Hi guys, I'm new to PC build and this will be my first budget build. Will be using it for mainly for gaming 1440p medium fps (COD Warzone) and some video editing.
Please feel free to drop some suggestions or your thoughts about it. Considering to order the pending parts from Amazon asap.
Here are the updated Price:- i5 13600k - $171 (EPP price) - Purchased, Vetroo V240 - $79.99 (Amazon), Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4 - $169 (Amazon), Teamgroup T-Force 2x8gb DDR4 3600Mhz CL18 - $46.99 (Amazon), Samsung 980 1tb - $34.99 (Best Buy Geek Squad Certified) - Purchased, MSI RTX 3080 10gb - $300 (Got it from Office friend) - Purchased, NZXT H5 Elite - $105 (Best Buy Open Box Excellent GSC) - Purchased, MSI 1000W (660W x 1.5 = 990W) 80+ Gold PSU - $189 (Amazon with code PICKUP10OFF)
Total - $1096 + $51(taxes) - (Amazon 5% cashback $26) = $1121
Is it value for money? What do u think about price to performance?
Thanks

Might be a dumb question but I didn’t really find anything on the internet. I use Advanzia as my primary credit card but I want to get something that allows me to collect points on a daily basis, for eg: grocery, hotel bookings. In the states I’ve seen people use Delta or AA credit card. Not sure what to get in Germany.

The week went by and everyone kind of just forgot the last session until we all met outside the game shop and saw Barbarian and Druid waiting for us. Seems the weight of the last session had just come crashing back down on them and they were debating on going in at all. Bard and Paladin were already there chatting it up with DM and seeming to have fun. A little talking and we all decided to see where this lead.
Of course as we traveled DM insisted that we roleplay our actions to the extreme as if she wanted a reward for what she did last time. None of us really were in the mood and each explained in their own diplomatic way that we would like to skip to the next town. However Paladin was all up for roleplay. After all we had gotten to explain our backstory so he should get a turn. We agreed thinking it wouldn't take long for him to get on the same page as the rest of us.
Two hours later I have pulled out my laptop to work on some writing, and everyone else is looking at their phones or books while Paladin is still talking. He apparently loves the intense roleplay of describing in great detail all his actions with a hammy over the top way of speaking. His backstory is a line of adventures stolen from his favorite video games. Defeating evil Barron Von Bowser to save Princess Peaches, taking the head of the arch wizard Gannon to lift the curse on a sleeping princess, slaying the evil dragon of the north known as Seath the scalesess to save a blind holy woman, and riding off into the sunset on an axe beak with a young maiden after beating an evil lord named Sephiroth. Just to name a few. This kept on to the point I wanted to remind him he was level two but DM was loving it and on the edge of her seat.
Our saving grace was Bard who spoke up and said that we would break for camp. The next town was two nights away so might as well get one night behind us. Again we got a random encounter roll and again "Oh my this never happens you are all just so lucky, no encounter isn't that great?" The rest of us are angry but we remain diplomatic. Asking, pleading that we have an encounter so we can level up. Everyone wanted to fight the dragons and we needed levels but nope. She had played for FIFTEEN YEARS and THIS WAS THE RULES.
Another hour of stolen game cut scenes from Paladin and we made camp once more. Once again lucky us, no encounter. We begged offering to even roleplay with the enemies having banter and what not. No dice, it was the rules after all and you can't bend the rules... A bit more and we make it to town. At this point we hush Paladin, everyone is ravenous. We are rolling social skills, stopping people, asking questions, anything to get us our next job in hopes that we can level up, anything to further the story. Forget being nice, we were the rudest people you had ever met grabbing any NPC the DM said existed and ganging up on them venomously shouting. "What problems do you have in town?! Anything we don't care even if it's minor. Tell us, we'll even kill rats, got a goblin problem? Kobolds? Seen an undead? Do you just not like someone? GIVE US ANYTHING!"
Barbarian was so desperate he even asked the DM if starting a fight would be survivable and get us XP. She explained that everyone in the entire fishing city was either our level or lower and harming them wouldn't give us any XP what so ever. She went on to say that we didn't find any job hirings, the only thing people were talking about was how the fishing had dried up.
The moment we heard that Wizard, Cleric, and I in unison turned and said "DRUID! You're up. lets get you to the docks." We rushed everyone to the docks, and wanted to hire a ship. The only ship available was a war ship that was docked for resupply. We talked to the captain and paid him nearly every bit of gold we had to rent his ship. So we were out on the ocean and the druid was doing his thing in a small boat while we waited. Calling forth some fish and using a ritual speak with animals to get the information. All of us were very proud of Druid, he came back and we had the answer. Seems some creature had entered into the bay, druid pointed to a sunken single man sailing ship that we could see the mast sticking ten feet out of the water. So fairly shallow water, this is important.
Whatever had scared the fish was there. We sailed over to it and DM goes into her description. Talking about from the ship comes a massive shadow that dwarfs the ship we are on, so large it makes it look like a bath toy. The shadow swims under the ship and it takes half a minute before it is past. As it moves large tentacles are seen breaking the surface of the water.
Druid rolled nature and all of us aided him. He got a fairly high roll and DM informed us that we had just seen a Kraken. I was dumbfounded, how the heck was a Kraken living in a small sail boat when it dwarfed a war ship, and how the heck was it in this shallow of water!? So I asked "We know what it is can I look up the information?" She said ok and I asked what one she was using 3.5 or 5e it was the 5e one so I turned to it and pointed asking "You mean this?" She confirmed the CR 23 monster as the one we had just seen.
Barbarian who only looked at the picture. "Awesome!" Druid "Bet we can take that." Wizard "no we can't. It's CR 23." Barbarian "Cap!" Druid "Does this mean we have to run away again?" DM All smiles "Yep now you have an important second goal! You're so lucky."
Now I will say here I know I am in the wrong for what I did. It is always important to have good communication and talk things out, however we had tried that, I was frustrated, and I wasn't thinking straight. So I became that guy.
DM " When when you run away you have a couple of options you can go to..." Me "Nope we aren't running away. We're gunna fight it." DM "What? You can't." Me "Sure we can, it's here, we're here, we're going to fight it I know everything about them you said so lets see what we can do. Captain how many guns on this ship? Do you have harpoons big ones? How about gun powder you have cannons so how much you got?" Barbarian "So we're fighting it?" Me "Yep we're fighting it! Bring it on you big squid we're having calamari tonight!" Druid "So we can beat it?" Me "Heck no! It's impossible. That thing gets three attacks a turn can hit us on a 2, and will kill us in one hit. Barbarian might survive three hits if he's really lucky and raging. We have no chance." Druid "So why are we fighting it?" Wizard who had just looked up the stats. "Because we're fighting it!" Cleric "Bring it slimy!"
It was amazing, a moment of depression turned to a slight moment of confusion and then everyone was on board even Paladin who didn't get what was going on. Everyone was suddenly excited. Barbarian looked for the harpoons, took three of them and said he was rolling strength to bend them, didn't even wait for the DM to say if he could just rolled and explained how he was making a giant fish hook as his weapon of choice. Taking out rations and spearing them on as bait. Druid Rushed down asking how many barrels of gun powder he could find. Cleric was talking to the crew asking for anything that burned, wood, lamp oil, explosives of any kind. I went about telling everyone this was our ship and we were headed back to town why settle for what the ship had, we were going to raid the town for supplies. Druid pointed out we spent all our gold and I told him. "We are doing this for the good of the kingdom, we'll steal what we need and pay them back later. Lets get this thing!"
DM tried to gain control of her game back as we were going at a pace she couldn't handle, she said the captain was demanding we leave his ship alone and since it was the only ship he was sailing away and leaving us in the city, we couldn't have his ship.
The party was invested now though. Everyone was excited and having more fun then we had since the start. We reminded her that she stated no one was over our level so we would fight the captain and take his ship if we had to. Threatening him that if he didn't get off and leave the ship he would be dead. She relented and had the captain and crew leave. Cleric and I agreed we'd stay to guard the ship and get things ready on it while the party went to gather more things to kill the Kraken. People were looking at skills, abilities, and items. Looking through the book for anything that could help us and asking the DM if the city had it. Shop after shop the blood thirsty adventurers went demanding goods to fight off the threat. Never really telling the people why we needed it or what it was for but insisting there was a danger that would destroy the city, maybe the kingdom if they didn't cooperate. The DM wasn't given a break to process, when one question was answered another was asked. If we couldn't get something we got the next best thing. If we couldn't find a finished product we took the stuff to make it. She was having to improve on the fly and I could see it was taking a tole on her, where since the start she had a look of absolute authority and command, now she was a frazzled mess.
I would have felt bad, I should have felt bad, however from the rest of the players I heard something that I hadn't heard since day one, laugher and excitement. They didn't care I had told them it was impossible. They didn't care I had pointed out we would die and be on character generation. They now had a chance. Even if it was an impossible chance it was a chance to do something and try.
DM "Look if you do this you're all going to end up dead. You can't bet it at your level." She was trying to get us back to just running away and for a moment things stopped. Me "I hope my character doesn't die. I have a cousin in this down, he's a warlock too and he'd be so upset I think he'd go after the thing as well." Wizard laughed and joined in. "Oh yeah my sister has a shop here, if I died without saying hi to her she'd make that thing burn."
Druid and Barbarian got the message, we had all played video games. If we couldn't beat it with these characters we had a city with a population of 6000 possible back up characters to zerg rush it. So plans kept on going, players kept searching for a way to give us the best possible chance of doing this or surviving a couple of rounds because that would be an accomplishment in itself. We were making bombs, alchemical items, improvised weapons. Getting ready every spell and ability we had to try this. When gaming was called the DM and Bard left while the rest of us stayed around for probably a half hour more talking about the plan, joking, and just having fun. All of us left with a smile on our faces.
When I got home I had a message on my answering machine from DM informing me that I wasn't the DM and how dare I highjack her game. That I was a horrible player and I better fall in line because I had her crying. She made some threats about hurting herself if I didn't stop which I hope were lies meant to make me feel bad, and ended the message telling me if I called her back she would call the cops on me. A threat I wasn't going to test. I saved the message for proof later if I needed it and the week passed. When we all met at the shop the next week Bard said DM would be late. We were all still joking and having fun talking about our big plan for the TPK and making joke bets like "If we last three rounds your new character owes mine five gold." It was great.
Time passed though and no DM so we asked Bard what was up. He informed us then that she had texted. Said I ruined her game and she wasn't going to play with people who didn't understand the rules of dungeons and dragons. We broke out magic the gathering cards and played a few hands before heading home all a little disappointed that we couldn't see how far we would have gotten. A little while later I think a couple of months I was telling the story at the shop and Wizard kept making hand motions at me. I asked what was up and he face palmed saying "That's her older brother." Well I had already put my foot in my mouth voicing my displeasure so I figured one more question wouldn't hurt. "Sorry, but it was a bit of a mess of a game. This is my opinion as a player. I know she's family and all so hate me if you like but I am honest. I will ask though, how long has she actually been DMing."
The brother didn't mind and informed me that she had DMed 2 games for him, his younger brother, and their father when she was a child. That was it and they were both one shot things with their father doing most of the work. She never came back to the game shop and I think she moved states, I've never seen her since.

First step, get a 'SmarTrip' card from your closest local metro station. (The cost is only $2 for the card itself and load any amount of money you want, it defaults at 10 but you can lower that, but 6 minimum is best)
You don't need to, but you can log it on the WMATA (DC Metro) website to track how much is on it at home. The card will work on ANY and ALL metro stations and public busses.
​
I typically use the Fairfax Connector bus service but if you're for example in Falls Church, which is technically independent and outside Fairfax County so it doesn't use the Fairfax Connector, instead the local DC/MD bus system, which is fine because they're all under the WMATA system which is insanely convenient. This also includes Loudoun County, Southern Maryland, etc, so just remember; SmarTrip cards are your friend.
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Most WMATA bus fairs are $2 for 2 hours of unlimited rides/transfers between busses. So for example I got on a buss on weds to get home at 12:18 PM, using the 2$ left on my card. So I now had $0.00 on it but I was able to transfer to the bus home without issue, I got home at 1:20-ish.
​
Then my mom wanted me to drive her home for practice, and it was only 1:40 so I still had a good 35ish left and I caught the bus over to her work free, even though had no money on it, because of the 2 hour grace period. A round trip by bus is typically on $4. (Having a container of change is god tier, lemme tell you, I have fuck tons of quarters just in case. If I'm going to a station where I can use my debit card to load onto my metro card, I sometimes just slap 8 quarters in so I don't have to worry about money being on my card or not and I can add when I get to the station)
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Rule of thumb, always be at a bus stop 5 minutes early, because while google maps and the bus schedule text line can be scary accurate, it's always better safe then sorry. Don't let dice rolls hold you back. Same for the metro, always try to go a bit early, just to give yourself more time for stuff like adding money but I'll get into that in a bit.
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When on the bus, use google maps and the LED strip that reads out the stop names, once it gets to the stop right before yours, wait till the bus begins moving and then pull the stop cord. The bus driver will stop at the next stop, and not just in the middle of the street. So pulling the cord early just guarantees your stop is selected or they will keep going to save time.
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On the metro, it's pretty ez, though prices can be confusing for non-frequent riders. Basically, from 5 am to 9 AM , and 3 PM to 7PM on weekdays, a one way trip can be anywhere from $2.25 - $6.00 depending on how far you go. No idea what "far" is, but usually most trips aren't long enough to reach the 6$ amount. Typically it can be around $3 - $4.25 ish for the average trip distance. 5 or less stops and you'll probably get the $2.25 minimum. - These are "peak" fares.
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That leaves 9 AM through 3 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends as "Off Peak" fares, which are $2.00 - $3.85 based on distance. Any time AFTER 9:30 PM specifically are $2 flat.
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Also, once you get off the metro after a ride, you still have the 2 hour free bus grace period which hecking dope as hell, so getting around after arriving isn't that bad.
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Though I typically walk a lot in DC but I'm spry and full of energy lol, it's tortuous but I don't mind.
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When you use your card on the bus and then get on the metro you get like, a 25 cent discount which is negligible but it's just a nice little bonus.
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Extra bus tip, if you don'[t have quarters, not enough money on your card, and only like, a $5 bill, you can put in the $5 and then touch your card to the pad, and it will load the remaining $3 dollars onto your card. Hella nifty in a pinch.
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Typically my rule of thumb is to have 6 dollars minimum on your card when getting on the metro on weekends and 12 dollars on weekdays. That will be enough to cover you round trip (because the bus fair will be free). Typically this way you often end up with some left over occasionally for bus rides and stuff for when you don't the extra quarters.
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Also also if you only have like $1 - 1.75 on you, the bus drivers almost always let you on anyway. So while it's embarrassing, you'll still get where you're going with less issue than you'd realize.
Here's a good resolution map of the DC Metro for convenience too.
Big Circles are stations which allow for transfer between all overlapping lines
Be careful and ride safe! (Please add any extra tips or corrections in the comments!)

Looking for a bunch of games to fill my collection, send your lists over regardless because there might be something I'm interested in.
All games are CIB unless specified, will send pictures on request.
Willing to bundle items
[HAVE]
Nintendo Switch

• 128GB Sandisk Nintendo SD Card
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• LEGO Jurassic World (loose, has cosmetic damage)
• Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups (loose)
• Switch Sports (comes w/ leg strap & big box)

Nintendo 3DS

• Mario Golf: World Tour (loose)
• Pokemon X (Japanese, CIB)
• Pokemon Y (Japanese, CIB)

Gameboy Advance

• WWF Road to WrestleMania (loose, has two letters written on label)
• Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (CIB)

Gameboy Color

• Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (loose)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (loose)

Gameboy

• Tetris (Manual only)

Super Nintendo

• Battleship (loose)
• Final Fantasy II (loose, for parts/repair)
• Secret of Mana (loose, for parts/repair)
• Sim City (loose)
• Super Pinball (loose)

PlayStation 3

• COD: MW2 (Loose w/ replacement case)
• Fallout 3
• Fallout 3 (No Manual)
• Far Cry 3 (loose)
• FIFA Soccer 11
• Haze (loose)
• Homefront
• Madden NFL 11 (Case & Manual only)
• Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (loose w/ replacement case)
• NBA 2K14
• NBA Live 09
• SOCOM 4 US Navy Seals
• Street Fighter IV [Greatest Hits]
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
• Unreal Tournament III

PSP (Playstation Portable)

• PSP 2000 Piano Black Box Only (JPN import)
• Cabela's Legendary Adventures
• Madden NFL 09
• Madden NFL 10
• Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (loose)
• Sampler Disc Vol. 1 (loose)
• SOCOM US Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo 2 (loose)
• Transformers: The Game (loose)

Xbox 360

• Aliens vs Predator (loose)
• Battlefield 3 Limited Edition (loose, both discs)
• Bioshock 2 (loose)
• Bioshock Infinite (loose)
• Borderlands 2 (loose)
• Dark Souls (loose)
• Darksiders (loose)
• Dead Rising 2 (loose)
• Dead Space 2 (loose, both discs)
• Dead Space 3 (loose, both discs)
• Dragon Age II (loose)
• Fable II Limited Collectors Edition (loose, both discs)
• Halo 3 (loose)
• Halo 3 Complete MP Experience (loose)
• Halo 3 Essentials (loose)
• Halo 3 Game Disc (loose)
• Halo 4 (loose)
• Halo: Reach (loose)
• Hitman: Absolution (loose)
• Hitman Blood Money (loose)
• Just Dance 4
• Just Dance Disney Party
• Kinect Sports
• Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes [Platinum Hits]
• Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (torn artwork on case)
• Lego Star Wars II OT (loose)
• Perfect Dark Zero (loose)
• Rage (loose, includes all 3 discs)
• Red Faction Armageddon (loose)
• Timeshift (loose)
• XCOM Enemy Unknown (loose)

Wii

• Cooking Mama Cook-Off
• Mario Kart Wii

Wii U

• Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival (SEALED)

Gamecube

• NBA Live 2003 (box has damage on back)

Other

• Square Enix Nier Automata Music Box [Vague Hope / Cold Rain] (NIB)

[Wants]
Your list (there are many games I want not listed)
Switch Games List
Pokemon Legends Arceus Switch
Pokemon Sword Switch
No Man's Sky Switch or PS4
Pokemon Diamond DS Cart only
Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS CIB or NIB
Link To The Past SNES Cart only
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest SNES Cart only
The Last of Us PS3 CIB
Legend of Korra 3DS Manual Only
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock PS2
PS2 Console

https://www.creamcheese.com/brickforbrick
Tl;dr - Bricks in the Finals are your chance to win PHILLY bricks and $5k. Tune into our IG stories during each game to get yours phillycreamchs 👀 📷
For brick shots that we spot throughout the finals, we’re giving away $5 Philadelphia Cream Cheese gift cards at the end of each quarter to cover the cost of a brick of PHILLY Cream Cheese.
Fastest to claim wins, with every entry entered into our grand prize draw for $5,000.
Maximum of 5 bricks with 10 winners per brick; for a total of 50 First Prize winners per quarter and 200 First Prizes per game.
Grand prize to be announced on/around June 19th.
—
No Purch Nec. 50 US/DC, 18+. Ends 1 hour after end of Game 7 on 6/18 or 1 hour after end of series winning game, whichever occurs first. For Official Rules (after 6/1), visit creamcheese.com/brickforbrick.

Hello. I have been lurking around here for many years under several different usernames (like a creep). I really love this reddit! It's what always drags me back after I have deleted my account in a fit of pique. I think you're all amazing, creative, supportive and wonderful people, and some of you are very very funny. I thought I'd try and contribute.
I also love weird perfume and strange concoctions of all kinds, but I have a very small, mostly old collection for two reasons.

1. I live in New Zealand. New Zealand is very far away from almost everywhere. Shipping is so very painful and local retailers are slim pickings. The despair of spending $$$ for a small pack of Death and Floral samples only to have them completely disappear as soon as they touch your skin is enough to make anyone quit indies.
2. My mother's bloodline was cursed by a wizard in the distant past and all the women in my family have PICKY and SENSITIVE noses. We also can't make scones.

Most of the perfume I hoard is now discontinued and I have long ago lost any record I had of the notes, so lets play a Fun Game where I review them without googling, roughly in the order I bought them.
Alkemia - Desiderata
Desiderata is the first perfume I ever bought, after it was the only scent in a pack of samples that didn't make me smell like a burning tyre. Alkemia and I do not get along. It smells like.... honeysuckle? I think? maybe dandelions. Floral and green (my general jam), and a little bit bitter. It's nice but I don't wear it very often because it gives me a headache about 2 times out of 5. Also when I'm on my period it smells like decaying plastic for some reason.
Common Brimstone - Druid
This one's very resin-y and spicy, and a bit like actual jam. Spicy jam being eaten by a wealthy older woman who thinks you're the hotel staff and wants you to move her bags to the tesla waiting outside. She will not tip you. Common brimstone was a UK house that went out of business ages ago. I don't know why I bought this. Also 2 out of 5 headaches.
Sixteen 92 - Eternal Return
When I was a kid my dad had a vege garden where he grew cherry tomatoes and those little squash that look like UFOs. There was a huge lavender bush in the corner which was always swarming with bumblebees. This perfume smells like lying in the grass beside that garden on a hot day, hiding from your dumb siblings while you eat tomatoes straight off the plant and listen to Blink-182 on your iPod mini. It's 2005. Your sister suuucks. Only gives me a headache if I already have a headache.
Sixteen 92 - Southern Gothic
I love magnolias. Even though they remind me of that very depressing Nina Simone song. They smell so nice. Their flower buds look like darling little mice. This perfume smells like perfect rich syrupy magnolia and a bunch of other flowers that I don't care about. Unfortunately its a 5 out of 5 headacher. It smells so good for ten seconds after putting it on and then its like someone is applying a power drill right between my eyes. I think I thought that maybe I would get over the pain it causes me if I FSd it but that did not, alas, happen.
One Hand Washes The Other - Talisman Solid Scent
Picture me (if you wish to picture me as the grandma from the Addams Family, I will not mind) in my ideal place. This is a light, airy, greenhouse/shed/craft room, with terracotta floor tiles, herbs hanging from the beamed ceiling and beeswax candles burning everywhere. Picture me cackling as I pound spices and weird bitter herbs in a huge mortar and pestle. What am I making? Is it a poison? a potion? a spice rub for a lamb roast? It's this perfume. It's great. 0 headaches. Would probably smell super sexy on my partner but I don't want to waste it on him, it smells too good on me.
Darling Clandestine - Tapadero
This smells like a lady gunslinger taking potshots at her ex-lover as he rides away on a stolen horse. No it doesn't really, it smells like sage and roses and a bit of smoke. But that's how it feels. It's the only rose scent I have ever come across which doesn't give me an instant headache. I once wore it to a Catholic wedding at which I drank too much, took my bra off and swing danced with the best man. I left town soon after for unrelated reasons. 3 out of 5 headaches but worth it.
Darling Clandestine - Bicep of the Parrot Number 42
I really do love DC. This smells like the Winter Garden at Auckland Domain. Its a big glass and steel room filled with weird tropical plants, dripping water and moss. There's a pond with Amazonian giant waterlilies. There's one of those flowers that smells like rotten meat. Thankfully on the particular day that this perfume smells like, the meat flower is asleep. Headache free.
Special Mention Darling Clandestine - Baby Bankrupt
I no longer have this perfume because it went rancid during a heatwave, but I mourn it every date night. It was sexy and made me feel like fighting people and I loved it. Evonne from DC if you're reading this please bring it back I will pay many dollars.
Death and Floral - It's all in your head
I blind bought this because it was a charity scent donating money to an OCD organisation. I have OCD myself and occasionally like to give money to other people with it. The perfume smells sweet and bready in the bottle, but when I put it on my skin, it smells of nothing. Nothing at all. None of the samples I got with it smelled of anything either. On the plus side none of them gave me a headache.
​
Anyway I'm currently looking for a sexy but appropriate to wear in front of grandmother-in-law perfume to get married in so suggestions welcome! I've got some Crow and Pebble samples in the post and here's hoping! (only $10 for postage?!!? SIgn Me UP)

Had my phone stolen over a month ago now and have been getting tons of scam messages urging me to give over my iCloud information. I just keep blocking them.
At the time it was stolen, I had it black listed and hit “erase this device” in the Find My app. However, since the phone has been off, the erase has just been stuck at pending. I’ve already changed my iCloud password, did the security check, all the usual safety protocols. Just haven’t been able to get it erased from my account.
Now today’s scam messages started out normally. I blocked the number. But then, after blocking it they were still somehow able to send me this threat. It was really scary.
I filed a police report. Asked apple and they said that the scammers probably have my name associated with the SIM card, definitely my number (obvs) but nothing else.
Am I actually safe? Do I just comply the remove the device so I can stop getting all these messages? Or do I just leave this all be and continue to get harassed?

TL;DR: if someone else is using your Apple ID, credit card companies will overlook massive unauthorized purchases.
Edit:
I just realized this isn’t a scam. I’m sorry; I always turn to Reddit for answers (smart, I know) and I thought here was my best bet.
To those who sent messages of support and resources, thank you. I’ve had things stolen, but knowing someone is out there using your identity…it’s incomparable. I feel violated and humiliated and I’m furious.
A kind Redditor told me to check with the FTC, and I’ve just filed a report with GS and Capital One. I also edited the unnecessary details in the story.
Finally, I’m using my throwaway because I’m scared. Someone out there has all my information, and I have no idea what they plan to do with it. So yeah, laying low seems like a good option rn.
Original post:
This is such a mess in my head, so I’ll try to explain the best I can.
On Tuesday 5/30, I got a notification that my Apple Card denied a transaction in Reno due to insufficient funds. I’m not in Reno, but my card wasn’t at the limit either, so I called Apple/Goldman Sachs.
They found two other phone numbers using my Apple ID. These numbers had access to my messages, photos, bank, credit card, everything. The last purchase was a desktop Mac that they put on a payment plan. It took two hours to remove them.
The next day, GS charges my bank for the full balance of my card. It is now Wednesday and I’m overdrawn 10,000K. Put a stop payment and paid a fee.
The next day (Thursday) I see that Capital One has been paid $880 out of my bank. I don’t have Capital One. Another stop payment/fee.
This morning, GS tells me that the fraudulent charges align with my credit history. The disputes are dropped. I’m on the hook for over $3K (after they tried to steal over $10K right from the bank!)
Has anyone been through anything like this? Do have any options or do I have to comply because my credit history sucks?

Can someone confirm that I understand the process for filing a claim for trip cancellation insurance from a credit card? I want to make sure I’m not missing something that will end up in a claim denial…
Background: Have a trip to a theme park booked for this weekend with my 5 year old. Trip was cancelable until 5 days before start date. We are now outside of the cancellation window and my son is sick with a 104 degree fever so we need to cancel. Both airfare and the resort plus ticket package were purchased with my Delta Reserve AMEX which includes trip cancellation insurance. I don’t need any coverage for the flights as we’re ok with the flight credit.
My understanding from reading the terms and conditions is that I need to…

1. Get a note from his doctor saying he’s being advised not to travel
   
2. Cancel the flight and theme park package
   
3. Submit a claim with AMEX within 60 days and be expected to provide credit card statements showing the purchases, a physicians note, and a copy of the resort’s cancellation policy.
   

Am I missing anything important? Any reason we’d be denied? I’ve never filed a trip insurance claim before.
Thanks!

So I had a great time last night and this morning playing Diablo IV, but now it seems to have either damaged my 4090 or my power supply or something else in the rig.
My specs:
MB: Gigabyte Aero G Z790
CPU: i7 13700KF
GPU: Gigabyte Aero RTX 4090
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1200W (I am using the 12 + 4 pin connector on both sides PSU and GPU)
RAM: T-Force Delta DDR5 6200 16GB x4
I was playing and then the game suddenly crashed. Now I can't open any games or GPU benchmarks without it crashing on me. When it crashes there are visible graphical artifacts.
Things I've already tried:

1. Rebooting (well some times it's forced as the machine reboots when I try to launch a game)
2. Reinstalling NVidia's drivers
3. Repairing Diablo IV

Some other interesting things:

1. HWInfo64 says at most the GPU pulled was 253W before it crashes.
2. CPU temp is around 60C and GPU temp is around 60C when it crashes
3. I've limited the game to 150 FPS when I set it up yesterday. And when I looked at it yesterday, the game was only using like 60% GPU and 30% CPU or so.
4. The first time I relaunched the game after the original crash, it say GPU was pegged to 100% and it was outputting something like 1.6k FPS until I force quit Diablo IV.

Anyone else knows what I should do before I try to RMA the card?
​
edit: For those curious, this is what it looks like:
https://imgur.com/a/nyrnGwU

A flight was booked on my account not by me. I am not sure if it was broken into or just someone did it as a joke. I contacted my bank and Delta as soon as I saw it was booked as fraudulent. I honestly think it was a prank because they didn’t change any info. This was May 8th I contacted them. My bank sent me a new credit card and Delta is reviewing the case. I contacted them today and they said that my case is still in a queue to be reviewed. Does anyone know the process for something like this?

You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.

Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

• Type of card(s) and amount of each.
• What payment method you accept.
• How you acquired the GC and why you're getting rid of it.

BTC, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Venmo, and Western Union
I only have Steam as a substitute for cash payments in gift card trades.

Want ↓	Cash or a Gift Card ↓	BTC ↓
Apple	60%4	NA
Amazon.ca	50%	50%
Amazon.co.uk	50%	50%
Amazon.com	70%	55%
Amazon.de	50%	50%
Amazon.es	50%	50%
Amazon.fr	50%	50%
Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	60%	60%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)4	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell4	60%	NA
Delta gift cards4	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles4	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers4	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 4	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
DoorDash	70%6	NA
Dunkin Donuts4	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango4	10%	NA
Five Guys4	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards4	PM me	NA
Grub Hub	70%6	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
HBO4	70%	NA
iTunes4	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs4	60%	NA
KFC4	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 4	60%	NA
Microsoft6	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill4	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop6	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread4	60%	NA
PSN6	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month4	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway4	80%	NA
Starbucks	55%	55%
Steam6	60%	NA
Subway 4	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Uber6	70%	NA
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu4	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys4	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)6	60%	NA
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (12 month/6 month/3 month/1 month)6	PM me	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ I can't send less than $10 in crypto per Coinbase's rules.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Google Play
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• iTunes from anywhere but the US
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
$500 in Amazon (can be broken up) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion
• 85%: btc
• 90%: Apple Pay or Chime

Here are my GCX Rep profiles with 932 trades worth more than $60,000:

• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is twelve characters or less it's best to assume your account has already been compromised; your password should be eight randomly selected words, see 1 and 2). Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.

Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

• Type of card(s) and amount of each.
• What payment method you accept.
• How you acquired the GC and why you're getting rid of it.

BTC, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Venmo, and Western Union
I only have Steam as a substitute for cash payments in gift card trades.

Want ↓	Cash or a Gift Card ↓	BTC ↓
Apple	60%4	NA
Amazon.ca	50%	50%
Amazon.co.uk	50%	50%
Amazon.com	70%	55%
Amazon.de	50%	50%
Amazon.es	50%	50%
Amazon.fr	50%	50%
Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	60%	60%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)4	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell4	60%	NA
Delta gift cards4	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles4	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers4	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 4	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
DoorDash	70%6	NA
Dunkin Donuts4	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango4	10%	NA
Five Guys4	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards4	PM me	NA
Grub Hub	70%6	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
HBO4	70%	NA
iTunes4	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs4	60%	NA
KFC4	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 4	60%	NA
Microsoft6	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill4	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop6	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread4	60%	NA
PSN6	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month4	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway4	80%	NA
Starbucks	55%	55%
Steam6	60%	NA
Subway 4	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Uber6	70%	NA
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu4	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys4	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)6	60%	NA
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (12 month/6 month/3 month/1 month)6	PM me	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ I can't send less than $10 in crypto per Coinbase's rules.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Google Play
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• iTunes from anywhere but the US
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
$500 in Amazon (can be broken up) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion
• 85%: btc
• 90%: Apple Pay or Chime

Here are my GCX Rep profiles with 932 trades worth more than $60,000:

• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is twelve characters or less it's best to assume your account has already been compromised; your password should be eight randomly selected words, see 1 and 2). Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

Hello, I have lost my wallet a few days ago with my residency card (RC)/ health insurance card/ bank cards and cash. Most importantly my RC. Since I think I have lost it and not gotten stolen, should I report this to the police? I have waited a few days in hope it could show up after I filed a report at https://fundinfo.novafind.eu/home/fundinfo/F04011000/app/, but nothing so far unfortunately. I think it's time to apply for a new one at the citizen's office, but I found the earliest appointment is in months. What do you suggest I do in this case, please?
I have already booked and planned to travel to my country in 2 weeks just prior to losing my wallet, would losing the RC be an issue to traveling? Thank you very much!

Chapter Sixty Six: Plotting with Puppy
Entering into the entrance hallway of the apartment Simone tentatively holds up her hand to inform the other two women to wait.
”Something wrong?” Chak asks before looking down at Zrume who sits at her side vigilantly.
The animal’s ears perk up and nostrils flare silently, keeping her own tabs on the situation.
“Hope not, but…” Simone replies in concerned thought, “While I was stranded on the Gratt homeworld and just getting to know Meeki, she was chased and attacked by big burly dogs like Zrume here. Not the same breed of course, but I wanna check in with her before waltzing in, you know? Her only experience with dogs being like that, she probably needs a warning.” she informs.
Chak’s eyes widen slightly and she quickly nods.
“Oh, of course. Yes, that’s a good idea.” she agrees before placing a lower limb on the mutt’s big head.
“Surprised you accepted taking it! You seemed very scared of it at first.” Sonla comments, having been keeping her own distance from the animal thus far.
“She’s a little scary, certainly. Definitely intimidating in size and stature…” Chak grants, “But that look in her eyes… she’s without a doubt a very good natured girl.” she says while gently petting the dog.
“I think so too, but we’re gonna have to be careful introducing her to everyone and make sure she knows who’s a friend. Don’t want her thinking any of them approaching you is of concern.” Simone says before walking ahead to enter the apartment, “You guys wait here, I’ll just be a sec.”
Entering the apartment proper, Simone looks around the circular center hub space. There’s a faint smell of pizza in the air as the empty boxes are still resting on the counter island in the kitchen area. However there is no sight of either Gratt or Terran outside their disheveled mess in the center media couch.
Simone would have felt a but more concerned with how late the three seems to be sleeping in, but the evidence around reveals that they just have been up late having fun while they can.
However, knowing that she still can’t surprise them with the pouch, she walks over to the Gratt’s room and knocks her knuckles against it.
Though when Troy answers it dressed in nothing but a blanket Simone looks over to the other room doors confused.
“Oh, morning dude. Sorry, did I forget who’s room is who’s?” she asks in a chuckle.
“Nope.” the sheepish man replies as he rubs the sleep from his eyes, “Uhm… shoot. Yeah, uhm… Meeki and Nodrin are just waking up too, need me to get ‘em out for ya?” he says as his cheeks redden.
Simone’s eyes gradually expand in realization as she tilts her head enough to see the partially collapsed fortress of pillows and blankets. Nodrin pokes their head and upper torso out from the draping wall in a stretch, while another pair of loving Gratt hands massage their torso in the usual process of separation.
“Hmmmm… morning good Simone.” Nodrin groggily utters as they more fully pull away from their softly chittering partner in a crawl out.
Returning her eyes back to Troy to grant the nude Nodrin a bit of privacy, Simone clears her throat and rubs the back of her head.
“Wow… It looks like you guys had a hell of a time. Uhm… congrats? It seems like it went well. Right, ahh… Yeah...” Simone rambles with several streams of thoughts going through her mind, but she eventually snaps to it by raising her voice slightly, “Meeki? Nodrin? I need you two to get dressed and step out asap. There’s something I need to run by you guys before Chak comes into the apartment.” she calls out to the Gratt before winking at Troy and stepping away and scavenging one of the few remaining cold slices of pizza in the fridge.
“Okay!” Meeki’s voice replies before Troy closes the door to get dressed himself.
Simone updates Chak on the situation with her Lens as she leans against the kitchen island, and only waits for about a minute before the three hurry on out more appropriately garbed. For the most part.
Troy is still shirtless as he wanders out and approaches the kitchen area and starts digging through the cupboards.
Meeki and Nodrin run up to the island by Simone and sit up on the stools. The female wears a gray shirt that’s way too big for her, answering why Troy’s outfit is incomplete.
“Well I’m not seeing much guys, we can try ordering in again. But there’s enough to work with here for some quick and dirty pancakes. Not seeing any syrup or jam, but I think I can make something real quick with these frozen fruit packs in the freezer. Maybe I’ll just throw ‘em into the batter and see if it works out?” Troy tells the duo, seeming to have picked up a conversation they were having while getting dressed, “Oh! And bacon! At least… something that looks like bacon. Definitely not from a Terran animal so I can’t be sure if it’ll cook the same.”
“Sounds much good!” Nodrin agrees as they rest their head in their hands, watching the half dressed Terran get to work, very much enjoying the show.
“What we need to discuss?” Meeki inquires the nearby redhead.
Simone nods before finishing off the slice in her hand.
“Chak and I brought some new friends back home with us, and I wanted to give you a heads up. Probably should’ve messaged ahead… but let’s just say we were a bit distracted. One of them is a Vorook named Sonla. She’s a bit of an infiltration expert and I have a good idea of what she can do in case things don’t go to plan. That said, hold back on details with her for now.” Simone says, to which the Gratt nod, “And… the other is a security service animal that was gifted to Chak by the Z’ah’tuck ambassador. Long story.”
“And I thought we had a wild night… Did you even manage to have that date?” Troy says over his shoulder as he mixes wet and dry ingredients in a bowl.
“Yes, actually. It was amazing, all this other stuff happened afterwards. Anyway, Meeki, Nodrin. I want to clear it with you before bringing the animal in because… it’s a dog. Meeki, I know for a fact that your introduction to dogs was harrowing to say the least, because they were the animals those Gaia people used while invading your home.” Simone addresses the two green folk, seeing a bit of confirmation of her concern in the responding fearful Gratt eyes looking to the entrance door of the apartment.
“The four legged beasts with fur?” Meeki inquires a bit nervously.
“Yep. But I assure you that this one will mean you no harm. Those Dogs that attacked you before were raised and trained to do so. But dogs themselves are domesticated animals that are broadly safe to be around, as long as you don’t make yourself a threat to them. And even then, they may just cower from ya rather than fight. That said, Chak’s new dog Zrume is trained to be a kind of bodyguard. It’s important to know to not act aggressively towards Chak when she’s ‘on duty’, alright? However I’d like to socialize her with you guys here in a sec while she’s ‘off duty’. You know, to make sure she understands you two are friends and permitted near Chak in times of crisis. Is it okay with you two to let them in?” Simone elaborates.
“So… this dog is nice?” Meeki questions for full confirmation.
“Chak called her a sweetheart herself. And I completely agree. As long as you don’t bum-rush Chak for some reason as soon as she walks in, you will be perfectly fine. Just don’t stare into her eyes until she’s comfortable around you. For dogs direct eye contact can be seen as a threat.” Simone answers, “Ready?”
Meeki blinks as she watches the door for a moment longer.
“Yes. Is okay to bring them in.” she nods.
The redhead pats Meeki’s shoulder reassuringly and messages Chak, informing her that she is cleared to enter.
Everyone within the apartment turns to get a look as the entrance opens up to the Cali princess holding a leash to an animal that weighs more than she does.
Meeki relatively takes hold of Nodrin’s hand, but otherwise remains calm as the god is brought closer to the kitchen area.
Chak stops and pulls up a list of provided commands that the canine is trained in.
“Zrume, at ease. Safe zone.” she states firmly, hoping that she did it correctly.
Immediately, Zrume’s posture loosens and even becomes a little wiggly as as she looks down and begins sniffing the ground and nearby furniture within range of the leash’s allowance. Although the leash straightens out, the gentle creature doesn’t pull against her owner’s grip, instead simply shifting her focus to something else.
Quickly that focus comes upon the two Gratt still sitting on stools. Coming closer with caution, Zrume approaches the strangers carefully.
“Lower your hands with palms out, let her say hi first.” Simone advises.
Nodding Meeki slowly obliges, twitching slightly as the animal starts to sniff her clawed hands. Then in a side-rub against Meeki’s legs the dog opens its mouth in a relaxed grin exposing her tongue.
Feeling like permission is granted, Meeki starts to pet Zrume’s shaggy fur along her vertical back.
Nodrin then lowers their hands as well for another sniff-inspection before being enthusiastically allowed to join in on the petting.
Meeki’s nerves gradually fade as the animal proves to be indeed very friendly and well mannered. Nothing like the animals that intended to tear her to shreds way back when.
“Hello Zrume.” she says in a relieving sigh.
At the sound of her name being spoken by this new person the dog arches her head back and up at the Gratt female. Her expression being only what can be defined as ‘goofy sweetness’ with big expressive eyes and a heavy swinging of her happy tail.
Simone covers her mouth, trying to not snort a laugh upon seeing the dog’s dorky nature. Removing her bag from her shoulder she turns to look at Sonla who has been very quietly looking around the apartment and the folks within.
“And this is Sonla. Sonla, this is Nodrin, Meeki and Troy.” the redhead introduces with a moving hand gesture.
The monkey-like lizard stood up from walking on her knuckles to give everyone a wave.
“Hi.” she says a bit awkwardly.
“Welcome to the circus!” Troy greets as he pours his pancake-fruit mixture into a heated and buttered pan. Leaving it for just a moment he leans over on the island and gives the Vorook a big smile, “Want any pancakes? I might have made a bit too much batter while trying to even out the texture.” he offers.
“I’m an obligate carnivore, so no thanks.” Sonla replies as she settles back on her thickly scaled knuckles.
“Oh, sorry, right. My bad.” Troy chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck, “Uhh… what about some bacon? The animal is uhm…” he turns sound to closely read the chilled packaging for the answer, “Premium cloned loamph? Not really sure how ‘premium’ cloned stuff is, but we got it!”
The man flips the package in the air with one hand while the other gives the lizard lady a thumbs up.
“Yes!” Sonla immediately replies as she maneuvers up to the remaining stool by the island, and adjusts it to compensate for her shorter stature.
“You got it!” Troy says with a finger-gun before turning around once more to tend to his cooking.
After a short while seeing the dog is handling the situation well, Chak takes off the leash. Zrume takes this opportunity to step away from the Gratt and further explore the space around her.
“She’s very nice.” Meeki says as she watches the animal sniff around everything that was in her path, “She play or no?” the Gratt inquires curiously.
“Oh yeah. I imagine she’d be happy to play things like fetch and tug-of-war. In fact Chak already ordered toys, food, a bed and a waste pad system to be eventually delivered to the Kwip-chap.” Simone answers before her fiance pressed up against her in a side hug.
“It’s only sensible to be prepared now, rather than later.” Chak defends in a chuckle as she keeps an eye on the pouch, “I just hope the children will like her.”
“I’m sure they will.” the redhead replies as she gently rubs the Cali’s back.
Meanwhile Sonla finds herself staring up directly at Nodrin with an unreadable expression.
“You… alright?” Nodrin asks.
“Why do you have four eyes?” Sonla bluntly counter-questions.
“Ah- uhm… because I was born with four? As most Gratt are. Four eyes not all that strange when it comes to other species. Truba, Carvv and Hallo as examples.” Nodrin answers, confused by the question,
“Well duh, but I mean why does your species have four eyes evolution wise?” Sonla clarifies, “Carvv and Hallo have four to see different light spectrums, and Dillo needed six to look upwards for falling debris in sandstorms and cliffsides. Runeani have eight! I think that is because they needed good depth perception.”
“Oh, so you much study biology science?” Nodrin assumes.
“No. It’s just kinda creepy to look at without context.” Sonla bluntly responds with a shrug,
Nodrin leans back a bit, finding themself a bit offended.
“Much rude… but if it make you comfortable to be around us then I’ll answer the best I can.”
“Sorry. But yes, it’ll help.” Sonla says, although to the Gratt her tone can stand to be a bit more apologetic.
“Very well. They help get more clear vision in dark places. Mostly they help us with close inspection and far distance seeing.” Nodrin explains before pointing at their pair of eyes furthest from the center of their face, “But outer eyes are much special. Our ancestors were aquatic animals and so Gratt’s outer eyes still have extra clear lids to see underwater.”
“Oh. Aquatic?” Sonla questions, “Where did head fur come from then? Are you like mammalian?” she adds with more genuine curiosity.
“I… don’t know…” Nodrin admits, “Gratt study past ancestors much, but we still know little. Though hope new tech from the stars can help with all our sciences.”
“I saw Terran article that said we closely resemble… uhm…” Meeki inserts herself into the conversation before trailing off as she forgets the classification used, “One moment…” she utters as she navigates her Lens to find the article she found, “Ah! Synapsids! Not exactly like, but much comparison. So we are compared to ‘Mammal-like reptiles’.”
Sonla blinks before looking back as the roar of bacon hits a hot pan.
“Huh… Neat!” she replies, “Vorook can’t really swim very well. We tend to sink and even if we don’t we are too top heavy so our heads get stuck underwater. Very funny to see, but also sad. But we are really good at climbing! We can hold on to and dangle from things for long periods of time!”
“But not holding on to speeding shuttles roofs, huh?” Simone teases, as she maneuvers her positioning to get a better line of sight on the sizzling bacon.
“N-no… Well maybe, if it didn’t get so cold so fast.” Sonla says,
Troy looks back at his fellow Terran with a furrowed brow.
“What did you guys get yourselves into?” he says as he breaks into a bewildered laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll know soon enough when you get the chance to look at the news. But by the end of it Chak managed to secure overwhelming Z’ah’tuck support for her and her efforts to take back the throne. Like… military support. Granted, they have a lot to gain from it, but so do we.” Simone reveals as she finds herself a bit closer to the plate where the man was putting down the greasy strips of crispy goodness.
Chak then lets out a genuinely humored giggle that borders on outright laughter.
Confused, Troy looks to Simone then to his other side where Chak is looking. Having somehow sneaked up on him, Zrume sits there while gazing up at him with big pleading eyes with a little line of drool dripping from her maw. Noticing that he is boxed in he turns to Simone and aims his tongs out at her.
“You already pillaged our leftovers, you can wait a few minutes for bacon!” he states sternly in his fake parental tone before turning to the dog.
“Sorry pupper… way too much sodium for you. It’ll upset your guts real bad.” he sweetly apologizes.
As he addresses the canine, Simone swiftly reaches over and silently snatches two hot strips from the plate and retreats back before he is able to notice.
“You motherf-” Troy laughs once he sees both Simone and Chak snacking on the stolen goods, but knowing he would do the exact same drops it immediately.
Simone smirks in victory as she wanders over to the circular center couch to make herself comfortable as they all wait for their other Terran comrades to return from their own mysterious mission.
-
“Well that wasn’t a complete disaster…” Brandy mutters as she strides ahead of Thorn and Devin with her arms crossed while marching into the apartment entrance hallway.
“Hard to believe we weren’t caught after that water tank collapsed… Almost didn’t have the time to scrub us from all the crossing security footage.” Devin groans in a low grumble.
“Getting caught? How about -oh you know- nearly crashing that tanker shuttle into a residential area!?” Brandy snaps back.
“Not my fault that the pilot passed out.” Devin argues.
“Sorta was, that kinda happens when you jumpscare a Zernth from behind like you did.” Brandy counters.
“It was either lose the target or try to convince the Zernth to turn left.” Devin sighs before he feels a mechanical hand press on the back of his shoulder.
Pushing him to hurry up, Thorn catches up with Brandy where he plants his other hand.
“Mmhmm. Not our best work. But we got the bastard and actually convinced the Squilla ambassador to help us out in our little operation here. Other than some spilled water, we managed to pull it off without a hitch. I say we all learn from the experience and get to what’s further down the trail. Remember what’s at stake.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But still… it’s those stakes that make every mistake feel like I’ve wronged the entire universe. Like it’s heavier than it has any right to be.” Brandy replies as she reaches the door, “One fuck up and who knows how many people will be hurt from it down the line…”
“Aye… but in the grand scheme of it all your actions have had the same weight your entire life, because it led you here doing what you’re doing. Still, you're right, it’s a lot to bear on the heart.” Thorn grants, “My advice? Take a note from Simone’s book. Just keep moving forward and rest in the arms of whoever you want to hold ya.”
“I honestly don’t know how she copes. It’d drive me into a downward spiral of stress and paranoia going through half of what she has.” the woman huffs as she reaches to open the door via indicator.
“Don’t compromise who you are, and preserve your capability to love throughout all of the hell life will march ya through. It’ll hurt, but it’s worth it because that’s how you win life.” the old man states right before the door opens.
“Yooo! Bout time! You guys want some cold pancakes? I can reheat ‘em if you’d like!” Troy cheers from the couch with two Gratt resting at his sides.
“I hope you three have moved from the couch at some point…” Brandy says with an exaggerated eye roll, “Have a good night?”
“Yeah we did!” the man answers both of Brandy’s sentences at once.
“I’m going to set up to get our finalized planning underway. Ten minutes.” Devin notifies as he peels off to his room.
“Good. I hear we have a new member to the crew?” Thorn says as he strides in with his hands on his hips.
As if summoned, Sonla’s head peeks out from behind the other side of the couch.
“That’s me! Master infiltrator Sonla at your service!” the Vorook introduces herself, now standing proudly upon the headrest.
“Master eh? Good… We’re definitely gonna need a master’s handiwork in our lil’ operation.” Thorn chuckles as he scratches at his five o'clock shadow.
“We were also told that we have a doggie?” Brandy asks as she looks around for any trace of the animal.
“Yup! Simone and Chak were just showing her off to their kids in a call.” Troy explains as he thumbs to their room.
As if summoned by Troy’s opposable digit, the door opens with Chak once again holding the leash of the dog.
“Welcome back, I hope everyone is alright?” the princess inquires as she guides Zrume out to meet Brandy first, “At ease, safe zone.” she reminds the animal.
“Why hello there! Oh my goodness I’ve never seen a breed quite like hers before! Like a big pitty and… African painted dog maybe? Has the color at least. Definitely some others mixed in there too, hint of mastiff or something else chunkier? But still all the pretty in a fluffy package!” Brandy says as she scratches under the dog’s wide neck, which is very much approved.
Though the angle of Zrume’s ears change to one of caution and alertness. Turning her head towards the old man who had yet to approach she released a low growl.
“It’s okay Zrume, safe zone.” Chak assures, but the animal’s stare remained intense on the cybernetic man.
Seeing the confusion and concern on everyone’s faces, Thorn raises his hand.
“Don’t worry about it, dogs and I don’t really mix. A shame really, but it’s something to do with how my non-organic bits emit a sound they find very agitating. Like a walking annoying dog whistle. I’ll see if Devin can do anything about that, but in the meantime it’s best if the dog and I keep separate.” he explains.
“Oh damn. Yeah I guess dogs never really approached you before. Bummer. I guess while we sort things out we’ll have her chill in our room.” Simone says apologetically.
“And I’ll bunk up when she needs some runnin’ around time.” Thorn nods back appreciatively, “She’s downright adorable by the way.”
As Chak turns back around to lead Zrume back in her room for the time being, Troy’s eyes go wide and he points at Simone dramatically.
“Shit dude I almost forgot! Someone came asking for you by name.” he reveals.
Looking to him with a bit of fear in her eyes Simone gave him her full attention.
“Who?” She demands.
“Don’t worry I never confirmed you were actually here and she seemed… not like the people we’re up against. She was a tall thin lady who said she was a friend of yours from your academy days? She left a contact card and before you ask, yes I scanned the hell out of it. She seemed to really really want to talk to you.” the man explains as he feels around his pockets and when he finds nothing he shoves his hand down the crevice of the couch until he victoriously pulls the card out of the furniture-void.
He holds it out to which Simone accepts hesitantly.
“Yeah, okay…” she mumbles while looking at either side of the card.
“Just be careful, our options of people who we can trust from your military career are thin at best.” Thorn cautions.
“I know. And… I think I know who it is. Honestly I have no clue how involved she is, if at all… but it’s quite the coincidence she shows up now of all times.” Simone admits.
“Is she gonna be a problem for what we’re planning to do?” Brandy asks.
“If she has nothing to do with the Terran terrorists, then I don’t think so. I’d ignore this completely, but I ought to at least know what she wants to talk about, clearly she knows I’m here anyway. No point in avoiding it, especially if she seeks me out during our operation regardless of her intentions we’re asking for trouble. The other big issue of course, is that she’s still with the Terran Union. This could just be a ploy to get me arrested and into Union custody.” the redhead says as she taps the card in the palm of her other hand.
“Then wherever she wants to meet I’ll come with you.” Chak announces as she returns to her Terran, “I’ll even request for Ambassador Zrreak’s attendance if possible, or at the very least have a representative of his there to show that arresting you would be a terrible political nightmare for the Union.” the princess adds sternly with an affirmative nod.
“Damn you're so hot when you get like this…” Simone replies in jest to alleviate her own nerves, “But yeah, I appreciate it.”
“But first before any of that potential shit-show…” Thorn says as he crosses his arms, “It’s time we put our main plan to paper. We have a president to possibly kidnap and hold at gunpoint after all.”
“Oh… wow. That’s a bit more than ‘less than legal’...” Sonla mutters with wide eyes “Good thing I’m a master of explosives too…”

Hi guys, long story short, was going to Vaishno Devi and one of our bags got stolen from the train. Though it didn’t have any cash. Just v expensive skin care and makeup along with clothes earphones and our aadhaar cards.
This is for anyone travelling through NDLS and notices/ finds a dark blue duffle bag with red pockets at the station/ near platform or station. It has a UCB logo. Please be v aware of travelling through NDLS.
Since it doesn’t have any cash I’m assuming whoever stole it would throw it away near that place only. Please be on the lookout
I have already filed the Report for our Aadhar cards

Trying to plan an award trip to Maldives/Singapore (from Los Angeles) in the spring for our honeymoon, and I think my brain has broken a little bit from trying to plan this out to perfection while also figuring out everything for the wedding itself (it's an expensive for us DIY wedding).
Fiance and I have been strategically building our points/miles over the last year by putting wedding purchases on cards with SUBs and paying them off immediately with our wedding fund savings. It's been lucrative! We have:
500,000 Hilton Honors Points 225,000 Capital One Venture Miles 200,000 AmEx MR 175,000 Delta Skymiles We also have about 175,000 Chase UR, but we are saving that for future Hyatt redemptions on other international travel since the Grand Hyatt in Singapore is under renovations and the hotel options are so modestly priced it would be a waste of a redemption.
The HH are going to be used on the Conrad Rangali Island in the Maldives. Our honeymoon plan is to start the honeymoon in the Maldives to relax and get over jetlag, and then at the end of those five days fly back to Singapore for about 7-9 days (we are flexible but overall looking for about a 14 day trip).
Should I be looking at booking two award redemptions (a Los Angeles - Maldives, Maldives to Singapore leg and then a second Singapore - Los Angeles leg since we're staying in Singapore for a bit?) or is there a way to structure it to a single award redemption.
This is the first international trip I've doing where I'm not flying into/out from the same airport, so any advice on how to structure this award redemption, which pocket of points/miles makes the most sense would be super helpful.

Hi! I was wondering if there's validity in card expiring or considered lost/stolen if no usage in 6 months? Most of our cashier's and CECs encourage it to people who don't use the card frequently to sign up again but as a CEC myself I've never known if that's accurate and haven't pushed it unless they're card was shown expired. Thank you in advance.