and slow burn romances are my favourite!)
Story and Character development > Everything else.
I am a literate writer and expect the same from you. One-liners are only acceptable for the interactions that demand them, but they will remain rare. I will not drown you in text every other response, but I will write up to what I feel is appropriate and I expect you to do the same. I average 3-6 paragraphs once we are past introductory material.
Please be open to writing a cast of characters if the plot calls for it. I don't mind if the focus is solely on two people, but there is room for secondary and background characters.
Enthusiasm to chat about our character and ship, how to crush them and then gushing over fluffy moments. I love crying over characters and what the heck they're doing. I want my heart ripped from my chest from angst, then feeling like it's going to burst from overwhelming cuteness. I want us to love these characters and the world we create. I want to make pinterest boards, spotify playlists, graphics, and toss headcanons back and forth until late at night.

FANDOMS & THE CHARACTERS I CAN PLAY IN THEM:

Marvel (Movies & Series): Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) or Jean Elaine Grey (Marvel).
Harry Potter (Books & Movies): Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour or Pansy Parkinson.
DC (Movies, Series & Comics): Zatanna Zatara.
Hunger Games (Books & Movies): Katniss Everdeen, Clove Kentwell, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta or Glimmer Belacourt.
Twilight (Books & Movies): Isabella Swan, Alice Cullen, Jane or Rosalie Hale.
Scream (All movies): Sidney Prescott, Tatum Riley, CiCi Cooper, Kirby Reid, Tara Carpenter, Samantha Carpenter.
American Horror Story (Series): Violet Harmon or Madison Montgomery.
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies (All Series): Elena Gilbert, Rebekah Mikaelson, Freya Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall, Josie Saltzman or Hope Mikaelson.
Star Wars (Movies & Series): Padme Amidala
The Boys (Series): Annie January (Starlight) or Margaret Shaw (Meave).

PLOTTING:

Would love to tailor plots to the specific characters and their potential dynamic. I absolutely love the process of plotting, workshopping ideas, spinning off into AUs and generally finding something that can be really character driven.
I put my heart and soul into my characters because love what I do. Please: nothing one-sided. I love OC chatter and I want to be able to send you a meme tagging one of our muses. As a music enthusiast, I compile playlists. I even work on muse-specific Pinterest boards to boost the inspiration. I adore writing mini one-shots of scenes in OOC as a means of plot development, whether or not it's due to a delay in my replies. Character development is a huge part of my time spent roleplaying and as such, I expect you to be just as devoted. In a perfect world, we know each other's characters completely because we have both contributed to their development. That being said, I don't mind if you bring a pre-made character, so long as we can work on other developments together. This is going to be a creation we've made.
Plot-based stuff is going to be all up to discussion. Things can get dark. They can be as dark as you want them to be. On the lighter side, I love the different relationship dynamics that can come of the characters unique personalities. Either way, if you have an idea, spring it on me and we'll see if things work out.
Have an idea for a scene? Found a picture that inspired you? Send it to me! Be invested when it comes to plotting/worldbuilding. There's nothing worse than receiving one sentence in reply to two paragraphs of ideas, or having a doormat partner who says "sure" to whatever I ask. Building ideas one on top of the other, watching them snowball into amazing plot threads brings me joy. But having to pull plot ideas like I'm pulling teeth makes me think you're not interested, and I will lose interest in return.

Please feel free to drop me a line with whichever fandom and characters you prefer, and I can add you on discord to get things rolling! Please be detailed if you do send me a message, let me know why you chose to contact me. Seeing only “hey do you wanna rp?” with nothing else is a guaranteed no response.

Hoover onepwr cordless keeps turning off

How to keep the always on display to actually stay on when I turn off my lights in my room.

Shinobu