Assisted living facilities in elgin il

Hello, fellow Valorant enthusiasts, I would like to propose a classic Reddit detectives venture.
Recently Saadhak said that an NA org was helping LOUD with the move to the States by providing training facilities and assisting in finding housing but then flaked last minute. For more you van check this thread: https://www.reddit.com/ValorantCompetitive/comments/120t5e7/pedro_mitke_saadhak_reveals_that_the_na_org_loud/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
The facts: 1. Saadhak also said on stream that the org is not a franchised team. 2. On separate interviews to the brazilian youtube channel Flow Games, Pancada and Tuyz/Cauzanzin/FroD said the Loud squad would live in the same building as the Sentinels guys.
The question: is there an NA org that isn't franchised and uses the same apartment as Sentinels?
It's possible the org doesn't use the building at all, but I thought it was an interesting fact to share with english speakers since the interview about where they would live was in portuguese.

So as the title states my sister f(10) doesn't want to move back to our hometown while me and my mother f( 15) & f (37) wants to.
For some background, we moved to where we are now because of reasons I will not say to be with my aunt and her family who lived there at the time, they've moved back closer to family and while we stayed in 2022 and it's been a good 4-5 years that we've lived here. But about three months ago I started to get sick again, which my family proposed that we move back just incase it was to get as worst as it was when I was between the ages of ( 0-6), myself and my mother agreed to this while my sister said that she didn't want to leave. My mother being who she is didn't t want to force my sister to move so we all agreed that we were going to stay where we are.. Well, that's until about 2 weeks ago when my second aunt got into a bad car wreck and need to be in a rehab facility to try to get use to using her body again. Leaving the aunt who moved back with her child (not being able to drive) to try to fend on their own and not be a burden to the rest of the family, my mother said that it was time to move back because of this. Mostly because she just wanted to be with her sisters and the rest of the family again.
At this time, my sister was ather friend house and didn't know about the plans and my ma wanted me to tell her. I just told her about a minute ago and she acussing me of trying to move her from a different where we are just because she has finally has a friend. Which I told her if it's really needed i can drive her to where we live now to see her friend after I get my license which my ma already agreed to. We both really don't know what we need to do so..
Help ?
Sorry if this was confusing this kinda came out as a rant.

Besides a pack n play, is there another type of mobile thing I can use for baby's naps? We've transitioned him to sleeping in his crib at home for naps but I'd like something we can take to ILs house. Ideally something we can put in a bedroom upstairs so he can sleep away from everyone in the living room. They have a 3 story townhouse so it would have to go up 2 flights of stairs. He's also too long for a bassinet at this point at 4 months old.

Part 9: Work Hard, Party Harder! (Part 1) (Part 8)
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"You didn't warn us!" The tone of the shout wasn't angry, just somewhat exhausted.
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"Oh, no, no, no, I definitely warned you." Tens replied with a smirk as he went to sit down. "Binko, you heard me warn them."
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"There was definitely some kinda warning." Binko replied from his perch before taking a bite of the overripe fruit he was holding and then mumbling something untranslatable.
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"An insufficient warning." The same person retorted while shifting his gaze and staring off into the distance for dramatic effect, the mock exasperation clear in his voice. "One of those big women even had my legs up in the air!"
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"You too?" The question was shouted with a far more enthusiastic tone and followed by roaring laughter.
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As the various members of the group went back to their side conversations, their ruckus continued to emanate from the seating area suspended high in the trees overlooking a clearing in Shkegpewen's orbital garden. It was the early morning of the day after The Hammer had been docked with Newport Station and yet the festivities had already begun. The vigor with which many of the crew jumped at the opportunity for this brief vacation reminded Tens of his very first shore leave while deployed with the Hell Divers. However, his leave had been on a station hosted by Penidons, a species of lobster-like crustaceans, not one he was physically compatible with. Considering the similarities in form, but difference in demographics, when comparing the Qui’ztar to his own people, Tens could roughly imagine how those women must have felt. Assuming what he was overhearing weren't exaggerations, the new guests to this garden were already enjoying themselves.
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"Hey Tens, how long y'all gonna be here for?" Another voice called out to the man over the banter. In an instant, everyone was silent as they turned towards him for an answer to this now burning question.
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"A couple days." He replied timidly as all eyes were now staring daggers into him. "But they do patrol through this sector so I'm sure they'll come back."
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"Then why haven't we been graced by their presence before?" A new, doubtful voice called out.
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"Our militia provides all the local defense we need." Tens tried to explain, though he knew they probably wouldn't understand without some classified context. "I don't think they've really had a reason to come here before."
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"Defund the militia!" Someone, who Tens knew to be a career militia officer, called out to a chorus of cheers.
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As the various people sitting on the branches or chairs once again went back to swapping stories and filling the upper canopy with laughter, Tens began packing the bowl of his pipe. Being back on Shkegpewen, even if it was just the station and not the planet itself, felt good to him. Even though neither he, nor any living member of his people, had ever seen their real homeworld in person, he didn't really feel the need to. This home, Shkegpewen, A New Place to Land Boats, or simply Newport, had everything he and his people needed, or could ever want. It had a relatively stable and comfortable climate, edible flora and fauna were common, there was an abundance of untapped natural resources, and they were surrounded by friends and family. Despite how ideal the planet seemed to him and his people, the extreme gravity and deadliness of some of the apex predators made it an uninhabitable Deathworld for most other species. As Tens inhaled his first puff of the smooth morning smoke, he considered doing his part for the swapping of stories but wasn't sure where to begin.
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"Hey, Big Boy!" A relatively high pitch, feminine voice subtly called out to Tens as he held the smoke in for a moment. "Gotta quick question for you."
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"Oh, hey Wish." Tens released the smoke as he half turned around to see the woman sneaking up from behind him. "How are yah?"
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"So, um…" Wishwaskde ignored his question as she knelt down close to the man and spoke in a voice quiet enough not to overheard. The pause before she started speaking again was just long enough for Tens to draw in another puff off his pipe. "So, why didn't you warn us they were into women too?"
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"Wh-?" Tens was barely able to get out before he began choking on the smoke as it came pouring out of his mouth and nose.
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With a cloud now separating them, and Tens trying to cough out the irritation in his throat, the woman could only respond with her own slight cough and wave of her hand to dispel the obstacle in the way of her question. As she shook her head side to side, the motion caused her pair of braids and large hoop earrings to swing back and forth. Though the deadpan, piercing gaze she quickly switched back to was quite intense, Tens knew she was just trying to mess with him. The smirk she was trying to hide, and the fresh hickies she wasn't, let him know she had plenty of fun the night before. By the time Tens's coughing was under control, Wish's expression hardened a bit more to press her friend harder.
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"How would I have known that?" The man finally got out as he tapped his pipe against an ashtray for a more fresh hit.
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"Oh, so you expect me to believe that topic never came up?" The woman squinted her eyes to the point Tens could barely see them.
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"Uh…" Despite him eventually warming up to the rather intimidating women he had been working with for the past few months, Tens still wasn't quite comfortable enough to ask potentially sensitive questions about their cultural and social systems.
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"You've snagged how many of them, now?" Binko chimed after overhearing the conversation with his more sensitive ears, and sneaking up while the two hadn't been paying attention. "And you’re telling me you haven't tried to get multiple-"
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"Not that many! And I can barely handle one of 'em!" Tens cut his friend off mid squawk. "I think more than that might kill me."
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"That sounds like a personal skill issue." Someone a few meters away shouted after Tens allowed his reply to get a little too loud.
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"Tss" Wish let out a disappointed sound and shook her head at her clanmate. "I expected better from you."
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"By the skies, I love Kno Dodem!" Binko exclaimed before almost toppling over with laughter.
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"Speaking of, where's our new member?" Wish asked Binko. "I wanted to meet another Minagagshi."
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"She's actually a Ko Ko, not a Xi Xi." Binko began to explain with his unique avian clicks indicating the subspecies types. Unlike his dark purple coloration and raven-like appearance, which was common among Xi Xi Krokek males, Tarki's tan and gold coloring and more aggressive facial features were the quintessential Ko Ko Krokek look. "She actually looks like a Kno. The same kind of coloring as those holopics in the museum, just lighter and with more gold. But the princess is still asleep."
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"Go wake her up, then." Though the expression on the woman's face looked serious, it was just part of the game.
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"Yeah, and I'll tell her you made me do it!" The avian retorted while mirroring his clanmate's glare. "Then she'll drop something on yah when yah least expect it."
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There was a moment of silence as the Kroke and human locked eyes with each other in a battle of wits. Wishwaskde's deep brown eyes and Binko’s ocean blue eyes remained unmoving just long enough for Tens to take another long, smooth drag off his pipe. As he slowly released the smoke in a series of large rings, the expression on the locked pair’s faces simultaneously cracked and, in a split second, the two were bent over laughing. Despite the fact that the avian was so physically different from his human clanmates, his constant inclusion in everything Eagle Clan showed he was considered family nonetheless. This game of stoic back-and-forth was just one of many that they loved to play among close, personal friends.
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"But seriously though," Binko was able to calm his laughter enough to continue. "I'll check on her soon and bring her to meet the rest of the clan. We had dinner with goko last night, and you already know how that went. My love deserves some uninterrupted rest."
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"Ptss." Wish let her expression fall into a wide smile and she used a similar sound as before but with a far more positive inflection. "Good to hear, good to hear. How did goko like her?"
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"She asked Tarki for some of her molted feathers." Tens chimed in with his own chuckling. "And she said yes. So, there's your answer."
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"Dang!" The note of jealousy was obvious in the woman's response.
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"Y'all are so weird with feather obsession." Binko joked before preening one of his quite long flight feathers that was loose. As he plucked the old, ready-to-pull feather to relieve the pressure from the newly forming one, he continued, "I know they're important to you, but I never really understand why."
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"They remind us of our ancestors, who still guide us in spirit." Tens recited what he heard an uncountable number of times before. Even though he didn't really understand it himself, he did think feathers were cool.
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"Try to think about it like this." Wish interjected in a tone that held much more reverence for the topic at hand. "Imagine you couldn't fly. I know that may be hard for you." She smirked at the bird.
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"Oh, so, like being planetside without my weight reduction vest?" Binko's sarcastic response drew snickering from both Tens and Wish.
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"Exactly." She continued while trying to resume her more serious tone. "Now imagine you're sitting there, looking up at the skies, and never knowing anything that's above your head. The heavens are always just outside of your reach. However, as you look up, you see tiny specks. Objects so distant you can barely see them. That is how we see birds."
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"You make it sound so cool." Binko’s sarcastic comment drew the glare of the woman telling the story.
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"Shut the fuck up and let me finish." She chided before resuming. "So there you are, stuck on the ground, birds flying way above you. Our ancestors believed that the birds that flew higher were the closest to the Creator. That's why we like feathers, and prefer ones from high-flying birds, they represent being closer to the Creator than any Human could ever be."
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"Not gonna lie, that still sounds really cool." Binko's response to the story was much more earnest than his previous comments. He delicately passed his just plucked feather Wishwaskde who took the offering with respect. "Even when you can fly, you can only go so high. When I look up, I realize I can only reach so far. Helps keep me humble."
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"You over here, just the humblest." Tens snidely remarked.
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"And the most sacred!" Binko didn't miss a beat and went straight back to his sarcastic tone. "Because I can fly the highest." Before the next round of this never ending battle could commence, Tens began to feel a buzzing on his forearm.
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"Oh, I gotta take this." Tens said in a bit of a panic as he looked down and saw who was contacting this early in the morning. Pulling an earpiece from his bracer and putting it in place, he answered the call. "Good morning, Admiral. How can I be of assistance?"
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"Well, ma'am." Tens was struggling to describe the nature of the destination he was leading Atxika to. "The Lodge isn't really a jail, per say. It's more of a place where peace officers take people who partied too hard so they can sleep it off."
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"Like a jail cell?" The Admiral was still confused, though she was starting to get it. "But the person gets let out in the morning?"
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"That, and there's nothing really criminal involved." Tens tried to clarify. "People party too hard sometimes, that's just part of life. And sometimes yah gotta be aggressive if they get out of hand. But it isn't a crime to have fun, as long as no one gets hurt and nothing is intentionally broken. Like…"
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Tens motioned over toward a bench where a person was sleeping with a blanket on top of them. The sight of a person sleeping on a park bench in the middle of such an incredibly well built and equipped space station was not what Atxika was expecting. However, as she looked closer, she realized the fresh, clean blanket had been carefully, even lovingly, draped over the person after they had already passed out. The thermos and clear, sealed container of soup beside the bench both look like they had been placed there only moments before in anticipation of the person waking up. As if on cue, the sleeping person stirred slightly and rolled over into a more comfortable position.
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"Obviously, not everyone parties that hard. And some of us work in the mornings." Tens continued quietly as the pair walked past the sleeping person. "But we always try to take care of the people who go a little too far sometimes."
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"I see. Interesting…." Atxika’s tone implied she was impressed by the compassion Tens’s people seemed to show. "Does this interfere with their work?"
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"Not really, no." Tens replied with a shrug. "Gotta work hard to party hard. Enough smoke and drink to party like that ain't free. And we have interventions and treatment programs if it starts affecting someone's health."
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There was a few minutes of silence as the pair continued to walk through what Atxika could have sworn to be an entirely natural environment. The Admiral had seen several orbital gardens in her life, however none were quite like this one. Building a garden is an incredibly difficult, resource intensive, and time consuming endeavor, and not something every species would put the effort into. In fact, her own Matriarchy had only recently begun the commission work to plan the construction of their own, over 20,000 years after their species had Ascended to the galactic stage. Even the oldest, most overgrown, and poorly maintained examples did not have this degree of organic aesthetic. To Atxika, it really genuinely seemed like the Nishnabe simply cut out a section of forest from the planet below and installed it into this massive, cylindrical space station.
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"I see your people's compassion extends to outsiders as well." Atxika stopped in her tracks as her eyes came to rest in a scene she couldn’t have imagined without seeing.
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Resting at the base of a nearly 20 meter wide and over 100 meter tall tree just a few meters was 3 Qui’ztar women cuddled up together, all wrapped up cozy in a blanket easily large enough for all of them. Atxika immediately recognized the sleeping women as newly enlisted personnel, fresh out of basic training, who had been especially eager to take their leave. The unique mixture of geometric and floral patterns of the fabric they were wrapped in immediately let the Admiral know that this was a Nishnabe blanket someone that had lovely tucked these women in with. As her perception widened slightly, she caught sight of a not-too-young looking human woman sitting in a chair nearby the sleeping Qui’ztar as if on guard duty. Minus the context of the forest floating in space, what the Admiral saw was more reminiscent of a mother protectively watching over her sleeping children than three soldiers who were passed out in a park on their first shore leave.
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"Oh, that's just adorable." Tens cooed at juxtaposition between the intimidating appearance of the women and their deep, child-like slumber. "I see the Aunties like them."
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"Aunties?" Atxika's confused expression matched her tone. "That woman is your aunt?"
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"Oh no, she's not my mother or father's sister." Tens was a bit confused as his translator recontextualized the word 'aunt' to mean a familial relation. "Aunties are like the community moms. They'll help watch people's kids, pick up slack around the community, and…" Tens gestured towards the almost comical scene in front of them. "They'll be there for you when you've had too much to drink."
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"Do you think she would mind if I…?" The look on Atxika’s face had suddenly grown quite devilish. Even though she was the highest ranking commanding officer in the fleet and felt she the obligation to ensure her crew maintained their dignity, she also didn't want to offend the locals.
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"The Aunties are gonna love you!" Tens replied completely honestly, though with a hint of laughter. "After you, ma'am." The man bowed slightly and made a welcoming gesture towards sleeping women and their guardian.
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Following the Admiral’s lead in both direction and pace, Tens ensured his footsteps were as slight as Atxika's. From what the man had come to find out, the Qui’ztar were an apex, ambush-hunting predatory species who relied on silence and careful movements to sneak up on their prey. Though it may have been the auditory enhancements his translator implant provided him, or possibly just that the fact he was walking next to the rather large woman, Tens could still hear each of her footsteps. Despite how stealthy she was trying to be, the Admiral simply wasn't light enough on her feet to fully dull the sound of her boots pressing into the soft ground. Just as the pair approached within a few meters of the sleeping women, the Auntie looked up from her sewing.
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"Shh…" Tens made the hints of a sound while he placed his index finger over his lips.
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Seeing the well adorned uniform of the clearly high ranked Qui’ztar accompanying the man, the Auntie simply smiled, giggled slightly, and then went to her needles and yarn.
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"Uhem." Atxika fake-coughed slightly as she and Tens came to a stop next to the cuddled up women.
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"Wha…" The woman closest to them began to stir before opening her eyes slightly.
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As soon as her vision came to focus on the Admiral, she shot up and tried to get into a formal saluting posture. However, before she could complete the motion, her quickness caught up to her and her deep blue complexion started to turn pale. Before the woman could start retching, the Admiral took a step back and the Auntie moved a bucket between them. Dropping down to her knees, the young Qui’ztar woman relieved the excess alcohol still in her stomach into the seemingly purpose built, and size appropriate, bucket. The rough sounds of her heaving caused her compatriots to stir as well, and soon the other two were moving to get up. By the time the first woman had regained her composure enough to retake the closest approximation of a formal salute that she could muster, the other women had joined her.
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"Uhem." The Atxika fake-coughed again while Tens was doing his best to pretend he found empty space off in the distance quite fascinating. She then shot a quick glance down at the center woman's chest then back up to her eyes.
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"Oh!" The young woman half shouted as she looked down before fixing her top and retaking the salute.
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"Are you ladies aware that allowing yourselves to become so intoxicated that you pass out in public places is a violation of the Code of Conduct of your enlistment?" The question was phrased more as a statement and held the same tone. As Atxika did her best to maintain her straight face and commanding voice, the Auntie couldn't help but crack a smile. "You do understand this is a punishable offense, correct? And I could dock your pay for up to a month?"
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None of the women made a verbal response, though it was clear from the way they attempted to mask their panicked expressions that they regretted their drunken decisions. The Admiral let them stew in their anxieties for a moment longer before continuing.
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"However, considering the fact that this is your first shore leave and you have all served honorably on this deployment thus far…" Atxika turned slightly to look at the woman who was still seated and casually sewing. "I feel it would be most appropriate to let our hosts determine the appropriate punishment and recompense."
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"Hmm…" The Auntie quickly switched to a stoic expression and pretended like she had to think about the proposal. "I could use some help in the garden today. And these three do look quite capable."
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"Excellent." The Admiral replied with a nod before turning back to the women who were still holding their salute. "And after you have completed your service, you will also ensure that none of your sisters in arms make the same poor decisions you did last night."
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"Oh, these three weren't that bad. They just got drunk and passed out under this tree pretty early on." The Auntie began to explain, though her tone implied she had been saving this next part. "A couple of other ones went for a swim in the lake. After taking off their clothes. And then aggressively flirted with the peace officers who went to confront them about it."
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The nonchalant facade of casually sewing while explaining that the Nishnabe woman put on was only broken by the slight hint of a smile on her face. As Tens and the three enlisted women did their best to hide their expressions, Atxika brought her hand up to rub the bridge of her nose. Before anyone else could say anything, the seated woman continued.
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"It reminded me of my bachelorette party."

My[24] ex partner[22] is going through a major financial hardship. I am currently out of work and live outside of his state and have been unable to assist him with bills and other forms of support. Although we are not dating anymore I am still trying to find any way to support him financially as he is currently in college and unable to work more than a part time retail job. I have looked online and have been only finding expired relief programs and exhausted campaigns. If you have any information in regards to rental/housing assistance, emergency funding for food, or any other forms of assistance please let me know. We are currently not on speaking terms but I have friends who live closer than me who are willing to share any information I give to them. Thank you.

Hey all I've been brainstorming up an idea for my own RPG (drawing from mage ascension/ awakening , parahumans, and some things from the Lovecraft mythos ) and I'm having some trouble coming up interesting antagonists for the setting. I was wondering if someone could provide some ideas on what kind of enemies would fit this setting
The premise: In year 2012 the corpse of an unknown alien entity dubbed zeroth crashed into the astral representation of earth. The material representation of earth suffered no damages but the astral version was now littered with bits and pieces of zeroth's body which began to slowly absorb the ambient astral energy that humans create in abundance. As time went on the various body parts began to rot and bits of flesh crystalize becoming "shards of madness". These shards of madness become so saturated with astral energy they partially shift into the material realm oftentimes intersecting with something in the material. When a shard of madness phases into a living sentient being said being becomes a conduit of astral energy and gains the ability to pull things from the astral into the physical. These people are referred to as star children. Because the astral realm is shaped by thought a star child need only visualize an object or event to make it a reality (example a star child imagines a man on fire, rolls (#d6) to pull that image into the material overlapping it with the man, and then either said man will burst into flames or nothing will happen). As one would expect the various governments of the world weren't okay with these kind of people running around so most star children are employed by government agencies where they assist with research experiments, exploring dangerous locations (like the astral realm), and combating wild shard along with trying to maintain some semblance of normal life.
I was thinking of having wild shards merge with animals, plants, and even technology along with having any star child not registered with the government branded an outlaw. Maybe throw in a cult of some kind but these all seem kinda generic. Any thoughts for some interesting antags to throw in this thing?

Back First Next
This one is going to be a bit longer because a PM To me suggested I go ahead and do a long Chapter.
I hope you still enjoy. The final piece will be released tomorrow.
Memory Transcription: Captain Neil Campbell, United Nations ‘Black Watch’ Company #4
Date [standardized human time]: December 3, 2136
The company had four mortars, four American M2 heavy machine guns, twelve lighter man-portable machine guns, eight light close in AA guns of 40mm twin, every trooper had a stringer mark 7 light anti-air missile, they had four longer range SAM units, eight orbital interceptors dialed into one computer, and two anti-ship missile launchers. Right at that moment, every single weapon they had was singing a song of death.
The Cheetah would silence the battlefield every time its main railgun fired a slug. Meanwhile the two Eisenhower’s autocannons rained down death upon the Arxur. While the standard rifles, pistols, or light SAW weapons would not necessarily take out a Arxur with non-vital hit; the heavy machine guns the Americans provided did.
The Radios crackled with commands going in all sorts of directions.
"All units, gunship coming through at..." Zim hesitated as he figured the direction and coordinates given by the radar operator moments ago. "7 O'Clock, will crest hill in 1 minute thirty, four man-portables dial in."
"Dial 1." Two seconds later all at once, "Dial 2." from 3 people who quickly corrected to dials 2, 3, and 4. Zim nodded, "Confirmed 4 dials."
"Forty seconds to crest." Called back the radar operator.
Campbell made note of how well Zim was handling their current position despite being a civilian. He had deducted correctly that Zim being Mayor would make them very proficient at communication and coordination, as well as delegation. What Zim had just done in thirty seconds was identify a unassigned gunship, that is one that was not anticipated by the long range missiles, short range AA guns, or anything else and assigned four stingers to it now all pre-trained and waiting for their shot.
Thompson was calling over the radio to coordinate the mortars and machine gun fire before broadcasting to Williams in the Cheetah where she couldn't get fire support to so that the MBT could deliver a couple of devastating shots.
Assigned and targeted gunships popped up at longer range and died before they had a chance to properly stabilize themselves in the atmosphere or just after take off. Fighters swooped down only for lock on and incoming missile warnings to scream at them before their sensors had even adjusted to having ground under them.
The smell of metal, ash, and blood filled the air. Arxur trying to get through the pass found it an impassable death trap. They had never encountered alien races who used barbed wire, much less the sheer volume of mines, and the thing that truly caused the reptiles to fear were the hidden single shot tubes full of deisel fuel mixed with wood glue and then aerosolized before something would ignite the fumes. Watching your comrades incinerated and calls of your enemy to let them burn, had the Arxur shooting their own comrades just to silence their screams.
Arxur field commanders stood in the back, shooting those who turned to run from the frontline while the Black Watch fired on. Their mortars were positioned around the 7 kilometer radius of the inner caldera so that at any point within the caldera or around its brim; three mortars could have rounds flying towards target at any one time. As soon as anyone radioed for support, mortars were flying in their direction, pre-dialed coordinates and ranges meant it only took three seconds for a mortar round to be dialed in and on the way.
The pass into the castle was starting to become clogged with Arxur bodies. But they were making progress, slowly. Campbell counted by this point, that most of his forward foxholes had been destroyed, all of them set alight by their preparations, preventing the Arxur from using them, recovering unreachable wounded humans, or bodies. Anyone who couldn't fall back would rather die fighting and then sending their would be captures or devourers into an inferno with them.
Campbell knew however, he was running out of ground to give and soon he would have to kill soldiers. They may kill a hundred each but they would still fall eventually. He saw his gunner snap back and drop off the side of his command vehicle. A vehicle which was all but disabled now. He moved to him.
Scrambling up the vehicle and pulling the wounded soldier down off the MG mount to the ground, laying him softly against the bullet ridden tire of the rover. He held his hand, "MEDIC! Medic!" Campbell called then turned to his trooper.
Campbell checked the nametag to be sure, Muller. "Muller, Muller." Muller turned his head, his eyes were growing hallow. Campbell looked at the wound, part of his upper chest was just gone. His neck was bleeding as well. There was a lot of blood. Slowly, he watched Muller's light escape his eyes.
That is enough. He returned to a reflection off of the now vacant eyes of Muller. The ridge had figures at the top of it. He snapped looking for Sims, when he couldn't find him, he pulled his radio. "Sims! They’re trying to storm the top of the castle! Grid 7-Bravo. Blow it, now.” he was pointing and screaming at the figures when his cyber arm suddenly jerked and sent him face down into the ground, his helmet rolling off.
On queue, the ridge where a few shadowy figures had appeared turned into a cloud of dust and rubble as a fireball erupted from it, silencing the rest of the battlefield for a few moments. The explosion sent rock, dirt, and mud over the side in an avalanche at the would be mountaineers. Everyone attempting to storm the outside of the caldera at that 50 meter grid would be buried in a coming storm of mountainside.
Campbell reached over and picked up his arm, looking at the cybernetic carefully. He sat up and next to Muller for a moment while making sure the connectors would still be good. His pain registers had shut off as soon as it disconnected. The connector appeared intact, just jerked out of the cybernetic socket by the impact and his body weight as the anchor. The round had only destroyed the outer layer of synth-flesh designed to make it aesthetically pleasing as well as his uniform that had been torn covering it.
He put the arm back in with a twist and it rebooted. His radio barked, “Cannot hold the pass, we need more firepower. Yanks, you're up!”
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Memory Transcription: Lieutenant Williams, United Nations ‘Black Watch’ Company #4
Date [standardized human time]: December 3, 2136
Williams hated this, he called another target to his gunner and used his command machine gun to put down more rounds through the fraying camouflage around his tank. Tanks were supposed to be mobile bunkers not sitting ducks. Another high caliber plasma round bounced off their shield and their infantryman, Corporal Davies as he was introduced, the soldier turned the oldest M2 anyone had ever seen in the direction it came from.
Large caliber machine gun casings bounced off the hull top as they cascaded passed something scratched onto the side of the M2. It read in smaller and smaller scratches, “France, Philippines, Tunisia, France, Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Iraq, Iraq II, Australia, Luna, Mars, The Cradle, Sillis.” The last two were still relatively fresh and easy to read.
“Williams, our forward positions are getting overrun by sheer weight of bodies, you’re up. See you on the other side.” Campbell called to the tank crew and their IFV escorts.
Good, tanks were not made to sit still. What the Arxur were about to find out is that tanks are scary when they are shooting at you but they are even scarier when moving at full speed and still shooting at you extremely accurately.
“Driver, full speed ahead into the pass, put the shield down to scrape the dirt so it will blown any remaining mines; loader, gunner eyes front.” He called out and then clicked his intercom off to switch on his radio, “Ripper 1 and 2, this is War Kitty, on our flank at 5 and 8 o’clock, staggered line fifty meter spread front, twenty to the side.”
That would put the IFVs Fifty meters behind him and twenty meters to each side. This was in case any orbital bombardment got through, even a rod from God would only get 1 vehicle then instead of multiple by the spacing.
A pair of affirmatives came back as the tank rolled forward and broke free of its camouflage to build up speed. Immediately the shield flared as soon as they broke the jungle with every single gun the Arxur had firing at them. Their small interceptor mini-phalanx on top shooting constantly to blow anything bigger than a rifle round out of the sky.
Meanwhile the IFVs pointed at muzzle flashes and sent bursts of .50 cal, 25mm, and 50mm in their direction. One Eisenhower was not a troop transport but strictly a gun platform, carrying a much heavier weapon. The only still used a proven 25mm chaingun.Williams pointed out another target, “Gunner 11, Loader HE.”
“HE Up!” The loader called.
“Sending.”
Williams’s gunner yelled back. The machine guns stopped for a second on the tank and suddenly the turret shuttered as the round was sent, the reward was a hillside that the Arxur were using for cover blowing up in a fireball of red, orange, and black smoke. Arxur body parts, dirt, and debris flying up into the air as the ground was stained with gray’s blood.
Williams wasn't going to hesitate with his ammunition. The nature of the railgun meant that the ammo no longer had large casings of propel behind them. Only the shell head was needed, that meant the tank was packed with four times the ammo of a chemical propellant tank.
The crew worked like a well oiled machine. Every ten seconds another main gun round. Between them, the three fifty’s and the 20mm beside the main gun did not stop shooting unless the gunner signaled.
It was grueling work, exhausting for the loader, mentally wearing for the gunner, forcing Williams to push his mind to the limit and glad for the stimulate that kept fatigue away from his mind. Their driver looking out like a truck driver who had been given too much caffeine but having to keep her jerks to a minimum. The objective was a smooth platform. The three drivers of the armored vehicles coordinating on their own private channel to keep moving through Arxur formations.
An hour passed, the tank rampaged. When they ran out of HE, they used HEAT, when that ran out, they switched to squash. When that ran out, they used the few anti-armor rounds they had brought.
Williams' voice was getting hoarse from calling targets, his hand vibrating from the shake of his command cupola gun. His body vibrated at a different frequency from the rumble of the engine and the quaking of the coaxial weapons.
Suddenly there was a clattering on the roof. Williams recognized it as someone foreign trying to get on the tank. There was clearly some slams against the roof of the tank. "I need help out here!" Davies called over the radio.
There was the distinctive sound of a body crushing under the tank tread that made the crew stop and debate opening the hatch to help. "Davies, what is going on out there? Davies!" Williams called in desperation.
Another few bangs on the room and their machine gunner outside had stopped replying, their shield had failed and rebooted several times, they must have got him with their boarding action. “Raider 2, we’ve got ants and War Kitty does too.”
He checked the shield read out, they had twenty seconds until reboot, twenty seconds to get these Arxur off of them.
Williams swung the turret to look at Raider 2 to see several Arxur attempting to board the tank and get the hatches open. “Raider 2, affirmative. Sorry about your gunner.” He heard the bang of Arxur landing on his hull, likely from the trees around them.
“Proceed with fly swatting, MG only. Gunner, Raider 2 at 7 and a half, full Coax.” The turret swung around, hitting an Arxur and sending him flying into a tree trunk with a sickening crunch before he fell in front of the tank tread. The MBT did not even notice crushing the creature and rolled on beyond the echo of crunching bone against the lower hull, which the loader noticed for a split second.
Pangs and hull tings echoed all around them as the IFV and tank exchanged small arms fire, clearing off their "pest problem" while not doing any significant damage to each other. Williams and his crew did not get time to celebrate.They had been rolling around the outside of the caldera. They moved from Arxur formation to formation; hitting Arxur units as fast as they could then trying to fade away before they could organize a counter attack.
They came back to the Caldera entrance for the fourth time, when they hit one of their own mines. Everyone in the tank was catapulted forward as the track blew off, the drive wheel on the left side seized and the tank nearly flipped, coming to thirty degrees to their right hand side. With a loud unearthly slam, every crew member was thrown to the floor after their heads banged off bulkheads with the whiplash.
Williams felt the ringing in his head, and the unholy headache of a concussion. His vision was fuzzy, he swore he head bells in his ears, his body felt distant; almost as if he were trying to tell his brain to radio control it. He held onto the side of the hull with one hand, trying to stand upon weak and unresponsive legs while his other hand held his aching head, “Status report.”
No one replied. He reached over to his gunner and found his head limp at an unnatural angle. He checked him, his neck was broken clean by the sudden slamming into the bulkhead. Williams ears were ringing, his body wanted to vomit, his eyes couldn’t see straight. He made out the face of his loader, Jenkins. Blood was trickling from his mouth as he laid on the floor in his loader section.
How did I get down here? Williams thought and reached for Jenkins, Jenkins gave a few spasms, spat up some blood and then his eyes glazed over until they were lifeless.
“Jenkins? Jameson? Cleo?” He called out, repeating it again and again tapping the crew intercom on his neck, weakly as he slowly got to his feet. His brain was not processing that his loader and gunner were dead.
“I’m still here.” Cleo answered with her distinctive southern accent. “But fuck, I wish I weren’t.”
His driver was alive but in a separate section from the rest of the crew. “Can… can you move? Fuck, My head.”
There was a loud pang and the feeling of air getting suddenly sucked out of the cabin. Cleo screamed out over the comms and then Williams could hear her heavy breathing. The blurring double vision making it hard to be certain of his movements. It felt like pushing through a heavy lake to get his body to move and his ears rang with the sound of an intense bell.
“Williams, Fuck… sorry Williams, but I can’t now. Damn suspension shaft just ripped through the bottom hull and into my leg.”“Stay where you are, I’ll come get you.”“No Sir, the shaft is impaling my escape hatch and all that racket outside is all Arxur hitting us on the top. Fuck…” Cleo yelled in pain as she tried to shift something.
Williams couldn’t hear the racket she was talking about. He was trying to process the idea that Cleo was hit and his emotions were screaming at him about his now dead loader and gunner. “Sir, set turret control to my station, I’m going to use the guns to cover you and the others. At least, until I bleed out.”“Cleo, we’re it.”
Williams knew saying the words meant his comrades were gone, but emotionally his brain was shut off now.There was a pause on the radio, just a few seconds. Williams slowly reached over and changed the turret control to driver operated.
“Alright, fine, grab your SMG and go out your escape hatch, I’ll hold them off and keep us looking scary. I’ve only got a little bit until I bleed out.”The turret started moving and Williams training kicked in through his concussion. He reached into his personal locker and pulled out the P90 as well as a few magazines and his survival kit, the kicked his escape hatch open out of the bottom of the tank and started to crawl beneath the stricken vehicle.
He kept crawling, heading for the forest, the sound of Arxur shouts and screams as well as gunfire getting quieter and quieter, until finally, Williams felt exhaustion overtake him and blackness closed in.
-------------------------------
Memory Transcription: Captain Neil Campbell, United Nations ‘Black Watch’ Company #4
Date [standardized human time]: December 4, 2136
Raider 2 slowly rolled back down the pass, free of Arxur pursuit. It was in sorry shape to look at. The Anti-Air missile launcher was hanging on by its wiring. The mini-phalanx was gone except the targeting camera which still tried to move the non-existent AMS turret with sparks frying off the frayed wires. The main chain gun barrel was ripped off and what still existed was melted. Seven holes let the night moonlight through.
Both of the tracks had damaged segments that made them rotate around their drive wheels in a funny lopsided pattern. But the IFV rolled back into the silent caldera except for its dying engine. “Raider 2, reporting. Vehicle mission killed.”
Campbell tapped his radio, “Good job, get out and get some food, then get back on the line, your infantry now.”
The Arxur had pulled back after the armour went out and rampaged for an hour. Raider 2 had to wait until darkness closed in to roll back into camp. They had heard the boom of the cannon and sound of the passing armour engines and tracks across the terrain around the caldera. Mortars had provided the armour support fire and now the entire castle smelled of Arxur blood and cordite residue. It was now four hours later and the Arxur hadn’t returned; yet.
The Arxur had not sent in a new wave. Likely in total shock at the armored platoons sudden sally out. Campbell approached the stricken Eisenhower IFV as it rolled to a stop and seemed to break down completely when the engine was shut off.
The crew staggered out, all of them had been wounded to some degree by spalling from their vehicle’s own metal. The flakes and shrapnel generated inside the vehicle from impacts on the outside had done a number on them. But the vehicle had somehow held together. Two of the three staggering figures were trying to carry a fourth trooper out.
Campbell walked over to see Williams with a head injury, one of his feet missing and tourniqueted at the calf as well as two of his fingers ripped off and taped together. “Where are the other vehicles?”
The IFV commander fell to his knees, exhausted after constant combat and adrenaline just broke down crying. The man had enough and couldn’t take anymore. Campbell reached down and slapped his across the cheek, “Oih, stiffen your lip and answer me. We can cry about it later.”
The IFV commander looked up and nodded at the heavy cybernetic arm that had just slammed him. “Sorry sir, just… They’re gone sir. War Kitty took a mine to the tracks, probably one of ours. Raider 1 went down to an ammo explosion, the crew were incinerated instantly. Best I can think sir is that the blow out panels had been welded shut by enemy small arms fire. We found Williams near War Kitty, the Arxur were running from the burning hull, it was still shooting at them.” He took a breath, tears staining his oil and gunpowder covered face.“The gunner must have died and fallen on the turret swing with a death grip on the trigger. We put a missile in her to make sure there was nothing for the scalies to savage.” The commander managed as his crewmates came over and knelt with him while a medic ran off with Williams on a stretcher, followed by a second medic grabbing the stretcher halfway through.
The medics having issues carrying their shotguns and a patient. Aliens don’t play by our rules, medics are still targets to them. Campbell thought to himself as he gave a pat to the IFV commander.“You did excellent, son, you and your crew. So did the rest of your unit. We’ll take it from here.” Campbell tried to use the platitudes to comfort but he knew within an hour those soldiers would be sleeping in a foxhole, with their crew SMGs and sidearms, as well as a helmet just like the rest of his men.
His radio squawked, “Captain, frequency thirteen.”He removed the radio forward several clicks until a shrill deep voice came across it. “Human Commander, respond.”
Campbell recognized it as an Arxur voice and he picked up his radio, “Speaking.” He pulled out his flask and took a swig of the whiskey he kept on his person as he listened.
“We have you surrounded, there is no need to die. We are willing to take you as honorable prisoners with honorable and fair treatment, I assure you. All you have to do—”
“I’m going to stop you, right there. I just watched a pair of glorified armoured lories and a metal assault box rip through your lines and shred your forces to pieces.” He paused and let that sink in, knowing he was insulting his equipment to play up just how badly the Arxur were bloodied.
Campbell continued with this insult tirade, “I heard my recon squad of the lightest infantry I have, wrecked a thousand of you; solid. Listened to it on the radio all while it happened.” He turned to the pass and took a look at the piles of bodies across it and the carnage that looks like something straight out of the Great War more than two centuries ago. Not something he expected to ever see in a modern war.
“I have enough of your bodies to build a replica of Edinburgh Castle out of using them as the mortar.”
“Human! We have you surrounded! This is your chance for mercy! Just surrender your prey to us and yourselves.” Campbell laughed into the radio, “Have you lost your mind; leaf-licking monkey?”
“Not at all, I’m as chipper as can be right now. Listen up, izzard.” He let the name sink in for a second.
“You have us surrounded? Good, we can fire in every direction and hit one of you. You want us? Come and get us.”He flicked the radio off and headed for the medical tent. He needed to hear it from his doc just how many of his troops could fight and how many were not going to last the night or just be dead weight at this point. He also heard they took a few Arxur, alive.
------------------
Memory Transcription: Lieutenant Father Christopher O’Malley , United Nations ‘Black Watch’ Company #4
Date [standardized human time]: December 4, 2136
O’Malley moved to another tarp covering a body that had been recovered. He slowly and silently whispered a prayer, taking the dog tag to give to the medic but using it to get the name and town of origin of the trooper. Taking careful note of the religion and following his training as well as a guidebook for the Catholic, agnostic, or protestant he found. He moved to last one, and finished his prayer.
Campbell was waiting for him at the end of the line of recovered bodies. “Captain.” He said, standing slowly and offering a weary salute. Chris could feel his arm getting tired, he had been going so long and knew he would need a stim to keep up the night.
Campbell saluted back, “Reverend, how bad is it?”
O’Malley looked at the bodies and sighed, “Well, never thought I’d see Clemson die but he did. Dove onto a detonator and set off a satchel charge to take as many as he could before the armour rolled out.” The reverend took out a cigarette and lit it up, taking a long drag from the white paper pipe that took nearly half of it out in one go, then exhausted all his lungs as he let the feeling of euphoria wash over him. The nicotine did its job, steadying his nerves and slowly making his shaking stop. His emotions at all the last rites he had performed starting to defray slowly.
"Father, how many today?" Campbell asked preparing himself. He knew Father O'Malley would have taken note of every time he had done last rites and done a proper headcountting as well.
O'Malley took another drag and nodded, "Thirty-Seven including the Americans who did not come back."
“Father, why do you do it? Why here?” Campbell asked as he took a seat on the ground next to the priest who was still kneeling.
“A shepard is to watch his flock and when the wolves come knocking, send the wolves back to the forest where they belong. With a bloodied nose or broken leg if needed.” O’Malley replied with a soft sigh as he took another drag, the cigarette already starting to come up towards its end.
“And how do you reconcile religion with aliens?” Campbell asked, genuinely curious as to the answer. O’Malley chuckled and pulled the cig from his lips to tap off the ashes, “That ain’t my place to be figurin’. I’m here as the chaplain, higher powers than I determine how we reconcile aliens. My job is to tend to the souls of my flock, seeing as there isn’t an atheist in a foxhole; that has gotten fairly complicated.”
Campbell nodded and pulled his whiskey flask to take another swig. It was down to less than a quarter left. “Captain, no offense but stuff will kill you.”
Campbell smiled at the gallows humour as the reverend chuckled with him for a few moments. “Never change, father.” he spoke as he stood up and started to walk back towards his command tent.
“Aye, aye, captain. Now I’ve got a special case to attend.” Campbell turned towards O’Malley as the chaplain rose and headed into the medical tent.“What’s that reverend?”
“An Arxur asked for a priest.” O’Malley stepped into the tent and headed for where he knew the patient was. It only took a few moments before he arrived at the side of the bed. The Arxur was handcuffed and collared to the cot. Both of his legs were blown off at the upper thigh. His chest was also bandaged from shrapnel that had been sent through it.
O’Malley took a seat on a folding chair and pulled the dim light of their medical tent. Blood stained the sterile sheet placed over the ground. He looked over to the gray with a pain of sympathy for his injuries. The Arxur was breathing laborious and gasping at the air as if it were fighting him. He leaned in, “Alright, my child, how may I assist you?”
Through wheezing breathes the Arxur replied, “I am no hatching.”
“Oh, you misunderstand, it is how a priest of our culture addresses someone who is more youthful than them.” O’Malley spoke slowly and he checked Arxur's pulse. Faint but for the moment steady. “Is there something I can do to make you more comfortable?”
“No, I am dying. Your docs as they are called said they cannot help.”
O’Malley cleared his throat, “You mean the medics.”
“Yes, they do not know enough and there is no surgeon here. Shrapnel has punctured my organs, I will die soon.”
O’Malley reached down to a clawed hand, his instinct was to pull away at the scales but he resisted it. He gripped the hand gently but firmly, his other hand placed near the Arxur’s mouth on his shoulder, showing vulnerability to the creature. “I am here, how may I comfort you in this hour? What is it you believe?”
“I…. I would rather know what you do, human.” O’Malley was taken aback by the request. He shook his head and resisted the urge to preach.
“I am a chaplain of our unit, I counsel the living, comfort the dying and give last rites to the dead. If that means I must learn your religion in your dying hour and console you with it, I will. Please explain what I must—”
“Human.” O’Malley silenced and listened to the Arxur speak, his mind slowly processing each word and ensuring he understood what the Arxur wished. He had trained long and hard, and he was not going to deny the wishes of a dying creature; not friend or foe. “Humor me. What is it that you believe?”
O’Malley took a moment and reached into his shirt, pulling out a small bible, he began to read a verse here and there, slowly explaining his religion, ensuring he focused upon the aspects of love, community, and companionship as well as faith. He spoke for an hour about love, mercy, and the strength of God as O’Malley believed in him.
He continued by explaining stories of the bible in short versions rather than reading verbatim. He explained the mercy and the concept of no atheist in a foxhole. O'Malley monitoring the Arxur's reaction, taking note of the tail as well as the face.
He realized the Arxur looked more peaceful than he had ever seen his species and paused, "If I remove your restraints, you won't attack me yes?"
The Arxur looked suddenly surprised and then nodded. O'Malley reached over to the buckles and clicked them off from the Arxur's wrists, waist, and neck. He did not immediately move but the creature managed a human version of a smile to show his appreciation. "Thank you, that is, more comfortable, please continue."
O'Malley continued explaining his beliefs and the story presented. He felt better preaching to a person who was able to push him away if they wished. It also began to feel less like talking to a prisoner and more like speaking with an old friend.
After intensely listening, the Arxur let out a severe ragged cough. Once the cough stopped, he was drooling blood onto his neck. “Human, my time comes. Please, lead me in a prayer, I did not believe in anything before now. But your warriors prove something supernatural about them. Now, I wish to believe in something as I draw my final breath.”
O’Malley nodded and started to give a prayer then stopped himself. He opened his small bible to Psalm and let his faith guide him. “Repeat after me and you may yet see the gates of Heaven, my friend.”
The Arxur turned his head weakly, “I am called, Grissen, can your lord forgive a wicked creature as I? The things I have—”
O’Malley squeezed the claw he held to get Grissen to be quiet and listen. “The Lord only cares that before your final moment you renounce your evil ways, genuinely mean your repentance, and accept him. If you repeat after me and truly believe in that; allow him to change your heart in that final moment, then yes.”
Grissen weakly nodded, “Proceed.”
“Repeat after me,” O’Malley waited to make sure Grissen was ready. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." O'Malley prepared his patience as Grissen repeated the words, slowly. The Arxur was having to speak very deliberately through his breathing. O'Malley could feel the pulse had quickened as well.
"He maketh me lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Grissen struggled but O’Malley's patience displayed that of the saints he spoke of. He calmly waited for the Arxur to catch up and gripped his hand to give him strength. Every stumble was a simple re-guiding from O'Malley with a smile.
Grissen's eyes showed remarkable recognition of O'Malley, never moving away from him as he listened intently, even managing to turn his head to face the priest fully.
His heart screamed for the pain this creature was in. Grissen’s voice was getting worse. He was drawing weaker, and unfocused with each passing word. He felt the agony in how his body shifted and his breathing struggled. The bloodshot eyes filled with torment but something else.
O'Malley recognized it as the desperation for acceptance, the desire to belong behind the pain. He had seen it so many times in someone's last hour. O'Malley hoped a surgeon would suddenly appear and save Grissen from this terrible slow way to die. His mind begged for such a miracle but his heart knew, it was too late.
He had administered too many last rites today but here he was giving another one. He felt his own tears forming in his eyes and fought them back.
Once Grissen finished the line, he resumed, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head in oil; my cup runneth over.”
Grissen's voice was getting lower in volume, almost what O'Malley thought an Arxur child would sound like. His eyes were no longer following O'Malley; he was only speaking the words, getting more monotone and laboured with each passing breath.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Grissen slowly repeated the words, “Surely…. Goodness and mercy… despite my evil… shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
“Amen.”“A…men….” Grissen’s grip slackened and he exhaled slowly, his chest deflated. His eyes glazed over and finally, his tongue fell from his lips across his cheek.
O’Malley reached up to feel his heart and felt no pulse. He was gone.
O’Malley gently placed the clawed hands across the chest in an X. He pushed the dried out tongue into the teeth and slowed the jaw. He noticed the smile upon Grissen’s lips that had formed in that last moment. He knew to leave well enough alone there. He reached up and closed the reptile’s eyes, slowly and gently. As he had done a dozen times today, every detail was precisely right.
He took a moment to admire how peaceful the gray managed to look in his final state of death. He pulled a notepad from his pocket and wrote on it, something he knew probably wouldn’t get done as no one had time to bury the dead. It wasn’t about if there was time, it was about the act of ensuring the last request was asked for and at least acknowledged.He placed the note between the hands, it had the image of a cross upon it and the words: “Protestant” upon it. This would signal to any human that he was to be given a protestant burial.
O’Malley paused, tears dripping from his eyes for his enemy as he spoke. “Lord above, take this one, Shelter this one, enemy-mine. For all are your’s in death, even those who would see your servant slain. I ask not for vengeance but that you take pity upon this soul as it departs for the next life. He repeated in your name before his final breath, accept him with warm smiles and open arms as I commend Grissen to your care. St. Peter, I ask you to not be cautious or repulsed but instead, nod to him as you read his many sins and then inform him, all is forgiven in his final hour even by his greatest enemies. Amen.”
O’Malley felt his body shaking as he opened his eyes.His cheeks were warm with tears, a smile of delight upon his face to save a soul just before it left, even if he could not answer the question of aliens before God. It had been a worthy peaceful time here in the tent. Something O’Malley knew all too well about war, it was not war that would end war but rather; understanding could bring it to a stop. He got up, his legs weak and knees wanting to lock. He struggled to hold his weight as he walked from the tent, trying to calm his emotions.
He stepped outside, walking back to his position on the line and pulled another smoke, he had not yet gotten to his lighter when the sound of gunfire ripped through the caldera again. Weapons lighting up as the Arxur assault began anew.
For O’Malley however, he couldn’t move. His chest burned. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. He watched the cigarette drop from his hand. He felt his strength drain from his legs as he fell over on his side. Machine guns and mortars tracers rippled across the valley. He felt warm blood pouring down his chest across his shoulder towards the ground.
He willed his eyes to look down and realized he was hit. His chest was heaving blood rapidly. His strength faded and slowly he felt his eyes become heavy.
He whispered a final prayer, “Dear Lord, hold Grissen at the gates; I wish to enter beside my friend.” His final thought as his eyes closed for good barely ten paces from the medical tent. “Amen.”

CraftNectar - We like modded minecraft
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Hey there, I just moved to Elgin and I love living here but I’m having a hard time finding NY style pizza places. Can anyone recommend a good pizza place within a 20-30 minute drive of here in either direction that has that good’ol NY feel to it? (Floppiness, greasy, etc.) I’m getting tired of the chains around here, I need a good pizza to go with my gaming and movies.
I miss living in Chicago and having all of my options within a 15 minute drive from me.

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Waste Connections	Sales Driver	Bridgeton
AT&T	Shoe Salesperson	Clark
System Transport	LTL Driver	Columbia
AT&T	Shoe Salesperson	Fulton
Command Web Offset	Trim Press Operator	Jefferson City
Command Web Offset	Machine Press Operator	Jefferson City
State of Missouri	L&D Specialist	Jefferson City
ALDI	Part-Time Cashier	Lebanon
AT&T	Shoe Salesperson	Lenox
AT&T	Shop Hand	Lohman
FSR	Cardiovascular Registered Nurse	Marshall
Year Up	Entry Level Entrepreneurship Role	Marshall
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Alera Group, Inc.	Risk Officer	Maryland Heights
Cornell Landing of Cedar Mill	Resident Aide	o Fallon
Contract Freighters, Inc.	Trucker	O'Fallon
Cargill	Poultry Processor	Russellville
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Schwan’s Home Delivery	Sales Driver	Springfield
AT&T	Shoe Salesperson	Versailles
IntelyCare	CNA- Build Your Own Schedule!	Chesterfield
IntelyCare	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)	Chesterfield
IntelyCare	CNA	Chesterfield
IntelyCare	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)	Fenton

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in mo. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Harrison Senior Living of Georgetown	Back Line Cook	Georgetown
Year Up	Internship in Business	Wilmington
Year Up	Entry Level Cybersecurity	Wilmington
Year Up	Entry - level Information Technology (IT) Role	Wilmington
McLane, Inc.	Milk Selector	Wilmington
OrthoVirginia	Medical Assistant	Wilmington
Onward Search	Immediate Openings Seo Specialist 70841 Wilmington	Wilmington
Delta Airlines	CRC Specialist	Bear
Delta Airlines	Customer Service Agent (PT or FT)	Bear
Delta Airlines	Customer Service Representative	Bear
Delta Airlines	Customer Service Agent (PT or FT)	Middletown
Delta Airlines	CRC Specialist	Middletown
Delta Airlines	Flight Attendant (PT or FT)	Middletown
Delta Airlines	Flight Attendant	Millsboro
Delta Airlines	Air Host	Millsboro
Delta Airlines	Inventory Clerk	Millsboro
Delta Airlines	Flight Attendant (PT or FT)	Nassau
Delta Airlines	Customer Service Agent (PT or FT)	Nassau
Delta Airlines	Customer Service Agent (PT or FT)	Seaford
Delta Airlines	Flight Attendant (PT or FT)	Seaford

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in de. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Honestly not sure if this was the best subreddit but I’m hoping I could find someone who had had life experiences and wisdom about my situation.
I have parents who are 60 years old currently staying at one of my siblings. They are looking to move out and get a space of their own. My parents are not financial-savvy at all, and have unfortunately lost the assets they accumulated in their 30-40s due to things like being house-poor, never investing, consumerism, etc. An important detail, is that they have a “buy first-think later” mindset, and lack the knowledge/experiences to critically analyze the severity of financial decisions. Example, when I bought my car the advice they gave me was “it’s normal in America to finance these things” - obviously in hindsight it is normal and common, but not the smartest choice and there are ways to be smart about financing.
My regret in life is that (as a first generation immigrant) is that I didn’t prioritize becoming financial savvy sooner to assist and guide my parents from their destructive choices. Now as a 30 year old, I’m able to do better on my own and really planting the seeds for my future stability and growth.
Since they’ve been living with my siblings for about 10 years, they haven’t had the chances (luckily) to make huge financial decisions like buy another home.
However now they’re entertaining the idea of buying a mobile home as a way to get their own space, pay cash, and avoid any monthly costs (aside from taxes, utilities, lot fee etc)
My parents have always made choices that “seemed like it made sense” on the surface, but has had underlying negative consequences. As previously stated, they lack the capability sadly, to critically examine the potential future outcomes and do a predicted cost-analysis.
My gut feeling is that this is a bad choice. Although they don’t have much in their name, they ultimately will have some SS benefits and two children (one of which is me) who are homeowners. I feel that their money/benefits spent is better going to the family’s asset and they would be able to live in a newer townhome. I’d essentially be their landlord and they’d only give me maybe $1,000 a month. I’m still young no kids and actually was planning on renting my townhome out in 2-3 years. In exchange for my parents living more comfortably, I would not receive full market rent and figure out how to cover the difference (which I might be able to).
I’d also feel like it’s better that my parents don’t pour their funds into a mobile home because at the end of the day, the home may have depreciated and it went nowhere. However I do understand decisions don’t always have to turn a profit - I just don’t see any valid arguments for them picking a mobile home because it’s “cheap”.
I know some ppl have to choose a mobile home, and while my parents don’t have much they do have some alternatives.
I guess I’m just asking for life advice from others and if they’ve encountered a similar experience with family

I was told that my post belongs here so bare with me if my post doesn't sound like anti work.
A day off work is the best thing in the world. Not making money for one day will be the best if your boss doesn't call you in for every day off. I, 25 female, worked as an assistant manager at an oil change place. I was just promoted to this position, and it was my first assistant manager job. Before I got promoted, we had just got a new GM, and this was his first GM position. The former assistant had quit before the new GM had been there for a week, so I was just the next person to be promoted. So as an assistant manager, I had the job of making schedules and making sure the shop ran smoothly alongside the GM. The GM, we will call him Kevin. Kevin was mainly in his car sleeping, by his car smoking, or not being on camera much. Mind you, the GMs at this company are not on the clock, so he "can do what he wants." Yes, he was still watching the shop to make sure we didn't mess up a car and such, but he will take a 2-hour lunch and then smoke for another hour. For the first month he was there, he made minor changes, like putting in a calendar so we could request days off and making the shop and office look pretty. So Kevin never did work on the floor for a month. So being the good assistant I could be, I did most of his job because that was my duty to be there when the GM couldn't.
Now that you have a background on what Kevin was doing let's get back to what happened. One day, I told Kevin that I would take a vacation and be out of state for four days. Kevin told me he would put it in as soon as he could. That was red flag number one. As an assistant manager, I am to make the schedule, but I have yet to make one since Kevin started. I had reminded Kevin 2 months before my vacation that I would be out of state. Kevin told me that he forgot to put in my vacation time and did it right before me and "put it in." And stated he was unsure that he put in my request correctly since its first time as a GM with admin privileges.
Two weeks later, the DM came and visited us, and I told her about my vacation time and that Kevin "put it in," and I wanted her to check if it was approved. She checked, and my request wasn't put in correctly. So she put it in and was approved immediately. Fast forward to the vacation, one of my shift leads called me and asked when I was returning because Kevin was doing his usual. I returned on a Monday, and Kevin denied anything that happened in the shop while I was on vacation. That was red flag two.
At this time, the schedule was made. Kevin's day off is Sunday and Thursday because the GM is not needed on those days, and my regular days off were Monday and Friday, but since I had the vacation, I was out Thursday and Friday. I had double-checked the schedule, and Kevin had put the other two knowledgeable people and me off on Thursday, and it is just Kevin and the two new guys on the schedule. So Thursday came around, and I went out of town to see a museum exhibit four hours away from town.
Once I arrived at my destination, Kevin called me and asked if I could go in because he had messed up the schedule. I told him that a day off is a day off so I will take advantage of it. Besides, I was 4 hours out of town. Then I hung up. After I got back in town and back to work, Kevin told me to make the schedule because I know everybody's schedule better than he does, and since then, I have made the schedules.
Edit: I had reported Kevin to the DM, and she put him on probation several times. He soon left the country to live with his girlfriend. I left the company soon after for a different pace of work that was manageable. The exhibit I visited was the Artemis Project for NASA.

Honestly not sure if this was the best subreddit but I’m hoping I could find a homeowner who had had life experiences and wisdom about my situation.
I have parents who are 60 years old currently staying at one of my siblings. They are looking to move out and get a space of their own. My parents are not financial-savvy at all, and have unfortunately lost the assets they accumulated in their 30-40s due to things like being house-poor, never investing, consumerism, etc. An important detail, is that they have a “buy first-think later” mindset, and lack the knowledge/experiences to critically analyze the severity of financial decisions. Example, when I bought my car the advice they gave me was “it’s normal in America to finance these things” - obviously in hindsight it is normal and common, but not the smartest choice and there are ways to be smart about financing.
My regret in life is that (as a first generation immigrant) is that I didn’t prioritize becoming financial savvy sooner to assist and guide my parents from their destructive choices. Now as a 30 year old, I’m able to do better on my own and really planting the seeds for my future stability and growth.
Since they’ve been living with my siblings for about 10 years, they haven’t had the chances (luckily) to make huge financial decisions like buy another home.
However now they’re entertaining the idea of buying a mobile home as a way to get their own space, pay cash, and avoid any monthly costs (aside from taxes, utilities, lot fee etc)
My parents have always made choices that “seemed like it made sense” on the surface, but has had underlying negative consequences. As previously stated, they lack the capability sadly, to critically examine the potential future outcomes and do a predicted cost-analysis.
My gut feeling is that this is a bad choice. Although they don’t have much in their name, they ultimately will have some SS benefits and two children (one of which is me) who are homeowners. I feel that their money/benefits spent is better going to the family’s asset and they would be able to live in a newer townhome. I’d essentially be their landlord and they’d only give me maybe $1,000 a month. I’m still young no kids and actually was planning on renting my townhome out in 2-3 years. In exchange for my parents living more comfortably, I would not receive full market rent and figure out how to cover the difference (which I might be able to).
I’d also feel like it’s better that my parents don’t pour their funds into a mobile home because at the end of the day, the home may have depreciated and it went nowhere. However I do understand decisions don’t always have to turn a profit - I just don’t see any valid arguments for them picking a mobile home because it’s “cheap”.
I know some ppl have to choose a mobile home, and while my parents don’t have much they do have some alternatives.
I guess I’m just asking for life advice from other homeowners and if they’ve encountered a similar experience with family

Hi all. My mom was recently discharged from the ICU. The lasting damage is physical and gastro. She can walk, but with assistance with someone and the walker. My dad is independent but not able to help easily. I live across state lines, my parents are unable to move.
(Pity party starting can ignore this part). I’m autistic (mentioning that because I really do not do well with change) and about to give up the first time in my life I’ve been doing well. Everything is going to change. Going to lose the friends I made, the good job I had, my house I loved so much, my sons school we finally found him a good fit and he also made friends. Poof. My sister and her boyfriend live with my parents too. But they don’t want to be caregivers so it’s on me. My husband is able to transfer so we’ll have income.
Ok pity party over. So how the heck do I drive back and get ready to move with my mom not having the extra help? I am so lost. I found a paper from my mom’s insurance that had resources for caregivers I’m going to call on Monday. But in the meantime… what do I do? My son is 6 and now refuses to talk to me on the phone anymore because I’ve never been gone this long (2 weeks). I’m supposed to leave back Sunday but I just worry.
Has anyone used a temporary caregiver? Like from a site like care.com or similar? Any advice welcome. Thanks all.

I am 19 and in college. I am supposed to be happy and thriving but for years all I’ve wanted was to die. I haven’t attempted suicide in a very long time. I would like to get physician assisted suicide if I can. I believe I have a mental disorder and I can’t live with it.

And to clarify, hospital paperwork has confirmed that there were no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time, and that he has said brain damage. The cops literally did no breath test to corroborate the charge. That's fucked. He should be in a hospital, not jail.
I'm feeling so many things right now. Obviously we assumed alcohol or drugs bc 4TH dui. I'm still feeling really hurt that people will only see that one moment in time, and they'll never know that it wasn't really his fault. His impulse control and decision-making abilities have greatly deteriorated over the last several weeks. I feel certain that this is why things have escalated like this. He doesn't need to be in jail right now, he needs to be in a long term care facility.
And yet, he was still a piece of shit dad before his stroke. It would make complete sense that I assumed he was lying when he claimed he hadn't been drinking that day.
And fuckin angry that these small town bumpkin ass cops just assumed substance abuse because he had past DUIs and was acting so bizarre. Bc he could be in a hospital right now instead of jail. It's one thing for us to assume, but when it affects someone's life like this... it was their job to get the evidence necessary for such a serious charge. He wasn't drinking. He wasn't on drugs. He was completely removed from reality through no fault of his own. Should he have been driving? No. But again, his impulse control and decision-making abilities have deteriorated due to literal brain damage. That doesn't warrant jail time.
His lawyer says they can file a lawsuit against the police department for this. And he's a damn good lawyer. So I know I'm justified in my anger.
And then I feel sad. Because this is serious. Brain damage, fuck. He won't ever be able to live on his own again. And I feel so guilty for having assumed the worst.
Just needed to get that out. I'm at a loss.
Why the fuck am I in an episode of Law and Order right now?