Cheapest gas in carson city nv

I am looking to build my own list. I imagine 1977 would have been a better year for the bombs falling than 2077. Think if in the 50's and 60's instead of cautiously approaching nuclear power the world obsesses over it to the point of nuclear batteries capable of immense prolonged power i.e. Fusion Cores. I know I can't change the dates in the lore, but for instance I looking to make all prewar guns pre 1977. I also have been playing Atomic Warfare and although I really like the gameplay I don't like trying to put everything from FO3 and NV in FO4; i.e. I prefer FO4's robots over FO3's and NV. I will quickly run down my core pillars to give an idea.

1. Survival Gameplay: Not hardcore though as I want to focus on FO4's core story and Quest mods. i.e. Damn Apocalypse and Gas Masks
2. Recovered Environment: It's been 200yrs, radiation doesn't last that long, I expect the flora and fauna to reclaim the land due to lack of humans. i.e. A Forest and NAC X
3. Realistic Immersion: I can't stand the abominations Bethesda did the guns in FO4. I not only want to replace most of the vanilla guns with historical ones but add new historical weapons fitting 1970's America. i.e. Replace the 10mm for the Colt 1911, the Combat Rifle for the M1A Springfield and the Assault Rifle for the Service Rifle (AR15). Laser weapons I can justify as advance weapons just starting production, as nuclear batteries make it possible. Plasma weapons on the other hand I am at a loss and world just rather remove it from the game. Any suggestions would be welcome?
4. Fleshed out world with expanded stories: Sim Settlements 2, The Fens Sheriff Department, We are the Minute Men, fraction overhauls. Stories and world content that fit the lore of FO4 Commonwealth, not loosing mod space for FO3 or NV.

This is just a short version of my plans. I welcome any ideas or suggestions. I am no modder though so a good base list I would need to build off of.

https://www.thelocal.de/20230324/which-cities-have-the-cheapest-and-most-expensive-doner-kebabs-in-germany

Sooo, I know this topic has been beaten to shreds in forums across the board, but I'm still looking for closure.
I want to preface this with saying that I've never owned an automatic vehicle in the 9 years I've been driving. I consider myself experienced with manuals and have even spent track days rowing my own gears and playing footsie with the pedals.
I've owned my '18 premium for about 16 months now. I love everything about it except for the goddamned smooth drivability factor. Stock, it was a jerky, soul-crushing pain in the ass. Rev hang and throttle response was possibly the worst I have ever felt, along with a clutch that's often vague and engages really quickly. Overall it made driving around the city a nightmare and I winced every time I pulled off an intersection.
After about 6 months, I said screw the warranty and bought an AP. Stage 1 tune helps a bit. Not as much Rev hang and certainly better throttle, but I still only shift smooth 7/10 times. In order to even do that, I have to be pretty focused or completely in sync with the car (usually when I'm carving canyons). I've only got a perfect shift (no noticeable jerk) maybe 50 times. The feeling is orgasmic because of how rare it is.
The problem for me boils down to these factors:
First, the gas pedal. Stock, it was super vague and really touchy. Stage 1, less so, but I find if I give it 5% input, I get hardly any RPM. 10% input and suddenly I'm getting 1.7K. This makes it incredibly hard to modulate a quick start and makes me look like I bought a sports car just to be beaten at the light by a corolla that's barely trying. Of course, I can take my sweet ass time to shift, riding the clutch, but I feel like the whole experience should be more intuitive than that.
Secondly, clutch feel. Now I know there's nothing to be done about the clutch for the most part, since it handles AWD and 280 hp. However it engages close to the floor and is equally hard to modulate. A clutch stop came up in my research, but I fear that I may be inviting clutch wear by not allowing full disengagement if I opted for one.
These two combined make the goldilocks zone hard to predict and even harder to find on rough roads. 1st to 2nd is by far the worst offender. From a stop, I'll give about 1.5k revs and slowly release the clutch. This will usually result in a mild jerk or the sound of the engine running higher than necessary. Once in first, I'll gas till around 2.7k rpm and push the clutch in, wait about a second or two for the revs to drop, release the clutch a little bit and just barely press the gas, then release the clutch all the way. Still either jerks due to too much power, or bogs due to too little. It's paralyzing.
There are a couple of things I noticed about the car. When under 130 degrees, it feels awful. Once heated up, it gets smoother, but still awful. When I'm shifting like a maniac, the car keeps up for the most part. Why can't it do so just driving around the city?
So that leaves me with very few options. Is there a tune out there that maps throttle even better than the stage 1 cobb? And does stage 2, cobb or not, make the car any smoother? Has anyone tried a pedal commander in sync with the AP to better tune throttle response?
Is anyone else still considering jumping off a bridge after dropping $1k+ trying to make this amazing car drive like its supposed to?

Lorak D'narvoc wandered out of his room and towards the warm light of his grandfather's study. His father and brother were on the other side of the planet fight the Tyranian invasion, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. He'd had a nightmare that the Tyranian's had captured them and were slowly killing his father and brother.
The terrified child slowly crawled into his grandfather's lap, the older avian letting out a soft chuckle at his grandchild's antics.
"Another nightmare kiddo?"
Lorak nodded as he hugged his grandfather's waist. His grandpa always made him feel safe when his world felt like it was falling apart.
Lorak's grandfather nodded sympathetically and held the boy close gently rocking him back and forth. Patting Lorak's back he shifted in his chair and asked.
"What's got you so worked up my boy? Did you have the nightmare again?"
Lorak simply nodded again, still clutching his grandfather tightly. He was too scared to speak and wanted his father and brother back home.
Lorak's grandpa felt a tug in his heart and sighed softly, looking back on his life both in the military and beyond.
"Lorak, do you remember when the Tyranian's attacked radilon?"
Lorak nodded quietly before looking up at his grandfather.
"They gassed the world capital, the broadcasts said that millions died."
Lorak's grandfather nodded sagely before setting his grandson on his knee.
"Do you also remember what the survivors of that attack reported when they got home?"
Lorak shook his head softly. He'd been too scared to watch the broadcast any longer. His grandfather crinkled his eyes in the comforting way only a grandfather could.
"All across the city, people helped each other escape the things the gas made others into...."
...
The chain rattled around the shuttleport's door handles as Marty took a deep breath. He should be able to buy the people inside some time to evacuate if he was lucky. Picking up his Dane axe, he slowly turned to face the road behind him that lead to the shuttleport's main entrance. He could see the tide of diseased monsters sprinting at him like some macabre marathon. Ripping his veagvsir from his neck he wrapped it around his knuckles.
As the screeching tide bore down on him, he smiled. After all, what is the loss of one life if it saves a hundred more?
...
Lorak gazed up at his grandfather eyes filled with disbelief and still moist with tears. His grandfather closed his eyes and nodded softly.
"All over the city, as though by some previous agreement, dozens of people risked and even gave their lives to get others to safety."
Stroking his grandson's head feathers he asked.
"Do you remember a few weeks ago when that car got hit by a hovercraft over on clarent street?"
Lorak nodded, squeaking back.
"It had its own emergency broadcast, somebody was really hurt."
His grandfather chuckled his approval at the boy's memory, though wished his life had been less hectic.
"But they didn't die, do you remember why?"
Lorak shook his head.
"Because somebody saw it happen and didn't just stand by..."
...
Carter heard an almighty bang just outside the ice cream parlor. He shot out of his seat, leaving the cute avian girl he was dating stunned in hers.
He spotted the wreck in seconds and rushed over after spotting the dazed elderly alien in the hovercraft's driver seat. With inhuman strength he ripped the buckled door open and gently grabbed the alien's shoulders. His eyes widened a good margin as he checked their pulse and felt it shudder to a stop. Carter didn't even hesitate as he pulled the elderly alien from the driver's seat and began to administer CPR. He felt their ribs crack as he shouted.
"Somebody call a fucking ambulance and help me out here!"
...
Lorak gazed up at his grandpa with curious eyes, he was starting to feel less afraid as he nodded slightly.
His grandfather gave him an approving head pat before gazing off into the distance.
"A long time ago I was in the military just like your father and brother, I almost died on my first deployment..."
Lorak's eyes widened as his grandfather told him one of his war stories.
...
Grimdark D'narvoc lay wounded on a street in a city he didn't belong to. He wanted to cry as he desperately fought to stay awake, he had a wife and child at home he was about to leave behind. Suddenly, a shadow passed over him, he felt his time coming to an end. Then a thick pad of gauze was placed against his wound just as his hand fell away. Without the strength to open his eyes, he softly thanked the gods for whoever was treating his wounds. A soft voice calmly speaking to him through the entire thing.
"Deep breaths, this wound is gonna need some real patching up. But don't worry, I'll get you all patched up and you can go home, how's that sound?"
Grimdark couldn't hardly respond to the impossibly soft and kind voice except to finally let himself cry. The kind voice simply replied.
"We'll get you home friend, don't even worry about it."
Grimdark's chest heaved as he cried his fears away. He'd get to see his family again and that's all that mattered to him.
...
Lorak hugged his grandpa tightly and his grandfather hugged him back. Tears moistening old Grimdark's eyes.
"A human had saved me, even when we were fighting against them. You know what he told me Lorak?"
The young boy shook his head.
"The human told me 'when the world seems mean and scary, Look for the helpers.' Lorak I know it's scary not having your brother and father at home, but there's not a doubt in my mind they'll make it home. Because even on the battlefield, you'll find Helpers, and so will they."
Lorak yawned and nodded softly, slipping out of his grandfather's lap and heading for his room.
Grimdark watched him go with a slight wistfulness. He too was worried how his son and grandson were faring, but he also knew in his heart that they'd make it home. After all, they were fighting alongside an entire race of Helpers.
...
Torin and Barian D'narvoc were pinned down on the front and nearly out of ammunition. They'd said their prayers a long time ago, but now, father and son just quietly embraced each other and awaited the inevitable. Then a warcry cut through the din of battle.
"Do you want to live forever!?!?"
Then like a group of guardian angels, three humans in ragged gear leapt into the trench. One immediately slapped down their Lmg's bipod before opening fire. The rest simple propped their rifles up and joined in on the suppressing fire. One grabbed Torins shoulder and shouted.
"Go! We'll hold them off while you get to the fallback point."
Torin and Barian needed no more encouragement and as the humans slung covering fire down range, they climbed the lip and ran for the friendly trench. As they dropped down they heard one of the human commanders yelling for artillery.
The last they saw of their saviors was one lone, bloody human manning a Light machine gun until the first artillery shell landed and the could see them no longer.

Hi! I'm trying to decide between UW Med, PSU, and MGH. I got a Graduate Research Assistant position at PSU which would cover half of my tuition (i.e. the cheapest option but I'm out of state so ~37k), but since I also want to work in a medical setting, the PSU med concentration is kinda new... On the other hand, UW Med has a great medical program and is pretty expensive (~60k). I went to UW for post-bacc and am currently in Seattle, so I would like to know if I should move to other cities. So for MGH in Boston, I've heard good things from current students and they gave me a pretty big scholarship so the total cost is ~42k. It's so hard to make the decision, so I'd love to learn your suggestions and if you're a current student at any of these programs I'd love to hear about your experiences!

K♥️: Sanctuary [Part 2]
This game is the last entry of a series of games, where I have written games for all 52 cards for a borderlands in the UK. Each one includes a story of how I imagine the game playing out. You can find all entries here.
Venue: Church
Rules: Live in the church until the pastor presses the button
Fourth Day of Exhibitions
The day began almost the same as the other three. They woke up, they ate breakfast they got to work. They had gotten to work, but still, Alfie refused to work.
Roger had worked in the garden, and was happy with the work he had done filling up all the allotted land, before he walked in to tell Noah. As he went to look for him, he caught sight of Alfie, and walked over to him.
“Why do you continue to refuse to work?” Roger asked Alfie.
“I’ve told you, he’s manipulating you! Can’t you see it? All he needs to do is lull you into a false sense of security, then he can slowly pick you off one by one. Once he has your trust he can keep going, and going, and then you’re all dead. He wins.” Alfie said.
“You’re crazy.” Roger said, turning away.
“I’m Crazy!? After all we’ve been through, you walk in here and only a day later you’re worshiping the guy. He is literally the King of Hearts!” Alfie shouted at him.
“Is everything alright here gentlemen?” Noah said, walking up to them.
“No Noah, it’s fine” Roger said walking away.
Noah watched Roger walk away, after telling him that the garden had been finished.
“Alfie. This is your last warning. Please join the colony, or I will have to punish you. Now, get to work.” Noah said, before walking away. Alfie stood where he was.
Noah waited to see if Alfie would join them in the Kitchen, but after a few hours, when it was time for lunch, Alfie still hadn’t turned up.
Noah gathered all the workers, handing out food.
“Today, I have to make a notice. One of our colonists is refusing to work. Yet, he sleeps in our beds, eats our food, and benefits from your labour. But does he help? No. He refuses. That man, is Alfie.” Noah pointed at him. “I would advise you to stay away from him, he is a dangerous influence to our colony. I will try and get him to work, but he will likely refuse once more, like the selfish person he is. That is all.” He said, before sitting down for food.
Alfie walked out in anger.
They finished their meal, and Noah walked to the gate, to see if any new colonists would arrive. He took a bite from his apple, and saw an old woman approaching.
“Hello, my child. Are you’re to join our sanctuary?” He asked, and the woman looked back at him confused, before she walked into the churchyard.
“Are you just going to ignore me?” Noah said.
“Tell me the rules then.” The old woman said.
“The rules are simple. No violence, don’t leave the churchyard. To clear the game, I need to press the button on the church altar freely.” The King said.
“What?” The Old woman said. “That’s not a game!?”
“This place is our sanctuary. Here we can live until our eventual end without having to see the horrible suffering the games cause, or by having to participate in them.” Noah explained.
“Why on earth should I even trust you?” The Woman said.
“It’s because it’s the truth. This place is a true place of safety that frees you from the games.” Roger said, walking up, followed by another gardener.
“Wait, how long have you been here?” The old woman asked them.
“He was here since the start, I arrived yesterday. Trust me, Noah is telling the truth. This place is a little slice of safety in an uncaring world.” Roger said, as the man nodded.
“Thank you for your help Roger. I presume you have finished the garden?” Noah said.
“Yes Noah. We still have a few seeds left over, however, so we may want to increase the size of the garden.” Roger responded.
“Ok. I’ll discuss it with the planners later. For now, I will give our guest here, a tour of our sanctuary.” Noah said, leading the old woman into the church. “What is your name?”
“Margret.” The old woman responded.
“Margret, it is nice to have you here. In this main hall is our dormitory, and at the end we have set up a kitchen. Outside is the garden and where we keep the animals. We also have extra rooms for enter-“ Noah said, being cut off by a voice from the other end of the church.
“Got a new sheep, have you Noah? Trying to get a on record on your brainwashing?” Alfie said, scowling at him while lent against a wall.
“Ignore him, he is a selfish freeloader who seeks to tear the place apart.” Noah said, quickly ushering Margret down into the lower floors.
“If you join Tracy in the planning room, I’ll assure you that she’ll find a good role for you. I have to deal with our trouble maker for a second.” Noah said, heading back up the stairs.
He met with Alfie.
“I’m begging you Alfie, please stop trying to destroy what we have here. We can live at peace with each other, defy the evil of this world. Just join us and all will be forgiven.” Noah said, pleading with him.
“I won’t believe your lies Noah.” Alfie said.
“Very well. I give you until sunrise tomorrow to reconsider.” Noah said walking away.
“Or what? Your own rules state no violence!” Alfie said.
“Violence is subjective. A push is not, under my definition, violence.” Noah said.
“Was that a threat!?” Alfie said, running towards Noah, jumping on to him. “Is this violence!?” He shouted at Noah.
Noah lay on the ground, awaiting Alfie to punch him.
“Come on. Do it. Punch me Alfie. You know how much you want to do it. Break your friends out from under my spell. Do it. It’s really easy. Just one sw-“
He felt a sharp pain across his face, and heard Alfie collapse to the floor.
Roger raced in, and saw the two of them on the floor.
“Noah!” He shouted. “Alfie!”
Noah stood up. “I’m fine, but your friend just came up and started att-“
Noah exhaled. “I’m sorry about him.”
“It’s ok. He wasn’t contributing.” Roger said.
“We will hold a service as soon as possible. Get started on the grave.”
Roger nodded, and gathered the gardeners to prepare a place to bury Alfie.
Noah looked at the roof, seeing the light stream in from where the laser had shot down. He would need to get it fixed. He went down to the planning room, and informed them of the news, before he added the fixing of the roof and the expansion of the garden to the to do list.
“Tracy, I’m very sorry for your loss.” Noah said.
“It’s hard to believe that he did it in the end…” She said, trailing off.
Noah announced the news to everyone at dinner, saying that he was sorry to have lost a member of the colony, even if he was unwilling and uncooperative.
By this point Margret had joined the planners and the cooks, and had become a valuable assistant.
They settled into their beds, Noah not telling them any tales today.
Fifth Day of Exhibitions
Noah awoke early that morning, and went onto the roof. There were half gone now. He was surprised to see that Jack had made it this far. The Queen of hearts still hung in the sky too, and he looked at the card. He was not a betting man, but was sure that the Queen and him would outlast the others.
He woke up the cooks and they got to work preparing breakfast. They ate at their bunks, talking amongst themselves. Today’s breakfast was scrambled eggs, a delicacy many had not enjoyed for weeks. They were glad for such a delicious meal, and many thanked Noah for providing it.
The day passed smoothly for the first few hours, and everyone did their tasks. Now with Alfie out of the way, things seemed to have calmed down. He wasn’t sure if Alfie’s ideas had spread to anyone else, but he was sure he had managed to stamp out any possible support he had by portraying Alfie badly. Not even his friends supported him.
He walked up to the gates, eating from an apple. He watched weary until just before lunch, when a woman, her hands bandaged, began to walk up to the gates. She was dragging herself slowly, and he alerted those with any form of medical training to gather to their medical room as soon as she crossed the threshold.
The woman stepped in, seemingly not herself, and Noah quickly rushed the rules out to her before the medics carried her to try and treat her.
Clearly the Jack of spades had not been successful in his endeavours, and had now fallen.
He was informed the woman would be fine, and that she simply had been suffering from the cuts on her hands and a lack of water. They theorised that she may even have walked into the venue by accident.
Noah supervised various activities, before returning to greet the woman properly. She told him about her experience with the Jack of Spades, and he comforted her, telling her that she had entered the sanctuary and she was now safe from al of the other games.
He got her some of the soup they had made for lunch, and she ate it, gratefully. He asked her what she would like to do as a job once she recovered, recommending hard physical labor jobs due to her Jack of spades victory, and she agreed.
The afternoon passed smoothly, now the influence of Alfie had left, and they could live together in harmony.
In the evening, Noah got the woman, Kim, to recall her Jack of Spades experience, before he explained, that without this place, without the medical team, she may have died, yet now, here she was, free from all of that. He used her story to strengthen the trust they placed in him, as, after all, he had to keep them in his support if he wanted the sanctuary to continue.
He then began to talk about who the Jack of Spades was, and how he disapproved of his game. He told them about how the Jack of Spades was by no means a bad person to begin with. He had been kind, supportive, and a good friend to him, but once they arrived, he lost sight of his old self. He started to distrust Noah, and became the evil villain that had tortured Kim in his game. But Noah was different. He resisted that. He wanted the best for them.
A lone clap came from the back of the hall to interrupt Noah’s story.
“Very good, very good. You’ve used another person and their story to increase the trust others have for you, and quite frankly, it’s a wonderful idea. This game, the sanctuary, is great. You’ve found a perfect way to keep everyone alive while still preserving yourself. You spit in the face of the creator of this place. Amazing. The only problem is, I’m here to win.” A man in a hoodie said, walking forward. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Lucas, and I just beat the queen of hearts. I’ve come to finish the trio off.”
Noah looked at him. “Well, I think you are going to find that rather difficult….” Noah said. “I have no lan of pressing that button, and no one in this hall but you wants me to do so…”
“We’ll see, won’t we. Now, which bed do I get. I’ve had a long last hour.” Lucas responded. Noah pointed to a bunk, and Lucas lay down.
Noah continued his story, before they all went to bed.
Sixth Day of Exhibitions
It was just him and Jack left now. The fact Jack had made it this far surprised him considerably, considering the nature of his game. Who knows, maybe God was looking out for him.
His routine was slightly different that morning. Instead of waking the cooks and preparing breakfast, he awoke Lucas.
“Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I am willing to give you a tour of the church, and then maybe you can tell me where you want to work. Let me assure you, this place is where you want to be. You don’t want to play any of the other games. You don’t want to clear all the games.” Noah said
“Yeah, whatever.” Lucas responded, getting up. “Although, in future, could you not wake me up so early in the morning?”
“Of course.” Noah said, leading him away.
He showed him the garden, the livestock, the underground rooms, and finally the Kitchen, where Lucas decided he wanted to work. He told Noah that he had always enjoyed cooking, and was quite good at it. Noah agreed to let him do so, and Lucas began to get to work on breakfast, as Noah woke the others up.
Lucas seized his chance, slowly walking out of the building with two sacks of potatoes, throwing them behind the wall, putting them outside of the area. He could slowly do this with all of the food, and then wreck the garden, Noah would quickly fall out of favour with the others. :Lucas did also realise, that in doing so would also damage his reputation, but he hoped most of the blame would fall on Noah.
He spent most of his day secretly throwing food out of the venue, before someone pointed out that someone had spilled a sack of potatoes just outside the churchyard.
Noah came to inspect it, and said that whoever it was should come forward, and Noah wouldn’t be angry.
Lucas stepped forward. “I’m sorry Noah, but I was carrying the potatoes, when I accidentally dropped them, and they all spilled out. I tried to throw the rest out to hide the evidence, but that was clearly a mistake.”
Lucas made his face look guilty, and Noah put his hand on Lucas shoulder.
“It is forgiven.” He said, before leaning in to Lucas “I know what you are doing. Stop, Now.” He whispered in Lucas’ ear.
Lucas looked at him, and nodded. Lucas walked back to the Kitchen, and began to properly work. He found that there were no other opportunities to get rid of food, so while everyone ate their food, he sat in silence contemplating when he could strike again.
He returned to work, and over a couple of hours, deliberated a conundrum.
The no violence rule should shield him from being stopped, so he could simply do it in broad daylight.
Just to be sure, Lucas waited until no-one was properly looking at him, or at the food.
Lucas saw a chance. He knew it was risky, but the no violence rule theoreticallymeant no one could stop him.
He picked up two bags in full view of everyone, and ran outside, throwing them through the gates.
“What the hell is he doing!?” Roger shouted.
“He’s decreasing the food supply to try and destroy our sanctuary! We must cats him out while we have the chance!” One of the gardeners shouted, and he rushed towards Lucas, about to push him.
“Wait! Don’t! No violence, remember?” Roger shouted.
“A push isn’t violence!” The Man shouted.
He prepared himself to push Lucas out of the churchyard, when an announcement rang out.
“There is only one game remaining. The Game is the King of Hearts. To join, please make your way to the venue.”
They stopped dead.
“Wait, if that’s true, then all that needs to happen for us to win is for Noah to press the button!” Roger said.
“Yes, but if we win we just have to become citizens ourselves. That isn’t what I want. I don’t want to have to create a game. I would rather stay here, with Noah. Don’t you? Or would you rather he died? Are you a traitor?” Someone said, and others agreed.
Roger was terrified. “That’s not what I meant..” He said, nervously.
“My children, calm down.” Noah said, walking out. “There is no need for our sanctuary to end because the other games have. We can still continue. Who is with me, and wishes to remain?”
The crowd gave a mixed reaction.
“After all I have done for you, after everything, you do not wish to remain?” Noah said, puzzled.
“Well Noah, one thing you underestimated was the human want for something they don’t have. Many here want to be able to leave the churchyard, which they can do if you press the button. In fact, your game is now more of a hindrance than an advantage. If you do press the button, they can at least go wherever they want. While you still live, They are confined to this churchyard.” Lucas said.
Noah was about to respond, when there was a large creaking from the church doors.
Four people walked in, the one at the front asking if he was interrupting.
“You…” Lucas said, looking at the schoolboy that had spoken, and then to the woman. “I’m surprised she made it this far. She cared way to much about people. Wheras you,” He said, looking at Ben. “I’m not one bit surprised. After you betrayed your friend, I knew you had it in you to survive this world.”
He turned back to the group. “See, now all the other games have gone, you will get more and more of these maniacs coming to make a stain on your perfect colony. Consider it-“
The door creaked open again, and three men and a woman walked in.
“As I was saying, more and more arrivals will come, and you will have to try harder and harder to keep them here. Anyway, I await you decision Noah. I am going to sleep now.” Lucas said, walking over to his bunk, listening as the crowd erupted into chaos.
Seventh Day of Exhibitions
Lucas was awoken by the now familiar voice.
“The Button has been pressed. For all remains players, it is game clear.”
He shot up, seeing the others all looking around similarly. Lucas looked at the altar, where Noah’s dead body lay. It seems he crumpled under the pressure, and had decided to end his sanctuary.
The room was lit up with bright light from outside, and they all got up to make their way out.
Fireworks littered the sky, and as they filed out of the churchyard, they saw the King of Hearts Blimp explode behind them, and crash into the sanctuary.
“And I told him not to wake me early..” Lucas muttered.
“All Games have been cleared.” The Voice announced, and Lucas and the others continued to watch the fireworks displays.
“Now, the remaining players are offered a choice to continue the Death matches of the borderlands with Lifelong citizenship All player must individually provide a response now please.”
Lucas was the first to speak.
“I accept citizenship.”
Around him a chorus of declinations began, as he watched various players toying with what to choose.
John stood next to Grace, Sam, and Chris. They agreed together that they would decline citizenship.
They said it together.
Ben and James looked at each other. They knew they couldn’t continue in this world, and so rejected.
Alex and Mia did the Same. So did Kim, Roger, Tracy, Flo, and Margret.
They looked at the fireworks in the sky, which eventually coalesced to one glowing beacon in the sky, which slowly expanded, engulfing them.
Lucas shielded his eyes, and when he opened them, he found himself in an underground office, with various computers and chairs around. He looked at the table, seeing on it laid a King of Hearts card.
He stared at it, confused.
1st Day of Restitution
“Yesterday, at around 10:00, there was a disastrous collapse at the Theatre, which has left large lists of casualties in its wake. A burst gas pipe caused the building to collapse as a result of its old age, burying many under layers of rubble. This follows yesterdays news of a bus crash in much the same place, which left 19 people in critical condition, all of whom have now passed. We are sure the city, as well as the greater region, will feel the affects of these two disasters for many years to come, and may never recover from the loss. Our heartfelt condolences to all the families.”
John clicked off the news broadcast. He was recovering in hospital from the events the previous day. He had been unlucky enough to be next to the theatre when it collapsed, burying him and the patient in the bed next to him under rubble. He looked over to the man in the hoodie laid out next to him, as well as the younger blond man on his right. He was glad to see some people had made it out safe, and he felt like he knew them well, assuming it was something to do with shared trauma.
In another part of the hospital, grace awoke next to her colleagues, Tracy, Flo, and Roger. It had been hard on her, the entire production crew, the actors, almost everyone involved in the production had been lost. She didn’t know any of them that well, but as she listened to the news broadcast run through the hundreds of dead, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was left alive. But she knew now she had to continue to live for those who had died, she couldn’t let herself get too wrapped up in the past. She wondered why her Dad hadn’t visited her yet, and asked one of the nurses to see if he had asked for her. The nurse informed her he had, but that he couldn’t see her as he was still being tended to. Grace was surprised by the fact her Dad had been there during the accident, but told the nurse she wanted to see him as soon as possible.
In another wing of the hospital, James turned to talk to ben, one of the only remaining members of his form. Mia lay next to him, drifting in and out of sleep. He had never really spoken to them, but felt he knew them really well.
Ben had been crying, thinking about everyone that had been lost, and James had shed a few tears too. While he had never really liked certain members of form, like Ellis, he didn’t think any of them had deserved this. Ben and James started to talk about their lives, and how grateful they were to be alive. Ben thought about how he had lost almost all his friends with one cruel sweep. The day before he had still been clinging on to the hope Jack would recover, but now their whole form was gone. Sophie, Tom, everyone.
Alex lay in bed, in hospital, watching the news play, informing everyone of the incident at the theatre. She found it hard to believe she had been there, and made it out. As the long list of casualties scrolled past, she felt so lucky to be alive. She caught sight of the name Kathrine Foreman on the screen, and couldn’t shake the feeling she had heard it somewhere before, it was like it was a person she couldn’t remember, a name she couldn’t put a face to. She lay back down, her arms and legs in pain.
Lucas
He awoke, breathing heavily. He saw that he was where he should be, in the city, with everything in place.
Ever since accepting residency his dreams had been plagued with visions of doctors and nurses, talking about how he was comatose. He brushed the thoughts out of his mind, walking over to a sink and throwing water into his face.
He was alone here. No one else had chosen to stay. Yet, he still new almost as much as he did before. Why he was here, where here was, all lay unanswered. He shrugged.
He walked over to the table, preparing himself some food.
This was not what he had expected from citizenship, he must admit, but he welcomed the freedom of this world, even if no one could share it with him. The fax machine on the desk whirred, and he walked over to it, having only seen it in action once before. A list of names shot out of a fax machine near him, and he looked at them.
It was a table, with two columns. ‘Arrival date’ and ‘Player Name’. He had also been provided with a difficulty. Seven of Spades.
He looked at the paper, and smiled. This was more what he had been expecting.
From u/Other-Borderlands:
Thank you so, so, so, much for reading. I’ve struggled with keeping up with this series for a bit, but I’ve managed to push through. I want to thank specifically u/Lost_in_Borderlands, u/NatetheMechaBoss, u/StuddedDiamond, and u/Tricky-Ad-2456 for all of your continued support and kind comments. I am so relieved to have finally finished this series and hope you had as much if not more fun along the way. I hope to write more in future, but at the moment I need to take a well earned break. See you then!

Hello!
CREDIT PROFILE

• * Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: (list cards, limits, opening date):
  • BPPR MC $11,200.00 Aug-2007
  • BPPR Visa $4,700.00 Aug-2007
  • Sears MC (Citi) $5,200.00 Jan-2008
  • Discover It $15,000.00 Jun-2014
  • Penfed Visa Plat $20,500.00 Jul-2015
  • CSP $13,800.00 Mar-2023
  • CFF $8,800.00 Mar-2023
• Store Cards:
  • Best Buy SC $3,700.00 Oct-2010
  • Walmart SC $3,400.00 Nov-2008
  • Amazon SC $6,000.00 Dec-2015
  • Home Depot SC $6,500.00 Dec-2019
  • Newegg SC $5,000.00 Jul-2020

​

• * FICO Scores with source
  • Source - myFico
    • EX - 793
    • TU - 801
    • EQ - 806
• * Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account:
  • 15 years, 6 months
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months:
  • 2
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months:
  • 2
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months:
  • 2
• * Annual income $:
  • $92k

CATEGORIES

• * OK with category-specific cards?:
  • yes
• * OK with rotating category cards?:
  • yes
• * Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below. Only include what you can pay by credit card.
  • * Dining $: 150
  • * Groceries $: 600
  • * Gas $: 200
  • * Travel $: 250
  • * Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: no
  • * Any other categories (examples: phone/internet, insurance) or stores (example: Amazon) with significant, regular credit card spend (the more you specify, the better): $
    • internet: $100
    • insurance: $60
    • utilities: $150
    • Amazon: $75
  • * Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: no
  • * Can you pay rent by credit card? No, mortgage has been paid off

MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS (delete lines that don't apply)

• * Current member of Amazon Prime?: yes
• * Current Verizon postpaid customer?: no
• * Current member of Costco or Sam's Club? Sams
• * Currently paying $13.99/month or more for Disney Bundle (Disney+ / Hulu / EPSN+) or other Hulu services? yes
• * Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: No (meaning i dont have checking/savings accounts with any major banks in the, only Penfed)
• * Active US military?: No
• * Are you open to Business Cards?: Not at the moment

PURPOSE

• * What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: Travel rewards
  • * If you answered "travel rewards", do you have a preferred airline and/or hotel chain?
    • Jetblue, United, Hyatt, Marriot
• * Do you have any cards you've been looking at?
  • CFU, WOH

I got approved for the CSP and CFF within days of each other, i'm concerned about velocity, looking for thoughts/comments/guidance on finishing up the trifecta or changing course and also how long should I wait before applying for my next card?
any recommendations would also be appreciated!

Hi! I’m doing an internship in the city and I’ve been going back and forth about where to live. Option one: I have family that lives in the outer boroughs, about an hour and a half via the subway or 35 minutes by driving from my job. Housing would be free.
Option two: I booked an Airbnb for a little under 7k which is 33 minutes away from my job at rush hour via the bus. I’ve heard that 90 minute commutes are considered long in the city. What would you do if you were in my place?
1) stay with your family member and suffer through the commute? (I’ll have to take $70 Ubers for when my internship hosts events that end late, probably 3-4x a week)
2) stay with family, rent a car, and brave the city roads. Parking and rental fees are about 3800 in total not including gas. And I’ve never driven in the city before which makes me nervous.
3) go with the Airbnb which is a little under 7k and commute 35 minutes by bus?
Some family members are encouraging me to go with the first option since it’s free and commuting to work via the subway will cost way less. Honestly the savings would be awesome but I used to commute by public transportation for about ~45 minutes in another state and I hated it.
Edit: a word

Hi everyone, currently using a throwaway. I am a frequent lurker on this sub & have gotten so many great tips and suggestions from other parents. I am currently in a predicament and looking for some advice on how to proceed… Sorry in advance for all of the abbreviations and the extremely long novel; there is a LOT of context behind the current situation that I’d like for you all to consider!
So SIL— my husband’s older sister but I consider her my own sister and am very close to her— was recently let go from her full time remote position. She has found a new full time job, this time in person, that is M-F 8:30-5 and starts relatively soon. She has 2 children: niece 1F, and nephew 10M.
Since both she and and her husband (BIL) would be working full time, naturally the question of childcare came up for the days both would be working. She informed me that her MIL (BIL’s mother, who lives 1 hour away) would be meeting SIL approx. halfway to do a drop off and watch niece for the full shift, then do the same thing for pick up… This is a lot of driving/gas/time spent for everyone involved (and they have tried doing the full commute before so I know how hard it is, even split in half).
I currently stay at home with my only daughter 2F. This was always the plan with my husband until my daughter is old enough to go to pre-k/kindergarten. He makes a decent income to cover all of our bills and have a little bit left in the bank after too.
I have offered to watch niece part time at 1-2 days max per week, split between the MIL watching niece 1-2 days per week that both parents are working. (Please note that SIL did not ask me directly; I have offered to watch her as I feel bad for everyone and really do not want her to spend so much time in a car seat shuttling from place to place every week… I also know SIL has a slightly strained relationship with her MIL so I am trying my best to alleviate some of the stress on SIL shoulders as well since they clash on a lot of different things [especially respecting boundaries and SIL wishes]. And SIL has offered to pay me a fair rate as well, I would not do all this for free.)
The main question is, what is the fair price for this service? It would be 1-2 full days of childcare. According to her, a local daycare is asking $450 per week in the area which seems like a lot but I am not well versed on numbers or hours/unsure if it is in home or a typical daycare center or not… The biggest difference is that I know the level of care I will provide, as her aunt, is infinitely much better over a daycare… I would be providing her plenty of one on one time, meaningful play, home cooked food & snacks, and she gets a perk of spending quality time with my toddler as well.
Logistically I would be watching niece from what looks like between 8-5:30 or so. Luckily she is a pretty easy baby and is not too fussy or difficult (unlike my feral toddler lol). I would also be responsible for nephew (10M) for a short amount of time once he comes home from school, until one of his parents gets home. He is a mostly independent kid.
There are sooooo many factors overall but the main thing is that I do not want this to strain our current relationship as we do have different parenting styles plus she is returning to work out of necessity and I want to respect that, not to mention the financial aspect of it all also.
(The backstory is SIL, her husband, and 2 kids moved in with us to save money to pay off their debts and save for a house. They originally moved in with MIL living 1 hour away from the city last summer, commuting to the city for work/appointments 2 hours a day… That was not feasible long term with 2 kids, especially in our winter climate, and so my husband and I offered for them to move into our house that we had just bought, with us. They have 2 rooms out of the 3 and we share all other spaces, without charging them rent. We did this knowing they would do the same for us, if the roles were reversed. They moved in with us last August right before nephew started school & claimed to only need to stay with us 15 months or so optimistically, to do all of the paying off/saving… I do not know the current timeline or where they stand right now.)
The question of finances is hard as I am not sure what a decent wage is for this type of situation, and inflation has not helped at all… My husband and I have a joint account. We do still have a few small amounts we need to pay off and since inflation is kicking us in the ass as well, I’d ideally LOVE to be able to have my own source income to contribute as I do not have the time or ability to work part time or remote currently… We currently pay our mortgage in full. As I have stated before, we do not currently charge them any rent. They split other utilities such as groceries, internet, power, water, etc pretty much 50/50 each month. As the SAHM I do majority of the cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, bills maintenance, etc and everyone chips in where they can and alternates occasionally.
With this new job, they will both be in a slightly better financial spot than us, as my husband’s decent income goes towards the 3 of us plus mortgage and half of bills. I suppose I have a few questions:

1. What is a fair rate to charge per hour or day? I do not want to undervalue my worth as I know I will take care of both children as best as I can, but also do not want to overcharge as that would mean they wouldn’t save as much per month/live with us longer (which I know no one wants, we all want them to get a house and I know we all want our own space lol).
2. How do I ensure that I am not being taken advantage of? What should I ask for in return, as I would be taking care of 2 children while the other adults work full time? My loss of time & freedom are mostly at risk here, since I originally only agreed to stay at home with my one & only toddler and she is starting to get to the independent age now, unlike my niece who is still learning how to walk and such. (I am also unsure of our own future, but we are most likely OAD unless our situation or fortune changes drastically.)

If anyone has any advice on all of this please let me know— literally anything is welcome at this point.
Thank you all in advance and sorry again for the long novel. 🙂

• Current cards:
  
  • citi visa costco signature -12k
  • citi thankyou preferred 23k
  • bofa visa americards rewards-23k
  • apple cArd- 20k
• FICO Score: 845
  
• Oldest account age: 24
  
• Citi thank you: some time in 1999
  
• Income: 600k(salary/bonus/rsu), 100k in rental
  
• Average monthly spend and categories:
  
  • dining $1000
  • groceries: $1500
  • gas: $100 (evs)
  • travel: $1000
  • other: $5000(kids school, college)
  • mortgage: $5500 (including rentals)
• Open to Business Cards: dont have a business
  
• What's the purpose of your next card? *Travel, Cashback, Lounge Access at airports
  
• Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Was thinking of black card.
  
• Are you OK with category spending or do you want a general spending card? General spending card.
  

A little bit about me: Migrated to US is late 90’s. Established good credit. Never paid attention to cards and took a few without doing any research. I never carry balance. Gets some rewards from cards. Didnt try to optimize it. Recently found a couple of cards with 20k limit was closed since I did not use it for a while.
Me and spouse travel a lot. Both internationally and domestic. Based in bayarea. Her profile is similar to me. We want to enjoy airport lounges and upgrades. I dont mind paying annual fees.
Please advise.

Here is the line up of cards I use for rewards today: Verizon Card - 4% Grocery & Gas,
Venmo Card - 3% Utilities,
Discover It - 5% on the quarter spend category,
Amazon Card - 5% Amazon,
Target Card - 5% Target,
Apple Card - 2% Apple Pay purchases,
Other cards I own: Delta Reserve, Chase Bonvoy, Citi Diamond Preferred, Best Buy, Home Depot, Belk, Discount Tire
I was thinking of adding two more cards to cover gaps…
AMEX Blue Cash Preferred for groceries/streaming. I am a single parent of two kids so my grocery bill is legit.
X1 Card to cover my two daughters private school tuition after the tax free $10k from 529 and $5k for dependent care account; leaves about $20k in spend on the card. Thought it would build up nice rewards.
What say you? Any better suggestions?
Income: $375k FICO: 750-780 Length of Credit: 20 years
Side note. Capital One has always hated me and never approved me for anything. No clue why.

I can't find any hybrids though... Many months wait for one. Any tips? Not sure what to do. I wanted a Toyota but might have to try another brand.

FirstPreviousNext
​
---
​
In keeping with the long-standing tradition of militaries around the world to never actually finish doing anything, the end of the initial invasion of Omen was declared on that day. Not the end of hostilities, nor of combat, nor even of major combat operations. The end of the initial invasion. The backs of their forces on-world had been broken, but they were far from done fighting.
​
Darren wasn’t too enthused.
​
The order to scramble came just as he finished unloading crates of supplies from the newest freighter into the system. Sighing, he grabbed his rifle and ran for the hangar deck of the Bunker Hill, donning his armor on the way. The Dark Sparrow sat fueling on the deck, about half of the platoon already aboard. Once on himself, Darren learned the circumstances of what had happened.
​
A number of servicemen had gone rogue while on duty in Omen’s capital, holing up in a building and detonating a canister of chlorine gas. Dozens of civilians were already dead, and they had warded off all attempts by military police to apprehend them.
​
“Brainwashed?” Darren turned to Pavlov.
​
“Yeah, definitely.” Pavlov said, consulting a flash card containing the signs of Poslushi neuroforming. It had been noticed that the brainwashed had an eerie calm about them, but were otherwise hard to detect, being nearly identical to their prior selves. Darren wondered when the government would stop panicking about national security and declassify the whole thing about brainwashing.
​
The helicopter lifted off the ground and started the somewhat short flight towards the capital, apparently named High Unlerin. It was already visible on the horizon; for a major city, it wasn’t very large. Then, Darren saw that it actually blended into the surrounding forest, concrete and metal fading into lumber and dirt roads. The city center was built in the flowy, vibrant style of the Poslushi; the previous had probably been demolished to make room. However, the Poslushi were far more regular in their construction than the Ovinis, making the Rangers’ jobs easier.
​
Poslushi cities were built in a honeycomb style, which made them horrendous for automobile traffic but otherwise efficient for saving space. It made sense, considering the Poslushi had no wheeled vehicles, using nimble, legged machines in the place of cars. Each city “block” was its own building, constructed in a rough spire shape, sometimes with a statue or similar art piece to top the towers.
​
This particular one was bright blue, with a structure composed of multiple parts that stretched upward and melded together like wisps of flame. However, it was partially obscured at the ground level by a cloud of sickly yellow-green gas, and a multitude of dark, limp forms lay strewn about. The whole block had been cordoned off, with barriers and hazard-suited guards abound.
​
“Jesus. Why would they kill their own citizens?” Pavlov mused, gazing down at the numerous corpses below.
​
“My best guess is scorched earth or maybe trying to induce some sort of terrorism to make our jobs harder.” Simmons proposed, shrugging.
​
“Well, it isn’t anything we can’t solve with a little bit of elbow grease and judicious application of firepower. Nothing like 8.5mm to dissuade the bad guys, eh?” Sparrow remarked.
​
“Nothing indeed.” Darren said. The helicopter hovered over the building, its doors sliding open and the lights on the roof flashing green.
​
“Go, go, go!” Pavlov barked, donning his gas mask and leaping from the Dark Sparrow. The rest followed shortly after, Darren’s heart leaping into his throat before his jetpack kicked on and sent him gently drifting into the asphalt. The gas mask was hot and not well-ventilated, but it was better than the water in his lungs turning to hydrochloric acid and dissolving him from the inside out. At least it wasn’t VX or some equally-terrible nerve agent.
​
Darren loaded and primed his rifle, finding the rest of his platoon and regrouping. Once gathered, they split up into their combat teams, spreading out to cover all entrances to the building. Darren, Pavlov, and Simmons went to the south doors, while two six-man teams breached the other, more heavily-trapped entrances. Darren ran his hands over the door, checking for anything that could indicate a trap or mine. Nothing.
​
Cringing, he mustered his courage and ripped the door open, expecting the entrance to explode. It didn’t, somehow. Darren leaned over, rifle brandished–
​
Thwip. A bullet whizzed past Darren’s head, the shot sounding a fraction of a second later. Yelping, Darren ducked back behind the doorframe as Pavlov discharged a shot from his grenade launcher. The shell exploded in a burst of light and sound, and Darren entered shortly afterward, setting his sights upon the blinded shooter and firing twice. The soldier staggered back, then collapsed. Darren methodically advanced down the hallway, keeping an eye to each side in case someone emerged from there.
​
This place was quiet. Too quiet. Their intel showed that there were at least a dozen rogue men in this building, but where were the gunshots as the other two teams encountered their own enemies? Surely they wouldn’t guard one entrance and abandon the others?
​
“Hey, there’s a note.” Pavlov said, stooping down to grab a small, lightly-bloodstained piece of paper from the ground next to the corpse. Darren kept an eye out as he started to read.
​
To the esteemed units of the United States Armed Forces, or whomever else may find this,
​
My name is Sgt. Philip Halloway, and I am most likely dead. I am alone within this building; it has been arranged for the numbers to be bungled to increase the urgency of your response. I have chosen to hasten my exit from this world by firing a warning shot; if I had intended to hit you, you would not be reading this. Don’t worry about me. I’ve nothing left to lose anyways, and I’ve chosen this task for myself.
​
The events of the last few years, namely the Contact Wars and the recent outbreak of hostilities with the Poslushi, have left many embittered, including me. You may know us as the Mankind Defense Home Guard, or the MDHG for simplicity’s sake. You will most likely hear more from us in the coming time.
​
“The hell does that mean?” Pavlov squinted at the text.
​
“Go on, keep going.” Darren urged him.
​
First things first, we do not believe that humankind holds any special place in the cosmos, that we are any form of “master race,” or the like. For that, contact any of the dozens of nationalist, jingoist, or downright neo-Nazi groups out there, to which you will find us far preferable. However, that is not to say that we do not believe the alien to be an existential threat to our way of life and/or survival as a species. Like any threat, they are to be neutralized with efficiency and without sentimentality, up to and including the great taboo of genocide, should it become unfortunately necessary.
​
This unsavory act was an important step in the preparation of mankind for a thousand more crimes like this, done so that no greater atrocity need be committed. Think of this as sowing salt in the fields of war. One day, you’ll thank us for our insight when your children walk the stars freely and without fear, and violence is an evil long forgotten.
​
Thank you for your time.
​
P.S.: Check my chest. No secret keeps forever.
​
Darren inspected the vest of the dead soldier, the blood-drenched graphene augmented with a strange pouch not present on the standard-issue model. Inside was… oh, no.
​
A tiny webcam, a little red light on its side blinking, probably still broadcasting. And it had heard Halloway’s entire speech. Darren picked it up and clicked a button on its backside twice to switch it off. Then, he activated his radio.
​
“Platoon, we might want to relay this to command. Looks like we just participated in one hell of a publicity stunt.”
​
—
​
“Director Hoover? We’ve got a Colonel Jasper here to talk to you. It seems important.”
​
“Send him in.” the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency spoke into the phone. The door to his office creaked open and a hulking soldier entered, in his old dress blues, his chest festooned with medals of all kinds. He had an imperious, authoritative air about him, but it was not something the head of the most feared intelligence organization in the world would let sway him.
​
“Director Hoover.” Colonel Jasper saluted.
​
“Colonel, you mind telling us precisely what your underling was doing gassing a number of civilians on Omen? You’re lucky we found you before the Hague did.”
​
“The perpetrator undertook this action on his own and with no intervention from us, even if we were mentioned. We don’t control what people do in their downtime.” Jasper shrugged.
​
“Well, you should, if they’re going to do this. We’ve been trying to establish good relations with the populace and your little maverick’s just set us back severely. You had better hope he acted alone, or your group’s going on the list we use for terrorists. And you don’t want to be on that list, no matter how tough you think you are.”
​
“If you’re trying to intimidate me, it won’t work.” Jasper said, narrowing his eyes and leaning over the desk. “I’ve fought in the Anathema Encounter, what makes you think I’ll–”
​
“You will not mention that incident!” the Director shouted, slamming his palms on the desk and standing up. Supposedly, Director Hoover was one of the foremost “agents of regime correction” in the service before his appointment, and Jasper could see the killer in him as he postured himself almost predatorily. Then, he collected himself and spoke with measured calm.
​
“It’s bad enough that you know about Anathema. Do what you must, if you believe that you can rally the people to your cause. But the moment we find any evidence that you ordered this, you’re going away for a long time. And if you so much as say a word about Anathema to anyone, you’ll be in a blacksite before the week’s out. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
​
Jasper sighed. “Yes, sir.”
​
“Good. Now leave. Next time, I’m not going to be nice.”
​
—
​
Hell on Earth wasn’t a really accurate way to describe war. War was a lot worse. In Hell, things were uniformly terrible, and no one was there without cause. In war, things got better just long enough to leave one complacent when they got worse, and it was filled with people caught inside by plain bad luck.
​
These notions were unknown to the United States Air Force. From so high up and so far away, war was impersonal. You didn’t have to look the man you shot in the eye. No scream of terror, no keening of anguish could carry twenty kilometers into the air, after all.
​
The bomber squadron was near-serene as it shot over the landscape of Omen. The only sound was the consistent whine of jet engines and the occasional peal of thunder from storms that appeared on the horizon in a flash and vanished as quickly as they came. The blackness of space was readily visible above.
​
The remainders of the Poslushi garrison had long since seen the settlements of the planet as a lost cause, retiring to the hamlets of the forests to continue the fight. It was a shame; many of the airmen had been looking forward to a tropical paradise to vacation in.
​
The pilot of the B-60 in the lead turned to the weapons systems officer. “Get ready to drop the payload.” the WSO nodded, tapping a set of buttons on his control console. In the bomb bay, the electric fuses of the dozen bombs activated simultaneously. All the while, the bomber shrieked towards its target at Mach 6.
​
Three hundred kilometers out, the squadron dispersed, each bomber flying to its own target. There was no longer any worry of enemy interception to be had; the brave pilots of the Bunker Hill had all but annihilated the already small air forces of the garrison.
​
A minute later, they were within two hundred kilometers. Hypersonic aircraft were, true to their name, rather fast.
​
“Drop our speed and pop open the bomb bay.” the navigator ordered. Rapidly, the aircraft descended to Mach 3, the great doors in the plane’s belly sliding open. If they opened the bay doors while at cruising speed, the immense change in air resistance could tear the bomber apart. Still, it was moving fast, far too quick for the manually-aimed Poslushi air defenses to track.
​
“Three… two… drop.” the pilot counted. Nodding, the WSO pressed a button and the payload began falling from the plane at regular intervals. One bomb every two seconds, a dozen bombs total, leaving a trail of falling bombs twenty-four kilometers long. The payload plummeted towards the ground for a few short seconds, and then the tiny explosive charges in the casings detonated, blowing the bombs apart and leaving in their place a whirlwind of swirling, falling papers. Written in the language of the Ovinis, they were a warning, telling any civilians in the area to vacate immediately before the worst happened.
​
It was no empty threat. Twenty-four hours later, they would repeat this route with a far different payload. The Poslushi would also do well to heed their words, because this time they would be carrying napalm bombs, and a lot more than twelve of them.
​
War was not hell. It was far worse. However, mankind knew how to make war seem like hell, more literally than not in some cases.
​
(AN: Forgot to celebrate #10, so let's celebrate #20! Woo! Anyways, I don't exactly like war, as you can see. However, it makes exploring the consequences of a fictional war quite interesting. Just wait until things really start to escalate!
​
Love 'ya!)

I debated with myself on creating an alt to post this but I'm an open book. I'm a 'say what I think and tell how I feel' kind of guy. I've seen many here give similar accounts so it inspired me to give mine. I'm not making this up, it really happened. I have better things to do than spin BS. We still feel weirded-out about it and talk about it once in a while. We have never told many about this except for my dad & mom and I've not ever posted about it in detail. I've had some crazy things happen in my life and seen some things that boggle the mind that most would never believe and may give these accounts someday. I nor my wife have any history of mental illness, do not use drugs, prescription or otherwise, and have never been alcoholic. This is one of my accounts:
It was about twelve years ago on a September day. It was time for me to renew my license so me, my wife and two sons, who are 1 & 2 years old, set out to drive a few towns over, about 45 minutes away, and renew my license. It was a crispy fall day. I still remember how beautiful it was. We left home about 8am or so because we knew we would be back home by eleven and have some time with the babies before our daughter got off the bus at 2:40pm. We had plenty of time. We arrived at the DMV a few minutes after nine. My wife stayed with the kids while I ran in to DMV. I got my license and walked out 10 minutes til 10. As I walked to the car, I saw my wife standing outside smoking and our babies were asleep. We got in the car to come home... and that's where things got very strange.
As we pull out of the plaza and onto the off ramp I began to feel very weird. I felt a vibration inside me. I'm not talking about a vibration like driving on the rumble strip or sitting on a washer. I'm talking about it felt like the cells inside my body were vibrating at a sub-atomic level. I've never felt that before. I began to wonder if I was having a medical emergency. As I looked over at my wife as we drove down the off ramp, we both faded into black.
Next thing I know I'm watching those white painted divider strips in the middle of the highway that separate the lanes. Each one passing by very quickly and I am watching thinking how interesting it is. Just one after another. I'm in some kind of trance or daze or something. I felt very strange. I was not in control of myself. Then I looked over at my wife and she was leaned all the way forward in her seat close to the windshield, seatbelt extended all the way, her eyes were WIDE OPEN and her mouth was gaped open. I've never seen her do that before nor since and at the time I thought it very strange. Then I go back to watching those white lines on the highway. Then its as if I start fading back in. I become aware of my hands on the steering wheel. I look back over at my wife and she closes her mouth and leans back in her seat. We came to at the same time.
Then it was as if I were released and given full control and I was now fully aware and I said "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WHERE ARE WE??!!". My wife is looking around puzzled. She checks the babies and they're still asleep. I'm trying to figure out where we are. There's no way! NO WAY!! We are getting ready to drop into the capital city. This isn't even the way we were traveling! I immediately pull off the highway and we start discussing what just happened. I asked my wife what the last thing she remembered was and she said coming off the ramp right after we left the DMV. I said me too and told her about the vibrations I felt and how I just faded to black. We were stumped, a little panicked, etc. I then see the clock and its 2pm. THERE'S NO WAY!! I asked where 4 hours went and how we're so far out of our way. None of this made any sense.
My wife had to call my parents and have them pick up our daughter off the bus. My mom asked if everything was okay and my wife said that we're all okay but no and that we would explain when we got there. At this point, it was closer for us to drive through the capital city and come around the back way home. We were about an hour and forty five minutes from home. As we drove home I kept trying to rationalize this. I would say a few words and stop. She was doing the same thing. We finally get home and I tell my mom and dad what had happened and they know we aren't liars or anything and they didn't really know what to say. This happened. I don't know what it was. I don't wanna dox myself but this happened where a famous UFO/alien monster thing happened many years ago.
About two months later, we were in bed asleep and I woke up all of a sudden. There was a dull blue light in our bedroom in front of the windows. It was the size of a basketball. I laid there looking at it and could see that it was 3 dimensional. I dug my elbow into my wife's side and said look. We watched for a couple minutes then it turned off. I got up and tried to debunk what it was but there's nothing that could've created that effect. Is it connected? IDK. Not long after this I noticed a scar on my right wrist. It is a perfect triangle-shaped scar about the size of a pea. Have no idea where that could've came from. My wife checked herself but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Okay, so we live in a tourist-y lake town. We were out and about and I saw a tourist magazine on the counter of a local gas station. Later when I'm home I'm sitting in my chair just thumbing through it... and that's when I came across an account that someone had sent in to this tourist mag. My jaw hit the floor.
This lady said her & her husband had came to our lake on vacation and had a strange occurrence. She said they were in a small canoe going across the lake when all of a sudden they blacked out or something and then woke up sitting in the canoe in a dry drainage ditch beside the lake. If I remember right she said they were 15-20 feet from the lake water. They didn't understand how they ended up there and were scared. They had to carry their canoe back to the water and paddle away. She said they packed up camp and left and weren't ever coming back here. Is this strange enough for you, HighStrangeness? lol