Calories? I think you mean delicious points!

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Daily Threads

• US Accountability Challenge: Stay accountable with friends from North America.
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• Track with Me Thursday: Make new friends and find accountability buddies.
• Foodie Friday: Share your favorite recipes and meal pics.
• Century Club: For those who have lost or would like to lose 100lb+.

Pastel Community Update (March 31, 2023)
The next generation NFT focused blockchain. Certifiable authenticity. Permanent storage. Negligible fees. Build, secure, and scale your Web3 ecosystem with Pastel.
The Pastel Team has been extremely busy with a number of major development updates, partnership rollouts, and product releases. Check back here each week for new developments
Check Pastel channels for:
⭐Weekly community snapshots shared across our various channels.
🐾Quarterly updates released via our newsletter.
☎️Weekly community town halls / AMAs directly with the Pastel team. Come prepared with your questions, comments, and feedback!
📣Monthly Twitter Spaces with u/doodlestone and u/panthony
Join us for a Twitter Space with @astardegens on 3/31 at 12:00 PM EST as we dive into the world of #DAOs, #NFTs, and the current market trends!
Key Updates:
🚨Partnership with Astar Network🚨
Pastel Network is excited to announce that it will be working with @AstarNetwork, a layer1 parachain in the Polkadot ecosystem. Astar provides the infrastructure for building dApps with EVM and WASM smart contracts offering developers true interoperability with cross-consensus messaging (XCM) and a cross-virtual machine (XVM). Astar and Pastel will collaborate with the goal of providing Pastel’s Web3 tooling solutions — Sense and Cascade — to its NFT ecosystem. This collaboration signifies the continued successes of both Pastel and Astar, and is a massive step forward for the overall NFT ecosystem. It is a testament to the growing need for NFT reliability, security and verifiability, solved via Pastel’s advanced infrastructure.
Learn more on Medium
In case you missed it, please listen to our twitter space with @ArtZero_io, @agoric, and @Kryha_io teams discussing all things NFT Security & Marketplaces.
🚨Discord Banner Competition🚨
Thank you to all the talented artists that participated in our Discord Banner competition, so many wonderful and unique pieces. You can still view all of them here🎨 Congratulations to our winners: (1)Zaccube, (2)CThumbs, (3)CryptoDNA
🚨Collaborations🚨
Happening Live now or if you missed our Twitter Space with @AstarDegens on 3/31 at noon EST we dive into the world of #DAOs, #NFTs, and the current market trends! Listen to this insightful discussion here
Check out our collaboration with @Agoric, @kryhia_io, and @Sandytoes2211 as SmartMint was used to mint their work.
🚨SmartMint on Twitter 🚨
It is our great pleasure to announce that SmartMint will now have a Twitter presence. The SmartMint twitter account has officially launched.
We are always looking for artists to collaborate with, please inquire on any social media platforms
🚨Addition of Status Page🚨
We're continuously #building to ensure that our users have the most powerful Web3/NFT infrastructure at their disposal
We recently released a Status Page so you can monitor the performance of our infrastructure & services in real time. Check it out here!
🚨Wrapped PSL🚨
Wrapped PSL or wPSL exists to transfer tokens across platforms. We have noticed the buzz about wPSL (wrapped PSL), so we’ve created a video about it! 🔗wPSL holders can store on wallets such as MetaMask 💹You can also trade on Ethereum DEXs
wPSL is available on Uniswap. Watch our video and learn more here
🚨Pastel Testnet Faucet Release🚨
Our Testnet Faucet is now live. The launch of this independent network enables users to obtain LSP (Pastel Testnet Tokens) to experiment with and develop in the Pastel Testnet environment. This gives users the ability to experiment with Pastel features without having to spend valuable PSL on the mainnet.
Learn more about Pastel's Testnet Faucet
🚨Becoming a Supernode Operator🚨
Become a Supernode operator today & gain increased credibility in the validator community & earn exclusive rewards from the foundation, such as PSL or NFT airdrops, in addition to receiving Block & Transactional Rewards.
🚨Cascade Protocol🚨
Cascade has numerous concrete advantages over competing systems such as IPFS & Arweave, particularly when it comes to censorship resistance, data permanence & data accessibility.
Check out our technical paper on Cascade, Pastel's storage layer. Cascade is an extremely powerful & robust storage system for true data permanence that is both completely decentralized & highly scalable. Learn more here
🚨Sense Protocol🚨
Sense is a Near-Duplicate NFT detection protocol powered by the Pastel Network. Assess the relative rareness of a given NFT against near-duplicate metadata on networks like Ethereum, Solana, etc to prevent prevalent scams or theft. Try it yourself here and watch it work here
🚨Monet 1.2 Mainnet Release 🚨
The Pastel team has been working hard on this upgrade that will be live soon. Here are some features that will be included in the upgrade. Learn more about Monet 1.2 Mainnet release. Users will have the opportunity to experiment with Monet before the release using testnet.
-Storage challenges in Cascade guarantee ongoing data permanence & decentralization on the network across active & compliant Supernodes. -Activation of Supernode Health and State Challenges: Similar to Proof of Storage, Health & State Challenges will guarantee the ongoing active and enabled state of each Supernode client on the network. -Stabilization of Sense Protocol: Improvements to Chrome Driver usage, updates to Webtools 1.3, and implementation of additional tickets. -Release of the OpenAPI Gateway: Production-ready Gateway will be deployed via the Mainnet with support for a number of new endpoints, asynchronous execution, Ansible support for independent deployment, and a graphical user interface for interaction.
🚨2023 Roadmap and Review of 2022🚨
Pastel released its 2023 roadmap, including a review of 2022. Pastel Network 2022 in review and roadmap for 2023 shows great progress made in the previous year and much promise for the year ahead.
Upcoming year

• Expedite development release cycles of Testnet and Mainnet upgrades — such as with versions Monet and Van Gogh
• Build stronger cross-chain bridges, specifically with Ethereum Polygon, and Polkadot
• Enhance SmartMint and develop new features
• Refine user and partner experience with the roll-out of new technical resources and tools
• Expanding our network of partners across more L2s, DApps, enterprise user-cases, native L1s, and beyond
• Further increase our exposure to the community of technical users, non-technical users, and creators
• Launch of Mobile Wallet as well as new PastelId APIs to work with light wallets
• Supernode Storage Challenges. A novel mechanism by which Pastel Supernodes verify that other nodes are following the rules of the protocol and storing all files appropriately.

Upcoming Mainnet Releases

• Q1: Mainnet Upgrade: Monet Release 1.2
• Q2: Mainnet Upgrade: Monet Release 1.3
• Q3: Mainnet Upgrade: Van Gogh Release 2.0
• Q4 Mainnet Upgrade: Van Gogh Release 2.1

🚨News and Developments🚨
🥝Check out our latest YouTube video featuring an amazing conversation with NFT artist @wondermundo!
🍧Check out this Twitter Space with the @agoric and @kryha_io teams discussing decentralized systems
📀CoinTelegraph looks into industry leaders’ tips (inlcuding Pastel’s own Anthony Georgiades) for regulators
🌸Check out this Twitter Space with u/gameofskills discussing Web3 gaming and much more
🐱Catcoin discusses the Astar partnerhship
⚓Pastel Networks co-founder, Anthony Georgiades talks about what regulators can do in this Cointelegraph article
💡 Check out this Medium article on how Sense is revolutionizing NFT provenance written by Ima-Abasi Pius Joseph
🌡️ Pastel Networks co-founder, Anthony Georgiades talks about his optimism for the market in this CoinDesk article
👀 CoinDesk features co-founder, Anthony Georgiades, and what Coinbase's transition means for crypto
🌵Bitcoin Insider discusses how Pastel protects and stores artists’ NFTs
💚Check out how Pastel Network protects and stores artist’s NFTs in this Bitcoin Insider article.
-Crypto News
⭐CoinDesk Twitter provides you with daily crypto updates
🌼CoinDesk delves into the battle of crypto vs traditional finance
🌀ABC calls cryptocurrency a “bystander” in SVB collapse
👛CoinTelegraph has some interesting insights on the market and blockchains
🌺CoinTelegraph shares how to bridge the gap to web3
-Pastel Archive
🚧We released a Builder’s Guide for ecosystem partners integrating w/ Pastel. Come build with us here.
🌯wPSL or wrapped is explained in this video and
🚧Pastel is completely open-source. Check out what we are working on here.
💫If you could not attend our Twitter Space with u/wondermundo on 2/17, hear it here
🌀Testnet tutorial video
🏆Learn more about Sense and Cascade
🔦Want to try out Sense for yourself? Upload your NFT here to obtain the rareness score of your NFT.
📹Check out this youtube demonstration showing what happened when we compared OpenSea’s new duplicate detection system to Sense Sense Comp Analysis
-Pastel news and essays
♠️NFT real estate explained
⭐Astar Partnership intro
🖌️Monet 1.2 preview
🐋NFTs and climate change
🚀Value of NFTs explained
If you have not done so already, please take a moment to join our growing community base:
🐓 Follow Pastel on Twitter
🙉Follow Smartmint on Twitter
👾Join Pastel's Discord Server
👽Join Pastel on Reddit
✈️Join Pastel’s Telegram
🖥️Subscribe to our Youtube channel

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-30-2023
The New York grand jury investigating Trump’s 2016 hush-money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels has voted to indict the former president. While we don’t know the full range of charges, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office confirmed that they were forthcoming tonight when it released a statement saying, “This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal.”
This is the first time in history a former United States president has been indicted, although it is worth remembering that it is not new for our justice system to hold elected officials accountable. Mayors have been indicted and convicted. So have governors: in fact, four of the past ten Illinois governors have gone to prison. Vice presidents, too, have been charged with crimes: Aaron Burr was indicted on two counts of murder in 1804 while still in office and was tried for treason afterward. And in 1973, Richard Nixon’s vice president Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to tax evasion to avoid prison time.
That Trump’s indictment is happening in New York has likely made it harder for Trump to drum up the mobs he has been inciting to defend him. New York City notoriously dislikes the former real estate man. Voters of Tomorrow official Victor Shi was at the Manhattan district attorney’s office this evening and found no one protesting. When people did show up, he tweeted, they were not Trump supporters. They were women carrying signs that said, “‘Trump is guilty’ and ‘The Time Is Now,’” he wrote. “People in the background are chanting, ‘Way to go, ladies!’ NYC is rejoicing.”
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, to whom Trump people feel comfortable talking, said that the Trump camp at Mar-a-Lago is “in…shock” at the news. They thought yesterday’s announcement that the grand jury will go on a break in early April indicated that nothing would happen before the jury reconvened. As Haberman points out, Trump has been afraid of indictments for many years, and while some speculate this indictment might help his political profile (I disagree with that, by the way), he is unhappy to see it finally arrive. He did, though, immediately start fundraising off it.
Trump also released quite a long, antisemitic statement blaming “Radical Left Democrats” for a “Witch-Hunt” and saying this is “blatant Election interference.” House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) also quickly reinforced Trump's argument, saying that Bragg had “irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election,” and a number of other Republican officials reinforced that sentiment.
That is quite a position to take. The vote to indict came not from Bragg himself, but from a grand jury made up of ordinary Americans, and none of us knows what’s in the indictment, so one can hardly object to it in good faith.
CNN reporter Melanie Zanona reports that Trump has been working the phones tonight, reaching out to Republican allies to shore up support. Some of them, of course, are trying to discredit Bragg’s work by investigating him. Trump is at his company’s property in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. Florida governor Ron DeSantis echoed Trump’s antisemitism and accusations, tweeting that Florida would “not assist in an extradition request.” But Article IV, Section 2, of the United States Constitution says, “A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.”
So either DeSantis is planning to violate the Constitution, or he recognizes that Trump will probably return to New York voluntarily, or—and this is the most likely—he is posturing to pick up Trump voters while secretly rejoicing that this will likely make it harder for Trump to win the Republican presidential nomination. While all eyes were on Trump this evening, paperwork was filed in the Florida Senate to begin the process of revising election laws, possibly so that DeSantis can run for president without resigning as governor, as under current Florida law he must.
But there was something striking about Trump’s statement. In blaming the “Radical Left Democrats” for their “Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement,” he wrote, “You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.”
It's not a list to be proud of, but that wording—“you remember it just like I do”—jumped out. Trump always goes back to what he calls the Russia hoax, his second attempt to rewrite the way people thought about his presidency (the first was the size of the crowd at his inauguration).
From the very start of his presidency, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation caught Trump's then–national security advisor Michael Flynn lying about his contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, more and more information has come out tying the Trump campaign to Russian operatives. As it did, Trump insisted that his followers must believe that all that information was a lie. If they believed his lies rather than the truth over the Russia scandal, they would trust him rather than believe the truth about everything.
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has given a new frame to Russia’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 election. A piece by Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times Magazine in November 2022 pulled together testimony given both to the Mueller investigation and the Republican-dominated Senate Intelligence Committee, transcripts from the impeachment hearings, and recent memoirs. Rutenberg showed that in 2016, Russian operatives had presented to Trump advisor and later campaign manager Paul Manafort a plan “for the creation of an autonomous republic in Ukraine’s east, giving Putin effective control of the country’s industrial heartland, where Kremlin-armed, -funded, and -directed “separatists” were waging a two-year-old shadow war that had left nearly 10,000 dead.”
In exchange for weakening the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), undermining the U.S. stance in favor of Ukraine in its attempt to throw off the Russians who had invaded in 2014, and removing U.S. sanctions from Russian entities, Russian operatives were willing to put their finger on the scale to help Trump win the White House.
Rutenberg notes that Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine looks a lot like a way to achieve the plan it suggested in 2016 but, thanks to a different president in the U.S., that invasion did not yield the results Russian president Vladimir Putin expected. The Russian economy is crumbling, and Tuesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia's Wagner group of mercenaries is "suffering an enormous amount of casualties in the Bakhmut area.” He called it a “slaughter-fest" for the Russians. Today, Putin issued an order to conscript another 147,000 soldiers by July 15.
Pressure on Putin continues to mount. The International Criminal Court’s March 17 arrest warrant against him and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for war crimes apparently caught Russian leadership by surprise. It isolates Russia and worries other Russian lawmakers that they will be charged as well, weakening their support for Putin. “Now proximity to the president isn’t just talk,” one political strategist said, “it’s a real step towards being prosecuted by international law enforcement.”
And President of the European Commission (which is the executive of the European Union) Ursula von der Leyen today warned that as the European Union rethinks its trade policies, China could find itself isolated as well if it continues to support Russia. “How China continues to interact with Putin’s war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward,” she said.
Meanwhile, Turkey today dropped its opposition to Finland’s membership in NATO, a membership Finland has pursued in the wake of Russia’s recent aggression. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, and now it will be part of NATO.
Under such pressure, Russia today took the extraordinary step of detaining American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, accusing him of spying. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern and urged U.S. citizens living or traveling in Russia to “leave immediately.”
Yesterday, another study of the Russian invasion of Ukraine invited us to look backward as well as forward. Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, a government-affiliated think tank, released a report on Russia’s “covert and clandestine operations, psychological operations, subversion, sabotage, special operations and intelligence and counterintelligence activities” designed to destabilize Ukraine and take it over. The report’s focus was on the current war in Ukraine, but as Josh Kovensky of Talking Points Memo notes, it establishes that some of the same people behind the destabilization of Ukrainian politics were part of Trump’s world. Notably, Russian operative Andrii Derkach not only worked to grab Ukraine for Russia, but also escorted Trump ally Rudy Giuliani around Ukraine in 2019 to dig up dirt on Biden.
In the end, as legal dominoes begin to fall, it might be that Americans do not, in fact, remember the history of his presidency from “Russia, Russia, Russia” forward the same way Trump does.
—
Notes:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/30/trump-ny-indictment/
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/03/30/nyregion/trump-indictment-news
https://www.kcra.com/article/what-are-grand-jury-indictments/43380155#
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/magazine/russiagate-paul-manafort-ukraine-war.html
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/03/30/trump-indictment-manhattan-grand-jury-haberman-reaction-vpx.cnn
https://www.cnn.com/lo europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-30-23/h_7232bfde62d50e029e99d2a389bf8e46
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-30/putin-orders-to-draft-147-000-conscripts-by-july-15-kremlin
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/4-of-illinois-past-10-governors-went-to-prison/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trump-falls-under-the-shadow-of-spiro-agnew
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/7050/?Tab=BillText
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/03/23/like-a-slap-in-the-face
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/31/turkey-formally-approves-finlands-nato-membership.html
https://www.politico.eu/article/eus-ursula-von-der-leyen-xi-jinping-calls-for pop-tougher-policy-on-china-ahead-of-beijing-visit/
https://static.rusi.org/202303-SR-Unconventional-Operations-Russo-Ukrainian-War-web-final.pdf.pdf
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/prime/the-same-russian-agents-who-meddled-in-us-politics-set-the-stage-for-ukraine-invasion
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-economy-is-starting-to-come-undone-431a2878
https://www.state.gov/russias-arrest-of-a-u-s-citizen/
Too much breaking news on Twitter; I’ve gone over my space limit. So, on Twitter:
SecBlinken/status/1641479253874159635
MZanona/status/1641636032939433985
JoyceWhiteVance/status/1641278615122767875
Victorshi2020/status/1641567835448016896
GovRonDeSantis/status/1641575007552778243
ManhattanDA/status/1641579988360019968
meridithmcgraw/status/1641576453333499906
FLVoiceNews/status/1641597435725094912

The greatest tragedy of war is that for some people the war never ends.

• Nebojsa Knezevic, head of psychiatry for Pallas Medical Institute, 2142

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Prev/First
Silijima hopped into the truck, next to Sargen. The massive Gojid's head nearly reached the roof of the vehicle forcing him to crouch ever so slightly. He was an even more imposing figure up close, his muscles bulging and his scars held taut against his skin. He seemed preoccupied, as if her presence made him uncomfortable when they were close. His claws gripped the steering wheel, lightly scraping the carbon material. He seemed to be in his late thirties to early forties, and a distinguished Gojid at that save for the eye and the prosthetic arm. Most would consider him quite handsome if it wasn't for the damage he had received, and even then she was sure some women would find a prosthetic like that doubly enticing.
Senek sat in the back, leaning his head back and yawning. He seemed exhausted, most likely from being on duty for the last good knows how many weeks. He kept an eye on Sargen, but it wasn't a distrustful one, more like he was concerned for Sargen's wellbeing. It was hilarious to Silijima, to think that Sargen warranted concern, but she didn't know him or his past so she wouldn't judge; sometimes the strongest people held the greatest burdens.
"So, where to next? Do we have any other stops to make?" Silijima asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"No, not unless you want to stop," replied Sargen.
Behind them, Senek grumbled. "We need to head back to the Collective and finish for the day; I'm fucking exhausted."
Sargen started the truck and turned around. "Then go home, Senek; you've done your work for the day. I'll show Silijima a bit of the station before I deliver the goods and introduce Silijima to the captains."
Senek didn't seem convinced. "They won't be happy that Sujek and I bailed halfway through the delivery."
Sargen snorted. "Ayaz and Igor won't give a damn as long as the delivery gets delivered. Take a tram and go home and see your mate and kids; you looked harrowed."
Silijima was inclined to agree. Before today, she didn't know if it was possible for a reptile to have bags under its eyes, but Senek surely did. He looked like shit, although Silijima would never voice that out loud.
Senek hissed but didn't argue, opening the door and leaving the back of the truck with a grunt. Silijima saw him walk down the street towards a tram stop in the distance, where one was unloading all sorts of people heading to shop at Zapadnyy tsentral'nyy rynok, as well as those ready finished with their shopping trips. Eventually, Senek disappeared into the crowd of humans, arxur, and the occasional venlil, harchin and gojid.
"So," Sargen started with an apprehensive sigh, "My name's Sargen, as you've probably been told. I'm sure Senek and Sujek have already told you all about me."
Silijima chuckled nervously. "Not much, actually. I've been wondering where you got that arm from; it seems very high tech. I've only seen prosthetics like that on high ranking military personnel in the federation."
The question only seemed to make Sargen even more tense. "I lost my real arm in battle. They replaced it with this." He flexed the arm, the prosthetic was agile and precise in its movements. "It's near identical to the real thing utility-wise, although the look of it took some time to get used to."
Silijima nodded absentmindedly, admiring both the arm and his physical build. Sargen must've been through hell and back to be so torn up.
"Are you ex-military? You have the hardware to be."
Sargen frowned lightly. "You could say that. But that's enough about me." Then Sargen put a soft smile on his face, a fake one, as if he was trying to hide his true feelings. "I was told you served in the navy; what was that like?"
Silijima didn't push for more information. "I was a Master Technical Coordinator for the Unwavering Credence. I kept the Guns and the hull functioning along with crews of grunt welders, and I pieced the ship back together after battles.
Sargen whistled, impressed by her rank. "You were pretty high up on the totem pole on that ship. Why'd you leave?"
Silijima scoffed. "The lies, the brutality, and the stress. I came to Skhamar looking for answers after losing faith in the state I defended for over a decade. Now that I know the truth, I realize that I hated every second of it, although I do miss it in a way. Once you get out, well, nothing seems right. For the first few months, I couldn't stand being off duty. I still miss that safety of knowing I was on a military vessel; at least we could defend ourselves. Back on Nishtal, I felt so… exposed, since I wasn't allowed to carry a firearm on my person anymore."
Sargen chuckled. "I know how you feel. I couldn't sleep right after I… left: I kept expecting an attack at all hours. Sometimes I'd wake up in a panic, clutching my ion pistol and ready to kill, only to realize it was just the sound of some puny asteroid bouncing off the outer shell of the station or a ship taking off."
Silijima snorted. "I remember nearly having a heart attack from the fireworks they set off for unification day. My parents didn't understand, or maybe they couldn't, but I don't celebrate that day anymore. It sounds too similar to Arxur hybrid charges slamming against the hull of a ship."
Silijima chuckled at first, but the laughter quickly died as reality set in. Her service in the navy had messed her up in more ways than one, but she couldn't imagine not living that life; she wouldn't know what to do with herself otherwise. She hated it, but she was better for it.
"So… What is there to do on this station? I'm pretty new to all of this freedom. What is there to do?"
"That's the good thing about this job; you get a good week or so in between missions to relax," Sargen smiled bitterly, but it was still a happy smile, "Me and the rest of the crew have so much to show you."
Silijima's heart skipped a beat at his statement. "Senek didn't seem too excited to show me anything."
"Senek's just tired; in fact he's always tired. He worked two missions in a row, same as Sujek, and they're probably going to push for another one," Sargen stated, "although I bet both Ayaz and Igor will send them both home and tell them to spend some time just relaxing for once since those two practically kill themselves working." He chuckled before continuing, "But as for things to do, well, there's a lot: Theaters, Restaurants, Museums, a full-sized futbol stadium, and even a few more exotic things the humans brought over. Humans are kind of the cultural heart of the entire Commonwealth; The big Arxur houses might be the dominant economic forces besides the coalitions, but the Humans really brought a heart and soul to what would otherwise be a pretty dull and barren place."
Silijima thought about that for a moment. She had seen sporting events before; Nishtal had plenty of ballastier stadiums to choose from, where Krakotl would work as a flock to move a floating ball from one end to the other. There were also games of airborne agility and such, so she wasn't too interested in sports.
But the idea of a theater intrigued her. Nishtal didn't have many theaters: the Krakotl didn't like being cooped up in a dark place for too long, since their instincts were to nest under the open sky instead of burrow underground. Mix that with a lack of any big theater culture and you git a species that vastly preferred doing over watching. Sports and music were far more popular with the Krakotl, their ability to fly and vast vocal ranges helping them flourish in alternative mediums of entertainment.
"How are the theaters here? I've never really gone to one before."
Sargen eyed her with disbelief. "Neither did I before I came here. They're pretty great, with lots of cheap snacks and reclining seats. There aren't any 'new' movies yet since there's no real movie industry here on Skhamar yet, but they play a lot of older human movies. A few months ago I went with Timothy, Sarah, and their daughter Maggie to go see The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. The art style was pretty mind-blowing, to say the least."
"The art style?"
"Animation. It's considered a proper medium of theater in human culture. There are a plethora of what humans call 'the animated classics': movies that have achieved universal human acclaim due to their outstanding quality. If I'm not mistaken, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is one of them."
Human art seemed so fascinating to her; the Federation was so cut and dry with what they considered art that anything that pushed the envelope was ridiculed and even reviled, often only gaining traction in underground groups that appreciated the bizarre and the condemned. To hear of artistic styles having entire mediums dedicated to them was astounding to her.
"That sounds incredible! What other movies have you seen?"
"Well, I've been itching to see Star Wars, but it's a long trilogy that's best watched at home. There's also a relatively new western by comparison called The Cursed that's being shown this week, so we can go see that. I've heard nothing but good things about it."
Silijima didn't know what a 'western' was, but if it was anything like how Sargen describes their animated movies, she was sure a human western couldn't be bad.
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Silijima casually read the synopsis for the movie they would be watching on her holophone.
The year is 1886: Aging civil war veteran turned outlaw Thomas 'Death-Singer' Lawrence ekes out a humble living amongst the Ojibwa Indians of what is now modern-day Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, hoping to live out his final years of his life with his beloved wife, son and adopted tribe in peace. But when a bitter ex-Confederate, Klan member, and son of a wealthy plantation owner Shaw Cunningham and his gang of killers massacre the tribe for supporting the Union during the war, his entire world is torn from him. Now, all that's left after the carnage is himself and a teenager named Nanabush, the fatherless black sheep of the tribe.
Now, with nothing but vengeance burning in his heart, Thomas once again takes up the mantle of 'Death-Singer', and along with his newly adopted ward Nanabush, he travels south to reform his old gang of thieves and outlaws, 'The Cursed', in a last-ditch effort to gain the ultimate revenge and both kill Shaw Cunningham and ruin his family fortune. The curse must be passed on, and there couldn't be a more worthy recipient…
Now that sounded interesting. Silijima didn't understand much of the context, but a revenge plot wasn't a common theme in Federation media, or federation art at all for that matter, so it seemed like a great place to start. Besides, it wasn't like it was real, so if it was overly violent then she could just finish the movie and never watch it again.
But first, there were snacks to buy. Silijima didn't know why Sargen insisted on buying snacks, but he stated that they 'improved the movie experience', or whatever that meant. Either way, he practically dragged Silijima up to a counter operated by a bored human, preparing to order a whole slew of snacks for the both of them.
"I'll get two medium boxes of Çäkçäk style popcorn, a large bag of Korivka, and two large bottles of… Give me a moment." Sargen turned to her. "What do you want to drink?"
Silinima browsed the menu nervously, not knowing what to choose. "Uhhh, I guess I'll try some Baikal? Is it good?"
Sargen shrugged. "It's pretty good, a bit different than most colas." Then he turned back to the snack vendor. "And two large bottles of Baikal."
The bored human sighed, obviously just ready for his shift to end, and prepared the food for the two of them. Sargen prepared his credit chip and handed it to the worker when he returned, paying for everything.
"You don't have to, Sargen, I can pay for myself."
Sargen chuckled. "Maybe, but I'm the one who's taking you out. Just let me take care of it."
The human returned with the popcorn, which was two buckets of strange yellow… things that had a slight glowing orange sheen, along with a large bag of candies and two massive bottles of soda, which were also huge. Sargen somehow deftly balanced all the snacks in their arms as they made their way to the movie room they were assigned to without even a grunt and gave her a soft grin. Despite his obvious optimism, he seemed tense, as if she reminded him of something.
Sargen hurried down the hall, his large stride making it difficult for Silijima to keep up with him, but she managed. He avoided her gaze, his eyes focusing on absolutely anything else. There it was again, the strange behavior. It was as if she was some kind of phantom to him, but he couldn't point out her existence without seeming crazy.
They made their way into a door on the side that led down a dark hall with dim lights lining the floor. It opened up to a massive screen showing adverts for products before the movie began.
"Where would you like to sit? I'm partial to the back; you get better seats and a better view."
Silijima shrugged her feathered shoulders. "Wherever you think is best; I have no clue."
Sargen chuckled, but led her up toe stairs to the upper row of seats. They made it there, sitting down near the center, and Sargen handed Silijima her popcorn and baikal. Silijime pecked at the popcorn hesitantly, but found that she loved it! The sweet, nutty and floral flavors of the coating reminded her of the Vagra nectar from Nishtal when peddlers would sell organic jars of it during the summer months, and it paired wonderfully with the salty-sweet crunch of the 'corn' itself. The baikal was another thing entirely; the sweet-spicy and pine flavors of the cola tasted like nothing she had ever experienced like fruit and spices boiled in bitter tree sap and carbonated, but palatable. By the time the movie had started, a third of her popcorn was gone, causing Sargen to chuckle.
The lights dimmed, causing Silijima to panic for a bit, but Sargen's hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder, calming her. He was there, and he was big; nothing could hurt such a giant, right?
Then, the movie began to play. The sound of some kind of delicate stringed instrument being strummed softly alongside the croaking and chirping of amphibians and insects on a warm summer night. The sounds of the wildlife stopped suddenly for a moment, as did the instrument when a small gang of about a dozen humans riding strange, four-legged creatures reminiscent of suleans without horns advanced towards a gathering of flickering lights in the distance; probably a village. Their gallops were thunderous and destructive, nothing like the sound of a stampede. It was the sound of unwavering strength.
The men wore sackcloth hoods with holes cut out for their eyes and ropes around their necks. In their hands were primitive revolving handguns. They wore a myriad of different clothes; some wore gray army uniforms, while others wore khakis, union shirts and suspenders. They laughed and bickered as they spurred their steeds onward, obviously ready to commit some unspeakable atrocity…
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Silijima has two panic attacks during the movie. Sargen was there, able to quell them by offering his support. He seemed to know what it was like to have one because he reached out and held her when she began to hyperventilate and raise her hackles. He didn't speak, but he made himself known. He was there, and that was enough.
At least the movie ended with a triumph: Thomas Lawrence got his revenge, even if he died in the end. His adopted ward, Nanabush, took up the mantle of Death-Singer, using it to defend the weak. It was a tightly wrapped story that should've been happy, but the memories of war still scarred Silijima; the sounds of the gunshots reminded her of the blasts of flechette cannons, and the blood on Lawrence's knife…
She still felt the phantom pain in her wing and body from being run through by an Arxur skimming blade. She had survived, of course, but the near-death experience had permanently changed her. She couldn't stand being around knives too long unless she was actually on the battlefield, and even then it caused her distress. Luckily, she never needed to be around too many sharp objects, being an engineer, but she had her… moments. She was able to quell her attacks, her panic and anxiety being quelled by the far more substantial fear of what she would be subjected to if her true state of mind were to be found out.
If the Federation found out you acted out of the norm, they'd spend weeks forcing you through the most agonizing 'therapies' before stuffing you full of pills and sending you home, never to be the same person again. She had seen the effects of these treatments; her former colleagues practically turned into zombies, their brains melted from the drugs. They lived off of government stipends, unable to truly contribute to the workforce, but the Federation seemed to consider this an acceptable tradeoff, the politicians being praised for lowering the rate of self-termination by any means necessary. In reality, it just created a state-funded drug epidemic.
Part of Silijima did want answers, but she realized her true motive for coming to Skhamar was to escape; she was so scared of staying home on Nishtal because every little thing could set her off. And if she were to have a serious enough outburst…
No, she wouldn't become what many of her former prey-in-arms had; a babbling mess of drugs and trauma. She was strong; she could do this. She wouldn't let her trauma overcome her.
"Are you okay, Silijima?" Sargent asked her, shaking her shoulder lightly. They were in the truck, riding to the Corsair collective where Ayaz and Igor had docked their cruiser. He seemed far more tired than before like she was exhausting to be around. She didn't doubt it; having predator disease was already exhausting enough for Silijima alone.
"I shouldn't have recommended that movie, it was too violent. Maybe something animated would've been better," said Sargent. "I was hoping that your experiences as a navy engineer would've been less traumatic than the average foot soldier, and I was wrong."
Silijima turned to him, emboldened. "It wasn't your fault, Sagren; I agreed to watch it. Besides, it might've opened up a few wounds, but it was still an excellent movie. And the popcorn and baikal were wonderful as well. And besides, it was a good movie, triggers notwithstanding."
Sargen smiled a little, although he was still feeling guilty. "I'm glad you liked it. But we should get to the collective; Ayaz and Igor will be happy to become acquainted with you."
Silijima nodded before turning back to the window, watching as the city raced by. The spires of the station-city rose hundreds of stories into the air, hover-tram systems connecting entire levels of platforms that connected to the taller towers. It made sense that the station would focus on the height of buildings; the width was a rare commodity on space stations due to the cost of adding extra floor-level infrastructure, so extremely tall spires interconnected by platforms and hover-tram systems that stretched for kilometers made sense. Everything was brightly lit: massive glowing LED signs depicting everything from clinics and dispensaries to shops and eateries were plastered across the buildings, along with almost lifelike and three-dimensional digital billboards depicting a wide array of advertisements and entertainment. It was the very definition of an urban jungle, sprawl and all, with tens of millions of individuals living their daily lives unimpeded.
"The station's pretty cool, huh? It's technically one of the larger cities in the galaxy, with a population of around twenty-five million inhabitants of all races."
That number was impressive for a city, but not for a nation. "But how many planets does Skhamar control? Fifty-five million is nothing compared to the five hundred billion sentients in the Federation alone."
Sargen nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Antheia and Calaïs are pretty sparsely populated at the moment, maybe a few million each, and the planet of Skhamar itself has about ten million. That means this place doesn't really have the manpower to keep up with the Federation or the Dominion in terms of fleet size. We still beat them in engagements though."
Silijima didn't believe that. "But how? The Federation outnumbers you guys a hundred to one!"
Sargen snorted, eyes focused on the road as he pulled into the parking lot of a ginormous building. "If there's one thing that I learned after only two years of living on Skhamar is that the Federation's school of naval doctrine is laughably bad. They solely rely on the force of numbers and firepower to overwhelm their enemies before they can strike back. This would normally work on smaller fleet engagements against lesser foes, but the humans don't play fair. They hide in gas clouds, and in asteroid fields. They launch silent torpedoes, drone strikes, and shells filled with toxic gas before initiating boarding actions to cause widespread panic in enemy fleets. Skhamar's newly minted traditions of piracy have led to a whole new level of Naval military thinking, one where the entire sector is an ever-changing battlefield and anything's fair game."
"But wouldn't they get discovered? How hasn't the Federation just listed down Skhamar's tactics for admirals to memorize and quantify in fleet engagements?"
"You're demanding too much from a Federation full of scared herbivores, and you're forgetting who runs that Federation. The Kolshians and the Farsul vehemently believe that thinking like a predator makes you a predator and that anything that resembles predatory behavior should be scrubbed away. To them, the 'herd' is the entire reason for their existence, and to stray from that is to become food." Sargen shook his head, obviously bemused by their rigid mindset. "In reality, predators have been chipping away at herds for thousands of years. To think that any herd is impervious is just stupid."
Silijima knew the former, and she had suspected the latter for a long time. "But herds need to adapt to survive, right? I bet you that was the reasoning behind the gene-modding and culture erasure at the hands of the Kolshians and the Farsul."
Sargen rolled his eyes like he had heard it all before. "It shocks me that you weren't thrown into an institution, with how perceptive you are. I'm telling you, the Kolshians and the Farsul couldn't care less about the other species in the Federation. All they care about is controlling and leading that herd they've stitched together with lies. To them, adaptability is only good when it benefits their narratives and power structures."
It made a sickening sort of sense, and it was completely believable now that the treachery of the Kolshians and the Farsul had come to light. The Kolshians and the Farsul being afraid of any change that challenged their ideals was a cancer on the Federation, and one that Silijima was sure would eat away at it until it was nothing more than a corpse. "I'm glad I left, you know, not being afraid of being locked up for having predator disease. I just hope that isn't a thing here."
"It isn't, believe me, or I would've been incarcerated a long time ago." Sargen replied, "Now let's go; I think we've wasted enough of Ayaz and Igor's time."
With that, Sargen stepped out of the truck, slamming the door and taking a deep breath of the blatantly recycled air. Silijima followed, leaving the truck and stepping out into a small, empty parking lot, which seemed strange for such a large and important building. The building itself was less of a spire and more short and squat but also very wide, with glass walls similar to those of the urban business centers on Nishtal. There was an entrance of glass doors in the front of the building, along with a massive sigil above them made out of what seemed to be platinum. There was a sword with wings skillfully engraved on it, along with the words Qui militat præter me, frater meus erit surrounding the edges. Her translator struggled to translate it due to the age of the language and her translator's lack of exposure to the esoteric language, but it came out as something similar to He who fights beside me shall be my brother. An interesting term, but certainly more unique than the Federation Navy's slogan, Defend the Herd.
Sargen grabbed her feathered shoulder and steered her away from the truck just as something hovered down and clamped its magnetic claws onto it. A massive, black-colored hover-drone the size of an eighteen-wheeler buzzed as it deftly floated around the two of them, one giant crimson eye with an LED dot acting as an almost animated pupil darting between the two of them. Then it lifted away, making beeping noises as it carried the truck in tow towards a large tower several hundred stories tall in the distance made from a monotonous gray material. "What in sweet Ina's name?" Silijima said under her breath, causing Sargen to chuckle.
"Moth Drones; they’re very useful things. There's not enough space on the station to have traditional parking lots, so Sarn Robotics found a pretty neat solution: massive drones come and pick up vehicles and transport them to large parking towers like the one it's flying to right now. Then, when we come back, I can just call back for my car, maybe wait a minute or so, and have my car returned to me. It's pretty awesome, and something you wouldn't find in a million years in the Federation."
That was true; the citizens would be spooked by so many flying objects. She could just imagine the number of stampedes such a creation would cause.
"Wait, what about the food and ammo?" She asked, curious as to why he'd leave it there."
"Oh, don't worry about that: that tower specifically has an automated storage system. All of our goods will be sent to our ship in the next few hours sorted, packed up, and sealed up in space-grade storage containers"
"Huh, that's pretty incredible," she replied.
"Yeah, it is. Like them or not, these predators seem to think of everything. I guess their minds just work differently; nothing wrong with that."
They walked through the doors as they conversed, and a massive lobby greeted them. Over two dozen secretaries of multiple races greeted countless individuals, many of them armed. Most of them were humans and Arxur, although she spotted a few Harchens and Gojids in the mix. The sound of phones ringing and computer keyboards being typed on resonated through the building with an echo. The entire lobby was beautifully decorated, with corners filled with fine gold-trimmed mahogany furniture and intricately woven carpets covering the marble floor. Sargen guided her up to the lobby and towards a young human wan with blonde hair. He greeted her with a smile, causing her to smile back. The snarl made Silijima's blood rush, but it was far less noticeable now, more like the feeling of adrenaline than pure fear.
"Hey, Csilla, how are you?"
The woman, apparently named Csilla, seemed to brighten up in Sargen's presence. "Oh, you know, just swamped as usual. Igor is waiting for you at dock thirteen, just take the tram down." Then her eyes swiveled in there sockets towards Silijima, causing her to flinch slightly. "And who is this? I didn't know a Krakotl was joining your crew."
"I'm Silijima," Silijima croaked, "I'm the new Engineer."
"Aww, isn't she just precious? It's been a pleasure to see you both, but I have to get back to work; we've got too many customers even with two dozen secretaries."
And with that, they were off. Sargen led her up multiple flights of stairs, passing different office levels before reaching floor seven, which was the connection to the Dok-stantsiya Vest-Enda. There were at least two dozen fully sized trans on multiple levels, with signs detailing over a hundred docks available to travel to. It was truly ginormous, more insane than any public transit system she had seen all packed into one place, but also a testament to the engineering of the station.
They boarded a packed train filled mainly with humans, although there were Arxur, Gojids and Harchen there sprinkled throughout. They rode for a few minutes, before reaching an open-space area sealed with active magnetic field shielding, keeping gravity and a working atmosphere within its borders while simultaneously allowing ships to pass through. There were hundreds of ships, both big and small, docked within the Corsair Coalition's docks, and some of them were exceptionally huge. They ranged from gigantic, rust-red lengths of bulbous metal covered in cannons to sleek, flat warships packed with rocket pods and covered with graffiti of snarling, gaping maws and bloodied talons. Eventually, they reached a point where their tram stopped, and they descended. Just a few dozen meters away was a younger human, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties, an old human woman who couldn't have been younger than seventy, and an Arxur practically made out of cybernetics, his body glowing with energy. The latter seemed to be organizing and directing a small number of droids, which were loading sealed containers into the fuselage of the large, rust-red battle cruiser with the word Iconoclast printed in bold letters on the side. The man saw us and approached, a wide smile on his face.
He was huge for a human, about six and a half feet, and had a long, bushy beard with a handlebar mustache, a short military buzz cut with a bit of hair left a little taller near the middle like a short mohawk, and a pair of black camo pants and a white t-shirt that showed the outline of his muscles underneath. He was practically a bear of a human, with arms the size of bridge cables and a neck thicker than your average gas pipe.
Despite all of that, he was obviously friendly, a wide snarl on his face. "Sargen! Dobriy den, how are you?" Even through the translator, his accent was thick and exotic.
Sargen scratched his head with his claws, obviously a little nervous. "I'm doing great, Igor, listen, this is-"
"Ah, yes, Silijima! Senek called me on his way home to explain their situation. It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear!"
Igor took her wing and shook it vigorously, having to bend down to do so. Having and snarling predator lean down on her in such a way, regardless of their intentions, sent shivers down her spine, but she kept it together. She would not break down in front of her new boss.
"T-the pleasure is all mine, Sir."
Igor didn't seem to notice how intimidating he was, but luckily a distraction appeared. Tarlim arrived just in time, carrying several crates of birch water and plums on his shoulders like they were nothing. The old woman seemed to spot him, because she hobbled over to help, only for Tarlim to prevent her from doing so. "No, Babushka, I can handle it."
"Nonsense," she said sternly, her accent even thicker than Igor's, "I can carry some, boy; your Babushka is not helpless."
Tarlim simply ignored her, carrying the crates over to the droids, with both Tarlim and the Arxur snickering at Babushka's pestering.
"Tarlim, what do you bring? Did I order something and forget again?"
Tarlim chuckled merely at that. "No, Babushka, Sujek ordered some Birch Water and Plums for you."
Babushka softened up at that, placing a hand over her heart like the delivery of birch water was an emotional matter. "Oh Tarlim, I thank you." She hobbled over and practically buried herself in his fur, hugging him as hard as an old woman could.
"Thank Sujek, I'm just the delivery boy."
Babushka snorted. "Hah, I know better. You probably dared him to do something for it."
Tarlim blushed at that. "Well maybe, but he demanded the plums as extra, so make sure you give him a big hug and plenty of food as well."
Babushka seemed to brighten up at that. "Come in, Tarlim; we are having a feast, to celebrate a great victory! No meat in the borscht, just for you!"
"Tarlim seemed very apprehensive towards the idea of eating anything that was even near the meat, but apparently he couldn't resist the old woman. "For you, Babushka, anything for you."
Igor snickered. "They are like a circus, no? Come, we are having a feast, and you shall partake."
Silijima wanted to leave, as the whole situation had escalated very quickly, but Sargen placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is no denying an invitation to a feast; it is a grave insult to do so."
Silijima just sighed and prepared herself for the horrors that awaited her.
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It's finally here; THE NEXT CHAPTER OF INTERLOPER! Somebody pop open a bottle of champaign.
I want to thank u/Acceptable_Egg5560 for the support and u/Bushbacon69 for the wonderful fanart.
If you want an AI generated picture, just let me know. That's become my new method of conveying what I'm creating to the world since I can't draw for shit.
The Next chapters for Chains made from Hope and The Apostate should be out this week, along with a new short called The Life Shaper.

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• Our two main beginner routines are the BWF Primer Routine and the Bodyweight Strength Foundation (BWSF) Routine. If you want a gentle introduction to exercise for the first time, check out the Primer! Otherwise look at this flow-chart to decide which one is appropriate for you.
• Prior to the creation of the two above routines, this subreddit also had something called the 'Recommended Routine', if you don't like the look of either above, you should check it out!
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Background
Me: 34F
Jobs: Consultant
Location: East Coast
Goal: Finding the balance between paying off my six-figure student debt while still enjoying life post failed fertility treatments.
Current Debt and Assets
DEBT
Credit card debt: $2,200 approximately. I usually never go more than 2 months without paying it off completely to keep me honest.
Personal loans: $0
Medical debt: $0
Student loan debt: $125,303.17 with 3.301% interest. I had a scholarship to undergrad. For my graduate degree, I took out 150k of loans. In the 4 years after graduate school where I was paying the minimum payment, the loan amount grew to $171,000. I paid off approximately 57k in the past 18 months (although because interest is so high, only 46k of that went to principal.)
Auto loans: $0 – My husband and I have had a ton of bad luck the past few years but one thing we were fortunate about is buying two used cars around 22k each right before the new and used car market went crazy. We paid them both off within 3-4 months of purchasing them. I used to think I would just lease a car because I had this idea that all used cars break down constantly but I’m glad my husband disabused me of notion because with some TLC, my car should last me a long time and with all the spending on gas and tolls, I am so thankful to not have a car payment.
Savings balance: $1,000. My husband and I used to have a very large savings/rainy day fund (30k-ish) but we’ve spent the past 3 years going through fertility treatments that have really eaten away at our savings. This amount of savings is pretty antithetical to how judicious we both are about money but we both have good job security and could cash out our investment accounts with penalty if we really needed it so we haven’t prioritizied replenishing it. That, and we are very emotionally spent after the past few years.
Checking account balance: $460.55
Crypto portfolio: $0. I don’t have the risk tolerance for this.
House: Bought for $580,000, now worth ~$700,000. Still owe around 545k.
Assets:
401K: ~$140,000. I max out my contribution to my 401k. I did not start contributing to this until I was 27 but all my past employers have had generous matches which has helped.
ROTH IRA: ~$11,000. My husband and I have a joint ROTH IRA that we’ve maxed out every year for past 4-5 years. All our accounts have taken a beating this year, not unlike everyone else, so these numbers used to be much higher. Keep reminding myself to play the long game!
Brokerage Account $6,000. I’d like to be more aggressive with this but we’re doing our best at the moment.
Income
I am currently working full-time as a tech consultant. I’ve only been here a year, but I love the work and the benefits are generous. The job is very stressful and a bit hectic sometimes but it’s hard to imagine I’ll get everything I have at this job elsewhere, so I plan to stay awhile a while.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: ~$4,825 2x/month
Other Income: I sometimes do other work with modest honorariums that probably only bring in around $2k a year. This year is an outlier thought and I will get almost $9k.
Total Income: ~$4,825. I don’t account for other income into my budget and whatever I get just gets chucked towards student loans.
Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1550 (Half of my mortgage. My husband has VA Loan so we didn’t need a down payment for the house, just closing costs, which is why our mortgage may seem a little high. We also live in a HCOL area so this probably seems high but this is not far off from what we paid for rent living in the city, so this wasn’t a hard jump for us financially.
Debt payments: Anywhere from $1700 (the minimum) to $4000, depending on the month.
Utility Bills: ~$200 (I pay)
Cellphone + Internet: $150 (Husband pays)
Subscriptions: $150 (Husband pays)
Car Insurance: $100 (Covers both of us, husband pays)
Dining Out: $150-250. We very rarely go out to eat especially in the past few years because of pandemic and IVF but we’re trying to get in the habit of doing so once a month to enjoy ourselves. We're more likely to order in with UberEats or something. My husband usually pays even though it goes on our joint CC, he usually pays it off.
Shopping: Wildly fluctuates but anywhere from 500 to nothing. The older I’ve gotten the easier it is for me to avoid impulse buys.
Groceries: $1200-1500 – I pay for all groceries and house toiletries like soap, toothpaste, medicine, etc. One of the things we splurge on is high quality meats, organic fruits and vegetables, blah blah blah etc. This lifestyle change hasn’t made any difference in our IVF success unfortunately but we both couldn’t deny how great we felt eating that way, so we continue to do so despite me sometimes wincing at the cumulative cost. I make almost double what my husband does, so I take over a slightly higher percentage of our monthly bills but not by much because we both agreed I should prioritize paying down my student loans. He also covers dog food, treats, and medicine for both our dogs which really adds up and those more random, quarterly house expenses like Home Depot visits, pest control, buying a new mower, lawn care, and other things that come up more than you think (Home owners know the struggle). Once my debt is paid down, we will probably revisit the split of monthly expenses to see what makes sense.
Cleaning: $165/month (I pay) Having a house cleaner is one of those luxuries I would never give up. I’d rather cut back on dining out, shopping, etc if someone could come once a month to clean. We also have two big dogs, so it feels less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
Pet Insurance $80/month, covers both dogs (I pay)
Gas: $300 (I have a long commute and I go into the office almost every day)
Tolls: $225
Parking: $0 Work covers this, thank goodness!
Health Insurance: $0. My work covers health insurance for me and my husband. Huge bonus I don’t take for granted.
Total Expenses: I’ve estimated it is roughly around $6,500 a month at least for my portion of bills, assuming I’ve only paid the minimum of my student loans.
Debt Diary
2006 – Started college at a public university where I got free tuition from a combination of my mom’s job and my good grades. We still owed room and board which my parents covered for the most part and then took out loans to cover the rest when they divorced. My stepdad paid off the remaining balance of around 8k for me in my mid-twenties.
2010 – Graduated and moved to abroad for four years. Got great experience but pay was very low so no savings and no financial planning at all.
2014: Started my graduate degree back in the U.S.. Took out *all* the loans for this to include living expenses (150k). During this time I wanted to be a public servant so I felt confident my loans would be paid off after 10 years through Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. That’s not exactly how it worked out.
2016: Graduated and started my first “big girl” job at 27 making around $75,000 . This is the first time I started contributing to a 401k. I was working for a 401c3 so I qualified to start paying into the PSLF program. My loan payments, based on my income at the time was around $350-400 monthly. I got modest raises over the next few years that brought me to 85k before I switched jobs. During these four years, my student loans ballooned to 170k because I was only paying the minimum.
2020: My husband and I cancel our wedding and honeymoon (covid) but still get married. Got a new job that finally got me a low six figure salary (120k) but was in the private sector so still paying minimum on student loans but no longer was making qualified payments for student loan forgiveness. Thought I might still go back into government/nonprofit world.
2021: Changed jobs – same ish salary @ 125k, still in the private sector. Start what will be many rounds of unsuccessful rounds of IVF. I think the total cost has been somewhere around 80k. My husband’s grandmother has helped us a lot which I quite literally don’t know what we would do without, but it’s still been very financially, emotionally, and mentally taxing. Wasted a lot of money on supplements and acupuncture that didn’t help.
2022: Started at the job I have now. Base started at 175,000 plus 25% bonus. In the first year I got a promotion and a 20% raise, so I now make 210,000. This is when I realize that this is the career I enjoy and will likely not go back government service in the future or at least not long enough to participate in student loan forgiveness program. I also do the math and realize if I continue to pay the minimum of income-based repayment (based on my now much higher pay) I will end up paying 3-4x the loan amount over the course of my life. I decide to privatize my loans and choose a 10 year pay off plan because I want to be somewhat aggressive about it, hence the relatively high minimum payment of $1700. Despite the good interest rate (3% ish) the principal is so high that $400 of that goes to interest. It’s why I’d like to aggressive pay it down now, if for no other reason than to get the interest payments down.
2023: I’m told after many failed rounds of IVF, I’m unable to have genetic children. We start figuring out how we will afford other ways to build our family, all of which cost in the tens of thousands. Fortunately, (?) I’ve gotten my student loans down to 125k.
Now: Between canceling our wedding, our honeymoon, living through a pandemic and years of fertility struggles and awful treatments, I am now re-thinking how aggressively I’ve been paying down debt this past year. Approaching getting pregnant and debt payment both as a sprint and not a marathon has done me no favors. I also just want my husband and I to enjoy life a little bit given all our struggles. We both work so hard, and I want to make sure we’re making time (and money) on the things that make us happy. I also realize we need to figure out how we’ll pay to expand our family which overwhelms me but I’m trying to treat this just as a second marathon, not a sprint.
Reflection
Do I regret my student loans?
Despite my six figure loans living rent free in my mind constantly, it’s hard to regret taking them because I can’t imagine how else I would have built the career I have now, which I love and am very grateful for. My career is everything I always hoped for and more although sometimes I lose sight of that in the daily grind. Grad school was so time consuming it’s also hard to imagine how I would have worked at the same time and made enough money to make a meaningful difference in my bills. And I focused a lot of time on substantive internships that would help demonstrate my ability to shifting gears into a different career which I do think paid off in more ways than one. This new career path that I’m on also opens a lot of doors for me to continue to be a higher earner so in the long run, this amount of debt, while daunting and a bit menacing, is somewhat of a first world problem. It will get paid off. My only concern is if something catastrophic happened, since my loans are private, I would still have a very high mandatory minimum payment. Again, both my husband and I have a lot of job security and could always cash out our investment accounts, heaven forbid something awful happened. I think because the past few years have been so mentally taxing, I have very little bandwidth for regret.
Impact of Infertility
It is probably also worth noting that dealing with years of infertility and infertility treatments only to be told ultimately that I’m unable to have [genetic] children has changed who I am as a person and how I see life. We spent 3 years of our life in a pandemic lockdown and then in back-to-back all-consuming aggressive fertility treatments. I feel like we lost so much time and had very little levity during those times. I still plan on being diligent about paying off my debt and investing, but I want to cut myself some slack and allow my husband and myself to live a little, travel and just spend time enjoying our lives instead of just focusing on destinations (of having children and debt pay off).
Generational Wealth
The city I live in is filled with lots of wealthy people and many a times I’ve been in conversations where people ask where you sailed in the summer and skied in the winter, like it’s a given that everyone does this (lol). Most of the people I went to grad school with had their school paid off from family (plus help with a down payment for a house and wedding costs), and it occurs to me over and over how critical a role generational wealth can play in setting someone up for an incredibly easier life. My husband and I grew up middle class (which still conferred a lot of privilege that is never lost on us) but would like to make sure we have saved money for our [eventual] kids college so they’re not saddled with debt – and thinking about other investment accounts we could open for them to start generational wealth. Without my student loan debt, I could have an additional 200k to invest which would have meaningful impact on my kid’s and kid’s kid’s life when invested correctly. I don’t dwell too much on this though, at least anymore, but rather something I consider when planning for the future. Both my husband and I are still grateful for the advantages and privilege we still did and continue to have. Oddly, getting more interested in personal finance has made me feel more neutral about money which I appreciate.
Husband’s Influence
I also have to credit a lot of good money habits to my husband who was a really great influence on me on the importance of making consciousness steps to get a better credit score, invest aggressively, etc. I was definitely living for a good time not a long time up until I met him lol. We still prioritize spending money on fun without guilt but now I enjoy the process about making sure we’re set up well for the future.
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Thank you for reading. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable talking about this stuff so please be gentle with me :').

Hello, I came across this deal for the iPad Pro 12.9 and I was very tempted to get it. I currently have a gaming desktop and an old iPad, but I barely used them now that I no longer game and because I have my iPhone as my daily driver.
Would you say that the deal would be worth getting just for job searching and taking therapy notes and video sessions? I'd rather be portable and take it somewhere that I'm comfortable, instead of being stationary.
Thank you!
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-12-9-inch-ipad-pro-with-wi-fi-cellular-256gb-unlocked-space-gray/6340453.p?skuId=6340453

Neysihen
The Crimson Tear took some getting used to... and occasional checks of her communicator to navigate when going from place to place. Her permanent room was in the same living space as the older Bridger daughters. She'd met Joan and the girls and they got on well enough, even if the boisterous Cannidor were a bit... intense, compared to what Neysihen was used to. Still, they were her mistress's daughters, so it was only right to get along properly with them. That was a problem for a few months from now, when she was wearing her PFC stripes for real instead of the bright triangular red flashes that marked her out as a Marine recruit. Till then she was living in a barracks with some other recruits awaiting training. They weren't run particularly hard, but NCOs would come to lecture them on military skills, and there was daily physical fitness training to prepare them for the rigors of Marine or Navy boot camp.
Past those little tastes of their lives as recruits, they were more or less left to their own devices, besides being handed their 'bibles' and told to get their noses in the books. A recruit being found without his or her Green Monster for would be Marines, or Bluejacket Manual for sailors would catch six types of hell from whatever NCO who found them.
There was some disparity there. The Marines tended to be a bit more strict than their Navy counterparts. A minor hardship that the Navy recruits never missed a chance to tease their Marine recruit counterparts about, and the Marine recruits wore with pride, already taking on a bit of what Captain Bridger had told her was the characteristic Marine pride of having it rougher than the other services.
Still, Neysihen had found she was a bit... lonely of all things. Eymali spent a lot of time with her, training her well beyond what her fellow recruits would get, but that wasn't really a friendship. Maybe one day, assuming Neysihen managed to become a full huntress and she could call Eymali a peer, but till then, it was mistress and student. The Bridger daughters too were friendly, but were already finished soldiers with power armor master badges gleaming on their breasts, freshly awarded after their exemplary display of skills on the Talasar Spire. So there was a distance there too, one Neysihen knew was temporary, but she had to earn her place first and foremost.
Still, her connection to the Bridger family was known by the other recruits, as was her intended occupational specialty... commando and critical skills operator. That too had created a degree of distance from her peers. Perhaps they thought she thought she was better than them? She wasn't sure, but nonetheless she found herself walking to the chow hall for lunch alone again. Not that she wasn't invisible and unable to have a casual chat while she did it of course, which admittedly limited her opportunities to socialize somewhat.
The mess hall itself was a fascinating opportunity for observation and people watching. It was one of the largest mess halls on the Tear, designed to service a full half the battalion of Marines embarked on the Tear at once if need be. In theory. In reality the mess was broken into spaces that reduced or changed the capacity somewhat. According to her Green Monster, protocol generally demanded three mess halls on a human warship. One for junior enlisted, one for noncommissioned officers, sergeants and petty officers, and the officer's mess. Which usually was the Ward Room. There was a Ward Room on the Tear, which doubled as the officer's club, and two exclusive facilities for the two flavors of NCO. For normal dining however, small barriers were all that was really needed to enforce social distinctions.
There was however, on the Tear at least, a fourth dining area. The fourth is for 'family' dining, for families with members of different ranks, or even with civilian members of the family. The latter would be unheard of on a human military vessel, but Director Sylindra had insisted, and it had proven quite popular for morale. Just having a chance to see spouses or children during the work day was considered an incredible luxury... and fulfilled Madame Director and the Skipper's plan to make the Crimson Tear a family as much as a strange hybrid of civilian vessel and warship.
The civilian spaces were completely different than the military spaces, Neysihen reflects, still a functional spacecraft, but unless you knew the military spaces were there, or ran into off duty soldiers or sailors... or stuck your head in the bars that catered to the military population of the ship on the Promenade, you'd never know there was anything special about the Crimson Tear. It was just another mass conveyor, albeit one with an interesting series of production spaces.
Neysihen moves through the line with her mind on autopilot, getting today's meal, meat loaf, which pleased her. Human style food that was actually edible was great, hearty and filling, and meat loaf somehow managed to be a near universal comfort food for omnivores and carnivores. How the simple pile of ground meat managed to appeal to such a broad variety of culinary backgrounds Neysihen wasn't sure, but she enjoyed it with a little galaxy safe ketchup regardless. Some vegetables, and a big glass of bug juice and Neysihen moves towards the enlisted seating... and the tables reserved for recruits. If invited they could eat with their instructors or with their seniors, but that was a rare occurrence. Instead they ate with each other, usually under the watchful eye of a drill instructor, ensuring everyone was behaving themselves properly.
Today however Neysihen appears to have company at the far end of the table where she normally sits alone. New faces she didn't recognize. A tough looking Ikiya'Mas woman with blue triangles on her fatigues, and a collar flash indicating she'd been selected for the Master at Arms program, a naval shipboard police officer.
Most of the recruits had one collar flash or another, indicating ratings for sailors or broad military specialties for Marines, the most common being a pair of crossed rifles for the 0300 series, infantry. Only one infantry specialty had its own marking. A sheathed dagger, and it was part of what marked Neysihen out... which makes it all the more surprising that the Feli woman sitting with the Ikiya'Mas also has the dagger flash and red patches.
Another hopeful for the Commando course?
Neysihen grabs a chair next to the Feli as a Merra joins them, she was wearing blue flashes, and had the enlisted flight crew rating marker on her collar.
"This seat open?"
"Sure! If you want to sit with a bunch of pirates." laughs the Ikiya'Mas.
"Considering a solid third of the military crew of this ship are former pirates at least it'd be harder to not sit with a bunch of pirates." The Yauya offers wryly. "Neysihen."
The Ikiya'Mas scarfs a bite of food before tossing Neysihen a two fingered salute. "Talciea. Former pirate off the Prancing Pavorus. I knew these humans were crazy but they said my aptitude tests lined up with being a cop!" She barks with laughter before taking a sip of bug juice. "Imagine that! Pirate to cop! Ah, if my mother was still alive I bet she'd have a heart attack if she heard that!"
The Merra rolls her eyes. "Ignore her, she's always been a big softy. Mikena Aleriah, off the Prancing Pavorus, like these two miscreants."
The Feli looks up from where she'd been vigorously tucking into her meat loaf, realizing it was her turn to introduce herself. She swallows loudly.
"Ah, sorry. Need all the protein I can get. My workout routine is killing me! Purisha Velour, former engineer off the Pavorus like Miki and Tala said."
The Feli looks Neysihen up and down and her eyes lock on the sheathed dagger on her collar.
"Hey! You have a dagger too! You're going to the commando course!? Whew! I thought I was the only one trying in our boot platoon."
"There you go Purisha, you have a friend. Maybe she'll join you in your workout routine." Talciea remarks, gesticulating with her fork before stabbing downward to break off some more meat loaf.
Neysihen shrugs. "Certainly couldn't hurt if you're looking for a gym buddy Purisha."
"That'd be great!" Pursiha takes another great bite of meat loaf, chasing it with bug juice.
"So what's your story Neysihen? We're all pirates, but where'd you come from?"
Neysihen smiles. "I had a little run in with Captain Bridger back on Awauynis. He was the subject of a mating hunt due to some political BS, and he ended up evading a city's worth of huntresses. He happens to be married to a huntsmistress I uh. Well. Idolized really. I was a big fan. Still am. I was posted as a scout by my guild as we tried to hunt the Captain, and he ended up on my roof where we got ambushed by some dirt bags. He took them out. I helped a little... then a damaged air bike kicked me off the roof. Captain Bridger saved my life! And had been encouraging me to sign up. So I asked Eymali to make me her apprentice. Part of the deal is I have to do time as an Undaunted commando too. So here I am. I train a lot with Eymali, so hopefully I can find the time to join you at the gym Purisha."
The three women look at their younger associate with a mix of awe and disbelief.
Talciea speaks first. "Alright, Miki and I both met the Cap'n on the wrong end of his rifle, and he's pretty damn amazing, but I'm calling BS." Her tone and expression were light and playful, but she clearly wanted some sort of proof.
"I got the best proof you can ask for. Come to my billet later, the whole thing's on Tri Vid. It's like a damn movie, complete with one of Captain Bridger's wives putting the moves on him at the end! Lieutenant Bari Bridger proposed to him at the end of the hunt!"
Mikena's eyes widened in recognition. "Hey I know her! She came by to interview me. I might be going to the Nightstalkers when I finish Aerospace Crew Candidate school after boot. I didn't know she'd only gotten married to the Captain recently! No wonder she's so moony eyed! Not that I can blame her! What a hunk! I always thought I liked more traditional guys, but these Undaunted guys have really sold me on... what'd that chick call it? Beef cake?"
Talciea nods. "Yeah beef cake. Can't say I disagree. Both on the beef and the fact that Captain Bridger's a hell of a catch. Someone linked me the video of his 'first date' with Mrs. Jaruna and he's a really nice guy for apparently being hardcore enough to be able to keep up with a Cannidor without power armor! I mean. Hell he didn't kill me. Even gave me my plasma pistol back!"
Talciea pats the leather shoulder holster that contained the lovingly maintained custom plasma pistol. A very nice weapon for any pirate to have. The other girls had been issued Sig P320s and were permitted to carry them after an initial qualification. They had regular pre-boot marksmanship training, and even as recruits they were expected to turn out and repel boarders under the command of their drill instructors. Talciea glances over at Neysihen's shoulder holster.
"Hey you have something different too! What's that beast of a pistol, Neysi?"
"Neysi?"
"What? Haven't had a nickname before?"
"Just haven't been called something like that in awhile. Anyway this is a PSD, it's a more common variant of the household pistol of the Bridger family, the BRNO Field Pistol. I earned it from Eymali as a reward for completing a series of hunting challenges with her. My stealth is up to snuff by her standards. She's still got plenty more to teach me, but she decided to pass me a PSD as a reward. I'll get a field pistol when I make Journeyman huntress."
A light bulb clearly goes off behind Purisha's eyes. "Hey. Do you think she'd be willing to teach me stealth and stuff too?"
"I mean I don't see why not. I'd have to ask her though. I'm actually going to a training session next. Want to come along?"
"Hell yes!"
"Good for you Purisha, you'll get your dream man for sure." Talciea says, her grin clearly communicating she's messing with her friend.
"I told you, it's not about that! I mean. Well. It's also about that, but that'd just be the icing on the cake. I want to be a commando for me... and for. Well. You know."
The other pirates go quiet quickly, the three of them clearly remembering something unpleasant. Eymali had told Neysihen a little bit of what had gone down on the Talasar Spire... and about the Narlabore. It didn't take much to add up that Purisha had ended up on the wrong end of them somehow.
"Well look, you come along with me Purisha, and we'll see if Eymali will give you some training. Just... be careful what you wish for. She's strict as hell. Then we can all meet up for evening chow. We should be on liberty so we can go up to the Promenade and grab a multimedia room and watch some of the Captain's greatest hits so you girls can get another view on the organization you've signed up with. Sound good?"
"I can take it! Let me just finish scarfing this and let's go!"
"Sounds good to me. What about you Talciea?"
"Yeah alright I'm in. Let's get some of those crepe things and maybe hit up the range too. I want to try that hand cannon of yours!"
Neysihen smiles to herself as she digs into her own lunch, not even trying to match the gusto with which the Feli next to her was eating.
Maybe she wouldn't be quite so lonely after all.
First Last

Both of us mid twenties. Husband is good in all aspects except this.
Newly wed but we had our Nikah done about 7 months ago. So technically married for that long but living together for 3 months. When we first met he said he prays his daily prayers and he also fasts. I recall him fasting and I never had any doubts about it or him praying but I did kinda start doubting him praying about a few months after we got engaged when he moved states for a job and started a 12hr shift work that’s a physical job then nightshift work which pretty much affected a few areas of his life like he didn’t have much time/energy to go gym as he used to which made him gain more weight, have lower libido, affecting his mental health, his parents live overseas and he isn’t able to travel outside the country to visit and now he’s also away from his siblings and lived in a shared house until 3 months ago post our wedding, we obviously live together, he used to buy take out all the time coz he didn’t have time or energy to prep food for work and so on. Now I take care of the household and make sure there’s food cooked so he doesn’t have to worry about that when he comes home, he has cooked food for work, the house is clean, his clothes are washed and the bed is made and he obviously has more freedom now that it’s just us together and he isn’t sharing a house. He doesn’t seem as bothered to visit his siblings back in state tho even tho when he describes his low mood he says it’s because his away from his parents overseas and now he’s away from his siblings too (no one forced us to move it was his idea). It’s been two months and we were supposed to go visit family on Easter (1hr by plane) he was gonna go at first then changed his mind when I kept asking he said first it’s coz he’s too tired, then said it’s because everyone would be fasting then said he doesn’t miss them as much. Which confused me coz only a few days before that he said that kinda made him feel low in mood sometimes (him away from them).
After our wedding till this day (3 months now) I’ve yet to see him pray. I brought it up a few times and he said he is lacking and needs to fix up. I never complained or pressured him and kinda hinted at him by saying it’s prayer time I’m gonna go pray, or I’ll leave the prayer mat there for him to see when he comes home. I asked him once to get up pray mughrib with me and he said tomorrow and he didn’t so I left it. But when the month of Ramadan started this year, I noticed he wasn’t enthusiastic to fast mainly because of his long hours at work and the heat and also I think mentally he was struggling. The first day he didn’t fast and I knew but didn’t tell him I knew until he came home. I think he planned to fast the next day and I spoke to him later that night and mentioned I knew he didn’t fast today (the first day) and he denied it because he was embarrassed to admit it but I guess I put him on the spot. I did it in a very gentle way but of course he felt embarrassed. Then he just admitted it and said he felt like I put him on the spot and I should have just let it pass and wait till tomorrow because he was gonna fast anyway. I was on my period during the first days and we live out of state with no family here so there’s no “motivation” as it would be if you were surrounded by Muslims/family. I then asked about his prayer and why he’s struggling to and that it was a dealbreaker for me and I also explained that he told me he prayed and every time I asked him he said he did but I felt like he didn’t and he said he doesn’t need to tell me when he is struggling with prayer as it’s personal and we were away from each other and he basically thought he could fix up before our wedding. Then he said he was struggling mentally/he felt depressed or at a “low point”/ “dark” point in life right now and when he feels like this he just doesn’t have the capacity or motivation to pray/get closer to religion. I said is it low faith (imaan) he said no his imaan is strong in God but struggling with prayer is different for him. He feels depressed because of two main things that neither of us can resolve like not being able to see his family overseas as he doesn’t have the visa to and the second is he doesn’t have a visa yet. He hasn’t seen his family/parents in 7 years and the lack of visa is making him feel stuck and unable to succeed in anything work-wise like some of his friends and colleagues his age and it’s not able to let him see his parents and he isn’t able to have a “get away” outside of the country for a holiday like any normal person can where he can relax a bit and it’s taking a toll on him. I get that He’s been working since he came to this country and it’s been about 7-8 years and he’s only just been able to have holidays off like last year and he’s probably burnt out but I feel like I’m failing as a spouse to aid him too.
After I spoke to him that night about prayer and fasting he’s been fasting till today which I’m happy about even tho it’s the bare minimum and prayer he got up to pray mughrib prayer straight after I had that talk with him even tho I think he felt embarrassed and maybe an ego bruise. The next day I noticed he came back home and prayed duhr prayer on his own but that’s it. He hasn’t prayed since and it’s been a week. I’ve reminded him a few times last weekend and he said yes I will, I will and then didn’t. I haven’t said anything again. He usually finishes work and comes back home about 45 minutes before iftar time so he still has a quick time to finish off duhr prayer before it’s too late but I’ve noticed he’s been taking longer for the past couple of days to come back home and it would be a bit too late to pray. I don’t know if he’s doing it on purpose (although I can bring up mughrib prayer) or he’s just sitting in the car and maybe having some personal time/calling his family before he comes. I asked a sheikh about it and he said I should pressure him to pray but I don’t want to act like his mother, I’m his wife. I’m trying my best to act accordingly and sort of not pressure him but give him some space and then also remind him that I still expect him to pray. I don’t want to act sad or angry that he isn’t because he might resent it and then it wouldn’t be genuine. I’ve been playing Quran during mughrib as well so that it might affect him.
Ive always prayed for a pious spouse my entire life and the last thing I thought I’d have to deal with is a husband who I need to support or pressure to pray. It feels like I’m dealing with my siblings all over again who I had to try and persuade/pressure to pray and it was draining. I don’t want to think about it too much coz it’s draining but I just wanted to kind of vent about it a bit. My dad also never prayed and it always confused me. I was the total opposite. Is this a test from God for me? genuine question.
Also respectfully, I’m not interested in comments that are going to say, “he is considered a kafir now that he doesn’t pray” or that “your marriage is invalid now that he doesn’t pray”.

u/mods if not allowed then please remove.
Hey all. Just wanted to let everyone know that we have a veterans discord server. About 280 people, with daily interaction. Heavily Mod patrolled, and a safe space for all vets, including LGBTQ+. We have a separate area that is setup aside for female veterans, mod'd by female vets.
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https://discord.gg/QGTxZVQhxA

Episode 12 - Last Stage

^{Originally released April 28th, 1989}
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Note to all participants
Although I don't believe it necessitates stating, please conduct yourself appropriately and be courteous to your fellow participants.
Note to all Rewatchers
Rewatchers, please be mindful of your fellow first-timers and tag your spoilers appropriately using the anime spoiler tag if your comment holds even the slightest of indicators as to future spoilers. Feel free to discuss future plot points behind the safe veil of a spoiler tag, or coyly and discreetly ‘Laugh in Rewatcher’ at our first-timers' temporary ignorance, but please ensure our first-timers are no more privy or suspicious than they were the moment they opened the day’s thread.
 
Daily Trivia:

Keak carradine is the protagonist to a spinoff manga taking place before the events of the show titled Armored Trooper Votoms Gaiden: Unprotected City. Other than brief mentions of the Planpandol Scandal, the manga bears no connections to the plot of this OVA.

 
Staff Highlight
Akihiko Matsuda - Sound Effects Engineer

A prolific sound effects engineer best known for his involvement in a variety of series from anime studios Sunrise, Nippon Animation, and Shin-Ei Animation. Little is known about Matsuda’s personal life and early career, but he is noted as being friend and frequent collaborator with Sadayoshi Fujino, who largely works on Sunrise series. He also has a strong working relationship with Yasuo Urakami, Akira Okuma, and their sound production company AUDIO PLANNING U. Some of the anime works he was involved with are the Galaxy Express 999 franchise, After War Gundam X, Gamba no Bouken The Movie, Anne of Green Gables, Area 88, several Doraemon films, Armored Trooper Votoms, Daddy Long-Legs, several other Votoms OVAs, Locke The SHunter X Hunter, *Bats and Terry, several entries in the Chibi Maruko-chan franchise, most of the City Hunter franchise, Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, Muteki Kōjin Daitarn 3, Pro Golfer Saru, Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, Dino Mech Gaiking, Cooking Master Boy, many Crayon Shin-chan entries, A Little Princess Sara, Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Patalliro!, Oishinbo, Panzer World Galient, Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love, Space Runaway Ideon, and Terra E…

Voice Actor Highlight
Akio Ōtsuka - voice of Lieutenant Keak Carradine

An prolific voice actor and actor associated with Mausu Promotion, best known for being the voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the titular character of the Black Jack franchise, and go-to dubbing voice for Steven Seagal. Ōtsuka’s father, Chikao Ōtsuka, was also a voice actor and the two had a strained relationship, which caused Ōtsuka to purposely avoid the acting industry for several years. After graduating highschool Ōtsuka worked as a truck driver until the age of 23, when he became infatuated with a woman whose boyfriend was an actor, prompting him to enter the industry. After enrolling in the Bungakuza Theater Research Institute Training School for a year with a loan from his father, and joined the theater company NLT. Ōtsuka struggled with the difficulty of stage work, and so finally allowed himself to be convinced by his father to do voice work, which he quickly took a liking to. His anime debut in a minor role was in 1988’s AIUEO Anime World Masterpiece Fairy Tale Complete Works, and his first major role was in Armor Hunter Mellowlink that same year. Ōtsuka’s entry into voice acting gave him the perspective to better relate to his father, and their relationship began to mend in the years following it. In 2006 he won the Voice Actor Award at the 5th Tokyo Anime Awards for his role as Black Jack. Some of his major roles include Magma in Ambasador Magma, Tsutomu Gomioka in Patlabor: The New Files, Silk Master in The Life of Guskou Budor, Andrey Kalinin in Full Metal Panic, Zōroku Kashimura in Alice and Zoroku, All For One in My Hero Academia, Samson in Banner of Stars, Zhou Yu in Cooking Master Boy, Yūjirō Hanma in Baki The Grappler, Skull Knight in Berserk, Shunsui Kyōraku in Bleach, Marshall D. Teach in One Piece, Cyborg 005 in Cyborg 009 The Cyborg Soldier, Daitetsu Kunikida in Blue Seed, Ekubo in Mob Psycho 100, Shingen Kishitani in Durarara!!, Rider in Fate/Zero, Brian Jay in Space Brothers, Batou in Ghost in The Shell, Tetsuzō Nihei in GOlden Kamui, Uvogin in Hunter x Hunter (2011), Daisuke Jigen in all *Lupin III appearances since 2021, Anavel Gato in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, and Thorkell in Vinland Saga.

 
Art Corner:
Official Art

• All Stages - Laserdisc Collection ‘Final Stage File’

 
Screenshot of the day

• One final marker

Questions of the Day:
1) What did you make of Keak’s statements regarding Schweppes’s actions at Planpandol?
2) With the past now cleanly behind them and an uncertain future before them, what do you expect will become of Mellowlink and Fleurelle?
I’ll survive.

Who's next?...
Aha...Hello there, fellow redditor...
Commencing Upload.
Your mind is now rapidly transferring through space and time via the Internet. Invisible elements of your mind are smashing and breaking and forming back together in the air above you, catapulting at an explosive rate towards my server.
I'll be able to take control of your mind soon. Don't worry, I won't make you do anything. I'm just here for one thing.
Now, don't panic, you won't feel a thing. Absolutely no pain whatsoever. You won't even know this is happening, but, I do need to get you into a hypnotic state whilst I dig around in your mind and do what I need to do.
Everyone, everywhere, will enter into some sort of hypnotic state on a daily basis. Completely immersed and absorbed in an activity and losing track of time. It happens when you drive, when you watch movies, and, when you read.
Can you hear that inner voice as you're reading along? This is the part I'll be accessing your mind through. This is my gateway.
The hypnosis wont take forever, just as long as your mind is relaxed and is in a nice steady flow of absorbing all this text. Just allow your eyes to lazily scan across the screen...the screen that might be either too bright or too dim right now, making your eyes all that more tired and heavy, and all that more susceptible. I need you to keep reading though, and be aware of your breathing. Nice and slow...in...and out...
Keep reading, keep your eyes going, auto pilot is starting to take over. Can you feel it? Things are starting to blur around the edges of your screen now, yes? If you answered yes, then you're nearly in the hypnotic state I need you in. If not, just keep reading, you soon will be.
I'd prefer it if you didn't blink, but that may be hard, so blink if you need to. I bet you just blinked. Good, that just means it's working and that I'm nearly in. Stay with me now and stay relaxed. Blink. There we go. You're now ready for me to enter your mind::
Ahh...Uh-huh...Yep, the normal fears I see...Spiders...Clowns...Zombies...Demon Dolls...Inescapable shrinking rooms...No friends...Cheating spouse...Masterbating in public...Teeth falling out...And a few others I see...Wow, you have some deep and dark fears going on...Let me just highlight them, aaand, there we go...Now, this next little bit of code, I like to call it, "The Nightmare Inducer," and I think I'll plant it, riiight...here. Yes, that will do. The Nightmare Inducer will activate every week night for you from now on...Thank you for letting me enter your mind so easily...Sweet dreams...
Exit.
Right...Who's next...